St Jerome's Laneway Festival tour kicks off for 2015 in Singapore with St Vincent, Banks, Chet Faker and more.

“This country is becoming one of the cultural epicentres of the world!” – Festival co-founder Danny Rogers said yesterday, as he thanked punters at the end of St Jerome’s Laneway Festival 2015. The country he was talking about was Singapore, which served as the opening date of the festival run for the fifth consecutive year,…

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Chet Faker talks about his Hottest 100 Chances for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Australia Day, which means the winner of the Hottest 100 will be revealed – and finally we’ll never have to hear about the whole Taylor Swift “controversy” again. Assuming she isn’t eligible, there are two favourites looking to take out the top spot: Australia’s Chet Faker and Peking Duk. Either could walk away…

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We Ask: Do you remember the first time you heard yourself or your band on triple j?

Ahead of tomorrow’s Hottest 100 countdown, we ask The Preatures, Ball Park Music and Tkay Maidza to talk about the first time they heard themselves or their band on triple j. We also talk to KLP about the first time she hosted House Party… Filmed during the radio station’s 40th anniversary celebrations in Sydney: Beat…

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The trailer for the most ridiculous reality TV show of all time is here: Sex Box

We have seen some fairly out-there and outrageous ideas since the modest days of in-your-face reality TV but the one for American couples-therapy show Sex Box just about tops them all. This is a show where a couple has sex in a big neon-blue box on stage, after which they walk straight out, sit on…

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What to Watch: The Iris’ Weekly TV Picks (26th – 28th January 2015)

Kimberley is back with the first half of our weekly TV picks. Here’s what to watch this week on free-to-air from Monday through to Wednesday night, as we come around to Australia Day 2015. Monday The Manchurian Candidate, One, 9:30pm AEST The critically acclaimed remake of the 1962 classic, the 2004 Manchurian Candidate features an…

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Photo Gallery: The Vamps + Short Stack – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (23.01.15)

The Vamps played a massive show at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion last night, supported by Short Stack. Gwendolyn Lee was there to see the bands in action and brings us these photos from the pit:

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Red Bull provides insight into the world’s top athletes with FOCUS series 2

Next week Red Bull TV launches series two of their successful show FOCUS, on Friday 30th January, featuring some huge names in the sporting world. Centred around athletes such as Daniel Ricciardo, Kally Cartwright and Ryan Sheckler, the six part series aims to give viewers an insight into the lives of 12 elite athletes as…

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Stumbled Upon #015 – Anthonie Tonnon (Auckland, New Zealand)

In our 15th instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet Auckland’s Anthonie Tonnon, and chat about his full length release, Successor out later this year. Musician: Anthonie Tonnon Website / Social Media: Facebook / Soundcloud / Tumblr Genre: Rock Members & their roles: Anthonie Tonnon – (often performing solo) songwriter, piano and guitar. Jonathan Pearce –…

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F&L News: Hatsyard's Pastry Chef Reinvents the Classic Ice-Cream Sandwich with Pop Tarts (Sydney)

Inspired by the humble ice cream sandwich, Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts are teaming up with Andy Bowden, pastry chef at Hartsyard, tasking the renowned pastry chef with reinventing the classic dessert to treat Sydney this summer.

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the AU interview: Josef Salvat (Australia via London/Paris) talks about living overseas, writing in the bush and 2015 plans!

the AU review sits down with Josef Salvat to talk about his time in London, his upcoming move to Paris, his past EP, the future LP, other plans for 2015 and he discusses how he loves writing music in the bush of Australia… Follow Josef on Facebook to find out where he’s touring in UK…

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New Australian film, Dinosaur Island to be released in February

With its establishment three years ago for its Emmy award-winning creature effects, expert Matt Drummond will showcase Dinosaur Island, a family film mainly targeted towards children from the ages of 6 to 12. The creation of the feature film originally started when Drummond was living in Vanuatu and it was from there his company, Hive Studios dedicated its…

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Hot Tub Time Machine 2 official trailer release

With an interesting set cast, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 seems to be of all promise for its comedic nature and direct crude lines. Following Paramount Pictures official release of its film trailer, it’s only a taste of what the film is really all about. When Lou (Rob Corddry) ends up in trouble, it is…

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the AU interview: Rory Dooley (Ultimate Ears) speaks about new Logitech speakers, the future of technology and more

Ultimate Ears is expanding their already impressive line of mobile speakers with the introduction of the UE MEGABOOM. This is the real deal, fronting the next generation of portable wireless speakers that don’t skip on sound quality. With a list of features from easy wireless updates to a 20 hour rechargable battery life, the UE MEGABOOM is made for convenient use that ‘blasts freakishly amazing sound!’

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Single Stream: The Cold and Lovely "Lost All Control" (2015)

With soft entrancing vocals and a 90’s edge, LA artists Meghan Toohey and Nicole Fiorentino of The Cold and Lovely are back with a serious punch. Their latest single “Lost All Control” captures the perfect blend of hazy rock with deep basslines and light touches of pop splattered throughout. Lucky for us, “Lost All Control” is out now on the duo’s latest eight track album What Will I Become, available from their Bandcamp page.

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the AU interview: Raf Rundell of The 2 Bears (UK) talks live show, Sugar Mountain, Bears in Space and more…

the AU review sat down with Raf Rundell of UK electronic duo The 2 Bears while he was in Sydney, Australia in January 2015 to discuss their latest record, a Bears in Space project, upcoming performance at the Australian festival Sugar Mountain, being a family man and much more! They’re touring Australia right about now……

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Beat The Drum artists reflect on their earliest triple j memories…

the AU review asks The Preatures, Ball Park Music and KLP to talk about their earliest memories of listening to triple j. Do they remember the first time the listened to the station? Filmed last week during the radio station’s 40th anniversary celebrations in Sydney: Beat The Drum.

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Live Review: Jaron Freeman-Fox and The Opposite of Everything – Camelot Lounge, Sydney (15.01.15)

It’s all too rare to see an artist genuinely doing something that seems to run against what is “popular”, or deemed “sellable” for either commercial or “indie cred” success. Underneath the demeanour of any artist is the drive for success, and though one would assume Canada’s Jaron Freeman-Fox is no different, when it comes to…

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First movies confirmed for Australia’s exclusive Pixar Film Festival

Late last year it was reported that Australia would be getting it’s first ever Pixar Film Festival, presented by Disney Pixar, encouraging us all to get nostalgic about our all-time favourite Pixar films and revisit them in some of the nation’s most frequented cinemas. The runs through February for 5 consecutive weekends and is exclusive…

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Film Review: The Quarantine Hauntings (Australia, 2015)

The Quarantine Station in North Head, Manly, is known, internationally even, as one of spookiest places ever. When it was used as a quarantine station between 1833 and 1984, over 5000 people lost their lives from diseases like the Bubonic Plague (the freaky one where you bleed from your eyes or something) and Smallpox. Rather…

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Film Review: The Wedding Ringer (USA, 2015)

The Wedding Ringer is a kind of terrible fun. The film has a direct-to-DVD feel that isn’t as enjoyable as The Wedding Singer but it’s also not as torturous as seeing your enemy get married. Ultimately, it’s a high-octane series of silly shenanigans that help redeem some of the film’s flatter moments. The movie is…

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Tkay Maidza, Ball Park Music, The Preatures and KLP talk about their triple j Beat The Drum performances

the AU review was backstage at triple j’s Beat The Drum concert, held in the Domain in Sydney on Friday, January 16th. Celebrating the iconic youth broadcaster’s 40th Birthday. While there, we spoke to The Preatures, KLP, Tkay Maidza and Ball Park Music about their performances at the event – who they were going to…

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Bonobo announces Australian DJ tour dates

British musician, producer and DJ Simon Green aka Bonobo will be returning to Australia and New Zealand for a run of special DJ sets this March. These special solo shows promise to include “spectacular visuals” and provide us with some hypnotic and hugely entertaining sets. Bonobo’s last record, The North Borders, was released back in…

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Watch as Sydney group Bonez attempt to perform Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" in the Triple J Studios Foyer

We’ve been deliberately trying to avoid taking part in the whole “Taylor Swift for Hottest 100” debate because, frankly, too many people were talking about it and it was a bandwagon we didn’t want to be a part of. We’re glad people are talking about Australian music though (as a byproduct) and ultimately, we just…

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Urban Theatre Project's Artistic Director Rosie Dennis talks Bankstown: Live (January 22nd to 25th)

BANKSTOWN:LIVE kicks off as part of Sydney Festival tomorrow, showing off an eclectic program over four days. To find out a bit more about what we can expect from the event, we caught up with the event’s curator – Urban Theatre Project’s Artistic Director Rosie Dennis. Tell me a little bit about how you came…

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VideAU Tech Review: Sony Digital Noise Cancelling Headset (MDR-NC31EM)

Recommended for use with the new Sony Xperia Z3 Smartphone, the Sony Digital Noise Cancelling Headset (RRP AU$79, MDR-NC31EM) brings together high quality sound with digital noise cancelling technology for an affordable price. Audio Quality Firstly, let’s talk about the audio quality. Putting it simply: it’s solid. With frequency response from 20Hz to 20,000Hz, it…

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Five International artists not to miss at St. Jerome's Laneway Festival 2015.

It’s that time of the year again that we get ourselves revved up for the massive Laneway Festival tour of Australia, New Zealand and Sinagpore – the first date of which kicks off this weekend in the Asian city. Now the only question is: who do we see? We’ve gone through the lineup and chosen…

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Live Review: Catfish and the Bottlemen + Food Court – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney (19.01.14)

It was Catfish and the Bottlemen‘s first ever Sydney show on Monday night – in the country acting as a support act to The Kooks. The support act for Catfish, however, were Sydney group Food Court, who proved themselves a tight outfit, bringing forth some surfy vibes – think Wavves and you’re on the right…

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Exclusive: An Interview with Edwyn Collins and the directors of his film The Possibilities Are Endless

The Possibilities Are Endless is a film that explores Edwyn Collins’ slow recovery and return to the stage after suffering from a stroke in 2005, which debilitated his music career and his life. Film-makers James Hall and Edward Lovelace work intimately with Collins to produce a beautiful film – voiced over by Collins himself superimposed…

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The Iris’ 24 Most Anticipated Films of 2015

With the return of franchises like Star Wars, Terminator, Bond, Jurassic Park and Mad Max, not one but TWO Pixar films (a first for the studio), the next Avengers, the end of the Hunger Games saga, that Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation and more sequels than you can possibly imagine (some of which are totally unnecessary……

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Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience set to tour Australia

Fans of the classic 1979 TV series Faulty Towers have something to look forward to. The interactive theatre production Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience is returning for a run of shows as part of Fringe World Perth, Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival following successful jaunts around the world. The production puts…

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