Author: Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.

You can now do late-night ghost tours in Queen Victoria Building

Sydney’s immense Queen Victoria Building is preparing to throw open doors after-hours for QVB After Dark LIVE, set for Thursday 22nd August where the complex’s rich heritage and cultural significance will be illustrated from various perspectives. Promising an interactive multi-floor experience, the building will come alive from 6pm to 9pm with hour-long sessions featuring roving…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Jacinta Lal “Superpowers” (2019)

Brisbane rapper Jacinta Lal is ploughing through the noise with “Superpowers”, her latest take-no-prisoners single accentuating the young artist’s undeniable swagger and desire to uplift. With confidence in spades, Lal’s follow up to breakthrough track “Miss” furthers her as one of the most promising voices in Brisbane’s booming hip hop scene, and we’re lucky enough…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: YEEVS “Can’t Be Seen” (2019)

Sydney indies YEEVS are rolling out a new album soon, and they’ve given us our second taste at what the project will sound like with the delicate “Can’t Be Seen”. Rich melodies and a striking rhythm drive this one, parking it in the same lot as the likes of Boy & Bear, The Teskey Brothers…

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Sydney’s The Morrison is doing $1.50 oysters every day this month

Sydney bar The Morrison and its much anticipated Oyster Festival has returned this month for its 7th year running, stretching out to the end of the month with a huge program of oyster-focused events, including a number of bespoke oyster dishes created by chef Sean Connolly. Chicken fried oyster sliders, grilled Pacifics ‘in shell’ with…

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Tasmanian Whisky Week is kicking off later this month

The Tasmanian Whisky and Spirits Association (TWSA) are bringing back their annual Tasmanian Whisky Week, opening up all the many highly regarded distilleries for a huge seven day celebration. With more than 20 events taking place across the island state between Monday 12th and Sunday 18th August, the hotly anticipated event will kick off at…

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Peppers Docklands Review: One of Melbourne’s most convenient boutique hotels

The Peppers brand has always been a valuable player in Australia’s hotel industry, with a penchant for seeking out great locations and turning in interesting accommodations with distinct identities. From the mighty bright Peppers Soul on the Gold Coast, to the fascinating Peppers Silo Hotel in Launceston, which has converted disused silos into luxury accommodation…

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Hollow Knight Review: Please re-release this game every year

Whatever the reason we had to wait so long to get this in Australia, I for one am just glad that it’s here and that it exists. Adelaide-based indie developers Team Cherry truly blessed the gaming community when they released Hollow Knight a few years ago, followed by a widely acclaimed roll-out on all current-gen…

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Never found your lost luggage? It’s probably in Alabama

Losing luggage can be devastating for travellers who’ve carefully planned their USA trip. Meticulously going through a to-do list of fool-proof luggage mishaps is now a must for anyone heading over to a country with so many interconnecting flights, but even the hardiest plans can’t completely protect against this travel nightmare. Whether the airline has…

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Track of the Day: Your Smith “In Between Plans” (2019)

It’s quite clear L.A based singer-songwriter Your Smith wrote her new single “In Between Plans” about the best day of her life. The unbridled energy and free sprit coursing this stunning road-trip-ready production is infectiously optimistic as Your Smith barrels towards the unknown. Hopeful and extremely confident, the tireless soundscape of upbeat synths and pulsating…

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Grand opening of Sydney Coliseum Theatre: Keith Urban, Amy Shark, Tina Arena and more

Following the opening of food destination Eat Street, Rooty Hill’s immense West HQ development is getting ready to welcome the brand new Sydney Coliseum Theatre. The developers behind the precinct have pulled out all stops to stamp the new venue’s grand opening, rounding up an impressive program of live performances from the likes of Keith…

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Five new luxury hotels you need to stay at in the U.S.A

From California to South Dakota, new luxury hotels seem to be popping up all over the place in the States, each bringing their own unique character to some incredible locations. Whether that’s in the thick of San Diego, or the wide open spaces of South Dakota, the following properties are making full use of historic…

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Track of the Day: Triple One “Badboi” (2019)

Sydney rap group Triple One just won’t stop stamping their name all across hip hop circles the world over. During the past 12 months or so they’ve put out a consistent string of hits that have both showcased versatility and propelled them to the forefront of Australia’s new-gen hip hop scene, and they still aren’t…

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Live Review: James Blake stuns a sold-out Enmore Theatre

No one wails quite like James Blake. The Enfield artist has a unique way of catching his listeners and drawing them deep inside of his music, coaxing them to the very centre where his vocals are at their most penetrative. He touches your soul, truly, in the same way legends like Sam Cooke and Marvin…

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Travel Deals: All Nippon Airways just announced a huge sale on flights to Japan

Japan’s largest five-star airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) has today launched their largest sale throughout Asia and Australia to date, greatly reducing prices for flights from 17 different cities to Japan. Aussies who have been enjoying greater access to Japan for the past few years, now have a better chance than ever at heading to…

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There’s now an app that tracks Australia’s BYO restaurants

Over 3,200 of Australia’s best BYO restaurants are now being tracked by GPS thanks to a new smartphone App from wine retailer Cellarmasters. BYO Finder, which launches this week, is a free app created to assist wine and food lovers easily scope out which restaurants in their area allow for BYO, amongst other details including…

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Track of the Day: Nas “Vernon Family” (2019)

Though The Lost Tapes 2, the highly anticipated new release from legendary New York rapper Nas, features a jaw-dropping line up of classic beatmakers like Pete Rock and RZA, it’s actually Pharrell Williams that has turned in the album’s best moment. Already hailed as a “return to form” for the top-tier lyricist, the album has…

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10 things you need to do on the iconic Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas is a complicated beast of a city if you aren’t properly organised. The often chaotic sea of neon lights and hedonism can become a blur between the whirlwind of bars, shows and high-end restaurants, but as long as you play your cards right, a weekend stomping around Vegas could very well be the…

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Live Review: Friendly Fires are back and burning brighter than ever

It once seemed like St Albans’ party-starters Friendly Fires were destined to become one of the biggest bands of their time, back in the days of their 2008 self-titled debut. Frontman Ed Macfarlane, earnestly goofy in his stage presence, seriously clever in his delivery, could light a room on fire; their music was remarkably detail-oriented…

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Track of the Day: Sampa the Great “OMG” (2019)

Exploring the idea of home through her African heritage has evidently given Sampa the Great a whole new burst of creative energy, because “OMG” (along with preceding single “Final Form”, which shares a Sylvers sample with Ghostface Killah’s “Be Easy”) represents the emcee’s finest work to date. Lifted from her forthcoming album The Return, due…

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This Bondi hotel is giving guests the chance to live like an “Instagram influencer’

Are you an Instagram influencer? If you answered yes to that question, then that’s probably a no. Not that it matters though, especially since for the next two months sun-kissed hotel QT Bondi are committed to treating all guests like VIP influencers, irrespective of how many followers they have on the ‘gram. It’s no secret…

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Spotify now has a dedicated Disney hub for classics, Marvel and Star Wars

Disney-loving streamers using Spotify have some pretty nostalgic listening sessions ahead of them, as Spotify launches a dedicated “Disney Hub”. Created in response to the increasing popularity of Disney tunes on the service, the new list of curated playlists within Spotify was launched just last week from a partnership between the two companies. Just this…

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An enormous new food precinct has opened in Greater Western Sydney

As Sydney’s great expansion of top restaurants out west continues, a new 550-seat food precinct has started rolling out in Rooty Hill. Titled Eat Street – part of the ongoing West HQ development – the stacked eat street has bought with it an exciting line-up to join already established outlets Chur Burger and Eat St….

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Chance the Rapper cancels headline set at Splendour in the Grass

Due to headline Splendour in the Grass on the festival’s final day, Chicago emcee Chance the Rapper has unfortunately been forced to cancel on his highly anticipated headlining set. Citing illness, the rapper hasn’t even been able to board the flight to Australia. News that will no doubt put a huge disappointment for fans who…

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Track of the Day: Midas.Gold Feat. Boy Graduate “The Mood” (2019)

We’ve been anxiously waiting to see what’s next for one of Australian hip hop’s brightest stars, Midas.Gold, following last year’s huge two-step infused single “Passions”. Turns out it’s pushing away from the electronic waves of previous work and moving more towards contemporary hip-hop. Employing heavy use of auto-tuned effects and a spaced out production, Midas…

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Interview: Arno Faraji (AUS) on lessons learned, debut headline tour, and bucketlist gigs

Though he’s been on the road the likes of Rejjie Snow and Tkay Maidza, young Australian artist Arno Faraji is yet to head out on his own headline tour. That’s all going to change in a matter of weeks, as the 18 year old rapper and multi-instrumentalist from Perth kicks off a string of performances…

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How to travel more sustainably: A conversation with activist Sarain Fox

Travelling consciously and ethically is not really an option if you’re aware of what’s happening around the world; it’s a necessity. While ‘sustainable travel’ has been a word on the lips of everyone throughout the travel industry over the past two to three years, it would be a huge error to see such a notion…

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Sri Panwa Review: Phuket’s legendary luxury resort as vital as ever

Legendary Phuket resort Sri Panwa has operated in a league of its own since opening in 2005. Almost 15 years later, the property, which tops the jagged jungled-covered Cape Panwa along the island’s south-eastern tip, has welcomed celebrities and royal family members from all over the globe. Snoop Dogg (while going through his confusing Reggae-tinged…

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Staying in Dubai just got much cheaper with this new partnership

Some of the UAE’s most prestigious hotels have jumped on board with Emirates in an exclusive partnership between the airline and juggernaut hotel groups such as Accor and Marriot. Aussie travellers are set to benefit greatly this summer, with Emirates flights to Dubai opening them up to substantially cheaper accommodation at partner hotels. Given saving…

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Track of the Day: Common Feat. Swizz Beatz “Hercules” (2019)

Top-tier emcee Common is gearing up to release a brand new album next month, and for the latest single he’s hooked up with a surprising collaborator. Offering the mighty “Hercules” as the follow-up to soulful cut “HER Love”, the Chicago emcee linked up with veteran producer Swizz Beatz who turns in a beastly drum pattern…

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Finish Him: Mortal Kombat movie will be R rated, feature fatalities

As the brand new Mortal Kombat film readies filming in South Australia this year, a juicy piece of news has been confirmed by writer Greg Russo via Twitter. This upcoming Mortal Kombat film, which is schedule for a released of 5th March 2021, will be the first in the franchise to be rated R in…

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