In what could be a nice new trend for the Australian music scene, a small British invasion is taking place and the first group riding the wave is the psychedelic indie band, TOY. As part of a new live music series, Bulmers Underground, TOY are on their way to Australia to headline shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. The band, formed in 2010, have wasted no time over the past 3 years making a name for themselves, woth various members coming from moderately successful bands in the past. The music that TOY creates are distorted rock’n’roll concoctions that evoke the psychedelic peaks of the 70’s, but are contorted and refined so as to make the music contemporary and refreshing. TOY’s debut album sold out of its initial pressing not long after release, and have since gone on to perform with The Horrors and Primal Scream. Be sure to grab a ticket before they are all snapped up, and keep your eyes peeled for more international guests from Bulmers Underground.
Have you spent a lot of time playing mini-golf lately? The popularity of Holey Moley Golf Club would suggest so. Well, here's your chance to make back the money you've spent on 'practising': the inaugural (and, surprisingly, very lucrative) Holey Moley Masters. Holey Moley — which has eight mini-golf clubs across the East Coast, including one in Melbourne, one in Brisbane and two in Sydney — is launching what's set to be the country's biggest ever mini-golf competition. Kicking off with round one on March 28, the tournament will end with the best team from each Holey Moley venue battling it out for national glory and a cool $10k at a Melbourne final. A series of DJ-fuelled competition nights will be held to find the champion team from each Holey Moley course. Then, on April 19, the winners will be flown to Melbourne to represent their states at a huge final celebration, with the winners scoring their own 'Golden Jackets', a home-course party in their honour and, of course, that sweet, sweet cheque. It's all very official for something that is, at its core, a novelty. Nonetheless, it could be an easy way to make some cash. If you want a shot at victory, start working on your golf game and head here to register by March 18.
Nothing says classic pre-pandemic Brisbane like spending four whole days eating and drinking your way up and down James Street. This July, nothing will say post-lockdown Brissie quite like that, either. Yes, the James Street Food and Wine Trail is finally back in-person, and will take over New Farm once again — this time without last-minute at-home pivots, which is what happened to last year's event, sadly. If you're a Brisbanite with a healthy appetite, there's now only one place to be between Thursday, July 28–Sunday, July 31. Take your rumbling stomach and its yearning for something scrumptious down to the well-known stretch of shops — and then fill it with tasty treats. Over JSFWT's 2022 run, the New Farm precinct it calls home will become a culinary wonderland again, and highlight the gastronomic delights of the area. That includes devouring delicious dishes and drinks, of course, regardless of what kind of food, beverage or event takes your fancy. And, it also boasts a whole day of market activity. Whenever you decide to head by, you can hop on the trail. Follow the roadway to a feast of dishes and drinks; think: a Lebanese pizza party at Gerard's Bar to start things off on the Thursday, an evening by The Green's leafy surroundings on the Friday, plus a four-course champagne lunch at Essa on the Saturday. Then, come Sunday, more than 32 businesses will unleash their wares on Market Day, which'll take over the entire street. There'll be at least 19 food stalls and 13 bars, spanning everywhere from Gemelli, sAme sAme and Biánca to SK Steak & Oyster, Hellenika and Mosconi. Because Gelato Messina is in the vicinity, the dessert fiends will be doing two special dishes, too, while Essa will join the fun with caviar and frozen vodka, plus fried chicken and truffle rolls. Also on the agenda at the picnic-style Market Day event: live performances and live music. No wonder the road will be closed between McLachlan and Arthur Streets, to make room for five live music stages, tables across the roadway and craft workshops.
The world said goodbye to Amy Winehouse in 2011, but that doesn't mean that the British singer isn't still taking to the stage. The 'Back to Black' and 'Rehab' songstress is the latest celebrity to get the hologram treatment, with a new technologically enhanced performance set to hit the road in 2019 — featuring the late talent crooning her hits accompanied by a live band and on-stage singers. Attendees can expect between 75–110 minutes of Winehouse's music, all thanks to the folks at Base Hologram, who are behind similar shows involving Roy Orbison and Maria Callas. Bringing back dearly departed music icons seems to be their new niche, in a trend that just keeps gathering steam since the Tupac hologram back at Coachella in 2012. Base Hologram states that the Winehouse show will utilise "new state-of-the-art proprietary technology" and feature "digitally remastered arrangements of her classics" as well as "theatrical stagecraft". Exactly where the production will be headed has yet to be revealed, although it's expected to launch towards the end of 2019. The Guardian also reports that the the tour will raise money and awareness for the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Via The Guardian. Image: Rama via Wikimedia Commons.
Everyone knows that, in 2016, the lowest thing you can do is spoil Game of Thrones for a poor soul first-thing Tuesday morning. Usually the spoiling is an honest mistake (and the result of too many feels) — but what if it was actually something more sinister? Well, someone's created a service that is just that. Inspired by this story of a woman who sought revenge on her ex-boyfriend by sending him GoT spoilers, Spoiled will text your unsuspecting friends all the main plot points after each new episode airs. Because people are jerks. All this amazing but truly horrifying new service needs to get spoilin' is the mobile number of the friend you want to never speak to you again and your credit card number. Then, straight after the episode airs, your mate will be sent spoilers — images included. Each spoiler sent will cost you a mere $0.99 USD, and can be sent to any mobile number around the world. It truly doesn't cost much to ruin someone's day/week/year these days. We definitely do not endorse signing up your friends to this service. That guy who spoiled Breaking Bad for you though? Go right ahead.
In time to come, we may well look back on the 21st century as the 'Age of the Bicycle'. We've run music festivals on pedal power, attempted to crowdfund the world's first flying bicycle, designed fashion for two-wheeling commuters, built cycle super highways and proposed the construction of sky-high bike paths. Nearly every week, it seems, someone, somewhere finds a way to extend the scope, relevance and fun factor of the humble bicycle. Now, a maverick composer by the name of Johnny Random has demonstrated its capacity as a musical instrument. Actually, not just an instrument, but an entire orchestra. He's written and recorded a song titled 'Bespoken' in which every single sound is generated via bicycle parts. As difficult as it is to believe when you hear it, no traditional instruments, synthesisers, samplers or drum machines are used. Instead, the spokes are tuned to various pitches, then plucked, picked and bowed to create melody, with other components employed percussively. "I remember my first time riding a bicycle," Johnny Random says. "It felt like freedom. I associate the sounds of a bike with this feeling. As a composer, I wanted to capture this through music, specifically by using the sounds of bikes and their components ... Through music, I want to change the way that people perceive their surroundings and I hope that this will inspire others to look at every day objects with more curiosity and wonder". Via PSFK.
We all know how boring wet weather is. Now, two women have developed a way to cure that boredom with an umbrella that makes 8-bit sounds when it is hit by rain. Alice Zappe and Julia Läger used 12 sensors, 2 speakers and an Arduino minicontroller to enable their umbrella to create sounds. The intensity of the rain changes the sound, surely making for an interesting compilation in a torrential downpour. Although the umbrella doesn't produce actual songs it could easily be modified to play pre-recorded tunes. It's a bit of fun while you are walking in the rain and will most definitely put some smiles on otherwise glum faces in the rainy street.
Fresh flowers. Just-baked cakes. The air just after a storm. Newly brewed coffee. They're all distinctive scents that not only smell nice, but conjure up warm and fuzzy feelings. And if you find that the odour of cracking open a new computer or gadget from a certain popular brand evokes the same kind of reaction, then you're going to want to order a Mac-scented candle. Replicating the smell of a brand new Mac, the hand-poured candles clearly answer an the age-old question: "what do you get the Apple fan who has everything?". They're made from 100% soy wax, cost US$24, and also conjure notes of mint, peach, basil, lavender, mandarin and sage. We have to say, if that's what you're sniffing out when you open your new laptop, you must have super olfactory capabilities. Sure, it sounds like something out of a Seinfeld episode, were the hit sitcom still airing — or a gag one of the many modern-oriented Twitter parody accounts of the show might come up with; however it really isn't a joke. Mac accessories company Twelve South has added the item to their store, alongside their usual lineup of docks, stands, covers, shelves, bass boosters, plug converters and keyboard extenders (you know, the standard computer, tablet and phone gizmos). One US Mac hosting solution outfit put the candles to the test, and decreed that they do indeed emit the apparently much-sought-after "new Mac smell". There must be a fair number of folks looking to fill their home with that particular scent, because the range has already sold out. Don't worry, Mac sniffers: more will be in stock at the end of the month. Via Fast Company.
Uber drivers may want to start thinking about a change of career. The ridesharing giant, whose relationship with its drivers has been turbulent in recent times, may soon reach the point where it no longer has any need for them at all. After all, why spend millions settling lawsuits when you can get the cars to operate themselves? That seems to be the thinking as the company rolled out its first fleet of self-driving cars in the U.S. today. After beginning testing back in May, the fleet of modified Ford Fusion Hybrids, complete with roof-mounted cameras, radar and Uber branding, took its first official outing streets of Pittsburgh on Wednesday — beating other tech companies to the punch. At the moment Uber is still sending a safety driver along in the driver's seat, so they can intervene if anything goes awry. The idea is that eventually those safety drivers won't be needed anymore — but, safety, y'know? "This pilot is a big step forward," said the company via a statement on their website. "Real-world testing is critical to the success of this technology. And creating a viable alternative to individual car ownership is important to the future of cities." They hope that driverless technology will, eventually, help to lower the number of traffic accidents, cut congestion and free up parking space in our cities. At the moment the self-driving cars are only available to "loyal" Pittsburgh Uber riders — if one of the cars is available when they request an uberX, that's what they'll get. That's all well and good, but will these self driving cars be offering their passengers complimentary mints? Where are we on that technology, exactly? By Tom Clift and Lauren Vadnjal.
Just look at that hair. This large-scale installation — which not-so-subtly resembles the dome of Donald Trump — is the work of Canadian-born visual artist Callum Morton. Titled Monument #32: Helter Shelter 2018, the giant protruding head is now on display along Barangaroo Wharf, and you're welcome to sit inside its cavernous fiery interior, too (if you feel comfortable doing so). Morton's thought-provoking and shelter-providing sculpture is on display along with two other works as part of Carriageworks' annual art fair, Sydney Contemporary. Joining the head is Cameron Robbins' installation Remote Sensor, which combines elements of nature, wind, the tides and light in a series of drawings, photographs and moving images that will take residence along the Barangaroo foreshore. If you visit at the right time, you might also catch Mel O'Callaghan's breath-based performance, Breath repertoire. O'Callaghan and Sydney Dance Company will perform an intense movement-focused performance that uses intersecting graphic lines as a language and musical score for the dancers at 12.30pm on September 6, 7 and 13 at Barangaroo's Exchange Place. All three installations are free to view and will be on display until September 24. Sydney Contemporary will return to Sydney for its fourth year on the weekend of September 13–16. The lineup is overflowing with performances, exhibitions, tours, talks and afterparties that celebrate both homegrown and international art. The installation works at Barangaroo for Sydney Contemporary are now open from August 31 through September 24. Check the website for more information.
Since 1987, if you've wanted to hit up South by Southwest, then you've needed to visit Austin in Texas. Come October this year, however, that'll no longer be the case. Across eight days, the acclaimed tech, innovation, music, gaming, screen and culture festival and conference will embark on its first-ever non-US event — and more details about its massive four-day music festival have just dropped. Unlike your standard music fest in The Domain or Centennial Park, SXSW will be creating a bustling precinct spanning Ultimo, Darling Harbour, Chippendale and Surry Hills, with over 300 performances popping up across 25 different venues. As with the Austin iteration, the festival is all about discovery and catching the next big thing before they're headlining other festivals, so you'll find a lineup stacked with local and international talent doing interesting, boundary-pushing things. Up until this point, you've only been able to purchase the festival's next-level all-access badges. But now, SXSW has unveiled more financially accessible options with the introduction of the music wristband. These passes start from $280 and grant you access to all 300 performances between Wednesday, October 18–Saturday, October 21. [caption id="attachment_903438" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alana Dimou[/caption] You'll also be able to pop into the showcases and parties being presented by brands like Laneway Festival, Dr Martens, Vans and Warner Music. And, you'll be able to hit up the country houses that've become synonymous with the Austin festival, including pop-ups from the British Music Embassy and Korean Spotlight. Some of the notable artist inclusions include frantic Japanese punk group Otoboke Beaver; Denzel Curry and JPEGMAFIA collaborator Redveil; First Nations trailblazers Barkaa, Kobie Dee, Jem Cassar-Daley and Dobby; TikTok sensations Ula and Flyana Boss; Indonesian jazz trio Batavia Collective; plus Dylan Atlantis and Friday*, both of who are members of the Western Sydney music collective Full Circle that were spotlighted in the SBS short film We Just Live Here. If you've been to see the new Australian horror movie that's taking the world by storm, aka Talk to Me, you would have caught the vocals of one of SXSW Sydney's artists IJALE opening the film with his song 'Ducks In a Row'. And, you can also catch a heap of beloved stalwarts of the Sydney and Australian live music scene as well, like Andy Golledge Band, These New South Whales, Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, Caitlin Harnett and the Pony Boys, and The Terrys. Expect more artists to be added to the lineup as the fest gets closer. Over in Austin, musicians big and small will often join the program all the way up until the week of the festival. All of these musicians will be popping up across Sydney venues like The Lansdowne, The Lord Gladstone, Hollywood Hotel, The Civic Underground, The Abercrombie, Phoenix Central Park, The Soda Factory, The Chippo Hotel, the Powerhouse Museum, Sneaky Possum, UTS Underground and Tumbalong Park. Plus, SXSW Sydney has partnered with the festival Someday Soon, which will be popping up at the University of Sydney on Saturday, October 21 with a stacked program featuring Peach PRC, What So Not, 1300, Northeast Party House, Royal Otis and Sly Withers. Platinum and music badgeholders will be able to attend the affiliate event as part of the week's festivities. [caption id="attachment_848402" align="alignnone" width="1916"] Barkaa, Luke Currie Richardson[/caption] Basically, you'll get access to a citywide party, at which established and emerging bands will be filling every stage across four different suburbs for four whole days — all for the price of a standard music festival. Of course, SXSW isn't all about the music. There will also be a film festival featuring the world premiere of the documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles; a gaming strand with a massive esport competition and indie game showcase; and a conference with talks from Queer Eye star Tan France, the CEO of Coachella, Osher Günsberg and Layne Beachley. Each section of the festival has its own wristband system — with the music, screen and games tickets going on sale this Friday, August 25. You can get a full breakdown of the difference between badges and wristbands at the SXSW Sydney website. [caption id="attachment_889033" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maria Boyadgis[/caption] SXSW Sydney will run from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues, with the SXSW Sydney Music Festival running from Wednesday, October 18–Saturday, October 21. Music wristbands go on sale this Friday, August 25, with early bird prices starting at $280. Top image: Jordan Munns. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
The Brisbane Queer Film Festival has been championing and showcasing the best of queer cinema for 14 years. As the largest festival of its kind in Queensland (and third largest in Australia), BQFF has had the genuine pleasure of exhibiting the latest cinematic exploits of international filmmakers dealing with queer issues. This year, there are dozens of quality films and documentaries as well as a comprehensive selection of shorts. Entries are coming from all over the globe from countries like the USA, Germany, France and Denmark. The fun kicks off on Friday with the opening night party — sure to be a rambunctious affair with performances from Trevor Ashley as Ms Liza, Mr Sparkle and DJ ISH after the opening night film, Keep the Lights On. Be sure to check out the BQFF website for the festival program and schedule. Be inspired by some of the best queer cinema in the world and relax in a welcoming atmosphere for people of any sexual orientation.
Prefer your markets Twilight style? Welcome to the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Markets. Will there be Edward vs. Jacob heart t-shirts or the odd lock of werewolf hair? Absolutely not - why would you even make such an awful connection? For shame… there will, however, be crafty handmade trinkets and oddments galore all to browse by lantern light. BrisStyle are a collection of talented crafters and designers from Queensland who sell their wares through Etsy, but these creatives want more than just an online presence, so every second month they set up shop in the heart of the city to show their goodness to all under the stars. Meander through the stalls of over sixty emerging and established local artisans, all 100% hand made in Australia. It’s guaranteed to be a more enjoyable experience than sitting through two hours of deadpan pouting and unspoken longing (unless you’re into that sort of thing…), so get yourself down to King George Square this Friday evening.
Now in its 65th year, the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival features over a million tulips planted across 25 acres of farmland. This huge collection of tulips is the perfect excuse to wander through endless fields of flowers to celebrate the start of spring. There's heaps of stuff happening at the tulip farm throughout the month, which sits on the cusp of the Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley (east of Melbourne). For the food fans, we would highly recommend pencilling the Food, Wine & Jazz Weekend (September 27–29) into your eating plans. Boasting locally brewed beer, wine and a tasty snacks from the area — including warm, buttery fire-baked scones, mini dutch pancakes and loaded baked potatoes among the tulips. If you're still not convinced, entry includes complimentary wine and beer tasting. Similarly, the Dutch Weekend (September 20–22) will showcase the best that the Netherlands have to offer – other than tulips — with music, markets, unique crafts (wooden tulip-making, anyone?) and Dutch food available inside the festival. Or, head by on the Irish Weekend (October 11–13), where Irish pipers and dancing will perform (and plenty of Guinness and Kilkenny-drinking will take place) around the site's floral rainbow The Tesselaar Tulip Festival runs from Saturday, September 14 through to Sunday, October 13. Tickets are available at the farm, but you can buy them online in advance to skip the queue.
As if it wasn't stressful enough to get a ticket to Splendour, this morning potential festivalgoers were faced with an A-grade nightmare on ticketing provider Moshtix involving price glitches and what appeared to be an outside hack. After dutifully logging on at 9am to fight the virtual queues, many punters were led astray by a rogue link advertising tickets at a 50 percent discount. After providing details to finish the purchase, they were met with credit card fees upwards of $3,000. As Moshtix users began to flood the Splendour social media accounts, representatives became aware of the glitch and responded on Twitter in an appropriately panicked fashion. High credit card fees happening on invalid 50% off tickets - DO NOT PURCHASE THESE 50% OFF TICKETS! — SplendourintheGrass (@SITG) May 1, 2014 However there were numerous reports of the exorbitant fees occurring on full-priced tickets too. While some users powered on with the purchase either not seeing the price hike or being blinded with SITG ticket lust, most sensibly cancelled the purchase and attempted to restart the process. Unfortunately — because it's Splendour — by this point the ticket allocation was completely exhausted. Cue bouts of justified internet outrage and quiet weeping. Moshtix owner Harley Evans released a statement soon afterward saying anyone who bought tickets at the increased prices will still be eligible for tickets. "All of these affected orders will be cancelled today, and customers contacted to allow them to purchase at the correct prices," it read. However such actions don't accommodate those who backed out of the purchase and many are calling for an (incredibly unlikely) resale. Though the cause of the glitch is currently under investigation, many claim it could be a hack associated with infamous narcotics website Silk Road. While completing purchases many users cited suspicious links associated with the website, one of which even read 'mosh+hack'. .@moshtix_com_au hacked? Defaced w/ silkroad links, reports of strange credit card fees appearing. Now HTTP 503 #SITG pic.twitter.com/PGvAnsiZ3J — %256x%n (@justinsteven) May 1, 2014 The good news is, Moshtix have confirmed that no credit card information has been compromised during the ordeal so no need to rush off and cancel your cards if you got duped. The bad news is literally everything else. If you somehow got tickets, all your friends will now seethe at you. If you forgot tickets went on sale, it's too late — you will never get to sing 'Hey Ya!' with Outkast. And, if you were affected by the 'technical difficulties' this morning, you can look forward to a wonderfully entertaining complaint line over at their ticket support site.
In October 2013, graffiti artist Banksy travelled to the United States for a month-long ‘residency’ on the streets of New York City. Every day for 31 days, the anonymous artist revealed a new work somewhere in the five boroughs, sending art lovers, journalists and local law enforcement into a frenzy. Produced for HBO, Chris Moukarbel’s documentary Banksy Does New York chronicles this city-wide scavenger hunt in a mostly engaging fashion, although it unfortunately lacks much of the sardonic energy of the artist whose work it follows. In some ways, you’ve got to feel sorry for Moukarbel and company, given that their film’s most obvious compatriot is Exit Through the Gift Shop. Directed by Banksy himself, that film has the distinction of being one of the best documentaries of the past decade — unique, funny, audacious and with a surprising amount to say about the nature of art, hype and commerce. Banksy Does New York, on the other hand, was made without the artist’s involvement, and as such plays like a much more conventional film. Not that there’s anything particularly wrong with that. Although the doco’s execution is a little by the numbers, Banksy still makes for a fascinating subject — as do the crowds of New Yorkers who flock to see his art. Pieces in his New York residency range from relatively simple stencilled graffiti to elaborate installations and performances. His most overtly political works include a fibreglass Ronald McDonald statue scowling at a real-life shoeshine boy and a truck full of wailing stuffed animals parked outside a city butcher. At times, you wish Moukarbel would engage more critically with the artwork, rather than simply documenting it for an audience. Various people interviewed in the film offer their opinions on the artistic and commercial value of Banksy’s work, from a pair of rabid fans who post their Banksy-hunting to YouTube to a writer for the New York Observer who dismisses it as “art that hits you over the head.” Yet the debate remains fairly surface level. For this reason, how much you like the movie will largely depend on how much you like the art. For the record, we like it quite a bit.
Like the finer stuff when it comes to eating and drinking? Keen on multi-course meals with carefully matched food and beverage options? If you said yes to both and you love craft beer, then let Newstead Brewing Co. take you on a journey. Browse through pale, golden and amber ales as well as porters, as served with a mouth-watering selection of tasty treats, while you enjoy everything from a fire-twirling performance to an auction — complete with prizes. And not only will the event fill your bellies with goodness, but it'll make a difference too, with all funds raised going towards providing vital services for people with cystic fibrosis.
The focus of yoga trends seems to be constantly changing — from beer yoga to hip hop yoga and rooftop yoga to farmside yoga, we thought we'd seen it all. Now, Dubai's Atlantis The Palm is bringing 'underwater' yoga onto the scene. Before you think about holding your breath while doing a submerged upward dog, the class isn't quite as complicated — or as cool — as it sounds. The yoga course is not held in the water, but instead it takes place inside a tank-like room called the Ambassador Lagoon. The Lagoon sits within the resort's Lost Chambers Aquarium, a 17-hectare openair marine habitat that boasts over 65,000 sea creatures within a massive maze of underwater corridors and passageways. The 250-plus salt and fresh water species include sharks, eels, rays and piranhas, as well as hundreds of exotic fish. That's a whole lot of marine life on call to sit audience to your meditation. The all-levels, 20-person class runs every Tuesday and Friday. Each ticket includes a yoga mat, bottle of water and valet parking, which we guess is what puts the price up at 120 Dirham (around $44 AUD). The lavishness of the course is no surprise coming from this 46-hectare luxury resort. Being in a darkened room surrounded by shimmering water and peacefully floating sea animals does sound quite relaxing, and, although there won't be any actual underwater feats involved, we don't think it would be quite as calming in practice anyway. Post-yoga, there's always the 18 million litres of fresh water which powers waterslides, river rides, tidal waves and pools to entertain yourself with. Underwater yoga is held at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. If you're heading there any time soon, visit their website for more information and bookings.
Everyone loves travelling overseas. No one loves the actual travel part. From airport queues to uncomfortable plane seats to lost baggage, getting from A to B is the ordeal you have to endure before the fun begins. Enter Elon Musk, and a plan to change that. In Adelaide for the International Astronautical Conference, the South African entrepreneur advised that he foresees next-generation spacecraft not only ferrying people beyond the earth, but across it as well. With his SpaceX company currently readying a rocket-powered trip around the moon in 2018, and preparing to head to Mars in 2022 and 2024, he wants to be able to use the same types of vessels to journey between continents. It all hinges upon the BFR — or "Big Fucking Rocket" — that's currently in development, and is being designed for multiple uses. Musk said that he envisions the system taking both crew and cargo into space, and then helping folks hop around the globe at 27,000 kilometres per hour. In an Instagram post after his speech, he explained that it would take 30 minutes to fly to most places and 60 minutes at most — all for the same full-fare price as current economy airline tickets. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZnVfWxgdLe/?hl=en&taken-by=elonmusk As futuristic as it might sound now, if anyone can make it a reality, it's probably Musk. He has already promised to revolutionise journeying between cities and across continents thanks to his Hyperloop system, a high-speed vacuum transport setup that'll never stop sounding like a sci-fi movie come to life. And, in preparation for SpaceX's rocket jaunts, he has also sent a zero gravity espresso machine to space. Travel and caffeine go hand-in-hand, after all. Via the ABC / Dezeen. Image: SpaceX.
Just about everyone has a friend or relative who would describe themselves as a "struggling artist". For this most beleaguered of professions, the frustrations of the world's most competitive and highly lucrative industry often turns "struggling artists" into "failed artists". Pippin Barr, one such dejected artist, has found a most unusual way of channelling his grievances and disillusionment with the art world: a part-personal, part-satirical, and entirely addictive online video game, Art Game. The monochromatic, 8-bit game takes place in the cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world of the New York City visual art scene. Players choose between three contemporary artists as their avatar: minimalist painter Cicero Sassoon (with his reference-heavy name), Russian sculptor Alexandra Tertanov, and video artists William Edge and Susan Needle. Within a style of gameplay modelled on the classic video games of Snake, Tetris, and Space Invaders, your task is then to create a piece of art worthy of display in an upcoming show at New York's legendary Museum of Modern Art. Your path to artistic glory is a far from smooth one, however, as before you can have your work showcased you must get past the deliciously snooty MoMA curator. The curator's selection of which of your artworks (if any) make the cut seems to be based on a fairly arbitrary and even random set of criteria, in a quite pointed dig at how "good art" is selected and endorsed within the art scene, with decisions handed down in a series of cliche-enriched tirades (another beautiful touch from Barr). The game is filled to the brim with knowing references to the art scene, from the inane chatter of the MoMA visitors to the stereotypical studio apartments of the artists. It is these details that transform the game from not simply being a form of light-hearted procrastination but also a very clever and totally unique piece of satire. The surprisingly heartbreaking experience of being told that your work is not up to scratch provides a fresh understanding of just how brutal and controlled the art scene can be. To see if you have what it takes to be counted amongst New York's artistic elite, click here to play Art Game. Via Hyperallergic.
If holidaying at sea sounds like your kind of vacation, then cruise ships boast plenty of attractions, including scenic journeys across the ocean, buffet meals, booze and a plethora of spots to laze by — or in — a pool. But there's one thing they haven't featured until now: onboard roller coasters. That's about to change thanks to one cruise ship company. Come 2020, Carnival Cruise Line will debut its Mardi Gras vessel, which will include a 240-metre electric roller coaster called Bolt. The ride will soar nearly 60 metres above sea level, using a two-rider, motorcycle-style vehicle. And, it'll navigate twists, turns and drops at speeds of almost 65 kilometres per hour. Basically, the vessel upgrades cruise ships from floating resorts to floating theme parks — so if you've ever visited Luna Park, Dreamworld or Funfields and wished that all of their attractions were on a boat, now you're in luck. If you're keen on the idea but not so fond of the zooming speed, you'll be pleased to know that the latter is adjustable. No matter how fast you choose to go, you'll have your photo taken mid-ride like on most coasters. Named after the cruise line's first ever ship from back in 1972, the 5200-passenger Mardi Gras will be based out of Port Canaveral in Florida — and just where the vessel's itinerary will take it, and how much a trip will cost, has all yet to be revealed. The company also has two other ships with SkyRide attractions, which involve pedalling around a suspended course in a go-mobile, as well as liners with water slides and aerial ropes courses. For more information, visit the Carnival Cruise Line website. Image: Carnival Cruise Line.
Having firmly established itself as one of the country's best art and design markets, Finders Keepers is shaking things up when it returns to Brisbane this June. One of two yearly events (the other will drop in summer), the Autumn/Winter session will have more of a 'festival' vibe with the introduction of an extensive food and entertainment program. The focus remains on supporting independent and up-and-coming artisans, but the market is also ramping up its food and drink and entertainment offerings. Expect a whole host of food trucks to be on standby when the post-shop hunger strikes, while a roster of musical acts will soundtrack your tour of the stalls. On the art and and design side of things, the lineup of vendors is huge, boasting everything from candles, jewellery and art to fashion, accessories and skincare — and plenty in-between. Plus, more than 30 percent of designers call Queensland home, so you'll also be supporting local creatives while you forage for artsy finds — for yourself or a loved one. Luckily, this year's trading hours have been extended to give you maximum shopping time, with things kicking off at midday on Friday. Finders Keepers Autumn/Winter Market will run from June 22–24; 12pm–9pm on Friday, 9am–6pm on Saturday and 9am–5pm on Sunday. Images: Mark Lobo
If your 2021 plans could use a little colour and liveliness from one of the best artists that ever lived, you're in luck — because the Art Gallery of NSW is delivering exactly that as part of its newly announced 2021 program. For four months from November 2021–March 2022, the Sydney venue will host the huge Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris exhibition. It'll feature more than 100 of Henri Matisse's pieces spanning six decades of his artistry, it's only heading to Sydney and it'll mark the greatest single exhibition of his masterworks that's ever graced the NSW capital. Whether you're keen on Matisse's early efforts, including from his Fauvist phase, or you're more fascinated with how his talents progressed over his considerable career, you'll see something suiting your interests on display — with the exhibition running from November 22, 2021–March 13, 2022. Standouts include Le Luxe I 1907, if you're after one of his first pieces; Decorative figure on an ornamental ground 1925, from the middle of his career; and The sorrow of the king 1952, a self-portrait. If it all sounds a bit familiar, that's because it was originally due to happen in 2020 as part of AGNSW's Sydney International Art Series, but was postponed for obvious reasons. 2021 is now shaping up to be a great year for Australians to see European masterpieces, with Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra also showcasing works from the region — but only AGNSW will solely focus on Matisse. As well as Matisse's paintings, sculptures and cut-outs — all from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which boasts quite the collection — AGNSW will also be hosting Matisse Alive, which'll reflect upon Matisse in a modern context. The gallery-wide event will kick off in October 2021, letting art lovers indulge in a free festival of Matisse. Think: art, music, performances and dance, all delving into his life, his creations and how his works have inspired artists today. Textile environments, huge paintings and video works are all on the lineup, including by artists such as Nina Chanel Abney, Sally Smart, Angela Tiatia and Robin White. [caption id="attachment_794669" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Henri Matisse. 'Blue nude II (Nu bleu II)' 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, on white paper, mounted on canvas, 116.2 x 88.9 cmCentre Pompidou. Musée national d'art moderne AM1984-276. Photo © Service de la documentation photographique du MNAM Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI /Dist RMN-GP. © Succession H Matisse/Copyright Agency.[/caption] Obviously, AGNSW won't be empty for the rest of the year, before all things Matisse hit. Back in mid-2020, it revealed its blockbuster summer 2020–21 exhibitions, so you might already be familiar with Streeton, Pat Larter: Get Axed, Archie Plus, Khaled Sabsabi: A Promise, Real Worlds: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennale 2020 and Joy. Joining them on the full 2021 agenda: the also previously postponed Margel Hinder and The Purple House exhibitions; the food focused The Way We Eat; and Brett Whiteley: Printmaker, featuring Whiteley's lithographs, etchings, linocuts and silkscreen prints. Or, you can scope out Longing for Home, which'll feature works by six Aboriginal artists; and The National 2021: New Australian Art, which will hero pieces from 39 emerging, mid-career and established Australian artists. [caption id="attachment_789423" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Installation view of the 'Streeton' exhibition at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Photo: Jenni Carter, AGNSW.[/caption] And yes, after 2020's delays, the Archibald, Wynne and Suleman Prizes are back as well, with the corresponding exhibition displaying from June–September 2021. There's an added bonus, too, with AGNSW also hosting a 100-year-anniversary look at the Archibald. Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris will display at the Art Gallery of NSW, in Sydney, from November 22, 2021–March 13, 2022. Matisse Alive will run from October 2021–2. For more information — including about AGNSW's full 2021 lineup — visit the Art Gallery of NSW website. Top images: Sally Smart. 'The choreography of cutting' 2017. © Sally Smart. Photo: Fajar Riyanto, installation view OFCA, Yogyakarta. Henri Matisse. 'The sorrow of the king (La tristesse du roi)' 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, mounted on canvas, 292 x 386 cm. Centre Pompidou. Musée national d'art moderne AM3279P. Photo © Philippe Migeat - Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI /Dist RMN-GP. © Succession H Matisse/Copyright Agency. Nina Chanel Abney. 'Seized the Imagination', Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, New York, 9 November 9 – 20 December 20, 2017. © Nina Chanel Abney. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Playing with light and meticulously showing attention to detail are the biggest lessons to learn from this year's Australian Interior Design Awards. Entering its 11th year as one of Australia's premier design events, the Design Institute of Australia-backed awards handed their highest hospitality accolades to Melbourne's light-filled coffee roasters and Penfolds' stunning flagship outside of Adelaide. Competition was fierce for the Hospitality Design award, with commendations given to Melbourne's Chinese spot Ruyi and Canberra's sleek bakery bar A. Baker. Among the 31 shortlisted entrants were Woolloomooloo's Riley Street Garage, Surry Hills' Single Origin Roasters, Brunswick warehouse venue Howler, rustic Manly spot Donny's Bar, Prahran's Japanese gem Mr Miyagi, the new Sydney CBD chapter of The Local Bar, Bondi's groundbreaking Sensory Lab, buzzing live music venue Newtown Social Club, Degraves St's elegant cafe The Quarter, Southbank Japanese restaurant Gochi and more new additions to the Australian bar and restaurant family. But there can only be two top dogs. Taking out the award for Hospitality Design, Fitzroy's Industry Beans was applauded for turning a factory shell into a light-filled, timber-clad cafe and specialty coffee roastery. "The use of the ubiquitous timber pallet creates a strong and defined interior," said the jury citation. "The pallets give the cafe an overall industrial aesthetic and add a surprising amount of warmth to the design." Use of light won the jury over in the end, with winning design firm Figure Ground Architecture's louvres letting in the final votes for the top spot. "The quality of light in what could have been a dark and dreary space shows a consideration of the connection between the interior and the exterior," said the jury. "The designers have exhibited a simple and clear concept that has realized the interior’s true potential while weaving it into surrounding street life." South Australia's Penfolds' flagship Magill Estate Restaurant took out the restaurant top spot in the Hospitality Design category, with the jury applauding Melbourne-based archtiect Pascale Gomes-McNabb's All Boxes Ticked finish. "Beautiful lighting, sophisticated use of colour and a thoughtful composition of elements create a delightful and intriguing interior at Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant," said the jury, praising Gomes-McNabb's attention to detail, custom furniture and bespoke glass lighting. "The designer has tailored shapes and forms specifically to the space, creating a refreshing take on a winery restaurant." Co-presented by the Design Institute of Australia, designEX and Artichoke magazine, this year's awards saw more than 400 projects entered; increasing the entrants by 11 per cent from last year. Event manager Jacinta Reedy told The Australian that back to basics was highly favoured this year. “The jury recognised in these projects’ new directions in interior design, including clever use of raw materials, a love of simplicity and restrained approach to design,” she said. Check out the rest of the Australian Interior Design Awards winners over here.
If ever there was a time for champagne, it's the silly season. You've made it through a big year and there's lots to celebrate — summer, Christmas, the end of the decade and making it through another trip around the sun. Farewell 2019 and toast to the new year with your loved ones and a bottle or two of the fancy, bubbly stuff. Until the end of December, you can grab discounted bottles at three riverfront restaurants at Brisbane's Eagle Street Pier, so there's bound to be somewhere perfect for a family dinner, celebratory team drinks or ringing in 2020 with your mates. Enjoy stunning river views and oysters at George's Paragon or a luxury Italian feast at Massimo while sipping on Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut NV for just $99 a bottle (usually $125). Also at Eagle Street Pier, the recently opened Rico Bar and Dining is slinging $99 bottles of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut NV, a fair amount cheaper than its usual price of $135. If you're keen to nab a bottle of Moët & Chandon for a steal, book in to Massimo here or, for George's Paragon, email info@georgeseaglestreet.com or call (07) 3211 8111. If Veuve Clicquot is more your style, then head here to book in to Rico Bar and Dining.
Next time that you grab a drink in Melbourne or Sydney, you might want to get sipping at one of the globe's top watering holes. Those must-visit spots: Melbourne's Caretaker's Cottage and Sydney's Re, which just nabbed rankings in 2022 version of The World's 50 Best Bars extended 51–100 list. Each year, The World's 50 Best Bars does exactly what its name says, picking the best 50 bars on the planet — and 2022's top 50 will be announced on Tuesday, October 4 in Barcelona. But why stop at 50? This ranking doesn't, despite its moniker. That's where the longlist comes in, throwing some love at the next 50 venues worth checking out. [caption id="attachment_871415" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caretaker's Cottage[/caption] Little Lonsdale Street's Caretaker's Cottage came in at 60th spot, and marked its first year in the list — while Re, Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini's low-waste bar in South Eveleigh, took out 87th position. For the latter, it marks a slip from 46th place in 2021, after opening last year. Caretaker's Cottage and Re are the only Australian bars to make the cut so far — sorry, folks in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the rest of the country — with the 51–100 list including tipple-serving spots from 32 different cities in 25 countries, complete with 15 new entries scoring a place. The location with the most must-visit bars in this secondary rundown? Singapore, with eight; however, spots chosen elsewhere include bars in first-timers Kraków, Bratislava, Manchester, Playa Del Carmen and Bogotá as well. [caption id="attachment_871414" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Re[/caption] When the full list drops — being announced outside of London for the first time — here's hoping that Australia is well-represented. In 2021, Sydney's Maybe Sammy took out 22nd place, with The Rocks' venue making the top 50 list for the third year in a row. Fellow Sydneysider Cantina OK! came in at number 23 last year, Melbourne's Above Board earned a spot at number 44 and the aforementioned Re placed, too. In 2021's longlist, Melbourne's Byrdi nabbed 56th spot. Watch this space — we'll run through the winners of the World's 50 Best Bars 2022 list when they're announced next week. [caption id="attachment_871416" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Re[/caption] And yes, if you choose where to drink and eat based on these kinds of rankings, you've got a few spots to visit. So far this year, Melbourne's Gimlet at Cavendish House made The World's Top 100 Restaurant longlist for 2022, while Sydney's Josh Niland placed in 78th spot at The Best Chef Awards 2022. For the full 51–100 list of the World's 50 Best Bars for 2022 (and past years' lists), see the website. The top 50 rankings will be revealed from 8.15pm GMT on Tuesday, October 4 via Facebook and YouTube.
Artists are notoriously known for their inability to self promote their talents, not to mention the limited opportunities which exist for emerging artists in the local scene. This is exactly why each year Ryan Renshaw puts on a group show of the best new art in Queensland. The eponymous gallery, which is nothing more than a large, long white rectangle, is the perfect blank canvas to showcase the freshest talent Brisbane has to offer. Renshaw, a former art school student, MTV promo producer and music/ television director, now channels a significant portion of his time promoting and providing opportunities in the contemporary arts. Each year, Renshaw picks the most exciting upcoming artists to showcase their works during the early stages of their development – when it’s all about the wild ideas and unbridled passion. Comprising of recent graduates and unrepresented artists, this year features the work of the very talented Dana Lawrie, Hannah Piper, Yayuz Erkan, Caitlin Franzmann, Jared Worthington and Dord Burrough. Take this opportunity to see these exciting young artists before they take on the rest of the art world.
The place: earth in the near future. The situation: a frozen planet chilling at a frosty -119 degrees celsius, as caused by humanity's attempts to combat climate change. The only solution: a constantly hurtling 1001-car train that plays host to the world's only remaining people. But, instead of banding together on the speeding locomotive, the residents of Snowpiercer have transported society's class structure into the carriages of their new home. That's the story that drives Snowpiercer — on both the big screen and on TV. First came Bong Joon-ho's 2013 film, which marked the acclaimed South Korean writer/director's first English-language film, and one of the movies that brought him to broader fame before Netflix's Okja and 2019's Cannes Palme d'Or-winning and Oscar-winning Parasite. Then, unsurprisingly, came a US-made television series, which was first announced back in 2016, and then finally started speeding across screens — including Down Under, where it's available via Netflix — from May 2020. In both forms, Snowpiercer boasts a smart, immersive and all-too-timely concept — and unpacks its underlying idea in a thrilling and involving manner. While the TV version isn't as stellar as Bong's film (because, honestly, how could it be?), it takes the same dystopian concept, heightens the suspense and drama, and serves up both a class warfare-fuelled survivalist thriller and a murder-mystery. Think constant twists, reveals and reversals, cliffhangers at the end of almost every scene, and a 'Murder on the Snowpiercer Express' kind of vibe. Indeed, it's very addictive — and, ahead of its season two premiere on Tuesday, January 26 on Netflix, the streaming platform has dropped the full trailer for the show's next batch of episodes Once again, Hamilton's Tony Award-winning Daveed Diggs leads the charge, playing an ex-detective who has spent seven years in the tail end of the train and is dedicated to overthrowing the status quo to achieve equality for all. Also aboard is Jennifer Connelly as the engine's all-seeing, ever-present head of hospitality, with the likes of Frances Ha's Mickey Sumner, Slender Man's Annalise Basso and The Americans' Alison Wright all part of Snowpiercer's new world order as well. And, as first teased last year, Snowpiercer's existing cast are all facing a significant change in the second season. They're about to meet a new adversary, as played by none other than Game of Thrones' Sean Bean. Just how long he'll survive in his latest role is something you can start pondering right now. Watch the full Snowpiercer season two trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yZatBxIqVk Snowpiercer's second season will hit Netflix Down Under from Tuesday, January 26 — dropping new episodes weekly. Top image: David Bukach.
There'd better be room for another social network in your life, because today Twitter has launched new iPhone app Vine. Looking for more than filters and still images? Long to be the star of your own gifs? It's with you in mind that Vine is made, as it allows for the filming and sharing of videos up to six seconds long, complete with sound. The Twitter ethos of 'short is better' could be just the quality that makes this something we want to play with. First impressions show it to be a nice-looking app, with easy-to-use editing and options that allow you to explore the videos of others as well as integrate yours with existing social networks. Of course, that integration varies depending on which network you're talking. In Twitter, the videos embed seamlessly in your feed, even playing automatically as you scroll past them. Thoughtfully, sound is included if you're browsing on your mobile but not on your computer, so there won't be any of that frantic flicking through tabs trying to find where unsolicited noise is coming from. In Facebook, however, you won't have any sound, because you won't have video — just a still and a link you have to click to be taken through to the video. (You can embed the videos in other sites, too, but there are a few steps to the process.) It seems childish, but at least Twitter can say Facebook started it, when it first pulled the option for you to find Twitter contacts on Facebook-owned Instagram and then stopped Instagram shares embedding in Twitter feeds, so that somewhere along the line, we users have to click more links and do more waiting for stuff to load. And while Twitter may have tried to extend the hand of friendship (or appear as if doing so) by allowing you to search for and add your Facebook contacts, as of writing, that function isn't working. We got an enigmatic error message, but investigation by the Verge suggests that it's Facebook doing the blocking. So while Vine looks like a promising new diversion, it's also another irritating chapter in the Facebook versus Twitter wars, with users as collateral damage. Vine is currently available for free in the iTunes store. Right now it's iOS only, but we've got to assume an Android version at least is on the way.
While face masks were first mandated in Melbourne back in mid-July, the Queensland Government spent 2020 encouraging its citizens to cover up, rather than making face coverings compulsory. Then, on Friday, January 8 when the Greater Brisbane area went into lockdown, that changed — and masks remained mandatory in some situations once the city emerged from its three-day shutdown, too. All of these most recent rule changes have happened in a mere two-week period but, from 1am on Friday, January 22, another shift is coming. As confirmed by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at her daily press conference today, Thursday, January 21 — which outlined a rollback of restrictions in general — the compulsory mask requirement will lift overnight. After more than two weeks of donning face coverings, Brisbanites will no longer have to wear masks in most situations — except in airports and on planes, as required by the Federal Government. The change is also outlined in the state's current COVID-19-safe roadmap, but a number of recommendations are still in place about wearing masks going forward, too. https://twitter.com/qldhealthnews/status/1352042161030668291 It's still advised that folks wear masks if they can't social distance, whether indoors or outdoors. And, if you're in a shopping centre, travelling on public transport or using a taxi or rideshare service, they're recommended there as well. Basically, Queenslanders are encouraged to still carry masks with them at all times when leaving home — and pop one on if they find themselves in any of the above circumstances. As always, the usual hygiene and social-distancing advice still applies, too — including frequent hand-washing, maintaining a 1.5-metre distance from other people and getting tested if you have even the slightest of COVID-19 symptoms. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website.
UPDATE, November 19, 2021: Tick, Tick… Boom! screens in select Brisbane cinemas from Thursday, November 11, and streams via Netflix from Friday, November 19. "Try writing what you know." That's age-old advice, dispensed to many a scribe who hasn't earned the success or even the reaction they'd hoped, and it's given to aspiring theatre composer Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield, Under the Silver Lake) in Tick, Tick… Boom!. The real-life figure would go on to write Rent but here, in New York City in January 1990, he's working on his debut musical Superbia. It's a futuristic satire inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and it's making him anxious about three things. Firstly, he hasn't yet come up with a pivotal second-act song that he keeps being told he needs. Next, he's staging a workshop for his debut production to gauge interest before the week is out — and this just has to be his big break. Finally, he's also turning 30 in days, and his idol Stephen Sondheim made his Broadway debut in his 20s. Tick, Tick… Boom! charts the path to those well-worn words of wisdom about drawing from the familiar, including Larson's path to the autobiographical one-man-show of the same name before Rent. And, it manages to achieve that feat while showing why such a sentiment isn't merely a cliche in this situation. That said, the key statement about mining your own experience also echoes throughout this affectionate movie musical in another unmissable way. Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't write Tick, Tick… Boom!'s screenplay; however, he does turn it into his filmmaking directorial debut — and what could be more fitting for that task from the acclaimed In the Heights and Hamilton talent than a loving ode (albeit an inescapably overexcited one) to the hard work put in by a game-changing theatre wunderkind? If this was a case of telling viewers that this is Miranda's movie without telling them, the concept would obviously do the trick. So would a few notable cameos in a standout song-and-dance number that's best discovered by watching. There's plenty in Tick, Tick… Boom! that was already layered with musical theatre history before it became a film, too; in the source material, Larson even wrote in a homage to Sondheim's own musical Sunday in the Park with George. That's the level of insider knowledge that's a foundation here, and the film frequently reverberates in an insular, theatre-obsessive, spot-the-references register. As great as it is if you stan the same productions and people, it also makes Tick, Tick… Boom! less accessible and resonant. It's as if Miranda can't choose between indulging his own adoration or truly sharing that love with his audience. (Tick, Tick… Boom! also became a three-person stage musical in 2001, and Miranda played its lead in a 2014 revival opposite Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr and In the Heights' Karen Olivo.) Garfield's sing-to-the-rafters version of Larson is first seen in faux home-video footage, performing the rock monologue iteration of Tick, Tick… Boom!, his bouncy hair waving about as he croons and plays piano. Miranda and screenwriter Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) then segue between the lively presentation and the tale it also tells about Superbia, the looming workshop and the impending birthday. In the latter scenes, Larson can't come up with the missing song, earn enough as a composer to keep the power on, or juggle his pursuit of his dream with the complexities of his personal life. The alternative: opting for a safe career, which his ex-actor ex-roommate Michael (Robin de Jesus, The Boys in the Band) has done in advertising, and his dancer girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp, X-Men: Dark Phoenix) is contemplating with teaching. Selling out is the villain here, but while there might've been bite to that idea in 1990, when Tick, Tick… Boom! debuted off-off-Broadway, there's far less in a film that's also an origin story for a famous theatre name. Recognising this, Miranda and Levenson start the feature not just with nods to Rent's success — the reason that Larson's dilemma is absent tension in the first place — but also with the tragic news that their subject died on the morning of Rent's first off-Broadway preview performance in January 1996. The passage of time indicated by the movie's moniker takes on an added dimension as a result, as does all the on-screen frenzy about making it before it's too late. Wanting to succeed now, and to savour every moment, also gets another refrain in a HIV subplot, albeit in a more cursory and gratuitous fashion than Larson must've originally intended. Still, when Tick, Tick… Boom! works, it's largely due to its energy — more so than its attempts to hit huge emotional beats. There's no mistaking the two wellsprings of experience that are so crucial to the film, with both Larson and Miranda working with what they knew or know, but that echoes loudest is the frantic and urgent atmosphere. The movie plays like something that desperately had to come to fruition, both in Miranda's quest to pay tribute, and in Larson's initial efforts to turn his Superbia experience into something creatively meaningful. The feature's seemingly non-stop musical numbers bound across the screen with that type of attitude, and Miranda unsurprisingly has the eye and timing to stage them with flair. Perhaps Garfield's on-screen fortunes sum up Tick, Tick… Boom! best, though; he's always on, eager and singing with his fullest voice, and also always putting on a forceful performance. He impresses with his commitment and gusto, yet is less convincing at finding nuance in Larson's frustrations, the daily grind of trying to start his career, and in his relationships. Trying to do too much and swing too big isn't the worst thing that a film and a lead portrayal can do, especially in a stage-to-screen musical that also doubles as an exuberant eulogy — and weaves in a Rent origin story of sorts via its protagonist's everyday life, too — but it's still noticeable. It's clearly a case of art imitating life, with Larson's enthusiasm for the art form he cherished so feverishly coming through strong; however, it also always feels like a show. Top image: Macall Polay/Netflix.
Ted Lasso fans, rejoice — the Magic Mike franchise is taking its lead from the hit sitcom now. Swap soccer for stripping, obviously. From there, the sports-themed favourite and Magic Mike's Last Dance both transport their namesakes to London, then give them jobs under wealthy women managing publicly beloved assets after bitter marriage breakdowns, all as those ladies try to spite their exes while also finding themselves and sorting out their lives. In the third film in the Channing Tatum (Bullet Train)-starring series, there's a team to oversee featuring players from around the globe, too, plus a gruff butler doing his best not-AI Roy Kent impression. And, it all climaxes with a showcase event demanding dedicated training. That said, only this exceptionally choreographed but never earth-shattering flick fills its final quarter with wall-to-wall gyrating, including a male-revue number soundtracked by 1998 Dandy Warhols' single 'Boys Better' that has to be seen to be believed. New Magic Mike movie splashing glistening chiselled abs across the screen, same Magic Mike, though. Tatum and filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (Kimi) — the prolific creative force who helmed, shot and spliced the first instalment; then just lensed and cut the second with his regular assistant Gregory Jacobs (Wind Chill) directing; and now returns to his trio of OG roles (still credited as Peter Andrews for his cinematography and Mary Ann Bernard for his editing) — have Mike Lane living his own Groundhog Day in a way. The more things change, the more that plenty stays the same for the saga's hero. This series started out not just putting its star's ripped physique and knack for erotic dancing to eye-catching use, but drawing upon his own story thanks to Tatum's past onstage Florida. He isn't currently getting by stripping while striving to follow his passion, of course. Before Magic Mike was scorching the screen, he'd already made it big. But these films, all three of which are penned by Reid Carolin (Dog), understand that Tatum's reality isn't the way that this tale usually goes. In the franchise's first 2012 strip, Mike strutted in g-strings to make cash to design custom furniture, but little was turning out as planned. In 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL, Mike and his fellow Kings of Tampa (Archenemy's Joe Manganiello, The Boys in the Band's Matt Bomer, John Wick's Kevin Nash and Criminal Minds' Adam Rodriguez) kept disrobing on the road to other fully attired goals, but the group and film wholeheartedly appreciated the joy and empowerment that the series' central line of work gifts women. This time, Mike's business went bust in the pandemic, so he's bartending in Miami. When ultra-rich socialite Maxandra Mendoza (Salma Hayek Pinault, House of Gucci) tempts him back with a $6000 private sensual gig — because she needs a distraction from her messy separation — his prowess moving his hips and removing his clothing firmly remains a means to an end. Pouring drinks at a waterside charity gala, crossing paths with a former client from the first flick and spending a night dazzling Max: that's how Mike winds up on a plane to the UK, once more just following the money. Soon he's staying in Max's home — where valet Vincent (Ayub Khan-Din, London Bridge) frowns and Max's teen daughter Zadie (Jemelia George) proves cynical — and also turning director. In her divorce proceedings from adulterous media mogul Roger Rattigan (Alan Cox, New Amsterdam), she's now the owner of a theatre that shares his surname, and she has a Mike-inspired itch she wants scratched. Ditching the stuffy period drama that's been treading the boards there for years, she tasks him with spreading his talents by putting together an upmarket performance. Not that Magic Mike Live needs it, but Magic Mike's Last Dance doubles as an ad for the IRL tour, while having Tatum and company work towards staging exactly that kind of production. To address the 'Pony' in the room, Ginuwine's track gets another spin, its slinky, sultry beats again capturing the mood throbbing through this steamy, sweaty, lusty and thrusting — and sex- and body-positive — saga. Magic Mike's Last Dance makes viewers wait for the tune the series is virtually synonymous with, a delay that doesn't matter at all to the movie itself yet also echoes the underlying approach. Unlike round one, this isn't primarily a playful drama about the struggle to pursue the American dream. Unlike this stripper-verse's second swing, it isn't a joyous comedy, either. Teasing out what it knows the audience wants, it's primarily a will-they-won't-they romance and a backstage musical instead — a move that, although packaged with Tatum's smooth moves alongside his mostly personality-free fellow dancers, and given its pulse through Tatum and Hayek Pinault's chemistry, comes oiled with by-the-numbers melodrama. Viewers might remember that Magic Mike XXL was touted as a last ride, too; this second final hurrah isn't as focused or as thrilling a swan song. There's a clunkiness and awkwardness to Magic Mike's Last Dance that begins with the film's narration, which waxes lyrical about the seductive and connective power of dance, yet also feels distancing as it waves about an unnecessary fairy-tale vibe. Compared to its predecessors, this supposed farewell is tamer and politer in tone even at its raciest. It yearns for more titillation, and more flesh to back up Max's certainty that the world needs and women want Mike's skills — and it longs for more of Manganiello, Bomer, Nash, Rodriguez and their male camaraderie. Midway through, Magic Mike's Last Dance temporarily twists into Ocean's- and Logan Lucky-style caper, adding pointless padding. And while championing female pleasure, desire and erotic fantasies still thrums through the movie, it's with a light buzz rather than anything deeply penetrating. Still, at their weightiest (part one) and most entertaining (part two, also the horniest), the Magic Mike movies have never been flawless — and Magic Mike's Last Dance has other charms. Whenever dancing bumps and grinds across the screen, presses up against windows, dangles from beams or slides through onstage puddles (giving 2023 its second Singin' in the Rain nod in as many months), the film is ecstatic, as well as varied in its types and forms of fleet footwork. Whenever the committed Tatum and Hayek Pinault share the frame, flirting, bantering and getting acrobatic in that helluva opening tango, intimacy and radiance pierces through Soderbergh's uncharacteristically dark lensing. Indeed, when there's genuine heat to Magic Mike's Last Dance, it sizzles from that choreography and that core duo. Everything else too often feels like foreplay at its most routine and half-hearted.
In the 18 years that Gelato Messina has been in business, over 4000 special flavours have made their way through its 20 gelato cabinets around the country. To celebrate some of these oldies but goodies, Messina is dedicating an entire week to its top 40 greatest hits. From June 5–11, lucky Sydneysiders, Melburnians and Brisbanites will be able to treat themselves to an entire freezer-full of limited-edition gelato flavours. While last year's greatest hits were a buy-in-shop-only deal, this year it's all preordered tubs — so you don't have to worry about long queues and empty cabinets. You can preorder 500-millilitre tubs of the 40 flavours (we'll get to those in a minute) from 1pm on Thursday, May 21 and pick up from Sydney's Rosebery, Tramsheds, Bondi and Darlinghurst stores, Melbourne's Fitzroy store and Brisbane's South Brisbane store between the aforementioned dates. Individual tubs can be filled with just one flavour and will set you back $16, or you can get three for $45, six for $85, nine for $125 or — if you have the freezer space — 20 for $260. Now, we'll get to what you're all waiting for: the flavours. Jon Snow (white chocolate gelato with dark chocolate mud cake and almond praline), Fairy Bread (toast and butter gelato with 100s & 1000s), Mango Pancake (mango gelato with vanilla cream and pancake crunch), Old Gregg (Baileys and butterscotch sauce) and the Robert Brownie Jnr (milk chocolate gelato, chocolate brownie and chocolate fudge sauce) are all on the lineup. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAMtFiqA7Mp/ You've got two days to make a list of your favourites before preorders open, so we suggest you start making some hard decisions ASAP. Here's the full lineup: MESSINA'S 40 GREATEST HITS Fairy Bread Montgomery's Goldmine Triple Whammy Super Duper Dulce de Leche Hodor Twixed Gorgeous Dave True Romance Derelicte Cremino Old Gregg The Voicemail Have a Gay Old Time Lady of Winterfell Jon Snow The Hat Trick Drop It Like White Choc Mr Potato Head The Maltster Pavlova Super Flan Number Two Sticken To Me Date NYC Plus Milomiso Robert Brownie Jr Iron Born Just Like a Milkshake Musk Finger Bun Peach Bellini Baklava Oreogasm Duke of Earl The Boss's Wife Mango Pancake Messina's Momofukup Red Velvet Molto Bueno Alfajores Gelato Messina's Greatest Hits are available to preorder from 1pm on Thursday, May 21 with pick up between Friday, June 5 and Thursday, June 11 from Sydney's Rosebery, Tramsheds, Bondi and Darlinghurst stores; Melbourne's Fitzroy store; and Brisbane's South Brisbane store.
When flowers as far as the eye can see are involved, it's never too early to start making spring plans, even when 2023 has barely begun. The event to pop in your calendar ASAP: the annual Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, which will return for the entire month of September — and for its whopping 74th year. This excuse for Brisbanites to head west to frolic among the blooms didn't always run for 30 whole days, but it's been brightening up the Darling Downs city for as long as it can since 2021. And, when it did exactly that in 2022, too, it broke its attendance record, with 364,775 people making a visit. "For the second year, Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers was celebrated over all 30 days of September, headlined by 190,000 spectacular blooms, flourishing under the hands of an army of Council gardeners, with the result being more attendance and revenue figures broken as people from all over Australia converged on our Garden City," said Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Cr Paul Antonio. "The continued expansion of this iconic event has generated extraordinary financial and social benefits for the community. Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is a significant economic performer for the region and Queensland, and we look forward to our 2023 event, and then, in 2024, celebrating 75 years of flower power," Mayor Antonio continued. The 2023 program won't be revealed until Thursday, April 27; however, garden lovers can look forward to blossoms and floral displays galore between Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30. Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers takes over a variety of locations — including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park — to showcase all of the gorgeous florets and growths and gardens around town, kaleidoscopic arrays of tulips, petunias and poppies included. 2022's fest also spanned everything from park tours to food trucks slinging bites to eat, plus an illuminated night garden, a ferris wheel, a series of talks in local pubs, both guided and non-guided walking tours, pinot and painting sessions, a floral parade, the three-day Festival of Food and Wine, and cinema under the stars. And, it boasted the #trEATS regional food trail, too, which showcases local eateries, and sees participating cafes, restaurants and bars serve up floral-inspired dishes. Whatever ends up on the 2023 lineup, there's no bad time to head along throughout September — and you might want to make the trek more than once. Indeed, when it comes to scenic spring sights, there's no prettier place to be. And, given it takes less than two hours to head up the mountain from Brisbane, it's perfect for a weekend day trip. The 2023 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers will run Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30 across Toowoomba. For further information, head to the event's website.
Earlier this year, we wrote about how Elon Musk's high-speed vacuum tube transport system could be a reality by 2018. Well, because it's Elon Musk, the whole thing looks like it's actually running on schedule — and potentially coming to Australia. What, here? Where everything comes last? Yep. According to The Australian, Los Angeles-based firm Hyperloop One — who Musk has given the task of bringing this thing to life — are looking for a place to test the technology, and they have the Sydney to Melbourne corridor firmly on their radar. "We're very keen to explore the potential for doing proof of operations in Australia and the reason for that is there's a clear long-term need for ultra-fast transport on the Australian east coast," Hyperloop One's vice president of global business development Alan James told The Australian. "So we would be looking, either in NSW or Victoria, or possibly in ACT, to develop the first section of that route, to prove the operation of Hyperloop, to get regulatory approval." Described by Musk as a "cross between a Concorde and a railgun and an air hockey table" the proposed Hyperloop system — which is almost cartoonish in design — would consist of a long route of elevated vacuum-sealed steel tubes, through which pressurised capsules ride cushions of air at speeds of up to 1220 kilometres per hour. Hyperloop One claims it can have you travelling from inner-city Melbourne to inner-city Sydney in only 55 minutes. 55 minutes. (Do you hear that? It's the sound of Tiger and Jetstar quaking in their boots.) To drive between Melbourne and Sydney would set you back about nine hours; currently, to get the train, it takes 11.5 hours. Australia — and particularly the Sydney-Melbourne corridor — is the perfect candidate for high speed rail transport because the track could slip nicely along the Hume Highway. There has, of course, been much talk and debate over a high-speed rail system connecting the two cities, but so far no government has been willing to commit to the project. The Hyperloop One team seem to have made rapid progress since they started testing in LA last year. They recently revealed the first prototype will be up and running in the Nevada desert early in 2017 before (potentially, hopefully) kicking off the large scale trial in Australia in 2018. Can it be the future already? For too long we've been at the mercy of Tiger's delays, expensive terrible airport coffee and the drive down the Hume with only Maccas to break up the monotony. We, for one, welcome Musk and his terrifying pneumatic tubes. Via The Australian.
No plans for Valentine's Day and no interest in making any? You're in luck. Go about your usual business next Thursday — that is, as far as humanly possible away from red roses, schmultzy songs and pashing pairs — and you could still be in for a nice little surprise. That's because Penguin Random House is planning on helping you to escape — by setting you up with a book, instead of a person. After all, books can't talk back and, if they end up being not what you thought they were, you can always put them back on the shelf. Said books will be dropped in bundles on trains and street libraries all over Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Darwin and Launceston this Valentine's Day. The books will be wrapped in nondescript orange paper so there's no way of knowing if you've picked up a new release or a modern classic. The idea is to do away with pre-conceived ideas, promoted by particular genres, authors and cover art. The publishing house is scattering the books in partnership with Street Libraries Australia, Sydney, and Books on the Rail, which launched in Melbourne in early 2016 and regularly circulates books on Melbourne's public transport. If you find one, take it home and read it — just remember to pop it back on the train when you're done.
Wishing that you were spending chocolate season not merely feasting on sweet treats in Brisbane, but pairing Easter with a trip to Japan? Aren't we all. Thankfully, Indigo Isuta Soirée: A High Tea Affair is here to provide consolation for everyone still in the River City, and also to get you celebrating the occasion in a delicious fashion. Here, Easter gets a Japanese spin, complete with yuzu custard bunny teacups, green tea yuzu tiramisu and matcha macarons, plus a glass of sparkling. The high-tea menu also includes green apple mousse flourless tartlets that come flecked with gold flakes, tamago sandos, mini wagyu burgers and, of course, both hot cross buns and Easter eggs. You'll pay $99 per person, with a minimum of two people needed, to get feasting from 11am–3pm daily across the entire month of April — right through till Wednesday, April 30, 2025 — at Bar 1603 inside Hotel Indigo on Turbot Street. Plus, for $15 extra, you can also sip a cherry- and chilli chocolate-infused umeshu cocktail.
If you thought Africa's first underwater hotel room was impressive, how about an upgrade? For an additional US$283,500, you can stay in your very own submarine hotel. Titled 'Lovers Deep', it's the latest offering from luxury travel company Oliver's Travels, whose motto is 'Why Do Ordinary?' Indeed. Why put up with terrestrial limitations, when you could be floating 650 feet deep off a Caribbean island of your choice? Making demands on a dedicated butler? Performing ablutions in company in a dual shower? Watching schools of fish swim by while eating their aphrodisiac friends? You can ask Oliver’s to customise an overnight package according to your desires. Options include sunset beach walks, a petal-scattering service, champagne breakfasts-in-bed and fine dining feasts involving caviar, oysters and chocolate fondant. "All of our hand-picked, luxury properties have something unique and quirky about them," says Oliver Bell, the company's co-founder. "But Lovers Deep really stands out as one of our quirkiest yet." Oliver’s, a UK-based company, specialises in highly unusual, once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences. Their stable includes remote, romantic lighthouses, abandoned windmills-turned-hotels, French chateaus and British country mansions surrounded by rolling hills. Via PSFK.
Since hitting Broadway five years ago, notching up 11 Tony Awards, nabbing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and just becoming an all-round pop culture phenomenon, Hamilton was always going to make the leap to cinemas. So, it's no wonder Disney leapt at the opportunity. The Mouse House was originally meant to bring Lin-Manuel Miranda's historical hip hop musical to cinemas in October 2021 — via a filmed version of the stage production, rather than a traditional stage-to-screen adaptation — but it's doing us all a solid in these rough times and fast tracking it to streaming. And it lands this winter. Hamilton fans around the world will be able to watch the filmed version of the original Broadway production on Disney+ from July 3 (the day before Independence Day in the US). That's a whole 15 months ahead of schedule. Shot at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway back in 2016, this cinematic screening of Hamilton is still a big deal. Actually, given the fact that it features the original Broadway cast — including Miranda in the eponymous role — it's a huge deal. Everyone who missed out on the opportunity to see tale of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton live as it toured the US or on London's West End will be able to do the next best thing, with Hamilton jumping on the popular trend of screening filmed versions of plays and musicals in cinemas. In addition to Miranda — who stars, and wrote the musical's music, lyrics and book — this filmed version of the production features Daveed Diggs (Velvet Buzzsaw) as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder on the Orient Express) as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson (When They See Us) as George Washington, Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter) as King George, Renee Elise Goldsberry (The House with a Clock in Its Walls) as Angelica Schuyler and Phillipa Soo (the Broadway version of Amelie) as Eliza Hamilton. Once you've watched the small-screen version, you can get excited about seeing the stage production, too, as it's finally set to arrive in Australia in March 2021. Under the circumstances — and with international travel still banned for the foreseeable future — it's possible that this could be delayed, though. Hamilton is just the latest film to be fast-tracked to streaming, with other big-name flicks, such as Birds of Prey, The Invisible Man and Disney's Onward, also hitting small screens ahead of schedule. You can check out 12 of our favourites over here. While you're eagerly awaiting Hamilton to hit Disney+, you can watch (and rewatch) the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSCKfXpAGHc Hamilton will hit Disney+ globally on July 3, 2020. Updated June 22, 2020.
We're living in unprecedented times and, thanks to Pantone's colour experts, we now have the hue to match. Every year, the Pantone Colour Institute selects a shade that it thinks will both set the trend for and sum up the 12 months ahead — and for 2022, it's even created a new colour to take the honours for the first time ever. 2022's Colour of the Year: Very Peri, aka Pantone 17-3938, a brand-new shade that's been described as "a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone". Pantone is never short on words for its picks of the year, and has also dubbed this purplish blue as "inquisitive and intriguing" and "displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit". Very Peri is meant to represent transformation, too, as well as the fusion of the physical world and the digital space — all concepts very relevant to forging onwards during the pandemic. Pantone Colour Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman also called it "a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression." Introducing the Pantone Color of the Year 2022, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri, a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone blends the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red. Learn more: https://t.co/eNIwkTq2K8 pic.twitter.com/hBfiDusFKU — PANTONE (@pantone) December 9, 2021 Explaining the decision to come up with a new colour, rather than hone in on an existing one, Pantone Colour Institute Vice President Laurie Pressman said that "the Pantone Colour of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that colour can hope to answer." She continued: "creating a new colour for the first time in the history of our Pantone Colour of the Year educational colour program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognise colour as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us." Expect to see all things Very Peri popping up around the place when the new year hits, with Pantone suggesting how they can be used in fashion and accessories, home decor, design and beauty, too. The new shade takes over from 2021's two colours of the year, Ultimate Gray (Pantone 17-5104) and the vibrant yellow Illuminating (13-0647). The year before, Pantone went with Classic Blue, while 2019's colour was Living Coral, 2018's was Ultra Violet and 2017's was Greenery. To find out more about Very Peri — and to check out all the previous Colours of the Year — head to the Pantone website.
After screenwriter and TV showrunner Damon Lindelof played a pivotal part in bring Lost to screens, but before he revived Watchmen as a phenomenal miniseries, he was behind HBO's The Leftovers. Based on Tom Perrotta's 2011 book of the same title, the applauded show only ran for three seasons; however, it has been a constant topic of conversation since its 2014 premiere for good reason — namely, because it is thought-provoking, absorbing, exceptionally acted and, well, just excellent. The Leftovers is also grim, too. Starring Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Liv Tyler and Christopher Eccleston, it follows the aftermath of a world-changing event, with two percent of the planet's population disappearing in an incident known as 'the sudden departure'. That's 140 million people gone without a trace, and it has quite the impact — including on Kevin Garvey (Theroux), a small-town chief of police. And, while plenty happens in the show that makes it a must-see, the fact that much of its third season takes place in Victoria is a definite point of interest.
Time to brush the cobwebs off your novelty gumboots and gear up for some serious footstomping at the Red Deer Music and Arts Festival. The annual overnight BYO (couches and booze) and camping festival returns to the Ed Hope and VMBR stages for another solid marathon of national, emerging and local bands — and legendary festival favourites Art vs Science are at the top. Locked in for October 22 beneath the pretty, pretty D'agular ranges of Mt Samson, Red Deer has also invited The Jungle Giants, Bullhorn, Owen Rabbit, Mar Haze, Charlotte Emily, Free and Whistle Theory, The Hi-Boys, Go Van Go, Maja, The Counterfeit Umbrellas, Leanne Tennant, The Second Affair, beneb, Sundown Jury, The Lyrical, Capre, Inkaza, DJ Blake Thompson and The Dashounds. And, because it's the kind of fest that knows just what you want, you can actually see absolutely everyone on the bill. Yep, their lineup is 100% clash free. True to BYO form, Red Deer allows you to BYO booze (no glass), couches and camping gear. And of course, the festival's not just about music. They'll be selling jungle-themed cocktails at the Jungle Bar, hosting art workshops, plus there'll be food and market stalls. We've got one word to sum it all up: FUN.
Introducing Sketch Chair, a project from London and Lisbon's design studio Diatom. Sketch Chair is a software program allowing anyone and everyone to design their own chairs, regardless of how design-savvy they may be. The program uses a 2-D drawing interface that incorporates a physics engine which automatically tests the stability of a creator's design. Users can even simulate sitting in the chair with a customised virtual version of themselves to guarantee the highest level of comfort. Once a chair design is completed, a cutting pattern for the pieces of the chair is sent to the digital fabrication machine. The parts of the chair are then created and delivered so users can assemble their designs on their own as well. All custom designs come in lightweight but sturdy pieces that are easy to assemble - no glue required. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q36rJMjM1OU
Returning to Australia with all the flair of a growling octogenarian swirling a glass of wine in one hand, the brilliantly manic Dylan Moran has announced his brand new comedy tour Off the Hook will be stopping at 12 locations across the country this July to August. The Irish comedian, who won our hearts as the creator and star of Black Books, is celebrated across the globe for his brilliant brand of rambling, brutally sharp stand-up comedy. Though you may hear Moran most frequently described as "curmudgeonly", the charm and intelligence of his manic comedy are hypnotic as he bombards audiences with his thoughts on everything from ageing and politics to kids, love and misery. Moran is coming to Australia straight off the back of a stint touring around the less likely locales of Kiev, Moscow and Kazakhstan — as well as becoming the first Western comic to perform in St Petersburg — with his surly ways winning him acclaim along the way. Bringing an always entrancing stage presence of slurring insights and bizarrely poetic complaints, broken by hysterical cackling and sips of wine, Moran's tour promises you comedy of the highest, most unpredictable kind. DYLAN MORAN'S OFF THE HOOK AUSTRALIAN TOUR Tickets on sale 10 March 10am Friday 10 July Riverside Theatre, Perth, WA Tuesday 14 July Civic Theatre, Newcastle, NSW Saturday 18 July Sydney Theatre, Sydney, NSW Thursday 23 July West Point Entertainment Centre, Hobart, TAS Saturday 25 July Princess Theatre, Launceston, TAS Monday 27 July State Theatre, Melbourne, VIC Tuesday 4 August QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane, QLD Saturday 8 August Convention Centre, Cairns, QLD Tuesday 11 August Entertainment Centre, Darwin, NT Saturday 15 August Royal Theatre, Canberra, NSW
Been spending the first few months of 2021 pondering the future? Given how the past year has panned out, that's only natural. But come Wednesday, May 26, you might want to look to the skies as well — and feast your eyes on a luminous lunar sight. For folks located Down Under, this is when you'll see this year's 'blood' supermoon. While super full moons aren't particularly rare — two usually happen each year, and one occurred just last month — there are plenty of reasons to peer upwards this time around. It's the last supermoon of 2021, for starters. It's also a total lunar eclipse. If you're wondering what else you need to know, we've run through the details below. WHAT IS IT? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. As we all learned back in November 2016, a supermoon is a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. They're not all that uncommon — and because May 2021's supermoon is a full moon (and not a new moon), it's called a super full moon. It's also a flower moon, too, which doesn't refer to its shape — obviously — but to the time of year. In the northern hemisphere, the May full moon usually arrives as spring wildflowers are blooming. Of course, it's currently autumn in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks. This May's supermoon also happens to coincide with a total lunar eclipse, which is why it's also called a blood moon. When the astronomical body passes directly into the earth's actual shadow, it turns a blood-red shade thanks to sunlight that's filtered and refracted by the earth's atmosphere. WHEN CAN I SEE IT? If you're keen to catch a glimpse — and you didn't nab a ticket for Qantas' flight above Sydney just for the occasion — you'll want to peek outside on Wednesday, May 26. In the New South Wales capital, and in Melbourne and Brisbane, the lunar eclipse is due to begin at 6.47pm, reach its maximum at 9.18pm and end at 11.49pm, according to Timeanddate.com. In Adelaide, all of those times move forward half an hour — so it'll begin at 6.17pm, reach its maximum at 8.48pm and end at 11.19pm. And in Perth, it'll start at 5.16pm, reach its maximum at 7.18pm and end at 9.49pm. You'll want to have your cameras at the ready, of course — and see if you can outdo previous big batches of supermoon snaps and super blue blood moon pics. WHERE CAN I SEE IT? According to NASA, folks in the Pacific Rim will be best placed to see the supermoon total eclipse — which includes in Australia. Naturally, you'll be hoping for clear skies that evening. You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies. So, city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. If you can't get a clear vantage, The Virtual Telescope Project will be live-streaming from the skyline above Rome from 5am AEST. And Timeanddate.com will be hosting its own livestream, too, starting at 7.30pm AEST. The 'blood' supermoon and total lunar eclipse will take place from 6.47pm AEST on Wednesday, May 26. For further information, including about timing, head to either NASA or Timeanddate.com.
Charlotte Smith has a wardrobe most can only wish for. Inherited from her godmother, Doris Darnell, Smith’s collection is valued at over a million dollars, containing thousands of pieces dated from 1790 through to 1995, with originals from Dior and Chanel. The vast collection inspired Smith to author two books, Dreaming of Dior and Dreaming of Chanel, sharing the stories of the women who wore the clothes before they came into her possession. But words are not enough – reading about a Chanel suit is not the same as being able to see a Chanel suit in the flesh. And so the QUT Art Museum is bringing these stories to life with the Dreaming of Chanel exhibition. Curated by Nadia Buick, Dreaming of Chanel showcases 40 pieces from the Darnell collection, bringing Smith’s stories to life and giving lovers of fashion a glimpse into the collection that most can only dream of. The exhibition runs every day from August 26 to October 16, giving you 51 chances to ogle and dream about a Chanel collection of your very own.
For the past couple of years, Woolloongabba's South City Square has played host to a sprawling market setup every now and then — and it's back. Get ready to browse your way around a collection of stalls selling plenty of items from 10am–2pm on Sunday, October 23. That's when The Market Folk will once again take over the place, putting on a spring pop-up. We hope you like clothes, jewellery, ceramics, plants, pots, homewares and art, because you'll find it all here. Expect a big focus on design — so you won't be browsing and buying just any old wares. More than 45 local boutiques will be selling items, and it all tales place in a brick-lined, industrial-style space — which'll make you feel like you're wandering around a European-style market. As well as the shopping, live music and creative workshops are also on the bill. There'll be bites to eat as well, thanks to a range of food trucks.
When the middle-of-the-week blues hit, there are two solutions. Hitting a bar for a midweek drink is a tried-and-tested pick-me-up, while listening to someone else sing away their troubles also remains an old favourite. Acoustic Wednesdays, The Triffid's Wednesday night acoustic session, combines both — and the free music series is livening up your hump day almost every week. The music lineup changes each time, but that just means that you've got multiple excuses to head along. The Triff usually announces its artists in monthly batches — and if you make a music date for Wednesday, February 23, you'll be seeing Meg Ripps take the mic, as well as Karlou. In March, Zander Rhodes and Georgie Taylor are on the bill on March 2, Zoe Quinn and Cryss Coleman on March 9, Harry Kidd and Nick Marks on March 23, and Ryan Nak and Nathan MT on March 30 These talented performers will do their unamplified thing and make your midweek brighter, with the laidback festivities taking over the Newstead hangout at 6.30pm. The venue's relaxed beer garden proves the perfect place for it, and an ideal spot for grabbing a few beverages — and even a bite to eat.
UPDATE, December 20, 2022: Everything Everywhere All At Once is available to stream via Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Imagine living in a universe where Michelle Yeoh isn't the wuxia superstar she is. No, no one should want to dwell in that reality. Now, envisage a world where everyone has hot dogs for fingers, including the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon icon. Next, picture another where Ratatouille is real, but with raccoons. Then, conjure up a sparse realm where life only exists in sentient rocks. An alternative to this onslaught of pondering: watching Everything Everywhere All At Once, which throws all of the above at the screen and a helluva lot more. Yes, its title is marvellously appropriate. Written and directed by the Daniels, aka Swiss Army Man's Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, this multiverse-hopping wonder is a funhouse of a film that just keeps spinning through wild and wacky ideas. Instead of asking "what if Daniel Radcliffe was a farting corpse that could be used as a jet ski?" as their also-surreal debut flick did, the pair now muses on Yeoh, her place in the universe, and everyone else's along with her. Although Yeoh doesn't play herself in Everything Everywhere All At Once, she is seen as herself; keep an eye out for red-carpet footage from her Crazy Rich Asians days. Such glitz and glamour isn't the norm for middle-aged Chinese American woman Evelyn Wang, her laundromat-owning character in the movie's main timeline, but it might've been if life had turned out differently. That's such a familiar train of thought — a resigned sigh we've all emitted, even if only when alone — and the Daniels use it as their foundation. This isn't a movie that stays static, however, or wants to. Both dizzying and dazzling in its ambitions, the way it brings those bold aims to fruition, the tender emotions it plays with and the sheer spectacle it flings around, Everything Everywhere All At Once is a magnificent dildo-slinging, glitter cannon-shooting, endlessly bobbing and weaving whirlwind. Everything Everywhere All At Once is the movie version of a matryoshka set, too. While Russian Doll nods that way as well, the possibilities are clearly endless when exploring stacked worlds. Multiverses are Hollywood's current big thing — the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe, the Sony Spider-Man Universe and Star Trek have them, and Rick and Morty adores them — but the concept here is equally chaotic and clever. It starts with Evelyn, her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's Short Round and The Goonies' Data) and a hectic time. Evelyn's dad (James Hong, Turning Red) is visiting from China, the Wangs' daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) brings her girlfriend Becky (Tallie Medel, The Carnivores) home, and IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween Kills) is conducting a punishing audit. Then Evelyn learns she's the only one who can save, well, everything, everywhere and everyone. There's a great gag in that revelation, playing smartly yet savagely with perspective — because Everything Everywhere All At Once is all about how we choose to see things. Imagine trudging over to your local tax department, trolley full of receipts in hand and possible financial ruin in front of you, only to be told mid soul-crushing bureaucratic babble that it all means nothing since the very fate of the universe is at stake. But, at the same time, imagine realising that it's the simplest things that mean the most when space, time, existence and every emotion possible is all on the line. Although that isn't how a different version of Waymond puts it to Evelyn, it's what sparkles through as she's swiftly initiated into a battle against dimension-jumping villain Jobu Tapaki, discovers that she can access multiple other iterations of herself by eating chapsticks and purposefully slicing herself with paper cuts, and gets sucked into a reality-warping kaleidoscope. For Evelyn 1.0, everything the film throws her way is overwhelming, unsurprisingly. The Daniels have done a stellar job of ensuring viewers feel the same. Everything Everywhere All At Once splashes around more gleefully overstuffed absurdity than even a 139-minute-long movie can usually handle, but relentlessness is part of the point. When you're making Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse meets Inception meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets The Matrix meets Hong Kong marital-arts cinema, a notion few folks in any multiverse could dream up, havoc comes with the territory. As shot by Larkin Seiple (Swiss Army Man) and edited by Paul Rogers (Scheinert's solo flick The Death of Dick Long) with unfaltering flair that's 100-percent designed to overload the senses, that on-screen anarchy is what makes the movie so immersive and Evelyn's plight so relatable. And, it's essential to anchoring the feature's 'nothing matters, everything is fleeting, revel in the small stuff' mantra. While it was penned for Jackie Chan, Yeoh is the movie's chosen one well beyond the script. Her casting lets the Daniels see acting stardom in one of Evelyn's other lives, but it's her flexibility and grounding that's crucial. Everything Everywhere All At Once walks such a thin tightrope between the raucous and the ridiculous that plenty could've faltered. In another universe, it did. But always beating away at the centre of this film in this reality, amid the countless costume changes, hairstyles and all (with enormous credit due to the inventive behind-the-scenes teams), is Yeoh. She deploys the quiet ferocity that's marked her performances for four decades, and twists through everything from existential malaise and intergenerational trauma to the everyday struggle that is living a life, including as a mother and wife, that's worlds away from your hopes and dreams. Yeoh is a joy to watch in whatever is lucky to have her — including Last Christmas, Boss Level, Gunpowder Milkshake and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings recently — and her work here shakes her entire career to-date together, then lets the best, boldest and most bizarre possibilities shine. Everything Everywhere All At Once is a tribute to its lead as much as anything else, but it's also so much else: a marvellous calling card for Hsu, a glorious return for the exceptional Quan, and a movie that makes weird and wonderful use of Curtis, too. It's an anything-goes free-fall through interdimensional mania where everything does and can happen — as brilliantly choreographed — and a clear-eyed examination of the ties and troubles of family, of uprooting your existence to strive for a future that mightn't come, and of weathering the mundane and the sublime in tandem. It's a whirl, a swirl, a trip, a blast and a juggle as well and, in this universe, the Daniels wouldn't have it any other way.
