The Conjuring 2 becomes all-time highest grossing horror film at Australian and New Zealand box offices

It seems we love a good scary film Down Under (Wolf Creek anyone?) as our homegrown horror pride has officially made The Conjuring 2 the most successful horror film of all time for Australian and New Zealand. The Conjuring 2 has earned $10.75 million at the Australian box office, surpassing its predecessor The Conjuring, and other popular horrors…

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Flight Review: We jump on board Australia’s first A350 with Qatar Airways – Adelaide to Doha (QR915)

Earlier in the week we reported that Adelaide has been getting a lot of love lately from a number of airlines, receiving new direct routes to Asia and the Middle East. The South Australian capital city has even been the first airport in Australia to receive the new Airbus A350 service, courtesy of Qatar Airway’s…

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Review: The Post-Haste Histories – Kings Cross Theatre, Sydney (Performances until 20th August)

Doth thou speakest true? Not a script betwixt these players yet drama and merriment dost ensue! It’s hard not to get carried away with the language used by the Post-Haste Players in their latest production, The Post-Haste Histories, especially because the Shakespearean-inspired script is developed entirely before your eyes. This is improv theatre at it’s…

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Review: Fracture – Old Fitz Theatre, Sydney (Performances until August 12)

I find Mario Kart so ruthless and stressful that, emotionally, I can’t reach the end of Rainbow Road without shedding some real-life baggage. That’s the game Charlie (Brandon McClelland) is playing with flat-mates Clara (Contessa Treffone) and Tommy (Tel Benjamin), literally and metaphorically, in their rundown Perthian apartment. Whatever he’s trying to shed, they seem…

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Tenderfoot’s debut EP Beginnings is released ahead of the band’s trip to Abbey Road Studios

Sydney group Tenderfoot recently signed to international music company Audio Network, and today the first release of that new relationship has seen the light of day. The band’s debut EP Beginnings (an apt title if there ever was one) is now available, a record that features the single “The Balcony Tale”; the video of which…

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The State of Affairs (August 5, 2016): Live Music Office launches new mapping tool for musicians & more!

This week in the music industry: Th Live Music Office launched their brand new online mapping tool specifically designed to help musicians on tour, the first round of artists to showcase at the 2016 Australian Music Week has been announced and the entry deadline for the 2016 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition has been extended. Live Music Map…

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Archie Roach announces Let Love Rule Melbourne and Sydney shows with Corey Theatre

This October, Melbourne and Sydney will be able to witness the live spectacle that is Archie Roach as he announces two very special shows. The shows will follow the release of his latest record, Let Love Rule, due out on 23rd September. From that LP, Archie Roach has just released a single titled “It’s Not…

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Montaigne on refusing to settle, chasing greatness instead with new album Glorious Heights

After consistently showing fans and industry alike that her talent is one that extends far beyond a hot single here, a great support slot tour run there, Montaigne has gone and certified herself as an artist to be bloody well watching flourish (like we weren’t already) with her debut album, Glorious Heights. Released today, the album has seen…

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Music Video of the Day: RKDA “Frontline” (2016)

Dark, broody and shimmery at the same time, Melbourne electronic trio RKDA have been fashioning themselves into a dynamic act to be watching. Following on from the release of their debut EP CS, the group have been building strength behind some meticulously produced and sharply executed pieces of haunting and gorgeously melancholic music. Their latest single “Frontline”…

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Single of the Day: Holy Holy “Darwinism” (2016)

Holy Holy this week slid back on to our radar (and no doubt, yours) with their new single, “Darwinism”. The first single from Oscar and Tim‘s highly anticipated sophomore album, this new piece of music is an exciting look ahead to this next chapter of the band’s creative output. With the original idea being further explored and…

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Why We Run, Julia Jacklin, The Preatures and Gang of Youths help showcase Sydney’s incredible live music scene

Over the past few weeks, Sydney has seen dozens upon dozens of big name concerts, with guests from around the world in town thanks to Splendour in the Grass. On any given night, there have been half a dozen SOLD OUT signs around the city for any of these acts. Amidst all the negative talk…

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Basenji announces national ‘Homework’ university tour for September

Sydney producer Basenji is going to be hitting the road around the country next month, straight off the back of a North American tour with Flume this month – talk about a warm up run. September will see Basenji playing universities all around the country, presented by V MoVement, on the perfectly titled ‘Homework Tour’. The shows are…

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Omar Musa opens up on his new EP, Dead Centre, and his return to music after time out of the hip hop scene

Omar Musa releases his new EP Dead Centre today, off the back of much excitement surrounding the Queanbeyan artist’s step back into the music realm after touring Australia and overseas with his acclaimed debut novel, Here Come the Dogs. A wordsmith with a razor sharp approach to the creation and execution of his art, Musa’s new music…

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Suicide Squad breaks opening box office records in Australia

Though critics haven’t been overly kind to the latest comic book blockbuster Suicide Squad (though our own writer had nicer things to say about it), fans of the DC franchise wasted no time in packing cinemas to see the film, breaking a pile of Australian box office records in the process. Roadshow, who distribute the…

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5 Franchises We’d Like To See Get the Pokémon GO AR Treatment

With Pokémon Go a fully-fledged global phenomenon, even as its myriad recent changes enrage fans, the Augmented Reality genre looks set to explode. We’ve put our heads together and have begun thinking about other brands and franchises we’d like to see get the Augmented Reality treatment.

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Get your first taste of Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated World War II epic Dunkirk – his first film since Interstellar – isn’t out until July next year, but today we’ve been treated to our first look at the film. In typical Nolan fashion, the Director is bringing his own screenplay to the screen, which will be shot in a mixture…

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Aussies Abroad: The Lazys are heading back to Canada on their “Howling Woman” tour

Sydney rockers The Lazys have found a lot of success in Canada in recent years, and they’re going to continue capitalizing on that by returning to the great North in a few weeks for a massive run of shows that will take them through September. The tour is in support of their latest single “Howling…

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Hotel Review: A Blissful 24 hours at Hotel Realm (Canberra, Australia)

Canberra isn’t typically known as a getaway destination but the short three-hour drive from Sydney makes Canberra sufficiently far away to give you that ‘going away’ feeling yet still close enough that a quick 24-hour stay is more than achievable. Also a plus are the pockets of luxury that you’ll find at our nation’s capital…

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Recipe: Sokyo’s John Dory with black truffle

Take a good fish, add some flavour with smart use of good ingredients, and put truffle on it. Great, simple success. That seems to be Chase Kojima’s approach with this Sokyo dish which is being offered during Truffle Month at The Star. Each year through winter the immense property’s signature restaurants (which include Sokyo, Balla,…

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Streets Ice Cream are bringing Viennetta on a Stick to Australia

Those unmistakable ripples of Streets’ fluffy Viennetta ice cream have been burned back into the hearts and minds of Aussies everywhere since an elusive image of a “Viennetta on a stick” product went viral a few days ago. It only to lead to sighs of disappointment when it was revealed that the holy grail of…

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Childish Gambino heading back to Australia for the Falls Festival over New Year’s!

“Down Under, surfin’ on the Gold Coast. I’m looking for the truth in a blunt, and I ain’t got a home, let’s stunt…”, rhymed Childish Gambino on his 2014 tune “Retro [Rough]”. Since his appearance on the Big Day Out tour of 2013, the artist also known as Donald Glover has enjoyed a strong fan base out in Australia…

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Live Review: Gang Of Youths – Newtown Social Club, Sydney (02.08.16)

The pro’s of getting the chance to review a show announced the day it’s performed is that you don’t have to wait two hours in line, in the freezing wind and rain, to see one of Australia’s best live bands. Luckily for me, I was reviewing, so got to bypass the 50m long line and…

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The Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition extends application deadline until August 10th!

If you’re a songwriter wanting to be in with a chance of winning a cut of a huge $65,000 cash prize, the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition is the one for you. Offering the three winning songwriters prizes of $50,000, $10,000 and $5,000 respectively, the competition accepts entries from songwriters hailing from all over the world….

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Brian McKnight returning to Australia and New Zealand this October

Brian McKnight is set to return out to our side of the globe in October, full live band in tow. With his previous Australian tours back in 2013 and 2011 selling out and reaping in praise, McKnight is now going to be returning with a new album in Better, as well as a swag of his…

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Alex Lahey signs worldwide publishing deal with Native Tongue!

Times are only getting sweeter for Alex Lahey. First, she dominated her set at Splendour in the Grass. Then, she released her debut EP B-Grade University last week to a huge amount of love and praise. Now? Now, the Melbourne musician celebrates a freshly-inked worldwide publishing deal with Native Tongue Music Publishing (home to artists including APES, The Snowdroppers, Gin Wigmore, Marlon…

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Catfish and The Bottlemen, Hermitude, MSTRKRFT, Phantogram & more for Southbound

Pack your bags and head West this December, because Southbound has come in hot with a brand new artist announcement for their three day/night festival! Along with some great homegrown talent in San Cisco, Tired Lion, LUMBERJACK and  Kučka, Southbound has dropped the news that some international visitors including Catfish and The Bottlemen, MSTRKRFT, Phantogram and more will also be hitting the stages in…

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Exclusive Music Video: Formidable Vegetable Sound System “Kimchi” (2016)

Here’s something definitely a little different for your Thursday. What do you get when you take a world-renowned touring act and partner it with a borderline obsessive love for fermented Korean cabbage? Fremantle’s Formidable Vegetable Sound System and their new single, “Kimchi”, that’s what. Zany as hell and pretty much to the point, the group have released…

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Exclusive Album Stream: Omar Musa – Dead Centre (2016 EP)

Omar Musa has been wearing many hats recently; the poet and author has been touring  through the US, Asia, South America, Europe and across Australia with his debut novel Here Come The Dogs – a poignant and acclaimed piece of work that has seen him reach a wider audience. Now, he’s donned his musician hat, bringing…

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Single of the Day: Ta-Ku + Wafia “Love Somebody” (2016)

It’s really excited to see some of Australia’s best talents being appreciated overseas. A few of the talented artists doing their own thing, and getting recognised for it are Ta-ku and Wafia, hailing from Perth and Brisbane. They’ve just teamed up for an EP titled (m)edian, set for release this weekend and have given us another preview, the…

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Music Video of the Day: Massive Attack “Come Near Me ft. Ghostpoet” (2016)

We’re still waiting for Massive Attack to release the followup LP to their 2010 record Heligoland, but it’s looking like they might be choosing to release a string of EPs and singles instead. Following up from their Ritual Spirit 4-track EP released at the beginning of the year, they duo have just dropped a pair of new singles. One…

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