Chicago

Theatre Review: Chicago is a seductive jailhouse romp with star-studded glam

Full of murder, greed and that oh so seductive razzle dazzle, Broadway’s longest-running musical has found its way back to Australia for a limited season. Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two strong individuals with big aspirations who find themselves locked up and on trial for murder. When they learn of…

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First names revealed for Riot Fest 2022 as stacked 2021 Chicago event sells out

The US Festival season is finally heating up again as Covid restrictions start to lift and that promised “Hot Vax Summer” becomes a reality in the Northern Hemisphere. With the last 15 months being live music free in most of the country, music fans are chomping at the bit to see their favourite bands perform…

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‘Looking Past the Pandemic’ with Wayne Baker Brooks from Chicago, Illinois

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

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Cocktail Recipe: The Smashing Pumpkin from I|O Godfrey, Chicago

The richness in Chicago’s historic cocktail scene is endless, and the innovation knows no bounds. Just go take a look of our roundup of cocktail recipes from some of the best bars in the Chi for a taste of just how diverse this city can get when it comes to bar hopping for some exceptional…

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Cocktail recipes from the best bars in Chicago, Illinois

Domestic travel is on the cusp of a resurgence with states across Australia beginning to relax lockdown measures. International travel? That’s a different story. With many countries around the world struggling in the fight against COVID-19, we’ve been given conflicting information on when international travel will resume to a sense of normalcy anytime soon. Some…

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‘Looking Past the Pandemic’ with Chip E from Chicago, Illinois

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

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‘Looking past the Pandemic’ with Slow Pulp from Chicago, USA

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

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The very best of Lollapalooza is coming to your lounge room all weekend

Over the next four nights, Chicago’s iconic Lollapalooza will be transformed into a spectacular online festival with retrospective performances alongside intimate discussions and more than a handful of new, original performances by big-ticket acts. It’ll all be going down exclusively on YouTube, following the path of previous festival-streaming events but offering a deeper exploration to…

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Citrus Salad

Recipe: Citrus Salad from Swissotel Chicago

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

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Chicago is live music mecca this year as it celebrates the “Year of Music”

House, blues, hip hop, gospel, and just about every other culturally important form of music you can think of. It’s all in the Windy City. And it’s everywhere, and anywhere, as it should be. Chicago is one of the most sacred cities in the world when it comes to music history. From legendary jazz clubs…

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Why Chicago International Film Festival is worth travelling for in 2020

In its 55th year of competition, the Chicago International Film Festival – the longest-running of its kind in the USA – once again acted as a beacon for cinephiles the world over, showcasing meaningful works across various genres and countries. Film festivals have long been considered some of the greatest and most impactful destination events…

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Telluride Film Festival 2020

Five U.S. film festivals that are worth the trip in 2020

Travelling for arts festivals is one of the most enriching experiences an intrepid adventurer can have. Not only are you able to explore a destination as you normally would, and take in the many sights, sounds and experiences on offer, you also have access to a curated program brimming with creativity. Whether that means you’ve…

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Chicago International Film Festival Review: Just Mercy finds justice on death row

A film like Just Mercy lays all cards on the table before it even starts. On the surface, it’s another entry in the long-line of righteous fury pointed at miscarried justice and a system unashamed by its own historical wrongdoings. And yes, that’s pretty much what it is, adapting the true story from a 2014…

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Chicago International Film Festival Review: The Painted Bird – brutal, cold, beautiful

Candide, or absolute nihilism? Eastern European cinema has always had a nail-biting bleakness about it, but The Painted Bird may have just upended all others. This is a brutal hellscape somehow stretched into an adventure epic; as hard to look away from, as it is to watch in the first place. There’s little wonder as…

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Theatre Review: Chicago is a Sexy Romp of Athletic Performance

One of the longest-running musicals in history, Chicago returns to our shores again, seemingly only a heartbeat since it’s the last production, which was in fact in 2009. As the show-to-end-all-shows, it seems interesting to have it return, in this mounting of the most recent Broadway production. However in our current era of reality and…

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Lollapalooza Best of Day One: The Strokes take on “techno monsters” and reign supreme

The 15th edition of Lollapalooza in Chicago kicked off with the greatest weather you could ever ask for. The annual festival which always takes place on the first weekend of August is usually met with scorching sun, torrid temps, and severe threats of dehydration. But this year by the grace of the weather gods it…

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Photo Gallery: Chicago: The Musical Sydney Rehearsals (25.06.19)

Our first look at the rehearsals for Chicago the musical playing at the Capitol Theatre this August and starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte as Roxie Hart, Alinta Chidzey as Velma Kelly and Casey Donovan as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton’

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SXSW Interview: Fatai (Australia) talks taking the “Road Less Travelled” in the Chicago Blues scene

I first sat down with Australian artist Fatai at SXSW 2018, where we spoke about her making her SXSW debut and getting comfortable in Chicago – the US city she calls home. Fast forward a year and the artist has returned to SXSW, with a brand new single “Road Less Traveled” in tow, and a…

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Album Review: On Freewave 3 (2019 LP), Lucki has forced himself and his turmoil into the limelight

For those who haven’t heard about Chicago rapper Lucki, the 22 year old is one of the most promising underground rap talents in recent memory. First achieving notoriety in 2012 with his critically acclaimed project Alternative Trap establishing the 16 year old as a formidable rapper with a unique delivery style that has developed and…

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Live Review: Saba loved his CARE FOR ME show in Sydney just as much as we did

On Tuesday night, the Sydney Opera House was treated to one of the first Australian performances of Chicago rapper Saba, an incredibly talented rising star with a lot of hype surrounding his career to date. He was met with the warmest of welcomes from the packed Opera House, with energy and cheers greeting each changing…

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As he embarks on his debut Australian tour, Chicago rapper Saba is ready to hit the spotlight

Teetering between the early-2018 release of an album, and his upcoming Australian tour, Saba is poised for a deserved spike in notoriety. A Chicago based rapper, cut from the same cloth as Chance the Rapper, Saba fell into the local indie rap scene in southern Chicago, acting as an antonym to the swirling popularity of…

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Album Review: Joey Purp’s QUARTERTHING (2018 LP) shows incredible progression from the rising hip hop star

The stellar year for music that has been 2018 delivers once again with the new release from Chicago rapper Joey Purp. Off the strength of previous project iiiDrops (featuring the bouncy hit ‘Girls @‘ featuring Chance the Rapper) he’s released QUARTERTHING, a new album that shows incredible progression for the rising star. A member of the…

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Photo Gallery: Lollapalooza Day Four ft Jack White, What So Not, Portugal the Man, Manchester Orchestra and more

Lollapalooza wrapped up in Chicago on Sunday with performances from the likes of Jack White, What So Not, Portugal the Man, Manchester Orchestra, Anderson East, Lykke Li, Morgan Saint, Superorganism, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Mikky Ekko. Our photographer Taylor Mithelman was on ground and brings us back these photos!

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Lollapalooza Day Four: Jack White closes the festival with Portugal the Man, What So Not, Manchester Orchestra and more

Lollapalooza ended just as hot as it began in terms of temperature and excitement. Jack White led the bill competing against three very different options in Odesza, Excision and Playboy Carti. Threats of inclement weather forced some of the acts to begin earlier, but Jack White had his crowd ask God to hold off and…

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Review & Photos: Tank and the Bangas shine at their Lollapalooza Aftershow – Thalia Hall, Chicago

Lollapalooza aftershows can be tough tasks. Spending 10 hours in the hot sun if Grant Park can be exhausting and quite taxing. So then to turn around go across town and strap in for another 2 and a half hours of music can be quite the challenge. Luckily, Tank and the Bangas played a set Friday…

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Lollapalooza Day Two: Post Malone, Bruno Mars, The National, Brockhampton and more highlight Friday’s best

The second day of Lollapalooza was jam packed with much variety and some of the hottest names in music today. The three headliners couldn’t have provided more variety and something for everyone. Dillon Francis played the EDM main stage Perry’s, while Bruno Mars and National played the main stages on the North and Souh ends…

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Flight Review: United Airlines – Chicago O’Hare to Buffalo, New York (UA5177)

In today’s flight review, we travel on board United Airlines’ service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport – the world’s fourth busiest airport by passenger traffic – to Buffalo, New York, not too far from Niagara Falls and Toronto, Canada. Airline: United Airlines Route: Chicago O’Hare to Buffalo, New York – UA5177 Seat: Economy, 23D aisle…

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Flume, LCD Soundsystem and more help close out the 25th year of Lollapalooza in Chicago

Lollapalooza closed outs its 25th year celebration in big time fashion Sunday night. Sunday night lacked the giant headliners that Friday and Saturday had but had plenty of star power and variety to close out in perfect fashion. LCD Soundsystem and Elle Goulding had the honors of closing out the two main stages. The two…

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A culinary adventure through the Summer Festivals of North America: Part Four – Lollapalooza (Chicago, USA)

As we continue our culinary tour around North America, we come to Chicago, Illinois in the USA for their annual Lollapalooza, an iconic festival that, this year, celebrates its 25th anniversary over a mammoth four day event. As they are about to kick off the event for 2016, we’ll take you back to the event…

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Flight Review: Southwest Airlines – Memphis, TN to Chicago Midway (WN1470)

In today’s Flight review on AU Abroad, we take you on Southwest Airlines‘ service from Memphis, Tennessee to Chicago Midway in the USA. Airline: Southwest Airlines Route: Memphis, Tennessee (MEM) to Chicago Midway (MDW) – WN1470 Seat: 22C (aisle, 3-3 layout) Aircraft: Boeing 737-700 (73W) Scheduled Flight Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes On Schedule? Departed 15 minutes late, arrived about 5 minutes late Frequent Flyer Program: Southwest have…

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