Walkabout

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Indigenous Australia

A new DNA study has revealed that Indigenous Australians are the most ancient civilisation on Earth, which dates their origins to more than 50,000 years ago.

Scientists were able to trace the remarkable journey made by intrepid ancient humans by sifting through clues left in the DNA of modern populations in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Amazingly, the analysis shows that their ancestors were probably the first humans to cross an ocean!

Professor Eske Willerslev, an evolutionary geneticist who led the work at the University of Copenhagen, said: “This story has been missing for a long time in science. Now we know their relatives are the guys who were the first real human explorers. Our ancestors were sitting being kind of scared of the world while they set out on this exceptional journey across Asia and across the sea.”

Read about the incredible findings in full here: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/21/indigenous-australians-most-ancient-civilisation-on-earth-dna-study-confirms

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Gennady Golovkin v Kell Brook – How the two match up for their colossal showdown.

What’s sure to be the fight of the year is mere days away now. Boxing elite Gennady Golovkin makes his way to Britain to fight on our shores for the first time in his professional career, as he takes on Kell Brook at the O2 Arena.

Brook represents one of the toughest challenges of the Kazakh boxer’s career, with the Sheffield man boasting an undefeated, 12-year career himself. Brook has moved up two weight classes to take on his opponent, in what’ll also be the biggest step up he’s had to make.

Both are experts in their field, with an astonishing 57 knockouts between them.

Brook has given up his IBF welterweight title as he goes up to middleweight, bidding to strip GGG of his WBC, IBF and IBO titles to become a two weight world champion. Sitting on the impressive record of 36-0, Brook is yet to taste defeat after dispatching the likes of former world champion Shawn Porter, British champion Frankie Gavin and highly regarded Romanian fighter Jo Jo Dan.

Although impressive, none of Brook’s triumphs compare to Gennady Golovkin. The Kazakh boxer is without doubt the best this division has seen for years. Picking up his first world title in 2010 with a first round knockout of Colombian Milton Nunez, Golovkin is yet to lost a bout, adding the IBO, WBC and IBF to the WBA title he won from that fight. A calculating pressure fighter, the ‘God of War’ is known for his powerful and precise punching, balance and methodical movement. With an unbroken streak of stoppages dating back to 2008, he holds the highest knockout percentage – 91.4% – in middleweight championship history.

Brook has his work cut out. But if you want to be regarded as one of the best, you have to beat the best.

Check out the highlight reels from these incredible boxer’s careers. Who do you think will emerge victorious come September 10th?

Book your spot to watch this epic battle at Walkaboutbars.co.uk

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UFC 202 - The Story So Far!

UFC 196 saw one of the biggest upsets of MMA history go down. The golden-child Conor McGregor was defeated by UFC bad-boy Nate Diaz. The fight was scheduled for 3 rounds but only reached the second when Diaz sunk in a rear naked choke after a gassed and wounded McGregor attempted to take him down.

This gargantuan win catapulted him to fame and straight into the media spotlight. It opened up a lot of questions… Who was Nate? How had he beaten one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts? And what was next for the Irishman?!

We didn’t have to wait long for the answer. A rematch was all both fighters and fans wanted. It was then announced that they would headline UFC 200. But this wasn’t to be as some ‘disagreements’ between McGregor and the UFC’s president Dana White lead to the fight being pulled. This was a devastating loss for the event as it was set to be the biggest card in MMA history.  Luckily the two reached an agreement and it was decided that UFC 202 would be the place they next met.

In preparation of the fight Team Notorious have custom-built a gym. An old warehouse in Las Vegas has been retrofitted with equipment to suit McGregor’s needs - this includes a full size Octagon to high-tech measuring facilities. His training has also taken a step up with some of the world’s best trainers, fighters and coaches joining the fray. All in all this’ll be his best camp to date and it’s needed as Nate’s been putting in some serious work.

The Diaz camp has had ample time to prepare for the fight this time and we’re not going to see an off-season Nate in the Octagon. In fact, pictures and videos released by the fighter show him in amazing condition and as a naturally bigger competitor he’s already got the size-advantage over his opponent. We already know his cardio’s superior but what we’re really looking forward to is a sharp fighter who’s been through a rigorous training camp.

We expect to see both athletes on top form this Saturday and the press conferences have not let us down! Watch the ‘heated’ UFC 202 Pre-fight Press Conference below -

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Record Breaking Gold Medal Haul For Team GB

Only a week to go till the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics and all we have to say is, it’s been a wild one! At first it looked like a non-starter. From the dangerous level of bacteria recorded in the water to the unfinished accommodation, we really thought it was going to be a disaster!

But despite these 'small issues' Rio has seen an emergence of fresh gold medal winning talent and yesterday we saw team GB secure 5 gold medals in a single day of competition.

Gold medal breakdown

18:30: Max Whitlock, gymnastics floor exercise

19:46: Justin Rose, golf

20:13: Max Whitlock, pommel horse

21:52: Jason Kenny, cycling sprint

01:04: Andy Murray, tennis

Max Whitlock achieved two golds for GB. First in the floor gymnastics and then the pommel horse. Team mate Louis Smith, the man who’d inspired a generation to take on gymnastics in 2012, was close to tears after being beaten to gold. After this show of dismay he is down as saying "It's hard to keep composure when a team-mate has just won a medal. I just tried to keep focus.". Whitlock has now won five Olympic medals - on top of this he’s Commonwealth, European and world champion. He’s really established himself as a polarizing figure in world gymnastics.

Following this, Justin Rose became the first golfer to secure gold for GB in 112 years and although several top tier golfers chose to not compete in this year's Olympics we’ve still witnessed some fantastic golf at the Rio 2016 games.

We then saw Jason Kenny successfully defend his title and claim medal six of his Olympic career. An incredible feat which sees him join the ranks of Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Bradley Wiggins for winning five gold medals.

The final gold of the night was one to remember. A four hour match that saw both competitors leave everything they had on the court. Murray’s win was nothing short of inspirational. His opponent, Del Potro, had beaten world number one Novak Djokovic in the opening rounds and had then gone on to defeat Nadal in the semi-finals. But his best just wasn’t enough for Murray who bested him 7-5 4-6 6-2 7-5.

It’s been an amazing day for GB. Watch some of the day’s highlights below:

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Tracks of the Week

DJ Snake Feat. Justin Bieber “Let Me Love You” – What can you say about the Biebs?  He is one of those guys that divides opinion (normally along a strictly love/hate line), but whatever your thoughts on the guy, he is absolutely smashing the music game at the moment.  Very few can compete with his sheer consistency, and while there are DJs with synth-y slow house beats and hooks to be sung over, he will be knocking it out the park.  This is a perfect track for the warmer weather, vibey, and can be heard early evenings.

 Cassius & JAW Feat. Ryan Tedder “The Missing” – We. CANNOT. WAIT. Until Cassius new album is released.  The French duo have been active for approaching 3 (!) decades, and their new album,  “Ibifornia” is out on the 26th.  This track is one of the pre-releases, and is a little pop-ier than some of the other tracks on there, but that doesn’t make it any less brilliant. Ryan Tedder (One Republic) provides the vocals, it has a great vibe, slightly “Pharrell and Robin Thicke”, and is another that you can hear early eve. (this one is gonna be one of the albums of the summer/year)

  Tieks Feat. Dan Harkna “Sunshine” – Finally this week is possibly one of the most summery-est tracks of the year. (the clue is in the title).  First up it’s a great track, light, bouncy, great beat (harks back to a decade ago and the Tom Novy’s and Bob Sinclar’s).  Secondly, the video is brilliant!  It’s a cartoon setting with real life Dachshunds….multiple sausage dogs, dressed up and playing with balloons and ice creams and stuff.  If this track was a Top Trumps card, it would have “Summer Vibes: 100”, “Bonus Dogs: 100”, “Playability: 100”, “Fun Factor: 236”.  Hear (and see) this one weekend nights to get your party started. (once again…multiple. Sausage. Dogs)

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16/17 Premier League Newcomers to watch out for!

The Premier League returns this weekend following a huge summer of transfer activity. As ever, there are plenty of new faces on show and to celebrate the start of the 2016/17 season, we’ve picked 16 (sort of 17) newcomers to the league to watch out for.

 Nolito (Man City)

Despite being 29, Nolito broke through into the Spain team only after the 2014 World Cup and his form since then saw him start at Euro 2016, where he scored against Turkey. He joins Man City after a fruitful spell at Celta Vigo.

 Nampalys Mendy (Leicester)

Mendy has been brought in as a like-for-like replacement for the departing Ngolo Kante. The former Monaco and Nice midfielder has yet to play for the senior French national team, but if he performs to the level of his compatriot last season, his rise will be as rapid.

 Joel Matip (Liverpool)

The Reds have their problems with centre back over the years, but now they’ve turned to a player with plenty of experience at the highest level. With over 200 appearances for Schalke in the Bundesliga, Champions League & Europa League as well as playing at two world cups for Cameroon and still only 25, the Reds may have found themselves a gem.

 Gabriel Jesus (Man City)

City have invested heavily in youth this summer and at 19 Gabriel Jesus offers plenty of promise. Despite only playing one season in the Brazilian Serie A, Jesus has scored 14 goals for Palmeiras and has broken into international reckoning after being named in Brazil’s home Olympic squad.

 Viktor Fischer (Middlesbrough)

The Danish international has been a product of the famous Ajax youth system but his promising career had stalled over the last couple of years due to injury and loss of form. However, at just 22, his record of 24 goals from 79 appearances is impressive for an attacking midfielder. Can he replicate that form at Boro?

 Fernando Llorente (Swansea)

The Spanish striker will make his long awaited Premier League debut after being linked with many English clubs in the past, but it’s a Welsh one that he’s ended up joining. After a career dominated by his time at Athletic Bilbao where he scored over 100 La Liga goals, he’s recently been winning trophies at Juventus and Sevilla. Can he help steer Swansea towards glory this season?

 Steve Mandanda (Crystal Palace)

The current French number two goalkeeper is used to deputizing Hugo Lloris for national team, but for Marseille, he has over 300 appearances and four Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year awards. An impressive coup for Pardew.

 Eric Bailly (Man United)

United’s foreign recruitment policy is further highlighted here by the signing of Bailly from Villarreal. The Ivorian only has one full season to his name in La Liga but at 22, United clearly believe that he can form part of a Mourinho-style defensive unit, reminiscent of the days of Ferdinand & Vidic.

 Henrikh Mkitharian (Man United)

The Armenian has impressed throughout his career in Ukraine and Germany, most notably at Borussia Dortmund where he claimed more assists than anyone else in last season’s Bundesliga.

 Michy Batshuyai (Chelsea)

The Belgian has been identified as one for the future for the past few years following his goalscoring exploits at both Standard Liege and Marseille. His goal in Belgium’s Round of 16 win over Hungary at Euro 2016 appeared to trigger Chelsea’s interest and subsequent acquisition.

 Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)

Another former Dortmund star, Gundogan was a key part of their double winning campaign in 2012. He also scored his team’s equaliser in the 2013 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, which Munich went on to win.

 Ahmed Musa (Leicester)

The Nigerian has been one of the best goalscorers in the Russian Premier League over the last few years, scoring 42 goals in 125 games for CSKA Moscow. Having won the title for a third time this year, he comes to the Premier League champions seeking more silverware.

 Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)

Xhaka arrives from Borussia Monchengladbach after four successful years in the Bundesliga. Operating mainly as a holding midfielder, Xhaka is a tough-tackler with leadership qualities; something the Gunners have lacked in recent seasons. For his national team, Xhaka plays in a more advanced role and has scored as many goals for his country as he had for his former club.

 Vincent Janssen (Tottenham)

Tottenham’s priority this summer was to find another striker that could take the burden of last season’s golden boot winner Harry Kane. They may have found that man in the shape of Dutch striker Janssen. The former AZ Alkmaar man bagged 27 goals in the Eredivisie last season to not only win the league’s top scorer gong, but to also become the youngest player to score over 25 goals in a Dutch season since the Brazilian Ronaldo for PSV Eindhoven back in 1994-95.

 Leroy Sane (Man City)

At just 20 years old, Sane has been compared to Tottenham’s Dele Alli as a young star in the making. Despite little playing time at Euro 2016, he has also broken through into the German team after a hugely impressive season for Schalke.

 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man United)

The only player in the league that we know who refers to himself in the third person. Zlatan has won world titles wherever he’s been and as he stated after the Community Shield on Sunday, he’s here to win trophies. He’s got off to a good start on that front and even scored the winner at Wembley. We can expect more of the same.

 And a special mention to…..

Paul Pogba (Man United)

Technically the last on our list has already played three times in the Premier league, but a lot has changed since then…

#Pogback – The French International returns to the club where he developed as a youngster, albeit for an eye-watering world record fee for the Red Devils. One thing’s for sure, United are developing an intimidating spine to their team and Pogba will be right at the centre of it, both literally and metaphorically.

Remember, you can watch the Premier League live at Walkabout this season, with up to five live games a week from the best league in the world.

Visit www.walkaboutbars.co.uk for more information.

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Team GB v Team Australia

Showdowns to watch out for at the Rio Games

Rowing

Women’s Double Sculls

Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger won gold for the host nation in 2012 and are amongst the favourites to win again in Rio. However, the Aussies ran them close last time and will be out for revenge.  Kim Brennan (previously Kim Crow), is one of Team Australia’s top medal hopes. She’ll also be in the mix for the women’s single sculls as well.

Men’s Coxless Four

Team GB will be looking to stretch their incredible winning streak in this discipline. They’ve been Olympic champions since 2000, but Australia are getting close, taking the silver medal in each of the last two competitions.

Hockey

Men’s & Women’s Team

Both men’s and women’s teams will clash in the group stage. Back in 2012, Australia claimed bronze in the men’s (beating Great Britain in the play-off), whilst Team GB came third in the women’s. These group stage matches are likely to be a decisive factor in who goes furthest this time.

Rugby Sevens

Men’s & Women’s Team

GB and Australia, along with New Zealand are expected to be the main contenders for Rugby Sevens gold after the sport’s long-awaited return to the Games. The semis and finals for the women’s take place at a reasonable hour on Monday 8th August, with the men’s three days later on Thursday.

Tennis

Women’s Singles/Doubles

Despite Nick Kyrgios’ withdrawal from the games, ending any hope of a GB/Aus showdown in the men’s draw, Samantha Stosur is an Aussie with pedigree in the women’s game. And with Britain’s Johanna Konta having a year to remember, there’s every chance we could see these two clash in the women’s singles. They could meet in the quarter-finals if they both advance that far. Stosur has actually had more success in doubles though, which means that Heather Watson and the aforementioned Konta could potentially come up against her.

Swimming

Women’s 400m Freestyle

Jazz Carlin is a medal hope for Team GB in both the 400m and 800m freestyle events but it could be close between her and Jess Ashwood of Team Australia in the 800m.

Cycling

Men’s Team Pursuit

Australia are the Gold medal favourite for this event, despite an intimidating line-up for Team GB including Bradley Wiggins, Owain Doull, Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Mark Cavendish. This is definitely one to watch! 8pm on Friday 12th. Meanwhile, Australian Anna Meares is among the favourites in the women’s Keirin, but watch out for Becky James from GB.

Sailing

Men’s Finn & laser

With Sir Ben Ainslie not taking part, attention turns to Giles Scott in the finn class for GB. Jake Lilley of Australia is likely to be one of his main contenders. Tom Burton has a strong chance of a medal for Oz in the laser, but Nick Thompson of GB is going for gold!

So there you have it, plenty of action to ignite the rivalry. Things can’t get any worse for Australia after a torrid 2012 games, whereas we expect GB not to win as many medals as they did on home soil four years ago.

You can watch the games live at Walkabout throughout August.

We’re Ready Steady Rio!

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Olympics Mania has officially started in Manchester...

This Summer we see the biggest sporting event in history return to Rio, Brazil- and we can’t wait for it!

The office sweepstakes are beginning to take place, and our friends over at the Co-Op Building in Manchester asked for our help in decorating their desks in Australian flare, so we made sure we delivered!

Their office are holding a competition for the best-dressed desks that show their chosen team’s colours. With Aus flags, crocs, kangaroos, snakes and even a few bottles of great Aussie beers, they’re sure to win?!

Good luck guys!

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And The Winner Is...

Earlier this year, Bundaberg’s Blenders rum was presented with the highly coveted World’s Best Rum Award 2016. This is the first time an Aussie rum has won, and beat a field of five fellow finalists to land the award for world's best rum.

Congratulations to our friends over at Bundy!

Why not pop in today for some rum in the sun and see what all the fuss is about?

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Tracks of the Week

Two Door Cinema Club “Are We Ready (Wreck)” – First up we’ll start with a great return track from these Irish lads.  Their last album was in 2012 (!), and this is the first track off their 3rd album “Gameshow” (due for release 14th October). It’s a superb return to form, with their trademark tempo changes and a great sound that is perfect for the weeknights.

Jax Jones Feat. Mike Dunn & MNEK “House Work” – Next up this week is this great house banger, that you’ll hear weekend nights.  Jax Jones is probably most famous for his collab with Duke Dumont on the smash “I Got U” (177 million Youtube hits alone), and MNEK has been around the UK electronic scene for a little while now. Mike Dunn is less of a name over here (unless you’re into house), but has been a top Chicago House DJ for the past 20 years, so a lot of knowledge on this track, and it shows.  This one bangs….HARD

Jamie T “Tinfoil Boy” – We couldn’t write this week without mentioning this one from Jamie T.  This is his first single release since 2014s “Rabbit Hole” and it goes in!  A bit, Kasabian-y, electronic-y, and some saying a little sprinkling of Prodigy, Jamie was listening to a lot of Rage Against The Machine during the making of this, hence the rockier edge.  This is a big track, and you can hear it weeknights.

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Euro 2016 - The Good, the Bad and the Portugal

How would you sum up Euro 2016 in one word?

Defensive

Organised

Surprising

Ronaldo?

What about ugly?

Just like Greece in 2004, it seems as though Portugal went to France with the intention of parking the bus and taking the few opportunities they have to score. Ultimately, it’s won them the championship and their first ever piece of major silverware, courtesy of a solitary goal against the host nation – a similar story that broke Portuguese hearts 12 years ago when the Greeks were the beneficiaries of this unadventurous style of football.

The Seleção das Quinas made it this far despite failing to win a single group stage match, drawing all three of them to finish third in group F. They wouldn’t have qualified for the knockouts if it wasn’t for the new tournament format that saw two thirds of the teams advance from the group stage into the round of 16. Was this a good move? Well it was great for the likes of Iceland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, who were arguably the highlights of the tournament for their unexpected heroics, but did the quality suffer overall?

 The Good

Without the new format, would the likes of Albania, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Iceland and Wales have truly believed that they could even qualify for the tournament, let alone achieve what they did?

Will Grigg on fire

The Icelandic clap

The swarm of Irish across France genuinely being model fans!

The All-British derbies – particularly the late drama of England v Wales

The emergence of Hal Robson-Kanu as a world class talent

 Gareth Bale on the international stage

Wales’ maiden semi-final appearance

 Birkir Bjarnason’s hair…

Shaqiri scissor kick

Antoine Griezmann

Hungary v Portugal

Icelandic commentators

Iceland’s population

Iceland in general

The Bad

England’s embarrassing exit

Harry Kane on set piece duty

Player rotation (Hodgson, Deschamps, Conte all guilty)

Fan violence

Jogi Low’s scratch and sniff

The low goal:game ratio

Croatia v Portugal

 The Portugal

Iceland’s small mentality After a disappointing 1-1 draw against minnows Iceland, Ronaldo criticised his opponents for their small mentality during the match, despite the fact that only 320,000 live in Iceland.

Cristiano’s night from hell He could have scored five on another night, but the 0-0 against Austria was one to forget for the Real man as he fluffed a spot kick to complete a miserable night.

Ronaldo to the rescue Hungary took the lead on three occasions in this match, but Ronaldo’s brace denied them a win and was enough to edge Portugal through as one of the best third placed teams.

Zzzzzzzzz v Croatia Highlights don’t exist from this match. The less said the better.

Penalties v Poland and the rise of Sanches Going a goal down early, it seemed the journey would end here, but enter Renato Sanches – the teenager scoring a fine equaliser to take the game to penalties, where the poles baulked under the pressure.

Wales’ journey comes to an end as Ronaldo rises to the occasion An anti-climactic end for Wales, despite the billing of Bale v Ronaldo. The latter shone as he rose highest to give his team the lead.

Moths Probably the most exciting thing we’ve seen at a Portugal match so far.

Ronaldo down Injury ends Ronnie’s final in tears. Cue Titanic Music...

Eder hits the barn door despite failing to do so for many years even with the assistance of a banjo. Despite failing to achieve anything of note in club football, Eder pulled out a beauty to win the trophy, leaving the Stade de France in stunned silence.

Ronaldo recovers to steal the show Miracles are happening everywhere as Ronaldo is able to rise to his feet and lead the celebrations, not allowing any of his teammates to take the plaudits ahead of him.

Well it seems as though the good actually outweighed the bad. There were some classic moments, but what will you remember this tournament for?

As ever, we’ll remember it for the fans that flooded through our doors and created an incredible atmosphere at all of our venues throughout the UK. This one’s for you!

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Tracks of the Week

Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris “Hype” – We’ll start this week with this summer banger from Messrs. Rascal and Harris. It’s been 8 (8!!) years since they released their no.1 hit “Dance Wiv Me”, and now they’re back together.  If the title wasn’t enough of a clue to the energy that this track brings, then just to enlighten you, it brings synth-y house-y drops and a beat that you will be hearing on weekend nights.  It entered the charts at 34 on Friday, but got a feeling this will head further up as summer really (hopefully!) kicks in.

https://play.spotify.com/album/0d7qyaHwJ2Cfnrx0JEmXOf?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

Mike Perry Feat. Shy Martin “The Ocean” – next up, is this trop house sound that has gripped the pop scene over the past 18 months.  Slow house-y beats with harmonies over the top allow for a great sound that has dominated the charts. Vocals are provided by Shy Martin, who has a very Ellie Goulding style sound to her, which works great with this style of music. Chilled festival vibes are easily achieved with this one, and as a result sound great over the lunch time 

Vant “Karma Seeker” – Finally this week is this track from British band Vant.  It was on the radio as one of Annie Mac’s “Hottest tracks in the world”, so has garnered a fair bit of early attention.  It is a mix of multiple genres, and you can certainly hear some grungy and brit-pop elements coming through.  The tempo is fairly slow, but the chorus is a little raucous, making it perfect for weeknights……a great track.

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Euro 2016 semi-finals

The quarter finals of Euro 2016 gave us four thrilling matches where eight teams were whittled down to just four. Wales, Portugal, Germany and France remain. Lets take a look at what we have in store for the semi-finals.

 Portugal have somehow made it this far without actually winning a match inside 90 minutes, drawing all of their group games and relying on a 117th minute header from Quaresma to defeat Croatia. Nothing changed in their quarterfinal match against Poland as Ronaldo missed a bag full of chances but still somehow kept his side in the competition. The game got off to a blistering start with Lewandowski netting inside two minutes to give Poland the lead before Bayern Munich bound teenager Renato Sanches scored his first international goal on the half hour mark. We then went and hour and a half without much else to talk about before eventually getting to penalties where Portugal prevailed. Can the Portuguese become the first team to win the European Championships without actually winning 90 minutes of football? All that stand in their way of a final are the emphatic Welsh. Wales defied the odds to finish top of their group and now have a Euro semi-final on their hands for the first time ever. Second in the world Belgium were their opponents in the quarters but were made to look like part-timers by Chris Coleman’s men. Nainggolan got the game started with a spectacular long range effort, but thereafter it was all Wales. The captain Ashley Williams pulled the game level before a world class finish from out-of-contract Hal Robson Kanu gave his men the lead on 55 minutes. Belgium pressed but were undone again 5 minutes from time by a precise header from Sam Vokes. A quite remarkable performance from a team making their Euro debuts. You wouldn’t bet against Wales showing Portugal how to play football here and making their way to the final.

The second semi-final could easily have been the final this year round. World champions Germany will take on the hosts for a place in the final in Paris. Germany finally conceded a goal to get here, with Italy netting penalty after Boateng tried to play some basketball in the area. That brought the score level after Arsenal man Ozil scored a close range effort in a thrilling match of football. Extra time was forced where no goals were to be conceded and so it went to penalties. To arguably two of the best goalkeepers in world football – Neuer and Buffon. And what a penalty shootout it was. The Germans, astonishingly, missed three penalties but fortunately for them the Italians missed four of theirs, crashing out of the tournament as a result. Germany now take on a French side full of confidence after thumping Iceland 5-2. Goals from Griezmann, Pogba, Payet and a brace from Giroud were enough to see of the heroic Iceland team. It could have been worse with France going into the break at half time 4-0 up, but again Iceland showed that they are made of tougher stuff, winning the second half 2-1. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough for them to go through, but they can hold their heads high and say with some inspiring performances at this tournament. The hosts will be favourite to defeat the world champions here with their attacking talent coming good in the past few games. Can anyone stop the Payet/Griezmann combo?  

 Head down to Walkabout to watch both of these matches in front of our huge screens and electric atmosphere!

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#NAIDOC

This week, Aussies everywhere are celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate their history, values and achievements. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Every year a new theme is announced for the festivity- this year the theme is Songlines: The living narrative of our nation.

Songlines are intricate maps of land, sea and country. They describe travel and trade routes, the location of waterholes and the presence of food. In many cases, Songlines on the earth are mirrored by sky Songlines, which allowed people to navigate vast distances.

Check out the hashtag #NAIDOC to see the latest updates and activities.

Or if you’re looking for some ideas on how to celebrate, click here

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Tracks of the Week

Tame Impala “The Moment” – We’ll start the week by showing a bit of love to a band from our homeland – Perth natives, Tame Impala, and their newest track off the album “Currents“.  This track is full of vibey psychedelic sounds – quite “Friendly Fires/MGMT” in style and a great energy that is perfect for early evening and after work.

Proteje Feat. Chronixx “Who Knows (Shy FX Remix) – Next up this week we have this great commercial D&B track remixed by one of the legends of the genre, Shy FX.  This track has mass appeal, and is being played all over the radio at the moment.  The reggae drops (from the original version of the song), add a really summery hit (he says writing this with grey clouds in the sky), and it just promotes positive good feelings.  You can hear this one weekend nights.

https://soundcloud.com/protoje/protoje-who-knows-ft-chronixx-shy-fx-remix

Spring King “The Summer” – We’ll finish the week with a song that just screams summer (It has it in the title – it can’t get more summer-y than that!).  This is off the Manchester band’s debut album, and has real raw rock vibes to it.  It’s got a great garage rock sound and a sing-a-long chorus which sounds perfect.  Ideal for week nights when (theoretically) the sun is out for longer.  

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Cast Your Votes!

We have our final 6 DJ's from the Jose Cuervo DJ Competition and you could help them get one step closer to the amazing Ibiza prize!! Help our 4 Judges choose the winner, be the 5th Judge and vote for your favourite. Which DJ do you Vote For? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ▶ Vicky Scott - Liverpool | www.soundcloud.com/vickiscott ▶ Josh Parker – Birmingham | www.soundcloud.com/joshy-parker ▶ Callum Rigby – Solihull | www.soundcloud.com/allumrigby ▶ James Collins – Lichfield | www.mixcloud.com/james-collins14 ▶ Boy Griff – Cardiff | www.soundcloud.com/boygriff ▶ James Pickles – Barnsley | www.soundcloud.com/james_pickles   <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Winner gets flown to Ibiza to DJ at Amnesia, Mambos, Pukka Up Boat Party, and after the ibiza season finishes a DJ slot at Ministry of Sound (London) for Ibiza homecoming. *Terms & Conditions as sent to the finalists. 

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR YOUR WINNER

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Euro 2016 Group Stage Review

So, the group stages at Euro 2016 are over. And what a riveting two weeks of football we’ve had. 69 goals have been scored across 36 games, with 20 of those happening after 75 minutes, making for some nail-biting finale. Let’s take a look back at how each group went on.

Group A

France

Switzerland

Albania

Romania

Hosts France got the tournament started with a dramatic win over Romania, relying on a thunder strike from West Ham man Dimitri Payet in the 89th minute to see the game out 2-1. Another shaky win against Albania in the next round, followed by a 0-0 draw against Switzerland saw them finish the group top. The Swiss settled for second place, winning their opening game 1-0 against Albania followed by two draws. We saw flashes of quality from star man Shaqiri in the final game against France, but other than that he hasn’t produced and will need to up his game if he’s to lead his country to glory against Poland in the next round. Debutants Albania produced three valiant performances, narrowly losing out to France and Switzerland before stunning Romania to win their first ever European Championship game. Unfortunately for them it wouldn’t be enough to qualify, but the Albanians can be proud of the mark they left on Euro 2016. Finally, with just the solitary point, Romania were sent packing also with, unfortunately, no real talking points from their performances other than two penalties from Stancu.

Group B

Wales

England

Slovakia

Russia

Wales got the group started with a convincing win against Slovakia, with Gareth Bale announcing himself on the European stage with a phenomenal free kick to break the deadlock. England shortly followed with a painful draw against Russia, conceding in the last minute meaning they’d still never won an opening fixture at the European Championships. A hard fought win against Wales in the next round sent them top of the group before a stalemate against Slovakia left them as runners up. Wales perhaps produced the performance of the group, beating Russia 3-0 in the final game meaning they’d finish the group top. Slovakia were awarded a place in the knockout stages mainly due to their performance against Russia where two stunning goals separated themselves from their opponents. After conceding six goals, Russia were condemned to last place, meaning arguably all they’ll be remembered for at Euro 2016 is the atrocious trouble the fans brought.

Group C

Germany

Poland

Northern Ireland

Ukraine

Northern Ireland have arguably produced one of the best defensive performances of the tournament, narrowly losing out to Germany and Poland by just the one goal. A fantastic win against Ukraine accompanied with the limited goal difference from the other two games ultimately meant they advance to the knockout stages. World champions Germany turned up to the tournament off the back of some under par performances but proved critics wrong with a strong 2-0 win in their opening game against Ukraine followed by two shutouts against Poland and Northern Ireland. Germany and Poland are the only teams in the tournament yet to concede a goal. Although Lewandowski hasn’t hit top gear yet, Poland are holding their own and have qualified in second place with an impressive seven points. Ukraine are the team to miss out here, failing to claim a win or a goal.

Group D

Croatia

Spain

Turkey

Czech Republic

Czech Republic are the shock of this group, failing to claim a win at a tournament they usually do well in. A semi final appearance in 2004, followed by a quarter final place four years ago couldn’t be replicated here after claiming just one point to leave themselves on a plane home. Reigning champions Spain got their campaign off to a great start with wins against Turkey and Czech Republic before a shock loss against Croatia meant they finish second. An unfortunate draw to the Czechs thanks to crowd trouble marred what has been an impressive outing for Croatia so far. A late strike from Perisic handed Spain their first defeat at the tournament since 2004, leaving the Croats in first place.  Losses in their first two games meant even an impressive win in their final game wasn’t enough for Turkey to make it through.

Group E

Italy

Belgium

Republic of Ireland

Sweden

Republic of Ireland had it all to do in their final game, beat group leaders Italy and they’d be through. That’s exactly what they did thanks to a late Brady goal, sending the Irish fans into elation in Lille.  The Italians found themselves securing top spot after just two games, with impressive wins against Belgium and Sweden doing the job.  Belgium underperformed in their first game against Italy, losing out 2-0 before making amends with an emphatic 3-0 win against the Irish in the next round. A tense 1-0 victory against Sweden in the final game was enough to see them secure second spot. The Swede’s, lead by superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, failed to make an impression at all, relying on an own goal to claim their only point of the tournament. A sad send off for the retiring Zlatan who goes down as one of Europe’s greats.

Group F

Hungary

Iceland

Portugal

Austria

Any predictions for this group went straight out of the window after the first match, where Iceland held Portugal and Hungary claimed a victory against dark horses Austria. Ronaldo turned up with his Portuguese outfit ready to dominate their opponents, only to be held by both Iceland and Austria in their first two games. They finally turned up against Hungary, drawing 3-3 thanks to a rejuvenated Ronald. Unlikely group leaders Hungary scored an impressive six goals to show Europe they mean business after a 44-year absence from the competition. With a reported 10% of their population backing them in France, it was Iceland that gripped the sporting world putting in three valiant performances to remain undefeated. A late goal in their final game to defeat Austria meant they finished the group in second. Austria came with so much hope to the tournament, with the likes of Alaba and Arnautovic providing real game winners for the nation. But two losses against Hungary and Iceland mean they leave us at this stage.

And now we move to the last 16. Eight fixtures over three days for you to get excited about. Here they are in full –

Switzerland v Poland

Wales v Northern Ireland

Croatia v Portugal

France v Republic of Ireland

Germany v Slovakia

Hungary v Belgium

Italy v Spain

England v Iceland