Splendour Interview: Woodes (Australia) talks Nils Frahm, Sigur Ros and evolving the vision of her live show for “Change My Mind”

In our final interview from Splendour in the Grass 2018, we sit down with acclaimed Townsville artist Woodes, who is just about to hit the road on a tour in support of her latest single “Change My Mind”. We talk about the track, her experiences touring with City Calm Down and how her live show…

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Seven things to do in Edinburgh during the world’s best Fringe Festival

Kicking off on Friday, the Edinburgh Fringe is widely regarded as the world’s best Fringe Festival, which shouldn’t be all that surprising; it just so happens to be in one the world’s most vibrant and exciting cities. While the Fringe will give you more than enough to enjoy  Here’s just seven things to do in…

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Review: You will never look at your kitchen sink in the same way again after STOMP at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre

Using everyday items such as brooms and buckets, the eight performers who make up STOMP create their own soundtrack, a hybrid of noise that form a melody which will see you tapping your feet in no time. Incredibly theatrical, no words are spoken for the duration of the performance yet the cast are able to…

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Exclusive Track Premiere: Sometime Sonny “Have a Heart” (2018)

Brissy has long been home to talented songwriters and this week, Sometime Sonny proves once again that belongs in this tight crop of musicians producing some great music out of the east coast. His new single comes in “Have a Heart” – melodic, catchy from the onset and confidently delivered, Sometime Sonny (project of songwriter Dave Campbell)…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Sometime Sonny “Have a Heart” (2018)

Brissy has long been home to talented songwriters and this week, Sometime Sonny proves once again that belongs in this tight crop of musicians producing some great music out of the east coast. His new single comes in “Have a Heart” – melodic, catchy from the onset and confidently delivered, Sometime Sonny (project of songwriter Dave Campbell)…

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The importance of events like Indie-Con Australia in today’s music climate

Last Thursday and Friday, Adelaide hosted members of the local and national music industry for the Indie-Con Australia conference; two days of panels and forum discussions on matters that are particularly important within and to the independent music sector. Attendees were able to learn more about business development, online music services and the reach of global publicity,…

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Film Review: Summer 1993 (Spain, 2017) is an illuminating and nuanced look at the mindset of a child in mourning

It is perfectly reasonable to believe that the majority of the world sees cinema as a temporary reprieve of the burdens of the outside world. We all see enjoyably bombastic things that would never occur in real-life like dragons, magic, aliens, sea creatures; features that are proven to provide examples of powerful cinema. But on…

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Win a copy of the spy thriller Damascus Cover starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Hurt on Blu-Ray

In this dramatic thriller, a veteran spy is sent undercover to smuggle a chemical weapons scientist and his family out of Damascus. Within days of arriving things start to go wrong; he’s being followed, his partner doesn’t show up, and a mysterious group of men are trying to kill him. Soon, this supposedly routine mission…

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From peak Nic Cage madness to “this year’s Moonlight“: 8 films not to miss at MIFF

Tomorrow, the Melbourne International Film Festival kicks off, running through to August 19th. As every year, there are hundreds of screenings – but here are just 8 we think are unmissable this year: Mandy When Red Miller (Cage) met Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) he instantly fell in love. Unfortunately, so did Jeremiah (Linus Roache). And when…

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Aussies in Edinburgh: Rhys Nicholson on his new Fringe show Seminal

Aussie comedian Rhys Nicholson is on his way to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, and en route he kindly answered a Q&A for us about the show he’ll be performing there – Seminal. Here’s what he sent back, and everything you need to know about the show… Who are you, and what is your show? It’s me, Rhys…

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Splendour Interview: Tim and Sam of Cub Sport (Australia) on coming-of-age with BATS and getting married without a wedding band

I’ve known Cub Sport for a long time now. The beauty of running this website has been getting to know bands from their earliest incarnation – in respect of this band, that was “Cub Scouts” (or “Tim Nelson and the Cub Scouts” even before that), and going on adventures together like riding on elephants in…

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Games Review: WarioWare Gold (3DS, 2018): It’s Wario’s World, We’re Just Living In It

WarioWare Gold is the latest in a long line of bizarre, microgame collections that can best be described as Dada art. Gold is the culmination of 15 years of WarioWare goodness, featuring the best microgames of the past, and brand new microgames for the future. You’ll be glad to know that it’s lost none of…

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Film Review: Knock (France, 2017) fails to embrace the dark satirical properties of its source material

Based on the oft-adapted French satire Knock by writer and poet Jules Romains, this name-same feature fails to embrace the dark satirical properties of its source material and instead plays out all too predictably and implausible. At the centre of the film is a suitably charismatic turn from the reliable Omar Sy, and had Knock…

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Win a copy of the gripping thriller A Quiet Place starring Emily Blunt on DVD

A Quiet Place is a taut and original thriller that follows a family who must navigate their lives in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. Knowing that even the slightest whisper or footstep can bring death, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and Lee (John Krasinski) are determined to find a way to protect their…

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Win a Blu-Ray copy of Nicolas Cage‘s latest: the futuristic sci-fi action thriller The Humanity Bureau

The year is 2030, the world is a wasteland, and in a desperate attempt to restore society, the Government has created The Humanity Bureau – whose job is to assess and remove citizens deemed to be a burden on the system. When veteran Agent Noah Kross (Nicolas Cage) is sent to investigate the case of…

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Tech Review: The Plantronics RIG 500 Pro Esport Gaming Headphones are practically perfect in every way

The Plantronics RIG 500 Pro Esport Gaming Headphones, the latest refresh of Plantronics’ longrunning RIG 500 line, are about as close to the perfect gaming headset as any I’ve ever used. I would like to preface this review with a sole caveat: while the headset I was given by Plantronics with which to conduct this…

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Details revealed for The Morrison’s sixth annual “Oyster Festival” in Sydney

Now in its sixth year, The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room’s celebratory, month-long “Oyster Festival” plans to spread plenty of events throughout the entirety of August. From 1st to 31st, there’s going to be plenty of oysters shucked around the expansive venue, with the Morrison team expecting to serve more than 17,000 of those shelled…

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Gaming Review: Sonic Mania Plus (Switch, 2018) offers more of an already good thing

Look, I reviewed Sonic Mania when it launched last year. I found it to be a breath of fresh air in a series comprehensively and aggressively starved of it for decades. It was the kind of modern update that walks an incredibly fine line, paying homage to what came before and pushing the property forward…

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Splendour Interview: Matt Caughthran of The Bronx (USA) talks Trump and a return to Australia in October

One of the groups to make an exclusive appearance at Splendour in the Grass over the weekend were The Bronx, who hit the main stage in support of their latest album, BRVNX (or The Bronx – V). Not long before they hit the stage I briefly sat down with the group’s frontman Matt Caughthran, to…

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Games Review: Sonic Mania Plus (Switch, 2018): Must go faster

Look, I reviewed Sonic Mania when it launched last year. I found it to be a breath of fresh air in a series comprehensively and aggressively starved of it for decades. It was the kind of modern update that walks an incredibly fine line, paying homage to what came before and pushing the property forward…

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Film Review: Mission: Impossible – Fallout (USA, 2018) toys with the expected and presents itself as a fresh product

Up to this point each Mission: Impossible film has operated on their own mechanisms.  The 1996 Brian De Palma-directed original felt like an organic extension of the 1960’s television series it drew its inspiration from; the 2000-released sequel was an orgy of unsubtle combat buoyed by the favoured-slow motion of Hong Kong filmmaker Jon Woo;…

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Review: Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach is an oceanside fusion of comfort and calm

During any drive past Mascot or Botany in southern Sydney you will see the iconic white, jagged pyramid-like building that is the Novotel Hotel in Brighton Le-Sands. From private balconies that gaze out to the airport and beyond to the skyline of the CBD to an all you can eat buffet and the white, sandy…

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Flight Review: “The Business” on board Virgin Australia’s newest route Hong Kong to Sydney

Last month, we took you on board Virgin Australia‘s domestic A330 business service from Sydney to Perth, and earlier this month we got to jump on board one of the first ever flights (in fact, I believe it was flight number four), between Hong Kong and Sydney. Carrier: Virgin Australia Route: Hong Kong to Sydney (VA 82)…

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Aussies in Edinburgh: Hans talks about his Fringe show Like A German, a “Kylie spectacular on a Dannii budget”

Meet Aussie Matt Gilbertson, and his acclaimed alter-ego Hans, “The boy wonder of Berlin”. Let us be clear: he is not from Australia. He’s heading to Edinburgh to bring his show Like a German to UK audiences, following performances at events like the Adelaide Fringe. I spoke to Hans – again, he’s from Berlin, not Australia –…

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Belles Hot Chicken kicks off new guest chef series “Rulers of the Roost”

Belles Hot Chicken have this week launched their very first guest chef series, dubbed “Rulers of the Roost”, which will be highlighting a superstar chef line up to join founder and chef Morgan McGlone across the Sydney and Melbourne venues of the famed chicken joint. Each guest chef will be creating a one-off, event-only menu…

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Theatre Review: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a technical marvel (Adelaide & Perth Performances Remain)

The acclaimed touring West End production of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time wrapped up its Sydney last night, before it heads off to Adelaide and Perth. Based on the celebrated book of the same name by Mark Haddon, the play tells the story of Christopher Boone (Joshua Jenkins in a masterful performance),…

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Six things to know before travelling to Abu Dhabi

Long seen as little more than a city of transit and the hub of Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi is fast becoming a tourist destination in its own right, with new theme park and museum openings, and things like the relaxing of licensing laws to make the city more approachable for non-Muslim tourists. Here’s just six…

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Why flying out of London’s furthest airport Southend might actually save you time

Last month, I hopped on flight BE6032 with Flybe, operated by Stobart Air, travelling from London’s Southend Airport – which at 64km distance is furthest of London’s six airport from the centre of the city (though at 63km distance, Stansted isn’t far removed) – to Groningen in the Netherlands. The airport is so far from…

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Hotel Review: Las Vegas Downtown Grand provides luxurious & comfortable access to the ever evolving Fremont Street

The “downtown” area of Las Vegas, which is situated around the iconic Fremont Street (also known as the “classic” Las Vegas strip featuring casino-hotels like the Golden Nugget) has been undergoing quite an extensive amount of changes over the past decade. The run of old hotels and casinos are still there, some redeveloped – with…

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Review: The skaters may have flown at Swan Lake on Ice, but the re-vamped ending did not (Sydney’s Capitol Theatre to 29th July)

NB: Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned. Most people are familiar with the story of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Even if they haven’t seen the ballet, they will know some of the iconic music, in particular the dance of the cygnets. Personally – I love Swan Lake – so when an opportunity to see it performed on…

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