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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Remi, the duo of Melbourne emcee Remi Kolawole and producer Sensible J, have been quiet on all fronts as of late. No more. The House of Beige artists have teamed with Whosane for a slick track called “5 A.M.”, bubbling back to the forefront of the local hip hop scene with this muse on a…
Those discerning folk at Merivale have taken the celebrated wine retail experience at CBD hotspot Palings Lane and reimainged it as an online service simply dubbed The Bottle Shop. Pulling on the experience and curatorial knowhow of the group’s Master Sommeliers, this online shop will feature an exclusive range of wine, beer and spirits (with…
Just in time for the European summer, Emirates have launched their highly anticipated four time weekly service to the Portuguese city of Porto, opening Australians up to an increasingly popular destination. This marks the airline’s second destination in Portugal, operating non-stop to and from their Dubai hub. Australians are able to benefit greatly from the…
When you think of a pair of slick and stylish sunglasses, it’d be pretty understandable of the words ‘fishing net’ never came to mind. Although they should now. VisionDirect’s Arise Collective brand and WWF have teamed to offer an inventive take on sustainable fashion with a new range of “ReefCycle” sunglasses, upcycled from a retired…
Gorgeous Georgian sandstone warehouses located in Hobart’s historic Salamanca Place have now been transformed into a new 41-room boutique hotel. With the simple title of Moss, the newest property from Behrakis Group is seeking to bring a bit of Tasmania’s wild natural landscape into these buildings with design that makes full use of vertical internal…
Sydney travellers will soon have direct access to Santiago on LATAM as the airline introduce a non-stop service between the two cities. Commencing operation from 27th October 2019, with tickets on sale now, the Oneworld airline plan to make this a substantial change to their existing daily Sydney to Santiago service, which currently has a…
Looking for a way to beat back those winter blues and bring some warmth back to your soul, in the way only a piping-hot, brothy bowl of goodness can? From now until July 20th, Wednesday through Saturday, the discerning team at Japanese izakaya Osaka Trading Co. are performing a little takeover of Sydney’s historic Tramsheds,…
As part of the “Secret Menu” function on the KFC Smartphone app, the fast food giant has introduced what is being described as the biggest (non-customised) burger it has ever had. As always, Australia gets to be guinea pigs for this monstrous creation, which has now rolled out nationally. Dubbed The Triple Stacker, its a…
The surrealistic horrors imagined by New England author H. P. Lovecraft have always bled into the open plans of fantasy, which is why the eccentric writer has long been such a heavy influence on the video game world. With survival-horror picking up massively in popularity, especially since The Last of Us, his indelible prints have…
Name any city around the world and you’re bound to find a cluster of its best hotels lying around the central business district or the bucketlist landmarks. Very few tend to play outside of these invisible borders, and when they do, they’re often of the “you get what you pay for” compromise. For visitors, this…
Scottish indie darlings Belle & Sebastian are busy working on the original soundtrack for upcoming Brit film Days of the Bagnold Summer, and have given us the first taste of what that project will sound like with lead single “Sister Buddha”. Glowing, summer-ready pop rock seems to be the direction if this gorgeous tune is…
The sold-out Splendour in the Grass is just weeks away now, once again bringing in a line-up of local and international acts entirely worthy of the festival’s legacy. From headliners James Blake and Chance the Rapper to must see mid-cards like a returning Friendly Fires and UK emcee Little Simz, there’s going to be a…
It looks like Splendour in the Grass are going ahead with their successful pop-up dining experience series, with the forthcoming 2019 iteration of the famous three-day festival set to welcome restaurateur Maurice Terzini and his iconic Icebergs Dining Room & Bar. The historic Sydney restaurant will follow in the footsteps of The Unicorn by offering…
L.A based collective Emotional Oranges have hit us with another stunner, spinning through a funky bassline, hypnotic drum pattern and some seriously catchy pop melodies for “Good to Me”. Released as the latest single from their excellent 8-track mixtape The Juice Vol. 1, the new song and video further reiterates E.O as one of the…
James Squire have gone and pulled something very, very old from a shipwreck that dates back to 1797, the year in which merchant ship “Sydney Cove” went down just off Preservation Island north of Tasmania. The brewing team behind Squire have extracted a 220 year old bottle of beer recovered from the shipwreck and used…
