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…
a prawn, a pineapple, and soon enough a tin of Milo. That’s right, Australia’s next upscaled icon will be the good ol’ Milo tin in response to high demand put on Nestlé and the powers that be for the country’s next ‘big thing’ to be everyone’s favourite chocolate drink. Spanning just a few days, more…
They are the anti soup nazis of our generation, three humble lads set on making Vietnamese Pho available 24/7 for Melbourne locals and visitors. Thai Ho, Midawell Phal and George Do are hoping to wow late night crowds with a magical bowl of Pho any time of day, any day of the week with this…
The last time we caught up with Mark Foster of Foster the People, we were in Chicago; the band was set to play Grant Park’s Lollapalooza, a festival that had come off the back of a trip out to Australia for Splendour, as well as some sideshows to promote their then-latest album, Supermodel. Even then, it was plain…
Let’s get straight to it: Bose have struck excellent balance with their SoundLink Micro, released earlier this year, and it’s arguably the best sounding speaker of its size that you’ll find on the shelves this holiday season. The soft, rubbery square Bluetooth speaker with rounded edges is being pushed as the reliable audio company’s appeal…
This piece contains spoilers regarding Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The Last Jedi is here. Rian Johnson, writer and director of Brick, The Brothers Bloom and Looper, has been given the reins to the Star Wars empire. I met and dined with Johnson back a few years, and he was utterly lovely. Quiet, friendly, humble….
Some games are like a fine wine, they age so well. Especially when the original game is already a great one! The longer they’ve been out, the more widespread the fan base grows, the greater the overall feeling of nostalgia envelopes you when you finally return to it after so many long years (look at…
Bringing their perfect pitch and poise to the red carpet on the (not-so) eve of the release of the closing chapter of the Pitch Perfect series – appropriately titled Pitch Perfect 3 – founding Bellas Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow and Anna Camp, alongside new recruit Ruby Rose, allowed their devoted fanbase the opportunity to say…
As of writing this review, the Australian Parliament has passed the law, allowing same-sex marriage. What great timing, right? Anyway, Call Me By Your Name. This film has been gathering up critical buzz ever since it made its premiere splash at Sundance back in January. Then it showed at many other film festivals like Toronto…
Bondi Beach Public Bar (BBPB) is opening on Wednesday 20th December, just in time for summer. As the love child of Icebergs Dining and Bar and The Dolphin Hotel, BBPB represents the synthesis of a modern day pub while tapping into the history and vibe of 1907s and 1980s Australian pub culture. “Whenever I am…
Swedish cider brand Rekorderlig are renowned for their rich, sugary ciders which remain distinctive in a now extremely crowded market. In a move that seems overdue, they’ve finally decided to expand their brand into the increasingly common low-sugar game with the launch of Rekorderlig Low Sugar Strawberry-Lime, the first and hopefully not last expression focusing…
Pier One Sydney Harbour have transformed their ideally located wharf into the ultimate summer party destination with the launch of Sydney’s first bar and plunge pool right in the harbour. Open to both guests and the public, The Pool is the hotel’s private pontoon, decked out like a scene from a Slim Aaron’s artwork styled with…
There are few cultural events that have come to ring in an Australian summer as much as music festivals and the cricket. Whether it’s the sound of leather on willow or the constant rhythm of a festival both sounds ring in summer louder than a field of cicadas. As we delve deeper into an ongoing…
After four very long years, Muse made an extremely welcome return to Australian shores at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday night for their first of only two shows in the country this year. Having skipped Australia on the recent Drones World Tour, it was wonderful to get the opportunity to see them on this…
January means a new year, when we try to uphold resolutions and prepare for the year ahead. We’ve picked 0 unmissable gigs that will get you partying well into the new year. The xx British indie trio The xx are back in Australia in support of critically acclaimed album I See You. Here the three musicians bring…
When MGMT released their hit debut Oracular Spectacular in 2007, massive pop hits “Electric Feel” and “Kids” showed a little of the duo’s dark side, but remained largely upbeat dance tracks. As the years have worn on, the bands’ obsession with death has become obvious, with each release venturing into darker and darker territory. With new…
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are known for their psychedelic riffs, crazy storytelling and churning out music quicker than seems possible. With four full length albums already under their belt in this year alone, it seems that King Gizzard is on track to release album number five this year. Without much fan fare the…
When Michigan born singer songwriter BØRNS released his first album, Dopamine, it was obvious that he was one to watch. The debut was met with critical acclaim, reaching international fame with tracks “10,000 Pools” and “Electric Love”. The topic on everyone’s lips was his sweet falsetto voice, which at first listen may be mistaken for a woman….
Melbournian alt-pop group City Calm Down are known for new wave jams that induce long, thoughtful stares into the distance. Their latest offering is no different, “In This Modern Land” serving up a melancholy exploration of loneliness in the internet age. Frontman Jack Bourke’s bold baritone offers striking vocals, with the slow burning track building…
As with every year, Port Macquarie’s Festival of the Sun provides a stage for not only some of Australia’s best known talent, but the fresh and emerging faces of our music scene, to show off their skills and continuously cut their teeth as live performers. This year, we met Mild West, who took out the triple j…
With New Year’s just around the corner, and Australia’s sweltering summer season vastly approaching, now is the best time for you festival goers to start thinking about which gigs you want to hit, where they will be, and how you can get your hands on tickets. Check out our guide below of our top six…
2017 was such a fantastic year for games that we had to cut a great many titles we really loved from our final Top 10. There were a few titles, however, that we felt were well worth shouting out, titles that made an impression on us throughout the year. Ones we’re still thinking about now….
The moment I jumped into Far Cry 5 at E3 this year, the thing that struck me was how familiar it felt. Ubisoft have been pushing a very particular vision for the series since Far Cry 2 comprehensively reworked Crytek’s 2004 original action adventure title into something more akin to survival adventure, a design template they’ve been gradually…
First things first, Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package has a great sense of humour, as you can tell from the title, and its original release on the Xbox One was received well enough that PlayStation fans can now get a piece of the action as well.
LocoRoco 2 Remastered doesn’t belong in 2017. Or more accurately, 2017 doesn’t deserve its presence. LocoRoco 2 represents all that is wholesome and pure in the world of gaming, and harkens back to simpler, more innocent times. It’s not the hero that we deserve, but we’re very glad to have it.
