Tech Review: The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is a solid foldable handset

Motorola has been ahead of the game in terms of flip phones and cutting-edge technology, with previous iterations of this iconic phone dating all the way back to 1996. Since then, they have been perfecting their craft, which feels like it has led up to the release of the Razr 40 Ultra, a premium flip…

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Le She

Interview: Afro pop singer-songwriter Le She makes the move to Perth alongside new release

Le She is leaning back in his chair, framed by the city lights, looking thoroughly at home in the suave Ritz-Carlton meeting room. Adorned with a tasteful amount of gold and silver, and clad in a black leather jacket, he’s the sort of person who looks like they’re about to leave Perth, not someone who’s…

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The 31st Meredith Festival lineup is here: Kraftwerk, Caroline Polachek, Sneaky Sound System & more!

Yesterday morning would have felt like Festival Christmas for some, with the first round of Meredith Festival 2023 Ballot allocations sliding into inboxes along with a bold line-up announcement for the 31st iteration of the renowned Victorian gathering. The Supernatural Amphitheatre (known as the Sup) is gearing up to open its gates for the ‘Thirty-First…

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Bright Eyes set to tour Australia for the first time in 12 years

After a 9-year gig hiatus (and a casual 12 years since visiting Australian soil), indie-rock icons Bright Eyes are making a triumphant return Down Under this October. Presented by Love Police, the Spring tour is taking the band up and down the country, celebrating their significant 25-year contribution to the music industry. The Omaha group,…

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Interview: David Kelley talks NBA 2K24’s soundtrack and the 25th anniversary of the NBA 2K franchise

With the release of NBA 2K24 right around the corner, we got the chance to speak with David Kelley, Director of Partnerships and Licensing at 2K about the upcoming NBA 2K24 soundtrack and its various influences and inspirations that also culminate in honouring the 25th anniversary of the NBA 2K franchise itself. Thanks for taking…

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Game Preview: Payday 3 sticks to its successful formula

I got into the Payday franchise with Payday 2, and much later than expected. While I had first played Payday 2 way back on the PlayStation 3 upon its release, I hadn’t really sunk my teeth into its offerings until earlier this year, when I picked it up on Xbox Game Pass. And boy am…

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New Music Discoveries 18th August: Our Broken Garden, Allison Russell, Lisa Caruso and more

This week we have added another ten tracks to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, including one track we premiered exclusively earlier in the week. Dream pop group Our Broken Garden are only a week away from dropping their new album, Blind, and this week have released the final teaser, “Rain”, featuring the…

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Genesis Owusu

Album Review: Genesis Owusu – Struggler (2023 LP)

Genesis Owusu has returned with a sense of urgency and darkness on his second album Struggler. Where his last release felt like a culmination of years’ slowly chipping away at what eventually would become his groundbreaking debut Smiling With No Teeth, here on Struggler it feels like a body of work from an artist who…

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Fall Out Boy, Limpbizkit and Devo to headline Good Things

The country’s favourite pop punk and heavy music festival is back for a fourth time with a stellar lineup! Headlining the Good Things festival is none other than Fall Out Boy, who haven’t toured Australia since 2018. After a lengthy wait and cancelled tour due to the unforeseen circumstances of the pandemic, we’re ecstatic to…

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The Heart is a Star

Book Review: Megan Rogers gets to the heart of a family secret in her much-lauded debut

In The Heart is a Star, debut novelist Megan Rogers explores one woman’s struggles to balance the demands of her career and family against her own needs as a person. As the book opens, we meet Layla Byrnes, an anaesthetist who is just ending a period of enforced leave when she receives a disturbing phone…

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Theater Camp is a biting, self-aware mockumentary: Melbourne International Film Festival Review

“You guys are so talented.  So unbelievable.  This will break you.  This will fully destroy you.” Not exactly the type of words you expect to hear from the head of a theater camp said to a collection of young, eager pupils, but such is the way of creative existence at AdirondACTS Theater Camp where camp…

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Aspera Mobile launches new and feature-packed AS8 4G smart phone

Hot off the heels of the affordable AS5 4G smartphone, Australia’s Aspera Mobile has launched the AS8 4G, one of the most feature-packed budget smartphones you can find for just A$149. Also compatible with 4G networks, the AS8 4G will add to Aspera’s recent goal to combat the rising cost of living. Aspera Mobile has…

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Wandering Blind

Exclusive Single Premiere: Wandering Blind “Only A Matter Of Time” (2023)

We’re stoked to be premiering an absolute earworm today. “Only A Matter Of Time” is from Gold-Coast duo Wandering Blind, and will be released on all digital platforms tomorrow. The track is a captivating blend of pop and indie rock. It is deftly constructed, from the opening guitars to the trance-like repetition of the “Only…

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Interview: Director Josh Greenbaum on new comedy Strays; “A little kind of absurdism always goes a long way for me.”

When Peter Gray last spoke with director Josh Greenbaum it was in conjunction with the trailer release for his foul-mouthed, furry-friended comedy Strays, a subversion of the dog movies we know and love, about the complications of love, the importance of great friendships, and the unexpected virtues of couch humping. When Reggie (voiced by Will…

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Film Review: Strays delights in its own absurd, unapologetic nature

Despite the fact that screenwriter Dan Perrault is a fan of such canine-centric cinema as Homeward Bound and 101 Dalmatians, his Strays is far from the family-friendly temperament those aforementioned titles adhere to.  But that’s also not to say that Strays doesn’t love the four-legged furries at its core – if ever there was a…

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Epic Beyond The Valley lineup announced!

Prepare yourselves for a monumental return as Australia’s grandest New Year’s extravaganza takes center stage from December 28th to January 1st, offering an immersive four-day fusion of music, arts, and camping. Once again, the enchanting grounds of Barunah Plains in Victoria will serve as the distinguished backdrop for this unparalleled celebration. Beyond The Valley will…

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Pageboy

Book Review: Elliot Page’s Pageboy is an honest and generous memoir

Pageboy is the recent memoir from Elliot Page, an actor known for his starring roles in Juno, Whip It!, and most recently The Umbrella Academy series. Pageboy is different from many other celebrity memoirs in that the subject wrote it entirely himself, and not through using a ghost writer. This has the effect of the…

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Game Review: Disney Illusion Island lacks challenge, but looks gorgeous

I’m a huge fan of Mickey Mouse and in turn many of Disney’s attempts at giving Mickey his own gaming franchise. While there are admittedly dozens, with each varying in quality, there’s no denying some of them absolutely rule; Castle of Illusion and Mickey’s Wild Adventure, we’re looking at you. The art style and cooperative…

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Interview: Eddie Rawk on his latest release “Memories”, inspiration and the vision for Eddie Rawk Band

The modern country music powerhouse, Eddie Rawk Band, released their latest single “Memories” last Friday, 11th August. “Memories” is an upbeat country-pop song reminiscing on the highs and lows of a true first love story. The single follows the band’s February release “My Life’s Road” which showcased more vulnerable songwriting and a rather traditional country…

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The line-up for the 2023 Australian Women in Music Awards has been announced

Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Australian Women in Music Awards and with a line-up like this, you will not want to miss this unique and ground-breaking event. Featuring some of Australia’s premier talent such as Vanessa Amorosi, Sarah McLeod, Dami Im, Vika & Linda, Beccy Cole, Hot Brown Honey, Samira El Koussa,…

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Gracie Adams

Gracie Abrams set to bring her Good Riddance tour to Australia

Hand-selected to open for Taylor Swift for 30 dates in the megastars’ North American tour, US singer/songwriter Gracie Abrams is building a lot of momentum. Thanks to Frontier Touring, Aussie fans will be able to see for themselves as Abrams is heading down under at the beginning of 2024. Bringing her Good Riddance Tour to…

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Southern Aurora

Book Review: Mark Brandi’s moving coming of age novel Southern Aurora explores unforgiving small-town life

Southern Aurora is Mark Brandi’s fourth novel, and follows on the heels of the bestseller Wimmera (2017), The Rip (2019) and The Others (2021). Wimmera secured Brandi the coveted British Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger and was also named Best Debut at the 2018 Australian Indie Book Awards. It was also shortlisted for the Australian…

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Game Review: Atlas Fallen is a flawed, yet intriguing action-RPG

For as little as I had known about Atlas Fallen prior to its release, its final trailers had admittedly hooked me. From the solid third-person combat to sleek traversal and platforming, it seemed there was plenty to look forward to. This proved to be true in many respects, as most of those aspects stood out…

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An Ode to Going Nowhere: The North American Train Trips Where the Origin is the Destination

If you’re lucky enough to live in a city or a country with a bustling rail network, chances are you’ve rarely thought of train travel as little more than a modern convenience (and certainly preferable to a bus). But the history of rail travel – both from a commercial and commuter level – is one…

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Photo Gallery: MAY-A + Stevan – 170 Russell, Melbourne (10.08.23)

On a chilly Thursday night, 170 Russell buzzed with hot anticipation for MAY-A‘s Melbourne stop of the ‘Never Going Back’ tour. Stevan drew the crowd immediately, charming the audience with a great set and a selection of deep-cut covers including Mac Demarco classics. MAY-A and her band brought an incredible presence to the venue, each…

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SXSW Sydney 2023: A fusion of creativity, innovation, and local talent

For the first time in its history, the renowned futurist conference and festival, South by Southwest (SXSW), is expanding beyond its Texan roots to Sydney, Australia. Taking place from October 15 to October 22, 2023, SXSW Sydney promises to be an extraordinary event, bringing together the world’s most inspired thinkers, creators, and innovators right here…

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Get ready to “jump in the line” for tickets, as Beetlejuice announces Melbourne premiere for 2025

Michael Cassel Group, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Langley Park Productions have just announced that the Ghost with the Most is heading Down Under, with the eight-time Tony Award-nominated hit musical Beetlejuice set to premiere at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in 2025. Based on the iconic Tim Burton comedy-horror of the same name, Beetlejuice centres around…

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Food Review: Calle Rey fuses Peruvian, Mexican and Japanese influences into an ambitious plant-based feast

It’s been a while since I last ventured into a fusion restaurant, let alone one that skillfully harmonizes not just two, but three distinct culinary traditions into a symphony of flavors. Calle Rey has masterfully achieved this feat, exuding both confidence and finesse through its plant-based and gluten-free menu. The abundance of exquisite diversity in…

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The Magpie's Sister

Book Review: All the fun of the circus and then some in Kerri Turner’s The Magpie’s Sister

There’s an old trick that writers who participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) know, and that’s when in doubt, add a circus. It works. Circuses are fun. They have glitz and glamour, and underdogs, and sometimes literal dogs and other animals. Everyone loves a circus story. In recent years, the darker side to circuses…

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Constellations

Theatre Review: Sydney Theatre Company’s Constellations is an impeccably performed exploration into the multiverse of relationships

Boy meets girl. Then meets again. And again, and again across various states of time and space in numerous dimensions. Some meetings see a failure to launch, others bloom, with the couple going through a number of relationships across the multiverse, with only minor alterations making, in this case, literal worlds of difference. Ian Michael…

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