Dan Sultan

New Music Discoveries 24th February: Dan Sultan, San Cisco, Chutney and more

For the final time this month we have updated our Discovery Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music with ten new tracks, including a song we exclusively premiered earlier in the week. Our Track of the Week is “Story”, the brand new single from Dan Sultan. According to Sultan, “Story” is a piece of work he’s been…

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Film Review: Daughter navigates gender, authority and autonomy in an unnerving, claustrophobic setting

Informing us that the film is based on fact more than fiction, Daughter has a certain familiarity about it when it initially begins, horrifying us with the imagery of a woman being bludgeoned by an unknown assailant.  It’s a suitable start for Corey Deshon‘s horror-leaning effort that successfully navigates mostly a singular location, a small…

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Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe Review: A welcome improvement

Originally releasing on the Nintendo Wii back in 2011, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland served as a safe and memorable entry in the franchise, featuring the titular and ever lovable pink icon. While Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is certainly better than the original, it’s still very much the same game at its core, short of…

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Album Review: HEAVENSGATE – AND ALL I LOVED, I LOVED ALONE (2023 EP)

Melbourne metalcore outfit HEAVENSGATE are breaking down doors with their debut EP AND ALL I LOVED, I LOVED ALONE, out today via Greyscale Records/1126 Records. The six-track project was two years in the making and the three singles “CHEMICAL HEAVEN”, “GINSICK” AND “SHEMOVESLIKETHUNDER” are distinctly relevant. With the help of Joshua Ang (Pincer+) – a…

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Here’s when and how you can watch PlayStation’s February State of Play stream

PlayStation will stream its first State of Play for the year tomorrow morning, with some new and exciting announcements on the way. As with previous streams, PlayStation have always given some indicator as to the focus of the upcoming State of Play. This time around, we will be receiving a look at some new third-party…

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Yung Gravy

Live Review: Yung Gravy + Babyface Mal – Forum Melbourne, Victoria (19.02.23)

Sunday night’s Yung Gravy show was not your ordinary show hosted at the Forum, as the American rapper proved throughout his ninety-minute set. Known for his on-stage humour and antics his chaotic set was full of all kinds of stunts, not limited to having the whole crowd throw water into the air. Opening Yung Gravy’s…

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EDIE shares her top five “Front Row” moments after latest single

Perth indie-rock artist EDIE has returned in a big way with her new single “Front Row” – released 13 February – and an imaginative video. This follows on from her 2022 debut offering “Blame Me”, which saw extensive support from triple j, and proves that she has a wealth of potential in just a glimpse….

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Film Review: Aftersun is a deceptively haunting film that lives in its silence and stillness

The plot for Aftersun is one that we have seen countless times before in one form or another: Adult reflects on a childhood trip with a parent that was often laced with memorable experiences.  It’s how writer/director Charlotte Wells chooses to frame such a story though – almost like a faded memory – that transforms…

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Theatre Review: Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is still a must-solve mystery 70 years later

Calling all budding detectives! There’s been a murder in London and we need your expertise to find the killer before they claim their next victim. Put your wits to the test and feast your eyes on the world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap. Born from the incredible mind of Agatha Christie, this genre-defining murder-mystery has astonished…

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Film Review: Fisherman’s Friends 2: One and All lacks any of the charm or wit of its breezy predecessor

Whilst I can see the charm that audiences fell for regarding the original Fisherman’s Friends, a 2019 “feel-good” true story dramedy about the unlikely musical success of the titular Cornish fishermen, who signed with Universal Records and garnered a Top 10 placing album with their sea shanty renditions, none of that is remotely present in…

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Interview: Lara Andallo on DIAMONDS & DEJAVU, Pride and the “Year 3000”

Lara Andallo is one of the shooting stars in RnB in Australia today. With an incredible voice, the Filipino-Australian singer/songwriter, musician and dancer has today released her debut EP, the emotive and deeply personal DIAMONDS & DEJAVU.  The EP is a powerful collection of six tracks reflecting upon her experiences of life, including love and…

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Tuesday Evenings with the Copeton Craft Resistance

Book Review: Colourful threads come together in Kate Solly’s debut novel

If you’ve ever seen a knitting or crochet group get together at your local library or community centre, you’ll know that craft groups are a hive of big personalities. The Copeton Crochet Circle, AKA the Copeton Craft Resistance, are no different. These ladies (and gentleman) are the cast of Kate Solly‘s charming debut novel, Tuesday Evenings with…

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Film Review: Missing is a welcome twist on the found-footage genre

When the cat’s away, the mice will play.  But what happens if the cat doesn’t come home? Such is the question posed by directing duo Will Merrick and Nicholas D. Johnson in Missing, a spiritual sequel to 2018’s technologically-inclined thriller Searching; which, wouldn’t you know it, happened to be edited by Merrick and Johnson, both…

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Film Review: Cocaine Bear is wild, high, very bloody, darkly funny, and doesn’t play well with others

They often say that truth can be stranger than fiction, and in the case of Cocaine Bear, the truth is wild, high, very bloody, darkly funny, and doesn’t play well with others.  Of course, this is only an “inspired by” truth, the type of truth that gets gloriously twisted for the sake of bombastic entertainment. …

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Interview: Producer Christopher Miller on navigating the extreme tone of Cocaine Bear; “It would be only amazing if this spawned a series of drug-fuelled animal films”

No stranger to adapting original-skewered material for the big screen, directing/producing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have seen their bold visions for tiny toys, 80’s television, and animated superheroes through to critical and commercial acclaim. Now, perhaps they’re taking on their biggest challenge yet: the true story! Sort of. Kind of. Inspired by the 1985…

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Interview: O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Alden Ehrenreich on Cocaine Bear; “The bear did cocaine, right? Get in there!”

“The bear does cocaine.  Big, bang, boom, that’s your movie!” And just like that, Alden Ehrenreich and O’Shea Jackson Jr. perfectly sum up the entirety of Cocaine Bear‘s narrative and reason for being during a sometimes emotional, always entertaining conversation with our Peter Gray ahead of the film’s release.  Inspired by the 1985 true story of…

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Kevin Wilson

Book Review: Street art goes under the microscope in Kevin Wilson’s latest

Quirky American author, Kevin Wilson‘s latest fictional offering was released in late 2022 to much anticipation. Called Now is Not the Time to Panic, the novel once again explores the line between art and chaos as it follows sixteen-year-old Frances ‘Frankie’ Budge through the summer of 1996. A loner and an aspiring writer, Frankie is a…

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Like a Dragon: Ishin! Review: Fresh setting, familiar faces

For as much as I have enjoyed almost every entry in the Yakuza series (known in Japan as Like a Dragon), I was surprised to find I had never encountered Like a Dragon: Ishin! Funnily enough, western fans might have felt the same way, upon realising that this entry is actually a remake of a…

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Freddie Bailey

Exclusive Single Premiere: Freddie Bailey “Want You to Want Me” (2023)

Kamilaroi/Tamworth singer/songwriter Freddie Bailey is on the rise. At only eighteen years of age, he has been winning hearts all over the country. He reached the top 24 in the 2022 editition of The Voice, and we are thrilled to be premiering his latest pop single, the dreamy “Want You To Want Me”. Having wowed…

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Gang of Youths

Live Review: Now & Again Festival – Werribee, Victoria (18.02.23)

Gracing the Werribee Racecourse at the weekend was this year’s Now & Again Festival. A strong line-up headlined by the comeback of Empire of the Sun meant it was going to be a day of fun across both the main stage and the side stage: a dance tent. The weather was perfect for the event, meaning…

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Empire of the Sun

Live Photos: Now & Again Festival – Werribee, Victoria (18.02.23)

Now & Again Festival had a great turnout and an exciting line-up capped off by the perfect weather of a warm and sunny Melbourne. Across two stages, the festival hosted some incredible acts, including Tones & I, Sven Vath, Gang of Youths, and Empire of the Sun.

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Yung Gravy

Photo Gallery: Yung Gravy + Babyface Mal – Forum Melbourne, Victoria (19.02.23)

Yung Gravy put on a chaotic, yet memorable performance for his final show on his tour. He closed the tour off in style and good humour as he’s well known for, partying it up for over an hour and a half at the Forum Melbourne. His set had everything, from Australian cereals to drinking out…

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Interview: Keri Russell on the “outlandish ridiculousness” of Cocaine Bear and why she had to say “Yes!”

Cocaine Bear, inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, is a wild dark comedy that finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest, where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount…

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Bad Pony

Guest Playlist: Bad Pony share their favourite up and coming bands

Bad Pony have just dropped their album, Forever Up & Coming, and it’s hard to believe that it is their debut long play record. They’ve long been a favourite at the AU, and we have have celebrated their various milestones along the way.. On the path to this release they’ve performed twelve national tours, three…

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Interview: Elizabeth Banks on taming the chaos and relinquishing control of Cocaine Bear

Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, Cocaine Bear is a wild dark comedy that finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest, where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount…

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Is the Power-Up Band at Super Nintendo World worth it?

After much anticipation, Super Nintendo World finally opened its doors at Universal Studios Hollywood on Friday. With it comes a brand new, state-of-the-art Mario Kart ride, Toad’s impressively themed (and delicious) restaurant and an interactive land full of secrets, keys and coins. And to lay claim to many of those secrets (and coins), you’ve first…

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Flight Review: United Airlines’ longest route – Sydney to Houston, Texas on the 787 Dreamliner

With a distance of 13,834 km (8,596 mi), one of the latest routes to return to our skies over the Pacific Ocean is also United Airlines’ longest* – Sydney to Houston. The service, which is just under 16 hours from Sydney (UA100), and 17 and a half hours to get back (UA101), initially debuted in…

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Stray Kids

Live Review: Stray Kids ‘MANIAC’ tour lights up the Rod Laver Arena

Most concert reviews will typically begin with an introduction of the show, a description of the artist, or maybe a few small observations of the venue. However, to truly articulate the incredible power of Stray Kids and their blockbuster three-hour performance on Friday night, I am compelled to start right at the end. The electric…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: i am root is a playful yet poignant reflection of the meaning of Mother Earth

i am root begins with a traditional Acknowledgement of Country, before Canadian-born Olenka Toroshenko calls upon her own ancestors to join her performance. From fleeing war and settling in Canada, to following love to Australia, what follows is a personal and eclectic mix of Ukrainian poetry, storytelling, dance, comedy and even cooking. There are tragic…

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Wild Hearts Review: The hunt is on

It’s admittedly been a while since I had touched base with the Monster Hunter series. And then I saw it; the reveal of Wild Hearts, developer Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s answer to an existing breed of hunting game, that draws on many of the techniques and mechanics of the aforementioned franchise, while adding satisfying combat,…

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