The year is 1944. Leyna (Amandla Stenberg), the teenage daughter of a white German factory worker (Abbie Cornish) and a black Senegalese soldier, is dubbed a “Rhineland bastard” and flees for Berlin, hoping to find anonymity and safety in the larger city. But, after she is kicked out of school and is forced to falsify…
Borderlands 3 has been in development at Gearbox Software for five years at two different studios. It has become the worst kept secret in the video game industry. Today, it finally gets its moment to shine and Gearbox gets to stop sidestepping the question everytime they’re asked about its existence. During the company’s hour-long PAX…
Graham The Grand is the moniker for Brisbane singer/songwriter Isaac Nichol. His song “Mum, i’m Sorry” is a deeply personal conversation between Isaac and his mother. It deals with the themes of depression, anxiety and suicide. Discussions about these difficult topics are often very difficult to broach between those suffering and their loved ones. Whilst the…
There were a lot of raised eyebrows going around when PlayStation announced late last year that they’d be pulling out of E3 2019. PlayStation’s departure from the show floor and the cancellation of their annual press conference meant that competitor Microsoft would be the last of The Big Three hardware makers to have a press…
Gold Complex are an eight piece soul band based in Toronto, Canada. The band have spent the last three years in the studio working on what would ultimately become their debut album: New Soul, which was released late last month. Our track of the day, “Acrylic Heart”, is that album’s centre piece a powerful and…
Caroline Smith is a Minneapolis-based songwriter who has been steadily building her career since 2006; first as a solo artist, then in a band (Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps – releasing the record Little Wind in 2011), and then as a solo artist again – which saw her release the underrated 2013 record Half…
One of the buzz acts at this year’s SXSW was rising star Cautious Clay, who also happened to be one of the best acts we saw at the annual Texas festival. While at the Vevo House, I caught up with the Brooklyn based artist – real name Joshua Karpeh – to find out more about his…
Sahara Beck, the super-talented and bubbly singer-songwriter from Brisbane, is back with a cracking new single, ‘I Haven’t Done a Thing Today’. It was produced by Tony Buchen, who has also worked with Mansionair, Courtney Barnett and Montaigne. This track is breezy, upbeat and very catchy. Whilst the title might indicate it’s much about nothing,…
In a relatively quiet area of East Perth is where you’ll find Mantra on Hay, not as central as some of Mantra’s – well, now Accor’s – other properties in the “most isolated city in the world”, but close enough that you don’t feel like you’re missing any of Perth’s increasingly energetic social scene. It’s…
One of the gaming industry’s worst kept secrets might finally be about to step into the light. It’s been common knowledge that Gearbox has been hard at work on a new entry in the Borderlands series for several years now. Despite never formally confirming anything, the project has seen it all — leaks, tech demos,…
Today we’re stoked to introduce you all to primetime., Melbourne’s latest self anointed “superb-troup” featuring members of Fan Girl, Sophisticated Dingo and more, as well as premiere their debut EP crimetime. crimetime. is a raucous, swaggering and no bullshit slice of Australian punk rock. Occasionally jarring, but always full of character and attitude, the EP is…
2019 is going to be a fairly big slate for the House of Mouse with not one but four “live action adaptations” of their intellectual property hitting cinema screens. The first one out of the gate is the film about a baby elephant with overly large ears who can fly. Originally Dumbo was based on…
Every now and again Bang & Olufsen reach back into their ever-growing catalogue of high-end audio devices and iterate on what they’re most renowned for: design. Aesthetics in tech has always been hovering over the industry, but it’s only within the past few years that a sharp focus on exquisite looks has really shifted into…
Yoshi’s Crafted World has been made with all the love and care in the world – and it shows. From the subtle, crafty touches to the gorgeous soundtrack, cutesy worlds and stellar gameplay, everything about it screams wholesomeness. The game is so wholesome that it makes me want to be a better person. Story If…
One of the unexpected Australian buzz artists at this year’s SXSW was one you may have not heard of – rising star in the Country world Rachael Fahim. She was listed as one of NPR’s artists to watch, and delivered a slew of impressive performances while in the Texas capital. We caught up with the…
With weekend of films and special events that included appearances from the likes of Boyz II Men, Santigold, Bishop Briggs and more, into a week of official showcases that included everyone from Joan Jett to Shakey Graves and Andrew Bird, SXSW 2019 was as jam packed as ever. So what were our favourite musical moments…
Morning Fuzz are an indie band from Long Island, New York and have just released their latest single “I’ll Be Around”. It’s the first single from an album which is expected to be released later this year. They’ve been around for nearly ten years, and this track shows off a band which knows their craft,…
As part of Marriott’s highly regarded “Autograph Collection”, the one of a kind Press Hotel in Portland, Maine is a shining example of the kind of magic one can spark when channeling a building’s history into something new and exciting. In this case, it’s the site of the old Portland Press Herald newspaper, the state’s…
Uluru, one of the most famous rock formations in the world, and one of Australia’s most essential sites/sights, stands solidly in the scrubby dessert of the Northern Territory. Its presence is really like no other natural landmark in the country: powerful, spiritual, beautiful, inspiring. Located about 335km south west of Alice Springs, it is one…
Leaks aside, the official word is now out and spreading like wildfire. Announced just moments ago from Paris, Chinese tech giant Huawei will be releasing their follow-up flagship smartphones to last year’s remarkably successful P20 and P20 Pro with, you guessed it, the P30 and P30 Pro. The company’s incredible growth in recent years (up…
The ringing sirens and looping jingles that echo through the arcade are maddening, even after a few minutes. They’re also the antithesis-soundtrack to the personality of Yorke. 20-year old Grace Hughes, who adopted the moniker “Yorke” last year in homage to her love of New York City, is calm, chilled and charming as we spent…
The unnamed protagonist of Carrie Tiffany’s new novel, Exploded View, lets us into her life by increments. Immediately, as readers, we are welcomed into her interior world– a place where the only things that make sense are cars, and engines. It is the late 1970’s, and the girl and her brother watch things like Hogan’s Heroes on the TV, careful…
Earlier this month at SXSW, I had the chance to sit down with Rebecca Stern, the director of the new film Well Groomed – a surprising documentary about the niche world of competitive dog grooming. Scored by the great Dan Deacon, the film is as engaging as it is entertaining (and garnered four stars from…
Colin Lillie hasn’t taken the conventional path, but he has certainly taken an interesting one. The Northern Territory-based Scotsman has lived a torrid life well. It wasn’t until he reached his mid-thirties that he started to share his songs with the world, and his award winning album Glass Homes was released in 2016. 2018 proved…
Earlier this month Gold Coast quartet The Oogars released their debut single “Scream”, on ode to embracing those moments that matter, and to stop wasting your time on things and people that just aren’t worth your time or attention. With a delightful blend of surf pop and doo wop “Scream”, is bright, fresh and unabashedly…
Earlier this month, I was invited along to an impressively pitched day party / festival / experience called the “Revival Experience“, about an hour out of Austin during SXSW. Curated by Matthew Logan Vasquez of Delta Spirit, the event took place in Dripping Springs, Texas, at a place called “Camp Lucy”, and promised a VIP…
On the Western edge of Perth’s densely packed CBD, opposite the vibrant piazza of Kings Square, and a short walk from the nightclub lined streets of Northbridge and Perth’s busy RAC Arena, stands the modest Peppers Kings Square. It’s a hotel that boasts an enviable, dynamic location and has a lot to offer guests and…
US airline Delta has been delivering daily service between Sydney and LAX since 2009, around the same time that “V Australia” – Virgin Australia’s then international brand – was introduced to the same route. The competitors then partnered up in late 2011, with each airline offering codeshare on the trans-Pacific route. This allowed for seamless…
The 1994 motion picture Muriel’s Wedding, written and directed by PJ Hogan, thrust stars Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths to International stardom and instantly became an Australian cult classic. Grossing an equivalent of AU$117 million, today, even those unfamiliar with its origins know its iconic quotes. Now adapted into a humorous, smart and colourful stage…
After debuting his first singles “Golden Age” and “What Are We Waiting For”, the young streaming rising star Fergus James has already taken crowds by storm. Fitzroy’s very own Workers Club was fortunate enough to host his first ever Melbourne headline show. After packing out the intimate Workers Club Bandroom, he started off the night…
