Author: Larry Heath

First announced back in December, the first phase of a new strategic cooperation agreement between Virgin Australia and Air Canada has officially launched today, with three routes now providing seamless connections between Australia and Canada, via Los Angeles, while offering Velocity points to Virgin’s frequent flyers. Those routes are on Air Canada’s flights between Los…

The Church frontman Steve Kilbey and All India Radio’s Martin Kennedy have been releasing music under the guise Kilbey Kennedy since 2009, and today the prolific pair have released album number five: Glow and Fade. I caught up with Martin Kennedy to talk about the album, which they are calling their “Magnum Opus”, its cover…

As we arrived in the iconic, well coloured sails for the opening night of Vivid, the excitement for the return of Seattle outfit Fleet Foxes, who were helping opening the festival, was palpable. A screen sat at the back of the stage, and a note (presumably) from the band told us they missed us (“welcome to…

In cinemas today, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth film in the hugely successful series, and the first to be filmed here in Australia. Joining the cast – alongside fellow Australians like Geoffrey Rush – was rising star Brenton Thwaites, who plays Will Turner’s son Henry in the film….

Across two continents, over the last two months, I’ve caught up with Tom Ogden, lead singer of UK rising superstars Blossoms. We first sat down at Coachella, where they played an early set, and spoke again while they were touring Europe in their own headline shows, fresh from touring the USA with  Two Door Cinema…

Our friends at PBS 106.7 FM are holding their annual Radio Festival right now, driving subscriptions to one of Melbourne – and Australia’s – finest community radio stations. Entirely non-for-profit, PBS relies on subscribers to champion local and underrepresented music across Melbourne and Australia and so they’re festival drive is one of the most important…

In today’s flight review, we travel on board Hawaiian Airlines’ overnight service from Sydney, Australia to Honolulu, USA – one of only two overnight services on offer between Australia and the USA. Last year, the island carrier made good on their long promised upgrades for the Business Class cabin, starting to roll out lie-flat seats across their A330 aircraft…

Sydney trio Middle Kids, who are about to tour Australia with none other than Ryan Adams, are set to return to North America in July, announcing a massive headline tour in September that accompanies the already announced festival dates that litter their calendar through October. The dates follow on from the inclusion on lineups such as…

One film we’re particularly excited about here at The Iris is Wilson, a new comedy staring Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern and Judy Greer which hits select cinemas on Thursday, May 25th. The film chronicles the life of a lonely, neurotic and hilariously honest middle-aged man (Harrelson), as he reunites with his estranged wife and meets…

The In The House series at the Event Cinemas on George Street in Sydney brings back cult classics to the big screen. The next screening is on May 26th and will see John Carpenter and Kurt Russell at it again in the 1981 hit Escape From New York. To accompany the screening, David “Quinny” Quinn from…

You, Me and the Apocalypse was an underrated 10 episode mini-series that debuted on Sky 1 in the UK back in 2015, before making its way to the US the following year. Now, the show seems to be doing the rounds around the world – and having caught the series on some flights recently, I…

Brisbane’s Osaka Punch have spent the last nine years making a name for themselves as one of Australia’s best live acts, bringing together rock, prog, funk and everything in between to make a sound truly their own. Last year they released a seven track EP Death Monster Super Squad to critical acclaim and today we’re…

Simon Griffin‘s pocket book dedicated to punctuation, Fucking Apostrophes, should be a permanent fixture on everyone’s desk. The 62 page resource is crammed full of just about every possible use of the apostrophe in the English language, delivered with a great deal of humour and ultimately leaving you with the thought: “Why the fuck are…

The experience of the hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, currently touring Australia, starts before you enter the room, as cast members walk around the foyer, greeting guests, engaging in arguments and letting you know that they’ve lost a dog from the second act – a sign that indeed, things are about to go…

The majority of videogame films are, for a lack of a better term, complete tosh. From catastrophes like Street Fighter, Super Mario Bros. and most of Uwe Boll‘s filmography to films that are close to viewer satisfaction like Final Fantasy VII – Advent Children and Ace Attorney, the reputation of videogame films is not something…

Last week we filled you in on the first films we picked for the annual Sydney Film Festival – but that barely scratched the surface on the amazing catalogue of feature and short films that will grace the event. So here’s another six films we think you can’t afford to miss at the 2017 event……

Though it was the late addition of Jay Z onto the Austin City Limits festival line up ahead of the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chance the Rapper, The Killers and sis-in-law Solange that has had everyone talking, a quick look at the mammoth ACL lineup for 2017 shows off an impressive list of Australian and New Zealander artists amongst…

While at Coachella last month, I caught up with Denver husband-wife duo Tennis, who in spite of releasing four breathtaking albums (their latest, Yours Conditionally, is out now), have never made many waves down here in Australia. We here at the AU think it’s about time they made some waves, so join us as we…

The 64th Annual Sydney Film Festival launched its amazing program yesterday, and over 12 days this June, there’ll be more film premieres and screenings than you’ll know what to do with. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be letting you know plenty of our highlights – and we’re starting off with counting down the…

Hitting the road today on their national “Deficiency” single tour, the criminally underrated Sydney quintet Bad Pony were recently over on the other side of the world in Toronto, Canada for the annual music festival and conference Canadian Music Week. While there, I sat down with Jarred and Sam from the group to talk about…

Our very own Larry Heath had a one-on-one backstage at Coachella 2017 with emerging superstar Bishop Briggs to reflect on her amazing year, look ahead to her Australian debut for Splendour in the Grass this July, talk about her new tattoos and much more… You can watch our chat here: Don’t miss Bishop Briggs when…

Backstage at a sweaty second weekend of Coachella, we meet Koen van de Wardt of Dutch indie group, Klangstof. Their presence at the American music festival was one of large significance, with Klangstof stepping up to being the first Dutch band to ever appear at Coachella in the history of the event. Speaking with Koen, we find out more…

MS MR have long held a love-love relationship with Australia but when we catch up with one half of the band, Lizzy Plapinger, we’re in a different environment altogether. She’s at Coachella and as the world is getting to know her new music project, LPX, the vocalist and songwriter tells us about her new sounds and what’s in store…

Getting a release on Hulu today in the US is the hilarious documentary Becoming Bond, which screened at SXSW earlier this year. It takes a look at the life and times of Australia’s only Bond, George Lazenby, in his own words. The film takes the spirit of Drunk History to deliver an original and entertaining…

While at Coachella last month, we were able to catch up with Ryan Hahn and Nik Ewing, who had been impressing crowds with their new album Sunlit Youth, as well as a stomper live show. Taking some time out backstage, Larry chatted with the guys about their experiences on the growing festival stage and how their own live…

Anna Lunoe remained a standout artist of Coachella 2017 – from afternoon slam circles in the Sahara Tent to performances of new music, the Australian expat made sure her time out in the Cali desert counted. Backstage at Weekend Two, Jaime Lewis caught up with Anna to find out how the experience had treated her, and…

When we get the opportunity to sit down with our favourite artists, of course, it’s not something we take for granted. And then there are the opportunities we get when we get to speak with someone as legendary as Lee Fields, backstage at what he describes as one of the best, if not the best, musical…

While out in the decidedly colder climates of Toronto recently, we managed to link up with Tasmanian group, Heart Beach. One of the local Aussie highlights of this year’s Canadian Music Week, the band filled us in on their time in the city and what their plans are for moving the band forward in 2017. Welcome to…

POND have become one of Australia’s most popular exports, particularly when it’s come to the international festival circuit. Of course, being cut from the same cloth as Tame Impala has long driven much of the press surrounding the WA band but in recent years and over their last few albums, the Nick Allbrook led group has really stepped…

The Sydney Comedy Festival has been around for thirteen years and has amazingly grown from a festival with humble beginnings, into a force that itself has grown to a major arts festival in Australia. Director of the festival for all that time, Jorge Menindis details the history while making some last minute plans prior to…