Author: Chris Singh

The over-the-top beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake that dominated pop culture last year is still paying dividends for at least one of its participants. Following his viral Super Bowl performance, which centred around Kendrick’s now-signature Drake diss “Not Like Us”, the Compton emcee’s star has puffed right into the stratosphere. He now commands some…

Santa’s state-sanctioned home invasions are just around the corner. The big ball of joy is going to be squeezing down your chimney in just a few weeks, but you don’t want him to spot a sad, empty Christmas tree when he makes it down, do you? Trees that shadow dozens upon dozens of wrapped presents,…

I’m enjoying this neighbourly interplay between robot vacuums and stick vacuums. Both categories are moving forward, respectively, by borrowing liberally from each other in an ongoing attempt to change the way we think about home cleaning appliances. Since we started doing home tech reviews on the AU review, I’ve been able to test out plenty…

I’ve tried my fair share of robot vacuums, from budget models that whirr around in confusion to premium options that promise smart cleaning but still leave crumbs in the corners. The Narwal Flow doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it feels like it’s paying attention to how the category is evolving, and how this brand can…

All it took was one listen to “Fire” before I was ready to claim House of Protection as the best band in the world right now. Once I saw them live, it was pretty much a done deal. “I think, it’s like, The Prodigy meets Rage Against the Machine,” I would tell people in the…

A few years ago, when I was working at a men’s publication, we received a smart beer-maker that promised to streamline the process of home brewing. It wasn’t easy to use, signalling a tech category still finding its feet. The results were uneven, and the verdict was simple. Home-brewing machines were not quite there yet….

How can you possibly quantify the seismic impact of songs like “Seek & Destroy” and “Enter Sandman” when they’re played live and loud, igniting the air with soundwaves so combustible that you could swear Accor Stadium could burst into flames? You can’t. Sydney waited patiently while Metallica shredded through the rest of their Australian tour…

They’ve done it again. But you expected as much, right? RUFUS DU SOL is ending a breathless world tour in Australia, and right now they’ve landed at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena for the first of three sold-out shows. After that, it’s on to their hometown of Sydney for another string of instant sell-outs. For those…

Nowadays, the word “luxury” is vague and overused in the travel industry. Every influencer and their Pomeranian specialises in “luxury.” Every travel writer and blogger specialises in “luxury”. Everyone wants a piece of that upper-crust lifestyle (very understandable), but few understand that genuine luxury goes far, far beyond aesthetics, location and exclusivity. You cannot claim…

Breville’s latest home appliance is something the brand, best known for its superb coffee machines and category-leading microwaves, has never done before. “In fact, no other company has done this before,” says Tom Groundes-Peace, Senior Global Category Manager & Head of Research at Breville. However, this gave them a slight advantage; Breville could thoroughly test…

Lightweight and powerful is a reasonable pitch for a vacuum that you can pick up for $400 in Australia. As with all leading home appliance and consumer technology categories, the biggest refinement is always in value as brands constantly chase the perfect balance between performance, design and price to address all ends of the market….

Owing to its image quality, compact body and nostalgic, tactile experience, Fujifilm’s approachable X-T30 model has been beloved by travel photographers for years. I know several travel writers and content creators who swear by the X-T30 II and readily suggest it to would-be photographers looking to dip deeper into the expensive world of professional photography….

One of the largest rooftops in L.A., a prime position tucked away from crowds of first-time tourists, and 220 comfortable, light-filled rooms that look like they’re paying homage to Hollywood’s black-and-white era. This is The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood, which has been pitched as one of the neighbourhood’s most fashionable boltholes since opening in the second…

I close my eyes halfway through one of Neil Finn’s good-humoured stretches of crowd banter and can almost swear Rhys Darby was the new lead for Crowded House. The fearless frontman has always charmed with his relatable sense of humour, often quipping with his brother Liam between the band’s many classics. But something about these pop-up…

The Crowne Plaza brand is one of the most recognisable banners for IHG, sitting comfortably in the “affordable premium” market as opposed to outright luxury, often fashioned as that mid-to-upscale that values balance over priced-out exclusivity. It’s been that way for decades, which is why Crowne Plaza is such a prolific brand for every type…

It has been years between drinks for Gearbox and 2K’s pioneering looter-shooter. Borderlands 4 arrived shortly after one of the most nonsensical and unwatchable game-to-screen adaptations of all time, and yet it more than makes up for any damage Jack Black and his crew inflicted on this otherwise fantastic IP. If you take anything away…

Chicago neighbourhoods are just as diverse as New York neighbourhoods. “Think of Chicago as New York City, but just the right size.” That’s how the city was described to me when I first arrived at O’Hare. I was 22 back then, wide-eyed and full of energy, looking forward to my first overseas trip as an…

From mid-to-late October, four major Australian cities will bear witness to one of the only noughties-baiting lineups of the year with RnB Fridayz Live. The festival has been around for years, but this is one of their most varied line-ups to date, with Pitbull and Mariah Carey headlining the whole thing, alongside Lil’ Jon, Wiz…

I think it’s important to have “favourite” artists. Creatives whose words, thoughts and/or works resonate with you so hard that they bypass traditional modes of communication. They don’t speak to your consciousness, they dive to the bottom-of-the-iceberg part of your brain where memory and emotion lie. Music, paintings, books. Any work that speaks to you…

“Everything cool in Los Angeles is hidden,” says Jonny D’Amico, who moves through West Hollywood with the cocksure swagger of the area’s unofficial cultural czar. He never claims the title, but his confidence suggests it. I’m skeptical. Yet after walking with the firebrand up and down West Hollywood’s signature Sunset Strip, I’m convinced. This is…

I haven’t seen the Eiffel Tower since I was nine, so when I crane my neck at the latticework girders and perfectly formed apex, I sigh. Just inches to the left, I duck under the Arc de Triomphe to soak up the romance. For a moment, I feel like I’m in Paris. I dream of…

Mixed flooring should always be a major consideration when buying a home vacuum. Always. With modern home design trending towards hard flooring, we’re now seeing a lot of wet-dry vacuum cleaners hit the market. Like all niche categories of tech, not all are equal, but Tineco has emerged as the clear market-leader here. Between our…

I can’t remember the last time I hopped behind a steering wheel. I’ve attempted to get my learners several times throughout my life, though I’d only ever make it as far as a few streets before the freeze started to set in. I’d feel tears form and panic take over. Learning to drive may be…

“Your videography is getting so good,” I’ve heard multiple times over the past year. “Thanks,” I reply sheepishly. I do admit that I’m getting much better at shooting content, but these apparent skills wouldn’t exist without the proper tools. Yes, there’s intuition and a journalist’s eye, but those things are learned through trial and error….

Don’t believe dad when he says he doesn’t want anything for Father’s Day. Even the most stoic of parents gets a bright spark when they feel a tinge of appreciation. And that’s any age, whether dad is still sprightly or moving towards retirement. You don’t need a gift to show you appreciate, of course, but…

It takes at least around 2500Pa of suction power to make a decent robot vacuum cleaner. That number comes after years of testing robot vacuum cleaners from big-name brands like Ecovacs, Dreame and Roborock. It’s the bare minimum if you want a robot vacuum that actually does what you want it to do. And yes,…

After a notable absence from Australian shores, Huawei has returned with a statement, launching its impressive Watch Fit 4 series with a clear aim at challenging Android leaders Samsung and Google when it comes to wearables. The Chinese tech giant has unveiled two compelling options: the standard Watch Fit 4 and the premium Watch Fit…

Lush, evocative, poignant. Writers have been trying to distill Sigur Ros’ otherworldly music into neat adjectives for years, but there’s always been something missing. There’s an indescribable quality to Jonsi’s wails, so pregnant with emotion, sorrow and joy, lifted by world-class musicians who flitter between sublime, modest dips and chaotic, violent peaks.  It’s beautiful music….

There aren’t many city hotels outside of NYC that make you feel like you’ve just stepped onto a movie set, but the historic Fontainebleau Miami Beach has built an experience untethered to the tyranny of time, unconcerned with formidable competition; standing confidently on South Beach with the kind of swagger only a chiseled Grand Dame…

You might be able to get away with foregoing Valentine’s Day gifts and maybe even Christmas gifts, but there’s absolutely no way mum is going to let this one slide. It’s still a nice tradition to get mum something useful when the special occasion rolls around, regardless of whether it’s your own mum or someone…