Like the bipedal marsupials that are its heart-and-soul, Biomutant is a strange evolutionary confection. It’s a game that borrows liberally from the action RPG genre, and wears its inspirations as a badge of honour. The ambition of the thing is striking, but it ultimately gets away from the 20 person team at first-time Swedish developer…
There’s something about beautifully styled boutique hotels that can immediately shift guests from stress to rest in a way larger hotels can’t. Want proof? Just walk into the humble lobby of QT Bondi and feel the day’s worries melt like fine butter on a hot summer’s day. That goes double now that the boutique has…
On Friday, the Xbox YouTube channel released a special treat for all fans with the official Scarlet Nexus Demo Trailer. If you are not familiar with Scarlet Nexus, it’s a single-player action RPG releasing on June 25th 2021 on PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One and Series X/S. The game is developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment and…
If there’s one thing that’s concrete in the rather contradictory personality of The Audition‘s focal character – Nina Hoss‘s Anna – it’s that music is her only unwavering interest. Scenes of her championing a young musical student – a mentality that soon graduates to near chastising – showcase her evident passion for the art of…
The Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 just may be the most reliable of its kind right now. It’s blazingly fast, beautifully designed, and shows of just how powerful and important having a mesh system can be when building a more modern, smarter home. Although having one would depend on your needs. A home of modest size…
Imagine reading Picnic at Hanging Rock at the same time as The Handmaid’s Tale, and you’ll get somewhere close to understanding the experience of Phoebe Wynne‘s debut novel, Madam. This is the story of Rose, a twenty-six year old classics teacher who is plucked from obscurity (or, from teaching at public schools) and made the head of the…
Earlier this month The Velvet Club released their latest single, the fun and upbeat “Everything’s Changing”. Today, we are thrilled to have the exclusive video premiere for this track, ahead of its release on Thursday. The track was written just before Melbourne’s lockdown last year. The track visits those moments in our life when we…
Walk into any supermarket now and I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find the ready-to-heat meal section. If any part of your local has seen more variety in the past year, it’s this sector. Yes, microwaveable meals have been around forever, but a recent swell in interest, and a wider push towards portion control, is…
Until the end of May (so you only have a week), Sydneysiders will have access to a different kind of luxury spa treatment at The Darling Spa. How different? Well, one of the The Darling Spa’s signature treatments, the 90-minute Li’tya Mala Mayi, has been elevated with a multisensory approach in collaboration with Aussie musician…
Trigger warning: this review contains discussions of sexual assault. Spoiler alert: this review also discusses how the play ends. Set in 1990s Boston, Spike Heels focuses on the intertwined lives of four individuals and one woman’s journey to self-actualisation. Written in 1992 by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Serhat Caradee, Spike Heels is based on…
As much as Alecia Moore, best known professionally as P!nk, claims to be juggling the responsibilities of being a mother, a manager, and a performer with a worried anxiousness, this behind-the-scenes documentary has a certain self-promotional sheen about it that seems to prove the opposite. That’s not a criticism of the singer/songwriter’s struggles, or meant…
Thanks to ABCG Film we have five double passes to give away to the upcoming release of the documentary My Name is Gulpilil, in Australian cinemas from May 27th, 2021. Looking back over a 50-year screen career that has unquestionably changed the face of Australian Cinema, David Gulpilil, now terminally ill, generously shares his own story with…
Expanding the ravaged world he teased us with in the 2018 original, unlikely horror aficionado John Krasinski returns for another play in the unbearably tense playground that is A Quiet Place Part II. Whilst the overall surprise element of the first film is perhaps not quite as prominent here, Krasinski still expertly manoeuvres around apocalyptic…
With the just-released Returnal proving popular among players and critics, Arkane Studios is preparing Deathloop, a timeloop shooter of its own. The era of the AAA rougelike, it seems, is upon us. Groundhog day Deathloop is a first-person immersive-sim shooter heavily inspired by the blaxploitation cinema of the 1970’s. In the game, hero Cole Vahn…
You Am I are currently touring the country, full of beans after the release of their latest album, The Lives of Others. Last night they played at the Factory Theatre in Sydney, to a sold-out audience. With a new album under their belt and the joy of being able to play live gigs again without Covid…
Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen has often had his work incorporated into film. Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz was one such work that set itself to the name-same song, whilst the documentary Marianne & Leonard highlighted the singer’s relationship with his “muse” and the time they spent together throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. Death of a Ladies’…
Last week Roz Pappalardo released her second solo album, the beautiful and poignant Won’t Be Quiet. The career path of Pappalardo has been non-linear. She has a history encompassing acting, playwriting, as well as a singer/songwriter. Now based in Cairns, in far north Queensland, she is enmeshed in the local arts community, working on theatre…
In a time like 2021 where disease and virus feels like its just around every possible corner, even for those of us whom are relatively healthy, you some times forget the risks and struggles many others go through to try live their lives without getting more sick. Every day on the news you hear about…
“This is a trans story. But it is also my story.” So says this powerful quote from Kaya Wilson’s memoir: As Beautiful as Any Other. Written as a personal record of his own experiences with both the medical profession and the world, beginning the day Kaya began to question his gender, As Beautiful as Any Other is a powerful…
Critically acclaimed indie-pop wonder St. Vincent returned last week with her latest incarnation, or studio album, titled Daddy’s Home – a superb, melodic, soulful and sonic offering referencing 70’s rock ‘n’ roll. Daddy’s Home is album number six for St Vincent, real name Annie Clark, who previously was part of The Polyphonic Spree and toured with…
Oslo-based collaborative pop project Wauwatosa released their latest single, “Good Life”, last week. With guest vocals from Turid Alida Røsten, the single is their first since the release of their debut album Souvenirs in 2018. By way of introduction Wauwatosa is the brain child of two songwriters and producers: Sigurd Ytre-Arne and Martin Langerod. Both…
Macbeth is undoubtedly one of the world’s best-known tales of manipulation and betrayal. Cursed with future knowledge due to a witches prophecy, Macbeth strikes a deal with fate at the cost of his sanity and life. Set in the eleventh century, an ambitious Macbeth (Simon Meadows) struggles against the passions of power and deception through…
Multi-instrumentalist Strangely Enough, the moniker for Greg Olley is about to release his latest vividly sonic track, “Are You More?”, and we are delighted to have the premiere of it, ahead of its release on Friday. Strangely Enough is about to release his debut EP, Stories You Tell Yourself (out June 18). He has trickle-fed…
Established back in 1992 to support Shepparton writers, The Furphy Literary Award decided to expand its reach in 2020, opening its doors to unpublished short stories from writers across Australia. Inspired by Joseph Furphy, author of Australian classic Such Is Life, and the yarns told around his brother’s foundry, writers are encouraged to offer up…
“One Morning” is the new single from Melbourne-based violinist, vocalist and composer Emma Kelly aka Happy Axe. On this dreamy and beautiful single the Canberra native has enlisted the help of friend and new collaborator Butternut Sweetheart. “One Morning”, is the second single to be released from Happy Axe’s second album Maybe It’ll Be Beautiful,…
In what is great news for Bluesfest, Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly have been added to the lineup for the rescheduled event, in the October long weekend. The festival will take place over four days at Byron Bay, from 1st to 4th October. Midnight Oil will headline the opening night, Friday 1st October. Paul Kelly…
In an ideal world, knocking back the greatest apertivo known to humankind, the humble and dependable negroni, would be an everyday, forever kind of thing. For a fortunate few, it is, but most barely have enough time to sit down and revisit the handsome cocktail on the regular. That should change, and the eternally playful…
Perth artist Solsta recently dropped a killer dancefloor track, “Together”, featuring the sublime vocals of BEXX. “Together” follows on from his 2020 singles, “Everything”, “Falling” and “Want You”. This is a seriously catchy tune. The vocals blend in perfectly with Solstas magic. It’s not just for the dancefloor. “Together” is just at home as a chill-out….
Cartoonist Chris Gooch manages to pack a lot into this page-turning dystopian graphic novel. Under-Earth follows two sets of prisoners as they struggle to survive in the subterranean landfill prison of Delforge. Gooch’s story is a commentary on everything from capitalism, materialism, and prison culture to revenge, forgiveness, loneliness, and friendship. The story begins with…
Set for an exclusive theatrical release in July this year, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Crazy Rich Asians breakout Henry Golding as the titular ninja commando made famous from his appearance in the G.I. Joe line of action figures, comic books and animated series. Known for his concealed appearance behind all-black attire and lack of vocals,…
