Author: John Goodridge

For those who love music, beer and skating, this two day free event at Manly Beach this weekend – tonight and tomorrow, November 1st and 2nd – may be just the thing for you. Young Henrys and Volcom are hosting the event at Hotel Steyne, with DJ sets from Dune Rats, The Buoys, Haiku Hands…

Singer Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab sat down with the AU review to discuss Machine Gun Fellatio’s reunion and recent performances, including a secret gig in Newcastle. The band members, who hadn’t played together in 20 years, felt a sense of nostalgia and rejuvenation, with standout moments like rehearsing with Marshall stacks and the entire…

David Thompson, lead singer of Adelaide folk band Bromham, chats about their live performances, emphasizing community and collaboration. Their upcoming EP, Adulthood, is inspired by personal challenges, including infertility and property issues. The song “Friends” reflects the support from diverse friends, while another track honours Hannah’s sister. The EP features local Adelaide artist Max Ballard’s…

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild are presenting the Patrick Barlow adaption of the novel The 39 Steps by John Buchan and the subsequent movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright, whose adaption was first presented on London’s West end in 2005. Despite the Hitchcock movie being presented in 1935,…

Adelaide’s Froth and Fury Festival, the massive all-ages alternative craft beer and music event is back at The Port in November with an explosive lineup of 33 bands across three stages. Northlane, Thy Art Is Murder, and Fear Factory lead the lineup, including the USA band’s only Australian show. Testeagles and Day Of Contempt will be playing exclusive reunion shows….

The cast of  The Correspondent and other dignitaries were out in force for the opening night of the Adelaide Film Festival. The movie tells the gripping story of Peter Greste, a journalist who was sent to cover the riots in Egypt following the election in 2013, and was arrested and convicted of terrorism. Richard Roxburgh…

Metallica have just announced that Australia will be part of their M72 World Tour in November 2025. Metallica will perform in stadiums in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland. These shows will include the famous Snake Pit extending from the front of the stage, meaning that the band will perform at each end of…

The iconic Melbourne identity “Chopper” is back reincarnated in the hilariously talented Heath Franklin. Heath will present his brand new show “Not Here To F*** Spiders” over two nights in Melbourne in November. This is Chopper’s triumphant return after a short break to focus on his ‘other’ life and come back fiestier than ever. We…

Despite a seasonal Sydney thunderstorm, the SXSW Sydney music action was still going strong at venues in the inner west. Down at the UTS Underground, for the Rolling Stone Music takeover, Singaporean rapper Yung Raja was giving it all he had. The Rolling Stone House event ran for three nights, in partnership with American Apparel,…

Thursday was another jam packed day of local and international music at SXSW Sydney. Opening the day is Ila Barker, a singer / songwriter from Winnipeg, Canada. Her gentle introspective folk songs come a place of recovering from an abusive relationship. She played songs from her latest album “Fool Under Water.” Her songs are of…

The first announcement of artists to play WOMADelaide 2025 includes the iconic British artist PJ Harvey. Her visit to Australia will be the first in eight years. For the last two years she has been touring with her band across the UK and Europe to outstanding reviews. Her performances have included tracks from her tenth…

Navigating the SXSW Sydney music offerings is like being at a giant festival. Performances are spread over a number of venues in the inner west and part of the fun is discovering how many cool music venues are within walking distance of each other. There is such a wide variety of offerings, it’s important to…

Whilst SXSW Sydney officially opened on Monday, the opening parties started on Tuesday. SXSW has been running for several years in Texas, but this is the second year in Sydney. With a program that features conferences and programmes from the Tech and Innovation fields, Games, Music and Screen, it really is an important networking and…

TISM fans are known to be fanatical about their favourite band. The same day that a “secret” warm up gig was announced at The Gov hotel in Adelaide, the show sold out. With doors opening at 1pm, the pub itself opened the doors at midday to a throng of fans that would normally be just…

Almost fifty years ago, the movie Grease was adapted from the original stage play and became a critical and commercial success. With Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta playing the parts of romantics Sandy and Danny, the 1978 movie has been embedded in Western culture. Meanwhile, the stage production has provided entertainment in various theatres around…

David Williamson is Australia’s best known and most widely performed playwright and one of our leading screenwriters. One of his early plays, The Department was commissioned to open the Dunstan Playhouse in 1974. He has had over fifty five plays produced, including Don’s Party and The Club and written screenplays for several movies such as…

Four movies and other events have been teased out ahead of the full Adelaide Film Festival announcement coming on September 17th. Cannes Film Festival 2024 Palme d’Or Award winner, Anora, reimagines Pretty Woman as a tragicomedy and cements director Sean Baker as someone to watch. It screens at the AFF on Thursday October 24th. Screening…

Writer /actor Chris Pitman has created a powerful story with his one-person show, Shore Break. It is a fictional story about a solitary figure, unable to connect, abandoned at the edge of the world. It’s a combined snapshot of the older men living in remote campgrounds and their isolated existences. Director Chelsea Griffith has helped…

Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest is returning to Brisbane on 14-15th September 2024. With over 30,000 visitors expected, this year’s festival promises an amazing display of kite artistry and diverse cultural performances. Kite artisans come from diverse places such as Malaysia, China and Vietnam to showcase their prowess in kite-making skills. Vietjet will have a booth where…

I chatted with Bryn Soden, lead singer of Adelaide band Sturt Avenue, where we talked about the band’s origins and the nostalgia-heavy nature of their music. We also discussed his songwriting process, how it varies from the spontaneous to the deliberate. For their latest single, “Passenger Side”, Bryn reflects on a drive with a friend,…

The Adelaide Film Festival runs between 23th October and 3rd November and will feature the movie The Correspondent. The opening night gala marks the world premier of this gripping movie. Directed by Kriv Stenders, The Correspondent stars Richard Roxburgh as Australian war correspondent Peter Greste who was arrested and jailed in Cairo, Egypt in 2013,…

Queensland singer / songwriter AYLA has just released her full-length album Dopamine. We caught up with her to chat about the evolution of the album, and the influences and processes that went into the making of it. It’s taken four years to release the album. I guess COVID must have got in the way early…

Joanna Murray-Smith has crafted a sympathetic and thorough expose of the life of Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Justine Clarke plays the part of Julia and takes us from the time of her birth in Wales up to the famous misogyny speech delivered in parliament. Director Sarah Goodes has taken her story and placed…

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild have tackled quite a challenge in presenting one of Shakespeare’s last plays, King Lear. Imagining the play set in the future, it challenges the notions of modern civilisation. In fact, Shakespeare’s commentary on power, lust and betrayal is as relevant today as when the play was scribed in the…

News has just landed about the Meredith 2024 lineup and it’s massive. The event runs on December 6, 7 and 8 at the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre in Victoria. The second round of the ballot is now open until 10.32 on Tuesday 20th August. The ticket price includes all parking, camping, booking fees, car passes, BYO convenience, and spins on The Eye. Meredith is an…

The true story behind Chicago is so fascinating that it still resonates a hundred years after the action. In 1924, Chicago was overrun by gangsters, with prohibition-era criminality infused with a smoky jazz background. On “murderess row” in Cook County, over a dozen women were waiting sentencing. One woman, Kitty Malm, dubbed by the newspapers…

Would you believe that Vietjet, Vietnam’s newest low cost airline has just celebrated it’s 200 millionth passenger trip. To celebrate, the airline is offering 30% off Business and Sky Boss tickets from now until the 11th August on www.vietjetair.com, the Vietjet Air mobile app, booking offices, and official agents worldwide. The flight period is from 19…

Port Adelaide’s Pirate Life Brewery are hosting Froth and Fury Festival again in 2024 and the promoters have certainly dialled up the energy levels to eleven. With 32 bands across 3 stages, it’s truly an electrifying line up. With an eclectic lineup that includes Northlane, Thy Art is Murder, Fear Factory and a Testeagles reunion…

The premise of Unsound, a part of Illuminate Adelaide is to bring artists together who don’t suit a mainstream audience. Experimental noise probably generally describes the genre. The type of artistry that is polarising. People either love it or hate it. Fortunately, the audience was more of the “love it” type. The opening act of…

Dutch classical pianist, Joep Beving was last in Adelaide four years ago, just as the pandemic hit. Last time he was finishing a tour, so it makes sense that he starts it all back here again. As the lights dim, the music begins, almost to quiet to hear. The audience silences and is captivated by…