The Astor Theatre Under Threat

A true icon of Melbourne cinema, the heritage listed art deco Astor Theatre is under threat. Over the past 80 years The Astor has has survived a World War, the advent of video, DVD, movies on demand...
news
Patrick Wolf Intimate Acoustic Tour Posted 17 May 2012 @ 9:41am 70 views 0 comments The androgynous British wunderkind Patrick Wolf has today announced his return to Australian soil. The tour will present a special opportunity for fans to witness Patrick Wolf in an intimate environment, with his delightful histrionics being curtailed somewhat by an acoustic guise.   In what is sure to be a unique experience, Patrick will be joined by only one other musician onstage,...
Slash Announces Stadium Tour Posted 17 May 2012 @ 9:40am 105 views 0 comments One of the all-time guitar greats has announced his triumphant return to Australia, bringing with him a stellar backing band and a certified classic body of work. When perpetually top-hat-adorned guitar god Slash was last in Australia, a series of venues upgrades took place to cater for demand. It still wasn't enough, with shows selling out in rapid succession. This time, Slash is heading...
Let's Dance Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:43pm 4 views 0 comments Sadly for us, this in no way has any correlation to David Bowie. That is unless, of course, Mr Stardust himself was keen on a bit of a boogie. Rather, it’s the Australian Ballet, plus a few special guests, that are getting ready for one huge dance party.  As part of The Australian Ballet’s 50th anniversary, the company is bringing together eight of the country’s most exciting dance...
Zoe Keating Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 2 views 0 comments She’s a one-woman orchestra machine, and now Zoe Keating will be gracing her sublime musical presence on us all for the first time ever.  Touring only with her cello and a foot-controlled laptop to record layer upon layer of cello, Ms Keating creates intricate, haunting and compelling music. And if our word of her talent isn’t enough, the proof might just be in the pudding. Zoe has...
Infra Ghosts Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 2 views 0 comments Get prepared for a little bit of haunting as ghosts haunt No No Gallery for the month of May. Infra Ghosts is a series of works by artist Hugh Davis that explore the duality of existence.  In the first instance, the works exist as traditional paintings, in oil and pigment, mounted and framed on the gallery wall. The works generate infra-red light just outside the human visible spectrum, so...
Echoes Of Others Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 2 views 0 comments Each year, the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival (HRAFF) brings together artists from disparate and yet connected cultures, aiming to harness the power of art as a formidable means of communication, transcending cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences.  As part of their constant venture, HRAFF will present Echoes Of Others, which seeks not only to inspire, engage and cross...
Human Rights Art And Film Festival Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 2 views 0 comments The team at HRAFF HQ are excited, and so are we, with their eleven day festival having just started.  Within the festival, HRAFF will present a selection of films, fine art, music and forums that aim to engage, inspire, entertain and encourage people to think about human rights issues in a broader sense. Expect to see an extensive cavalcade of Australian premiere films, art exhibitions,...
Creative Australia Fellowships Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 6 views 0 comments There’s doing what you love, and then there’s getting money for doing what you love. Luckily for the next three mentioned people, they get to experience both of those.  Antony Hamilton, Gaele Mellis and Gian Slater are the three Melbourne recipients of a Creative Australia Fellowships award – a major new initiative to support the professional development of outstanding artists working...
Wintering Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 1 view 0 comments Unlike many ambiguous titles, Wintering is very much about everything chilly. Twelve months ago, Western Australian choreographer Aimee Smith voyaged to the Arctic Circle. It’s all from that experience that Wintering was conceived.    Inspired by the fragility and strength of an iced landscape, the performance uses imagery and sounds collected by the artist from the Arctic environment...
Brunsdog Cartoon Connection Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 3 views 0 comments Cartoonists and animators – WE NEED YOU. Well, Brunsdog Cartoon Connection need you, actually.  The folks over there are getting prepared to run a cartoon film-based day at the first Sunday of every month starting next month. On these occasions, they’ll be screening the best new short cartoons from Melbourne and beyond.   All they need? Well, some cartoon-makers and animators with...
Pimp My Sneaker Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 4 views 0 comments In quite possibly some of the coolest news to head our way about the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere, Chadstone is currently holding Pimp My Sneaker – an exhibition of sneakers created by a global collection of artists.    With everyone from Remi Rough and Billy Alex to Mr Penfold and Pixel Pancho, the artists have all been invited to pimp their sneakers for an...
Dig Deep Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:42pm 1 view 0 comments Much like the title implies, this one’s all about being charitable – in spirit. Young artists from Arts Centre Melbourne’s renowned hip hop music mentoring program Dig Deep are getting ready to host a free performance on the Arts Centre Melbourne forecourt as part of Refugee Week.  Celebrating the contribution of young people from diverse backgrounds to our community, these talented young...
Deepchild Returns to Melbourne Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:04pm 19 views 0 comments When Stereo-Heaven (the biggest record store in Essen, Germany) found that their biggest selling tech-house record was one that happened to be written in a tiny share-house studio in the far-off city of Sydney, Australia - it seemed that something special was beginning. The emergence of Australian ex-pat Deepchild, now residing in Germany, is one that surprised many at first, but catch a snippet...
Isolee Tours Australia Posted 16 May 2012 @ 12:04pm 22 views 0 comments With a career spanning over 15 years to date, Isolee’s youthful experiments with a synthesiser and a drum machine were the beginnings of a life-long love affair with dance music.  One that's skipped across every single part of electronica's colourful spectrum of sounds - bringing the sounds of minimal house to the mainstream and popularising a pared-back and intelligent approach to the...
World's End Press Tour Posted 16 May 2012 @ 11:44am 100 views 0 comments One of the most exciting acts to emerge from ol' Melbourne town in recent memory, World's End Press, have announced their return to the touring circuit. The funk-worshipping outfit have been slaying it at many of the country's biggest festivals, as well as some choice support slots.   The tour coincides with the upcoming release of their new EP, Second Day Uptown.   Their appearance at...
Parachute Youth Drop Into Town Posted 15 May 2012 @ 9:04pm 32 views 0 comments In the two years since their chance meeting at a less-than-spectacular houseparty, the duo that is Parachute Youth, made up of two wayward Australian boys with a fondness for good times have certainly jumped into the deeper end of dance music.  Recruiting Sweat it Out labelmate Ajax and Sam La More to help them put together their debut single Can't Get Better Than This, their appeal has...
Francois K Announces Australian Tour Posted 15 May 2012 @ 9:03pm 35 views 0 comments Francois K needs no introduction.  One of the undisputed forefathers of dance music, the French DJ of Armenian heritage has spent nigh on thirty years helping to shape the landscape of house music on a global scale. Starting his career in now-legendary clubs Paradise Garage and Studio 54, Francois K’s credentials as a DJ, producer and remixer are dizzyingly impressive – tours with Derrick...
Alvin Risk's Australian Debut Posted 15 May 2012 @ 9:03pm 16 views 0 comments A singer and producer, up-and-coming Washington resident Alvin Risk's talents have earned him an unprecedented amount of support despite the short length of time in which he's been operating.  One of Steve Aoki's young-guns on the equally feared and respected purveyor of party-starting ridiculousness Dim Mak, Alvin Risk's relatively-small amount of aggressively upbeat output has already...
Keys To Music Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 5 views 0 comments As part of the MSO’s commitment to helping audiences of all ages increase their enjoyment of classical music, the MSO will be joined by ABC’s Classic FM’s Graham Abbott to explore Haydn’s Symphony No 99 in a live Keys to Music performance.  In this special concert, Abbott and the MSO will lead the audience through movements from Symphony No. 99, before finishing with a complete performance...
Australian Pops Orchestra Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 7 views 0 comments You know the dude from Dancing With The Stars that was found unconscious from too much alcohol on a Sydney park bench? And the guy that sounds like Kermit The Frog who composes stuff? Yeah, Todd McKenney and John Foreman.  Well, they, along with Chloe Dallimore are getting together for this year’s Australian Pops Orchestra. Known as the peoples orchestra, the Australian Pops Orchestra...
The Light In Winter Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 13 views 0 comments It’s getting colder and colder in good ol’ Melbourne town. As the winter chill takes hold over our city, Federation Square will bask in the glow of The Light in Winter – a free, month-long program directed by global champion of the Arts, Robyn Archer AO.  The Light In Winter will bring together local and international artists, designers and more than 20 of Melbourne’s culturally diverse...
Melbourne Fringe Festival Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 11 views 0 comments Calling all artists – have you got an idea for a show? The Melbourne Fringe Festival is one of Australia’s largest open-access events, which means that anyone can take part.    All you need to do? Sign up, pay a small fee, and then take advantage of various professional development forums and information sessions arranged by Melbourne Fringe to help artists get the most from their...
Bruce Mathiske Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 5 views 0 comments Internationally recognised as a maestro of the guitar, Bruce Mathiske is getting ready to take his glorious strumming cross country with his Guitar-Uoso Australian Tour.  With a career spanning three decades, Bruce has delighted audiences worldwide with not just a phenomenal level of technical brilliance, but with his seemingly instinctive ability to absorb, then consummately deliver just...
Nicolas Altstaedt Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 5 views 0 comments Love classical music or just an avid fan of the cello? Allow your heart to flutter as multi-award winning cellist Nicolas Altstaedt dons his musical glory on our city for one night of cello magic.  Making his Australian National Academy of Music debut, the celebrated soloist has performed around the globe with many other high class classical performers, including Gidon Kremer, Daniel Hope,...
Top Acts Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 5 views 0 comments VCE is no easy feat, but it’s always good to have a bit of fun with it. The Top Acts concert showcases the works of some of Victoria’s most exceptional emerging performers.  The pinnacle of the annual VCE Season of Excellence, Top Acts is a one night extravaganza of the very best in performing arts, showcased in the opulent surrounds of St Kilda’s iconic Palais Theatre.   40...
Art Povera Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 4 views 0 comments They say that everything is cyclical, and for the Art Povera movement, this is exactly the case. Marta Bonaventura is the perfect example of a contemporary exploration of this movement.  Her pieces are an intimate yet playful example of her life and cultural Italian experiences, interpreted into beautifully cohesive pieces that clearly portray her personality and artistic talent in a visual...
Re Boot Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 4 views 0 comments It’s time for us to rewind the clock and visit the pop culture of the yesteryears.  Brisbane artist Sharon McKenzie appropriates a past-coded surface (the doily), to subvert meaning as a strategy for revealing an underlying environmental message.   All of the items Sharon draws inspirations from are sourced directly from the side of the road and creatively altered. The ‘handmade’...
Indian Plonk Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 4 views 0 comments Mind out of the gutter, people. Indian Plonk is a united collaboration surrounding the theme of India through the eyes of three artists; Tessa Moncrieff, Paul Moncrieff and Jillian Green.  Indian Plonk presents works by these three exceptional artists as they explore India through cultural inspiration, with each producing beautifully unique pieces that work together in a truly...
Camille O'Sullivan Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 4 views 0 comments You know that you must be doing something right when the Daily Telegraph says “When she sings it’s as though her breath is soaked in paraffin; one spark, and the whole room would ignite.” Presenting Camille O’Sullivan.  The Irish-French chanteuse is heading to Melbourne next month to perform her “cabaret as black art”. Known for entrancing audiences around the world, performing five-star...
MSO Education Week Posted 15 May 2012 @ 5:22pm 4 views 0 comments A lot of people think that education is in no way synonymous with having a good time, but the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are here to prove otherwise.  Join the MSO as the doors of Melbourne Town Hall open to more than 10,000 school students, parents and teachers for the annual ‘open house’ that’s dedicated to sharing the joy of music-making through the first hand experience of live...