Book Review: Terry O’Neill’s Elton John: The Definitive Portrait documents a long and successful career

Elton John and photographer Terry O’Neill first collaborated in 1972. Since then, O’Neill has taken around five thousand photographs of the star across the decades that followed. Recently, when going through his collection, O’Neill recognised the special nature of these photographs and wanted to share them with Elton’s legion of fans. Elton John: The Definitive…

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Chicago International Film Festival Review: The Painted Bird – brutal, cold, beautiful

Candide, or absolute nihilism? Eastern European cinema has always had a nail-biting bleakness about it, but The Painted Bird may have just upended all others. This is a brutal hellscape somehow stretched into an adventure epic; as hard to look away from, as it is to watch in the first place. There’s little wonder as…

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Book Review: Mary Costello’s The River Capture is an ambitious ode to James Joyce

Mary Costello’s first novel, Academy Street, was shortlisted for a number of awards, and won the Irish Book of the Year Award in 2014. It also shares a lot thematically with her latest work. However, in her second novel, The River Capture, Costello has used a very different narrative style, and although providing some real…

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Film Review: 6 Underground is what you get when Michael Bay ups his own Bayhem

When director Michael Bay gets handed $150 million from Netflix to make a movie you can be guaranteed that he’s going to make something pretty insane. Where in the past he has felt a little hamstrung by studio expectations or interference, his latest effort feels like a return to form. For Netflix, 6 Underground is…

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Track by Track: Kilns take us through their debut album You Can Bet Your House on Me

Last month Melbourne indie-rockers Kilns released their beautiful debut album “You Can Bet Your House on Me”.  It’s an album that regularly visits themes of relationships, their fragility but is also joyous. Guitars riff and vocals soar with some sweet harmonies. There is also some sweet humour in there as well. It’s hard to believe these…

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Live Review: Dead Prez are still bigger than hip hop – Metro Theatre, Sydney (11.12.19)

Sincere motivational rhymes about veganism and leading a healthy lifestyle may have been the last thing you would have expected from a dead prez concert. That is, if you thought the anthemic chant of their signature hit, “Hip Hop”, was nothing more than an infectious hook. The now veteran duo of stic.man and M1 don’t…

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Arlo Pro 3 Review: Big step forward for smart security tech

Assuming you have enough disposable income left over after building up the modern DIY smart home, security should be the next consideration. We’ve already seen what Arlo are capable of when they play around in their ultra premium security space. Now that they’ve steadily built up a rich ecosystem of devices, it’s time they finesse…

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11 of the most incredible things to see in the Canadian Rockies

Want to experience something truly surreal? We’re talking genuinely life-affirming, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping sights that will forever be etched into your memory. See everything you possibly can in the Canadian Rockies. Hike it, drive it, sit on a solitary pier tearing up at the profound beauty of it all; fear this immense pocket of untamed nature…

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LA nightlife brand, Hyde, launches new bar & dining concept in Sydney

Hyde Hacienda Sydney Bar + Lounge is Sydney’s answer to a hybrid dinner, drinks and dancing venue. The South American-inspired vista bar is opening its third Australian location, in the former Hacienda venue within Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour. It’s an exciting new iteration for one of Sydney’s most iconic harbourfront bars. While the brand…

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Film Review: 2019’s Black Christmas attempts to be more than just your straight-forward slasher

Released in 1974 and oft considered the original slasher film, Bob Clark’s Black Christmas has rightfully earned cult status over the years after initially being passed over for that other genre staple, John Carpenter’s Halloween. Clark’s film is a unique take on the stalk-and-kill mentality that the slasher subsect is known for given that it…

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Track of the Day: Fragile Animals “Waiting” (2019)

Brisbane / Sunshine Coast trio Fragile Animals have released their latest single “Waiting”, and we are pumped to have it as our track of the day. It’s a wonderful amalgam of genres. Shoegazing is front and centre, but there’s a splash of indie rock and a smidgin of 80’s Manchester. The song was written by frontwoman Victoria…

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Sennheiser MOMENTUM Wireless 3 Review: Good here, bad there

Feature-rich, highly intelligent and design-forward, Sennheiser have put a great deal of love into the 2019 iteration of their reputation MOMENTUM Wireless range. The over-ear headphones not only outperform most rivals, but consider the entire sonic experience. This includes Tile technology to address the possibility of misplacing the set. Although you’ll be paying a premium…

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Every trailer from today’s PlayStation State of Play

PlayStation have dropped the latest State of Play broadcast overnight. The broadcast, PlayStation’s first since October, covered PS4 and PSVR titles launching in 2020. So what was on the docket? Untitled Goose Game Untitled Goose Game by Melbourne developer House House will make its PlayStation 4 debut next week, December 17, just in time for…

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A usable 1920’s rotary phone with unlimited minutes has popped up in Sydney

Novelty things are happening around Sydney all the time, as restaurants – the creative ones at least – strive to compete in a fickle scene. Take, the recently launched Parlour Cucina for example. When they first opened, the team behind it made the wise choice to let nonnas eat for free – it’s obviously an…

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Interview: Tyde Levi (AUS) on “Flying So Far”, touring with Troye Sivan and Hanukkah.

You might have come across Tyde Levi as “Troye Sivan’s younger brother” – a distinguisher synonymously attached to most of Tyde’s work. However, that tagline is quickly becoming irrelevant as he solidifies himself as his own accomplished artist, having released a handful of alt-RnB tracks with a cumulation of over 2 million streams on Spotify. His…

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Huawei Y9 Prime Review: high-end features at an affordable price

A triple-lens camera and a reliable battery are usually features you’d find in high-end flagship smartphones, but thankfully the growing trend of refining mid-range phones is changing all that. After dominating smartphone photography this year with the brilliant Huawei P30 Pro, the company wasted very little time at offering a cost effective option that focuses…

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Guest Post: Bootleg Rascal take us through their top regional venues

Sydney’s Bootleg Rascal are bringing the party to regional Australia! The Booty Camp: Summer Vacay Tour will hit metro and regional venues from January next year, featuring 17 emerging artists and their very own sideshow alley, packed with crowd participation games. “Touring in more remote areas has always been something close to our hearts,” says guitarist Jimmy Young. “We…

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New BioShock in development at new 2K studio

Fresh from resurrecting their popular Borderlands property this year, 2K Games has announced the return of another fan favourite — BioShock. 2K believes newly created 2K studio, Cloud Chamber, are the team to make it. Cloud Chamber will be based at 2K’s headquarters in San Francisco, California and Montreal, Quebec. The move to Quebec marks…

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Qantas has a new frequent flyer partnership with KLM and Air France

There’s some big news for Qantas Frequent Flyers as the Australian airline has been announced as the latest partner of Flying Blue, the loyalty program of KLM and Air France. This of course means that passengers can and spend QFF points and receive tier benefits on both major airlines. The announcement builds upon a previous…

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An entire year of Scottish music and arts is coming to Australia for 2020

They might not be bringing the wild landscapes and unparalleled whiskies (although there will be some of that) with them, but the great country of Scotland will be sending some of their best musicians and creatives over to Australia for “The Year of Scotland”. Charmingly abbreviated to (#)YOSA2020, the year-long 2020 program will build a…

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Track of the Day: Klue “Coming Home” (2019)

Fresh from another life over in Europe, Klue has zipped back to Sydney for the summer and is celebrating with the celebratory “Coming Home”. The Aussie-born producer, also known as one third of True Vibenation, has caught our attention numerous times with his slinky, summery productions and penchant for pulling in inflections of jazz, tropical…

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Photo Gallery: Fairgrounds Festival – Berry (06.12.19 – 07.12.19)

The 2019 Fairgrounds Festival has come and gone and it was another cracking edition. This is truly a festival for all ages, catering to a wide variety of music tastes.  Female artists were well represented at this festival. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. The Friday night started strongly, with Clews and Hatchie up on…

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Track of the Day: Maz Green “Moving Slowly” 2019

Our track of the day comes from a rising star in Melbourne singer-songwriter Maz Green. With the country literally burning around us, Maz has addressed many of the issues facing us in her sophomore single, “Moving Slowly”. Her debut single was “Somewhere Else”and was released earlier this year. Maz explains the inspiration for the song:…

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Film Review: Freaks is one of the best genre surprises of the year

One of the pleasures of watching films is the feeling of surprise and enjoying the journey and not knowing where it will lead you. In other words, a little mystery goes a long way. In the case of Freaks by co-directors Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky, it comes with an interesting premise that has…

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Pokemon Sword and Shield Review: Dexit can’t stop this party

Understandably, some fans were upset when it was announced that Pokémon Sword and Shield would severely limit which Pokémon could be caught across all eight generations. It was dubbed “dexit” (perhaps to keep with the UK theme), decried online (ad nauseam), and even led to a few grown adults crossing their arms, stomping their precious…

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Nike are releasing the Dunk Low Pro B Viotech in Australia this week

This week, Australians will be able to get their hands on what was originally an exclusive Japan release all the way back in 2002. Perhaps better known for its 2013 reissue, the Nike Dunk Low Pro B Viotech silhouette will be making its triumphant return. The vibrant tonal variation and rich materials used in this…

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Dyson Pure Cool Me Review: A cleaner, cooler take on self-care

Last year Dyson completely outdid themselves with the three-in-one Dyson Pure Hot + Cool, offering an incredibly efficient device that could cool, heat and purify a room with ease. The device’s imposing size meant that this could handle all three functions for an entire room, whereas Dyson’s latest play, in the bladeless fan space they…

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Finally: Merivale’s ambitious plans for Coogee Pavilion’s Middle Floor

Merivale’s Coogee Pavilion has been a tremendous success over the past few years, but there’s always been one giant chunk of the beachside venue missing. The middle floor of this multifaceted venue always felt like a lull when making the short climb to that gorgeous rooftop – no more. No stranger to ambition, Justin Hemmes…

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Film Review: Suddenly A Tree – personal narratives run deep at Persian Film Festival

In its 8th year, the Persian Film Festival was officially opened by Festival Director Amin Palangi, who gave one of the most engaging and genuine opening night addresses I’ve ever heard. He touched on the current conflict in Iran and the very real impact it had on the festival, given all the films were physically…

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Eberron: Rising from the Last War revives a beloved D&D setting

Eberron is one of Dungeons & Dragons greatest settings. A world still sifting through the wreckage of a recent global war, a place where sorcery and ambition have created technological marvels. The second major campaign setting for D&D 5th Edition is a palate cleanser, a very different flavour to the game’s traditional home in the…

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