Latest Articles

Put down your phones as Editorial Assistant Amy Condren takes you on a journey back to the 2000s—the good ol’ days.  For those among us who never got to experience physical media, So Fresh  was (and apparently still is) an Australian compilation CD of the most popular songs released each season. It was pretty iconic during the mid to late 2000’s, right before iPods, iTunes, and music streaming really took off. Think of it as the soundtrack for every primary school disco of th

Grab your favourite snack and see what Editor-in-Chief Beth Nicholls has to say about it. Fairy Bread So, you’re still a child at heart, and you enjoy the little things. But you might also just be a tad basic, cause come on! There are so many options out there that could bring you even MORE  joy.   BBQ Shapes We’re clearly not  going to have a fire-cracking start to our friendship, because obviously Chicken Crimpy is the best shape flavour. Argue with the wall. You do have a

Section Editor Tanisha Shah explores the history of chai and coffee, and the quiet rituals that ground us. Warning for the readers:  I’m about to sound like a proper old South Asian uncle in this article.  If I don’t have my tea in the morning, my day is ruined. I need chai (ginger tea) —the Indian way. So does my whole family, with the exception of my brother. It never mattered if we had to leave at four in the morning or had over twenty-four hours of travel ahead; we woke u

Follow along with News Section Editor Chantelle Mackintosh as she recounts the ups and downs of volunteering. You will be surprised to know that as a life-long reader, it took almost twenty years for me to attend the Sydney Writers’ Festival. And when I finally did, I did not just attend, I volunteered, allowing me to experience the festival from every angle. The Sydney Writers’ Festival runs each year in May as a celebration of writers, books and big ideas. From non-fiction

Editorial Assistant Elizabete Lasmane discusses how Australia’s proclaimed acknowledgement of its colonial history is not what she expected national accountability to look like. Australia’s self-awareness regarding the actions of erasing Indigenous history and muting Indigenous voices. Is it considered an act of strong self-awareness or an act of shame?  Australians. Whenever you hear Australia,  I’d assume you imagine deserts, kangaro os, snakes, sharks, basically any wilder

Editor-in-Chief Beth Nicholls and Repeat Offenders Section Editor Niamh McGonnell-Hall review the proposed changes to Macquarie University’s course and major offerings within the Faculty of Arts.  Please note that this article was written in August 2025.  Macquarie University's Faculty of Arts (FoA) Executive Dean has made a suite of proposed changes, where at least twelve majors will be discontinued for 2027 and two bachelor degrees are slated to be cut, along with a propose

ARIES 21 March - 19 April You are not a part of the bimbo summit (Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears & Paris Hilton circa 2006).  You are just running on a diet of V Energy Drink and Strawberry Ice-flavoured vapes. For the love of god, drink some water. TAURUS 20 April - 20 May I don’t have the time nor crayons to explain this to you, but you have certainly become your worst enemy recently. Reassess, quickly. GEMINI 21 May - 20 June You remind me of a Russian doll: full of yoursel

Niamh McGonnell-Hall drags us for a deep dive (pun intended) into the types of sea dwellers on our screens From Odysseus to the quest for the Golden Fleece, Sirens have been luring men to their deaths for centuries. But many of us grew up with The Little Mermaid or Barbie: Mermaidia.  Sirens, Merfolk and sea dwellers come in many different fin colours, so let’s take a little paddle into the deep waters of how these bewitching creatures have changed on our screens through time

Singing for the sea: Deputy Editor Kayleigh Greig reviews a hypnotic performance by true siren Anohni   Haunting vocals, visions of a dying underwater world and soulful instrumentals are what enveloped me on the night of the 26 th  of May, 2025. As part of Vivid Sydney, avant-garde singer-songwriter and visual artist Anohni performed ‘Mourning the Great Barrier Reef’ to an orchestral accompaniment at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Covering songs from throughout her care

Concertgoer Sophia Kearns gives us the exclusive on the dreamy, spellbinding performance of Cigarettes After Sex during their first-ever visit to Sydney After years of anticipation, American dream pop outfit Cigarettes After Sex finally graced Australian shores for the first time, delivering an ethereal performance at Sydney's ICC Theatre that left audiences spellbound. The band's long-awaited debut in Australia as part of their X's World Tour proved worth the wait, transform

On the hunt for something scandalous to add to your TBR? Martha Florence reviews Furies, a short story anthology featuring a lively crowd of women and/or monsters. From murderesses to temptresses, scale-shedding gorgons and porn stars gone to seed, there’s never a dull moment. Content warning:   please note this contains strong language and references to adult themes. Non-graphic/explicit. DETAILS :  Short story anthology | Multiple authors | Fast read  FEATURING :  Some guy

Niamh McGonnell-Hall takes you through a library of erotic reads.  Please note that this article contains mature themes (and some slight spoilers!) There is a quote by some iconic person that states, “I don’t watch porn, I read it like a fucking lady.” Not saying there’s anything undignified about watching porn, but why not stimulate both your eyes and your imagination by doing both.  But first, let's get something out of the way. Smut books are a tricky topic. Between the fe

In unfortunate news, Nic’s Flix has officially been retired from Grapeshot as the legendary Nic Chang has now graduated. (RIP Nic Chang, not dead, just in a worse place (aka, no Grapey).) In good news, the movie reviews GO ON! Editor-in-Chief, Beth Nicholls (aka a certified nerd), reviews one of the latest superhero movies to hit our screens: Superman.  Look, everyone surely knows the barebone plot of Superman , however, I am giving  spoiler warnings for Superman (2025)  beca

Back To Black - Amy Winehouse So Damn Dangerous - Dea Matrona Froot - MARINA obsessed - Olivia Rodrigo Red Wine Supernova - Chappell Roan Crushing - Eartheater Messages From Her - Sabrina Claudio Siren - Kailee Morgue Breakfast - Dove Cameron Closer - Nine Inch Nails Angel - Massive Attack, Horace Andy Glory box - Portishead obsessed - zandros, Limi Sujo - Mike Taveira the boy is mine - Ariana Grande Eden - Daniel Seavey Drums of Death - FKA twigs, Koreless To The Bone - Bomb

Editorial Assistant Amy Condren opens the window on the emotional KPIs of dating down under There’s plenty of fish in the sea, but I have an attitude problem. I will be the first to admit it. Dating apps always make me feel like The Company (me) is having a flash sale and I am the head of the marketing department. Picture me, the office siren reclining on a jagged rock, jutting up from the depths of the roiling sea:  Mermaid Tail: silver (obviously)  Hair: long, dark and a li

Editorial Assistant Daniela De Vera remembers the Pied Piper when talking about the exaggerated promotion of over-sexualisation and commodification of women online.  Remember the Pied Piper? Leading 130 children away from their homes due to the lack of payment for his services? There is no Pied Piper in the 21st century, although there is one that may be of close relation to it. I believe there is a fine line between automatising your sexuality to promote liberation and femin

Editorial Assistant Bethany Sharman humorously critiques the cries of sailors disappointed by “mid” sirens.  After a near-death encounter with a siren on Tuesday, a local sailor reportedly took to social media to share his account of the traumatic experience. He briefly detailed that the alluring siren song he was promised turned out to be nothing better than a regurgitation of “the usual junk” typically heard on the radio – commercial music he claimed was so overdone it “alm

Editorial Assistant and Illustrator Katrina Wang muses on the murky myth of the siren. The myth of the siren is often confused with that of the mermaid. Like all myths, there are varying sources and alterations to a main narrative, a shaping by many voices and hands. In this case, the main theme that defines a siren as a siren is its hypnotic voice, a single note that may be the end of your fate. Whereas now, where we only see female sirens, some of the earliest depictions in

Through fog and mist, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Kayleigh Greig voyages to the shore, guided by her siren song.  Our friendship glided like a ship into mist: from somewhere clear, defined, but with the vague sense of something new looming in the distance, to a world of fog, obscurity, and confusion. It was exciting, beautiful, but haunting. My moments turned into flashes and feelings in the dark: hands brushing, the glimpse of a smile, the warmth of your head on my shoulder, the

Contributor Roger Luthford tells the tale of a relentless siren, her powerful waves tamed by the watchful gaze of the moon high above.   The lurch of the mind is a curious one. It wanders into ideas that do not prove useful for the mind's survival in a perilous world. Much like the tide is subject to the Moon's sway and motion, so is our perspective. This lurch alters our perspective, to see the worst in what is done, to fear the life around you so that you may protect your o

Join one of our Marketing Assistants on a reflective journey as they unravel the intricate web of love and desire. I would have stayed there forever, if you'd allowed me to. Tracing infinity signs along the curve of your shoulder blade as the morning light turned your olive skin to honey...gazing at the future as if it wore your face...loving you when I had the words to express it, and even more so when I lacked them.  Death would have claimed me before my love for you waned,

I miss an older time  When sex wasn’t drowning or suffocating  It was young and innocent and sweet  Not the burning of salt going down ur throat  and filling ur lungs  Filling the emptiness  Dragging you  Down  Down  Down  Love was a sand castle,  Fragile, but high up on the safety  of the dunes away from the crushing waves.  Now it’s hungry and vicious    Lulled over by a siren’s sweet song  and sweet nothings Love was soft, like warm dry sand that you  would pic

The turn of my shoulders. The water filling me. You saw me by the door, coyness embodied.  Damp curls and eager sweat. A smile snagged on my lips from a day of waiting, my skin warm like a stone under sun  for you. Beckoned by your shadow, I approached. The door closed and the light faded as I willed myself to you. In your memory it is so. It has to be so. The countless sculptures and shrines in my name were founded on your vision after all, the sprawling city fuelled  by you