AFTER a six-year hiatus, Pete Murray is back with a new album, a national tour and a hit single remixed by PNAU. The singer-songwriter says he has been busy running a health and fitness business in Byron Bay for the past few years, but always kept his hand in. “I was still writing and recording…

THE STEMS are one of those seminal 80s Perth bands that are still loved around the world. The alt-rockers made their live debut in 1984, alongside The Triffids and The Saints, and over three decades later they remain a must-see act for music lovers. The Stems celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut album At…

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre and the Western Australian Museum are excited to present the world premiere of Tom Vickers and the Extraordinary Adventure of his Missing Sock at the WA Shipwrecks Museum Fremantle from 14-29 April; the Museum of Geraldton from 10-13 May and the Museum of the Great Southern in Albany from 1-4 June 2018.…

A FIVE-minute pitch with Penguin books in Sydney turned two years of rejection around for Perth author Anthea Hodgson. The Romance Writers of Australia conference was swarming with hopeful novelists when the Mt Hawthorn resident spruiked her first book The Drifter. When a letter arrived four weeks later offering a two book contract, “I said yes…

THE camaraderie and valour of diggers in World War I is seen as the beginnings of what it means to be Australian. But that’s not the story for the first Australians. Aboriginal service personnel were whited-out of the “heroic” narrative when they returned home after the war, author Rachel Bin Salleh says. The indigenous soldiers…

AINSLEY MELHAM has had a magical ride since graduating from WAAPA in 2012, so it’s no surprise he’ll be flying a magic carpet in Disney’s stage production of Aladdin. His first big break was when landed a role in the kids pop group Hi-5, where his boyish good looks and powerful voice made him a…

EXPECT a bit of chaos when urban artist Handbrake holds his first solo show in a refurbished warehouse in East Perth. Along with more than 50 works, many on skateboards, there’ll be a custom, hand-painted cafe racer motorbike which was created with mate Billy (Marjin) Kuijken from Rogue Motorcycles. The pair cut an old Triumph…

FRANKENSTEIN turns 200 this year, but everyone’s favourite monster remains as fresh as the day he lurched from the pages of Mary Shelley’s novel. In fact he’s so popular Perth contemporary dance company Co3 is bringing back its modern-day take on the tale, Frank Enstein, following a sell-out 2017 season . The company commissioned award-winning…

TUNE in to 6EBA’s Blues, Jazz and Beyond, and you could be sharing the airwaves with audiences as far away as Europe and the USA. Presenter Arthur Gracias notched up his 100th edition of the Perth community radio show in January, and over the years he’s built up a loyal fan base, including renowned international…

FROM Marie Antoinette and Joan of Arc, to Julia Gillard and Princess Diana, women have been politically white-anted through the ages, Imogen Kelly says. But the burlesque queen has rewritten the pages of history in her striptease romp, Herstory–The Leading Ladies. “Showing the ridiculousness of the political sabotage that happened to these women,” Kelly says.…