A dedication to his mother, Melbourne hip hop artist AMVN has presented a beauty of a new single in “Mama Don’t Worry” this week. A strong release fuelled by gorgeous harmonies and a narrative that comes from an earnest and heartfelt place, “Mama Don’t Worry” is a note of appreciation to the ladies who’ve done so much in…
Sydney’s annual lights, music and ideas show is back for another winter, and as Vivid celebrates its 10th year in the making, we delve into some of our top picks for artists to look out for this year. Ice Cube One of the founding fathers of gangsta rap will be performing for four nights only…
I’m not ashamed to say that I find the world a frightening and desperate place of late, with its increasing loss of humanity and decency in the face of rising uncertainty and aggression. More and more it seems we’re losing sight of each other as individuals and hiding behind the safety and anonymity of our…
Amazon Prime Original series American Gods will be returning in 2019 for a highly anticipated second season, as revealed via video on author Neil Gaiman’s personal twitter account. The video was shot on set at The House on the Rock and includes shout outs from from Gaiman himself, protagonist Shadow Moon played by Ricky Whittle (The…
The ABC will open the doors of its world class recording studios to everyday Australians, asking the question, if you could record just one song, what would it be? Be it a personal tale, or a pop hit waiting to grace the ears of the world, The Recording Studio is promising to offer a fresh…
Midnight Oil 1984 is the story of the sweat-soaked, hardworking rock and roll band whose music united a generation of young Australians. Featuring the biggest hits from some of their most legendary shows, the movie gives you an Access All Areas pass to see the band behind the scenes and where the action is. Feel…
I can’t imagine that Retro Studios took on the job of making a new Donkey Kong Country game lightly. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it kept a lot of them up at night. Donkey Kong Country is quite rightly regarded as a masterpiece, a feat of technical wizardry and genius game design even…
“When we announced State of Decay 2 last year, we were prepared for cries of ‘Do we really need another zombie game?’” says Undead Labs founder Jeff Strain during his short intro to our little group of games journos at Soultrap Bar in Surry Hills. “Our answer was yes.” It’s the kind of emphatic ‘yes’ I’ve…
The Okanagan Valley mightn’t be the first stop travellers think of when they are planning a trip to Canada, but in many ways it should be top of the list for any lovers of beautiful scenery, and locally produced wine. An hour flight from Vancouver – or a four hour drive – heading east across…
Padraic’s long been away from his home of Inishmore, fighting with the Irish National Liberation Army. Too mad even for the IRA, he’s built an epic thirst for murder and torture, picking small-time pot dealers and bombing chip shops in his spare time. His father Donny calls to inform him his beloved cat is ill,…
Mere hours before Biffy Clyro made their triumphant return for Melbourne fans, we find ourselves in the guts of The Forum, where tech crew and band members are readying themselves for showtime. Soon enough, we’re joined by the Johnston brothers – James and Ben – raring to go off the back of a momentous gig in Auckland only a few nights prior….
You may know her for her covers on Youtube alongside popular Youtubers Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui, but after the release of her latest single “Rainbows”, Kirsty Collins is set to become the household name. With a soulful melody and vibrant tune, “Rainbows” is a tune that’s sure to get you up and jumping about in no time. If you can’t…
Ahead of his Australian return in May, South African songwriter Jeremy Loops takes us through his latest album, Critical As Water. A striking new release from the award winning musician and performer, Critical As Water sees Loops embracing a new chapter of songwriting and the messages behind the album are just as notable. As he explains, these tracks are statements…
Currently looking ahead to Canadian Music Week, Melbourne group Howlite are excited. The release of their newest single “Orchestra” has further positioned the band as ones to watch this year and as we find out from songwriter and vocalist Alison Thom, their journey of bringing “Orchestra” to life was one anchored with emotional weight. Congratulations on “Orchestra”! Understandably,…
7Mate video games program ScreenPLAY surprised fans yesterday afternoon with the abrupt announcement that the show had been cancelled, citing “commercial realities in TV” as the reason for its demise.
The Sony Alpha Awards, an annual competition celebrating the best in Australian and New Zealand photography, has named this year’s prize winning artists and pieces.
It’s good to know that Rockstar can bring us to our knees with a two paragraph, 55-word press release. The latest trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 arrives this Thursday but you’ll need to be up past your bedtime if you want to see it the moment it drops.
Spoilers for the Ash vs Evil Dead finale to follow It was only a week ago when the news dropped that the beloved The Evil Dead (1981) followup series Ash vs Evil Dead would not be returning for a season 4 and this season 3 finale all of a sudden became the series finale. As heartbreaking as…
Be afraid. the newest trailer for the upcoming Sony/Marvel Cinematic Universe film Venom has graced our screens, and boy does it pack a horrific, symbiotic punch. Starring the wildly talented Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road) as investigative journalist Eddie Brock, Venom sees the infamous villain return to the big screen on his own terms, as…
I imagine almost everyone who’s ever ridden a motorcycle has heard the same worried refrain from their mum about how motorcycles claim thousands of lives on the road every year. For those who decide to put mum’s mind at rest and stick to a car, TT: Isle of Man is a great consolation prize, an…
Several waterfront villas and a luxury hotel are being planned for Manama, the capital city of Bahrain. The property, to be managed by the iconic Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, will form part of the immense 310,00 sqm Bahrain Marina development, which is a landmark waterfront development for the city that will include not…
Eager Australian lawyer Kerry Maxwell arrives in South Africa, ready and raring to help veterinarian Graham Baird in his fight against poachers in the country’s national parks. But Baird is not what she expects – he’s drunk, jaded, and, worst of all, he’s behind bars in Mozambique. Baird is responsible for the death of the brother…
To celebrate the first permanent Sydney store from Melbourne-born burger heroes 8Bit, the video-game inspired joint is planning to give away 300 freebies of their signature burg: the 8bit with cheese. They’ll be serving up these totally free, totally delicious burgers on Thursday 3rd May (that’s tomorrow for those playing at home) from their home…
As talks around legalising marijuana continue to progress in Australia, it’s becoming increasingly important to directly engage with the complexities of cannabis. While the densely layered stigma surrounding the misunderstood plant is still gradually peeling back, there remains much to understand and learn about what is now the latest superfood to be made legally available…
Australian chef David Thompson has been conquering the culinary world ever since word spread about Nahm, his multi-award winning Bangkok restaurant which is regularly considered as one of the best dining spots in all of Asia. After nearly two decades with the Nahm brand, originated in London, Thompson has decided to bid farewell to the…
We’ve covered a few of Edifier’s range of bookshelf speakers on The Iris before, so taking the S880DB twin set for a spin made sense. In keeping with the company tradition of quality sound in a compact package with a price point that may make you wince on first inspection, the S880DB represents the perfect speaker…
After his novel Black Rock, White City won the 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award, all eyes were on A.S. Patric. His win was something of a coup for small presses in Australia, and a first Miles Franklin win for publishing house Transit Lounge. Patric had been up against four extremely powerful novels, all written by…
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over twenty years since the release of the debut LP from Welsh rockers Stereophonics, Word Gets Around. With hit singles like “Local Boy in the Photograph” and “A Thousand Trees”, the album set the stage for the group to eventually become one of the UK’s biggest act; with almost all…
Atmospheric and breathy, the opening of Fluir‘s “Change” will have you from the beginning. The lead single from the artist’s forthcoming EP, “Change” saw Fluir team up with PNAU’s Sam Littlemore on production, which may be why these sounds come across as familiar. Anchored by a great dance beat, “Change” really highlights Fluir’s vocals and of course,…
This week, I had the chance to catch up with Black Panther composer Ludwig Göransson while he was in his LA based studio, working on a new Childish Gambino record. We spoke about working with Childish, as well as Kendrick Lamar, who curated Black Panther: The Album and performed a number of tracks for its…
