Ships in the Night is Perth’s bi-monthly celebration of words and music, bringing together and showcasing new writers and bands. Last week’s event was the first since a successful outing at the Perth Fringe World. Instalment #13 was a certainly a mixed affair. Ultimately I found it to be disappointing and a little disorganised – though…

Melbourne was alive with The Sound of Music on Thursday night as the who’s who of the social elite came out for the opening night. With the thought of Julie Andrews prancing through hills conjuring up beautiful memories in my mind, I sat down delighted to see this long running show. It was a packed…

Trigger warning: This post includes information about domestic violence and may be distressing for some readers. Vanessa de Largie’s book will leave you torn. It’s a diarised account of the domestic violence she suffered from 2001–03. On the one hand you wish this book didn’t exist (and that de Largie didn’t have to live through…

The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare’s tale of a woman “tamed” by a man, has seen many adaptations over the years, but perhaps none so clever as the latest offering from Sport for Jove. Set in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1920s, a time of strong women – both on the silver…

After recently expanding to Sydney, QLD-originated burger joint Ze Pickle is now firmly established on the local scene thanks to their go-hard-or-go-home approach to the inescapable food trend. Their Surry Hills location isn’t too hard to get to, but just to make their burgers a bit more accessible they have announced a special one-day-only kitchen…

With interest in René Redzepi and his culinary perfection still at an all time high in Sydney, thanks to the recent Noma Australia pop-up, a documentary focusing on the highly regarded chef being included in Sydney Film Festival’s program this year works perfectly. As part of the annual festival’s Gourmet Cinema concept – which pairs…

Throughout this year’s highly anticipated VIVID Sydney, the water-side precinct of Cockle Bay Wharf will once again be bringing back their exclusive food and drink offerings to meet, and surpass, the success of their involvement last year. The renowned dining and entertainment hub will be drawing on some of their best venues to absorb inspiration…

Melbourne is one of those brilliant cities where you can literally get lost for hours down little alleyways, and with the right knowledge can find yourself in one of many hidden bars. Fall From Grace is one of those said hidden bars, accessible only by pulling out a book in a secret bookshelf and thus…

Bec Sandridge has continued to captivate with her latest single, “You’re a Fucking Joke”. Her vocals have a quality about them that is attention grabbing in the way that Kimbra, Regina Spektor and Kate Miller-Heidke have also been synonymous with – commanding, quirky and electrifying, Bec is just a joy to listen to. Her new single…

For any emerging artist, the concept of your first international tour is nothing short of exciting, daunting, nerve-wracking, all the above. Showcasing festivals aimed at bringing thousands of artists, industry members and music fans together for a concentrated period of time for musical discovery pulls all these feelings into one bubble and can be overwhelming…

After only making his debut in Australia earlier this year through a series of NYE festivals and, UK grime emcee Skepta has announced an epic return to this side of the world with seven shows across Australia and New Zealand. The man, who just released his long-awaited 4th LP Konnichiwa, has marked a monumental push…

There are few duos in hip-hop as dynamic as the classic pairing of Wu Tang’s Method Man and Def Squad’s Redman, two formidable emcees who have endeared across music, film, TV. Their trips down to Australia have been much too far and few between, but they have always hit hard with their off-the-wall live shows…

As part of the forthcoming Vivid Sydney, Purple Sneakers have announced they will be throwing a huge party to celebrate their tenth birthday, which has been dubbed Ten Years Of Taste. Alongside FBi Radio and UNDR Ctrl, the birthday bash will be happening at The Lord Gladstone, with free entry all night (with RSVP) and…

Kris Roe is The Ataris. That’s not a schmaltzy fan-boy comment, it’s the truth. Ever since he began writing songs on his four-track and drum machine in his bedroom in 1995, he has written and recorded almost every part of every Ataris album. The line-ups that punk rock fans came to know and love were…

Cavalry’s here, loves. It’s May 24, which means Blizzard’s long-awaited team shooter Overwatch is now available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and the servers are live.

Captain America: Civil War star Daniel Bruhl is in talks to join the cast of J.J. Abrams sci-fi thriller The God Particle, directed by Juliuis Onah. Bruhl will join David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, John Krasinski and Elizabeth Debicki who have all been cast to play a team of astronauts. The sci-fi thriller will be set…

The Iris here with this week’s picks to make your relationship with the small screen captivating and special. Tuesday  Catalyst, ABC, 8:00pm AEST Biomedical engineer Jordan Nguyen and 13 year old Riley with cerebral palsy work together on a technology that grants Riley superpowers. Lincoln, One, 8:30pm AEST Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day Lewis) struggles to…

Just because Benioff & Weiss are somewhat free from George RR Martin’s murderous ways in Game of Thrones’ source material, doesn’t mean the showrunners are any less capable of bringing us to tears. In what will be one of the most talked about scenes of the year when this season is over, a simple phrase…

Mad Tiger is such a strange and brilliant film it’s hard to know where to begin. Donning Power Rangers-inspired costumes and describing themselves as a “Japanese Action Comic Punk band”, Peelander-Z are a band you’ve probably never heard but aren’t unlikely to forget once you encounter them. In their own words, their performances are probably…

This year’s upcoming VIVID is set to be Sydney’s biggest yet. For VIVID Ideas, in particular, it’s hard not to call this year’s lineup their most ambitious effort with over planned 180 events and over 400 unique speakers including the House of Cards writer Beau Willimon and Orange is the New Black showrunner Jenji Kohan.  We caught up with the curator of…

Violent Soho’s WACO Tour was already in full swing with its Adelaide date, having already torn through a stack of sold out shows in Brisbane and Melbourne. Joined on-stage by some of their best and most rowdy mates, the crowd was in for a treat. Newcastle duo Gooch Palms opened the show with their unique…

The Point Resort sits beside a beautiful coast and town in Bargara, Queensland. But is location the only thing this resort has going for it? Lachlan brings us this review. Situated only a few metres from crashing waves and picnic tables, The Point Resort in Bargara is an ideal choice for families and couples on…

Emerge in the West is back for another year showcasing some incredible talent rising from Melbourne’s western suburbs. Hosted by Multicultural Arts Victoria, this event will bring some soul and colour into Footscray’s Nicholson Street by featuring those with a flair for all things music, fashion, art, dance and spoken word. This event will surely…

The Philadelphia Grand Jury are soon to be hitting the road for what’s likely to be some of their craziest shows. They’re inviting fans to join them onstage for some wild karaoke sessions as part of their So You Think You Can Philly Jays? tour and admittedly, even they’re in two minds about how this going to go down. “I…

Written and Directed by Lorene Scafaria, The Meddler is tender in its approach to comedy-drama; light on the former and heavy on the latter as it follows the highly likeable and sympathetic Marnie Minervini, who is portrayed with considerable depth by the supremely talented Susan Sarandon. The simple, soft touch with which Scafaria handles the…

Theatre lovers prepare yourselves for a truly exquisite piece work from the mastermind that is Tennessee Williams. This autobiographical play is an awakening to the internal struggles that both men and women faced in the early 1940s; a time when women longed to find a man and as well homosexuality being taboo. From the opening monologue…

From Friday 27th May to 18th June, Sydney will once again be flowing with the unique atmosphere of Vivid Sydney, now a globally renowned festival of lights, music, and ideas that has seen immense growth over the past few years. The immersive lighted precincts around Sydney, from Circular Quay and Walsh Bay to The Galeries…

The Great Escape had hundreds of artists performing throughout many venues in Brighton on Thursday during the afternoon and in the evening, with delegates keen to kick on during the night being spoiled for choice. Vevo’s set up at Wagner Hall hosted acoustic sets through the day – ‘discovery artists’ – while at night, the…

This week in the music industry, Sounds Australia has been nominated for two awards for their continuous achievements in exporting fresh Australian music to international crowds and the annual Electronic Music Conference returns to Sydney for the fifth time. Sounds Australia Recognised for their Music Export Achievements Sounds Australia, an organisation focused on gaining international…

Adelaide’s West Thebarton Brothel Party are more than just a seven piece out of South Australia who are fast making a name for themselves as a frenetic and engaging rock band. They’re also about the finer things in life. Like pairing a good red or white wine with some suitable mood music. In honour of the…