The final countdown is on. The first lineup announcement has dropped for the final ever Byron Bay Bluesfest, and it’s a belter. We were hoping for Crowded House, and they have delivered. Neil Finn is without doubt in the upper echelon of living songwriters. Their past performances at the festival have been absolute highlights, and…
The Eminence Sydney Orchestra, led by Maestro Phillip Chu, returns to the Sydney Town Hall on the 14th of September, 2024, to perform a list of iconic video game and anime scores. Performances will include scores from Studio Ghibli, Helldivers 2, Overwatch, Fieren: Beyond Journey’s End and the GUNDAM series, with so much more. Special…
King Richard the Third is dead, but his soul is not at peace. Guided by a quixotic raven, he makes his way through the space in between life and dead, searching for the angel who will lead him to what is next, whatever that may be. Meanwhile, at an Abbey in Oxenbridge, a monk named…
A narrative throughline present in Zoë Kravitz‘s daring debut directorial feature is that “Forgetting is a gift.” Given the trauma and suffering many of the characters are holding onto in Blink Twice, it would appear a wise coping mechanism, but Kravitz’s script – written alongside one of her High Fidelity television scribes, E.T. Feigenbaum –…
Joanna Murray-Smith has crafted a sympathetic and thorough expose of the life of Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Justine Clarke plays the part of Julia and takes us from the time of her birth in Wales up to the famous misogyny speech delivered in parliament. Director Sarah Goodes has taken her story and placed…
The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild have tackled quite a challenge in presenting one of Shakespeare’s last plays, King Lear. Imagining the play set in the future, it challenges the notions of modern civilisation. In fact, Shakespeare’s commentary on power, lust and betrayal is as relevant today as when the play was scribed in the…
Every so often, music journalism is given a little spark with a big personality and a fresh idea. There aren’t many people around who can flip the traditional interview style with their own little twists and turns and carve out a one-of-one identity. But that’s exactly what nationally-nominated music journalist Tait McGregor has done with…
Since unveiling their new EP an introduction to a theme on 31 July just months after their debut album in retrospect, Melbourne emo pop quartet PRETTY BLEAK have asserted themselves as the next big thing in local indie rock. Engineered by vocalist/guitarist Sam Thomas and mixed by Jarred Nettle (Teenage Joans, TOWNS), an introduction to…
It’s never the easiest realisation to have when it comes to facing one’s own mortality, but if any situation over the last few years pushed such a mentality to the forefront, it was the pandemic. Whether it was wrapped up in regrettable decisions, the roads not travelled, or the relationships we formed or lost, life…
The last time our Peter Gray spoke with director Baltasar Kormákur it was when he was placing Idris Elba in the biting line of a ferocious lion in 2022’s underrated survivalist actioner Beast. For his latest turn behind the camera, the Icelandic filmmaker couldn’t be further from the dangerous throws of South Africa with his tender…
After his Until Dawn tour was cancelled last year, The Weeknd has finally set a set of new dates for his Australian tour. And it’s looking like you’re in for a bit of travel if you don’t live in Sydney or Melbourne. Australia’s two major cities will get two shows each, with The Weeknd leaving…
One of my first computer game experiences was Sam & Max Hit The Road. It was a point-and-click PC game beautifully illustrated with endearing characters and a wicked sense of humour that kept me entertained and made me fall in love with the world of gaming. Since then, the duo have had a string of…
UK pop darling Griff filled Northcote Theatre with an undeniable warmth and energy last night. She lit up the stage, effortlessly blending her raw emotion with the kind of hooks that stay with you long after the gig ends. From the haunting “Black Hole” to the stunning “One Night,” Griff had the crowd in the…
For decades, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was one of the most dreaded entry points in the USA. No one I’ve spoken to likes flying into L.A., and at its best, the furiously busy airport is a functional failure. At its worst, it’s a nightmare. But things have finally changed in 2024, the first full…
Like many farmers tending to land and livestock around the country, Layla and Jack live an isolated existence. While their son is away at boarding school, Jack experiments with biotechnology to breed cattle, and Layla quietly laments her child’s absence and her strained relationship with her husband. When Jack is injured during a storm-induced blackout…
News has just landed about the Meredith 2024 lineup and it’s massive. The event runs on December 6, 7 and 8 at the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre in Victoria. The second round of the ballot is now open until 10.32 on Tuesday 20th August. The ticket price includes all parking, camping, booking fees, car passes, BYO convenience, and spins on The Eye. Meredith is an…
Pride and Prejudice, arguably Jane Austen’s most famous novel, has been the subject of countless adaptations. There is the 2005 film with Keira Knightley, the modern-day retelling in Bridget Jones’ Diary, the cultural reinterpretation with Bride and Prejudice, and who could forget the incredible masterpiece that was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. However, there is…
Pop singer, Charley, is a superstar in the making. Her home support slot on the Sydney leg of the Griff tour is sure to spark her career into a fully fledged flame – after all, she’s now just one degree of separation away from Taylor Swift and that’s not something many Australian artists can boast….
PAX Aus might already be one of the most popular gaming events in the country each year, but it’s about to get even bigger, with the announcement that PAX Aus has dedicated even more floor space to tabletop gaming this year, making it the largest it has ever been when the event comes around from…
If you’re in the market for a laptop that is ultra-portable, feature-packed, and visually appealing, the current options might seem overwhelming, and likely introduce some trade-offs. Should you sacrifice size for portability and performance? Price for display quality and battery life? Like the warrior in a Zen(book) garden, ASUS might have just provided the answer…
Since its debut in 2002, the Kingdom Hearts series has enchanted gamers around the globe with its unique combination of both Final Fantasy and Disney characters. The series has earned a dedicated fanbase by blending action-packed RPG adventures with a rich tapestry of beloved intellectual properties. As someone who missed the boat as a kid—when…
As we stride further into August, we’ve added ten more songs to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, including two tracks we exclusively premiered earlier in the week. Our track of the week is “God’s A Different Sword” from Naarm / Melbourne-based Folk Bitch Trio. The three-part harmonies of Folk Bitch Trio on…
Always Live is perhaps one of the greatest things to happen to Melbourne’s current live music scene. This epic 17-day statewide celebration of music is responsible for bringing some of the greatest international acts to Victoria for exclusive appearances. This year, they’ve unveiled yet another incredible lineup of events, and among the highlights is a…
FANGZ have never been a band to do things by halves. From launching their own hot sauce, to curating festival FANGZstock, to living out frontman Josh Cottreau‘s dream of playing in (*checks notes*) Orange, to holding the Guinness World Record for most number of hard-boiled eggs eaten in one sitting, the FANGZ brand has always…
Whilst Alien: Romulus is the seventh in the line of Alien features – ninth if you count the Alien Vs Predator movies (and it’s okay if you don’t, because…choices) – Fede Alvarez‘s nasty, carnivorous entry is a stand-alone sequel placed between Ridley Scott’s defining original, 1979’s Alien, and James Cameron’s continuation, 1986’s Aliens; Alvarez and…
For the global press conference for Jackpot!, director Paul Feig mentioned that he ultimately took on the film because it was the “Jackie Chan movie (he) always wanted to make.” And it’s in that spirit that this comedic actioner is best viewed, where the two genres co-exist as one and the same and the silliness…
There’s no gentle easing into the second studio album from Sydney pop punk trio, Yours Truly. TOXIC bursts forth from the speakers, delivering a swift smack in the ears with opener “Back 2 U”, and then it’s full speed ahead for the rest of the album. Strap yourselves in, kids. Given this is a new line-up,…
In the near future, a ‘Grand Lottery’ has been newly established in California – the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot. When Katie Kim (Awkwafina) moves to Los Angeles, she mistakenly finds herself with the winning ticket. Desperate to survive the hordes of jackpot hunters, she reluctantly joins forces with amateur…
In case you missed it, last week saw one of the stealthiest releases of new music that I’ve experienced in a while. Using his Instagram account, Chris Wolstenholme – best known as the beast of bass for Muse – introduced us to his new project, Chromes, unveiling double debut singles, “The Good Life” and “Imaginary…
After a 14 year hiatus, Australian improv series Thank God You’re Here was rejuvenated in 2023 for a whole new generation to bask in the unpredictable comedy stylings of some of Australia’s (and the world’s) most loved comedians. Hosted by national treasure Celia Pacquola, the series is back in 2024 for a brand new round…
