Author: Larry Heath

Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.

Hotel Review: Sheraton Fallsview delivers iconic Niagara views and so much more

There’s no shortage of hotel options in Niagara Falls, Canada. Some trade entirely on their proximity to, and view of, the falls. Others offer a more boutique option, their own fun attractions (like a water park), and some also operate as a Casino. And then there’s the Sheraton Fallsview, which sits at the base of…

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Album Review: Foo Fighters’ Your Favorite Toy is their best album in some 15 years

On Friday, the Foo Fighters released their 12th full length LP, and first in almost three years, Your Favorite Toy. Early reviews indicated this is the best the iconic American rockers have sounded in more than a decade. And as a fan of the band for almost 30 years, I’m here to tell you that…

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Flight Review: How ANA elevates the economy experience, and changed the way I look at air travel

As of early this year, I’d never flown either of Japan’s major carriers, ANA or JAL. However, that all changed last month when I flew from Seattle (USA) to Tokyo (Haneda) on All Nippon Airways (ANA) for the first time. I booked this flight using Virgin Australia’s Velocity Points, for whom ANA is one of…

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Disney Adventure World has officially opened in Paris: Here’s what’s new, and what’s still to come

Two weeks ago, on 29th March, Disney’s newest theme park Disney Adventure World officially opened its doors in Paris. Adventure World sits on the site of Walt Disney Studios Park, which opened as the second gate to Disneyland Paris in 2002. But it’s not just a rebranding. It’s a complete reimagining of 90% of the…

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Universal’s Fast & Furious roller coaster has already reshaped the Hollywood Hills – and Orlando is next!

Last year, we reported on how the new Fast & Furious themed roller coaster Hollywood Drift would be arriving at Universal Studios Hollywood in Summer 2026, breaking a tonne of records along the way. It will be Universal Studios Hollywood’s first ever high speed outdoor roller coaster, and the fastest coaster of any Universal theme…

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Foo Fighters announce massive Summer Australia & NZ tour with 16 local support acts

Fresh from their first ever show in Launceston earlier this year – which is now the biggest concert ever held in Tasmania – our friends in the Foo Fighters are making good on their promise to return to Australian shores. And it’s sooner than you think! The band will be bringing their “Take Cover” tour…

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Flight Review: Canada’s Porter Airlines continue to impress with their flights to the USA

Porter Airlines have fast become my favourite airline in Canada. They offer great rates, free Wi-Fi and beer on board, and no middle seats on any of their aircraft. In the last few years, they’ve been fast expanding their reach, shaking up markets that had long been exclusively catered to by Canada’s two major airlines…

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A guide to Canada’s Clifton Hill as the iconic Niagara Falls attraction turns 100

There’s no question that one of the biggest tourist attractions in North America is the natural wonder that is Niagara Falls. There are ways to experience it on both the USA and the Canadian sides of the Niagara River, with some 21 million people estimated to visit each year. Though there are many methods of…

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Music and Whiskey come together in Anaheim’s innovative Stone Groove Stillhouse

It’s not every day you experience something new, especially in the food and beverage scene. But at the end of last year in Anaheim, California, I did just that at Stone Groove, billed as the world’s first ever “Audio Stillhouse”. So what is an Audio Stillhouse? In short, it’s a distillery where they use “music-driven…

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BTS are back, bigger than ever and they’re coming to Australia. Join the waitlist now.

ARMY! Do we have news for you. Back in 2014, we were lucky to get Australia’s first interview with the K-Pop group who became a sensation around the world, BTS. And now for the first time since 2022, the group are back and ready to tour the world through 2026 and 2027 across 34 regions…

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The Musical Universe of Orono: Nose Noise, cheese touch and the future of Superorganism

Last month, I had the privilege of sitting down in Tokyo, Japan with Orono from Superorganism, and her Dad – the namesake of her new project Nose Noise‘s 2025 LP TOM. Orono and I last formally sat down back in 2018 while they were on ground at The Great Escape in the UK, ahead of…

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Hotel Review: Hilton Anaheim’s massive renovation impresses across the street from Disneyland

Just steps from the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and next door to the Anaheim Convention Centre, the Hilton Anaheim has long been a popular hotel destination for travellers to the region. It opened back in 1984 just in time for the last Los Angeles Olympics. So it’s fitting that they just completed a multi-million…

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First Ride: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure breathes new life into one of Disneyland’s most iconic attractions

A little over a year ago, Disneyland’s iconic 1989 attraction Splash Mountain received a long overdue makeover when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened at the Anaheim, California theme park. The ride is the first to incorporate characters from Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. Tiana – the film’s titular Princess – has also spread…

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Flight Review: Is Virgin Australia’s Business Class worth the extra expense from Sydney to Perth?

It’s been a while since I last few business class with Virgin Australia across the country. So long, in fact, the airline still offered flat beds on the route when I did. These days, Virgin’s business class offering seems to be consistent across the board on their 737-800 fleet, with just 8 business class seats…

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How Disneyland is celebrating Christmas and their 70th birthday for 2025

As Disneyland continues its 70th Birthday celebrations in Anaheim, California, the Christmas decorations are out and the spirit of the Winter Holidays is in full force. I visited the park last month to get a taste of what guests will enjoy until 7th January 2026, and what’s been added to the park since my last…

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Flight Review: United Airlines impresses with Dreamliner service across the Pacific (LAX to Sydney)

Last month, I flew on United Airlines’ Transpacific service for the first time in almost two years. This time from Los Angeles to Sydney. I’ve been flying United over the Pacific fairly regularly over the last two decades, and every time I note that the experience has continued to improve. So was that the case…

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How Disneyland’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass works: Is queue cutting worth the extra cost?

In December 2021, after more than 20 years of the “FastPass” system (which this feature length documentary will tell you all about so I don’t have to), Disneyland scraped their relatively groundbreaking – if imperfect – queue cutting system, in favour of “Genie+”. The catch: putting it more in line with the add-ons offered by…

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How Stranger Things: The First Shadow strikes the perfect balance for fans of the stage and screen

This is a spoiler-free article that was originally published 25th June 2025.  Less than 18 months after it premiered on the West End, Stranger Things: The First Shadow made its anticipated Broadway debut this April. The play is Netflix’s first production on the stage, and understandably, the production was initially met with skepticism. Could the…

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From Gaga to G Flip, QOTSA to NIN: The 13 best tours we saw in the Northern Hemisphere this Summer

With the highly anticipated Oasis Australian tour starting today, and massive tours like Lady Gaga on the horizon, we wanted to look back at the last few months of Summer touring in the northern hemisphere and talk about the tours that have impressed us the most. This list only reflects the shows that our team…

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First Ride: Niagara’s latest attraction lets you “Take Flight” over the Falls like never before

Niagara Falls in Canada just got its first major new attraction in three years. The last – the Niagara Parks Power Station – brought new life to a disused hydroelectric plant, with nightly projections, great exhibits and access to one of the most unique views of the Falls by way of “The Tunnel”. Now, Niagara…

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No Doubt just doubled the length of their residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas

Anyone who has visited the Sphere in Las Vegas will tell you that it’s one of the most impressive places on the planet to see a live concert. Indeed, with a 270 degree screen on the inside, and a landscape-altering 360 degree screen on the outside, there is no place like it. The venue opened…

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The world’s most iconic composers (were) getting their own music festival next month in Los Angeles

Editorial Update: Sadly this event has been cancelled.  When I attended Coachella in 2017, I met the inclusion of Hans Zimmer with some skepticism. Not because I wasn’t excited to see such a bold choice on the lineup – but because I was worried it wouldn’t work with that sort of festival crowd. That all…

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Buena Vista Social Club: New York’s best concert is happening eight times a week

Musicians taking centre stage on Broadway is nothing new. In recent years, artists like David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen have transformed the Broadway stage into long-running residencies. Scripted productions about real and imagined musicians, like MJ The Musical (about the life and music of Michael Jackson) or the play Stereophonic, have been awarded Tony’s, and have…

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Meredith-bound TV on the Radio, Perfume Genius and Sam Austins announce headline shows

Fresh off being announced on the incredible, sold-out Meredith Music Festival lineup, headliners TV on the Radio and Perfume Genius, alongside Sam Austins, have today announced headline shows across Australia’s East Coast. I was lucky enough to catch TV on the Radio earlier this month in Toronto, Canada, and have to say it was the…

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First Ride: The record-breaking AlpenFury launches as one of the world’s best roller coasters

It’s not every day that a record-breaking new roller coaster arrives at any theme park. Last month, Canada’s Wonderland, just out of Toronto, Canada, enjoyed such a privilege, with the long anticipated AlpenFury boarding its first riders. Last week, I was amongst the lucky few to ride the park’s first major new attraction since their brilliant…

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The world’s first roller coaster with two launches and nine inversions just opened in Canada

Based just outside of Toronto in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada’s Wonderland has more roller coasters than any other theme park in Canada. In fact, as of this week, it’s tied for third place with Cedar Point for having the most roller coasters anywhere in the world. And that’s thanks to their 18th and latest coaster, AlpenFury,…

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Coldplay hit Toronto’s divisive new Rogers Stadium for first of four shows: Full Setlist and Venue Review

UK group Coldplay are currently undertaking their Moon Music world tour, and last night they touched down in Toronto, Canada for the first of four shows. Tickets to the shows – their first in the city in eight years – have been a hot commodity, fetching massive prices on resale sites after more than 200,000…

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First Look: Universal Studio Hollywood’s first roller coaster in a decade will be the fastest of any Universal Park

Set to open next year, Universal Studios Hollywood has finally revealed more information about the park’s first ever high-speed outdoor roller coaster. Here’s everything we know! The ride is called Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, inspired by Universal’s endlessly popular Fast & Furious franchise. According to its press release, the coaster “will rocket guests up…

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Hotel Review: Courtyard Marriott brings renovated comfort to Oahu’s North Shore, Hawaii

A few months back, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of nights on the North Shore of the Hawaiian Island of O’ahu. It’s a place that feels worlds apart from the busy paradise that is Waikiki – and it’s not a quick commute, either. The North Shore of the island is at least…

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Disneyland ramps up 70th Anniversary celebrations as Australian residents get special ticket offer

With Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort turning 70 on July 17th, the park, and the city it sits in, are ramping up celebrations. And Australian and New Zealand residents are being offered a very special ticket offer to help encourage a trip over the Pacific. Firstly, let’s take a look at how Disneyland, and the city of…

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