Author: Josh Champion

Ash Grunwald

Interview: Ash Grunwald gets deep with us about his new collaboration with Josh Teskey

When you hear it, you wonder how a coupling like Josh Teskey and Ash Grunwald had never come to be before now. It’s a match made in Blues heaven. And, in a world that seems to be dominated by just how electronic music can become, this album is a time-capsule full of pure and simple…

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Album Review: Stevie and the Sleepers – Self-Titled (2020 LP)

With the release of their debut album, Melbourne five-piece Stevie and the Sleepers have achieved something rare in modern music – authenticity. Stevie Joy and Jason Fados have announced themselves as songwriters who can truly tell a story. Sonically, most of the time it’s a straight down the line Blues record. It flirts with Blues…

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Album Review: Greatest Hits – Volume One (2020 EP)

The first thing that strikes you about Greatest Hits’ new EP is that these songs are mature. They’re self-aware. You get the distinct impression that no-one has tried too hard to write them. This is a personal opinion, but I enjoy an Indie Rock outfit that isn’t afraid to pay respect to the prog rock…

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KOGO

Track of the Day: KOGO “IN YOUR FACE” (2020)

Emerging Adelaide solo artist KOGO’s new track “IN YOUR FACE” is a departure from his earlier work in many ways. This tune fits squarely into an indie-rock mould, creating a juxtaposition with his previous electronic feel. About the origins of the song he says, “Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of pop-punk from the…

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needtobreathe

Album Review: NEEDTOBREATHE – Out of Body (2020 LP)

As per usual, the new offering from NEEDTOBREATHE is firmly rooted in gospel sensibilities. The music on Out of Body is unmistakably spiritual by design. Yet, agnostic as I am, I can’t be mad about it. If anyone was ever going to convince me to re-enter a church, it would be this band. And this…

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Interview: Ahren Stringer from the Amity Affliction talks new album Misery and gets nostalgic

Back in August, The Amity Affliction released their new album Misery, which saw them claim their fourth #1 album on the ARIA charts. Bassist/Vocalist Ahren Stringer sat down with Josh Champion from the AU to look back on the release. You guys have a rep for hitting the tough issues front on, but this is particularly…

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Netflix Review: Litchfield Reinvented for Orange Is The New Black in Season Six

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to head back to Litchfield. I’ll admit to feeling a little lost toward the end of Season 5. The first couple of Orange Is The New Black seasons felt very real. They were a pure exploration of prison life. But as the series has progressed can it’s begum to descend…

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First Impressions: The Crossing Will Suck You In

The premise of ABC Studio’s recent offering The Crossing is simple. Several hundred people wash up on an isolated Oregon beach near a town called Port Canaan. Most are dead but some have survived. The notion of an assumed shipwreck quickly evaporates as no evidence of any lost ships or aircraft can be found. And,…

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First Impressions: Future Man is unmissable television; a keen mix of hilarity and moreish action

Future Man, starring Josh Hutcherson and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is an action comedy series that has genuinely flown under the radar since its release on Hulu in the US back in November. Boasting all of the trademark Rogen flair, it’s social commentary presented through dirty but well delivered humour and a healthy dose…

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Theatre Review: American Idiot‘s Adelaide debut proves to be as much rock show as it is theatre

From the very first riff at the beginning of the title track, American Idiot sounded different. Even in 2004 – when baggy jeans were still cool and I was still using a CD Walkman (because iPods were too expensive) – I knew this was going to be huge. Not being old enough to have experienced…

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Live Review: Killing Heidi + Iluka + Eliza and The Delusionals – The Gov, Adelaide (03.06.17)

It’s a little difficult to accept that at 33 I’m attending nostalgia concerts. But in Adelaide on Saturday evening that’s what I did as Ella and Jesse Hooper made sure that Heidi was, in fact, dead. That said, this was never going to be a nostalgia show. And let me be clear, this was nothing…

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Live Review: Green Day + The Interrupters – Adelaide Entertainment Centre (03.05.17)

In some ways I think I am the wrong person to write this review. I’ve been listening to Green Day since I was 12 years old. As such, I may be a little bit biased. So be it. This band have been shaking the earth with heartfelt punk rock for over 25 years. Now in…

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Film Review: Power plays and the clearing out of idiocy in Denial (UK, 2016)

The question a film critic often wants to ask, but is discouraged from for fear of offending someone, is why make this film? The answer is, more often than not, “because now was the right time.” And for Denial, this is most certainly true. In a world of newly termed ‘disenfranchised voters’ that are seemingly comfortable…

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Adelaide Fringe Festival Review: Nick Cody – On Fire – Fowler’s Live (12.03.17)

Settle. Despite the misleading title of the show, Nick doesn’t actually set himself on fire. Looking past that slightly disappointing fact, what he does do is make you laugh. On Fire is the quintessential Aussie stand-up show. No-one is safe. Bogans, Hooligans, his mum – they all cop it in this show. And it’s funny….

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Wanderers Present Crosby Stills And Nash & Little River Band – Jive (03.03.17)

I almost didn’t want to write this review. Something about the idea of trying to sum this performance up with words repulsed me. It seemed pretentious, inauthentic and completely at odds with what I experienced on Friday night at an unassuming little bar named Jive in Adelaide. Wanderers, formerly known as the Wasted Wanderers, are…

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Adelaide Fringe Festival Review: Dave Callan: Every Video Clip Ever* – Rhino Room (Performances to March 12th)

Ever sat in the living room watching music videos and wondered to yourself, “What the hell is going on here,”? Well, Dave Callan has. And in his riotous fringe show for 2017, he takes you deep into the weirdness that is music videos. Some would say MTV have a lot to answer for. As a…

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Adelaide Fringe Festival Review: Zeppelin Was a Cover Band – Koffee Ink at LIVE on 5, Adelaide Oval

Anyone who has done a minute’s research into popular music history understands that if you attempt to trace pretty much any style of contemporary music back to its roots, you end up at 1920’s Blues. It’s generally considered that that’s because as these originators of guitar driven music pushed lyrical and melodic boundaries, they influenced…

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Live Review: Boyce Avenue + In Stereo + Marcelo – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (09.12.16)

On February 14th, 2005 a chain of events was set in motion that will culminate next year with Boyce Avenue doing something that record company executives hoped was impossible. On that day, the domain name youtube.com was registered. Next year Boyce Avenue will hit 10 million YouTube subscribers. Why is that so impressive? They’ve never…

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Reflecting on 2016 and chatting music history with Son Little

It’s about 4:30pm on a Sunday and as I rise to meet Aaron Livingston, aka Son Little, in the foyer of a five star hotel in Adelaide, a very officious hotel concierge begins pointing at him shouting, “You cannot drink that in here sir!” Before long, I realise he’s referring to the beer in Aaron’s…

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Australia is getting its very own Jim Jarmusch film festival

One of the most essential independent filmmakers alive today, Jarmusch’s work will be celebrated with a festival of his films at  ACMI, with the Mebourne institution unveiling their plans for Jim Jarmusch: Rock N Roll, set to kick off on 27 December. The program will feature his latest music documentary, Gimme Danger – a wild, funny, heartfelt…

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Ben Lee chats his new album and doles out some depth in Adelaide ahead of the Whole Life Expo

In Adelaide for the Whole Life Expo this weekend, we catch up with Ben Lee to chat about his new album Freedom, Love, And the Recuperation of the Human Mind, the idea of a ‘conscious’ music concert and more! I feel like the new album title signals a move away from hidden meaning. Freedom, Love, And the…

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Boyce Avenue (US) chat tours, covers and doing it independently

It’s predicted that next year, Boyce Avenue will hit ten million YouTube subscribers and over three billion video views. They’ll also play Royal Albert Hall in London. Not bad for three brothers who started with nothing but some instruments, a YouTube channel and a dream. Well, there’s also the matter of them being extraordinarily talented… So…

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Mýa prepares us for the ultimate Hip Hop nostalgia concert series with Blackstreet & 112!

Ahead of her east coast shows next week, we check back in with Mýa to see how she’s anticipating returning to Australia and reconnecting with fans. First off, the reason we’re talking. You’re coming out on a nostalgia tour with Blackstreet and 112. That oughta be fun! Absolutely! I’ll be coming to Australia at the end of…

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The 7th Palestinian Film Festival announces 2016 program for Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide

From 3000 Nights to the latest Suha Arraf film Villa Touma, through to The Curve starring Ashraf Barhom (The Kingdom, Clash of the Titans), the Palestinian Film Festival is back to shine light on Palestinian perspectives from around the world. The theme of this year’s festival? “Visit Palestine”. Festival Director Naser Shakhtour rightly points out that more Australians have connections…

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Chatting with Josh Pyke & Bob Evans ahead of their ‘Another Evening…’ national tour

As I dial into the conference call to talk to Josh Pyke and Bob Evans about their upcoming ‘Another Evening with Josh Pyke and Bob Evans’ tour, I catch the tail end of a conversation about the possibility of Josh shaving his beard off. Given that my name is also Josh and I also have…

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Optus announces winners of 5-minute film comp, Connect5

Optus has today announced Life In Boxes by Jason van Genderen and Dark Matter by Jacob and Luci Trevaskis as the winners of its five minute film competition Connect5. The challenge of the competition for filmmakers was to capture what the concept of ‘connecting lives’ meant to them. The aspiring filmmakers were selected from entries submitted from…

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Canberra International Film Festival gets scary with a special Halloween premiere programme

Canberra International Film Festival (CIFF) is inviting attendees to celebrate Halloween with a jam-packed night of events at the National Film and Sound Archive on October 31st. Patrons have the chance to meet industry expert David Zwierzchaczewski as he speaks about CGI and VFX. This will be followed by the Australian premiere of The Frankenstein Complex…

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Ricky Wilson takes us behind the new Kaiser Chiefs record, Stay Together!

With Stay Together, the Kaiser Chiefs are unleashing upon the world something unlike anything they’ve ever done before. But, as singer Ricky Wilson told me recently, that’s by design. It’s pure pop, as produced by Brian Higgins. But it’s really good pop. You know, an album of songs that sound different but fit together, as opposed to an album…

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Thaddeus Anna Greene talk shop as new EP Bleed celebrates its release!

Josh gets to know some more about US blues rock group Thaddeus Anna Greene, the Cleveland band who are currently celebrating the release of their new EP Bleed. Since forming in 2010, the band has been causing impressive amounts of buzz in the US and come to us fresh with this new music in tow – find…

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Riverside Theatre to screen Weird and Wonderful Documentaries later this month

Riverside Theatres will celebrate the wonderfully whacky and unashamedly weird with the inaugural Weird & Wonderful Doco Series on Saturday 22nd October 2016. The program will include two stranger-than-fiction documentaries: A Brony Tale which explores men who like the cartoon My Little Pony; and Tickled, a look into the surprisingly sinister world of competitive endurance tickling….

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