Author: Larry Heath

We’ve been deliberately trying to avoid taking part in the whole “Taylor Swift for Hottest 100” debate because, frankly, too many people were talking about it and it was a bandwagon we didn’t want to be a part of. We’re glad people are talking about Australian music though (as a byproduct) and ultimately, we just…

British musician, producer and DJ Simon Green aka Bonobo will be returning to Australia and New Zealand for a run of special DJ sets this March. These special solo shows promise to include “spectacular visuals” and provide us with some hypnotic and hugely entertaining sets. Bonobo’s last record, The North Borders, was released back in…

the AU review was backstage at triple j’s Beat The Drum concert, held in the Domain in Sydney on Friday, January 16th. Celebrating the iconic youth broadcaster’s 40th Birthday. While there, we spoke to The Preatures, KLP, Tkay Maidza and Ball Park Music about their performances at the event – who they were going to…

Today we’re very excited to announce that following the first ever AU Sessions last month in Sydney, from February onwards we will be putting on a monthly event at The Hive Bar in Erskineville – on the last Tuesday of every month! Stay tuned for more details on the lineups! But until then, come and…

Continuing from its sell-out season at the Hayward Gallery, London in 2013, the exhibition Light Show moved onto the Auckland Art Gallery in October ahead of its debut in Sydney later this year. The exhibition showcases a selection of some of the finest contemporary works that show off light in all its splendour, alongside works…

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting Australian artists touring internationally, we’re going to present to you a regular series of articles that bring you up to date on all of those tours… we start you off with three: Fairchild The Gold Coast group will be playing their first UK show in London at…

Fans of the classic 1979 TV series Faulty Towers have something to look forward to. The interactive theatre production Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience is returning for a run of shows as part of Fringe World Perth, Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival following successful jaunts around the world. The production puts…

Leon and Matty from The Lazys talk to Larry from the AU review at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie. We talk about what they’ve been up to since we last caught up in Canada during Canadian Music Week earlier in 2014. They reflect on their multiple trips and successes to Canada, their latest…

Ahead of their Australian tour next month, we caught up with Josh Lovelace from the band NEEDTOBREATHE, who let us in on the five bands (other than his own, of course) who he reckons we all need to see live… The Killers We have been fans of The Killers for a long time but hadn’t…

Elwood Myre is a young Australian troubadour who collaborates with mandolin player Hunter Beasley, to create folk-laden Americana flavour. In October 2014, endowed with a sound that’s smooth and warm like bubble gum, the pair stumbled into Vienna People Recordings where they tracked their debut album live in 4 days. Today we’re excited to premiere…

Brooklyn psych-rockers Sky Picnic are producing a sound that fans of Australia’s own Tame Impala should feel very at home with – and following the reception of their latest single “Upon Further Reflection”, they now have a full album for us to enjoy. And today we’re excited to premiere it in full, exclusively on the…

Pictured: La Femme (Photo by Larry Heath) It was a relaxed atmosphere under the hot Summer sun on Saturday, as families, Francophiles and Festival fans got their spots under the umbrellas and on top of the hay bales that scattered the rarely used (but very well suited) site of St. John’s college for Sydney’s second…

Thanks to our good friends at Telstra we have a brand new Sony Xperia Z3 Premium Smartphone to give away, along with a brand new Digital Noise Cancelling Headset. The brand new Xperia Z3 is one of the leaders in the Android market. Combining a super-slim body and aluminium frame, the phone’s premium design also…

Based on the best-selling autobiography of the same name, Clint Eastwood’s new film American Sniper is the gripping story of Chris Kyle, the “Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History”. Starring Bradley Cooper in the lead role, the film avoid the typical “war movie” plot twists or convolution, endeavouring instead to focus on a man who…

Since launching onto the Melbourne scene in 2011, with an annual event at the Forum Theatre, the boutique festival Sugar Mountain has become one of Australia’s most anticipated events. Always boasting an incredibly well curated lineup, the event endeavours to provide an experience you won’t have at any other festival. And by all accounts it…

It’s that time again where we look ahead to the year, rather than backwards, and move through the Australian artists we think will make it big in 2015. Now, our definition of “big” doesn’t mean a Gotye size explosion – we just think that by the end of this year, all these artists will be…

Wicked: The Musical is in its final weeks at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, with the Emerald City closing down on January 30th before it moves on to Brisbane (opening February 12th) and then Perth in May – and we have a double pass to give away to one of the final shows! One lucky…

Summer is here and if one thing Summer is tailor-made for it is fun in the sun. What better way to spend a Summer Saturday than grabbing some friends and family, and heading to Ballarat Beer Festival – Victoria’s original boutique beer Festival, celebrating all things liquid gold on the picturesque Ballarat City Oval on…

Farewelling Australia next month will be much loved US post-hardcore/melodic rock group Conditions, hitting the stage as part of the mammoth Soundwave Festival tour. In advance of the bittersweet shows, the band’s lead vocalist Brandon Roundtree shared with us ten of his favourite tracks for today’s exclusive playlist: Song name: Better In The Dark Artist:…

We’re excited to present Kim Churchill fans with an amazing opportunity. We’re giving away two tickets to two lucky winners to his show at the Oxford Art Factory in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on Saturday the 24th of January. Winners will also be treated to a meet and greet with Kim at the venue after sound check…

Earlier this month we revealed our top 40 albums of 2014, which included 14 albums from Australia (including The Smith Street Band as our number one!). As we did last year, however, we want to make sure as many Australian albums are highlighted as possible! So, we’ve gone back to our list of votes from…

Today in Hollywood, the winners of the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced at the Beverly Hilton, in a televised award show with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosting for the third and final time. As usual, the pair delivered a hilarious opening monologue that took aim at everything from North Korea (a popular topic of…

Last month we sat down with Queensland artist Karl S Williams backstage at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie. We talk to him about his live show, his music, the past year and what might be in store in the future…

Ahead of their Australian tour next month, American rockers NEEDTOBREATHE are sharing exclusively with AU review readers their ten favourite songs to listen to on the road. And you know this is a band who spend a lot of time on it. So enjoy these amazing ten tracks and keep it as a playlist for…

The Secret Garden Festival recently dropped the news that it had completely sold out all tickets for the 2015 festival, which was only testament to the event’s continued popularity and faith from the loyal public who’ve backed it for so long. Today, the Sydney organisers dropped the full line up of artists set to perform…

The hilarious Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting the Golden Globe Awards for the third and final time tomorrow, and though we know they’ll be at their entertaining best – with recent subject matter like The Interview giving them plenty of material – the question really is: who will the Globes voters – the Hollywood Foreign…

Destination: Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand Origin: Auckland, New Zealand Travel Time (Each Way): About 40 Minutes Last month on AU Abroad we took you on a cruise through the Hauraki Gulf off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand. This week we’re taking you to the region’s most populated island – Waiheke –…

After an incredible year of new Australian music in 2014, we have an incredible array of records in the pipeline for the new year. Some are from bands who we’ve been waiting to hear from again for years… some for the first time… others are continuously pumping out incredible music and we have no desire…

Tomorrow, Toronto artist Jaron Freeman-Fox will commence his debut Australian tour with his band The Opposite of Everything. We caught up with the man himself to talk about the tour, his band, his fiddle and his favourite music of 2014… plus much more! You’ve been to Australia before under a different guise… tell us about…

We sat down with American singer/songwriter Jason Mraz to discuss working with Korean guitar virtuoso Sungha Jung (정성하) and collaborating with artists over the years during his travels through Asia and Australia in this very special clip: Catch the talented Sungha Jung live in Australia: Naga Guitars Concert Series presents: Sungha Jung 2015 Live in…