Track of the Day: Owl Eyes “You And I” (2019)

After a long wait, it’s great to see that Owl Eyes is back with a new track, “You And I”. It’s a glorious funky track, think seventy’s, flares and smoke machines.  It talks of love, desire and has bold sass. It’s disco nirvana The track was written in Brussels, and is a collaboration between Owl Eyes and Belgian nu…

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What to expect when transiting from Canada to the USA at Toronto Pearson International Airport

Late last year, I flew with Canadian carrier WestJet from Halifax, Nova Scotia to LA via Toronto. It’s a long journey – about as far from one side of North America to the other as you can get. And there’s no way to do it direct. You start off with a two hour flight from Halifax…

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Kanye West’s Coachella Sunday Service: Tears, Water, and DMX

Coachella’s second weekend may have been rich with performances from some of the music industry’s biggest names, but no other event garnered as much wide-eyed curiosity as Kanye West’s “Sunday Service”. An extension and validation of all the Sunday Service sessions that have been drip-fed to us over the past few months, portraying an invigorated…

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Playing Final Fantasy X for the first time in 2019 is fascinating and frustrating

Final Fantasy X is often spoken of in the same breath as the phrase, ‘the best game of all time.’ Released in 2001, it was the first Final Fantasy title to receive a sequel, and both games have since been remastered for new audiences in the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster bundle. Originally released for…

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Book Review: Melina Marchetta’s The Place on Dalhousie makes you appreciate those boys & girls next door

Some people read books to escape their lives. For other readers, they want to consume a story that mirrors their own. Author, Melina Marchetta certainly fits into the latter camp. Her latest novel – the third in her Inner West trilogy, set in the suburbs of Sydney – is a close examination of the issues…

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Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown Review: A rare VR experience

Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown is the future of tabletop storytelling. It’s also one of the few games I’ve played lately that enthralled me so much I lost time. Coming from Melbourne studio Tin Man Games, this is just one in a long line of brilliant Australian games proving the depth and ingenuity of…

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Fujifilm X-H1 Review: High Performance but Hard to Handle

Now a year old in the camera market, Fujifilm’s X-H1 still holds its own as a solid choice for anyone looking for a mirrorless interchangable lens camera. With 24.3 megapixels from its cropped sensor, X-Processor Pro Engine, 4K video and F-LOG recording, plus being the first Fujifilm X series camera to offer 5-Axis in-body image…

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Game of Thrones Season 8 “Winterfell”: what worked and what didn’t

After what felt like an endless wait, Game of Thrones has returned for its sweeping final run of episodes, six instalments which will wrap up what has essentially been one of the greatest television events of all time. I’ve spent the past week and a half re-watching it all – my fifth time doing so…

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KFC are doing their own version of the Halal Snack Pack now

As word spreads that KFC has introduced Australia’s “first ever Secret Menu”, the not-so-secret-anymore list of Kentucky fried hacks has just edged forth with a new item. In a nod to the country’s love of Halal Snack Packs, the fast food giant is now serving up “The Kentucky Snack Pack”. KSP, a serving of salted…

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Etihad Airways are offering free 2-night stopovers in Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways are currently offering passengers a free stopover in Abu Dhabi as part of a “landmark global promotion”, tied to flights between 21st April and 15th July 2019. Not only that, but no less than 15 different hotels in the UAE capital have come on board to offer two free nights accommodation for guests…

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Flying Lotus previews new album, drops first single with David Lynch

Experimental producer Flying Lotus is prepping his first studio album since 2014’s brilliant You’re Dead!, and from our first preview, it’s going to one hell of a bizarre ride. The prolific artist has teamed up with Twin Peaks mastermind David Lynch to, confidently, release a pretty non-music first single called “Fire is Coming”. It’s less…

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Track of the Day: Kae the Goat & Droopo “Dex Up” (2019)

As part of Melbourne’s Gremlns crew, rappers Kae the Goat and Droopo are aggressively aiming for the coveted top spots in Australia’s ever-changing hip hop industry. Fuelling those ambitions is new track “Dex Up”, a collaboration between the two artists which has immediately grabbed attention across the country thanks to its pounding production and slick…

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48 Hours in Amsterdam: Seven places you have to visit on bike in Westerpark and beyond

Armed only with an I amsterdam City Card, which provides entry into almost all of the city’s iconic attractions, free public transport, and the city’s preferred mode of transport, a bike, I set out on a 48 Hour journey around Amsterdam – in particular checking out the hip Westerpark area of the city. Along the…

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Review: The Hotel Indigo in Cardiff brings Welsh industry to life in the city’s epicentre (Wales)

Arriving on a train into Cardiff station, it was a 15 minute walk through the heart of the busy city on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to take me to the relatively recently opened Hotel Indigo Cardiff; hidden away in the Dominions Arcade. Like many Hotel Indigo’s around the world, this hotel has been built into the…

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Guest Playlist: The songs that inspired Jackson Carroll’s “Holy Hell”

Sydney singer-songwriter Jackson Carroll dropped his sublime debut single, “Holy Hell” last Friday. The single is the first taste of Carroll’s forthcoming EP, and if the rest comes anywhere close to this single then we’re in for a treat. The single was recorded at Sydney’s Noisegate Studios, with Luke Carra (Caravana Sun) and Ian Pritchett…

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Sydney’s Carriageworks plan epic food program for 2019

Sydney institution Carriageworks is doubling down on their incredibly popular food program this year, announcing a number of events and a special conversations series that will address current issues in the industry. Central to this program will, of course, be the Carriageworks Farmers Market which returns in July for a winter theme, but there will…

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Tour Diary: The Pinheads take us behind the scenes of their SXSW adventure

We might only be in April, but Illawara rockers The Pinheads have already had a busy year. Freshly returned to Australia from a scorching run of shows in Austin for SXSW, the band have dropped new single “Feel It Now” – another hint at what to expect from their forthcoming sophomore album, Is This Real,…

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Interview: BATTS talks The Grand Tour, working with NASA and Outer Space

As you might have guessed we are big fans of BATTS here at the AU. With her debut album, The Grand Tour, released last week we sat down with the Melbourne singer-songwriter to find out a little bit more about the creation and recording of the album, how NASA got involved, and – just for good measure…

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My Time At Portia on Nintendo Switch is a Bit of a Mess

My Time At Portia is a solid and inoffensive little farm sim. It has all the usual trappings of the genre – travelling to a new city, taking over a farm, building some things, farming other things. Remarkable moments are few and far between, and that’s okay too. Sometimes, a game can just be a…

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Sydney welcomes tiny cocktail and meze bar “Baraki”

Sydney favourite Alpha has opened up a tiny new cocktail and meze bar named Baraki, carved into the ground floor of 240 Castlereagh Street with just 8 seats. The smaller-than-small bar will extend Executive Chef Peter Conistis’ vision beyond Alpha and upstairs cocktail bar Beta, channelling the Athens neighbourhood of Plaka with two backlit walls…

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All the delicious things you can do in Sydney this Easter long weekend

More than just an excuse to fill up on chocolate, Easter means a long weekend filled with good food, friends and family (usually in that order). There’s no lack of exclusive Easter treats to eat around Sydney this year, both for the savoury and sweet lovers, so we’re rounded up five of the best to…

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Aussie Tabletop VR Adventure Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown is out now!

Here at the AU, we love a good Aussie game, and Table of Tales is one of the shiniest and newest of the bunch. Developed by Melbourne studio, Tin Man Games, the game puts you in the shoes of a virtual reality tabletop adventurer as you discover a magical, living board game in your Aunt’s attic. The game will…

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The Bali Spirit Festival – a seven day eclectic experience

Every year in March thousands of spiritually enlightened individuals flock to Ubud for the Bali Spirit Festival. This 7 day event promises everything from yoga, ecstatic dance, workshops, meditation, sound healing and so much more. I was beyond excited to be taking part in such a special event, so with yoga mat in hand I…

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Interview: Charlayne Woodard on reuniting with M. Night Shyamalan after 19 years for Glass, film secrecy and the “other”

While she was on the Upper West Side in NYC, filming the second season of Pose for FX, I caught up with Charlayne Woodard to talk about her role as Mrs. Price in the film Glass, which is about to enjoy a home release. It’s a role she first came to perform some 19 years…

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Track of the Day: Waxhead “Disco Etiquette” (2019)

Byron Bay surf/psychedelic quartet Waxhead are back with “Disco Etiquette”, a track fans might recognise from their debut Self Titled. Consisting of Finny on lead guitar, Shrecky on drums, AL Dogg on Bass, and Froggy on Vocals and Guitar, this is one hard-working foursome, with two EPs, several singles, and a slew of Australian and international…

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Live Review: Basement Jaxx vs. The Metropolitan Orchestra bring the Baroque Bangers to the Sydney Opera House

Contemporary act-plus-orchestra shows aren’t a new phenomenon in rock, with arena-size bands churning out orchestral projects since the 80’s; an attempt at legitimising corporate rock, re-selling already existing albums and making mums proud. With dance music reaching maturity, EDM acts and DJs are beginning to jump on the bandwagon as their audiences age and new…

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Time-lapses, AI camera features and tips: using Huawei’s P30 Pro in Paris and around Sydney’s foreshore

Having already focused on the P30 Pro’s Leica Quad Camera System whilst we were in Paris for the P30 Series launch recently, the phone packs too many modes for one piece (and even one city) so here’s a look at some of the hidden AI photo and video modes that the camera system offers. NB:…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Blood Bank “Shadow Boxing” (2019)

Today we’re stoked to be bringing you the exclusive premiere of “Shadow Boxing”, the latest track from rising Brisbane foursome Blood Bank. High school mates Sam Pennisi (vocals/guitar), Tom Ryan (vocals/guitar/synth), Will Kilah (drums), and Peter Katsanevas (bass/vocals) have been ripping up the Brisbane post-punk scene since they formed back in 2016. Counting Joy Division, Iggy…

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Track of the Day: Dress Thèque “Gone Mad” (2019)

Brit-pop inspired genre benders Dress Thèque are back with their third single, “Gone Mad”. The Sydney based band is made up of Julian Wilkinson, Michael Thurbin, Daniel Nutton, John Wineberg, and cites Pink Floyd, New Order, and The Stone Roses amongst their influences. “Gone Mad” is described as “an ode to everything that’s come out…

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Forget Hot Cross Buns: Mode Kitchen & Bar is doing Sydney’s best Easter weekend menu

Created especially for this coming Easter long weekend, an exclusive three-course menu lovingly curated by Head Chef Francesco Mannelli will reiterate just how essential Mode Kitchen & Bar has become to Sydney’s discerning gourmands. Truly earning its place in the opulent lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, the highly regarded Mode Kitchen & Bar…

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