Earlier this month Yours & Owls Festival brought some of Australia’s finest musicians to North Wollongong for a two-day event that showcased some serious established and up-and-coming talent. Amongst those were sixteen year old pop phenomenon Ruel, the ethereal Vera Blue and the newest kids on the big block Spacey Jane. Having just finished his…
In a surprising turn of events Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo have been jointly awarded the 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction for The Testaments and Girl, Woman, Other respectively. Whilst it is not the first time the prize has been awarded jointly, the rules were changed back in the 90’s to rule out such an occasion. But, cut to 2019…
London-based group Los Bitchos last week dropped their latest single, “The Link Is About To Die”. Produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, the track is an intoxicating blend of instrumental cumbia, psychedelia and garage rock. Although they reside in London the band have quite an international flavour, with members hailing from Perth, Montevideo, Stockholm and…
Japan is about to get its very first hotel from renowned brand Amari, coming in the form of a 126-room resort nestled in the heart of ski-haven Niseko. Announced today, ONYX Hospitality Group will be opening Amari Niseko in 2024 as part of mixed-use development Aruku-zaka Street, designed to complement the Hirafu area’s unique character…
Insular, rainy and oft ignored for bigger cities like New York and L.A, Seattle’s music scene in the 90’s benefitted greatly from its relative obscurity. While no one was paying attention, the city birthed some of the greatest artists and bands that have ever lived, sprouting an everlasting impact that would change music and pop…
Gold Coast is a city built of soft sand and hardy skyrises. At least that’s the short version of it, with the famous beach destination unfairly shouldering the burden of many rash stereotypes throughout the years, the most unfortunate of which has to do with the raucous yearly celebration of “Schoolies”. Much like Canberra and…
There have been many adaptations of Shakespeare’s work to the big screen with varying results. Twice before Australians have tackled the Bard’s work with Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet and Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth both hitting the silver screen with positive critical response. Once again it seems the combination of Australian director David Michôd, with fellow…
Coming into the warmer parts of the year, there’s sure to be an increased intake in the nectar of the gods. With a massive push in the past decade towards micro and craft breweries, the domestic and international beer scene has seen astronomical growth, with seemingly every man and his dog now brewing their own…
To mark 10 years since Etihad Airways and Virgin Australia first announced their endearing partnership, both carriers have announced a very significant “Bonus Points” campaign which will help passengers build loyalty points over the next few months. In addition to this, Etihad will also be rolling out additional rewards throughout the rest of this year…
Melbourne is just weeks away from its newest luxury hotel, which is part of the prestigious and highly curated M Gallery by Sofitel collection. Titled Hotel Chadstone Melbourne, the $130 million five-star property of 250 rooms, suites and penthouses (2 penthouses to be exact) will welcome guests from the 1st November. Featuring a wellness retreat…
Intergalactic art-rock dealing with an opioid crisis is only something you’d expect from reliable experimentalists Guerilla Toss, who are tackling addiction from all angels on their forthcoming EP What Would The Odd Do?. Following their single “Plants” with a mix of effervescent pop and deep-fried psych rock, the mystical New York band turn in “Future…
City Calm Down are touring their latest album Television, in what appears to be their final tour, so it was with much sadness but keen anticipation that we hit the Manning Bar last night to see them one last time. After 12 years together and 3 albums, the 4-piece is bringing the band to an end….
There’s at least one Oscar-grab movie released every year designed with the intent on pushing its lead performer to the front of the nominee queue. Judy appears to be that movie for 2019. And that’s certainly not a criticism against the film as it’s a fine biopic in its own right, but Renee Zellweger‘s dedicated…
Biomutant was extremely weird, and the PAX build was rather janky but that didn’t change one important factor: I think I love it. Biomutant is a game about survival as a tiny mammalian mutant that looks a bit like a koala. Surviving on what seems to be a version of Earth that suffered some massive…
Today we have the Exclusive Single Premiere of a new track “See The Love” from Jessy Hope. Hailing from Hawkes Bay in New Zealand, Hope grew up listening to The Beatles, Elton John, John Legend and Adele and this is evident in his songwriting. This track was written after his brother tragically committed suicide. The genesis of…
It’s been 7 years since I last saw Seattle based singer/songwriter Noah Gundersen. Then, he had a lot less tattoos. Me, a lot less facial hair. In that time he’s gone on to release four more albums and work with Glorietta. His latest, Lover, hit our headphones at the end of August. It’s a stunning record that deserves to…
Those already familiar with Dragon Quest XI S would be nodding, big grin on their face, when I write that this is not only one of the best JRPGs to arrive in years, but the single best entry in a legendary series that has spanned decades. That in itself is quite the feat, seeing as…
Christmas comes early this year as director Paul Feig has been announced to tour Australia to unveil his new romantic comedy, Last Christmas. Universal Pictures announced today that the director will visit Sydney and Melbourne between November 4th and 6th, 2019 for a series of press opportunities. Feig is a writer, producer and director whose…
New York duo Phantogram have just dropped a new single and it’s everything fans of the band would be hoping for. High energy, incredible beats, references to K-holes and enough bass to get anyone dancing. The production is massive, and Sarah’s vocals are unmistakably strong. Phantogram at their best? Absolutely. Of the inspiration behind “In…
Forget harmony, Kamasi Washington and his exceptional band, The Next Step, are here to preach the virtue of divergence. The kind you’d hear sparingly in Sydney Well, not entirely; they are here to show how top-tier musicians can veer off onto their own paths, only to meet back at one singular spot, occasionally checking in…
Josephine Rowe‘s newest collection of short stories, Here Until August is a slim but beautiful looking collection. It’s striking blue and purple cover makes you want to pick it up. And you should, because what is inside is just as fascinating as out. It begins with the story “Glisk” (winner of the 2016 ABR/Elizabeth Jolley Prize)…
While at the annual Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany last month, we sat down with Australian artist Olympia to talk about her new album Flamingo, taking it on the road to Europe, while playing iconic venues like Amsterdam’s Paradiso and David Lynch’s Silencio Bar in Paris. As you do. She also talks about her love of…
Now that the Google Pixel 3 and its XL version have shown what the company is capable of when it comes to premium features and computational photography, the streamlined Google Pixel 3a (and 3a XL) test the team’s ability to balance a much lower price bracket with similar power, taking them into uncharted non-premium territory….
On its surface, Hustlers appears like something more at home in a summer blockbuster run than amongst a litany of awards season hopefuls. With its ensemble female cast stacked with big names, of both the film and music world, and a narrative centred on the exploits of a group of strippers, you may be expecting…
I went to an ASUS ANZ product briefing in Sydney last night. It was about three different shows crammed into one — industry mixer, product show-and-tell, influencer meet and cocktail party. There were popular YouTubers I had quite literally never heard of before. Except for Ozzy Man, I’ve heard of him. It was fun hearing…
Months of rampant corporate hints, internal leaks, wild fan speculation and educated media guesses have paid off. Sony have announced that the fifth iteration of their dominant home console will arrive in time for “Holiday 2020.” It also officially has a name: PlayStation 5. PlayStation 5 launches holiday 2020: https://t.co/VuaxUVoBaR #PS5 pic.twitter.com/MPkKyRaHio — PlayStation (@PlayStation)…
Gnashing his teeth through guitar licks, Mikal Cronin is back with yet another stunningly gritty psych-grunge track named “I’ve Got Reason”. Following excellent singles “Show Me” and “Shelter”, he prefaces his forthcoming new album, Seeker, by violent clashing the urgent sounds of Nirvana with The Beatles and squeezing his own personality in between. The California…
After a truly excellent first day of Yours & Owls Festival, spirits were definitely high as Day Two rolled in over Wollongong’s trampled Stuart Park. Although the morning looked like an ominous rainstorm, punters were luckily blessed with an evening of pristine perfect clouds and an equally dreamy line-up of acts. I caught Perth’s Spacey…
Australian musician Steph Grace has made the move to Berlin, and we find out what that’s meant for her career – playing shows in Europe with artists like Passenger, and now playing The Aussie BBQ in Reeperbahn, where we filmed the interview. We talk about her latest single “As Far As I Can Go” and…
Dallas Green is back with his sixth City and Colour album, A Pill For Loneliness, and it’s another belter from the Canadian singer-songwriter. All the usual City and Colour suspects are here – poignant and moving lyrics, a brooding, subtle soundtrack, and, of course, Green’s stunning seasoned vocals. In A Pill For Loneliness, there’s a…
