It’s not every day you get to see a magician live on stage who has been mentored by the best in the world, Penn and Teller. Kevin Quantum, AKA Kevin McMahon, was a regular guy once, a scientist in fact, but in the mid-2000s, a popular reality TV show called Faking It saw him chosen to be trained in a…

Oh yes, people! It’s that time of year again where Melbourne becomes a haven for the utterly hilarious and outrageous. We thought we’d help you out with five Aussie and international acts to see at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The programme is a cracking one but here’s our input to help make your decision…

With the post-Christmas lull out of the way, March has proven to be a great month for new releases. In fact it was pretty hard to whittle the list down to just five this month, with plenty of titles catching my eye. But here are our five picks for the books you absolutely must read…

Beginning in 1989, Chimerica brings us Joe Schofield, an American Photojournalist stationed in Beijing. Sitting in his hotel room during the Tiananmen protests, he manages to snap the all-famous photograph of Tank Man – a young student standing defiantly in the way of a line of tanks. Fast forward to 2012 and Joe, now back…

Coming straight out of Melbourne’s experimental KitKat Chocolatory is a new special edition of the adaptable chocolate bars, created to celebrate Easter. It’s the most obvious choice for the beloved chocolate brand, but still quite unexpected: Hot Cross Bun KitKat. Putting their own little twist on the classic Easter treat, and providing a nice alternative…

Combining art, music, food and alcohol, Whitehart is the newest addition to Melbourne’s CBD streets. Named after the lane it resides on, Whitehart is a two-storey open container bar built on a converted car park. Having opened early March, husband-and-wife team Stephen Johnson and Sabrina Santucci are the creators behind this uniquely designed venue. Large recycled…

Following a recent trip to Japan, Neil Perry is debuting new food and drink items on the Saké menu that continue his mix of traditional Japanese food with the acclaimed restaurant’s contemporary approach, which is tweaked to suit each location across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Perry promises the new additions “focus on tradition while still being…

The next few months are going to prove exciting and fruitful for Remi and Sensible J. The duo are heading to Adelaide for a show – literally – on the river for the Adelaide Festival, before continuing preparations for Bluesfest and then on from that, their UK return for the Brighton Festival with Kate Tempest. A new musical chapter also beckons, with…

Horror films aren’t like they used to be. Gone are the days of chainsaw wielding psychos with mummy issues and hockey mask wearing killers…. with mummy issues (I’ve stumbled upon something here). Indeed, the genre has become less about horny teenagers getting gutted in creative ways and more about utilising tropes to symbolise prevalent issues…

Stop and take a moment to think about what you were doing at the age of 27 or what you will do if it’s yet to come. If you’re a musician it is likely that you are dead but if you were working at NASA during the Apollo era then you had a hand in…

It’s been garnering rave reviews from critics and fans alike for its mind bendingly psychological twists and turns, so it’s no surprise that FX has announced that Legion will return for a second season in 2018. The show helmed by Emmy and Golden Globe winning creator and executive producer Noah Hawley, delves into the life…

I have to admit, I don’t watch a lot of documentaries, but I’ve loved the ones I’ve seen. Some of them haven’t felt like documentaries at all, mainly because the stories behind them are a little too one-sided or hard to believe. Films like Super Size Me and Bowling for Columbine have been accused of being false, manipulative…

Lindy West was one of the highlights from this year’s All About Women festival at the Sydney Opera House. So it is unsurprising that this Guardian columnist and Jezebel blogger’s book, Shrill – Notes From A Loud Woman is funny, accomplished and excellent. West’s book is ultimately a hybrid between memoir, with personal anecdotes, and…

Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S Pinafore sailed into Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre this week to the sound of resounding applause. It was Melbourne Opera’s first time tackling G&S, and I was extremely intrigued to see how this comedic opera would play out on stage. For me there’s something so special about the Athenaeum Theatre, it allows for…

The MTV Woodies were hosted by Rick Ross for SXSW 2017, as punters were treated to some performances by established and emerging artists from across the hip hop, pop and rock realms. Taking out the four awards for this year were The Chainsmokers (“Woodie of the Year”), Ed Sheeran (“Cover Woodie” for his cover of Little Mix‘s “Touch”), Khalid (“Woodie to Watch”) and PARTYNEXTDOOR (“Songwriter of…

Austin, Texas based outfit Spoon proved to be one of the hottest tickets this week at SXSW as they performed a residency of intimate shows at The Main (Formerly Emo’s) in the heart of their hometown. Across three nights at the venue, which wrapped up earlier tonight, the band played different setlists featuring tracks old…

For the past two days, the iconic Austin venue Mohawk played host to the annual House of Vans, featuring a mix of primarily rock and hip hop acts – some well established and plenty emerging. But it was the surprise addition of At The Drive-In during the event’s first night that proved to be the…

Oh, WOMAD. The World of Music and Dance is a hefty title to attribute to a festival but over the last 25 years, the institution has enjoyed huge amounts of acclaim and conjured many timeless memories. Festival goers make the trip every year to indulge in music discovery, learn more about different cultures and to feel a…

It was a slightly different agenda for Pandora at SXSW this year as the digital radio service concluded their annual Pandora House at Austin venue The Gatsby earlier tonight. Running from Monday to Thursday and crossing into both Music and Interactive programming – as opposed to concluding on Saturday as in past years – Future…

Lupa-J. A name you may have heard about the traps through 2016 and in these early months of 2017, but with her new single “Put Me Back Together”, you’re set to have this inventive artist in your head much more permanently. Like previous releases and remixes, Lupa-J’s style is one of boldness and unique flair….

Do ya, do ya, do ya wanna be…? – If that line hasn’t been stuck in your head at least once since Kehlani released “Distraction” then, well you’ve done better than me. The R&B artist has been getting behind her acclaimed debut album SweetSexySavage and hitting headline shows and festivals everywhere and come August, she’s heading Down…

The fast spinning wheel that has been Adelaide’s festival season is starting to slow, following the massive weekend that saw WOMADelaide collide with the Fringe and the Adelaide Festival for another year. Still, the Botanic Park remained a haven of dance, culture, art and music for thousands over the long weekend – a little home away…

I never miss a support act when I’m reviewing.  Ever. I think it’s important to support the support every chance you get. Almost every artist we admire has been a support act at some point. Tonight, sadly, I missed Anabelle Kay‘s slot at The Toff In Town owing to circumstances beyond my control. I’m sorry,…

Returning with their first new music in three years, Gold Coast garage-rockers Bleeding Knees Club have released new single “Chew The Gum”. It’s a blisteringly sweet punk ode to over-doing things that are fun, till they’re no fun at all. “Chew The Gum” comes as a first taste and title track to their new EP which will…

Animals, what can we say about HBO’s crazy animated show? To give you a quick rundown, Animals is an American animated comedy television series created by new talents Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano. The first two episodes were independently produced and presented at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and HBO picked the series up after its success at the…

Lastlings have enjoyed a great run of late. Not only has their local profile continued to rise off the back of stellar shows, but the Gold Coast duo have also added an impressive label signing to their name, having jumped onboard with Exist. Recordings last month. Continuing this great streak, the siblings’ debut EP Verses is out tomorrow…

Saint Heron descended upon the Coppertank for SXSW 2017, with Solange herself performing a brilliant headline set to mark the first day of YouTube’s programming. Joining the Saint Heron queen on stage throughout the day were some of 2017’s buzz names including Aminé, JAIN, James Hersey and Earthgang – sticking to YouTube’s directive of spotlighting some of…

This week, we learned that the nominations for the 2017 APRA Music Awards have been unveiled, with some of our great songwriters being recognised for the fantastic year of music they had through 2016. As such, Flume leads the nominations (perhaps unsurprisingly) with four, while Sia follows closely behind with three noms to her name. Julia Zemiro will…

Learning about the discovery of a new species is always a mildly disorienting experience. Call it historical narcissism, or simple ignorance, but it rarely crosses my mind that as things have been discovered and invented before us, they will continue to be so long after we’re gone. Hearing the Hang for the first time, I…

Their name might indicate otherwise, but Melbourne’s Lip Sync Chicks are the genuine deal. The three piece band have released their new single, “Bad Time Child”, and as a snippet of what’s to come from them this year, it’s a nice little insight. The group cites the likes of The Cribs and The Replacements and the…