At the end of August, I was invited to the Music Tourism Convention to deliver one of the day’s focus presentations. While most other speakers were tourism professionals who shined a positive light on their city, I was there with a different take: a cautionary tale of what can happen with industry and government don’t…
The first few days of Austin City Limits flies by as the legendary festival’s 2018 iteration wraps up its first of two 2018 weekends with nothing but strong performances from top-billing acts and memorable festival newcomers. The likes of Twin Shadow, Elle King, and Hailey Knox impressed, while later in the day huge sets from…
Emma Louise is relaxing by the fireplace at her home when she answers her phone. Her voice is a friendly murmur; a contrast to the smoky baritone she uses across her latest album Lilac Everything. “Yeah, it definitely sounds like I’ve been chainsmoking some serious ciggies,” she laughs. That voice is actually the result of…
“There is a Fire, a bright flame that was lit in the past, it is still burning but the woods are burning out. My job is to put new woods in to keep the Fire burning.” This is a quote created and practiced by Jimi Bani‘s late grandfather, Adhi Ephraim Bani Jr. The fire represents…
Adidas’ PureBOOST Go is the latest in a series of releases which makes full use of one of the best cushion systems in the sneaker game. Joining the PureBoost collection, the “Go” has zoned in and tightened focus on flexibility for street runners and the more athletic types amongst us who rightfully value the ability…
Thursday night welcomed the poignant music work of Laykn to the Northcote Social Club, the last stop on his &Pains EP tour down the East Coast of Australia. He was joined by RnB/Hip Hop artist Charlie Threads who pumped the crowd up before Laykn hit the stage. Charlie Threads brought an interesting tone to the…
From the new Elton John biopic, to Wizards and an unrecognisable Christian Bale, here are six just released movie trailers you need to watch… Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald One more addition to the beloved Harry Potter franchise, Crimes of Grindelwald is the second film in a new series of five, written exclusively for the screen…
Following up on their previous success the Melbourne indie pop band, Approachable Members Of Your Local Community have released their new single “Only Friend”. Only last year the six-piece group launched their career with their debut single “Millennium Queen” to great success. Since then AMOYLC have toured with the likes of Kira Puru and Lime Cordiale. Not…
It seems almost baffling that Neil Armstrong’s account of being the first man on the moon hasn’t been told prior to Damien Chazelle‘s First Man. Clearly an intimidating figure but still reserved, sensitive and aloof enough to not be placed upon a pedestal as some flawless being, Chazelle’s film seeks to uncover the more human…
Techno music is associated with a strong history after emerging in Detroit, uniting Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall, fostering an underground rave scene and now attracting thousands of people at festivals year round. British DJ Carl Cox who now resides in Melbourne has been a part of it all and at age 56 has…
Assassins Creed Odyssey launched last Friday, and to celebrate the launch of the game, Ubisoft held a parkour-themed event in Metcalfe Park in Pyrmont, Sydney. The Assassin’s Creed Challenge was a massive parkour course set up by Ubisoft’s Sydney team, featuring professional free-runners, cosplayers, and 16 booths in which to play the E3 build of…
Summer might be on its way, but even without the unpredictable Spring weather there is plenty to keep us entertained indoors. There’s never a particularly quiet month in the Australian arts calendar, so here are some of our picks for the best Arts events this month. From the Adelaide Film Festival, to an exhibition re-contextualising Frankenstein…
Day Two of Austin City Limits 2018 brought with it performances from the likes of Nelly, St. Vincent and CHVRCHES, and many more. Chicago’s Supa Bwe opened up the Honda Stage following a short rain delay. It was a great opening act, and the Chicago artist and producer really engaged those early arrivals, showing off some the new songs…
Tonight at the second annual Cal Jam Fest in San Bernardino, California – the festival put on by Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters – a much teased and anticipated event happened. They got Nirvana back together. Surviving members Dave Grohl and Kris Novaselic got together with Joan Jett, Pat Smear and John McCauley of…
Michael Falzon is one of Australian musical theatre’s favourite leading men. Currently, he is showcasing his considerable talents in Evita, where he shares the stage with the divine Tina Arena. He is also the creator of Swing on This, a collaboration with Ben Mingay, Luke Kennedy, Matt Lee and Rob Mills, with whom he is currently…
I don’t normally read non-fiction or memoir, but something about the premise of Nell Stevens’ second book, Mrs Gaskell and Me (also known as The Victorian and the Romantic) appealed to me when I first started hearing about it on social media a few months back. On the surface, it has a simple premise; it is a literary memoir…
The iconic festival Austin City Limits kicked off its 2018 edition today in style today, with the help of Sir Paul McCartney, Brockhampton and Khalid. It was a busy day of live music, with plenty of great acts in action, including Fatai and Gang of Youths flying the flag for Australia. Melbourne’s Fatai, wearing all black in solidarity with the…
Set in Europe “20,000 years ago”, a tribe of hunter-gatherers is preparing to hunt before winter. Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee), is learning the ropes from his father, the tribe’s chief Tau (Johannes Haukur Johannesson). Quiet and sensitive, the young Keda is having issues in coming to terms with killing animals, with father gently guiding him unto…
Looking for a dosage of engaging, crowd-pleasing and talent filled entertainment? NoFit State‘s Lexicon has everything you need. Dripping in nostalgic, early European costumes and a magnificent live band playing immersive and often gothic folk music, the circus embraced originality whilst still holding dear to it’s roots. 250 years ago a man by the name…
Raw, real and deeply emotional, New Ghosts Theatre Company’s YEN gives us life as we’d rather not know it. Featuring some exceptionally talented new actors, who are expertly directed by Lucy Clements, this is heartfelt theatre at its most authentic. Fourteen year-old Bobby and his older brother Hench spend their days in their mother’s council…
British folk rock band Mumford and Sons are coming back to Australia, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Nearly four years after the release of their ARIA chart topping album Wilder Mind the boys are releasing a new album Delta on November 16th; and die-hard Australian fans will be amongst the first to…
As we wait patiently for season eight of the blockbuster tv series, Game of Thrones, Johnnie Walker in collaboration with HBO have unveiled a limited-edition Scotch Whisky to take the edge off (just in time for Christmas!). You don’t even have to like Game of Thrones to enjoy it, as this Whisky could make even…
A subsidiary of Amazon, known as Amazon Studios focuses on developing TV series, distributing and producing films and comics from online submissions and crowd-sourced feedback. The company have dropped some pretty exciting news at a star studded Amazon Prime Video event in London. Now, if you don’t know what Amazon Prime Video is, then you’re like a…
Much loved Australian ska and jazz band The Cat Empire have returned with their fourth release of the year, “Kila” along with a brand new music video. And today we’re excited to bring to you the exclusive premiere of the spectacular interactive 360 degree music video for the track. “Kila” provides the upbeat grooviness that The…
Clementine Ford is back with her trademark brand of no holds barred feminism, brandishing an outstandingly fierce follow-up to 2016’s Fight Like A Girl as her weapon of choice. Boys Will Be Boys sees the Aussie writer take on toxic masculinity, patriarchal power, and the harrowing effects they have on us and our society, regardless…
Ahead of a tour of Japan which kicks off tomorrow, Gold Coast singer-songwriter Alexander William has dropped his new single “Roses”, the first from his forthcoming debut album, and quite simply it is really beautiful stuff. There is a precociousness to Alexander William, and “Roses” in particular, there is a maturity and worldliness at work…
We’re now over a month on from the release of Oppo’s new Find X, and from rave reviews and reactions, it’s very clear that the Chinese brand’s consistent evolution has lifted them high enough to face competitors Apple and Samsung head-on. Remarkably, they’ve done so by still sticking to their affordable (well, relatively) aesthetic, putting…
This week, Melbourne’s The Cat Empire have released their fourth brand new song of 2018, “Killa”, as they steadily build toward the release of their next studio album. The song’s author Felix Riebl explains, “Kila is one of those songs you write and know that an album will be built around it.” All the while, the band…
The ARIA Awards have announced the nominees for this year’s Artisan, Fine Arts and Best Comedy categories. With titles such as Best Classical Album, Best Jazz Album, Best World Music Album, along with Producer Of The Year, Engineer Of The Year, Best Cover Art and Best Comedy up for grabs. Topping the list are Amy Shark, Gurrumul…
We’re getting into the nitty gritty of spring now, and as a result there’s plenty of outdoor things to do around Melbourne this month. If you don’t feel like spending one of the most exciting months of the year on the couch, then what awaits for your is an urban jungle full of rooftop pool…
