Why luxury cruising in Alaska isn’t just for retirees anymore

It would be naïve to assume that the stigma of luxury cruises being a thing for older people has gone anywhere; though it’s almost certainly on the way out. As comfort travel makes a big comeback for millennials, so too does the desire to fully immerse oneself in a travel experience as rich and ambitious…

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Photo Gallery: Dean Lewis + Robinson + Jack Gray – Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne (30.11.18)

Daniel Hanssen captured Dean Lewis in Melbourne on Friday night as he kicked off his massive Australian tour. He was joined by Robinson and Jack Gray. Check out the full gallery here:

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Photo Gallery: Stella Donnelly + Alice Skye + Jacob Diamond – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (01.12.18)

Stella Donnelly was joined by Alice Skye and Jacob Diamond at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne on Saturday night. Daniel Hanssen was there and brings us back all the photos from the incredible night, in which Stella proved to everyone – yes, she does indeed have friends, as she toured with a band for…

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Film Review: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (USA, 2018) is one of the year’s biggest surprise packages

They say truth is stranger than fiction, and that’s especially evident in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the delightfully absurd and deliciously bizarre true story of a washed-up writer who discovers a knack for forgery and a strangely fulfilling career change she never saw coming. Mining the as-yet untapped but mightily impressive dramatic talents of comedic…

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Comedy Review: The Betoota Advocate Roadshow was some funny local comedy presented by a dry Aussie bitter

Most people wouldn’t know how to take a newspaper out on the road. But Clancy Overell and Errol Parker aren’t like most. These two, true blue Aussie blokes are the brainchild behind Australia’s favourite satirical newspaper, The Betoota Advocate. It’s one that shares a few things in common with The Chaser, The Shovel and The…

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This Aussie streaming favourite is getting a Christmas Special

Stan has released a teaser trailer to confirm that their original series No Activity will be returning for a Christmas Special. The festive seasons special, No Activity: The Night Before Christmas, will be reuniting the original award-winning creative team of Patrick Brammall (Glitch, Upper Middle Bogan, A Moody Christmas) and Trent O’Donnell (New Girl, Brooklyn 99, The Good Place, A Moody Christmas), who…

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Meet the first Aussies heading to Brighton for The Great Escape 2019

To celebrate a ten-year partnership with Sounds Australia, UK’s premier showcasing event The Great Escape will host a slew of Australian artists at their next annual run, with Australia as the focus country for the event. And they’ve announced the first ten Aussie artists to grace the event’s stages. From the 9th until the 11th of May,…

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Games Review: Hitman 2 (Xbox One, 2018) plots the perfect murder

When your company, a video game developer known for a very niche, though long-running series, is cut loose from its home at a well-known publisher, there is good reason to believe you’ll never make a game again. This was the nightmare scenario that played out for Hitman developer IO interactive when Square-Enix decided to remove…

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Games Review: Fallout 76 is great for about four hours, and then it’s pretty awful

The biggest fear I had following Bethesda’s announcement of Fallout 76 was that the move to an online would blow up in their faces. Adding real people to the equation has always been one of fastest ways to ruin any gaming experience. But, from time to time, it’s also the best way to create unique,…

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Live Review: Dean Lewis kicks off his national tour at the Croxton in Melbourne with Jack Gray and Robinson

I’m no stranger to the stained lightbulbs that the Croxton Bandroom has to offer. It’s a marvellous venue which hosts some of best upcoming and established acts who choose to grace Melbourne with their presence. But on a chilly Saturday night, I was left waiting amongst a line of fans waiting to hear the sweet…

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Track of the Day: Warshy “Operation Chaos” (2018)

Warshy is the new solo project from Darren Johns, the frontman of British folk punks Crazy Arm. The project celebrated its first release this week with the drop of a self-titled EP. “Operation Chaos” is the opening track of the EP, and features some sublime fiddle work from Samantha Spake.   Warshy came into existence…

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Photo Gallery: Shihad + Young Lions + The Dead Love – 170 Russell, Melbourne (30.11.18)

Shihad wrapped up their 30th Anniversary tour at Melbourne’s 170 Russell on Friday night, with support coming from Young Lions and The Dead Love. Our photographer Rebecca Houlden was there to capture all the action.

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Seven films you need to be excited about for 2019

If you weren’t excited for the new year, you definitely will be once you get the scope on the films we’ll be seeing hit cinemas next year. Here at the AU Review, we have compiled a list of 7 films being released in Australia in 2019, so gather the family ’round and get ready for…

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Photo Gallery: Fairgrounds Festival – Berry (30.11.18 – 01.12.18)

The Fairgrounds Festival hit the Berry Showgrounds at the weekend, and the fourth incarnation of this festival was the greatest yet. On the back of winning an ARIA a week ago, Vance Joy delivered in spades on the Friday night. The night was closed out by the super-terrestrial Pond, who never disappoint. On Saturday, The…

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Album Review: Earl Sweatshirt is still looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, but on Some Rap Songs (2018 LP) his vision is clearer

After three years of intermittent presence and mystique Earl Sweatshirt has returned with a fifteen track exploration of himself and all things in his periphery. Some Rap Songs only weighs in at twenty-five minutes, but each short track is laden with quote-ready lyrics and vulnerability that acts as a reflective point for his career and personal life…

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Live Review: Gang of Youths put on a mesmerising show at Enmore Theatre as their huge tour comes to an end

Gang of Youths‘ epic stories of victory, tragedy and hope have been bringing young Australians a new appreciation of classic feelsy rock. The charisma, insightfulness and passion of lead singer Dave Le’aupepe has been at the front of most of this success, rendering comparisons to legends Bruce Springsteen and Michael Hutchence. I saw Gang of Youths perform…

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Interview: Masta Killa of Wu-Tang Clan talks 25 years of “36 Chambers”

What they say is still true: the Wu-Tang is dangerous. Emerging from a dingy basement in the New York City borough of Staten Island, the Wu-Tang Clan was legendary from the very beginning. The group’s status was cemented in 1993 when the nine MCs came together like Voltron for their classic debut album Enter The…

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As he embarks on his debut Australian tour, Chicago rapper Saba is ready to hit the spotlight

Teetering between the early-2018 release of an album, and his upcoming Australian tour, Saba is poised for a deserved spike in notoriety. A Chicago based rapper, cut from the same cloth as Chance the Rapper, Saba fell into the local indie rap scene in southern Chicago, acting as an antonym to the swirling popularity of…

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A love letter to the humble video game grappling hook

Think about all the video games you’ve played. Now think about how many of those titles didn’t have a grappling hook in them and how lame that was. The grappling hook is one of the most iconic tropes in video games history. It has such longevity that people are still making games built around it…

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Live Review: Holy Holy + Clews + Bri Clark – Mojos, Fremantle (29.11.18)

Thursday evening saw Holy Holy’s Faces tour hit Western Australia, with a show at Fremantle’s Mojo’s, the first of three in the state. Joining the band were Sydney indie rockers Clews and Perth local Bri Clark.  The evening kicked off to a rather muted start with Bri Clark taking to the stage, armed just with…

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Track of the Day: Midas.Gold “Passions” (2018)

With a scorching sound that’ll inevitably burn through to numerous “best of” lists come New Years, Brisbane-based emcee Midas.Gold gets deeply experimental on “Passions”. The new track, released earlier this month and recently given the visual treatment, is a strong (2-)step towards fusing UK’s definitive Garage vibes with Midas’ frenetic performance, offering something vastly different…

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Film Review: Climax (France, 2018) is an orgy of gracefully demented brilliance, drenched in LSD

French enfant terrible provocateur film director Gaspar Noe is back with his physically-impulsive, boundary-pushing sex-and-drugs approach. For those who don’t know, Noe is a prolific filmmaker who pushes the buttons of the audiences in extreme measures and beyond boundaries of good taste. His debut feature-length film, I Stand Alone, contained gruelling violence and references of…

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Film Review: Overlord (R18+, USA) is a thrilling WWII action horror mashup

What do you get when you take a World War II action movie and smash it together with some monster horror Nazi-sploitation? You get the wild, bloody, gory ride that is Overlord. A film that has clearly defined good guys, bad guys, a hefty dose of patriotism and some reanimated super powered super soldiers to…

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Live Review: Alex The Astronaut + Hachiku – The Factory Theatre, Marrickville (29.11.18)

Alex The Astronaut has definitely been kicking a few goals the past couple of years. From moving back to Australia, to releasing both of her EPs, to gracing the higher echelons of The Hottest 100, she has been flat chat. And in amongst all these feats, she’s still found the time to tour religiously and…

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Photos: Backstage with all the Winners at the 2018 ARIA Awards ft. 5 Seconds of Summer, Amy Shark and more

Nathan Atkins was backstage at the 2018 ARIA Awards capturing all the winners as they came through. Here’s a list of all the winners from the 2018 event, and the photos of the lucky winners with their pointy trophies… Apple Music Song Of The Year 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (Capitol UK/EMI) Apple Music…

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Photo Gallery: 2018 ARIA Awards Red Carpet – Star Event Centre, Sydney (28.11.18)

Nathan Atkins takes us onto the exclusive red carpet of the 2018 ARIA Awards in Sydney to see the likes of Cub Sport, Peking Duk, Amy Shark, a surprise appearance by Bob Geldof and many more.

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Review: Bloc Party return to Sydney’s Hordern Pavillion for two shows celebrating their iconic debut Silent Alarm

The Silent Alarm tour brought Bloc Party back to a venue that saw them play some of the most memorable shows off the back of A Weekend in the City some 10 years ago. Though the first show of two in Sydney, it was the second show announced after the first sold out, so it…

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Photo Gallery: Bloc Party + Haiku Hands – Hordern Pavillion, Sydney (29.11.18)

Bloc Party hit the Hordern Pavillion last night and it was a massive party. The crowd celebrating the band playing their classic album Silent Alarm in its entirety. They even played ‘Little Thoughts’, which was a bonus track on the UK re-release. Photos by Bruce Baker.

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Film Review: Sorry To Bother You (USA, 2018) proves a wildly original satirical comedy

Boots Riley has over two decades of powerful, biting and important work behind him as emcee of The Coup, so Sorry for Bothering You, his directorial debut, isn’t as big of a leap as it appears to be for the artist. Well, it’s not big in the sense that smart political satire is anything new…

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Film Review: Creed II (USA, 2018) may not touch gloves with its predecessor, but it still packs a mighty punch

If there’s one franchise that I am utterly surprised that it is still ongoing at this point, it is the franchise of Rocky Balboa by Sylvester Stallone. Proving you can’t keep a fighter down (or you can’t stop beating a dead horse), writer/director Ryan Coogler came up with the idea to reinvigorate the franchise without…

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