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Music isn't a Boys Club: Meet five Australian musicians getting set to take over the world

Welcome to the new series highlighting talented Australian female musicians as they travel the country and the world - setting names for themselves in their wake. To start off the series, we take you to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas and the Queensland Music Awards (QMAs) where we meet five talented musicians who are  getting set to become superstars in their own right, while proving the naysayers wrong: this industry is anything but a "boys club".

George Maple Future Classic - the label who have brought us the likes of EDM superstar Flume - recently signed this young talent from Sydney, which has quickly seen tracks like "Talk Talk" and "Vacant Space" get local and international attention. While she was making her mark on the annual SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas, I caught up with her to find out more about her growing success and what her plans for the future are:

I saw you’ve played LA on the way over, first time playing there?

Yeah, it was crazy. We sold it out! It was mental because I haven’t done a headline gig yet and it’s amazing when I could play all the songs, like I’ve done so many showcases where I’m like oh I can’t play this song because it just doesn’t ‘bang’ as much as I need it to bang. And so, it’s been really nice.

How have you found your music to have travelled here? You know, before you came here, were you finding there to be interest in your music through Facebook and all that?

I guess you never know when you go overseas, you never know who likes it, who doesn’t. I think I was very surprised with the response in LA, the project's still so small and it manages to reach that many people in the US, which is really cool. Yeah, I guess we’ll see what happens during the year!

Indeed. How long do you spend here? Is it a pretty quick trip, do you head back home soon? I know you have some shows in Australia.

Yeah I’m here until I leave for that. I’m doing something special at the end of April here which I can’t talk about yet but yeah it’s quite a long trip. I spend a lot of time over here anyway.

What’s your general feeling of your future trajectory then, are you going to continue spending a lot of time over here do you think?

I think so, I mean, for me I’m primarily a songwriter so being in LA makes a lot of sense being able to connect to other pop artists and sort of help them out. It’s a place where I’ve always wanted to be and now I have a visa so I can be there. I think I’ll just spend my time between Australia and LA at the moment, and London of course. It’s kind of the same as it’s been for the last three years.

You can read the full interview here.

Ayla Meanwhile, in Brisbane, Australia, emerging artist Ayla was recently awarded the Billy Thorpe $10,000 scholarship at the QMAs, an award handed down in the past to the likes of Jeremy Neale, Astrid and The Asteroids and The Jungle Giant's Sam Hales. 

It follows a massive year for the young talent, whose debut single "Wish I Was" was the 15th most played song of last year on triple j. The success saw her land a record deal in Italy (alongside Emma Louise who has already had a number 1 single in the region) and a new single is reportedly just around the corner. The days are early but the future is looking very, very bright for this one...

Airling Another artists to garner acclaim at the QMAs was Hannah Shepherd - unrelated to the band of the similar surname, Hannah performs under the guise of Airling and won Best Pop Act at the Awards for her track "Wasted Pilots", which she wrote with Big Scary's Tom Iansek and Graham Ritchie. 

Though this project has only released an EP to date ("Love Gracefully"), Hannah is hard at work on her next release and the project itself comes off the back of her touring the world as a backing musician for the amazing Emma Louise, who's also hard at work on new music. Late last year I sat down with the talented artist to talk about all her successes so far...

Demi Louise This artist is likely a name you haven't heard before, but that's not quite the fault of anyone but the artist herself. Though based in Melbourne, Demi has spent the last year or so travelling the world and popping up at festivals like the recent South by Southwest in Austin, Folk Alliance in Kansas City and MU:CON in South Korea - where she was the first ever Australian to perform. Watch as we talked to Demi at SXSW about her time travelling the world in this rather unique fashion:

Nai Palm of Haitus Kaiyote And finally we meet Nai Palm, front woman of the group Haitus Kaiyote, who are getting set to release their second recordChoose Your Weapon on May 4th. This is a group who have already made a huge mark on the international circuit, following the release of Tawk Tomahawk back in 2012, which not only saw them garner acclaim at home, but also abroad, travelling the world many times over and even getting nominated for a Best R&B Performance Grammy for their track ""Nakamarra"" alongside the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Snarky Puppy (who won in their category) along the way. We sat down at SXSW to talk about all their successes so far, before they get set to do it all over again:

Each of these talented musicians - be they solo performers or fronting a band - is doing Australian music proud. They're all also in very different stages of their careers. In the case of Hiatus Kaiyote, they're looking to move forward from the unexpected success of their debut and translate that into planned domination come album number two. 

Artists like Airling, who have experience of touring in other projects internationally are getting set to do the same and then there's someone like Ayla who will be using the winnings of a industry voted accolade to grow her klout both at home and abroad. But what they all have in common is one thing very simple: they're artists you should be listening to. This is just the start of a series highlighting the amazing female talents out of Australia - stay tuned for more in the coming weeks!

Larry Heath is the founder and editor-in-chief of the AU review.

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More photos from WMBB2015!

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Aboriginal cricket: Where have all the cowboys gone?

March saw the soaring success of the Australian Cricket Team over the rest of the world when they took home the trophy at the ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket World Cup. This achievement left many Australians feeling a sense of pride as they celebrated into the night, especially in Melbourne, where this year's final was held.

One thing to note, however, is the seemingly absent presence of a strong Aboriginal contingent in the national team. This is not to say that Indigenous Australians cannot be proud of the team's win, or should Indigenous Australians have to partake in this sport either. But when Australia's first International touring team was made entirely of Aboriginal players (in fact, all of them cattle station workers from Victoria) one may understandably ask: where have all the cowboys gone?

1868 was the year that saw Australia's first Test Cricket team tour England. The 13 players, and captain Charles Lawrence, won 14, drew 19 and lost only 14 of their 47 games. But such an achievement meant these men played 99 days out of a possible 126; these extreme efforts saw the death of one King Cole (Brippokei) and the subsequent removal of two more fatigued players.

This display of superior stamina, along with the skilful achievements of several players, was received and acknowledged proudly by the hosting nation's press. However, the incredibly lucrative Indigenous Team, (attracting 8,000 – 10,000 spectators a game), was rewarded with embezzlement and eventually the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1869 which restricted the movements of Aboriginal people, especially overseas. This was merely the first of many times Indigenous cricket players were rewarded with discrimination for a seemingly innate and exceptional skill in the sport.

Eddie Gilbert (pictured), arguably cricket's most impressive fast bowlers, was met constantly with calls of 'no ball' for the incredible speed with which he delivered the ball down the pitch. Even after playing with splints, and taped arms (in order to fix his arm in a straight line), he was still met with ignorance and suspicion. One of the most impressive demonstrations of his skill was bowling Sir Donald Bradman for a duck in 1931, regarded as “faster than anything seen”, by Bradman himself.

Being only one of many examples where the sport has turned its back on Aboriginal athletes (or even outright discriminating against them), it could well be inferred that the lack of players from Indigenous backgrounds is a continuation of the same exclusionary behaviour, or simply a responsive turning-of-the-back from Indigenous players. But Cricket Australia still insists that they are in search of strong Aboriginal role models in the sport, which calls to question why so many of the talented athletes who compete in the Imparja Cup (the annual all-Indigenous cricket carnival), are not invited or aren't choosing to play at the Test level.

With so many International teams comprised of varied nationalities and ethnicities, it clearly isn't practice of the ICC to exclude men of colour. So what will it take to see Aboriginal players rise to the forefront of the sport in the manner of their forefathers? Not discounting the choice that athletes have in which sport they participate, perhaps we have seen the end of top level players with the retirement of Jason Gillespie; or perhaps the great victory of the current Australian team will shine an attractive light on the sport, and we might just see the great skill and strength of our Indigenous athletes return to Test cricket in 2019, at the next Cricket World Cup.  

Adam Boys is an actor and writer.

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Getting Real: the future of Virtual Reality

Over the past few years, two pieces of revolutionary technology have been undergoing dramatic reforms in anticipation of their predicted mass consumer adoption. Both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have top technology company rivals competing towards bringing a vision to market that was once promised in only the most obscure science fiction.

Imagine holographic communication with an overseas relative, or finding yourself amidst the chaos of a WW2 battle scene! The AR and VR technology slated for release in the coming years boasts the potential to make these imaginings a reality.

Virtual and Augmented reality, what’s the difference? Virtual reality is the technology associated with immersing ones self into a fictional environment. This often involves some form of interaction, and thus exploration. It is here that artistic expression of the VR creator meets the consumer in a most intimate manner.

Augmented reality is technology associated with enhancing one’s environment with virtual aspects. This can be done as a means to reveal useful information, provide seamlessly interactive entertainment, or superimpose others into a scene as a means of remote communication.

Where’s it at? AR remains a much less defined technology than VR. Companies such as Google (Google Glass) and Sony (SmartEyeglass) have produced similar glasses in the form of costly developer prototypes that ultimately have yet to prove practical.

Microsoft’s Hololens appears much more promising (all photos in this article are from the Hololens press kit). This wearable possesses on-board computation and real-time tracking that enables  ‘holograms’ to be displayed on walls and other convenient locations. This is a quite different approach than the unintuitive 2D information overlay in Google and Sony’s AR products.

Competing fiercely in the VR realm with a more developed hardware are Sony (Project Morpheus, a PS4 addition), Oculus/Facebook (Rift, a PC device) and HTC/Valve (Vive, also a PC device).

The foundational concept behind these VR devices is the viewing of two slightly offset high-resolution images, allowing the wearer to perceive the depth & scale of the virtual world. This coupled with sub-millimetre rotational and positional tracking creates true immersion.

Where to from Here? Both AR and VR are currently navigating a series of technological hurdles in order to ensure mass-market viability. The frontier question is this; by what means will the user interact with the virtual space? The opportunity for innovation and ultimately being first to market lies in this design challenge.

So will it be gesture based? Will we be holding devices to manipulate the virtual world? Or, is there another ingenious idea that will allow us to extend our senses into the virtual world?

HTC & Valve’s Vive, as well as Sony’s Project Morpheus contain hand held controllers that are tracked in 3D space, representing interactive objects such as a gun or sword. Microsoft’s attempt at a solution to AR interaction is in the unification of the user’s physical gestures, gaze and speech. In it’s early state, this has proven “gimmicky”, yet with further efforts into R&D this is subject to change.

Strongly intertwined with a compelling input solution is the ability to receive a tangible sense of touch when manipulating 3D objects. This ‘haptic feedback’ is yet to be solved viably, however a large multitude of companies are allocating resources to produce an end-user solution that enhances sensory immersion in the virtual space.

With such fierce competition centred on VR and AR technologies, the true victor to emerge is the us, the consumer.

Joseph Ringer studies software engineering at the University of Sydney.

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Answering the housing crisis: young people in caravans

With a housing crisis in almost every Australian capital city, life in a caravan is no longer an option just for grey nomads, and they're also becomingly increasingly trendy as venues. 

The potential for constant travel is appealing, as is not having to pay rent. Having lived in a caravan for a number of months, I can say that the romance wears off pretty fast. Particularly because there is an unavoidable link between cuteness and comfort – the cuter your caravan, the more you will suffer. 

Caravans made before the 80s, though high in cuteness, are proportionally lower in insulation. Any direct sunlight on the roof turns the caravan into an instant oven, and in winter it's colder inside than outside. Pre-80's caravans also don't boast great suspension. 

Rapid movements of any kind result in violent rocking from side to side; it sounds like Howl's Moving Castle and any people within a five kilometre radius won't appreciate it. 

There are perks though; living in a caravan is one of the few things in life that favours short people. Unless you shell out for a specialised caravan, people over six foot will live with their neck at forty-five degrees.

Kate Cole is a journalist, content producer, and graduate of the University of Sydney.

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Weekly sports roundup!

AFL The Sydney Swans started their 2015 season with a thrilling victory over the Essendon Bombers on a wet pitch at ANZ stadium on Saturday afternoon. Essendon were playing with everything to prove after finally being cleared this week by the AFL anti-doping tribunal of illegal supplements allegations that have plagued the club since 2012.

The Bombers put on an energetic first quarter performance, kicking early goals and holding Sydney to a solitary behind. Things didn’t get any better for the home side in the second quarter, finally opening their goal scoring through Craig Bird but going into half time with only 13 points on the board.

The game threatened to get away from Sydney, with Essendon kicking four goals to two and leading by 41 points in the later stages of the third quarter, before Sydney pegged one back to trail by 34 at the final change. An early contender for comeback of the season saw the Swans put on 46 points (7.4) and hold Essendon scoreless in a gritty final quarter to complete a courageous 12-point win and the most unlikely of starts to their 2015 campaign.

The Greater Western Sydney Giants also kicked off their season in style, leading at every change to hold out a resurgent St. Kilda by nine points at Etihad. Despite the Giants going into the match as firm favourites, both sides were more or less evenly placed at the first change, before GWS began to pull away in the second and third quarters through Cameron (4.2) and McCarthy (3.1).

St. Kilda kicked early goals in the final quarter to give themselves a chance at snatching an unlikely victory but ultimately blew too many opportunities, kicking five goals and seven behinds in the final term as GWS held on to open their account for the season.

In other results, Hawthorn began their premiership defence emphatically, smashing Geelong 123 to 61. Richmond overcame an early deficit to defeat Carlton 105 to 78; Melbourne was too strong for the Gold Coast, leading at every change to triumph 115 to 89; Brisbane fell short against Collingwood, losing 86 to 74; the Western Bulldogs edged out West Coast 97 to 87 in a closely fought battle; Adelaide thrashed North Melbourne 140 to 63; and Fremantle pinched victory from Port Adelaide 75 to 68.

Rugby League Refereeing refuses to leave the spotlight in the NRL, with another controversial call deciding the much-anticipated grand final rematch between the Bulldogs and the Rabbitohs. The Bulldogs got off to a flying start in the biggest encounter of the round with early tries to Rona and Perrett before the Rabbitohs responded with a try to Luke just before half time.

A tough second half saw Souths claw the deficit back to one point with the Bulldogs looking likely to hold on for a win. As Adam Reynolds lined up for a field goal with seconds on the clock, the Bulldogs James Graham attempted a charge down, collecting Reynolds late and giving away a disputed penalty in the process.

The Rabbitohs converted to snatch victory but Reynolds could be sidelined for up to five months with a knee injury from the tackle and Graham could be facing a suspension for the allegedly dangerous contact. The controversial decision is likely to see continued debate about clarifying the rules around charge downs and tackling of kicking players to make things clearer for both players and referees.

In other results, Brisbane was too good for Queensland rivals the Titans, winning 26-16; the Raiders defeated the Sea Eagles 29-16; the Dragons held the Knights scoreless to triumph 13-0; the Sharks withstood a late Roosters comeback to win 20-12; the Tigers outclassed the Eels 22-6 in the western Sydney derby; Melbourne got up over the Warriors 30-14; and the Cowboys easily beat the Panthers 30-10.

Football (Soccer) Australia was unable to hold onto last week’s world-class form from their 2-2 performance against world champions Germany.

In an anticlimactic match in Skopje, the Socceroos were held to a 0-0 draw against lowly ranked Macedonia in front of a tiny, lacklustre crowd. Australia lacked the midfield playmaking that has made them so competitive in recent matches, failing to capitalise on their 70% possession or convert any of their nine shots into goals.

This game completed the Socceroos’ European tour but there is still plenty of international football to look forward to as the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers begin later in the year. The draw for these games will be held on 14th April 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Rugby Union The NSW Waratahs had a bye this weekend and are currently sitting at 8th on the Super Rugby ladder. They will take on the 9th placed Stormers next Saturday at home in what is likely to be a closely fought encounter.

Roland Harris is a writer and graduate of the University of Sydney.

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"Visions of Late Night Dunedoo", by Molly Boyd

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Redfern Block Party: It’s baaaaack!

After a six-year hiatus Redfern’s Block Party is back and encouraging all b-boys and b-girls to return for some old school fun. Held at Redfern’s Community Centre, the Block Party will focus on hip hop, funk and soul music but also showcases live graffiti art. 

The event will see a range of activities to get the whole family involved, including breaking and popping exhibition battles, freestyle dance circles and more!

The Redfern Block Party is a public and free community event organised to unite Sydney’s urban scene – all are welcome! This event is alcohol and drug free, and takes place from 12pm to 4pm, but there is an official after party at Play Bar in Surry Hills, featuring DJ Total Eclipse.

Article by Debbie Carr and Larry Heath.

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Single of the Week: Tkay Maidza "M.O.B." | A•STAR x the AU review

Young Adelaide based artist Tkay Maidza has been absolutely slaying in 2015 so far, from bringing crowds to their knees then making them stomp the hell out of the ground across the country on the Laneway Festival tour to heading overseas to perform at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

With her debut album still on the horizon, fans have been eating up the beats featured on her popular Switch Tape EP in the mean time, while new single "M.O.B" has become a strong favourite in live shows.

Produced by Grammy Award winner Andrew Dawson (John Legend, Jay Z, Childish Gambino), the official release of "M.O.B" has captured that infectious energy Tkay has almost made her signature, while the techno bites littered throughout as she raps effortlessly through the song comes together so well. 

If you've been catching her perform it over the last few months, you'll notice how brilliant the final product has come together: "M.O.B" is glossy yet gritty where it needs to be, with Tkay holding an unmistakeable stronghold throughout.

Watch the lyric video for the track here:

Sosefina Fuamoli is a writer for the AU review.

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Competition: Be an A•STAR Master Artist!

Big news! You’re invited you to enter our very first competition: A•STAR’s online talent show: The A•STAR Master Artists!

What is it? We also know that many of you are amazing performers, and we want to see more, more, more!

So send us your work: upload your music, short films, monologues, dances, stand-up acts to YouTube and SoundCloud, and chuck the links our way.

Stuck for ideas? Try this on for size:

What’s up for grabs? The top three entries will score a $150 gift voucher from one of the following: JB Hi-Fi, THE ICONIC, ASOS, or Westfield, as well as being featured on A•STAR.

Who is judging? A•STAR’s own resident music guru Larry Heath, founder of the AU review.

Who is eligible? If you’re a current high school student who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and/or you attend one our Compass or partner schools, you’re eligible to submit.

How do I enter? The competition is open as of right now. So, when you have something cool, send us an email with your performance to [email protected], by May 7, 2015. Don’t forget to include your name, address and school!

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Getting out from the pointy end

What's it like being Aboriginal and doing law at Sydney Uni? Having finished my first year, the word that I’ve come up for it is that it’s shit-tastic – that is, it’s shit but fantastic at the same time.

The workload is hell and there isn't a week that goes by where I don't think that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. But, at the same time, there isn't a week where I don’t learn a little bit more about the laws we live under; why Indigenous people are so overly represented at the pointy end yet so badly underrepresented at the end that hands it out.

Does it bother me? Yes, massively. But you can’t let it get to you. Instead I see it as a opportunity to, in my own small way, set a couple of things straight and to let people know a few home truths about being Aboriginal. Which is why I decided to do law at Sydney University in the first place.

You don't get any special favours being black here which, considering this is where people like Tony Abbott and John Howard went to law school, isn't particularly surprising, really. There’s a good reason why this place has a reputation as being as white as hard-baked porcelain.

So I decided to do something about it.

“We’re going to start a tradition and we're going to do it on your watch.” The plan was simple: to open the University of Sydney Law Ball and give the gig the Aboriginal dignity it deserves.

To his credit, the Law Society president was all up for it. I didn’t even have to fight. “Great idea,” he said. “Everything has already been finalised but this is a really good thing and we’ll make room for it.” It was almost too easy, like getting into the ring only to have the other guy hand the trophy to you. But I didn’t know the fight was actually yet to begin.

With only a week before the ball, I had to get the message out to the other Indigenous students. The problem being was that I didn't know the other Indigenous law students. Best the school could do was put me in contact with one, more senior Indigenous law student, who then put the idea to his three Indigenous law mates. I couldn’t believe it. All I got was tut-tuts and knitted brows.

I was gutted, hurt and confused. What was I doing wrong? But as my grandma Edna would say: “If you walked on water there’d still be people who’d say that it was only because you can’t swim.”

Too right, Grandma. And off the back of that, I came up with one of my own. After all, you can't polish a turd… but you can roll it in glitter. That is, the best way to deal with a bad situation is to make the best of it.

So that’s what I did.

Now it was up to me to get some elders. Instead of going to the local land council I went to the people that I reckon are the rightful owners of the land the where the ball was being held - the locals of Pyrmont.

Mandy Dawes, 64, came to Pyrmont when he was seven after he was taken from his white mum and black dad after spending some of his early years sleeping under a car in Redfern, because landlords would wouldn’t rent to a mixed race couple. And 53-year-old Mark Merriman’s family have been on in Pyrmont for six generations, ever since his ancestor Umbara Merriman from the Wallaga Lakes on the far south coast was moved here because he was seen as a troublemaker.  

I told them I thought it my job to let them know that the whitest law school in the land was going to have their annual party on their land.

It’s worth saying that both Mandy and Mark are Stolen Generation, both have been on the receiving end of the law and it would be totally reasonable for them to curse the whole ball.

But they didn’t. They wanted to be there too. Instead they both said, “We’re in.”

And from that the three of us formulated our plan. A typical welcome would be a lost opportunity. Instead we decided that ours would be short, sweet and courteous while giving Sydney Law School the punch in the snout it deserves. The president of the law society wanted to know what we were going to say “for organisational purposes”. I told him just give us a couple of minutes and to trust us – and, to his credit, he did (if nervously).

And so on the night, we stood outside the giant function centre, filled with people dressed like they were in a scene from The Great Gatsby, bracing ourselves for what we were going to do. We didn’t have a clue what sort of reaction we were going to get but that wasn’t the point.  

“Come on boys, we’re going into the belly of the beast,” I said. We walked in, got on the stage and this is what was said:

“This first time this law school’s history that it’s had Aboriginals open this. and while we’re not here to rain on this parade we want to consider this one message…

“The truth is that this law school has been, and still is, at the heart of the system that has held Indigenous people down. But despite that the original owners of this land have the decency to still welcome you onto their land. Because they know this law school and the people here tonight and the decent ones among you have ability and the power to be at the heart of rewriting those wrongs when you because the lawyers, judges and leaders of tomorrow.

“Now we welcome to this land as friends, decency goes a long way and let’s have a party!”

And then a moment of silence and then applause erupted. People got out of their seats all three of us choked back tears. And from there, the elders did what anyone should do at a party. They met, they charmed and they captivated people with their stories as well as tearing up the dance floor. It made me proud.

How much good did it do? Definitely more good than harm. Sure, there were jerks in that crowd that didn’t pay any attention, but were also plenty who did. And I’ll you this for free: opening a door to someone is far better than slamming it in their face. I reckon that’s what the elders did to every person there who had the decency to listen.

Regardless, by Mandy’s admission it was the “best night I’ve ever had”. That’s a good enough measure for me.

This might be our land, but it’s their law and that’s not going change any time soon. And if somebody points a gun at you, you won’t have an ice cube’s hope in hell of winning… unless you learn to use the gun yourself.

And that, to me, is the reason why I'm going through the whitest law school in the country: to do something about it.

Mike Butler is a journalist and student of the University of Sydney Law School. The opinions expressed in this article are Mike’s own, and do not reflect the opinions of either WE ARE A•STAR or The University of Sydney.

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We need to have a chat: Freedom of speech on the Internet

Freedom of speech is a tricky thing. Although it seems obvious to say that most people believe in the freedom of speech - most people in the developed world, anyway - it’s also pretty obvious that we don’t actually think that speech should be entirely free.

You might be appalled at this idea. “But Ryan, freedom of speech is always good! Didn’t famous dead philosopher John Stuart Mill argue that truth emerges from the public competition of ideas?” Well that might be true, Dear Reader, but that’s not the whole story.

First imagine, Mill asks us, that a man in a crowded theatre stands up and yells out, “Fire! Fire!” at the top of his lungs. Although there is no fire (he’s just a bit of a jerk), someone is crushed to death in the resulting stampede towards the exit. Do we want to say that the man should be free to start panicked riots, just for funsies? Probably not.

Second, it is worth noting that some truths are more important than other truths. It might be true that you have spectacularly awful taste in shoes, but it would be unkind (if not untrue) to say it. Some truths, after all, don’t need to be said; even though you might be right in saying it, there is no genuine good in sharing it.

However, I should think that in the case of big truths, important truths, there is a need to speak them, even if those truths are upsetting or provocative. Consider the kinds of thoughtless racism that even white Aboriginals suffer: although an ugly truth, it is one that needs to be discussed.

The Internet, of course, plays a substantive role in this conversation. Thanks to the Internet, it’s possible to encounter opinions or voices of which we would otherwise be unaware. It becomes possible to become part of a wider dialogue, particularly about important truths.

Here at A•STAR, we pride ourselves on speaking about these big truths, even if those truths are confronting or make people uncomfortable. And although we’re only young, we’re already getting a reputation for asking the hard questions that you want answered.

Furthermore, in asking those hard questions, we hope to receive some hard answers. So if you see something that inspires you, or you find yourself reacting to something we’ve written, please get in touch with us. 

We want you to be part of the conversation.

Ryan Wittingslow is the editor of WE ARE A•STAR, and is a graduate of the University of Sydney.

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What’s in the news today?

From the possible return of the woolly mammoth to the opening of a McDonald’s online apparel store, the last two weeks of March have been packed full of weird news items. But just in case you missed them, here is a quick countdown just for you.

The Return of the Woolly Mammoth

For the first time in over 3,300 years, the woolly mammoth’s gene has been brought back to life. Scientists working at Harvard University are one of at least three teams attempting to do a Dr Frankenstein and revive the species.

The team took one big step towards their ultimate goal in mid-March when they were able to successfully insert the mammoth’s DNA into the genetic code of an elephant. So although they are still a while off from their ultimate goal, who knows, maybe one day there will be a woolly mammoth enclosure at Taronga Zoo.

Catfish Roadblock

Living in Sydney, you would have to say that you are relatively used to being stuck in the occasional traffic jam – whether it is the result of a car accident or perhaps from the multitude of footy fans exiting the stadium. But a catfish roadblock? Not so much.

Unlucky commuters in China however, were halted for two hours on their daily commute when 6 800 kilograms of live catfish slipped out of the back of a truck to cover the road. Emergency services (ranging from the military to fire fighters) were called and were given the fun task of scooping up the wriggling fish.

Accidental Drug High

The Indonesian police made a rather big mistake in their attempt to destroy massive amounts of marijuana. When thinking of the best methods of disposing marijuana, one would think that burning it in an open environment would be one of the last options considered. But on 26 March, which was apparently quite a windy day, that is exactly what the Indonesian police officers did, consequently giving the nearby villagers a drug high.

The Big Mac Shop

For all you McDonald’s lovers out there, there is now a way for you to express your love of the company in other ways then just ordering their food. In late March, McDonald’s launched ‘The Big Mac Shop’, an online Swedish store where fans of the fast food company can purchase raincoats, jumpers, wallpaper and even dog coats covered in the good ol’ famous Big Mac. And, if you need some justification for your purchase, proceeds will be given to the Ronald McDonald House Charity.

And there you have it! But just to finish off, here is a trivia question just for you. The answer will appear in the next news article.

Q: If the British government started mining human excrements for precious metals, how much money would they approximately make in one year?

Christie Wilson is a student at the University of Sydney.

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“Depreston”, by Courtney Barnett | A•STAR x the AU review

The single of this week on A*STAR belongs to 27-year-old Melbourne artist Courtney Barnett, who released her debut record Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. last week (March 20th) on her own label Milk Records. 

Currently touring the USA and having won the prestigious Grulke Prize for Developing Non-US artist at South by Southwest (SXSW) - a music festival and conference in Austin, Texas (USA) - her success and acclaim has already reached far beyond our borders. 

Nonetheless, this is a truly Australian artist, with her lyrics focusing on growing up in Australia, while she sings with a notable Australian drawl and plays with a mean guitar. Some may say her international success has been surprising - but once you see her play live, you'll understand. 

The single "Depreston" is a testament to this - a song inspired by her "depressing" first impressions of the Melbourne suburb of Preston. A working class area, the lyrics of the song talk about coffee shops, police activity and deceased estates. It's a typically poetic song with a uniquely Australian voice and shows that creating your own identity through your music can be a key to success. Not everyone needs to be a cookie cutter pop star! 

She'll be back to Australia later in the year to tour the record, but until then, enjoy "Depreston" taken from her debut record, out now!

Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit is out now through Milk Records via Remote Control Records

Larry Heath is the founder and editor-in-chief of the AU review. He is a graduate of the University of Sydney.

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Wide, wide, wide, wide world of sports

Welcome to our first-ever sports wrap! We’re anticipating having a whole bunch more sports and fitness content over the coming months, and we’re pretty excited to share it with you. And now, without further ado...

Cricket Australia took out the final of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup on Sunday night in emphatic fashion, beating New Zealand by seven wickets. 

Both teams had performed strongly throughout the tournament, with New Zealand edging out South Africa in a thrilling victory off the second last ball in the first semi-final and Australia proving too strong for India in their semi-final, winning convincingly by 106 runs. 

The Tasman rivals came together for the much anticipated final showdown at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of a record-breaking crowd of 93,013.

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat but it was Australia that drew first blood, with Mitchell Starc taking the crucial wicket of playmaker Brendon McCullum (0) in the first over. 

New Zealand started to steady before Glenn Maxwell bowled out the other opening batsman, Martin Guptill (15), who has been the highest run scorer in the world cup. Despite a courageous middle order partnership of 111 between Grant Elliot (83) and Ross Taylor (40), New Zealand ultimately lost wickets too cheaply to put on a formidable total. 

The innings quickly unravelled once the partnership was broken, as the Black Caps collapsed from 3/150 to all out for 183 in the space of 10 overs.

With only a small total on the board, New Zealand desperately needed early wickets and Trent Boult didn’t disappoint, taking Aaron Finch caught and bowled in the second over for a duck. With the ball moving around a lot on the pitch, Australia was initially shaky but eventually settled into a comfortable rhythm. 

Despite losing David Warner (45) in the thirteenth over, the match never really looked in doubt thanks to a strong partnership from current and future captains, Michael Clarke (74) and Steve Smith (56). 

Clarke wasn’t there to hit the winning runs after being bowled by Matt Henry with Australia just nine short of victory at 3/175. Steve Smith appropriately finished things off for Australia, capping off a fantastic summer for the Australian team and for him in particular.

Football (Soccer) The Socceroos took on world champions Germany in a friendly in Kaiserslautern during the week. With Germany firm favourites, Australia put on a feisty performance and almost snatched a 2-1 victory before Lukas Podolski knocked in a simple cross from point-blank range in the 81st minute to salvage a 2-2 draw. 

Australia will take on lowly-ranked Macedonia in another friendly on early Tuesday morning Australian time before beginning their World Cup qualification campaign in June.

AFL The first round of the AFL season will kick off over the upcoming Easter long weekend with the Sydney Swans taking on Essendon at ANZ Stadium on Saturday and Greater Western Sydney Giants taking on last year’s wooden spooners St. Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Easter Sunday.

Rugby Union The NSW Waratahs managed to finish with a solid 23-11 victory over the Blues on Saturday after taking an early lead through try scorer Nick Phipps. A couple of first half penalty goals followed by a 54th minute try from Francis Saili saw the Blues take back the lead before a late try to Peter Betham and the steady boot of Bernard Foley saw the Waratahs across the line.

Rugby League Refereeing remained a big talking point in matches over the weekend with more questionable decisions putting the pressure on for something further to be done. 

The Bulldogs finished with a thrilling golden point victory over the Tigers on Friday night to win 25-24 after the first try from the Tigers seemed to come from a blatant forward pass. 

The Eels pulled off an unbelievable upset win over the Rabbitohs, toppling last year’s previously undefeated premiers 29-16. 

The Rooster suffered a serious blow in their 34-6 victory over the Raiders with Blake Ferguson now ruled out for four months due to an ankle ligament injury.

In other results, Newcastle beat Penrith 26-14; the Titans edged out the Sharks 24-22; St. George was too good for Manly in a low-scoring 12-4 win; Brisbane held on to triumph 24-16 against the Warriors across the Tasman. 

North Queensland and Melbourne will meet in this week’s Monday night game at 1300Smiles Stadium in Townsville.

Roland Harris is a writer and graduate of the University of Sydney.

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Blood on the concrete: welcome to roller derby

Alice Pester's first impression of the University of Sydney Roller Derby League (USRDL) was “sheer terror... but inspiring terror”. Pester, a.k.a. 'Pestilence' approached the game in 2013 as “a girl who had never considered I could do anything as physical as that”.

Though at first she was intimidated by the sight of “these incredibly tough women beating the shit out of each other” she grew to love it. Pester is one of many people for whom roller derby is more than a game. As the months progressed, she felt that, “I couldn't not play, it was a complete obsession”.

In 2014 Pester went to Las Vegas for Rollercon, a five day convention with thousands of visitors that includes games, classes, lectures, and pro-games with the best players in the world. Roller derby has become an important expression of gay culture, and Pester describes Rollercon as, “a very fun holiday for gays”.

Roller derby has existed as a sport for women since the 1930s. It's popularity has been revived in the past decade, and there are now thousands of amateur leagues around the world. At it's most basic, the game consists of two teams of five players skating in the same direction around a track, as the simultaneous attack and defence strategies are complex, and infamously, rough.

Kate Cole is a journalist, content writer, and graduate of the University of Sydney.

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The surreal architecture of Matthias Jung