In prepping their third EP, Bodies, for release later this month, Melbourne indie rockers The Avenue have lifted the lid on their new single “suburbs.cities.towns”. Given the wide acclaim for Names, their sophomore EP released last year, we’re expecting this one to really take off, thanks to it’s poppy The 1975 vibe and perfect marriage…
The minds behind cult favourite Mary’s Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham are opening a new live music venue as they take over and reimagine the former site of The Basement into Mary’s Underground. The venue, which has hosted everyone from Slum Village to Prince during its 45 year history, will very much continue as a…
It’s been 16 years since the release of Intelligent Systems’ Advance Wars 2, widely considered one of the greatest turn-based strategy titles ever made, and 11 years since Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (titled Days of Ruin in the US). The intervening period saw the popularity of Intelligent’s Fire Emblem series explode in the West, an unexpected turn…
Today we’re jumping on board budget airline Jetstar’s regular service from Hong Kong to Osaka (KIX) in Japan. The journey starts in Terminal 2 of the busy Hong Kong International Airport and takes us to the Kansai International Airport in Osaka – with a landing time of about 2am. So how does the flight rate…
Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion was a chorus women and men alike, diving their voices down an octave as they tried to be one with the holistic round sound of George Ezra on Thursday night. Kicking off the sold-out evening was Brisbanite Eves Karydas, who’s had an impressive 12 months of climbing up the support act ladder….
Well, we’ve made it into 2019 and have put 2018 behind us, and in this new year, music is still going strong. We’ve recently been through Triple J‘s Hottest 100, where the top spot was rightfully stolen by Ocean Alley‘s song “Confidence”, beating the insanely popular “Sicko Mode” (Travis Scott, featuring Drake, Swae Lee and Big Hawk) by two…
Microsoft haven’t taken such a big leap from the Surface Laptop to its sequel, but they haven’t really had to. Released in 2017, the Surface Laptop was a strong entry for the company, and also a surprising move given that they’ve become such a dominant force in the realm of tablets and 2-in-1 devices. It…
Technically, this excellent Theophilius London collaboration with Tame Impala guru Kevin Parker (collectively, Theo Impala) has been available in the less ethical corners of the internet for a few years now. “Whiplash” has long been a treasured deep cut for fans of both the New York rapper and Fremantle rocker, and now it seems the…
English rock band, Nothing But Thieves, are heading Down Under next month for a mini-tour after a busy 2018 of touring and festivals, even finding the time to release a new EP What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way. Ahead of their dates in Perth, Adelaide and the Central Coast, which mark…
“Death (or S.F.?)” is the new single from Twain, and the second single from the new EP New Miami Sounds, a collection of unreleased songs from the sessions that birthed 2017 album Rare Feeling. Twain is an indie folk project led by Mat (or Mt.) Davidson, who’s also spent time playing in both The Low…
Kyoto band Zahatorte are a genre-defying trio who blend old-world European cafe sounds with the undeniably Japanese penchant for perfectionism. They’ll be coming to Australia next month for the first time, and before we show them our own country, we asked them to share with us their nine favourite secret hangouts in their hometown. So…
Gamification in the tech industry is nothing new. Apps like Habitica have taken even the most mundane tasks like ticking items off a checklist and turned them into a role playing game in which you, personally, are the star. You might think that’s pretty full on, but hold on a sec because it gets way…
Currently touring Australia for the first time with Ziggy Alberts, UK rising star Nathan Ball has just dropped a brand new single “Call It Love”, and its one that fans of singer/songwriters like Ziggy, Passenger or Kim Churchill need to get their ears around. Hell, if you like music at all then this is probably…
With a career that already spans half a decade, the evolution of American indie duo, Girlpool, is second to none. For five years, Harmony Trividad and Cleo Tucker have composed music that captures your attention and implores you to listen by tugging at your heartstrings rather than invading your personal space and screaming in your face….
With Ocean Alley taking out the Hottest 100 over the long weekend, we’re excited to (finally) bring you the AU review’s own favourite tracks of 2018, with an eclectic mix of songs from Australia and around the world that we loved over the calendar year. 40. Tropical Fuck Storm – You Let My Tyres Down…
Florence + The Machine played to nearly thirty thousand people at Sydney’s The Domain this past weekend, and if you’re going to take anything away from this review let it be this: Florence Welch is so much better than all of us, in every facet possible. There’s no two ways about it. It’s as simple…
Maggie Rogers isn’t an artist in a hurry. She doesn’t have to be. When you’re making music as pure as what occurs on Heard It in a Past Life, you can take as long as you need; the music listening public will wait for you. In saying that, it feels like Heard It in a…
“North” is the new single from Brisbane Indie-pop artist Tara Simmons, who sadly passed away earlier this month following a battle with cancer. We at the AU have known and been covering Tara for the better part of the last decade, and couldn’t be more devastated by her passing. Tara has left us some music to enjoy…
After 25 five years in the music industry you are either on the way of becoming a legend – if not already one – or awkwardly trying to keep up with what popular music has become in 2019. Somehow, The Dandy Warhols manage to do both at the same time. At their turn of the…
Sitting atop Farrer Park MRT station and on the edge of Singapore’s Little India is Park Hotel’s latest addition to their hotel family. Only a few train stops away from the Singapore’s MRT hub, Dhoby Ghaut, Park Hotel Farrer Park is a good choice if you want to have a little peace and quiet but…
Do good intentions make a good film? That is the question that has popped up in my head through the many recent films over the past year. Whether the film is about the commentary on major issues like racism, sexism and discrimination, the film itself still has to be well-executed in all areas in order…
Pikuniku is an absurd, charming little game from the folks at Devolver Digital, and one that is absolutely fascinating. Styled after the whimsical platformer titles of the PS2 era like Loco Roco and Katamari Damacy, Pikuniku follows the struggles of a little red blob as he awakens in a strange land filled with shiny, happy…
I’ve had questions about Anthem ever since it was announced. It’s been about a year and a half since Anthem was first announced and my questions are finally getting some answers. While EA’s desire for an ongoing MMO shooter in the Destiny mould was understandable, it was the tapping of legendary RPG studio Bioware to create…
Relationships are messy and fragile, and harsh words have consequences. Rainswept dives into this fragility wholeheartedly, and presents a grounded, if occasionally heavy-handed, tale about life, loss and the complications of love. Rainswept follows Detective Michael Stone as he investigates the seeming murder-suicide of a couple Chris and Diane. Their struggles mirror his own as…
Client Liason provided an excellent night of dancing and entertainment at the Melbourne Zoo, supported by Kira Peru. Photos by Rebecca Houlden.
Following last week’s massive announcement of a national arena tour for the new-look Fleetwood Mac, the band have unsurprisingly began to fill in the glaring gaps in their Australian schedule by adding a few new shows. Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne now have one new show each, added in response to what has no doubt been…
A luxury resort in Bali offering the kind of lavish stay island fantasies are made of, built with all the ostentation and pampering you could possibly want, is nothing new nor surprising. In fact, it’s expected on the Indonesian island nowadays, where a consistent influx of tourists watch as hotel and resort brands, both internationally…
Whether you like it or not, it doesn’t look like the NSW state government are removing the shackles they first placed on Sydney’s once vibrant hospitality (and hence, tourism) industry in 2014. And while people continue to campaign against the paralysing ‘lockout laws’, it’s looking like adaptation is the best way to go, at least…
I’d been playing Far Cry New Dawn for about an hour when a dusty neuron in the back of my brain began to fire, two thoughts connecting in real time. New Dawn is a spin-off title in the Far Cry series, but is a direct sequel to 2018’s Far Cry 5. The cynical view of…
In an awards season dominated by powerful female performances, the chance to see two fierce Queens go head-to-head sounds like a tantalising opportunity. In director Josie Rourke‘s debut film Mary Queen of Scots, the epic showdown promised within the film’s somewhat misleading advertising never quite materialises. In its place is a revisionist feminist tale fraught…
