King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard made the ambitious promise to release five albums in 2017. Being the dedicated miracle musicians that they are— the band sealed the deal just shy of 2018 with Gumboot Soup, their fifth release of the year. This release no doubt scored brownie points with fans and critics in terms […]
Australia
Ashes Preview 2017/18: Can England really win Down Under?
With the England squad having landed in Australia and preparations underway, the build-up to this winter’s Ashes series can well and truly begin. With the warm-up games already underway, some random 14-year-old Australian will rip through England’s batting order to destroy any optimism before the series has even begun. In fact, if any optimism did […]
Legends, not myths: Sir Len Hutton
The Second World War stole the lives of many great men and less importantly, robbed numerous potential sporting legends of the best years of their career. As a man who volunteered for the army in 1939, Len Hutton could easily have fallen into either category. The Yorkshire opener spent the time between his twenty-third and […]
Demotion of democracy: Australia
When asked to list democratic countries, most people would include Australia amongst their choices. Indeed, it is a democracy in almost every measurable way; it operates under the rule of law, it has a parliament which is accountable to the people and all citizens over the age of 18 are entitled to vote. Yet the […]
What is an Australian? The Debate over Australia Day
It is two weeks before Australia Day: a man on a bus yells “go back to your own country!” He is told to leave the bus, which is heading back from Bondi Beach. Other passengers quieten, but as the doors hiss closed and the man, having hurled his abuse, stumbles on his way. Conversations are resumed […]
What can we learn from the impact of compulsory voting in Australia?
Compulsory voting is a hugely contentious issue; for its opponents it flies in the face of every principle of democracy, yet for its supporters it is a vital way of engaging the maximum number of citizens in the democratic process. Whilst the theoretical debate about whether forcing people to vote is compatible with democratic principles […]
Farage’s Future? Pauline Hanson and the One Nation Party
In the United Kingdom, we all know about Nigel Farage and the UK Independence Party. We have seen his impact on our political system in our messy exit from the EU, while his active support and defence of Donald Trump indicates his backwards attitude towards minorities and multiculturalism in general. From UKIP’s founding in 1993, the party and its […]
Politics down under: what to expect from the ACT legislative assembly election
While the world’s attention is being drawn to the debacle that is the 2016 United States Presidential Election, there’s a lot happening politically down under. Australia Capital Territory (ACT) is holding its legislative assembly elections on 15 October for twenty-five seats, five for each electorate. It may not be as dramatic as Trump and Clinton’s showdown […]
Album Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity
P sychedelic rock is a tree with many branches, man. Many think of Pink Floyd’s cosmic atmospheres and soaring leads; sound that floats around your brain as you lie back on the grass, headphones in, and the clouds play out in a circus scene above you. Brick in the Wall turns into Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. […]
Britpop via Australia: An Interview with DMA’s
Hype can kill a band, particularly after releasing a successful single or two. There are those who use it to thrive, just take someone like Arctic Monkeys, who back in 2005 rode a wave of online exposure, ultimately landing them with the fastest-selling debut album of all time in Britain. However, there are dozens that […]