Spend a night in Fortitude Valley listening to bands, help Brisbane recover from the past week's devastating weather: that's on the agenda at The Zoo on Friday, March 4. To support the city, plus flood-affected regions in Queensland and New South Wales in general, the Ann Street venue has quickly thrown together a big fundraiser gig that it has dubbed Float On — and if you head along, you'll pay your way in by making a donation. The show is only doing tickets at the door, and only selling them via donation — with a $5 minimum entry fee. But the more you spend to get in, the more you'll be giving to a hugely worthy cause, with all ticket sales donated to GIVIT's campaign in partnership with the Queensland Government to help those affected by the current storms and flooding. On the bill: acoustic performances from The Dreggs, Peach Fur, Young Lions, Brixton Alley, Mozza, Cooper Riley from Bad Neighbour and The Dandy's, with doors opening at 6.30pm. Everyone involved, including the artists, organisers and the venue, have all donated their time — so 100-percent of the cash raised is going to those in need. The Zoo is also donating a portion of the proceeds from every Young Henry's schooner and Zoopreme Pizzeria pizza sold to GIVIT, too, so your brews and bites to eat will help out as well. Plus, you can also enter a flood-relief raffle on the night, with prizes donated by Ball Park Music, The Jungle Giants, Bugs, Hope D and more up for grabs.
With winter finally digging its claws in, there's nothing like a quality, spiced spirit to get you through those long, cold nights. Luckily, Baron Samedi — not only an Haitian voodoo spirit, but a spirit of the liquid kind too — is coming to your rescue. Having popped up in Sydney last month, the good ghost is making his way north to Brissie. You'll find him in residence at West End's London Fields, serving up cockle-warming cocktails featuring Baron Samedi Spiced, ginger beer, lime and bitters, as well as cups of Voodoo Punch. Yet to be acquainted with Baron Samedi Spiced? Well, it's a Caribbean spirit laced with an exotic mix of spices, including vanilla, cacao, cinnamon and Haitian native, vetiver. Its namesake, Baron Samedi, is a master of all trades, from voodoo to guédé to gatekeeper of the afterlife. We're afraid we'd be ruining the fun, were we to let you in on too many more specific details. But we will say that on July 1 and 2 there'll be special appearances from some colourful characters. So get on down to London Fields this winter and experience Baron Samedi Spiced for yourself.
The wonderful Moonlight Cinema, nestled in New Farm park until February, is back. It seems like every time these Moonlight cinemas are on, I miss them. That could be due to the fact I don't live exactly inner city, and always find out too late. I am determined not to miss out this time though. The first film on the program is Drive, which stars the argued Sexiest Man In The World, Ryan Gosling, and is about a stunt driver turned underworld crim who gets caught up in a series of unfortunate events. It also sees Bryan Cranston in another gritty role, and has garnered some very impressive reviews. The rest of the program is set to delight, with Ferris Bueller's Day Off and a Grease sing-a-long scheduled. I personally will not miss the Grease screening, and will attend rain, hail or shine. That said, the cinema operates in changing weather, but if a cancellation occurs, they will happily give you a voucher for another session, so there's no need to worry about our wild weather ruining your fun completely! You can bring blankets, your own food (plus non-alco drinks), and pillows to relax on, and even your dog if you so wish. Make sure you don't miss the Ford Focus Moonlight Cinema when its in town – did I mention they'll be showing Life of Brian?
Just a few short months ago, hopping around Brisbane to eat and drink at a variety of different restaurants and bars was completely off the menu. When July rolled around, that meant that the city's annual Good Food Month couldn't take place in its regular slot — but, thankfully, it's now unleashing its hefty program of food-filled events in November. If you've spent this year becoming weary of your own home cooking, you'll be particular eager to sink your teeth into the culinary festival's sizeable spread. Good Food Month is operating under COVID-19 safety measures, of course, which means social distancing, limited capacities and staggered arrival times; however, it's still serving up everything from yum cha paired with Gelato Messina's desserts to a Brisbane appearance by an acclaimed Noosa pop-up. The idea of tucking into dumplings and gelato has probably already inspired a few grumbles from your stomach, and that's on offer at the event's yum cha high tea at Donna Chang. As well as the restaurant's dishes, it'll feature gelato versions of mango pancakes, baos and bubble tea — and everyone will get a whisky cocktail as well. If haven't made the trip north over the past few months to check out Esme, the latest venture from ex-Arc Dining Chef Alanna Sapwell, then you'll be pleased to hear that it's coming to Brunswick Street's Baja Restaurant for two sittings. Choose between lunch and dinner, then eat multiple courses of Sapwell's dishes as paired with wine and beer. Other highlights from Good Food Month's program include the annual Young Chef's Lunch, this time taking place at Za Za Ta Bar & Kitchen; a decadent three-course brunch featuring Moreton Bay bugs and bottomless prosecco at riverside restaurant Patina; both learning about and eating Three Blue Ducks' recipes, as guided by Head Chef Jensen Brouwer; and feasting your way through a dinner party at Stanley with the Howard Smith Wharves restaurant's Louis Tikaram and his former colleagues Adam Wolfers (Gerard's Bistro) and Alex Munoz (Labart). Or, if you'd the type of person who'd rather mosey along to a regular event whenever the mood suits — rather than a once-off meal — The Golden Pig is doing $45 banquet lunches every Friday and Saturday in November, Walter's Steakhouse is pairing three courses with three martinis on Wednesdays, and The Gresham is devoting Thursdays to freshly shucked oysters and martinis. Pour Boy is also doing daily local-focused lunches, while Popolo is hosting picnics at South Bank's River Quay Green every Friday and Saturday evening.
Sometimes, getting out of your car to purchase food is just too much effort. For those occasions, humanity invented the drive-thru. It's a fast food staple, and the concept has been getting quite the workout during the pandemic — so, when a drive-thru dedicated to lasagne first popped up, it felt inevitable. Now, with Brisbane back under stay-at-home conditions until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8, Brisbane's lasagne drive-thru is back. From Wednesday, August 4, it'll be serving up layered pasta with bechamel sauce again right through until Saturday, August 7. If lockdown is extended again, though, the drive-thru will stick around longer. The venture is the latest project from Jerome Dalton, owner of Dalton Catering and — since July 2021 – of CJ's Pasta as well. The latter no longer operates as a bricks-and-mortar business, instead focusing on selling pasta to restaurants and wholesalers. But for folks at home who love a bit of lasagne, CJ's Pasta now lets you roll up to Fortitude Valley's Prospect Street in your car, remain seated, and take home one of three different lasagnes (or a mixture of the trio). The idea first came about in response to Brisbane's March lockdown, with the drive-thru kicking into action while everyone was staying at home for three days. When it proved popular, Dalton brought it back every Friday afternoon. And now, with a longer lockdown currently in place, it's clearly prime drive-thru lasagne time. Brisbanites can choose from beef lasagne, sand crab lasagne, and black truffle and beef ragu lasagne, all of which come in one-kilogram servings paired with focaccia. Prices range from $50–60, or you can grab all three for $120. Different types of freshly made pasta are also on offer, ready for you to cook and add to sauce at home. So are salumi boxes filled with mortadella, salami, aged pork, bread and pickles. If you're keen, you'll need to order in advance via phone, then motor on over to pick up your ready-to-eat meal. You can still try your luck by just showing up with without preordering, but you'll be getting a chilled lasagne that you'll need to heat up at home. Also, this time around, the drive-thru is also setting up what it's calling a 'slide-thru' — which'll give free meals to hospitality workers every Saturday during lockdown, from 5.30pm until there's no lasagnes left. Ordinary customers can also donate to the 'slide-thru' fund to help CJ's Pasta give out even more dishes to folks doing it tough in the hospo industry. Find the CJ's Pasta Lasagne Drive-Thru at 22 Prospect Street, Fortitude Valley from 2–5pm on Wednesday, August 4, and from 12–5pm from Thursday, August 5–Saturday, August 7. The 'slide-thru' will operate from 5.30pm on Saturday, August 7. If lockdown continues, the drive-thru will run from 12–5pm Tuesday–Saturday weekly, and the 'slide-thru' will pop up every Saturday from 5.30pm.
If DC Studios could live life like it's a Cher song, would it turn back time to erase the DC Extended Universe, setting itself on an entirely different path instead? With new co-head honchos James Gunn and Peter Safran wrapping up the underwhelming franchise — after 2023's films, The Suicide Squad director and producer are replacing the DC Comics on-screen realm with a new movie saga just called the DC Universe — the answer is likely yes. Does DC Studios regret having to release The Flash, which gives the character played by Ezra Miller since 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice his own feature, arrives after their past few years of controversies and legal troubles, and comes with a jumping-backwards focus? It must've been better for the bottom line to let the picture flicker before audiences, rather than ditching it after it was finished as happened with Batgirl; however, the response there about lamenting Barry Allen's latest big-screen stint might also be in the affirmative. As was the case with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and could also be with the DCEU's upcoming Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, a feeling of futility buzzes through The Flash. Plenty happens, featuring an array of caped crusaders and more than one version of Barry, and yet all that tights-wearing sound and fury might signify nothing in the scheme of all things DC. Movies have never needed sequels or franchises to gift their existence a spark. Increasingly, the opposite occurs. Instalment after instalment in ever-sprawling cinema universes are dragged down by being exactly that: a series instalment, rather than their own films. And The Flash does frequently try to be its own feature, but it's also firmly tied to being part of a pop-culture behemoth while eagerly worshipping superhero history. The blatant and overdone nostalgia, the already-announced returns and still-surprise cameos, and the now-overused multiverse setup that assists in linking its narrative together — it all rings empty when it proves so disposable, as the dying DCEU is. Living with your choices, and facing the fact that you can't always take back mistakes and fix traumas, does fittingly sit at the heart of The Flash's narrative, though. While the Barry (Miller, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) that audiences have also seen in Suicide Squad, Justice League and Shazam! enters The Flash calling himself "the janitor of the Justice League", answering Alfred's (Jeremy Irons, House of Gucci) calls to clean up Batman's (Ben Affleck, Air) chaos offers a handy distraction from his family situation. Understandably, he's still grief-stricken over his mother's (Maribel Verdú, Raymond & Ray) murder. He's also struggling to prove that his incarcerated father (Ron Livingston, A Million Little Things) wasn't the killer. Cue messing with the space-time continuum, using his super speed to dash backwards to stop his mum from dying — and, as Bruce Wayne warns, cuing the butterfly effect. Back to the Future devotees know what follows when someone tinkers with the past. The Flash director Andy Muschietti (IT, IT: Chapter Two) and screenwriter Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)) count on viewers being familiar with the consequences, and with the Michael J Fox-starring 80s classic. Amid navigating various iterations of its protagonist and, as revealed in its trailers, getting Michael Keaton (Morbius) back in the cape and cowl as the Dark Knight three decades after the last Tim Burton-helmed Batman flick — plus finding time for Supergirl (Sasha Calle, The Young and the Restless) — this DCEU entry splashes around its broader pop-culture nods with gusto. Given that was Gunn's tactic in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movies, right down to also mentioning Kevin Bacon and Footloose, perhaps Barry might have a DCU future after all? Whatever happens, The Flash's riffing on and namechecking other beloved films isn't its best trait. There are multiples of much in this movie, which includes multiple ways to slather on fan service. Virtually retracing Marty McFly's footsteps involves that extra Barry, the younger and more OTT of the two — the one aiding the OG Barry in seeing why people can find him a bit much, in fact. It also inspires the comeback of Superman's Kryptonian foe General Zod (Michael Shannon, George & Tammy), as the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ripple through an alternate timeline. Yes, every superhero saga has become a multiverse saga, everywhere and all at once. The Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps leaning in, while the Spider-Verse films embrace the idea in every gorgeously animated frame. Reuniting with a past Batman was always going to play like a Spider-Man: No Way Home wannabe, but The Flash isn't helped by hitting cinemas so soon after Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, aka the current gold standard in multiple everything, spandex-clad saviours in general and franchise fare. It was true when Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland were all webslinging in the one film, and it's true now with Affleck and Keaton being oh-so-serious here: teaming up past and present takes on the same figure in the same feature can smack of refusing to cut ties with history. That's what nostalgia is all about, of course, and it clashes glaringly with what The Flash endeavours to teach its red-suited namesake. As Barry attempts to protect, nurture and heal his inner child — rather literally — the movie advocates for ultimately accepting life's hardships and moving on. Then it has more and more recognisable faces pop up, including some grave-robbing choices using woeful special effects. With its routine fan-baiting multiverse antics, the picture keeps finding additional ways to ring empty. A film that adores all that's gone before, but exists in the waning days of a dissipating saga. A feature with little future path and too much fondness for the past. A reminder that life goes on that epitomises that very fact within the movie business, yet can't live and breathe it within its frames even as its narrative sings that notion's praises. That's The Flash — and it's also a picture made better by Miller's convincing dual turns, especially when they're at their most vulnerable and melancholy, and particularly when they're on-screen twice in the same scene. It benefits from Keaton's subtlety in an appearance that's anything but within the story, and from Muschietti's eagerness to amuse through the flick's strongest action scenes, as seen in quite the baby shower. Pondering playing god and its repercussions, it also owes a debt to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as almost everything does. Feeling like disparate pieces that don't stitch together to make the best whole isn't what The Flash was aiming for, however, but it's what's been zapped into cinemas.
They played the first game of their 2023 Women's World Cup campaign in Sydney. They took on Denmark there in the round of 16, then England in the semi-final loss. The next reason that the Matildas will hit the Harbour City: a match against China PR on the way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and also for goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and coach Tony Gustavsson to take to the Vivid stage. The duo are on the already-packed Vivid Sydney 2024 lineup for a Vivid Ideas session at Sydney Town Hall on Monday, June 10. At Champions of Change: Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson, the pair will have plenty to talk about — all things Matildas, of course, including the team's achievements over the past year, the challenges along the way, the squad's impact, the pressures and the coach-athlete dynamic. What has the last 12 months been like for the Matildas? How does it feel to represent your company on the global stage? What do the Matildas' successes — and the love showered their way — mean for women's sport? They'll all get a mention, too. Arnold and Gustavsson's addition to the Vivid lineup comes after Amy Poehler recently also joined the bill, to discuss her career and the upcoming Pixar sequel Inside Out 2.
It's not every day that an inner-city street shuts down for an onslaught of queer music and fun. No, just Big Gay Day. Hitting its 22nd year in 2022, the annual event will return to The Wickham and the surrounding roadway on Sunday, May 1 for an afternoon and evening of tunes and celebratory mayhem. Stand amid the Big Gay Day crowd and it feels like absolutely everybody is there. This year, on the stage, 'Absolutely Everybody' singer Vanessa Amorosi will be on of them. On the bill, she's joined by Courtney Act, Faker, DJ Glitter, Kinder and Jawbreakers, as well as Super Disco Club, Ellen Reed, Sellma Soul, Being Jane Lane, Garret Lyon and Beks — plus DJ Dolly Llama, Vollie and Friends, Coast to Coast Drag Bingo and Cult Burlesque. This hefty lineup of performers, musicians, DJs and drag stars will be taking to the stage to mark Big Gay Day's 2022 rainbow galaxy concept. This is the first time the fest has gone with a theme, and it's aiming to go as out of this world as it can with the notion. The event has proven to be the city's most colourful and diverse street festival for the past two decades, after all, and will no doubt continue to be so again in 2022. As always, there'll be carnival acts, multiple performance spaces, food trucks, themed pop-up bars and plenty of partying people on the agenda, as well as raising funds for LGBTQIA+ community charity partners Diverse Voices and 2Spirits. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, March 17. Updated March 15.
There's usually a bandwagon of popular music lovers that get on board the good ship 'BDO' every year, but for the first time in forever, loyal attendees have rejected the most recent lineup despite it being pretty impressive. Admittedly, the hike in ticket prices and the economic pinch have seen festival numbers plummet in recent years, but there should be no excuse not to see Soundgarden, Kasabian and perennial crazy lead man, Noel Gallagher, who is flanked by his High Flying Birds. It feels like a nostalgic lineup from 2 years ago with Hilltop Hoods back in their usual slot on the main stage, as well as the Getaway Plan, Girl Talk and Bluejuice who all shared the bill back in 2010. Also returning are My Chemical Romance, The Jezabels, The Living End, Frenzal Rhomb, Regurgitator and Faker. Some newcomers to Australia's arguably biggest music cohort are Foster The People, Das Racist, Cage The Elephant, Best Coast, Boy & Bear, Kimbra, Royksopp and The Vaccines. In true style, I've left the best til last. Joining the epic list before you is also Odd Future (OFWGKTA), who are coming to our fine land despite being banned from New Zealand due to their lyrics; they are still killer on stage. And finally, the humongous draw card for me/everyone is one Mr Kanye West who, after absolutely blitzing it at last year's Splendour In The Grass, is returning to no doubt plug his massive release with Jay-Z, Watch The Throne, as well as smash out some old tracks plus those from his critically acclaimed 2010 record, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. If you need any reason to go last minute, Yeezy should be that reason!
Grief. Love. The desire to protect one's family. Nothing is sacred in the films of Yorgos Lanthimos, and nor should it be. The ringleader of Greek cinema's so-called weird wave, the writer-director is adept at exposing the pretence and routine at the foundations of our society, and revealing the transactional side of modern-day life. While completely his own distinctive creations, Lanthimos' absurd, audacious movies recall the work of auteurs like Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch and Michael Haneke, as he strikes at the very heart of what it means to be alive. Driven by needs and wants, and self-serving to a truly horrifying degree, his vision of humanity as seen in The Killing of a Sacred Deer is unmistakably bleak. When cardiologist Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) and teenager Martin (Barry Keoghan) meet for a meal, their conversation is distant but well-meaning. They're not close, though the right sentiments appear to be in place — a kindly adult looking out for a somewhat wayward youth. But before long, Martin's demand for Steven's attention increases, intruding into the doctor's professional and domestic bliss. The boy comes over for dinner, and meets Steven's ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), and children Bob (Sunny Suljic) and Kim (Raffey Cassidy). Soon after, Steven dines at Martin's house, fending off some obviously orchestrated advances from his mother (Alicia Silverstone). Then Bob mysteriously falls ill — and Martin issues an ominous warning. The awkwardness you feel when someone answers a question a little too brusquely: that is Lanthimos' domain. So too is the sense of unease that lingers when you know, deep down, that you're just going through the motions with your loved ones, friends and colleagues. Like Dogtooth, Alps and The Lobster before it, the filmmaker's latest is filled with examples that show how automatic, insincere responses, designed to help us get what we want with minimal fuss, comprise most of our daily encounters. That said, The Killing of a Sacred Deer also comes with a particularly chilling twist. As conveyed through the twisting narrative as well as Lanthimos' aesthetic trademarks — glossy visuals, an icy mood and purposefully stilted performances — the leap from pleasantries and small talk to making tragic, life-altering decisions is a very short one indeed. Of course, there's more to the movie than the plot laid out above — one which, at the thematic level, smartly and savagely toys with accountability, sacrifice and revenge, and is partially inspired by Greek mythology. But discovering where Lanthimos takes this dark, discomforting tale is part of the unsettling joy of watching. There's not only tension and intrigue in the film's terse exchanges and increasingly brutal stakes, but ample black comedy as well. The Killing of a Sacred Deer presents a moral quandary that turns commonplace interactions into a map of how ludicrous, cruel and calculating our existence can be, while also laying bare the costs and consequences of our actions. Faced with that reality, the audience can do little more than laugh. Thankfully, the cast couldn't be better suited to guiding viewers through this uniquely unnerving, often amusing experience. At times, Lanthimos shoots them from a distance, dwarfed by picture-perfect hospital hallways and suburban houses. In other moments, they're so close that you can almost feel the rapid beating of their pulse. Like their director, Farrell, Kidman and Keoghan all find the sweet spot between detached and invested, as though they're navigating a hazy waking nightmare. Still, as fantastic as the work of the two big-name stars may be, viewers will want to keep their eyes firmly on the young man from Dunkirk. Mixing menace and vulnerability with near-alarming precision, Keoghan is undoubtedly a star in the making — and here, he will chill you to the bone. You won't forget his performance easily, nor the jaw-dropping film in which it's found. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVeYmGliO4Y
It's a space usually reserved for local crime alerts, missing persons' notices and the odd cringeworthy dad joke, but the Victoria Police Facebook page stirred up quite the social media frenzy last week, when it popped up a public poll asking one little question: "When using a fast-food outlet's drive-thru service, can I use my phone to pay?" https://www.facebook.com/victoriapolice/posts/2927840057288111 A bit of a frenzy followed, as 55,600 votes came flooding in. Victoria Police, mercifully, gifted us with the answer a few hours after the initial August 2 post, dropping this bombshell: "No. Using a handheld mobile phone while driving carries a $484 fine and accrue four demerit points." They go on to explain, "If you intend to use your mobile phone to pay at the drive-thru window, apply the hand brake, switch the engine off and then access your mobile phone. In doing so, you are not considered driving." Punters haven't seemed overly happy with the response, or the news that using a smartphone to tap and go might not always be quite as "convenient" as it's cracked up to be. Plenty of commenters argued that the law was bizarre and needed to be reviewed — words like "pathetic", "revenue raising" and "dumbest thing I've ever read" were thrown around a whole lot. It seems Victoria's not alone, either. The NSW Government has similar legislation, telling Concrete Playground: "It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone at any time while driving or riding. If you want to use a hand-held mobile phone your vehicle must be parked out of the line of traffic." And as for that Macca's run? "Mobile phone rules apply to drivers on all roads and road related areas. A road-related area is an area that is open to or used by the public for driving, riding or parking vehicles and therefore includes Drive-Thrus," the NSW Government confirmed. If you do decide to tap and go with your phone in NSW, you could be fined $344 and five demerit points. While the Queensland Government hadn't respond to Concrete Playground's request for a comment at time of publication, its website states that you can only use a mobile phone "held in your hand" if you are legally parked. If you do use your phone, you could be fined $400 and penalised three demerit points. So, next time you have a late-night junk food run remember to whip out the plastic (or cash) instead. To find out more about the use of mobile phones in cars in your state, head to the Transport for NSW, Vic Roads and Queensland Government websites.
After some well-deserved quiet time, the folks at Cheated Hearts are back just in time for Halloween, and as per usual they’re bringing out the big guns. It also happens to be their second birthday. That’s right – these crazy kids from Brisbane's coolest queer dance party have hit the 'terrible twos', so they’re looking to blow off some steam. Head along for the biggest monster bash this side of the city’s graveyards. Get your freakiest get-up and get along to the new Woolly Mammoth bar from 9pm for a fright night like no other. Sydney’s Astrix will be bringing the beats, alongside Dimestore Diamonds, The Gatling Gun, DZYR, Lu-na and Sezzo. Entry can be paid on the door; however, you’d be best advised to sneak an early ticket online to save disappointment.
When a toddler is murdered in a small town and a mother's daughter comes home wearing blood-soaked sneakers, what is she to do? Wolf Lullaby is the grim story of nine-year old Lizzie Gael and the suspicious death of Toby Chester. Set in a small, Tasmanian town, this play searches for sense in a chaotic situation, in one of the most affecting, character-driven story lines to be performed on a Brisbane stage. This modern adaption of the classic Australian play by Hilary Bell follows four characters whose lives quickly take a dramatic turn for the worse. Reimagined by Joshua Taylor, this production utilises state-of-the-art multimedia, creative set design and the raw elements of Bell's captivating storyline to create a tense and thought-provoking live show. Wolf Lullaby plays at Metro Arts from October 22 to 24. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased online. We have to warn you — this contains adult themes, coarse language, strobe lighting, and smoke effects, i.e., it's not one for the kiddies.
For half a century now, hit musical The Rocky Horror Show has been astounding. And, with the Richard O'Brien-created production lasting that long, perhaps time really is fleeting. Either way, whenever this sci-fi/horror musical hits the stage — and wherever — a glorious kind of madness takes its toll. From Saturday, September 2–Saturday, September 23, Queensland audiences can listen closely — and watch Jerry Springer: The Opera, In the Heights and & Juliet Olivier Award-winner David Bedella as Frank N Furter put his hands on his hips, then bring his knees in tight, too — when the famed musical plays The Star on its huge 50th-anniversary tour. The Rocky Horror Show's brand-new Aussie run kicked off at Theatre Royal Sydney in February, then made its way Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. There's no word yet on a Brisbane season, so if you're keen to do 'The Time Warp' along with the production without leaving the Sunshine State, you'll need to make a date with the Gold Coast. On offer: the tale that theatre audiences have loved for five decades — and movie-goers as well, thanks to 1975's iconic big-screen release The Rocky Horror Picture Show. For the uninitiated, the story involves college-aged couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss getting a flat tyre, then wandering over to an old castle to ask for help. That's where they discover an extra-terrestrial mad scientist from the galaxy of Transylvania, plus his staff and his Frankenstein-style experiments. Since first premiering in London in June 1973, The Rocky Horror Show has played in more than 30 countries — and over 30 million people have seen songs like 'Science Fiction/Double Feature', 'Dammit, Janet!', 'Sweet Transvestite', 'Over at the Frankenstein Place' and 'Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me'. If you haven't been before — and missed the live broadcast from Sydney back in March — this is your turn to join in. Images: Daniel Boud.
We all know that solid dose of 'the good feels' you get after you've done something nice for yourself/your body (like exercise). And throughout the months of October and November, along with a much-needed increase in temperature, you can expect those feelings to increase two-fold. Thanks to the return of the Medibank Feel Good Program, Brisbane will welcome a series of outdoor fitness classes — and, unlike that fancy new yoga studio in your neighbourhood that smells like acai berries and only serves charcoal tea, these classes are all entirely free. Ranging from sessions to get your blood pumping (HIIT and Zumba) to classes to get your zen flowing freely (yoga, tai chi), plus aqua classes held at the Boat Pool, the Feel Good Program is an initiative designed to suit any and all fitness levels. For the first time this year, classes will be held not only at the South Bank Parklands but also in the city at Queens Park on Tuesdays. BYO water bottle, towel and, where required, a yoga mat — the ones provided are subject to availability. Classes happen every day except Fridays and Sundays, booking isn't required and all run for 45 minutes. Get started early and face the day with a 7am HIIT session, or finish it with pilates from 5.30pm. Either way, it'll have you embracing the warm outdoors and feeling good. Check out the class timetable here for times and locations.
Warm weather, climbing up high and drinking all go hand-in-hand. That's true in general, and true at Brisbane's new sky-high seasonal shindigs: The Society Summer Series. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between November 24 and December 17, Eagle Farm Racecourse's rooftop bar is throwing open their doors and throwing quite the celebration. Think end-of-week (and year) revelry, weekend afternoon hangouts and enjoying a couple of hours worth of beverages with a view. Plus, it wouldn't be a party without DJs spinning tunes to set the mood. Tickets cost $65, with drinks and food included. Attendees will sip their way through sparkling, beer, wine and soft drink for two hours, and snack at charcuterie stations as well, while eating cured meats, roasted vegetables, dolmades, dips, olives, breads, grissini and cheese. Arrive hankering for a bev, and hungry.
Cooler winter weather is starting to set in across Brisbane (well, Brisbane's version of cooler weather), which means it's time to bust out your warmer outfits once again. And if you're a fan of frostier climates, you might want to celebrate with some mates over a few beverages and a bite to eat — perhaps while partying in your own private igloo. Dubbed Igloo Gardens, these winter wonderlands will take over not one, not two, but five beer gardens at pubs across Queensland. Last week, they took over the Cleveland Sands Hotel, now they've arrived at the Chancellors Tavern on the Sunshine Coast and the Bribie Island Hotel. From Monday, June 22, Kenmore Tavern and Springlake Hotel will join the igloo party, too. With Queensland's current stage of eased COVID-19 restrictions allowing restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs to accommodate 20 patrons per area, it's a way for you to hang out with your mates in your own space while still being part of a socially distanced crowd. Each igloo can fit between two-to-six people and comes with twinkly fairy lights. You can hire out them for a 90-minute or two-hour time slot, which includes a three-course meal and a cocktail, with drinks, food and price varying slightly at each venue. Igloos at both the Chancellors Tavern and Bribie Island Hotel will set you back $39. Packages for Kenmore and Springlake will be announced in the coming days. So that you can not only enjoy a winter escape without having to leave the city, but can do so safely, Australian Venue Co's (who owns all the aforementioned pubs) COVID-19 policies include 30-minute cleaning breaks between igloo bookings, plenty of hand sanitiser on offer, floor markers for queueing and contactless ordering and payment. Igloo Gardens are now available to book at the Cleveland Sands Hotel, Chancellors Tavern and Bribie Island Hotel, with Kenmore Tavern and Springlake Hotel set to launch on Monday, June 22. The gardens are set to stay until August.
Very serious media outlet The Betoota Advocate is coming to Brisbane this summer, bringing its particular brand of satire and wit to Fortitude Valley. The travelling show will cover the last four years in Aussie news — a time that's not only seen three prime ministers, but inspires Betoota's latest book How Good's Australia?. How have we, as a country, managed to get through it? Why is Australia so chaotic and confused? Why did the Betoota folks write a book about it? All these questions will be answered and more, when The Betoota Advocate founders Clancy Overell and Errol Parker stop by The Outpost for a chat with Pip Courtney from the ABC's Landline. With millions of hits online per month, the Advocate is certainly doing something right — even if that something is turning the zeitgeist completely on its head. If you're reading this wondering who they are and what they write about — well, best get acquainted. Past headlines include "Australia Enjoys Another Peaceful Day Under Oppressive Gun Control Regime", and "21-Year-Old Disappointed To Learn He's Too Old And Out-Of-Touch To Be A SoundCloud Rapper". It's a riot. Since the website has birthed endless confused texts from parents — asking, for example, whether the Australian Citizen Test really includes a question on how to mix cordial properly — we suggest you bring them along. Tickets are on sale now for the Saturday, December 7 show — and you can opt for a ticket that includes the book as well.
For a man made famous playing a character named Silent Bob, writer, director and actor Kevin Smith has never had any shortage of things to say. Since bursting onto the scene in the mid-90s with his underground slacker film Clerks, Smith has cultivated a devoted audience through both his movies and his candid Q&As and podcasts, including ‘Jay and Silent Bob Get Old,’ recorded with his long-time friend and co-star Jason Mewes. Now the dastardly duo is headed to Australia, for an evening of personal anecdotes, filmmaking titbits and all the dick and fart jokes you could possibly desire. Starting in Sydney on Friday September 18 before hitting up Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, Smith’s Australian tour will be split into two sections. The first will involve a live recording of Smith and Mewes’ podcast, where topics will likely range from Mewes’ struggle with drug addiction to arguments about comic book characters. The second half of the show will involve an audience Q&A, with fans getting the chance to question Smith on whatever topic they like. For an idea of what to expect, here he is on his ‘feud’ with Tim Burton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3-XeM6kyWA&t=0m58s The shows in Sydney and Melbourne are billed as ‘all ages,’ which should prove an interesting challenge for a man known to frequently wax poetical about his sex life, and whose film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back makes use of the f-word 248 times. In addition to Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Smith’s films with Mewes include Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Clerks 2. His recent output has included divisive horror films Red State and Tusk, while he’s currently working on a sequel to Mallrats, due out in 2017.
Remember when Saturday mornings were all about cartoons, cereal and not having a care in the world? Netherworld does. At the Fortitude Valley bar, you're never too old to kick back in their arcade room for some serious kidulting — or to start the day just like you did when you were a kid, but with beer. That's what their latest regular event, Saturday Morning Cartoons, is all about (in case the name didn't already give that away). And they won't just be playing any old cartoons. While their selection changes with each outing, the September 29 event will be enjoying the wonders of Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys for two hours. Pair your nostalgia with a milk-filled bowl of cereal and a frosty brew, both of which are included in the $10 entry price. And wearing your pjs is fine — in fact, you'll get an extra treat if you do.
If your idea of Australia's hip hop scene is one of skepticism and smirks, you probably can't be blamed — especially if your car radio is tuned to B105. One might associate Aussie hip hop with angsty trios, the ARIAs and dolla-dolla coins y'all, but Australian rapper Allday is a welcome, somewhat askew addition to the scene, quickly becoming a fan-laden leader of free verse. Like all great leaders, Allday's got a following to match — from his self-initiated bus cult to reverence by Lord of the Fries as a VIP, the 22-year-old might soon be hailed as this generation of rappers' Chosen One. In the last few months, he's been turning as many heads as tunes; with songs that border on lovey-dovey before hardening into deeply gutsy. Earlier this year he performed a remarkable cover of INXS' 'Never Tear Us Apart' gaining two thumbs up from Hutchence fans, and he's been proving his worth through EPs, live performances and singles. Plus, he's just as savvy with his sound as he is with Facebook and Tumblr — cue teenage swoons. Now, having just wrapped up a nationwide tour, Allday has fully-fledged album Startup Cult out now through Illy's label ONETWO. We had a little chat to Aussie hip hop's newest asset about the road so far and what fans can expect ahead from this young gamechanger. You've been making a hell of a lot of waves this year on the Australian music scene — how have you found 2014 so far? What's been the highlight? Thank you! There have been a lot of highlights, but for me the best thing was getting better as a musician — feeling like I had a breakthrough on the quality of music I am able to make. That has been the best part. Can you tell us a bit out your bus 'cult'? How did the idea come about, and was it a success — will Allday soon be synonymous with Children of God? Well, I have always gone to ridiculous lengths to give a good experience to my fans. I had an idea to just drive around and pick people up in a car, then play them the album one-on-one. Then I realised if we did a bus we could get to more people. It was a success from my perspective and it seems like people had a fun time. What can we expect from the new album, Startup Cults? It's pretty different for a rap album from Australia, I think. There's a lot of R&B and pop influence on it, there's also a lot of good rapping on it. I guess it's a pretty personal album, maybe a little dark in parts. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9LxQAn3BpgM You said in an interview that if fans can't afford the album, they have your permission to download it. Why be so kind? Well, firstly I know what it's like to be poor. When I was 20, I was still driving a $600 banged up car to my pizza delivery job and making 50 bucks a night. Then when I moved to Melbourne, I was on Centrelink because I couldn't get a job. I said that because a fan messaged me saying, "I didn't pay my phone bill so I could buy your album." I was like, "Fuck that, pay your phone bill and torrent my album." Have you found your style and process has changed since Noue Yesue? For sure. Noue Yesue was my first EP and it was just something I did as a Sunday afternoon hobby type thing. I recorded it at my friend Koolta's house and he was the only one I knew with beats, so I rapped on his beats. I spent maybe 30 minutes recording each track. If you listen to it now, it sounds like my voice was deeper then — that's actually because I always had a hangover and I would lose my voice in a club the night before recording. It took me all the way until this album to realise that you have to be more hands on with the process. This time I sat with producers and crafted the sound myself, from snares, synths to vocal takes to mixing. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mGp5oA1fd28 In the past few months, have you found you've been thrown into a wider music community — not just the hip-hop world? A little bit. Sometimes people get photos with me and I think they know of me but don't really listen to me. That's pretty weird. I'm not necessarily aiming for just a hip hop market though. I think I make good hip hop, but hopefully I can make music that everyone can get. You've just wrapped up a tour, any highlights? Can we expect another soon? Brisbane was awesome — we finished the tour in Brisbane and it was (as always in Queensland) a highly excitable and awesome crowd. I'll be announcing a new tour soon... October! Startup Cult is out now via ONETWO. Want to check out more new Aussie hip hop artists changing the game? Head over here for our round-up of must-hear ones-to-watch.
They told us that boys don't cry and that they wanted things to be just like heaven. They fell in love on Fridays, hopped into a mint car and dialled a wrong number. They're The Cure, the enduring English rockers who helped define the gothic rock genre. They're also the well-deserving subjects of the Triffid's latest icon-focused evening. Come Saturday, April 13, the Newstead hotspot is breaking out the hairspray, black outfits and ample eyeliner for a night with a more melancholy mood. And with a name like Disintegration: A Celebration of The Cure, it's all timed to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's Disintegration album, although tracks from their whole discography will feature. On the bill is Katy Steele (Little Birdy), Ashley Naylor (Even), Trish Young (The Clouds), Ashley Rothschild (Caligula) and David Challinor (Sounds Like Sunset), with The Exploding Boys (aka current and ex-members of Died Pretty, Glide, Knievel, Scarlet and Copperline) on backing band duties Given the music they're working with, there's no doubt you'll want to be close to them — and who knows, they might want to take pictures of you.
Been spending the first few months of 2020 pondering the future? Given the current state of affairs, that's only natural. Next week, however, you might want to look to the skies as well — and feast your eyes on a luminous night sky. From around April 16 –25, the Lyrids Meteor Shower sets the sky ablaze. It might not be as famous as Halley's Comet, but it's still very impressive. Plus, rather than only being visible every 75 years (the next Halley's Comet sighting is in 2061), you can catch the Lyrids annually. This year, the shower will be at its most spectacular from April 22–23. For folk located Down Under, early on Thursday, April 23 is when you'll be peering upwards. Here's how to catch a glimpse from your backyard. WHAT IS IT The Lyrid Meteor Shower is named after constellation Lyra, which is where the meteor shower appears to come from near star Vega, and is created by debris from comet Thatcher. While the comet, which takes about 415 years to orbit around the sun, won't be visible from Earth again until 2276, the Lyrids can be seen every autumn, between April 16–25. So you can even pencil it in for next year. It's also the oldest recorded meteor shower, so there's that, too. On average, you can see up to 18 meteors per hour, but the Lyrids are also known to have outbursts of nearly 100 meteors per hour. So, while no outburst is predicted for 2020, you could get lucky. [caption id="attachment_767783" align="alignnone" width="1920"] jpstanley via Flickr.[/caption] WHEN TO SEE IT In Australia, the shower will reach a peak in the early morning of Thursday, April 23 according to Time and Date, but still able to be seen for a day or two on either side. The best time to catch an eyeful is just before dawn after the moon has set, so around 4am. At that time, you'll be in the running to see meteors moving at about 177,000 kilometres per hour, shining extraordinarily brightly and leaving a long wake. The shower's cause is, essentially, the Earth getting in the comet's way, causing stardust to fry up in the atmosphere. HOW TO SEE IT Usually, when a meteor shower lights up the sky, we'd advise city-dwellers to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the best view. That's not possible given the current COVID-19 restrictions in place, so you'd best take a gander from your backyard or balcony. To help locate them, we recommend downloading the Sky Map app — it's the easiest way to navigate the night sky (and is a lot of fun to use even on a non-meteor shower night). If you're more into specifics, Time and Date also have a table that shows the direction and altitude of the Lyrids. They've been updating this daily. Typically, clouds and showers are predicted for next week along the east coast, which could present problems in terms of visibility. But, there'll be little moon to spoil it, so hopefully the weatherman is wrong. Top image: Mike Lewinski via Flickr.
Making his latest body-horror spectacle an eat-the-rich sci-fi satire as well, Brandon Cronenberg couldn't have given Infinity Pool a better title. Teardowns of the wealthy and entitled now seem to flow on forever, glistening endlessly against the film and television horizon; however, the characters in this particularly savage addition to the genre might wish they were in The White Lotus or Succession instead. In those two hits, having more money than sense doesn't mean witnessing your own bloody execution but still living to tell the tale. It doesn't see anyone caught up in cloning at its most vicious and macabre, either. And, it doesn't involve dipping into a purgatory that sports the Antiviral and Possessor filmmaker's penchant for futuristic corporeal terrors, as clearly influenced by his father David Cronenberg (see: Crimes of the Future, Videodrome and The Fly), while also creating a surreal hellscape that'd do Twin Peaks great David Lynch, Climax's Gaspar Noe and The Neon Demon's Nicolas Winding Refn proud. Succession veteran Alexander Skarsgård plunges into Infinity Pool's torments playing another member of the one percent, this time solely by marriage. "Where are we?", author James Foster asks his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman, Dopesick) while surveying the gleaming surfaces, palatial villas and scenic beaches on the fictional island nation of Li Tolqa — a question that keeps silently pulsating throughout the movie, and also comes tinged with the reality that James once knew a life far more routine than this cashed-up extravagance. Cronenberg lets his query linger from the get-go, with help from returning Possessor cinematographer Karim Hussain. Within minutes, the feature visually inverts its stroll through its lavish setting, the camera circling and lurching. As rafters spin into view, then tumble into the pristine sky, no one in this film's frames is in Kansas anymore. The couple's temporary home away from home boasts luxury extending as far as the eye can see, but affluent holidaymakers are fenced in by barbed wire and armed guards from the surrounding country. They're deep-pocketed westerners in an exclusive resort haven in an otherwise poor, religious and conservative country, and local protesters aren't afraid to interrupt their paid-for idyll. Still, James and Em are vacationing to hopefully cure his six-year stint of writer's block, after he's struggled to back up his debut novel The Variable Sheath — and that text, which was published thanks to Em's media-tycoon father, struggled to make a literary impact at all. Amid their languid stay, and as Em can barely tell if James is awake or asleep, neither are expecting fellow guest Gabi (Mia Goth, Pearl) to gush praise; "I loved your book," the outgoing stranger and actor tells him, then invites them to dinner with her husband Alban (Jalil Lespert, Beasts), then for an illicit drive and picnic beyond the gates the following day. An unsettling sensation hangs in the air as Gabi pushes her new pals to share her company, relishes being the centre of attention and steals an explicit moment with James on their forbidden jaunt. Writing as well as directing, Cronenberg mists uncertainty and menace in the air earlier, when the hotel hosts a festival celebrating the upcoming monsoon season — an event where masks resembling melted faces are a key costume choice. There's feeling unconvinced about another traveller, hesitant about diving into uncharted waters and anxious about breaking the rules in a foreign land, though, and then there's the ordeal that soon springs from a tragic accident, arrest, death sentence and wild get-out-of-jail-free situation. In Li Tolqa's criminal justice system, the well-to-do can pay to have doubles created to face their punishments. The two caveats: these doppelgängers will have the same memories and their originals must watch their grisly end. "Where are we?" isn't the only line of enquiry splashing through Infinity Pool; "what would you do?", "what will people resort to for self-preservation?", "how cheap is someone else's life?", "why does death frighten us?" and "what happens when there's truly no consequences for anything?" rain down just as heavily. So does the obvious: in this scenario, how does anyone ever know if they're the OG version of themselves or the copy? Em is shaken and can't wait to leave, but the smirk that spreads slowly across James' face while he's witnessing his likeness' demise betrays his intrigue. The movie itself is curious, too — and it, like its audience, knows that humanity's worst impulses are about to pour out. Indeed, in kaleidoscopic and hypnotic sequences overflowing with sex, drugs and violence, as body parts intermingle and bodily fluids flow freely, and while unthinkable cruelty becomes a tourism experience for those who can afford it, the younger Cronenberg showers his film in a sometimes-psychedelic, often-gruesome onslaught of can't-look-away chaos. In pictures both brilliant and brutal — and literally filled with pictures earning the same description — the uncompromising Cronenberg keeps bleakly cosying up to futility. When famous flesh is not just the pinnacle of a society but consumed ravenously and incessantly, as seen in Antiviral, how can existence be meaningful? When bodies are hijacked to do someone else's bidding, as Possessor explored, that same query is inescapable. And when the powerful and privileged treat living and dying as a game dictated by their wallets, what about humanity matters? Getting terrifying with the blood and guts of being alive is clearly in Cronenberg's genes, but his specific mutation also repeatedly ponders existing as a meat market. He isn't subtle about his off-screen parallels, but he doesn't need to be; his ideas and imagery have proven visceral, piercing and haunting not once, not twice, but three glorious times now, including in this dread- and tension-dripping feature that brings a twisted mix of The Prestige, The Forgiven, Dual, Triangle of Sadness, Battle Royal and The Purge to mind. Skarsgård is no newcomer to on-screen mayhem, with 2022's The Northman instantly cementing itself as one of his best-ever performance and films. He's equally magnetic as an initially unwitting participant in Infinity Pool's feast of carnal and primal desires, and more than one iteration of James at that; surrendering with bewilderment to hedonistic madness suits him, as does playing awkward, unsure and tentative alongside that. Fresh from such stunning work in X and Pearl, and with that slasher trilogy's third effort MaXXXine on the way, Goth's casting is just as crucial. If Gabi wasn't as mysterious and seductive as she is ominous — so, if she wasn't an alluring but sinister femme fatale — the whole movie would threaten to wash away. And, if she couldn't flip from enticing to merciless so suddenly and seamlessly, Infinity Pool wouldn't be the entrancing nightmare about soulless sound, fury, sex, bodies, life and death signifying nothing that it so deeply and intoxicatingly is.
In February, Brisbane Powerhouse launched a brand-new festival dedicated to boundary-pushing performances. In March, the New Farm site hosted its first-ever Night Feast food market. Across April and May, the venue let laughter echo in every space it could thanks to its annual Brisbane Comedy Festival. And, now that winter is upon the River City, it's launching into June with some else just as impressive: a killer music lineup. Where can you dance to a French disco king, and also check out a supremely talented Icelandic singer-songwriter? At the Lamington Street spot, which is welcoming in Cerrone and Ásgeir. Playing on Friday, June 2, the former is a legend, selling over 30-million records worldwide; being sampled by everyone from Public Enemy, Jamie XX and Daft Punk to Run DMC and Paul McCartney; and known for 70s tracks 'Love in C Minor', 'Supernature' and 'Give Me Love'. Stepping behind the microphone on Saturday, June 3 , thelatter is a folk-pop star that's up there with Iceland's best-known talents, and will be playing through his decade-long discography. If that sounds like an eclectic duo, hitting Powerhouse's stage one night after the other, that's because it is. Pinballing between vastly different sounds, vibes and shows has always been a driving force behind the venue's lineups, and this wintry music season is no different. Here's two more cases in point: Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, who'll kick off the program on Thursday, June 1, plus Desire Marea on Thursday, June 15. The Melbourne-based Savage and her band head north fresh from releasing their new album So This Is Love, as well as singles Keep Working At Your Job' and '$600 Short On The Rent'. As for Marea, the South African-based artist also arrives with a recent release, On the Romance of Being, a blend of post-gospel, spiritual jazz, and the ancient music of the Nguni and Ndau peoples which was recorded live with a 13-musician ensemble.
If Owen Wilson was to comment on Melbourne's newest event, we're guessing he'd offer up a simple answer: "wow." That's actually just what thousands of folks seemingly want to hear — and say. In fact, celebrating the way the Zoolander star utters that one word is what this gathering is all about. Following in the footsteps of last year's 'Scream like Goku' sessions, some particularly keen Wilson fans have conjured up their own version: 'Say Wow like Owen Wilson'. Set to take place on from 6pm on February 26 at Melbourne's Federation Square, it's exactly what it sounds like. People will come together, pretend they're in The Royal Tenenbaums, Wedding Crashers or whichever of his flicks takes their fancy, and unleash their best wow-uttering impersonation. Saying one particular word like a famous actor — it's so hot right now, apparently. Or, it's just something different to do on your way home from work on Monday evening, we guess? Either way, the get-together will include warm-up wows, the main event — that is, a massive group wow — and kick-on wows afterwards. It'll also be livestreamed, for anyone who can't get there, doesn't live in Melbourne or simply needs to see it for themselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlLMlJ2tDkg
Berberian Sound Studio and The Duke of Burgundy filmmaker Peter Strickland is one of cinema's inimitable auteurs, not only conjuring up narratives that no other filmmaker ever would or could, but bringing them to the screen with a distinctive sense of style and mood. That remains accurate with In Fabric — the lauded writer/director's haunted dress movie. In a London clothing store, bank teller Sheila (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) finds the perfect red frock for her first blind date; however, she soon discovers that the fabulous outfit has quite the dark side. Also starring Games of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie, this fashion-focused horror-comedy is lurid and intoxicating. As the above rundown should make plain, this film is something special — and, after touring the festival circuit last year, is one of the standout theatrical releases of this year, too. But if you missed it in cinemas, Melbourne's The Capitol and RMIT University have an online solution thanks to In Fabric: A Long Weekend for Fashion Victims and Film Fetishists. Running from Friday, September 11–Monday, September 14 via thecapitol.tv, the virtual event includes three components. Firstly, you can stream In Fabric for 24 hours from 7pm on Friday, because that's what this whole thing is about. Then, at 7pm on Saturday, Strickland will chat about the film live. And, on Monday, he'll join the movie's costume designer Jo Thompson and RMIT Associate Dean of Fashion and Textiles Design Dr Ricarda Bigolin for a masterclass about fashion victims, desire, bodies and consumption. Your $15.86 ticket includes access to all three parts of the event — and possible dreams about striking red dresses for some time afterwards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biHUTtV4K40&feature=emb_logo In Fabric: A Long Weekend for Fashion Victims and Film Fetishists runs online from Friday, September 11–Monday, September 14.
I don’t know if it’s biased for me to say this, but I think Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art is the best art gallery in Australia. Since moving here three years ago, I’ve walked through those doors countless times and every single time I am in awe of the immense detail and work put into each exhibition and the interactivity it allows between the patrons and the art. The Surrealism exhibition is no different, but the thing I am looking forward to the most is when Surrealism Up Late begins. Showcasing artists on a local and national scale, the Up Late program provides a unique Friday night experience, fusing music and art. First up on the Up Late program is Sydney’s Parades. The four-piece (including Jonathan Boulet on drums) have been lying low recently, working on material to follow their Water Stories EP, but are taking a break for this one-off show. It’ll be your only chance to catch Parades before they go into hiding again, plus it’ll be your only chance ever to catch them while watching Un Chien Andalou or ogling a Man Ray piece at the same time. Ah, GoMA. Nothing else compares.
It's an utterly modern dilemma: spending too much time looking at a computer, phone or television, and not enough time taking in the glorious sights of nature. Perhaps that's what makes Danie Mellor's latest exhibition so entrancing. The Australian artist makes visions of trees and plants his latest focus. The landscape is one of Mellor's recurrent creative concerns, after all, as is the concept of cultural histories. And while A sensual instinct might be designed to depict the visual side of biological life, it also offers an organic counterpoint to society's constant staring at screens. Across a collection of 13 photographic images, each tinted with his signature blue palette, Mellor both contemplates and depicts the allure of life and death unfolding. Images of the decay and growth of ecology speak to the cycles of existence, seduce the mind and the eye. As the latter is drawn into to intricate natural scenes, the former can't help thinking about what it all means.
No one ever likes saying goodbye to their favourite TV show. Thankfully, due to the non-stop array of revivals, spinoffs and movie adaptations that just keep reaching our screens, those farewells are often only temporary. And, if you're lucky, you get multiple new chances to step back into the on-screen world you've already spent so much time watching and obsessing over — which is exactly what's happening with Downton Abbey: A New Era. It's been more than a decade since Downton Abbey, the Yorkshire-set television drama, first made its debut — and creator Julian Fellowes isn't done with it yet. After the show spun its tale of aristocratic life during the 1910s and 1920s across six seasons, finishing up in 2015, the 2019 movie that's also called Downton Abbey then brought the Crawley family and their loyal staff to cinemas. It played out like a last hurrah, but it unsurprisingly proved a hit, so that's where this new movie sequel comes in. To answer the most important question: yes, Maggie Smith is back. She's a key part of the new film's just-dropped teaser trailer, in fact, because of course she is. This time, she's telling her loved ones about a villa in the south of France that she's just come into possession of, which is where this follow-up is headed — in Downton Abbey's usual lavish style, obviously. Narrative-wise, the feature — which is once again written by Fellowes, but has filmmaker Simon Curtis (Goodbye Christopher Robin) in the director's chair — will chart the Crawley's summer trip, all as Hollywood comes to the Abbey. And yes, to answer the other burning question, there's familiar faces aplenty in the trailer, with the returning cast spanning Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Lesley Nicol, Imelda Staunton and Penelope Wilton. If you're a fan of the series and the first movie, you don't need any further explanation. That said, a few new actors join the Downton Abbey world in A New Era, too, including Hugh Dancy (Late Night), Laura Haddock (Transformers: The Last Knight), Nathalie Baye (The Guardians), Dominic West (The Pursuit of Love) and Jonathan Zaccaï (The White Crow). Check out the teaser trailer below: Downton Abbey: A New Era releases in Australian cinemas on March 17, 2022. Top image: Ben Blackall / © 2021 Focus Features, LLC.
With a host of restaurants and eateries making a beeline for Bowen Hills, King Street has fast become Brisbane's biggest new foodie precincts. Until summer hits, it'll boast another reason to stop by: an outdoor garden dedicated to end-of-week banquets. Celebrating the warmer weather with al fresco dining in greenery-filled surroundings, King Street's Spring Garden will start blossoming on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from October 5, right through until November 25. Amidst the flora, visitors will find private booths that can seat two to 12 people, plus a menu that'll take your outdoor eating experience to the next level. Three King Street residents — Il Verde, Fat Dumpling, and The George Bar & Bistro — have whipped up three different banquet packages, each spanning multiple courses and including a cocktail on arrival. Go Italian with an antipasto platter, pizza and Nutella-filled cannoli for $69, or opt for a dumpling taster pack, crispy chicken curry or sweet soy pork belly, and peach spring rolls for $45. A charcuterie board, followed by a pick of lemon and rosemary slow-roasted lamb shoulder or fennel and citrus-roasted salmon fillet is also on offer for $55. Two sessions will be run each evening in two-hour blocks starting at 5.30pm and 8pm. Bookings are required in advance, as is payment for your chosen banquet, but additional drinks can be purchased to suit your thirst on the night.
Both when it was approved and when it first opened its doors, West Village promised to shake up its patch of West End. Sticking to its word, the precinct has hosted everything from ice cream festivals to wine-fuelled dinners to plant markets, and welcomed pasta joints and poke eateries too — and now it's home to a new neon-hued pop-up bar in its fairy light-lit Factory Lane. Pouring drinks from Friday, September 13 through until late November or early December, Fredericks is Boundary Street's new short-term go-to for vino, cocktails, cheese and charcuterie. Summery tipples are the main focus, with the open plan, primarily al fresco space keeping things simple, menu-wise. If you're after something more substantial to eat, you can also pick up a bite from neighbours Salt Meats Cheese, Cheeky Poké and Mr Bunz and enjoy it onsite. Designed to showcase Factory Lane, which'll welcome an array of food and retail spots next year, Fredericks' main drawcard is its decor and setting. With the whole site originally the home of the Peters Ice Cream factory, the bar not only takes its name from founder Frederick Peters, but finds its aesthetic inspiration in the frosty dessert his company whipped up as well. Influenced by Peters Ice Cream packaging, shapes and flavours, designers Jon Dowding and Chrissy Feld have crafted a vibrant space filled with bold colours, neon lights and a retro-meets-modern vibe. Dowding and Feld's involvement is exciting news on its own — both film industry veterans, the former was the art director on the original Mad Max movie, and the latter's decorating credits span The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, the Hoges mini-series and The Second. On the hospitality front, the venture is spearheaded by talent with their own hefty resumes, including The Wolfe, La Lune, and Corella's Paul McGivern and Bailee Dewes, plus One Fish Two Fish's Daniel and Amelia Miletic. Find Fredericks at West Village, 97 Boundary Street, West End, until late November/early December. It's open from Friday–Saturday 3–10pm and Sunday 11am–6pm.
As you may well know by now, museums aren't just for 19th century historical artefacts and giant dinosaur models anymore. They're also for food. Last year New York got a permanent Museum of Food and Drink, which joins a whole slew of weird and wonderful food museums, like Japan's instant ramen museum and the Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul. So it's surprising that, considering our total obsession with food, Australia does not have its own. But that's all set to change, with plans for a brand new institution dedicated to our food culture to be set up in Adelaide. The proposal comes from Adelaide City Council, who believe a culinary cultural centre could help both locals and international visitors learn about and experience Australia's multicultural food culture. Considering the city's proximity to world-class wineries and its own burgeoning food and bar scene, Adelaide — while nowhere near as big as Sydney or Melbourne — makes a good case for being the new centre's home. The project has the support of the State Government and other local cultural institutions, but discussions on what the centre would actually include and who would establish it are still taking place. We'll keep an eye on this one to see where it goes. Via ABC News.
2015 brought you a cornucopia of hideous yet good for you root veggies, international restaurant swaps and bargain basement lobster, among other gustatory revelations. So, what's in store for 2016? Well, the restaurant transplants are set to continue with Copenhagen's Noma popping up in Sydney later this month, and not-so aesthetically appealing foodstuffs are sticking around (see: algae). But just when you thought chefs and food technologists couldn't invent anything weirder, they come up with the goods. Then again, with the likes of Bompas and Parr setting up food museums, we shouldn't be surprised. This year is set to deliver a slew of culinary adventures, from cocktails you can inhale to niche food festivals, to more dishes featuring native Australian ingredients. Here are ten trends we've got our money on. [caption id="attachment_555266" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Attica[/caption] NATIVE AUSSIE INGREDIENTS Kylie Kwong's been caramelising wallaby tail and stir-frying native greens for a few years now, while our own Attica offers a dish of salt cured red kangaroo with bunya bunya (pictured). By and large though, Australian chefs have been slow to capitalise on Australia's indigenous produce. That might change when Copenhagen's two Michelin-starred restaurant Noma pops up in Sydney on January 26 for ten weeks. Head chef Rene Redzepi is passionate about expressing an area's unique environment through his cooking, and is sure to use our best native ingredients while he's here. Read more about the incredible potential of native foods over here. [caption id="attachment_555499" align="alignnone" width="1280"] blumblaum via Flickr[/caption] ALGAE Kale's still kicking around, but algae is closing in. In October, an upmarket Californian store put the world's first ever algae cooking oil on its shelves. With scientists warning us off other veggie oils due to their toxicity, this new product promises "goodness to your heart, the kitchen and the planet". Expect it to be added to foods and beverages to reduce fat and cholesterol and add a bit of extra protein and antioxidants. Meanwhile, a design collective has imagined a futuristic opera, in which singers grow algae with their breath during the show and give it to audiences to eat afterwards. But maybe that belongs under theatre trends. [caption id="attachment_555557" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hunter and Barrel[/caption] PLAYING WITH FIRE Lucky we've been giving you inside info on how to throw an epic barbecue, because your tong-wielding skills are about to come in handy. When electricity arrived, we cast aside one of humankind's oldest technological developments, but, as any dedicated hiker knows, there ain't no potato like a campfire-cooked potato. So expect to see a lot more cooking with fire this year, whether it's at The Smoke or the Low & Slow BBQ Festival, which will hopefully return this year.. Just don't think you can go wandering into any of these bars with your marshmallow on a stick. [caption id="attachment_555568" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Stefano via Flickr[/caption] DNA MATCHING Not as in, would you like a chardonnay or a cup of genes with that salad, but choosing foods that best suit your DNA to avoid unpleasant symptoms and improve your health. Yep, it's a thing. It turns out your wheat intolerance mightn't be just about gluten, it might be linked to a plethora of factors, especially your DNA. Old mates Bompas and Parr are already onto this, having worked on a project that created bespoke cocktails based on your DNA last year. And Dr. Fredric Abramson, founder of Digital Nutrition, is already offering a service that helps you match your diet to your genes. So get on it. [caption id="attachment_555298" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Fir0002 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] GETTING GOATY With bacon having some copped some bad press for its carcinogenic qualities, goat sales are on the rise. It's profitable news for Aussie farmers, who are the world's biggest exporters of goat meat. Long a staple of Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Indian diets, the horned creature will be making its way onto mainstream menus more and more often . In London, Aussie-born chef Brett Graham is already on the bandwagon at The Ledbury. NICHE FOOD FESTIVALS So, it happened before processed meat was added to WHO's top five most cancerous items, but Sydney hosted its biggest ever bacon party in August 2015. Across the country we had Pinot Palooza, a touring festival devoted to the mighty pinot noir, return for another year, and Juniperlooza answered Melbourne's prayers with a two-day festival showcasing the country's best gin. Food festivals have been around for thousands of years, but we reckon they're going to get more and more specific in 2016 — in fact, a festival 100 per cent dedicated to Nutella will be hitting Adelaide in April. [caption id="attachment_555572" align="alignnone" width="960"] Master's 'Roast Potato' by kseet via Instagram[/caption] SWEET AND SAVOURY DESSERTS Everyone knows what a decent dash of salt can do for a good chocolate. And the ebullient marrying of sweet and savoury flavours is likely to feature in desserts all over the planet in 2016. New Yorkers are already sampling beetroot, carrot and sweet potato yoghurts, courtesy of Blue Hill founder Dan Barber, and Sydney's Master is pushing the sweet-savoury envelope with their roast potato ice cream dessert. In Melbourne Lume is going down the same lines with their beetroot cake dessert, and Mammoth is confusing everyone's tastebuds with their sugary doughnut lobster burger. INHALABLE COCKTAILS Many of our favourite bars look to the cocktail's 'golden age' for inspiration. And with good reason — an old-fashioned or a martini is hard to beat. But the inhalable incarnation of the cocktail is bringing the drink into the 21st century. This is thanks to Bompas and Parr, who ran a pop-up bar named Alcohol Architecture in London last August. Visitors were invited to walk into a 'cocktail cloud', created with enormous humidifiers. Inspired by the duo, Brisbane Festival got on this last year, creating a breathable gin and tonic room as part of their 2015 program. We can't wait to see where this goes next. LEAVES OF ALL KINDS Your iceberg lettuce just won't cut it anymore. And neither will your cos, rocket or radicchio, for that matter. Your salads are about to get much, much fancier and more diverse. Heston Blumenthal was onto it at 2015's Fat Duck pop-up — he organised exclusive access to a source of local oyster leaves, which he combined with chicken, grilled onion emulsion and spiced celeriac sauce. [caption id="attachment_555270" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Superfood Sushi[/caption] GOING VEGAN Veganism is nothing new, but this year looks like it might be the one to firmly cement it as a full-blown cuisine. Doughnut Time now even does a vegan doughnut. Over in Sydney, Newtown's King Street added vegan superfood sushi and Bliss 'n' Chips — where soy-based protein and konjac are transmogrified into incredibly convincing deep fried seafood dishes — to its many restaurants, and and then, in news that shocked many, much-loved pizza place Gigi announced it was taking animal products out of its pizzas. All three businesses seem to be thriving, so we're banking on more vegan openings and conversions this year. Top image: Bompas and Parr
Prepare to say ciao to Italian cinema throughout September and October — and we mean hello, not farewell. Yes, the annual showcase of films from or about the European nation is back for another round. In fact, it's the Lavazza Italian Film Festival's 17th year — and if the program is anything to go by, it's going to be another good one. Not only will the 2016 fest kick off with Italian box office hit Perfect Strangers and close with the digital restoration of the Audrey Hepburn-starring classic Roman Holiday, but it also boasts a world premiere. Local audiences will be the first on the planet to see the first-ever Australian-Italian feature co-production, The Space Between. Charting the intersection of an Italian ex-chef and a spirited Aussie in the scenic Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, it has been described as "a celebration of the Italian spirit of la dolce vita". Elsewhere, the 30-film program keeps highlighting the best Italian filmmaking has to offer, such as Where Am I Going?, the highest-grossing film in Italian cinema history. Strands dedicated to relationships and leading ladies serve up plenty of both, including straight-from Cannes prison drama Fiore and straight-from-Venice romance The Worldly Girl (and yes, we mean straight from this year's Venice Film Festival in September). Plus, with coming-of-age tale Arianna, Gran Turismo racing thriller Italian Race and gritty character study Napoli Junglealso on the bill, IFF does what all good fests should by offering something for everyone. Don't say you don't have something to watch for the next couple of months as the festival tours the country.
Master sommelier Madeline Triffon describes Pinot Noir as 'sex in a glass', while winemaker Randy Ullom calls it 'the ultimate nirvana'. One of the most challenging grapes in the world of vinification, it's also one of the most surprising and rewarding. No wonder Bottle Shop Concepts — the good folk who bring Game of Rhones our way — are coming back to town with Pinot Palooza, an epic travelling wine festival celebrating all things Pinot Noir. For just one day, wine connoisseurs in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will have the chance to sample more than 150 drops, direct from the Southern Hemisphere’s best producers. Think Ata Rangi, Yabby Lake, Bay of Fires, Rippon, Kooyong, Mount Difficulty — and that’s just the first few leaves on the vine. Whether you’re a newbie who wants to start with something light and inviting, or a Pinot pro ready for the biggest, most complex mouthful on the menu, there’ll be an abundance of selections at either end — and plenty along the spectrum, too. You’ll even be able to vote for your favourite and go in the draw to win some wine-driven prizes. If, at any point, you need to take a pause in your tasting adventures, you’ll be catered for. There’ll be cosy places to sit and mull over your chosen Pinot, loads of food and the epic Burgundy Bar – a kind of Pinot Noir mecca where you’ll be able to sample bottles worth $150+ at affordable, by-the-glass prices. Expert sommeliers will also be on hand to help you make selections. What's more, those keen to fuel their brains (and not only their tastebuds), can indulge in a 'Back Stage Pass'. It's a chance to partake in a master class with some of Australia's smartest wine educators and learn all about what's happening in Burgundy, France — Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. Pinot Palooza will hit Brisbane on Sunday, October 11 at Light Space. Tickets are $60, which includes tastings and a take-home Riedel 'Heart to Heart' Pinot Noir glass.
Every year, on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour focuses the world's attention on the planet via a vitally important symbolic gesture. Although carbon is saved by turning things off, the point is the unmissable demonstration — with a huge chunk of the world's population caring about the same thing at the same time. If we can manage this for Earth Hour, why not for grander environmental things? It all started in Sydney in 2007, and has become an international event in the years since, with hundreds of millions of people taking part in more than 7000 cities across over 180 countries. Of course, in 2020, things will be a bit different, with no out-of-home activities taking place — but Earth Hour is still asking everyone to join in by staying in the house and turning off the lights at 8.30pm AEDT on Saturday, March 28 (7.30pm AEST). While you're sitting in the dark, you can also live-stream a heap of performers thanks to Earth Hour Live, with Montaigne, Cody Simpson, Jack River, Polish Club, Bobby Alu, Ella Haber, Dulcie and Alice Skye all on the bill — and journalist Patrick Abboud on hosting duties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ZegTD4buQ&feature=emb_logo And, although you won't be able to see them yourself, local and global landmarks and tourist spots such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, the Wheel of Brisbane, Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, the Eiffel Tower, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Tokyo Skytree, Brandenburg Gate, the Colosseum in Rome, Taipei 101, the Petronas Twin Towers, the Ali Qapu Palace, the Akropolis and Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong are all getting into the Earth Hour spirit by switching their lights off for an hour, too. Images: Earth Hour 2019. Sydney. Luna Park, The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, photographed from Lavender Street, Lavender Bay. Photography by Quentin Jones. 30 March 2019. © Quentin Jones / WWF-Aus The Melbourne Star turns out its lights for Earth Hour 2018. © Alain Nguyen / WWF-Aus Story Bridge, Brisbane with lights switched off to celebrate 10 years of Earth Hour, Brisbane, 25 March 2017. © Anastasia Woolmington / WWF-Aus.
Every rock band spends time away from studios, stages and shows — and every rock photographer does the same. Dane Beesley may be best known for his concert images; however thriving gigs and intimate sets aren't the only things he snaps. Shades showcases his other work, with Beesley taking a casual documentary approach to reframing commonplace scenarios. You won't see pics that have graced the cover of Rolling Stone here. What you will cast your eyes over is a series of everyday sights that — thanks to the shutterbug's use of light, texture and depth — look anything but ordinary. The exhibition isn't just another collection of his pieces, but ties in to his latest book of the same name. Whether you wander by This Must Be The Place's gallery before July 8, or drop by on opening night on June 10, you'll witness the type of shots you won't find on Instagram. You'll also find his latest printed collection available to purchase.
One week, you can pretend you're in France without leaving Brisbane, just by eating French food, drinking French brews and celebrating Bastille Day. The next week, you can do all of the above with Belgium thanks to Belgian National Day. Your destination for the latter: Saccharomyces Beer Café, which is spending Monday, July 15–Sunday, July 21 looking abroad. The South Brisbane venue is also calling its celebrations Belgian Beer Week, and pouring Belgian brews every single day. That's what you'll find pumping through its taps, with more than 40 different varieties on offer. And, there's a lineup of bottled Belgian beers as well, including limited-edition drops. Think you can pick different Belgian beers? Blind tastings will be on the agenda from Tuesday, July 16–Thursday, July 18. Fancy watching a documentary about Belgian beers while sipping them? That's also on the menu to kick things off. Old beer and old cheese, which makes quite the pairing, gets its time to shine on Tuesday, July 16. On Wednesday, July 17, Belgian-inspired Australian beers are in the spotlight. And on Thursday, July 18, it's time for Belgian Christmas in July. Over the weekend of Friday, July 19–Saturday, July 20, you'll be celebrating Belgian beer in general — and, over the entire week, the bar's kitchen will be doing Belgian specials. Then, come Sunday, July 21, it's time to get into the National Belgium Day spirit on the date itself, and sip and eat whatever's left — or kliekje, which is Flemish for leftovers. [caption id="attachment_669543" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption]
Food is usually the gift you give when you can't think of anything else. Come on, it's true. However, anyone getting their dad Gelato Messina's latest special Father's Day creation can't be accused of that. Given that the gelato wizards are pumping out VHS tape-shaped, Negroni-flavoured gelato cakes, wanting to eat it before Dad can is understandable. Their limited-edition offering, which is completely made out of gelato and chocolate, and is entirely edible. Well, the choc-orange flavoured cake layered with vermouth gelato (!), almond crunch, more choc-orange cake and Negroni gel (made with Archie Rose gin and blood orange mousse) is — and the edible VHS chocolate top layer as well. Best not to take a bite out of the box it comes in, though. Kids of the '80s and '90s, if you're having flashbacks about accidentally sticking food into your parents' video player when you were too young to know better, you're not alone (you're not alone). And yes, that's a good enough reason to get a cake. These memory-jogging sweet treats serve six to eight people, and will be available from Messina's Bondi, Darlinghurst, Miranda, Parramatta, Rosebery and Penrith stores in Sydney, Fitzroy and Windsor digs in Melbourne, and South Brisbane. As is always the case with their creative concoctions, they're certain to get snapped up fast, so ordering one asap is recommended. You'll have to wait until September 3 to eat it, so enjoy this GIF of the cake:
As much as we all might want to, not everyone can make it down south for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. No, we're not happy about it — but it's time to turn that frown upside down, because you can go to the next best thing. Yes, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is back for another year of touring hilarity. Bringing the best of the fest to the Brisbane Powerhouse, its showcase of highlights and hijinks is almost like being there. This year's line-up of local and international acts is certain to tickle your funny bone, including Barry Award-winning sketch stars the Pajama Men. They're joined by prolific performer Rachel Berger, Perth export Xavier Michelides, comedian and hip-hop didgeridoo player Sean Choolburra, and TV's own Bob Franklin. Catch all five funny acts live on stage during one chuckle-heavy set, trading their best jokes for your loudest laughs.
Jimeoin was one of the first comedians I knew of when I was younger - his effortless humour and funny accent made me laugh even as a little tyke. Not much has changed since then. The Irish comedian who us Australians have somewhat adopted over the last couple of decades is back in Brisbane with a crazy ten-show residency at The Powerhouse, delivering his trademark wit and craic. Not to mention the man's cheeky smile, which has also earned him brownie points with da ladeez. Something... Smells Funny is a show that consists entirely of Jimeoin's superb skill – talkin' shit. He talks about everyday life, observations and, for the first time, incorporates a guitar. Jimeoin has impeccable timing and breakneck delivery so there's no doubt that audiences will be lining up to get into these shows - and hey, let's be honest, there's a day that'll suit anyone's schedule. If pissing yourself laughing and having stomach cramps sounds like the cherry on the top of a great year like it does to me, then you pretty much need to see Jimeoin as he flaunts his quirky stand-up style for ten nights only.
Move over G20: there’s a bigger event about to hit Brisbane, and we’re fairly sure Obama wants in. SpringFlare happens this Sunday, and it’s going to turn the human contents of Brisbane Riverstage into a crowd of Teletubby hybrids. If you haven’t been to a colour festival before, the premise is pretty simple — wear your daggiest white clothes (ones you'd throw out in a heartbeat), hit the event with some friends and throw coloured powder (all natural and safe) at everyone within range. SpringFlare provides as much colour as you can carry, plus performances, food and music for every age group. From 11am to 2pm you can get colourful to multicultural performances and activities, all with some tasty food in your hand, and from 2pm you can catch on stage Queensland musicians Dubmarine, bobby Alu, Willow Beats, Michelle Xen, The Neon Wild, The Belligerents and Sarah Howells SpringFlare is a key event of the G20 Cultural Celebrations, so you might be pegging colour at your mate one minute then Putin the next. We won’t say who deserved it more.
Two of the Barracks' most beloved favourites, Cabiria and Peasant, have just experienced a menu renovation by new executive chef Jonathan Bryant. Never fear, as Jonathon has worked in some of Brisbane's best dining establishments including Anise, Cha Cha Char, The Dining Room, and Montrachet, so this will be no renovation nightmare. Concrete Playground caught up with him to get the scoop on the updates: What changes can we expect to see on the menus at Cabiria and Peasant? The Cabiria menu has been substantially updated with this new menu release. The French inspiration has stayed the same but every dish on the menu has changed. People who ate at Anise when I worked there will be pleased to see some old favourites on the new menu. The Peasant menu will also be updated in the next few weeks. It won't be a complete overhaul but there will definitely be some interesting new items to enjoy. Each restaurant has its own feel. How would you describe them? Cabiria is a European-inspired restaurant with a strong focus on delicious-tasting food and alcohol to match. Peasant has more of a boisterous atmosphere with a strong focus on Spanish and South American flavours from the kitchen to the wine list. As we like to say at Peasant, tapas is not just a style of food but a way of eating. What is the best occasion for each restaurant? Cabiria is an anytime restaurant — coffee stop, dinner date, or lunch destination. It's the type of place you can stop in for half an hour but stay for four hours. Peasant is great for groups to celebrate any occasion or for one of Brisbane's best Sunday Sessions with paella in the garden. Can you recommend your favourite wines on the menu? There's no such thing as a favourite when it comes to wine — but in saying that I am a riesling lover. What is your food philosophy? Using good produce, simply. What is your favourite meal of the day? I am always up for lunch but I am particularly partial to it running much longer into the evening, which usually leads to dinner. Where do you get your menu inspiration from? Comes from everything I eat!
When it comes to raising money to support Australians affected by the bushfires — folks who've lost their homes, firefighters battling the blazes, other volunteers helping out, animals caught in the crisis and more — Brisbane has been going all out. Add another benefit event to your must-attend list, with The Triffid putting on a huge gig to rustle up more donations. The Newstead venue has also enlisted some impressive talent to assist. Taking to the stage at From Brissy, With Love are The Grates, Thelma Plum, Alex the Astronaut, Kira Piru and Tia Gostelow, with comedian Mel Buttle on MC duties. It all takes place from 5pm on Sunday, January 19, with tickets costing $44.90 — and 100-percent of the profits will be donated to Fire Relief For First Nations Communities, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, the Victorian Rural Fire Service RFS and WIRES Wildlife Rescue. Can't make it? You can also donate via the gig by buying a 'cannot attend event donation ticket'. Raffles on the day will raise more money — and giveaway prizes. And if you're keen on getting started early, there'll be free tunes in The Triffid's beer garden from 2pm courtesy of Mojo Webb. Top image: The Grates by Stephen Booth, via High Rotation.
Four years ago, legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Fleetwood Mac toured Australia with Christine McVie, who'd just rejoined the band after a 16-year absence. This year, when the British-American group tours the country, the lineup will look a little different. Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Christine McVie will be joined on stage in August by Crowded House frontman Neil Finn and Mike Campbell, from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, with Lindsey Buckingham controversially axed from the band early last year. Despite the switch-up — it's not the band's first personnel change, and probably won't be its last — the band will be performing all its biggest hits, from 'Dreams' to 'The Chain' and 'Go Your Own Way'. The six will head to Australia's west coast first, hitting up Perth on August 9, before flying east to perform shows across the east coast — with one show in Brissie, and two in Sydney and Melbourne. Fleetwood Mac is one of the world's best-selling bands, selling in excess of 100 million albums worldwide, with the album Rumours one of the best-selling of all time. Their Aussie tour follows the band's 50-show tour of the US. FLEETWOOD MAC 2019 TOUR DATES Perth — RAC Arena, August 9 Brisbane — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, August 20 Sydney — Qudos Bank Arena, August 27 and 29 Melbourne — Rod Laver Arena, September 2 and 4 Fleetwood Mac pre-sale tickets are available from midday (local time) on Thursday, January 24, 2019, with general on-sale is at midday (local time) in Sydney and Perth, and 1pm in Melbourne and Brisbane, on Friday, January 25, through Live Nation.
