the AU interview: We get to know The London Souls (New York)

Last July saw The AU Review venture to the Quebec City Summer Festival in Quebec, Canada where we caught up with New York based outfit The London Souls. Having just performed, Chris, Tash and Stu talk about a scary incident during their show, appreciative Canadian crowds, the history of the band and what’s next for them on an international scale.

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Australia & New Zealand Take the Spotlight at Canadian Music Week 2015

The Annual Canadian Music Week has chosen to feature Australia and New Zealand for their 33rd installment, hosting 21 elite industry members and over 25 artists to participate in conferences, performances and awards shows… with more to come!

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Vanilla Ace Announces Debut Australian Tour Dates

London based Vanilla Ace is set to tour Australia for the very first time this January, thanks to Soapbox Artists. After exploding onto the EDM scene in 2012, the producer will finally be bringing his soulful house music to some of the most loved underground venues on Australia’s East Coast. Citing influences ranging from 1980’s disco to New Swing Jack, this is not a show to miss!

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The best moments from Sugar Mountain Festival's years at The Forum in Melbourne (2011 to 2013)

Since launching onto the Melbourne scene in 2011, with an annual event at the Forum Theatre, the boutique festival Sugar Mountain has become one of Australia’s most anticipated events. Always boasting an incredibly well curated lineup, the event endeavours to provide an experience you won’t have at any other festival. And by all accounts it…

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Film Review: American Sniper (USA, 2014)

Based on the best-selling autobiography of the same name, Clint Eastwood’s new film American Sniper is the gripping story of Chris Kyle, the “Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History”. Starring Bradley Cooper in the lead role, the film avoid the typical “war movie” plot twists or convolution, endeavouring instead to focus on a man who…

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The Iris’ 14 Best TV Series of 2014

We look back at the 14 TV shows that we couldn’t get enough of in 2014… 14. Banshee This little known series produced by one the more low brow networks in the US (Cinemax), has a plenty of thrills and was one of the more underrated shows of the past couple of years. This series…

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Win a double pass to one of the final performances of "WICKED The Musical" in Sydney!

Wicked: The Musical is in its final weeks at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, with the Emerald City closing down on January 30th before it moves on to Brisbane (opening February 12th) and then Perth in May – and we have a double pass to give away to one of the final shows! One lucky…

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the AU review’s 15 Australian artists to watch in 2015

It’s that time again where we look ahead to the year, rather than backwards, and move through the Australian artists we think will make it big in 2015. Now, our definition of “big” doesn’t mean a Gotye size explosion – we just think that by the end of this year, all these artists will be…

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28 Months Later emerges as a strong possibility

Big news for horror fans today as Alex Garland, screenwriter for 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, as well as director for the upcoming Ex Machina, popped by the IGN offices in London and opened up about the very strong possibility of making the very long-awaited 28 Months Later a reality. Garland stated, ““We’ve…

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Release date confirmed for sixth season of Community

Cult comedy and regular best. show. ever recipient Community was purchased by Yahoo! last year, adding to the confusion over the series foggy future. At least that future is a bit clearer now with the announcement that the show will return for a Sixth Season, an announcement made at a panel which included series creator…

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Bondi Beach welcomes Ben & Jerry’s Open-Air Cinema once more this Summer

Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas are back with a bang this summer, bringing music by day and movies by night to Sydney’s Bondi Beach. As part of a nationwide series of events, which are enjoyed by more than 150,000 people across Australia, the Sydney leg of the tour will take place on the lawn by…

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DVD Release: Banshee Season 2 now available on DVD and Blu-Ray

With Banshee now entering it’s third season, it’s time for fans to own the complete second season of this action-packed series on Home Release. Released in stores nation-wide as of today (Wednesday 14th January), the Home Release of Banshee is packed full of special features including episode recaps, Banshee origin stories, twitter commentary with the…

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Film Review: Unbroken (USA, 2014)

Make no mistake about it, the story which has inspired director Angelina Jolie to bring this film to life is equal parts heartbreaking and genuinely inspiring, digging into the crux of the human spirit – or rather a particular human spirit – and a resilience that seems almost impossible. Unbroken is a biopic about remarkable…

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Best of 2014 Countdown: Best 40 Australian Albums of the Year

Earlier this month we revealed our top 40 albums of 2014, which included 14 albums from Australia (including The Smith Street Band as our number one!). As we did last year, however, we want to make sure as many Australian albums are highlighted as possible! So, we’ve gone back to our list of votes from…

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Win a meet-and-greet and double pass to Kim Churchill's Sydney show!

We’re excited to present Kim Churchill fans with an amazing opportunity. We’re giving away two tickets to two lucky winners to his show at the Oxford Art Factory in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on Saturday the 24th of January. Winners will also be treated to a meet and greet with Kim at the venue after sound check…

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Exclusive Playlist: My 10 Favourite Songs (Right Now) with Brandon Roundtree from Conditions (Richmond, VA)

Farewelling Australia next month will be much loved US post-hardcore/melodic rock group Conditions, hitting the stage as part of the mammoth Soundwave Festival tour. In advance of the bittersweet shows, the band’s lead vocalist Brandon Roundtree shared with us ten of his favourite tracks for today’s exclusive playlist: Song name: Better In The Dark Artist:…

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Win a double pass to the Ballarat Beer Festival

Summer is here and if one thing Summer is tailor-made for it is fun in the sun. What better way to spend a Summer Saturday than grabbing some friends and family, and heading to Ballarat Beer Festival – Victoria’s original boutique beer Festival, celebrating all things liquid gold on the picturesque Ballarat City Oval on…

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Film Review: Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (USA, 2014)

Few films of recent years have had ingredients for wonder so specific as Birdman. Michael Keaton portraying a washed up, former comic book star trying to revitalise his career in an inventive script co-written and directed by the man who brought us Biutiful; the potential for amazement is through the roof and somehow, the film…

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Second full trailer for The Avengers: Age of Ultron is as epic as you would expect

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ulton is going to be met with alarmingly high expectations, especially with how successful and acclaimed the last Avengers film was. Marvel’s big gun will be hitting up cinemas worldwide come May 1st, and the world has been blessed with another look at the very big, very loud superhero…

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ACMI announces program details for Epic Intimacy: The Cinema of Zhang Yimou & Gong Li

This March, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is set to house Epic Intimacy: The Cinema of Zhang Yimou & Gong Li as part of its China Up Close program. From the 6 – 15 March, enthusiasts are invited to congregate together and celebrate the legacy of the award winning Chinese director and his exquisite…

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Box Office Report: Taken 3 takes it away again

Surprisingly enough, Taken 3 has topped the box office this week with an astounding $5 million. Albeit stating in 2013 that there would be no further sequels as “she can’t get taken again. That’s just bad parenting”, it appears the masses were keen for more of Liam Neeson doing the impossible. Following behind on $3…

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TV Review: Danger 5 – Season 2, Episode 2 (Australia, 2015)

WARNING: This review contains spoilers. “Hitler….Hitler…” was the name on the roll call rather than Bueller for this episode of Danger 5, which had the super team undercover at an American high school. Hitler’s disguise this time is a letterman jacket-wearing jock, who hopes to find a date and be crowned the King of Christmas…

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New trailer teases third season of Netflix series House of Cards

To say that “the stakes are high” would be a gross understatement when being confronted with the new trailer for the third (and assumed final) series of House of Cards, which was released today. We’re so used to seeing Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) as a manipulative, cunning and at times, evil politician desperately trying to climb…

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TV Review: Girls Season 4 Episode 1 “Iowa” (USA, 2015)

Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna have never really been particularly likeable characters. They’re insecure, self-obsessed, naïve, entitled, rude, and often deluded about their own lives. Why, then, do I keep coming back, season after season, to keep watching their misadventures? The answer to this question has eluded me ever since I first started disliking Girls…

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angels and airwaves the dream walker album art

Album Review: Angels and Airwaves – The Dream Walker (2014 LP)

Angels and Airwaves are not your usual band. They are an art project; a multimedia amalgamation who have delivered a brilliant fifth studio album in The Dream Walker. On it, Tom DeLonge (also vocalist of Blink-182) and Ilan Rubin (of Nine Inch Nails) have further explored the dimensions of their own collaborative capabilities, reaching out to different audiences through the themes that circulate…

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Eating with the AU: Beer Deluxe – Federation Square (Melbourne)

Next time I’m heading into the city to meet up with friends at Federation Square they will find me round the back enjoying a beer (or two) at BEER DELUXE – isn’t that just the most fabulous name for a place serving over 250 types of beer plus a decent food menu! Tucked at the…

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Stumbled Upon #012 – Love Cream (Adelaide)

In our 12th instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet Adelaide’s Love Cream, winners of the Australian final of the 2014 Emergenza international band contest and chat about just where their name came from (it appears to be more innocent than you would think) and get a sneak peak at their debut album, First Taste ….

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Secret Garden Festival announces full line up for 2015!

The Secret Garden Festival recently dropped the news that it had completely sold out all tickets for the 2015 festival, which was only testament to the event’s continued popularity and faith from the loyal public who’ve backed it for so long. Today, the Sydney organisers dropped the full line up of artists set to perform…

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Exclusive Playlist: NEEDTOBREATHE present their 10 favourite songs for a road trip

Ahead of their Australian tour next month, American rockers NEEDTOBREATHE are sharing exclusively with AU review readers their ten favourite songs to listen to on the road. And you know this is a band who spend a lot of time on it. So enjoy these amazing ten tracks and keep it as a playlist for…

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the AU interview at FOTSUN: Karl S Williams (Queensland)

Last month we sat down with Queensland artist Karl S Williams backstage at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie. We talk to him about his live show, his music, the past year and what might be in store in the future…

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