Author: Chris Singh

True icon Iggy Pop is stately and composed on new track “Sonali”, a jazzy cut from new album Free. His first since 2016 LP Post Pop Depression, Free has already been telegraphed well by first single “James Bond”, but this one’s an even softer and meandering look into what the veteran musician, with nothing left…

Though The Fantauzzo may be one of Brisbane’s hottest hotel openings of 2019, it’s not Art Series Hotels’ first property for the city. That honour belongs to The Johnson, which made its debut back in 2016, making an impact as a clean-cut tribute to the lasting legacy of master abstract artist Michael Johnson. Part of…

It would require no stretch or exaggeration to proclaim Manta a legend in Sydney’s dining scene. The high-end fixture of Woolloomooloo’s illustrious finger wharf has for 9 years now been the first port of call for schmoozy seafood-centric lunches and luscious business dinners thanks to its uncompromising worship of the highest quality produce. Nothing has…

Throw post-hardcore into the same show as indie-folk and dark electronica, and you might have a very confused crowd. That is, unless you’re at a showcase event like BIGSOUND, where the Australian music industry completely gives themselves over to a few days of discovery, sifting through live music both homegrown and international. That kind of…

KFC have brought back their fan-favourite special Zinger Pie to all Australian stores nationwide, resurrecting a limited edition classic that the country hasn’t seen since 2013. Once again, the 100% ‘Straya creation will be available at all of KFC’s Australian locations for a very limited time, allowing people to get their mouths around the golden,…

If all the promised festivals hitting Gold Coast and Brisbane go down without a hitch this year, we could see Queensland become the new premier spot for live music in Australia. Seeing as Gladys B (I don’t know how to spell it; not worth Googling) is running festivals out of NSW so kids can keep…

Beloved hip hop group Little Brother are back with their first studio album since 2010’s Leftback. The now-duo (9th Wonder left in 2007) of rappers Big Pooh and Phonte surprised the industry when they released a new project, May The Lord Watch just last week, delivering on the high expectations that come with such top-tier…

Berlin based art-rockers Morioh Sonder are much more than a head-turning (and concerning) track title on new single “I Want To Die On My Birthday”. The first cut from their forthcoming EP, a heady and twisted hybrid of surf rock and Brit-pop takes the band into the stratosphere, mixing it up with shiny synths and…

Once again, BIGSOUND kicks off next week (3-6 September), bringing the Australian and international music industries together for one hell of a rowdy, insightful and fun few days exploring, questioning, prodding, poking, and celebrating live music. Question is, have you locked down your schedule yet? As always, the best way to tackle BIGSOUND is to…

If the way to dad’s heart is through premium alcohol, you’ve got your job all set out for you this year as Father’s Day fast approaches. Three of the most widely recognised and super premium brands have either released new expressions, or are doing something different for Dad Day, in 2019. And they are well…

W Hotels are about to stage a massive comeback in the Australian market, returning down under with three properties, one for each major city across the east coast. While Melbourne and Sydney openings are on the horizon, Brisbane was the first to receive the luxury Marriott brand’s renewed energy when W Brisbane cut the ribbon…

Those in the mood for slow-swaying minimalism should take immediately to today’s Track of the Day, coming from the fearless Molly Sarlé. As one third of folk trio Mountain Man, the ethereal singer twirls new single “Twisted” around a skeletal instrumental to keep the focus on her penetrative voice. Reverberating from a barely-there strum, Sarlé’s…

Following the launch of their OPPO Reno 5G smartphone, OPPO have dived into the pop-up hotel game with a world’s first. That’s the world’s first travelling 5G powered smart hotel, mind you, and it’s currently sitting in one of the coolest spots in the Gold Coast, making use of a shipping container to fully highlight…

You’ve got less than a week till Father’s Day comes around for 2019. 1st September marks the annual gift-giving occasion, which doubles as a good time to see exactly what’s floating around the market and turning heads this year. To help lessen any stress, we’ve zoned in on 13 of our favourite tech, gaming and…

Marriott International are about to welcome a second Japanese property into their coveted Autograph Collection, announcing the signing of mesm Tokyo. Located at the exciting Takeshiba Waterfront Development Project, the hotel will occupy 10 floors of the multipurpose WATERS takeshiba building, offering guests a highly personal, individualised experience befitting the storied collection of unique hotels…

Located in the heart of Iceland’s iconic Golden Circle, adventure travel operator Explore has unveiled a collection of bespoke yurts as a new accommodation concept. Collectively titled Náttúra Yurtel, the gorgeous luxury tents will feature in a new three night, four day trip that officially kicks off at the start of April 2020. Appropriately dubbed…

Every Father’s Day it seems there’s at least one spot doing a dad twist on traditional high tea, with a love of dude food replacing the typical scones and tea for pork belly and beer/whisky. This year that spot happens to be every QT Hotel property across Australia and New Zealand, and given the hotel’s…

Yuin emcee Nooky is looking to continue his fiery run through to Australian hip hop’s forefront with new single “Numb”. Following the likes of “Blackfellas” and a show-stealing spot on B Wise’s “The Code (Remix)”, the Bad Apples rapper sticks to expressive, self-reflexive rhymes as he both embraces and rejects the need and the means…

After catching fire across the world with the “OMG” and “Final Form”, Sampa the Great prefaces new album The Return with yet another soul-stirring single in “Freedom”. The third clipping from this imminent project, Sampa syncs with a soulful backbeat, skipping across powerful vocal support to give us an R&B-flavoured ode to artistic expression. A…

Not only does Brisbane-based songwriter BANFF share the same name as one of the most beautiful parts of the world (Banff, Alberta), this exceptionally talented Aussie also happens to be creating some of the most beautiful music in the country right now. Painfully singing through paralysing writer’s block, BANFF – real name, Benjamin Forbes –…

Sydney-born Three Blue Ducks are about to make their debut in Melbourne with the imminent arrival of their fifth restaurant at the new URBNSURF – Australia’s first surf park, and the first of its kind in the world. The park, which will be built around a crystal-clear, two hectare surfing lagoon with high-quality waves, will…

Say what you want about AirAsia, but it’d be hard – and downright foolish – to deny the low-cost carrier’s ambitious and ever-growing network. Some surprising new routes seem to be opening up every year for the busy airline, and for 2019 the most exciting would definitely have to be the service between Kuala Lumpur…

Not be an entitled crazed fan or anything, but Janet Jackson kind of needs to play the following songs when she headlines the just-announced RNB Fridays Live in November. The annual festival, which always manages to craft heavily nostalgic line-ups of hip hop and R&B, will be headlined by the iconic artist who hasn’t performed…

Australian streaming service Stan are continuing to strengthen their TV show line-up, huddling closer with long term partners Showtime to bring four new shows to the platform. Given Showtime is already a huge present in the TV section of Stan, this new content line-up should be very well received. Especially since it includes Ethan Hawke…

Now pushing forth as one of the largest and more comprehensive lifestyle precincts in Sydney, Darling Square has revealed a few more layers to it’s ongoing development. And this new wave features some incredible new dining and retail concepts, filling the spaces between Darling Harbour and Haymarket with some of the city’s best new openings….

The shimmering silver, reflective ripple-like façade of Shadowplay by Peppers looks awkwardly out of place in overdeveloped Southbank. Melbourne’s major entertainment district is no stranger to impressive buildings, but this new apartment hotel really is something else. It’s as if the building has been ripped from the pages of a futuristic graphic novel, standing at…

As one of this country’s most beloved modern artists, it was only a matter of time before quadruple Archibald Prize winner Vincent Fantauzzo received his very own Art Series Hotel. The Australian hotel brand, now owned by AccorHotels, is a decade on from their first property – Melbourne favourite The Cullen – and has continually…

Anyone who has stayed at a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel before would be intimately familiar with the smell of freshly baked cookies. It’s a brand-wide signature, extending to DoubleTree’s extensive worldwide network and ensuring that each and every property (there may be exceptions, but I doubt it) has a daily-baked batch of chocolate chip cookies…

Surry Hills profit-for-purpose eatery Folonomo has made the big decision to close up their restaurant and transform the venue into an events space for parties and pop ups from some of Sydney’s top chefs. In doing so, it’s become the latest in a handful of Sydney venues able to host some exclusive takeovers, with legends…

The legendary Three Blue Ducks, which most recently jumped into the luxury hotel game as the resident restaurant for W Brisbane, is about to go tropical. Springing off their W connections, chefs Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy plan to take their concept overseas for a round of pop-up dinners across W properties in Bali and…