Author: Larry Heath

This time next week, the Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi will officially open its doors to the public; a brand new, state-of-the-art indoor theme park set to feature six immersive lands, 29 rides, shows and attractions, dining options and all the usual trimmings you’d expect from a world class park of its kind. While in…

Sydney’s Harley Mavis has just dropped an outstanding debut single “No Chance”, and its paint drenched accompanying music video is a stunner in its own right. It’s an impressive and effortlessly catchy debut for Hannah Robinson‘s latest project, which made its live debut earlier in the year, performing at events like the Courtyard Sessions’ Mardi Gras…

Musically, Aussie pop artist Troye Sivan keeps going from strength to strength, and will soon be releasing his anticipated second record Bloom. But the singer who once appeared as a Young Wolverine hasn’t giving up acting either; he’ll be appearing in Joel Edgerton‘s new film Boy Erased, which also stars the likes of Russell Crowe,…

I was lucky enough to catch up with Alexander Biggs while I was at The Great Escape in Brighton (UK) earlier this year, as we spoke about the Melbourne singer/songwriter embarking on his first ever overseas trip. Now we’re excited to take you on this behind-the-scenes tour diary shot by Alex and his team as…

Splendour in the Grass is back again for another year this week, returning to North Byron Parklands from the 20th-22nd of July. If you’re heading out to Splendour for the first time, chances are you’re going to have a helluva bender – what a stacked line up to pop your SITG cherry! As we all…

One of the most exciting Canadian outfits right now goes by the name of Partner. Led by Lucy Niles and Josée Caron, the Ontario group recently were short listed for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize (the Canadian equivalent of the AMP), won the SOCAN Songwriting Prize (the Canadian equivalent of the Vanda & Young Songwriting…

Emma Louise surprised fans last month when she unveiled the first track off her new project Lilac Everything, which sees the acclaimed Australian Singer/Songwriter take on something of an alter-ego (who she called “Joseph”). This was made possible as first time producer (and musical master in his own right) Tobias Jesso Jnr. took the pitch down…

Set in a 1887 heritage warehouse building on Chapel Street in Melbourne, the Morris Jones Restaurant & Cocktail Bar re-opened earlier this year with head chef Matthew Butcher‘s unique take on California-Japanese fusion cuisine sitting as the restaurant’s driving force; while a leafy, checkered refurb from AZBCreative, doubles down on the California-meets-Japan narrative. And the fusion doesn’t stop…

I’ve been really getting into Boston trio Slothrust lately; their music brings up easy comparisons to acts like The Breeders, The Kills and Sleigh Bells – that sort of fun garage rock with a hint of pop sentiment that it’s hard not to love. They’ve already had three full length records, and fans of the FX…

Hong Kong Disneyland may be the company’s smallest theme park (the recently opened Shanghai park – whose development was memorably slowed to give the Hong Kong Park more time to grow an audience – is no less than 14 times larger than its Southern counterpart), and the only park not to have a true water ride…

Whether it’s an old-fashioned detective story (Murder on the Orient Express), a children’s adventure (Young Sherlock Holmes), a romantic farce (Blind Detective) or a flat-out comedy (Clue), the murder mystery is the type of genre staple that can result in lots of fun, particularly if it involves audience participation. If 2018’s latest comedy Game Night can…

Melbourne’s PRIMO! are band worthy of the added exclamation mark; with a rallying pop punk flair, the band have been making their mark on the local scene with the lead up to their new album Amici generating much excitement. Already, there is an European tour in the works, taking the girls from Melbourne – where they’ll launch the…

“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…