Launceston’s grain silos will be turned into a $25 million luxury hotel next year

Mantra Group will be bringing a high-profile opening to Launceston in Tasmania next year when it welcomes the 108-room Silo Hotel to the Peppers brand. Reimagining the Kings Wharf grain silos of the city, the $25 million redevelopment will make unique use of the location, with 52 of the 108 rooms location in the barrels…

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Review: Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

Though it was released earlier this year, the Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky isn’t a new expression by any means. It’s merely a rebranded, renamed and reimagined Johnnie Walker Platinum Label. That choice fits the bottle in with the iconic brand’s other expressions a bit more seamlessly, sporting a stylish design and…

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Melbourne CBD gets a new rooftop Japanese restaurant with Yokocho

Melbourne CBD has welcomed a new Japanese restaurant just in time for the holiday season. Yokocho, located in the historic Mid City Arcade on Bourke Street, will be reimagining Tokyo’s unique street culture with a design that’s minimal on interior, big on atmosphere with a reflection of the laneways made famous by the Japanese capital’s…

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The best New Year’s Eve parties around Melbourne for 2017/18

The loosest day of the year is upon us! New Year’s Eve is going to bounce us into 2018 and it’s your choice whether you want that to be in style or in shambles. It’s long known that deep in the heart of the CBD is exactly where you do not in any way, shape…

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Opinion: #meNOmore should be a wake up call to the daily presence of harassment & discrimination in our industry

This week, The Industry Observer unveiled an open letter signed by over 360 women calling out sexual harassment within the Australian music industry. Under the hashtag of meNOmore, the letter was quick to gain momentum online, as you’d expect. Artists, managers, journalists, radio hosts, lawyers, label employees, publicists and more signed the petition (myself included),…

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Live Review: Noname ends Australian tour in Melbourne, leaving an impressive mark on a sold out crowd

Armed with her acclaimed debut album Telefone, Chicago rapper and recent Australian live music scene debutant Noname attacked her final show in the country (her second sold out show in Melbourne) on Monday with the finesse and confidence of an artist older than her 25 years. Noname’s 170 Russell show was kept tight, with the music wrapping…

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Interview: Amber Lawrence on an Aussie Aussie Christmas

It’s been a busy year for country music singer and songwriter, Amber Lawrence. Not only has she just been nominated for a further six Golden Guitars for her collaboration Our Backyard with Travis Collins, she also managed to find time to release an 11-track original album titled Aussie Aussie Christmas.

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Music Video of the Day: SHOUSE “Love Tonight” (2017)

SHOUSE is Melbourne dance duo Ed Service and Jack Madin. They’ve been serving dance worthy club tracks for a while now, collaborating twice with fellow Melbourne duo Habits. The new single again features Habits, as well as Monte Morgan (Client Liaison) and a slew of Melbourne artists. “Love Tonight” brings together the best elements of…

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Film Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (USA, 2017) is loaded with emotional battles to win and lose

With every new Star Wars film comes the obvious comparisons to its predecessors. Yes there are epic space battles between X-Wings and Tie Fighters. Yes there are wild twirling lightsaber fights. And most importantly there is the deep, spiritual and emotional journey of our characters (some more than others). These have always and will always…

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Hanzo mains rejoice, you can now troll people in two games

Everyone’s favourite Overwatch troll pick, archer Hanzo Shimada, is about to be make his debut in Blizzard’s hero brawler/MOBA title Heroes of the Storm.

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The nominations for the 2018 Golden Globe Awards have arrived

It’s that time of the year again, as the nominations for the 75th Golden Globe Awards were recently announced. Covering a range of entertainment forms, the Golden Globe Awards seek to shine a light on the most impressive performances and projects to grace our screens. Nominations flew in left, right and centre, with major films…

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This 17th century sugar plantation on the Spanish island of La Palma now hosts a unique luxury hotel

High-end hospitality brand Luxe Collection by L.E Hotels, noted for their incredibly unique and individual properties across 18 countries, have recently added Hotel Hacienda de Abajo to their portfolio, a historic property that’s built on a restored 17th century sugar plantation located on the island of San Miguel de La Palma, in the Canary Islands….

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The best New Year’s Eve parties around Sydney for 2017/18

The loosest day of the year is upon us! New Year’s Eve is going to bounce us into 2018 and it’s your choice whether you want that to be in style or in shambles. It’s long known that deep in the heart of the CBD is exactly where you do not in any way, shape…

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Festival Review: The Pleasure Garden lives up to its name in St. Kilda

The Pleasure Garden is what I imagine tea with the Mad Hatter would be like. Sitting on a couch in the middle of a garden, sipping on gin, greeting people dressed as exotic birds who offer you lollipops whilst Fat Freddy’s Drop plays in the background. Add Hula Hoops, delectable street food, a smooth musical…

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The 4th annual AU Awards returns for 2017, with Meg Mac, Mallrat & more nominated

Returning again to cap off what has been another fantastic year of Australian music, the 4th annual AU Awards are announced this afternoon, recognising what this year has brought some of our favourites (emerging and well established). Whether it be the recent rise of West Thebarton to the juggernaut that Gang of Youths has become in 2017,…

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Live Review: British India play to their strengths at huge Sydney show at The Metro Theatre

British India returned to The Metro with songs from their latest album Forgetting the Future and two support acts, Deadlove and Planet, in tow. First support act Deadlove were loud and energetic, their set could be heard from the bar at The Metro. Playing to a small crowd that gradually grew throughout the set, the…

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Interview: Natalie Pearson discusses her new single, “Mr. Wrong”, and album Long Time Running

Natalie Pearson has been making a name for herself in the country music scene. Her album Long Time Running, released early last year, debuted at #2 on the Australian Country iTunes Chart and received the award for Best Country in the 2016 MusicOz Australian Independent Music Awards.

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Single of the Day: Sufjan Stevens “Tonya Harding” (2017)

Sufjan Stevens‘ new single “Tonya Harding” is an ode to the leg breaking, sex tape making figure skater from Portland. Her poor background, abusive mother and attention from the media are all aspect of her story which drew Sufjan Stevens to write the song. And those familiar with her story may be surprised at his…

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5 NSW Artists to Add to Your Playlist

New South Wales is a treasure trove of great new music, from the North Coast to Sydney, from Wollongong to Bathurst, we’ve rounded up five up and coming artists you need to jump on now! DANDE AND THE LION https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Peitat4QCQ Indie-rock five piece Dande and The Lion have a sound as sweet as their name….

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Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom finally gets a release date

Bandai Namco have confirmed this morning that Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, the long-awaited sequel to the hit 2013 RPG, will launch on March 30, 2018.

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Film Review: The Disaster Artist (USA, 2017) is a profound display of fearlessness

Tommy Wiseau’s laughably bad The Room has such a strong and passionate cult following that the “disasterpiece” is still being discussed, screened and dissected 14 years after its limited cinematic release. There aren’t many films that can boast that kind of staying power, existing in a singular universe where something is so bad it takes…

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Games Review: Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris (PS4, 2017): A pile of weird decisions

There’s almost no reason for you to play Destiny 2‘s first expansion, Curse of Osiris. I’ve tried to find a nicer way to frame the expansion’s futile attempts at justifying its own existence but there’s no getting around it. In a game as massive as Destiny 2, especially one that is designed to keep players coming back,…

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Tech Review: BlueAnt Pump Air True Wireless Sportsbuds: Comfortably average

I’m a bit leery of ear bud headphones in general. My ears are constructed in the exact shape that will rudely eject any bud the moment I put them in. Add to this the notion of earbuds that are wireless — the cord being the one thing that typically stops me from losing any pair…

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Games Review: RIVE: Ultimate Edition (Switch, 2017): A heady genre blend

It’s been five years since disaster befell Dutch developer Two Tribes B.V. and a large percentage of their staff were retrenched, spelling the end for the studio. They were not, however, prepared to go down without a fight and the remaining staff battled on to complete what would become Two Tribes’ last game, a twin-stick…

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Watch: The Empire State Building illuminated with light and music for The Greatest Showman

The Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. has recently presented a music-to-light show choreographed to the song “This is Me”, created by Academy and Tony Award-winning songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen) featured in the upcoming film The Greatest Showman. The show was designed by renowned lighting designer Marc…

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Meet the new fab five as Queer Eye announces its return to television

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was a wildly popular and Emmy Award-winning reality TV series, and will now return 15 years later, under the name Queer Eye. The series will make its return thanks to streaming service Netflix as its global influence will introduce new and familiar audiences to a modern aesthetic. The show…

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Games Review: Rumu (PC, 2017): I love feelings

Rumu is the second major release from Sydney-based indie developer Robot House. It’s a game about a little robot vacuum cleaner that lives in a smart home run by an AI named Sabrina — a little guy trying to make sense of a big and complicated place. Rumu, as a game, is much the same —…

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Film Review: In This Corner of the World (Japan, 2016) is thought-provoking anime for older audiences

Similar to the majority of other anime titles on offer, In This Corner of the World is suitably aimed at older audiences.  Whilst the animated medium usually suggests family-friendly viewing, Sunao Katabuchi‘s thematically heavy drama is more thought-provoking than visually reliant. Concerning itself predominantly with the bombing of Hiroshima towards the end of World War…

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Sydney’s Carriageworks unveils massive 2018 program including 10 world premieres

Carriageworks have revealed a dynamic program for 2018 and its going to be huge with the season spanning contemporary art, dance, performance, music, screen, food and ideas. The Artistic Program will support 690 artists and will present 70 projects, including 10 world premieres, 17 international works and 17 new Australian commissions. From January Carriageworks will…

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How Two Live are running an independent fashion pop-up store in Melbourne

Sisters Jess and Stef Dadon of popular fashion blog How Two Live have just brought a four week pop-up store to Melbourne with fashion and homewares from 20 independent Aussie labels including Pared Eyewear, Emily Green, Lovestar, From St Xavier, Kitsu, State of Georgia, and the girls’ own footwear label TWOOBS. Featuring a curated edit…

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