Author: Larry Heath

Not too long ago I jumped off a plane from Spain, following a week in Barcelona for the annual Primavera Sound Festival – which, in its 16th year, is one of Europe’s most iconic and popular events. And there’s a good reason for it – it is unequivocally one of the world’s finest festivals. That’s a matter…

Pausing from his planned trilogy of films with Brendan Gleeson – which has already seen the release of the brilliant The Guard (2011) and Calvary (2014) – English/Irish director John Michael McDonagh makes his debut outside of Ireland with the incredibly black comedy War on Everyone, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña – who are both…

Larry Heath sits down with Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, J. Quinton Johnson and Wyatt Russell to talk about their work as part of the ensemble cast of Richard Linklater’s brand new film Everybody Wants Some!! I talk to the quartet about how the film related to their actual College experience, their love of ice cream, their training…

I Saw The Light is the new feature film from second time director Marc Abraham, focusing on the short life and influential career of iconic American musician Hank Williams. It’s not the first time Williams’ story has found its home on the big screen, but it’s the first major take since 1964’s Your Cheatin’ Heart,…

Fresh from a run of shows around the country, Sydney quartet Caravãna Sun have revealed their fifth and biggest ever international tour, set to take them around the UK and Europe through July and August of this year. The shows come in support of their latest single “Eye of the Storm”, taken from their forthcoming record Guerrilla…

This month, STA Travel are set to offer $50 flights to Auckland, New Zealand (only a few hours from Hobbiton, pictured) as part of a special “Flash Sale”. The only catch is that only 50 of the tickets are available, and you have to go in person to their stores to get your hands on…

Canada’s national airline carrier, Air Canada, have just launched a brand new Australian service – connecting Brisbane in Queensland to Vancouver, Canada for the first time, in the only non-stop service offered between the coastal destinations. And earlier this month, this service launched, with the inaugural flight AC35 from Vancouver touching down in Brisbane on June…

As we reported last month, Virgin Australia have launched the first upgraded service of their 777-300ER fleet, featuring a brand new Business and Premium cabin, as well as an Economy Space +, which can be booked for flights from 30 August onwards – though the cabin itself is already in operation in the one fitted aircraft. But…

Over the weekend, as they celebrated the release of the Sophomore LP Treasure House – and just a few hours before they were set to play their first show in support of it at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain – I sat down with UK duo Cat’s Eyes. Made up of Faris Badwan (best known for his…

One week from today, on 16th June 2016, Disney’s newest Theme Park and Resort – their sixth internationally – will open in Shanghai, on mainland China, with tickets for the opening day festivities well and truly sold out. When it opens, the Shanghai Disney Resort will include two themed hotels, Disneyland Hotel and their first ever Toy…

Every two years, we ask our Australian based readers to take a few minutes to help us get to know you a bit better. We want to make sure we are making the best possible site for you! Everyone who fills out the form and provides us with their email address will also go in…

Dubbed the spiritual follow-up to the classic Dazed and Confused, award winning Writer and Director Richard Linklater is taking us back to the days of our youth – this time, the first days of College – in the acclaimed film Everybody Wants Some!!, which is screening as part of Sydney Film Festival and will be…

Every two years, we ask our Australian based readers to take a few minutes to help us get to know you a bit better. We want to make sure we are making the best possible site for you! Everyone who fills out the form and provides us with their email address will also go in…

I’ve just jumped off a plane from Spain, following a week in Barcelona for the annual Primavera Sound Festival – which, in its 16th year, is one of Europe’s most iconic and popular events. And there’s a good reason for it – it is unequivocally one of the world’s finest festivals. That’s a matter of opinion…

The legendary PJ Harvey performed in front of tens of thousands of people last night at the iconic Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, helping bring to an end a massive four days of live music on the waters of the Spanish city. Playing with an eight piece band that included the likes of Alain Johannes,…

A little more than a day after releasing their first new song in 16 years, “Frankie Sinatra”, and confirming the release of their sophomore record Wildflower on 8 July – just before they play Splendour in the Grass – Australian duo The Avalanches have made their return to the stage in Barcelona, Spain as part…

Today, the annual festival Primavera Sound kicks off in Barcelona, Spain – a five day event that has expanded in recent years with the addition of a conference arm – Primavera Pro – which has welcomed a group of emerging artists to the festival, alongside the big name headliners we can expect to see at…

And this week in our countdown of the 101 Greatest Songs of All Time, we reach the illustrious Top 50, as voted by our contributors. Where last week, we saw some classic compositions by some of pop and rock music’s legends mix in with the likes of Sia and Gotye, this week sees some iconic musical gifts from Bowie, The…

In his first tour of Australia since 2007, tickets for Billy Crystal’s upcoming appearances around the country have been unsurprisingly flying out the door. So promoters have added two extra shows to his itinerary – one in Sydney on the 13th of July, and the other in Melbourne on the 4th of August. “The show…

Who says you can’t move forward by looking back? After decades of promises and planning, and years of development and construction, last Friday, the long awaited Expo Line officially launched public service on its expansion from Culver City (which opened in 2012) to the beaches of Santa Monica – connecting the city to Downtown LA via…

Smack dab in the middle of Perth’s busy West End – sitting just 300m from the Murray and Hay Street shopping malls – is the Ibis Perth‘s 192 room hotel. Though only listed as a three star establishment, it seems unfair to throw it in the same category that many seedy motels around the country…

Considering how dangerous bull riding can be, you’ve got to be pretty much made of steel to survive this as a job. the AU’s Larry Heath had the opportunity to talk with cowboy Wesley Silcox at last year’s iconic Calgary Stampede. He’s one of the most successful bull riders in the world, and here he shares details on…

When you’ve made a conscious decision to travel without a car, the idea of the “day trip” can be a fairly laborious task. But once you book the journey, it’s certainly worth the effort. The day before Jazz Fest began in New Orleans, my partner and I boarded a 10am Greyhound to Baton Rouge. It’s…

Adelaide-based rock band, BAD//DREEMS share an exclusive tour diary with the AU review on their exciting international adventure at The Great Escape from last year. Taking us along for the ride from Leeds to Derbyshire and from Birmingham to London, the band give us the lowdown on their life on the road. Live at Leeds…

In today’s flight review on AU Abroad, we take you on board Qantas Airways‘ 737-800 service on the most popular route in Australia – from Melbourne to Sydney. This was not your usual standalone flight, however, as I boarded the flight as a connection from an Emirates flight, which had come in from Singapore… Read on…

Soul-Funk-Pop singer/songwriter Dru Chen has had an interesting upbringing. Having spent half his life in Melbourne and half in Singapore, it made sense for him to perform at Music Matters where he had previously performed as a guitarist for Brisbane singer Bec Laughton. Here, Dru takes us on a trip around his second home, sunny…

Australian afro-electronic band True Vibenation will kick off their first ever European tour next month with one the biggest shows of their career. After making waves in the Australian music scene with their own brand of horn-focused hip hop, True Vibenation will take their high energy live show to the Silver Hayes stage at the iconic Glastonbury Festival…

Following on from the amazing fares offered earlier in the month by Zuji, STA Travel have followed suit and have fares that will take you to the USA via Vancouver with Air Canada for $649 return. The only catch? You need to be a teacher, a student or under 26 to qualify. Flights are with…

Josef Salvat takes the AU review along on his tour of England for The Great Escape last year. Salvat brings us quirky photos of his trip including his visit to Brighton, chill days at the beach, seeing live bands like Slaves and stumbling upon a pigeon that oddly enough, gives him a new perspective on…

Virgin Australia has begun rolling out the first major refitting of their international 777 aircraft since the airline re-branded from V Australia in 2011. The changes, at this stage, are exclusive to their premium cabins, with the airline rolling out their flagship Business Class product ‘The Business’ as well as a refreshed Premium Economy cabin, simply named…