Author: Larry Heath

“Somehow I managed to maintain my calm facade, when inside I was just a little boy losing his mind” – Ernest Cline, while on the sound stage with composer Alan Silvestri, whose music, he said, was being played endlessly while he wrote the novel. Later, he trades a signed copy of his own book for a signed…

Adelaide duo Hartway are Jack Degenhart and Conor Barkway; the described ‘acid jazz, nu disco’ group have been impressing with the release of their Motions EP last year, taking inspirations from the likes of Flight Facilities and FKJ and creating some funky music of their own. They’re one of the talented artists set to perform at Rocket Bar on July 27th…

It’s the end of May and I’m in Brighton, England for the annual The Great Escape conference and festival; possibly the world’s best event to discover new talent, and see the artists that everyone’s been talking about over the last six months or so. One act who fit very much in the latter category are…

Montreal’s Osheaga Festival, which takes place on the first weekend of August at Parc Jean-Drapeau, has lined up a mammoth lineup for its 2018 event. Among the big names to grace the stage this year include Travis Scott, Odesza, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arctic Monkeys, Khalid and Florence and the Machine. And they’re accompanied by an impressive array…

This week, we’ve been taking a look at the albums that have properly made their mark this year; yesterday, we took on releases from Australian artists that struck a chord as the strongest albums of 2018 so far, and today, we look to the international players. From Zeal & Ardour‘s Stranger Fruit to the vibrant and powerful Janelle…

While en route from Sydney to Hong Kong on the inaugural flight with Virgin Australia, I caught up with the airline’s Group Executive Rob Sharp to talk about the flight and where VA plans to go from here. You’re launching this Sydney to Hong Kong service a year after your Melbourne flights launched; what have…

Some four and a bit years ago, I was wandering Austin City Limits on my way to see someone or other. I brushed past a stage where no less than eleven people were producing some of the most impressive music I’d heard in sometime. The band, it turned out, were Typoon, an outfit out of…

Now in its 7th year, the discovery festival/conference Focus Wales sits as one of the most exciting emerging events on the annual calendar, having grown from a tiny showcase in the city of Wrexham, into a world class event that rivals any smaller sized conference in the world. If you want to discover new music,…

Now in its fourth year, the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival has made a name for itself as one of the most anticipated events on the South Australian calendar. This year, the event expanded to Sydney for the first time, taking over Moore Park’s Entertainment Quarter for three days of brews, bites and bands. Beer…

Virgin Australia today launches its inaugural flight between Sydney and Hong Kong, the airline’s second direct service to Hong Kong, and its only to (currently) operate seven days a week. The flight, which will take off at 10am this morning and land in Hong Kong at 5.40pm local time, will see a number of special…

After arriving in Barcelona without a suitcase, hours of flight delays and not even a glass of water thanks to British Airways, I was starting to think that non-budget airlines were non-existent in Europe. With the likes of Ryanair and EasyJet defining the budget carrier model for the region, other, once full-service airlines have followed…

A lot has been made about Virgin Australia‘s upgraded A330’s, operating from East to West Coast, in particular their “The Business” product, which offers a flat bed on Australia’s longest domestic route. The acclaim has sat on the quality of the seats, the fact that every seat has aisle access, and on the high quality…

If you thought the family in Animal Kingdom had problems, wait until you meet Australia’s newest dysfunctional family. In the new film from Director Clayton Jacobson, starring both himself and his brother Shane Jacobson, we spend some time getting to know the real life brothers as they play fictional brothers Jeff and Terry – reuniting…

Hot on the heels of finishing up a new record in Berlin, and signing a new global publishing deal with BMG, legendary Trio The Living End hit Sydney’s Lansdowne on Tuesday night and The Gasometer in Melbourne on Wednesday for two secret intimate gigs as they debuted tracks off their next, yet-to-be-titled LP. In their…

From Banksy to Robert Lewis and Bruno Tanquerel, over 150 artists have left their mark on New York’s unique museum-meets-hotel, The Carlton Arms, converting rooms into one-of-a-kind art experiences. One of the latest artists to contribute to the project is Australia’s own Johnny Mackay, formerly of Children Collide, who now resides in New York and performs as Fascinator….

The inimitable St. Vincent helped bring the annual Vivid Festival to an end in Sydney last night, with a special one-off solo show that felt as much an art installation as it did a rock concert. Curtains moved and fell, as though the chronological trip through her catalogue was emblematic of how she’s shown us…

While out basking in the Spanish sun at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound, we caught up with one of our favourite groups, Hinds. Revelling in the release of their latest record I Don’t Run, Amber, Ade and Ana tell us some more about the making of this record, bringing it to life on stage and generally levelling up as a live band….

Over the weekend, I made my way to Barcelona in Catalonia for the second time; a return to the iconic festival Primavera Sound, a sprawling four day event that showcased the finest acts in the world, alongside the hottest, buzziest new acts to watch. With the main music starting around 7pm and running all the…

Heading to Barcelona today for the annual, Primavera Sound festival? You’re in store for a treat – this is without question one of the best festivals in the world. Well managed, with stellar lineups to match, it’s impossible not to have a good time at this world-class festival. But if you haven’t been before, there…

Travel about 30 minutes north of Kelowna International Airport – the hub of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley in Canada – and you’ll hit the outskirts of Vernon, and the hills which overlook the start of the Okanagan Lake. Here you’ll find destinations like the Predator Ridge Resort and Golf Course, plenty of walking trails and…

Primavera Sound and the accompanying Primavera Pro Conference returns to Barcelona this week, and with it will be a slew of Aussies who will join the ranks of the likes of Tame Impala, Gang of Youths, Oh Pep! and more who have performed at the event in recent years. If you are lucky enough to…

With a lineup as mammoth as Primavera Sound in Barcelona – which kicks off tomorrow – you’d be forgiven for struggling to put your schedule together. Across stages on site and off site (as part of the simultanous Primavera Pro Conference), there are a bunch of amazing Australian artists playing (find out when and where…

City Calm Down‘s huge jaunt across Australia is set to kick off next week in Brisbane, with the Melbourne heroes’ new record Echoes in Blue ready and primed to be introduced to fans nationwide in all its glory. The international market has been loving the album too and as we were able to see in the…

It’s fair to say that the 2017 Yours & Owls Festival in the coastal NSW city of Wollongong really took things up a notch, with legendary rockers At The Drive-In headlining proceedings. This year, while the top of the lineup is a local affair – and an impressive one at that – an incredible international…

One of our favourite new bands of the last 12 months is Ontario’s Dizzy. First becoming hooked on their single “Swim” and then seeing them live for the first time in Canada last year, we knew they had to be a must see of The Great Escape in 2018. We were able to grab some time with Mackenzie, Katie, Charlie and Alex while…

When it comes to discovery, there’s few better events in the world than The Great Escape on the English seaside in Brighton. Now running for 12 years, the event thrives with its excellent curation of a couple of hundred bands from all over the world – with no less than 26 Australian acts making up…

The Great Escape has brought many fresh and exciting new bands from around the world into one thriving hub for another year, with the focus settling well and truly on Brighton this month. We had the opportunity to sit down with one of the buzz names of The Great Escape for 2018 in US indie…

While many save their Canadian adventures for the snow covered winter months, the great country of the North has a lot to offer through the Summer months, too. With weather often as warm as Australians are used to, it will ensure you can pack a little lighter for the journey. It also means that a…

Melbourne’s Alexander Biggs is an artist we’ve been big supporters of for a while now – seeing how his profile rose exponentially off the back of his 2017 BIGSOUND appearance was a big air-punch, a triumphant step forward for the songwriter who has taken it in his stride. Following an impressive showcase at The Great Escape…

It was impossible to go anywhere in Brighton (UK) this week without bumping into an Australian group; both on the streets of the city and within its venues. No less than 26 Aussie artists filled the annual The Great Escape Festival, which in itself isn’t an achievement – we’ve had a strong presence here for…