Where most foreigners settling in Japan pass their time in Japanese pubs, English schools or seeking out every piece of longstanding architecture, David Elliot-Jones spent his trying to become famous. And you’ve probably never heard of the guy, but that doesn’t mean he failed. Big in Japan opens with a preface about the seemingly endless…

Going for broke and wearing its heart on its sleeve for all to appreciate, The Greatest Showman is a corny yet engaging musical that embraces its overt positivity with stride. An enthusiastically romanticised telling of how legendary American showman P.T. Barnum (portrayed by a wholly committed Hugh Jackman) worked his way from rags to riches…

Seeing is believing. Especially when you are watching a theatre show like, The Unbelievables. This variety show comes from the producers of The Illusionists and Circus 1903 and promises to be the “greatest” one on earth. The finished product is a grand assortment of different treats and tricks, with performers from multiple disciplines and presentations…

In the wake of all the New Year’s cheer the South Sydney suburb of Ramsgate will welcome a modern Greek-Australian patisserie co-owned by Aki Daikos, best known as the man behind the city’s super popular Tella Balls Dessert Bar. The Good Filo, co-owned by Daikos and Head Baker Kiriakos Metaxotos will open its doors on…

As it has done well over its past three seasons, Black Mirror has surprised me. However this year, the surprise hasn’t come in the form of a deadly plot twist halfway through the narrative’s third act, or a realisation that comes in the form of sad ending. No, this year it was the episode that I had,…

This week, we brought you an end of year list detailing some special Australian albums released this year, the Top 20 in fact, that have made their mark. With Gang of Youths‘ Go Farther in Lightness taking the Number One spot, and the likes of Jen Cloher, Ecca Vandal, Winston Surfshirt and more also featuring prominently, we revisited some of…

There is no escaping a society defined by over-consumption, over-population, excessive stress and glaring inequality as Alexander Payne delivers a big message with a small scale, working his surrealist charm and far-flung sense of adventure into Downsizing. The long-gestating project, directed by Payne and written with frequent collaborator Jim Taylor, is a grand, and at…

It’s quite amusing that films based on videogames like Assassin’s Creed, Max Payne, Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter are complete rubbish and yet films that revolve around videogames or reflect the videogame aesthetic are a different story. With films like David Cronenberg‘s sci-fi body horror film eXistenZ (which is a spiritual followup to Videodrome),…

Just hearing YelaWolf spit a verse live is a show in itself. The Alabama emcee has an innate talent for the kind of machine-gun rap very few can do so well, making it look easy as he confidently, and clearly, spins verse after verse with head-spinning proficiency, jumping from word to word without ever losing…

Kicking off in Adelaide next month, the Adelaide French Festival will be celebrating some of the best music, theatre, film and more from the iconic European cultural nation. Incorporating the ever popular So Frenchy, So Chic in the Park festival on January 12th, the likes of Féfé, Juniore, General Elektriks and L.E.J. will perform at Pinky Flat representing for some of the hottest…

The Jack Daniel’s Barrel House, as well as the White Rabbit Saloon, is coming to the Falls Festivals in Lorne and Byron Bay this year, hosting local and international artists, ensuring that the party keeps on kicking. The Barrel House offers punters intimate performances and DJ sets, while the White Rabbit Saloon is coming to…

When US indie giants The National received a Grammy nomination for best packaging, it seemed fitting that the band would translate their acclaimed album art into video form. The new music video for “Sleep Well Beast”, like the album art, is a collaboration between the band, graphic designer Luke Hayman, artist Casey Reas and photographer…

Kim Churchill is no stranger to the Australian festival scene. Easily one of the country’s most popular and hardworking performers, Churchill found himself home from Europe and back into the swing of things earlier this month, hitting the Festival of the Sun stage in Port Macquarie. We checked in with Kim as the weekend rolled out! It’s always…

There’s no mistaking it, 2017 has been a stellar year for Australian music. We’ve seen Aussies surge forward internationally, while the term ‘household name’ has never been truer for some as this year has rolled out. As we approach the end of 2017, we’ve put together our annual End Of list, representing the 20 Best Australian…

Aaharn Sriracha Sauce is, according to renowned Long Chim chef David Thompson, arguably the world’s best tasting sriracha sauce to exist. And who are we to argue? Thompson uses to sauce in his restaurants worldwide, and with the kind of acclaim that regularly surrounds the chef and pretty much everything he does, it’s safe to…

Port Macquarie’s Festival of the Sun – over a weekend packed with festivals around the country – helped kick off the Summer Festival season in style earlier this month, coinciding with the start of Summer holidays for many university students. The event, which has taken over the Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park on the beaches of…

To say Wafia has blown up in 2017 is an understatement. From a massive headline Aussie tour to playing massive European shows with BØRNS, plus the huge success of previous single “Bodies”, it’s suffice to say that Wafia is a name you should know. The ride only continues into the new year, with a North…

Festival of the Sun this year brought some stellar sets of music to Port Macquarie; for some, it proved to be the start of the final run of shows for the year and for others, it was a playground on which new material to be tested on. For one of the country’s most acclaimed hip hop…

We always have a great time with The Preatures; longtime fans of the Sydney band, we’ve loved watching their rise from local favourite to nationally beloved live band. Their latest album, Girlhood, has seen The Preatures continue to step into their own light and as a live band, their shows have been second to none. Catching up…

Dear Seattle were quick to emerge in 2017 as one of the new bands to be keeping an eye on and as the shows continued to grow in quality and crowd attendance, these young guns really demonstrated their chops as a live act. Out at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie, we sat down with the…

Bang & Olufsen are often out of any reasonable price range for the casual tech consumer, and the company is usually off collaborating with other high-end luxury brands like Lamborghini – their latest partnership which has the reputable Danish tech company fitting the new Lamborghini Urus supercar with a bespoke 1,700 watt audio system. Their…

Last month as one of Australia’s leading pop culture conventions, Supanova Comic Con And Gaming, wrapped up its final tour for the year, they dropped a huge guest announcement for their next shows in 2018. Following on from that broadcast comes yet another release that is sure to put a smile on Supanova fans dials….

Since Netflix’s launch the streaming service provider has been pumping out its own studio content to screen exclusively on its service. As the service provider grows it also attempts more ambitious projects working with directors, producers, script writers and actors of a higher calibre. We saw this in Okja that was released a couple of…

“Local Knowledge” is often hard to grasp for tourists who may not have the time, capacity or even patience to plan their trip down to the finer details. It’s an increasingly difficult well of information to tap into as well, with the often ridiculous deluge of blogs (not the good kind) and Zomato/Yelp reviews dirtying…

When The Four Tops sang about “Standing in the shadows of love” Lily Tuck’s Sisters wasn’t quite what they had in mind. And yet, this novella by a National Book Award recipient feels like it could use that track as an anthem. This story is a tense piece about a second wife who is obsessed…

If you’ve ever stumbled upon Panhead Custom Ales in New Zealand then you already know that they are one of the country’s best when in comes to craft beers. They were sorely missed when they retreated from Australian soil with a year-long absence, but following a brewery expansion with the valuable backing of Lion, the…

Now in its second year, the limited edition Hop Father has become an anticipated annual fixture on the release calendar for legendary brewery James Squire. It’s latest iteration is the Hope Father XPA newly released and brewed especially by seventh descendants of James Squire, brothers Ben, Matt and Chris Cooper. The brothers got together at…

Surry Hills’ popular fried chicken and sneaker hybrid Butter is officially expanding out west, opening a two-level concept store in Parramatta this week. The hip hop flavoured shop will be much bigger than the Surry Hills store, which has built a cult following over the past year and a half. Chicken, champagne and sneakers will…

The latest piece to the Merivale empire, Hotel Centennial, has finally opened under the tutelage of The Paddington’s Ben Greeno, Fred’s Danielle Alvarez and Head Chef James Evangelinos. With their love of local produce and talent for restrained simplicity, Greeno and Alvarez have crafted a menu shaped by Mediterranean sensibilities. “This is a nod to…

The expansive grounds of The Newport is set to become even more elegant with the inclusion of Bert’s, Merivale’s newest brasserie and bar. Inspired by grand hotel dining rooms of the 1930s, Bert’s aims to capture the easy air of Sydney’s Northern beaches with a hint of whimsical nostalgia. An all-star line-up of hospitality talent will…