The days are long and drenched with sunlight, and you've got time on your hands to lie on the sand or in the grass and while it away with a book into the late summer hours. But you want the hours to be worthwhile, and sometimes it's really difficult to make a decision or to know where to start. Moreover, you want something enjoyable and easy to read that isn't going to turn your brain to marshmallow. So to help you out, Concrete Playground has come up with some suggestions for the best books to read over your summer. We've got new stuff and old stuff. Books you've never heard of and books everybody's heard of. Romances, mysteries, high quality smut, and stories both sweet and weird and wonderful. Compiled lovingly by somebody who's found the first legitimate use for her English major, we hope that these books delight you and make summer all the more wonderful. 1. 1Q84 by Haruki MurakamiJapanese author Haruki Murakami has a cult following and a legion of literary groupies so devoted that when the English translation of 1Q84 was published in October, bookstores stayed open late to cope with a demand not seen since the world was hit by the latest escapades of a certain Harry Potter. And upon publication, the word 'genius' was merrily tossed around by a legion of doe-eyed bookish types, as well as mutterings about Nobel Prizes. Quite deservedly too. 1Q84 is set in Tokyo in a fictionalised 1984 and follows the parallel story-lines of Tengo, a solitary maths teacher and ghost writer, and Aomame, a lady who works a sideline in ridding the world of abusive men. Over the course of a year their lives intertwine around religious cults, eccentric geniuses, reclusive dowagers and unexplained coincidences and mysteries. At roughly nine hundred pages long it isn't the slimmest book to carry around, but 1Q84, and everything by Murakami in general, is unlike anything else out there. It's beautiful and it's complex and you get completely lost inside the labyrinthine worlds he creates. 1Q84 on Amazon 2. A Visit From The Goon Squad – Jennifer EganA Visit From The Goon Squad is a series of thirteen interlocking stories centered around aging music executive and a once-talented musician, Bennie Salazar. The book opens with Salazar's former assistant, Sasha, a kleptomaniac trying desperately not to steal her date's wallet, and shuttles back and forth in time to the 1970s San Francisco punk scene, a tortuous African safari and a New York of the not too distant future. A Visit From The Goon Squad won the Pulitzer Prize this year, and it's insanely fun to read, moving so quickly you can easily eat up a day reading it. All the stories centre around the music industry and rock and roll, but ultimately it's more about what it means to grow up and how that often translates into a loss of innocence. According to Google, trusted research tool, HBO is turning the book into a television series next year, but I can pretty much guarantee the book will be better, because at the end of the day it's going to be hard to translate a chapter formatted like a Powerpoint presentation, amongst others, into entertaining television. A Visit from the Goon Squad on Amazon 3. The White Album – Joan DidionIn the sixties Joan Didion was a journalist and writer who described herself as anxious, confused, rotten at interviewing people and only ever got decent stories out of people because she was so tiny and neurotically inarticulate in front of others that she tended to blend into the background. And as somebody who's anxious and neurotically inarticulate myself, Joan Didion has endeared herself to me ever since this book occupied me for the entire abominable flight between Sydney and London without me ever having to resort to watching a Judd Apatow movie. The White Album is a collection of essays put together at the end of the seventies which, very broadly, cover the disintegration of the sixties and everything the sixties had hoped to achieve. If I was a proper literary critic I would say it wove together fragmented narratives of sixties cultural phenomena, like the Black Panthers and the Manson Family, with the author's own personal experiences and problems, lending the work a compelling quality of tenderness and loss which seems to express something integral to the contemporary human condition. But I'm not going to say that, cause that would ruin it, right? Seriously though, read this book. It is excellent. The White Album on Amazon 4. The Raw Shark Texts – Steven HallThe Raw Shark Texts is what I imagine would be produced if Michel Gondry and David Lynch got together one night, got plastered and decided they quite fancied writing a thriller. The Raw Shark Texts is Steven Hall's debut novel, published in 2007. The story opens with the narrator waking up in a room and having absolutely no idea who he is. Gradually he learns that he is the Second Eric Sanderson, the first having been destroyed by virtue of being the prime target of vicious conceptual creatures who linger in thought and text. After the death of his girlfriend several years earlier, Eric, working with the Un-Space committee, tried to preserve his memories of her inside a conceptual creature, which unintentionally lead to the release of a Ludovician, the most dangerous of conceptual fish, which feeds on human memories and the sense of self. The novel follows the journey of the Second Eric Sanderson as he tries to track down the people who'll explain and help him eventually defeat the Ludovician. It sounds complex, but like anything by the likes of Michel Gondry or David Lynch, it's surprisingly lucid and massively engrossing, and makes for one of the most compelling books you could read about language, memory and the devastating power of love. The Raw Shark Texts on Amazon 5. On The Road – Jack KerouacFamously typed in three weeks on a continuous 120-foot roll of teletype paper, On The Road is the hallmark work of the beat generation, and the work that inspired generations of young people to take off, get out of the city and find themselves. The novel centers around jazz, drugs and poetry and follows the adventures of narrator Sal and the iconic maverick Dean Moriarty, based in real life on Neal Cassady, as they hitchhike across America. Bob Dylan once described On The Road as having changed his life, and it taught a whole generation of people the world over that revelation is to be found in the streets, in the destitute, in the bums and the dark places. Incidentally, On The Road is being turned into a movie, probably to be released in the coming year, featuring Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart. Make of that what you will. Either way, On The Road is iconic, and it's here because if you haven't read it, you probably should, particularly during the summer when it feels as though you could pack up any minute and re-claim your freedom. Plus it's published in the Popular Penguins series, so it'll save you monies and earn you a modicum of hipster cred when you read it on the bus. On the Road on Amazon 6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao reads like Childish Gambino and David Foster Wallace got together to narrate the life of a second-generation Dominican high school geek who's mastered writing in Elvish, knows more about the Marvel universe than Stan Lee and couldn't pass for normal even if he tried. Oscar is a fat, Tolkien-loving kid with a bad case of self-hatred, and makes the mistake of using words like 'indefatigable' too many times, scaring off the ladies and inviting blows to the head. The book is narrated in turns by Lola, Oscar's tough-talking punk sister, and Yunior, his one-time room mate. The language is one of the best things about the book, an easy to follow Spanglish giving the words body-language, or 'swag'. Weaving in Dominican history, family tragedy and and curses passed down through the generations, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao essentially proves that if you want to know what it feels like to be an X-Man, you just need to be a smart, bookish, ethnically marginalised kid living in a contemporary U.S. ghetto. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao on Amazon 7. Ask The Dust – John FanteAsk The Dust almost missed becoming a classic, and if it weren't for Charles Bukowski hailing him as a genius the book might not have been in print today. But it is, making Bukowski a blessed legend (more on that below). Arturo Bandini is twenty. He's moved alone to Los Angeles in the '30s to try and be a writer. But he's failing at the writing, he's hungry as hell and he's a miserable virgin tortured by beautiful women and the Californian sun. Moreover, he's obsessed with a Mexican waitress wearing broken shoes who he can't stop treating like shit. I read Ask The Dust two summers ago, and spent a whole day at Maroubra beach obsessively quoting dog-eared passages of it to my long-suffering and ever indulgent friend. In that instance, I'm pretty sure my fierce enthusiasm scared her off, so I'll try and tone down just how awesome I believe this book to be, but I encourage you to imagine me shaking you furiously by the lapels if you decide not to read it. Ask the Dust on Amazon 8. You'll Be Sorry When I'm Dead – Marieke HardyMarieke Hardy is wildly entertaining, even though I know she can occasionally rub people the wrong way (although, given that Google suggests 'Marieke Hardy + breasts' as one of the most popular search options you've got to think more than a couple of people are keen). The former Triple J Breakfast host and writer of ABC TV series Laid is opinionated, acerbic and sometimes a little controversial. You'll Be Sorry When I'm Dead is her first book, a collection of personal essays which are hilarious but also heart wrenching in their honesty and attention to detail. She details her penchant for drinking to excess, childhood ambitions of growing up to be a prostitute, how football broke her heart, and having her first kiss with a Young Talent Time 'idol'. Grandiose, passionate and often hilarious, this series of mini-memoirs is engrossing and oddly relatable, particularly when you finish an unflinching story about an ex-boyfriend or Bob Ellis and then get to read their frank opinion about what she had to say. You'll Be Sorry When I'm Dead on Allen & Unwin 9. Women – Charles BukowskiBukowski is the poet laureate of seedy bars, gamblers, drunks, womanisers and dirty old men. He was a man who had no time for adjectives, who was bored with most literature because it had no guts or dance or moxy and believed the writer had no responsibility "except to jack off in bed alone and to type a good page." If that quote puts you off, read something else, but remember there's a reason why Bukowski is beloved by so many. All of Bukowski's novels (barring one) follow the trials and tribulations of his fictional alter-ego Henry Chinaski. Ugly, misanthropic and an appalling drunk, Bukowski wrote like a madman for decades, but didn't start getting much recognition until the 1970s. Women is Bukowski at his drunken, raw essence, written in his fifties, when he was making up for lost time with all the women who wouldn't notice him when he was young and poor and hideous. Women on Amazon 10. Middlesex – Jeffrey EugenidesSo Jeffrey Eugenides has a new book out at the moment, The Marriage Plot. But I've read it, and, um...Middlesex is better. Moreover, Middlesex won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. Middlesex could in many ways be construed as your average inter-generational family drama with a hint of multiculturalism thrown into the mix. But it's much more than that. Middlesex is the history of a single gene through a century of tumultuous history, lyrical and strange and incredibly hard to put down. The narrator was born twice, first as a girl and then again as a teenager on an operating table, emerging as a young man, an eventuality which can be attributed to the revelation that his grandparents were actually brother and sister who escaped the stigma they would have received in Greece by immigrating to Detroit in the U.S. There's history and political drama, heartbreaking stories of first love and medical incompetence. But it's not a tragedy - it's heartfelt and terribly funny. Middlesex on Amazon
Trailblazing graffiti artist Nychos has landed in Australia. Gracing our shores over late February and early March, the Austrian artist who recently took New York City by storm will be splitting his time between Sydney and Melbourne for this tour, presenting exhibitions, hosting workshops and leaving his unique mark on walls around town — including a brand new work just outside Work-Shop in Redfern. The new piece, titled Translucent June, is a homage to Sir Frederic Leighton's Victorian painting Flaming June. The classical work, which was painted back in 1895, is thought to allude to Greek sculptures of sleeping nymphs. In Nychos' depiction, June is wearing a similar orange dress — however, it (and her skin) is translucent, revealing her blood and bone. Here's the finished product. A post shared by nychos (@nychos) on Feb 28, 2017 at 12:01am PST In Sydney, Nychos just headed a graffiti art workshop at Work-Shop and presented a screening of his street art documentary The Deepest Depths of the Burrow. In Melbourne, the workshop and screening will take place on March 11. He'll also launch a pair of exhibitions, showcasing his new sculpture project, Vienna Therapy, featuring the three-foot-tall Dissection of Sigmund Freud in Federation Square from March 8-12, and his solo exhibition, MONOCHROME ORGANISM, at Juddy Roller Gallery in Fitzroy from March 10-24. Images: Kimberley Low.
Mark Ruffalo has always been a stellar actor, and he has the resume to prove it. But he's in particularly excellent form in I Know This Much Is True. It isn't just because he's as reliably great as ever in the six-part HBO miniseries, which is adapted from the book of the same name. He is, of course; however he's also playing two roles. While identical twins Dominick and Thomas Birdsey look alike, they have their own struggles — including, in the latter's case, paranoid schizophrenia. Set in the 90s in Three Rivers, Connecticut, the series charts the intricacies of their intertwined lives as past and present troubles collide. It's no slouch behind the lens, either, with Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines filmmaker Derek Cianfrance directing and co-writing the entire thing.
For the first time in Australia, music festival attendees will be able to check their illicit substances for dangerous ingredients, with pill testing set to take place at this weekend's Groovin the Moo in Canberra. The ACT Government has approved the trial as a harm reduction strategy, aiming to minimise overdoses and other adverse effects resulting from party drugs. It comes six months after a previous attempt to implement pill testing was scrapped — with approval given for the city's Spilt Milk festival last year, only for organisers to pull out before the event. At Groovin the Moo's Canberra leg on April 29, a mobile laboratory will be set up at the fest's University of Canberra site. Run by the Safety and Testing and Advisory Service at Festivals and Events (STA-SAFE) — a consortium of non-government organisations lead by Harm Reduction Australia — it'll be manned by volunteer medical staff and analytical chemists, who'll test small samples of each pill, interpret the results and give festival-goers the details. Advice and counselling about the risks involved in consuming the substances will also be given, and folks will have the option of disposing of their pills in a bleach-filled amnesty bin. Anyone using the service will remain anonymous, the ABC reports, but data will be collected about the number of patrons attending the service, how many tests are conducted, how many people discard their drugs and the chemical content detected in each sample, all to help shape any future pill-testing operations. Drug checking has been used overseas since the '90s, and is currently available in around 20 countries across Europe, the Americas and New Zealand, but remains a controversial topic in Australia. Calls for Groovin the Moo to offer pill testing have been circulating for the past two years, after a 15-year-old collapsed from an overdose at the fest's Maitland event in 2016. Image: Jack Toohey.
Let's be honest, Apple has taken over the world. They've changed the way we listen to music, the way we use computers, the way a phone operates. Sure there is always talk about how it's not the best technology and that other things work better, faster and more reliably but there's nothing that can match the simple cool of the famous white headphones. But how does any of that explain the design for the new Apple HQ in California? Resembling an alien mothership, the completely circular building is built on an old Hewlett Packard site. Mimicking the glass aesthetic of Apple Stores worldwide, there is not a single straight piece of glass in the entire building. The plans include 6,000 trees in the landscaped central courtyard, as well as a natural-gas power generation facility so that they don't have to rely on the fickle Californian grid. The futuristic feat of engineering is yet to pass the local council's approval, so this mothership may never take off. See the video below for Steve Jobs' personal appeal to the council. https://youtube.com/watch?v=gtuz5OmOh_M [Via Geekologie]
It's happening again: for the third time in a mere 12 months, the Brisbane Lions are into a grand final. The AFL club's women's team made the last dance in their 2022 season, then the men's did the same in their 2023 season — and now the women's squad is back on the big stage, qualifying for their season decider again this year. The success of Brisbane's AFLW team over the women's competition's eight-season run to date is phenomenal. When captain Bre Koenen and her fellow footballers run out at Ikon Park in Melbourne on Sunday, December 3, they'll be into their fifth grand final since the AFLW started in 2017. That's a record, and has seen the Lions' women's squad contest the first two grand finals, then win a premiership in 2021, and now make back-to-back deciders in 2022 and 2023. Last year, they didn't emerge victorious — but here's hoping that'll change this year. [caption id="attachment_847545" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Hyde/Getty Images via AFL Photos[/caption] Keen to watch along in a crowd right here in Brisbane? South Bank is bringing back a sporting favourite from across the last 12 months, because the River City loves coming out in force to see pivotal games — be it the 2022 Men's World Cup, multiple times during the Women's World Cup, for the Lions' men's team and now for the Lions' women's squad. Yes, it's hosting a live viewing site. Expect to see plenty of maroon, blue and gold again. Watch Koenen, Ally Anderson, Cathy Svarc, Sophie Conway, Nat Grider, Belle Dawes, Courtney Hodder and more take on North Melbourne from 1.30pm AEST at South Bank's Rainforest Green, with the big-screen coverage running from 12–4pm. [caption id="attachment_928655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josh Ryan via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] As well as the game, there'll be face painting for kids, a photo wall, merchandise stalls — slinging Lions gear, of course — and giveaways. If you're an AFL fan, there's no better way to spend the first Sunday in December. South Bank's Brisbane Lions AFLW Grand Final live viewing site at Rainforest Green will run from 12–4pm on Sunday, December 3 — head to the Lions website for more information. Top image: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos.
If you've been feeling fandangled by Facebook and in a tangle over Twitter, it's time to take a deep breath, kick back and relax. Good news is General Assembly has cooked up a plan to make the decompression process a whole lot easier for you. Welcome to the epic Digital Detox giveaway. The digital education whizzes are giving five lucky, lucky readers among you a lush prize package made up of a sleepover in an Airbnb property of your choice (to the value of $400), a gastronomic indulgence courtesy of Lime & Tonic, a case of top-shelf wine from Vinomofo and, for when you come floating back to life on the Earthly plane, $200 credit towards a General Assembly course. Having started in New York in 2011 and since spread its wings to 11 other cities around the world, General Assembly is all about empowering you to pursue the career that inspires you. There are full-time, part-time and online courses, as well as one-off workshops and events, so you can either dive off the deep-end into a possibly life-changing experience or nibble around the edges and experiment with something that attracts your interest. Workshops coming up in Sydney and Melbourne include Programming Fundamentals for Non-Programmers, Lean UX Fundamentals, and Code in One Day: HTML & CSS Crash Course. As to the Airbnb stays, it's entirely up to you, but may we recommend this Tree Top Eco Retreat in Queensland. This uber-cosy retreat, with its thatched roof and king-sized bed, brings a touch of Bali to Noosa. Floor-to-ceiling windows afford panoramic views of the national park and the west-facing position means sunsets worthy of a Ron Fricke film. Plus you get your own indoor-outdoor covered bathroom, your own deck (complete with hammock) and access to the onsite yoga room. The entire structure is separate from the main dwelling, so there's total privacy. Beaches and restaurants are just a few minutes' walk away. Alternatively, there's this luxurious accommodation. Byron's Secret is found on a five-acre property, just off a tranquil country lane in the Byron Bay hinterland. The 180-degree panorama includes Byron Bay's renowned coast-scape foregrounded by Myocum Valley, as well as Mount Chincogan. Inside, you can detox in style in a pillowtop queen-sized bed fitted with bamboo linen, curl up in the lounge room or bliss out on the ocean views visible from the deep cast-iron bath. A hamper brimming with local organic produce meets you on arrival. To enter the the Digital Detox head to the General Assembly website. You have until September 29.
Feel like you've experienced every date option that Brisbane has to offer? Run out of new ways to spend an ace night with your mates? If glitz, glamour, drinks, dinner and feeling like you're in a speakeasy several decades ago amount to your idea of a good — and novel — time, then make a beeline to Cloudland's Big Band Cabaret. Taking place in the Valley venue's Rainbow Room, the decadent shindig will have you and your loved one dancing to the Swing Central Big Band and lapping up performances by Jacqueline Furey's Burlesque Ensemble, all while eating your way through a three-course meal and enjoying a three-hour package of beer, wine and sparkling. It was such a hit over the last couple of years, it's no wonder that Cloudland have brought it back — this time, on Friday, July 5. Tickets aren't cheap at $110 per person, but it's certain to liven up your Friday night with something more than a little different.
Imagine a place where cheese reigns supreme, other than in your own kitchen. Imagine more than 100 different varieties on offer for the tasting. Imagine being able to sample whatever you liked from this dairy feast, too. And, picture just buying one ticket to devour all the cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette and whichever other cheeses take your fancy. Is this the real life? It isn't just a cheesy fantasy at Australian dairy festival Mould, which started making cheese-loving dreams come true in 2017. In 2024, it's not only returning — it's back for its biggest festivals yet, including adding a fifth city to its stops. As well as hitting up Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, the event is heading to Adelaide as well. If you're a cheese fiend, then you'll know that there's only one suitable way to tuck into the beloved dairy product: all the time, or at least as much as possible. As presented by Revel — who are also the organisers of Pinot Palooza — that's an idea that Mould not only understands but encourages, celebrating the mild, hard and soft bites made by Australia's best cheese wizards. When it does so again this year, it'll serve up its cheese slices and bites from May–August. Running for either two or three days in each city, Mould will kick off in Brisbane in May as it has in past years, then travel to Melbourne in early June, plus Sydney at the end of July. As for Adelaide and Perth, they're both getting a Mould x Pinot Palooza combo — because cheese and wine are a fine pairing — with the fest arriving in South Australia in June and Western Australia in August. There won't just be a few cheeses on the menu at each stop. More than 100 artisan cheeses from around the country will be ready and waiting, spanning dairy from around 27 producers. In past years, that lineup has included Bruny Island Cheese Co, Grandvewe, Milawa Cheese, Yarra Valley Dairy and Stone & Crow, as well as Section 28, Red Cow Organics, Nimbin Valley Cheese, Dreaming Goat, Long Paddock Cheese and Second Mouse Cheese. Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — snacking on samples is included in your ticket, but you'll then pay extra to purchase slices and slabs to take home with you — the fest features cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks. Courtesy of 2024's The Grate Cheese Commission, a range of cheeses created solely for the fest will also tempt your tastebuds. This year's events will include more of the foodstuffs that pair extremely well with cheese, too, such as olives, crackers and conserves. It wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, vodka, gin, beer, cider, cocktails and sake, all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Archie Rose and Hartshorn will be among the tipples featured. Unsurprisingly, Mould is mighty popular. In 2023, attendees tucked into a one million samples across three cities, and also took home over 8.5-tonnes of Aussie dairy products. So, if this the kind of event that your cheese dreams are made of, you'll want to nab an early-bird ticket ASAP. Mould — A Cheese Festival 2024 Dates: Friday, May 24–Sunday, May 26 — Mould Brisbane, John Reid Pavilion, Brisbane Showgrounds Friday, June 7–Saturday, June 8 — Mould x Pinot Palooza Adelaide, Queens Theatre, Adelaide Friday, June 28–Saturday, June 29 — Mould Melbourne, Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Friday, July 26–Sunday, July 28 — Mould Sydney, Carriageworks, Eveleigh Friday, August 9–Sunday, August 11 — Mould x Pinot Palooza Perth, Centenary Pavilion, Claremont Showgrounds Mould — A Cheese Festival tours Australia from May 2024. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
There's a reason that veteran British filmmaker Ken Loach likes to shoot his characters from afar, and frame his socially minded features in a way that makes audiences think they're peering at reality. The director behind the likes of Kes, My Name is Joe and The Angels' Share might've spent his five-decade career largely telling fictional tales, but there's nothing more interesting to him than getting to the truth. That's why, in this year's Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner I, Daniel Blake, viewers spend much of the movie watching the eponymous figure (Dave Johns) navigate his surroundings. Dan spends his days chatting with his neighbour, seeking assistance from the local welfare office, and helping a single mother, Katie (Hayley Squires), as she struggles to get by. And yet, through Loach's lens, this everyman's ordinary life couldn't be more revealing. Working with American Honey cinematographer Robbie Ryan, Loach observes things from a distance. At the same time, in collaborating once again with screenwriter Paul Laverty, he rifles through intimate details. As such, the film pulls off an illuminating and empathetic balancing act, exploring the minutiae of Dan's quest to receive financial support after having a serious heart attack on a building site, while placing his plight in the context of an uncaring system seemingly designed to punish rather than aid those in need. Accordingly, I, Daniel Blake starts with a scene that evokes both horror and humour, the two emotions that underscore every part of the film. The screen remains black as the opening credits roll and Dan answers questions from a woman about the state of his health. They're standard questions, read straight from a form, that ignore his individual circumstances and are clearly designed to deem him fit for work, despite his doctors' advice to the contrary. Dan gets frustrated and angry, and eventually starts joking around when it's clear that nothing else will work. By the time Loach pairs the sounds of their conversation with the corresponding imagery, the absurdity and the injustice of the situation is already clear. Whether they're charting Dan's conversations with unhelpful government employees, or chronicling Katie's efforts to start a new life for her kids, there's no doubting where the sympathies of Loach and Laverty reside. There's also no avoiding the passion and fury that drives I, Daniel Blake, or its attempts at shining a light where it's needed most. This isn't just a feature about the specific characters at its centre and the many others they represent. It's also a movie filled with small acts of kindness and amusing human antics that rally against the pervading culture of institutionalised cruelty and austerity. As always, Loach favours stark naturalism — in both the bleakly lit Newcastle offices and homes that provide the film its backdrop, and in the organic performances offered by his cast. It's an aesthetic choice that helps heighten the sense of despair, while also ensuring that every fleeting moment of on-screen happiness feels earned. As portrayed with grim pain, wavering determination and an intermittent sense of levity by Johns and Squires, this is ultimately a film about people; whether they're beaten down by bureaucracy, making the most of what they've got, or doing whatever it takes to claw their way back up again.
In news that sounds and feels familiar, and is also sadly not at all unexpected, Vivid Sydney has announced that this year's festival won't go ahead — at all. Last month, the event pushed back its planned 2021 dates from August to mid-September due to Sydney's current COVID-19 outbreak and ongoing lockdown; however, today, Friday, August 6, it has revealed that it's pulling the plug on the light, music and art-filled fest completely until 2022. The 2021 festival had already been pushed from its usual June time slot to August (and then to September), after sitting out 2020 entirely due to the pandemic. This decision to scrap this year's fest is hardly surprising, though. Sydney Fringe Festival, which was also due to take place in September, also just cancelled its 2021 event. And, with Sydney's lockdown now six weeks in, set to run until at least the end of August and also still garnering high case numbers — 291 were identified in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, August 5 — it's beginning to look more likely that other big events might not happen this year either. In a statement, Vivid organisers advised that "the New South Wales Government has made the difficult decision to cancel Vivid Sydney 2021 — but the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas will shine brightly again in May–June 2022. Given the ongoing uncertainty, the decision has been made to cancel Vivid Sydney 2021 to minimise the impact on event attendees, partners, artists, sponsors and suppliers." If you're keen to mark the new dates in your diary, the 2022 event will kick off on Friday, May 27 and run through until Sunday, June 18. Announcing the news, NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said that cancelling this year's Vivid now was the sensible move. "We thank everyone who has contributed to the planning for Vivid Sydney 2021. Of course, it's incredibly disappointing to cancel for the second year, but the most responsible decision was to cancel early, giving everyone certainty and minimising impacts where possible. The health and safety of our community is our highest priority, which is why we're encouraging everyone to get vaccinated so we can get back to enjoying COVID-safe events again soon," he said. Back in July, when Vivid was postponed until September, the Minister had commented that this year's event would only proceed if it's safe to do so. [caption id="attachment_816000" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Vivid 2021 was slated to feature a hefty array of light installations, cultural events, pop-ups and activations, with the full program announced back in May. Alongside Sydney Fringe Festival, a number of big NSW events have now been impacted by the pandemic two years running. The same thing happened with Bluesfest, which was cancelled in 2020, then scrapped a few days before it was meant to start in April this year, and then rescheduled until October — and with this year's Sydney Film Festival, too, which moved to August this year from its usual June time slot, and has now been postponed until November. Vivid Sydney 2021 will no longer take place from Friday, September 17 –Saturday, October 9. Vivid Sydney 2022 is slated to run from Friday, May 27–Sunday, June 18. For more information, visit the event's website. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
Crack that whip: you've got a date with new-wave icons Devo. Back in August, the 'Girl U Want' band was announced among the headliners for Good Things 2023, touring to celebrate 50 years since first forming in 1973 — and also to say goodbye on a farewell tour that'll mark their last-ever Australian shows. Now, they're among a heap of acts that've added their own gigs as sideshows to the main fest. Devo's famous energy dome hats will be on display at their own concerts at the ICC Super Theatre in Sydney, QPAC in Brisbane and Palais Theatre in Melbourne. Also set to do their solo shows: Limp Bizkit, Pennywise, Corey Taylor, Enter Shikari, Sepultura, Hanabie. and Taking Back Sunday — and the list still goes on from there. So, these sideshows will keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin' with Limp Bizkit; will see Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor hit the stage; and are guaranteed to burst with punk energy thanks to Pennywise. And, they'll also serve up I Prevail, PVRIS, Slaughter to Prevail, While She Sleeps and Royal & The Serpent as well. Different acts are going to different cities — and, while Good Things itself isn't on in New Zealand, Limp Bizkit, Behemoth and While She Sleeps are all playing Auckland. If you're wondering about Fall Out Boy, the group behind 'Sugar, We're Goin Down' and 'Uma Thurman' hasn't locked in any Australian and NZ dates other than Good Things — so that's your only chance to see Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman so far. GOOD THINGS 2023 SIDESHOWS: LIMP BIZKIT Sunday, November 26 — Spark Arena, Auckland Wednesday, November 29 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Wednesday, December 6 — Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane Friday, December 8 — John Cain Arena, Melbourne DEVO Sunday, November 26 — ICC Super Theatre, Sydney Wednesday, November 29 — QPAC, Brisbane Wednesday, December 6 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne I PREVAIL Tuesday, November 28 — Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane COREY TAYLOR Tuesday, November 28 — Metro Theatre, Sydney Wednesday, November 29 — Northcote Theatre, Melbourne PENNYWISE Tuesday, December 5 — The Tivoli, Brisbane Wednesday, December 6 — Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast Friday, December 8 — Drifters Wharf, Central Coast Saturday, December 9 — Torquay Hotel, Torquay ENTER SHIKARI Monday, December 4 — The Triffid, Brisbane Wednesday, December 6 — Liberty Music Hall, Sydney BEHEMOTH Friday, November 24 — Powerstation, Auckland Monday, November 27 — The Triffid, Brisbane Wednesday, November 29 — The Gov, Adelaide Tuesday, December 5 — Max Watts, Melbourne SEPULTURA Sunday, November 26 — Metropolis, Fremantle Tuesday, November 28 — The Gov, Adelaide Wednesday, November 29 — Max Watts, Melbourne Monday, December 4 — Princess Theatre, Brisbane TAKING BACK SUNDAY Wednesday, November 29 — 170 Russell, Melbourne Tuesday, December 5 — Princess Theatre, Brisbane Wednesday, December 6 — Factory Theatre, Sydney PVRIS Tuesday, November 28 — Factory Theatre, Sydney Wednesday, November 29 — Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne Tuesday, December 5 — The Triffid, Brisbane SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL Tuesday, November 28 — 170 Russell, Melbourne Tuesday, December 5 — Manning Bar, Sydney Wednesday, December 6 — The Gov, Adelaide WHILE SHE SLEEPS Tuesday, November 28 — Hollywood, Auckland Thursday, November 30 — Stay Gold, Melbourne Tuesday, December 5 — The Brightside, Brisbane HANABIE. Tuesday, November 28 — Stay Gold, Melbourne Monday, December 4 — The Brightside, Brisbane ROYAL & THE SERPENT Wednesday, November 29 — Crowbar, Sydney Monday, December 4 — Stay Gold, Melbourne Good Things will hit the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in December 2023 — head to the festival website for more information and tickets. The festival's sideshows run throughout November and December — head to the festival website for more details and tickets, with early bird tickets available from 9am local time on Wednesday, October 18 and general sales from 9am local time on Friday, October 20. Top image: swimfinfan via Wikimedia Commons.
After locking in its 2025 date earlier in March, Stones Corner Festival has now revealed who'll be taking to the stage when it returns the corner of Logan and Old Cleveland roads at the beginning of May. Australian duo Busby Marou lead the lineup, joined by the throwback tunes of Never Ending 90s, Roaring Lion's Bob Marley tribute and more. Throw in the event's markets, food trucks and breweries pouring beer, and that should be part of your Labour Day long weekend sorted. Summer might be over until the end of the year, but that doesn't mean that all of the fun is heading indoors in Brisbane, clearly. Autumn and street parties go hand in hand in the River City, including at this inner-south favourite. You'll be attending on the Sunday of the May long weekend — this year on Sunday, May 4 — and this is an extra-special celebration, given that Stones Corner Festival is marking its ten-year anniversary. Tom Busby solo, Brad Butcher and Tori Darke, John Hanley with Don't Shoot the Hurricane and Seaside round out the roster of talent that'll be trying to get you doing what David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Martha and the Vandellas, The Kinks, Little Richard, Van Halen and the Grateful Dead have all sung about: dancing in the street. There's nothing quite like partying on a roadway when it's closed to cars, with traffic replaced by stalls and bars as well as stages filled with live music. That's the Stones Corner Festival setup. Some events feel like they've always been part of Brisbane's cultural scene and this is one of them, even if it is only hosting its tenth fest this year. That's the sign of something special, with this free street party swiftly becoming one of the city's must-attend festivities. The Market Folk is in charge of the stalls filled with preloved, handcrafted and eco-friendly wares. The all-ages event also includes family-friendly entertainment for the full spectrum of patrons. You can expect Black Hops, Revel, CBCO, Better Beer, Balter, Your Mates, Burleigh Brewing, Heads of Noosa, Green Beacon and Stone & Wood to help quench your thirst. Eating-wise, Our Kitchen, Greek Street Kantina, Chipstars, and Catch & Kiss are among the options. If you're planning a big one, that public holiday the next day is oh-so-convenient. Also, entry remains free but, as in past years, giving a gold coin donation to the MND and Me Foundation is recommended. Stones Corner Festival 2025 Lineup Busby Marou Never Ending 90s Roaring Lion Tom Busby Brad Butcher & Tori Darke John Hanley with Don't Shoot the Hurricane Seaside Stones Corner Festival 2025 takes place from on Sunday, May 4 on Logan Road, Stones Corner. For more information, head to the festival's website.
In great news for cat-loving cinephiles, 2019 is shaping up to be a huge year for felines on film. Photorealistic big cats are currently prowling around the new remake of The Lion King, and they'll soon be joined by a bunch of singing, scurrying street mousers in the silver-screen adaptation of stage musical Cats. For nearly four decades, Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed production has pranced across stages everywhere, turning a tale inspired by poems from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into an award-winning theatre hit. But, while plenty of other popular musicals have made the leap to cinemas, this one hasn't until now. The first trailer for the new flick might just explain why. Ever wanted to see Taylor Swift as a preening, purring cat? Keen to soothe your disappointment over the fact that Idris Elba isn't James Bond by spotting him with whiskers, fur and a tail? Perhaps you've always dreamed of watching accomplished actors such as Judi Dench and Ian McKellen channel their inner feline? Have you ever hoped for all of the above, and for the actors to all play cat-sized cats? That's what's on offer in the just-dropped first clip, as well as a heap of dancing and singing set to the musical's famous melancholic tune 'Memory'. In terms of story, Cats zaps Swift, Elba and company down to feline height to spin a narrative about the Jellicle cat tribe, who spend a night deciding just which four-legged moggy will get to leave their group, ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. The movie comes with a significant pedigree, with Les Miserables' Tom Hooper in the director's chair, Webber on music duties, Hamilton's Andy Blankenbuehler doing the choreography, and the cast also spanning James Cordon, Jennifer Hudson, Jason Derulo, Ray Winstone and Rebel Wilson. And yet, it all looks a little odd. Perhaps it doesn't help that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt featured a fantastic Cats parody, or perhaps it's just the film's cats-with-human-faces concept. Check out the first Cats trailer below: https://youtu.be/FtSd844cI7U Cats opens in Australian cinemas on December 26.
When Australian sporting history is being made, Brisbane turns out. It happened during the 2022 Men's World Cup. For a glorious winter month this year, it kept occurring during the Women's World Cup. And, with the Brisbane Lions into their first men's AFL Grand Final since 2004, it's happening again — with the River City splashing around plenty of maroon, blue and gold to celebrate. When the Lions beat Carlton in the preliminary final on Saturday, September 23, the Lachie Neale- and Harris Andrews-led team earned a spot in the AFL decider at the MCG on Saturday, September 30 — but, unsurprisingly, tickets to the Melbourne game aren't easy to get. So, for everyone staying in Brisbane, South Bank is hosting a free live viewing site, just as it did when soccer fever was sweeping the city. Thanks to AFL Queensland and the Brisbane Lions, the Grand Final festivities will feature a finals hub at South Bank's Riverside Green from Thursday, September 28–Saturday, September 30, complete with AFL clinics and other all-ages-friendly activities. Fancy seeing if you can hit an inflatable target with a handball? That's on the agenda as well, plus face painting for kids, merchandise stalls — slinging Lions gear, of course — and signups for both children and adults who are keen to play Aussie Rules footy themselves. Then, on Saturday, September 30, the big screens at South Bank Piazza and Streets Beach will show the big dance, with the Lions taking on Collingwood in the AFL Grand Final from 2.30pm. If you're an AFL fan, there's no better way to spend the last Saturday in September. And if it all sounds familiar, that's because the team's famous three-peat of premierships back in 2001–03 included wins over Collingwood in 2002 and 2003. 2023 is clearly proving a great time to be a football fan in Brisbane — of multiple codes. For rugby league aficionados, the Brisbane Broncos will also play in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday, battling Penrith on Sunday, October 1. The Brisbane Lions AFL Grand Final hub at South Bank will run from Thursday, September 28–Saturday, September 30 — head to the Lions website and AFL Queensland's website for more information Top image: Flickerd via Wikimedia Commons.
Cinema has provided me with the basis of many of everyday fantasies, one of which is calorie-free ice cream. Despite being a largely superficial hollywood chick flick, one thing I found relatable in Roger Kumble's The Sweetest Thing was Christina's (Cameron Diaz) fantasy dream where she eats calorie-free ice cream and gets intimate with Mr Right. Now, bringing fantasy to reality is an American company, Vaportrim, which has invented a dessert-flavoured inhaler, proposing to aid weight-loss. Working with the sense of smell and taste, Vaportrim offers a means to satisfy a sweet tooth by making you feel full, and eat less. Through the process of inhaling smell, taste receptors send messages to your brain which release hormones that tell your body it's full. As Dr. Alan Hirsch of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation puts it, "It’s all a matter of fooling the brain". Sticking to a strict diet regime can be difficult for those who desire to lose weight. With no calories and containing FDA-GRAS ingredients, even the most skeptical can rest assured that the product warrants little harm if inhaled. Coming in fourteen different flavours, including apple pie, milk chocolate and pina colada, Vaportrim sounds almost too good to be true. For those less inclined to follow weight loss gimmicks you might be interested to hear that the patent for Vaportrim is held by a man who owns the Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network, a pay-per-minute porno site. [Via Lost At E Minor]
Last time Hunx & His Punx were here — back in 2012 — they charmed many an Antipodean heart with their penchant for getting (nearly) naked, offers to autograph genitalia and expletive-rich expressions of self-desire. In short, they delivered nothing less than what you’d expect of San Francisco’s maddest and baddest bubblegum punk band. So it’s only natural that we’ve invited them back. And this time, they’re bringing Shannon and the Clams in their suitcases. On Friday, March 14, tickets go on sale for a five-date April tour that will see the two bands smashing genres in Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong, Brisbane and Perth. Since their previous visit, Hunx & His Punx have been busy blending ‘80s hardcore and ‘90s grrrl sounds to create nasty yet catchy tunes for their new album Street Punk, which was released in 2013 via Hardly Art. Meanwhile, co-tourers Shannon and the Clams have lately been spending time playing SXSW sideshows and Psych Fest and hitting the road via Burgerama tours. They mash ‘60s girl group sounds with West Coast garage rock, delivering “doo woppers, bomp stompers, punk rippers, country clippers and psych-o trippers”. Trying say that really quickly five times in a row. Here are the dates: THU 17 APR – Copacabana, MELBOURNE. Tickets via Oztix. SAT 19 APR - Oxford Art Factory, SYDNEY. Tickets via OAF. SUN 20 APR – Farmer and the Owl Laneway Party, WOLLONGONG. Tickets via the Farmer and the Owl. TUE 22 APR - The Zoo, BRISBANE. Tickets via the Zoo. THU 24 APR - The Rosemount, PERTH. Tickets via the Rosemount. Tickets go on sale on Friday, 14 March. Tickets via Oztix.
Head interstate to see a big show, or cross your fingers that it comes to Brisbane? When it comes to huge theatre productions, that's the regular dilemma. Thankfully, the musicals and plays that don't premiere on our turf tend to make their way here eventually — and West End and Broadway hit Girl From the North Country is about to become one of them. For Bob Dylan fans, that name will be familiar. It's the title of one of the legendary folk singer's 1963 songs — a tune that features in this musical, naturally. Indeed, the entire show uses Dylan's tracks, including everything from 'Like a Rolling Stone' and 'Hurricane' to 'Slow Train' and 'I Want You', all weaved throughout a story of American life during the Great Depression. After playing down south, Girl From the North Country is coming to Brisbane as part of this year's Brisbane Festival. So, block out Thursday, September 8 in your diary, as that's when its season will kick off at QPAC's Lyric Theatre — running through until Sunday, September 18. Story-wise, the musical is set in a guesthouse in the US state of Minnesota in 1934. The narrative revolves around owner Nick, who is deeply in debt; his wife Elizabeth, whose mind is fraying; and their pregnant daughter Marianne — as well as a bible-slinging preacher and a boxer endeavouring to make a comeback. Overseas, Girl From the North Country has enjoyed sell-out seasons since it first debuted in London in 2017 — heading from The Old Vic to West End, next leaping to the US for an off-Broadway run, and then hitting up Toronto, returning to West End and premiering on Broadway before the pandemic in early 2022. And locally, the debut Aussie season stars Lisa McCune (The King and I, South Pacific), Peter Kowitz (Janet King) and Helen Dallimore (Wicked, Legally Blonde). Images: Tristram Kenton.
When a TV show or movie hits the screen adapted from the pages of a novel, maybe you're the kind of person who just has to read the book before watching. Perhaps you prefer the opposite, soaking in every minute of the series or film afresh with no knowledge of what's to come, then devouring the source material to spending more time in its world and fill in the details. Whichever best describes your style of page-to-screen fandom, you're welcome at a new Australian event that's all about streaming hits that started as novels. In fact, it's Prime Video's very own book club. You might've noticed that plenty of the streaming platform's recent fare began on the page. It's true of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is about to drop its third and final season — and of the Culpable trilogy and also We Were Liars, for instance. So, the service is celebrating that fact in Sydney, putting on Prime Book Club LIVE with a number of authors and actors connected to its lineup as guests. The last season of The Summer I Turned Pretty begins on Wednesday, July 16, with the streamer's most-successful original series releasing episodes through until Wednesday, September 17. So, author Jenny Han — who not only penned the books The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer that the show is based on and is the series' showrunner, but also wrote the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy — will be in attendance. Stars Lola Tung and Rain Spencer (Test Screening) will also be there. Ahead of Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault), the third and final Culpable trilogy flick after films Culpa Mia (My Fault) and Culpa Tuya (Your Fault), reaching Prime Video in October, author Mercedes Ron will also get chatting in the Harbour City. Taking place from 5pm on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Machine Hall in Sydney, Prime Book Club LIVE will boast Lucinda 'Froomes' Price as its host, feature a #BookTok panel, and sport an immersive setup spanning interactive experiences, giveaways and more. The event will also cover We Were Liars — which has an Australian connection thanks to Invisible Boys talent and future The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping star Joseph Zada — and others that fit the page-to-screen mould, including upcoming book-to-screen titles. Attendance is free, but you'll either need to register for a ticket in advance from 12pm AEST on Monday, July 14 or try your luck for one of the limited seats that'll be available on the day. "Prime Book Club LIVE celebrates our prolific book-to-screen storytelling and is a chance for our customers and fans to engage with Prime Video's series and films, and hear directly from talent about how these stories were brought to the screen. We're thrilled to have Jenny Han, Lola Tung, Rain Spencer and Mercedes Ron join us in Sydney for this exciting event," said Hwei Loke, head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand. Prime Book Club LIVE takes place at 5pm on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Machine Hall, 185 Clarence Street, Sydney, with free tickets available from 12pm AEST on Monday, July 14 and limited seats available on the day. The Summer I Turned Pretty images: Erika Doss © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC / Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Prime Video.
Hollywood director James Cameron has successfully completed a solo mini-submarine dive in a vertical ‘torpedo’ of his own design. For the past seven years, Cameron, who is better known for creating the epic blockbusters Avatar and Titanic, has been working in secret with a team in Australia to design and build a 12-tonne, 12 metre-long sub called ‘Deepsea Challenger’. The National Geographic Society, who sponsored the expedition, reported Cameron’s record-breaking descent to the deepest point in the ocean - over 10 kilometres down into the Mariana Trench, southwest of the Pacific island Guam. He returned to the surface after less than three hours under water. The director has been fascinated by oceanography since he was young, and he undertook 33 deep-sea dives to the wreck of the Titanic during the making of his 1997 film. Cameron planned to film what he could see during his solo dive to later share with the world in 3D. In preparation for the expedition, Cameron had researched submersible technology to find the best possible way to explore the seabed, and had practiced yoga in order to endure the mission in the one-person vessel. Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard and US navy captain Don Welsh are the only two other men to have reached the same depth, in the same place, in 1960. Their visibility was poor due to the amount of sand kicked from the ocean floor.
There's no shortage of highlights along Tassie's eastern shores, with Freycinet National Park's Wineglass Bay an alluring attraction. However, just a short drive up the coast, the charming community of Bicheno awaits, renowned for its scenic natural landmarks and vibrant culinary scene. Returning on Saturday, November 15, the Bicheno Food & Wine Festival is where visitors can experience the community's mouthwatering bites and sips in one spot. Featuring 30 stallholders showcasing Tasmania's finest flavours and makers, expect a coastal celebration of stellar seafood, local wine and live music. The lineup for the 2025 edition is soon to be revealed, but previous instalments have included a who's who of local epicureans. Think award-winning drinks from Bicheno Beer Co., Maclean Bay Wines and Ironhouse Tasmania, alongside non-stop gourmet cuisine from Formosa Bites, Salsa Sol and Fried & Loaded. Set against a picturesque seascape, the Bicheno Food & Wine Festival is also stacked with live music and entertainment. Throughout the day, local bands and singer-songwriters will take to the stage. Meanwhile, roving buskers also provide an easy-breezy soundtrack for visitors dining on the freshest east coast produce.
Instagram-obsessed iPhoneographers can now turn their collection of photographs into posters, thanks to a clever new website. London-based online retailer, Firebox, allows Instagram app users to create wall-sized prints of their photo library. All you have to do is click the 'Buy' button on the Firebox website, then add your Instagram username to retrieve photos from your account. Each poster is a fixed 61cm wide, but you can add as many rows of photos as you like, so there is no need to worry about choosing just a few snapshots. When your poster reaches 1.5 metres long, Firebox will shrink your pictures to fit and you can then choose between a white or black background. Firebox are not the only ones who have other ideas for Instagram. Photo sharing app, Prinstagram, let’s you make posters from 50-400 photos, as well as mini prints, stickers and mini books. If you prefer having your photos printed rather than just leaving them in digital format on your laptop, then this is a quirky and colourful way to do it. [via Mashable]
If you find yourself in the mood for some world-class pizza this week and you happen to be in Melbourne, you won't have to travel very far at all to get it. Simply head to 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar in South Yarra, where you'll experience the Best Pizzeria in the Asia Pacific, as decided by the experts for this year's 50 Top Pizza awards. The Victorian spot took out the prestigious title earlier this week at an awards ceremony in Bangkok, where the annual international pizzeria guide named its top 50 picks for the Asia Pacific region. The awards judge venues not just on the merit of their slices, but on each pizzeria as a whole, rating the food, drinks, service and overall ambiance. Running for the last five years, the 50 Top Pizza awards are chosen by around 1000 experts across the globe, who visit the pizzerias anonymously to judge and rank their offerings. 150 pizzeria 'inspectors' took on the task for the Asia and Oceania area specifically. With this new regional crown, 48h now scores an entry in the worldwide ranking, the 50 Top Pizza World 2022 competition, which will be announced in Naples on September 7. Of course, the southside pizzeria is no stranger to international praise, having claimed the title of Best Pizzeria In Oceania in last year's 50 Top Pizza awards. The chain's pizzas themselves, which are on offer at its Elsternwick and Spotswood venues as well, have also nabbed a stack of awards, including being crowned #1 Pizza in Australia at the Pizza World Championships in 2019. A handful of other Aussie venues were also named in this year's Asia Pacific top 50, including Sydney's Al Taglio (14), Bella Brutta (25), Gigi Pizzeria (27), Lucio Pizzeria (43) and Via Napoli (49); fellow Melburnians A25 (35), SPQR (37), Mozzarella Bar (39) and La Svolta (40); and Adelaide's Etica Pizza (42). Find 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar at 373 Malvern Road, South Yarra; 15 Gordon Street, Elsternwick; and Grazeland, Spotswood. For the full 50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific awards list, jump over to the website. Craving a slice, Melburnians? Check out our top picks for pizza in Melbourne.
For six years Australia has been sadly without the presence of Beth Orton and her magical live shows, much to the dismay of fans. All that will come to an abrupt end on January 15 when she begins a brand new national tour. After taking a career break to raise her family and also assess the direction of her musical career choices, Beth is back in business and ready to both please her loyal fans and promote her new album with a sneak peak. Performing in Brisbane first before she traverses our vast country, she will be playing a solo acoustic set at the perfect location: The Old Museum. This particular venue suits Beth’s 2012 tour as they are both a textbook blend of old meets new. Her discography for the evening is set to include classics from her previous albums Comfort of Strangers, Trailer Park, Central Reservation and Daybreaker, before launching into original and unheard material. Given the time it’s taken for Beth to return to Australia, I would not recommend missing this opportunity to see her live – you never know when she’ll be back to sing sweet nothings into your ears.
With its award-winning barrel-aged, bloody shiraz, rare dry, spiced negroni, Christmas and overproof gins, Four Pillars has won plenty of fans — and as of today, one big buyer. If you're keen on creative takes on juniper spirits, you might've snapped up plenty of the brand's coveted tipples, but only beer giant Lion has become the distillery's new partner. It's the first foray into the craft spirit market for the huge beverage company, which is owned by Japan's Kirin Holdings and boasts beer labels such as James Squire, Little Creatures, Furphy, White Rabbit, Hahn, Tooheys, James Boag's and XXXX to its name. Picking up a 50 percent stake in Four Pillars, it's clearly hoping to capitalise upon the gin outfit's growing popularity. According to the Australian Financial Review, the Healesville-based boozemakers are expected to sell half a million bottles this year. The sale comes little more than five years after Four Pillars was established by Stuart Gregor, Cameron Mackenzie and Matt Jones — and Gregor say it's "the start of a really exciting new chapter for our business". It's not the first time the trio has been approached by potential buyers, but when it came to pairing up with Lion, they liked "the fact we will be their first and most important craft spirit brand". Gregor, Mackenzie and Jones will still be running the show, and they'll still keep their existing Yarra Valley digs as their base. But Four Pillars aficionados can look forward to a few changes — including more small batch gin experiments, more attempts to push boundaries, when it comes to both distilling and botanicals, and more collaborations with renowned bartenders, chefs and other creatives. The company will also build a new hospitality and production space next to its current location, which'll give it the capacity to make and bottle more than one million bottles of gin a year. And, in good news for anyone who considers Bloody Shiraz Gin day the best day of the year, a new website that doesn't crash when each new batch goes on sale is also on the cards. If you're wondering, as it has previously, the much-loved variety will go on sale on June 1.
Brisbane’s fashion scene is often given a lot of strife and criticism in comparison to two southern capitals with a superiority complex. However, time and time again we are proving not only to them but also to ourselves that we are just as talented as them in the world of style. Fabulous boutiques, talented designers and chic night outs are much more commonplace in Bristown than most would think. Leading the agenda and filling up calendars this week is the official opening of the first stand-alone Ruby & Prankstar store. Ruby & Prankstar is a locally based jewellery brand created by genius Kristy Morgan which focuses on hand crafted jewellery, leather and other unique items. She is very transgressive in her themese, oft inspired by darkness, mythology and tradition. Having studied beside a cobbler, saddler, lapidarist and silversmith, Ms Morgan has got the skills to back up her dark vision. Despite being relatively young, Ruby & Prankstar is already stocked Australia-wide in darling boutiques, including Brisbane’s own Fallow. Not keen to settle for anything less than total brand control however, the first official store will be opening this week. To celebrate that fact, Ms Morgan has invited all fashionistas with a dark-side for celebratory drinks. The evening will begin at the store with music by Los Huevos, before continuing on to Black Bear Lodge.
The Sydney Opera House's First Nations dance competition will return for its sixth year in 2020. Starring more than 350 performers from all over the country, with different generations, nations and groups all represented, Dance Rites will be broadcast free online — which means, for the first time, all of Australia can join in on the festivities. Close to 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance groups will compete in this year's festival, including Djakapurra Dancers, led by Djakapurra Munyarryun (Songman for the Sydney 2000 Olympics); Mornington Island Dance Group, who performed for the opening of the Opera House in 1973; Dyiraamalang, an all-female group; and Luurnpa Dancers, led by acclaimed artist and senior law man Jimmy Tchooga. The first wave of performances will take place each night from Wednesday, November 11 through Saturday, November 14 (coinciding with NAIDOC Week). Then the finals will air the following week on Saturday, November 21. Each group will perform two dances — one traditional and one 'wildcard' dance. The judges' assessment is based on on authenticity, reclamation work, fusion of language and music and use of costumes, crafts and cultural materials. The winners will receive a cool $20,000, with additional prizes also up for grabs. [caption id="attachment_789029" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brolga Dance Academy[/caption] Top image: Anna Kucera
Burger lovers of Brisbane, rejoice — yet another (yes, another) place selling your favourite food is posed to join the culinary lineup. If you've ever grabbed a burg on the Gold or Sunshine Coasts, then you might be familiar with our newest resident: Betty's Burgers. After announcing they'd be opening new stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane last year, their shiny new burger joint opened in June inside Westfield Chermside's brand new dining precinct, their first in Sydney. This new pastel-coloured store has custom Italian wall tiles and room for 100 diners. It joins Bin 931 Bar and Dining from Gold Coast Little Truffle restaurateur and chef Daniel Ridgeway, and Bootlegger from Sydney's Tom Chidiac of Sourdough and The Naked Duck fame, along with Zeus Street Greek and 4Fingers Crispy Chicken in the new food precinct. So what's Betty's all about? Well, they do a range of burgs that have been pretty well received on the coast. If you haven't tried one yet, you can except their classic, crispy chicken, pork belly and mushroom signature burgers to make their way to Sydney, as well as their insane Shake Shack-esque frozen custard concoctions. These are called 'concretes', and you can choose to get things like peanut brittle, pecan pudding, doughnuts and lemon cheesecake mixed through them. Betty's was first opened in Noosa by David Hales in 2014. He has since opened more stores across the country — three on the Gold Coast, one in Toowoomba, one in Melbourne and one in Sydney. Another Brisbane store is already slated to open in Newstead this year. Words by Lauren Vadnjal and Sarah Ward.
Mention bubbles these days, and you're no longer just talking about baths, sparkling wine, gum or tea. For the past 15 months or so, the term has been on every hopeful holidaymaker's lips, referring to arrangements between countries that allow COVID-safe overseas travel in these pandemic-afflicted times. Discussed since mid-2020 and in effect since April 2021, Australia currently has a quarantine-free travel bubble in place with New Zealand — allowing Aussies and New Zealanders to fly back and forth between the two countries for holidays, even while Australia's international border remains shut to the rest of the world. As first floated back in March, that arrangement might soon be joined by another, this time between Australia and Singapore. Initially, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack advised that Aussies might be able to fly to the island city-state for a holiday by July. That's only a month away, and it doesn't look like it'll happen then. However, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has just met with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, with the pair releasing a joint statement affirming that they're working towards the travel arrangement. "We discussed how two-way travel between Singapore and Australia can eventually resume, in a safe and calibrated manner, when both sides are ready," said Lee following the two leaders' joint press conference. "Before COVID-19, many Singaporeans travelled to Australia for business, for holidays and to pursue their education, and vice versa. We need to resume these people-to-people flows to maintain our close and excellent bilateral relationship," he continued. Although no timeframe was given, Lee also said that the two countries "need to prepare the infrastructure and processes to get ready to do this" — and named "mutual recognition of health and vaccination certificates, possibly in the digital form" as one of the first steps. "When all the preparations are ready, we can start small with an air travel bubble to build confidence on both sides," he advised. At the press conference, Morrison also addressed the proposed travel bubble, noting that it's a target "sooner rather than later". He continued: "I welcome the fact that we will now work together to put the infrastructure in place and the systems in place to enable us to open up in a similar way that we've been able to open up to New Zealand from Australia when we are both in a position to do so." If you're after more details, that's all that was discussed; however, when the Australia–Singapore bubble was first suggested a few months back, it was reported that Aussies would be permitted to go to Singapore for work or leisure. Getting permission from the Department of Home Affairs — which is the only way you can go overseas at present while the nation's international border restrictions are in place — wouldn't be necessary under the arrangement. That said, according to those initial reports, the bubble might only apply to folks who've been vaccinated against COVID-19. Singaporeans who've been vaccinated would also be able to travel to Australia without undergoing the currently mandatory 14-day quarantine period. While the details are clearly yet to be finalised, if the Australia–Singapore travel bubble does come into effect, it'll be great news for everyone that's been dreaming of overseas holidays since the pandemic began — or, at present, for those dreaming of heading further than New Zealand. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
If you're going to watch Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet on the Titanic, or just see Leo hang out at an idyllic secret beach in, well, The Beach, you may as well do so while you're splashing around in a pool. That's what's on the bill at Brisbane's returning outdoor cinema pop-up — the fittingly called Float In Cinema. A collaboration between W Brisbane and Openair Cinemas, it's taking over the riverside hotel's WET Deck for three Wednesday nights in January and February, pairing swim-in movies with food and cocktails. Screening on January 13, 20 and 27, and on February 3, 10 and 17 — with a 7pm seating time for a 7.30pm start — Float In Cinema costs $25 per person. Your ticket includes a recliner chair, a dip in the pool and use of a towel. You'll have to buy your food and drinks on top, but they will be delivered to you on floating trays. If you're keen, you might want to get in quick, as only 32 seats are available per session. Also, if you're a fan of shark movies, you can check out Open Water as part of the program, too — or relive the lake scene in Dirty Dancing, watch Tom Hanks get stuck on an island surrounded by water in Cast Away and see what happens in a boat with a tiger in Life of Pi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHekzSiZjrY
At the moment, you can't go visit your local bar for a round of after-work negronis on a Friday afternoon. But that doesn't mean you need to forego your usual end-of-week drinks with your colleagues. A heap of bars, wineries and distilleries are bringing the happy hour to you — virtually. Whether you'd like to learn how to whip up a Bond-worthy martini, show off your beer knowledge at a boozy trivia session or taste your way through some top drops (and learn a thing or two) at an online cellar door event, there are plenty of digital happy hours to get around while you work from home. Here are some of our favourites.
If there's one word that every film festival hopes will be used to describe the experience of watching your way through its program, it's this: discovery. Maybe you'll find your new favourite movie among its lineup. Perhaps you'll glean a fresh understanding of a particular director or actor's talents. You might see a star better known for their work on-screen blossom behind the camera. You'll also hopefully peer far beyond your own patch of the world. You could become a convert to a genre or a champion of a specific topic, too. The number of ways that sitting in a cinema can prove revealing, an unearthing and an exploration goes on. They all apply to the just-announced roster of titles for 2025's Melbourne International Film Festival — a list more than 275 flicks deep. Across Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24, MIFF is where The Chronology of Water, the feature directorial debut of Kristen Stewart (Love Lies Bleeding), will screen for the first time Down Under — and where Urchin, which notches up the same feat for Babygirl's Harris Dickinson, will as well. Both are heading to Melbourne fresh from their Cannes premieres. The Victorian capital's major annual film fest will also give the city its initial chance to see early pandemic-set western Eddington from Ari Aster (Beau Is Afraid), celebrate a music icon with the world premiere of Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man, enjoy the full Norwegian Sex trilogy that culminated with 2025 Berlinale Golden Bear-recipient Dreams (Sex Love), get unsettled by Daisy Ridley (Cleaner)-led Australian found-footage horror We Bury the Dead, take the family to animated sequel The Bad Guys 2 based on Aussie author Aaron Blabey's books, pay tribute to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and much, much more. As it does every year, the Melbourne International Film Festival has been unveiling pieces of its 2025 lineup over the course of a month or so. Accordingly, movie lovers should already know that If I Had Legs I'd Kick You starring Rose Byrne (Physical) is the fest's opening-night pick, that Parasite composer Jung Jae-il is coming to Australia to conduct the movie's score live in an Aussie exclusive and that the Cannes Palme d'Or-winning It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi (No Bears) is on the lineup, too — plus The Passion of Joan of Arc with a new score by Julia Holter performed live and a heap of other titles. One film that was previously announced is Richard Linklater's (Hit Man) Blue Moon with Ethan Hawke (Leave the World Behind), Margaret Qualley (The Substance) and Andrew Scott (Ripley), but it's now just one of two of the director's features on the bill. The other: Nouvelle Vague, with the American helmer bringing the French New Wave to life. Her Smell's Alex Ross Perry is another filmmaker with two titles on the lineup. With Videoheaven, a movie essay solely comprised from movie and TV clips, he pays tribute to the video-store era — and with Pavements, he focuses on the band Pavement via an experimental blend of documentary, narrative, musical and more. The director is among MIFF's 2025 guests as well, including as a juror for its Bright Horizons award, the fest's $140,000 official competition for filmmakers that was introduced back in 2022. After Aftersun screened in the comp's debut year, its filmmaker Charlotte Wells is this year's jury president. The aforementioned Urchin and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You are in the running for 2025's Bright Horizon prize, as are the likes of Cannes hit Sound of Falling, Un Certain Regard award-winner The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, the Bangkok-set A Useful Ghost, and Matthew McConaughey (Agent Elvis)- and Kurt Russell (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters)-starring crime-thriller The Rivals of Amziah King. It isn't hard to find more standouts across the complete MIFF program, such as dramedy Sorry, Baby, which has had the film festival circuit talking since Sundance; Left-Handed Girl, with first-time director Shih-Ching Tsou boasting Anora Oscar-winner Sean Baker as her co-writer and editor; legal drama Two Prosecutors; and Kelly Reichardt's (Showing Up) Josh O'Connor (Challengers)-led The Mastermind. Others include O'Connor again in the small town-set Rebuilding, coming-of-age story Enzo from BPM (Beats Per Minute)'s Robin Campillo, Wagner Moura's (Dope Thief) Cannes-winning performance in The Secret Agent, Bi Gan's (Long Day's Journey Into Night) Resurrection, the surveillance culture examination of documentary The Perfect Neighbor, 1000 Women in Horror's cinematic celebration, Aussie animation Lesbian Space Princess, the true crime-focused Zodiac Killer Project, Peter Dinklage (Wicked) as The Toxic Avenger and horror-comedy Zombucha! with Jackie van Beek (Audrey). The festival's retrospectives titles are always a highlight, and 2025's picks are no different — whether you're keen to mark 25 years since Looking for Alibrandi reached the screen via a 4K restoration; also see Sweetie, the debut feature from Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), get the same restored treatment; flash back to BMX Bandits; or work your way through MIFF's largest-ever tribute to a single director via the 27-film Chantal Akerman: Traces strand. Hitting up a picture palace in metro Melbourne isn't the only way to dive into MIFF 2025, as has also become the case every year, thanks to both its regional screenings in cinemas across the rest of Victoria and the fest's nationwide online program on ACMI's streaming platform Cinema 3. The former runs across Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24, while the latter will get you tuning in virtually from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. "MIFF returns to illuminate the dark depths of Melbourne winter with a globetrotting array of exceptional cinema, incredible experiences, and the biggest festival celebration of Australian filmmaking on the planet," explains MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar about this year's lineup. "With over 275 films across 18 days in cinema, weekend regional expansions across Victoria and a further week online available at your place, all around Australia, MIFF is an invitation to discover a world of film, and the world on film; to up-res your cinephile credentials, and to binge your way through an epic program brimming with imagination and ideas." The 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. For further details and tickets, head to the MIFF website.
If your idea of a Mexican food experience is a little less ‘overstuffed burritos washed down with tequila while waiting for your turn at the pinata' and a little more gourmet, this Cinco de Mayo celebration might be more up your alley. Acland St Cantina is known for its wholesome and authentic Mexican fare, not to mention the cognitive dissonance you experience when you’re able to order pretty-sure-they-don’t-have-that-in-Mexico salted-caramel ice-cream churros tacos for dessert. For Cinco de Mayo, the folk from Acland St are teaming up with Corona for a night of eats, beats and a sweet drink special called Cinco de Drinko. Get together with your amigos for that one; cinco means five in Spanish, so that’s five drinks at $5 a pop. We’ll let them slide on the lack of a mariachi band, because there’ll also be a DJ pumping out tunes from 7pm onwards.
Here's news that no Usher fan will be saying "yeah!" to: the R&B singer is no longer touring Australia in 2025. After announcing his first solo headlining gigs in the country since 2011 back in May, then swiftly adding more gigs before general tickets had even gone on sale, the 2024 Super Bowl headliner has cancelled his entire trip Down Under. Usher was slated to play six concerts each in Melbourne in November and in Sydney in December. All 12 shows have been scrapped. A statement on the Ticketek website notes that the eight-time Grammy-winner's tour is cancelled, and that "the promoter of Usher's Australian tour regrets to advise that the scheduled shows to take place in November–December will no longer be proceeding". The Past Present Future tour's Aussie leg was set to hit Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, November 19–Thursday, November 20, then again on Saturday, November 22–Sunday, November 23 and then across Tuesday, November 25–Wednesday, November 26. At Qudos Bank Arena, it was slated for Monday, December 1–Tuesday, December 2, then on Thursday, December 4–Friday, December 5 and finally on Wednesday, December 10–Thursday, December 11. Ticketholders will receive automatic refunds via the payment method they used to make their purchase within approximately 30 business days, the Ticketek website advises. Usher was due to celebrate his three-decade career at his Australian shows — going all the way back to his first single 'Call Me a Mack' from 1993, also playing tracks off of his latest 2024 album Coming Home, plus working his way through plenty in-between. The initial US concerts on the Past Present Future tour were announced just days before Usher's Super Bowl set, which worked through hits from across his lengthy career itself. From August–December 2024, the Texas-born singer made his way across North American stages, before heading to Europe (including England, France, the Netherlands and Germany) from March 2025. Also popping up on his setlist across the tour: 'Yeah!', of course, plus everything from 'Can U Get Wit It', 'Nice & Slow', 'U Remind Me' and 'U Got It Bad' to 'Burn', 'OMG', 'Euphoria' and more. Usher's Past Present Future World Tour Australia 2025 Dates Wednesday, November 19–Thursday, November 20, Saturday, November 22–Sunday, November 23 + Tuesday, November 25–Wednesday, November 26 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — CANCELLED Monday, December 1–Tuesday, December 2, Thursday, December 4–Friday, December 5 + Wednesday, December 10–Thursday, December 11 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney — CANCELLED Usher is no longer touring Australia in November and December 2025. Tickets will be automatically refunded via the payment method used for purchase— head to the tour website for more details. Images: Bellamy Brewster / Marcus Macdonald.
Grabbing a meal. Going to work. Eating at a restaurant with friends. Making a living cooking up a storm or waiting tables. We've all had a bite to eat at a cafe, and many of us have worked in hospitality — and we should all be able to enjoy both in a safe space. With tensions rising across the United States since the election of Donald Trump as the country's 45th President, a new initiative has emerged to ensure both patrons and employees can do just that. Sanctuary Restaurants provides resources to eateries to help ensure that people can dine and work in a discrimination-free environment, and to assist with supporting customers and staff that find themselves targeted. Establishments that join the movement — currently 64 at the time of writing — have a zero tolerance policy for sexism, racism, and xenophobia. More explicitly, they do not allow "any harassment of any individual based on immigrant/refugee status, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation to occur in their restaurant". After signing up, they're advised to place a sign in their windows advertising their policy: "SANCTUARY RESTAURANTS: A Place At the Table for Everyone". While such an initiative should definitely be commended, as should the restaurants signing up and the effort to make sure that restaurants remain inclusive and welcoming for all, the fact that it is needed really says plenty about the current climate of hatred and fear festering around the globe. As long as something like this is necessary, here's hoping more places join in — and that the commitment to cultivating safe spaces continues to spread, including beyond America. Via MUNCHIES.
Checking over this year’s French Film Festival guide I hovered over the description for Romantics Anonymous. When I read a quote stating that this film was like “Amelie meets Chocolat” my heart literally started beating a little faster. Two of the cutest and interesting romantic French/ French-esque films (which I’m completely a sucker for) - how could I refuse? Romantics Anonymous did not disappoint and now it’s back on the big screen for a short time only at Dendy Portside. Romantics Anonymous tells the story of Angélique (Isabelle Carré), a gifted chocolate-maker whose incredible shyness prevents her from acknowledging her talents, and Jean-René (Benoît Poelvoorde), owner of a chocolate factory who also suffers from a similar case of overwhelming shyness which threatens to drown his company. When Jean-René hires Angelique to help save the business the two develop affections for each other but have a very strange way of showing it. This film is incredibly cute and awkward with unexpected humour thrown into the mix. There is unusual romance and the film also looks into the lives of individuals whose irrational fear of life has reduced them to margins of functionality. Watching the pair overcome their crippling awkwardness to find love proves a delectable and sweet journey.
You’ve all heard of the fab West End Twilight Markets, but here’s a refresher for the sleepyheads – it’s a monthly jamboree of excitement, bursting with stalls full of all things sustainable, engaging and creative. Catering to those with a love of the unusual and arty, it’s the meeting space for a community of eclectics. Something for everyone, and everything for someone. With a focus on bespoke sustainable goods, their aim is to change the world through bazaars. Starting this Saturday 14 April, there will be a new stall in town and you won’t want to miss its arrival. The 4ZZZ Brisbane Music Stall will be officially opening it’s doors and bringing to the masses a one stop shop for independent music lovers. Stocking a variety of products from local artists including CDs, vinyls, and other merchandise goodies, you’ll find something that’s sweet to the ear. Helping them celebrate on the night are performances by Inland Sea, Pear and the Awkward Orchestra, Steve Grady, Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas, and Baque Australis. Don’t miss this opportunity to tete-a-tete with those whose interests are akin to you, after all there’s food, music and a good time to be had.
Video killed the radio star? Think again. Ira Glass is a name that resonates with anyone and everyone in the media industry, and with good reason. As the original inventor of the award winning public radio show ‘This American Life’, he’s more alive than ever and in town for the first time, keen to discuss all the little components that have made up his enormous creative career. After beginning his working life at the ripe age of 19, he launched this particular show in 1995 and has stayed with it for the long haul. The show has also lasted the distance, which is not something a lot of media professionals can say about their work. It’s won several Peabody and DuPont-Columbia awards, is broadcasted weekly to an audience of over 1.7 million and has been developed into a television show (which has won numerous awards). Plus it has its own comic book! Hosted by the Brisbane Powerhouse, Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass is something that anyone who engages with or is hoping to have a career in the media can draw immense knowledge from. The evening includes a discussion and examples of where he and his staff find their new stories and how they develop them into award winning journalism. His work has been described as “the vanguard of a journalistic revolution" and it is seriously something not to be missed.
All of the taste, none of the seed storage proteins: if you need to eat a gluten free diet, that's all you ever want. And, if you've been craving a few of your favourite biscuits but usually have to steer clear because they don't fit the bill, Arnott's has released new versions of a few well-known varieties. The big one: the Scotch Finger. Last year, the much-loved Australian biscuit maker released the recipe for its original version, but this is obviously even better if you can't consume gluten. The new variety is made with a gluten free flour blend, which uses locally sourced maize, tapioca, rice, sorghum and soy. This one apparently has a sweet base as well, and you can expect both buttery and vanilla tastes. And yes, it still snaps in half — which is perfect for sharing, or for just treating yourself to two smaller pieces instead of eating one big one. That's not the only Arnott's biscuit that's getting a gluten free version, with both Tiny Teddy and Choc Ripple bikkies also receiving the same treatment. For the former, you'll be able to tuck into small, bear-shapped biscuits peppered with chocolate chips. With the latter, expect the usual cocoa flavour, and the same crunchiness. The gluten free range hits stores today, Monday, July 19, and you'll only be able to grab them from Woolworths supermarkets. You'll pay RRP$4.70 per pack, and all three new bikkies have been developed with Coeliac Australia. Arnott's gluten free Scotch Finger, Tiny Teddy and Choc Ripple biscuits will be available from Woolworths supermarkets from Monday, July 19.
Skiing and snowboarding aren't the only things to do at Thredbo, but they're the main reason that most folks head to the snowy resort in Kosciuszko National Park in winter. The spot in New South Wales' Snowy Mountains also prides itself on its unique attractions, however, including Australia's only alpine gondola, plus the country's only lift-accessed mountain bike park with more than 40 kilometres of trails — and, soon, the first alpine coaster in the southern hemisphere as well. What's an alpine coaster? It is indeed a rollercoaster-like attraction, but features individual sleds on a track. Get zooming on the Thredbo Alpine Coaster, then, and you'll travel along a 1.5-kilometre expanse while controlling your own pace. The maximum is 40 kilometres per hour, but whether you feel the need for that speed or you're keen on something cruisier is completely up to you. Whichever you pick — fast, slow, in-between — you'll traverse both uphill and downhill tracks. You'll also go through a tunnel and over a bridge. And while this new addition to Thredbo is called an alpine coaster and is set to open for winter 2024, it will operate all year round. So, it'll be a drawcard in summer, too. Construction started in October 2023, with bulk civil excavation works and concreting already finished, and the track currently being installed. In autumn, independent third-party engineers will undertake safety testing. Then, come the coldest season of the year — with an exact launch date not yet announced — it'll be open to everyone. Thredbo General Manager Stuart Diver said that the Thredbo Alpine Coaster "will build upon our wide range of outdoor adventures in summer as a drawcard for new tourists to the village in the shoulder seasons". "This new development is a testament to Thredbo's commitment to provide a premium experience for our guests 365 days a year," he continued. The Thredbo Alpine Coaster is set to be operational by winter 2024 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced. Head to the Thredbo website for further details in the interim.
When it comes to job opportunities in the hospitality industry, options aren't limited solely to being behind the bar, on the floor or in the kitchen. There is an entire world of positions within hospitality that many don't realise exists. For example, food festivals don't just come together on their own; and if you've ever been at one of these massive events wondering what goes into the planning — or even picking up on things you would do better — you may just be thinking like an event manager without even realising it. That person behind the curtain is the one looking after every tiny detail to bring all that good food and booze together. In partnership with William Blue at Torrens University, we're asking hospitality graduates who run our favourite events in Sydney to talk about how they got started in the industry. Event management student Rebecca Wheatley is four weeks from graduating with a Bachelor of Business (Event Management), and has already earned a successful position as operations event executive at IMG Culinary. Part of her job includes helping run several of IMG's much-loved culinary events, including Taste of Sydney, Taste of Melbourne and Margret River Gourmet Escape. Just before graduation day, we asked her how she got here and for a few tips on how to be successful in the event management space. And might we add, whether events and the hospitality industry are for you or not, Rebecca gives some pretty steadfast advice no matter what field you're starting in. [caption id="attachment_632242" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] GET AN INTERNSHIP "When I first finished school, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I was working a million jobs, travelling a lot, and then I just started doing a few internships. They all happened to be in the event management industry, and at one of my internships, I met a few students from William Blue who highly recommended the program, so I signed up for the next trimester. It's so important to do internships and to get into the work environment. This is the way to start learning what you enjoy and what you're good at. Networking and learning how businesses work is key, and I wouldn't have my job if I didn't do that." RECOGNISE YOUR STRENGTHS "My very first uni subject was to work with a team to make an event. My team ended up doing a charity cocktail party for 130 people. And since it was for charity we had no budget; so figuring out how long to make it all work was very challenging, especially for beginners. I remember looking into ticketing platforms — which often take a percentage — and realising I had to be more creative and find other options. This first project really made me realise how detail oriented I was when looking at events. It's what really led me to the operations side of event management. This showed me the side of the business that I love and am skilled at." [caption id="attachment_632243" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] JUMP AT OPPORTUNITIES "During uni, a former student came to one of my professors looking for an operations assistant for Brand Events (now IMG Culinary). My teacher recommended me, and I started off there with a three-month contract role. I kept contracting for IMG Culinary after that and now, at the start of this year, they put me on full-time as operations event executive. It's been such a great experience and a great opportunity to now graduate with a full-time role." EXPECT LONG HOURS AND HARD WORK "It's obviously a big challenge to juggle both uni and work; one that so many students struggle through. But finishing school without any job experience is even tougher, so working during uni was key to my success. Right now, I'm working [with] IMG four days per week and fitting uni in where I can. It's really hectic to do both at once, especially when there are events on. For Taste of Sydney, I had to go bump in at 7am, then run back for classes for a few hours and then head back to the event until midnight or 1am. And right now, I'm working on the program for Margaret River Gourmet Escape and managing all 150 exhibitors, as well as the contractors, schedule, council and all of the logistics. In this industry, you really devote your life to getting the event over the line. It's all you do and all you think about. You're constantly trying to come up with new ideas and ways to make it all work. Then, when the event opens and you see it all come to life, its such a rush and a moment to be really proud of yourself. You need to have that passion to keep going." [caption id="attachment_632241" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] STAY DEDICATED "When you're just starting out, it's either long hours, low pay or both, but don't be afraid to work for it and get through it. If you're lucky enough to be in an industry that you love, then it all pays off. Especially when juggling school and work, it's really hard, but remember it's only temporary. Don't be afraid to stick it out. Sometimes it feels impossible to do both, but you'll get through it and be so glad that you did when you have a career at the end of it." William Blue at Torrens University offers courses in Event Management, Hospitality, Culinary Management and Tourism. Find out more about the diverse career options in hospitality, and kick-start your career at the William Blue Open Day on Saturday, August 12 in Sydney or via their website.
When it comes to history's legendary painters, Claude Monet's name stands out above most. Now, for the first time ever, Australian audiences are invited to experience the painting that the entire Impressionist movement was named after as the National Gallery of Australia exhibits Monet's world-famous masterpiece, Impression, sunrise. As well as a striking collection of other Monet paintings — including the instantly recognisable Waterlilies and On the Beach at Trouville — the exhibition features works by an array of artists who inspired or followed Monet into leaving behind the studio and painting 'en plein air'. From JMW Turner to James McNeill Whistler and Eugène Boudin, other contemporaries of Monet featured at the NGA include Alfred Sisley and Berthe Morisot, one of the few female painters among the Parisian Impressionists. With their visible brush strokes and incredible depictions of light and its subtle changes, many of these works have been gathered from the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, which almost never loans its collection. Running until Sunday September 1, Monet: Impression Sunrise is undoubtedly worth taking a wintertime road trip to Canberra for, so grab your pals and hit the road. Images: Claude Monet, Impression, sunrise (1872), courtesy Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris and Christian Baraja SLB; Claude Monet, Waterlilies (1914–17), courtesy NGA; Claude Monet, On the beach at Trouville (1870), Courtesy Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris and Bridgeman Images.
With six critically acclaimed albums released throughout her career, Regina Spektor is wow-ing long time fans and newcomers alike with her newest effort, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats. With an amazing vocal range and a lot of piano-playing talent to boot, every Regina Spektor performance is a work of art. Take it from someone who has seen her live before, she is rather phenomenal. Opening for Spektor on this tour is similarly acclaimed New York songwriter, Only Son. Get some tickets quick, it will be a great show even from the cheap seats.
When Massachusetts teenager Conrad Roy was found dead in his truck in 2014, in a Kmart parking lot, it was ruled a suicide. But then the police investigating his passing discovered text messages sent to Roy by his 17-year-old girlfriend Michelle Carter, and noted the onslaught of words encouraging him to take his own life. That's the case that I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth Vs Michelle Carter delves into, splitting the details across two parts — with the first charting the prosecution's side of the story, and the second focusing on the defence. It's a tragic and complicated case, and it's also one that inspires a plethora of questions, all of which filmmaker Erin Lee Carr handles with sensitivity. That shouldn't come as a surprise, as she did the same with 2017's Mommy Dead and Dearest as well, which stepped through the now well-known murder of Dee Dee Blanchard and its links to Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Whether you're a Queenslander hoping to hop over the border for a mid-year holiday, or a resident of the rest of the country eager to soak in the Sunshine State's splendours once winter hits, don't go making plans anytime soon — with Queensland's borders possibly remaining closed until September. While the state has been relaxing its COVID-19 restrictions in recent weeks — including allowing non-essential trips out of the house, then permitting small in-home gatherings and letting restaurants, cafes and pubs reopen — Queensland hasn't changed its stance on its locked-down border. And, as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed this morning, that's not likely to happen in the short term. Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, the Premier said "we want to welcome as many domestic tourists as possible to Queensland", but that isn't on the cards as yet because "there is still community transmission in Victoria and New South Wales". The Premier also explained that the border situation will be reviewed at the end of each month, and that she's aware that people are starting to ponder their plans for the June–July school holidays; however she noted that it's likely "things will look more positive towards September". Asked about opening up travel to other states without community transmission — that is, allowing Queenslanders to visit Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia, and permitting residents of those regions to visit Queensland — the Premier advised that she "could see that happening before New South Wales and Victoria, but that's a matter for the premiers there as well". https://twitter.com/BreakfastNews/status/1262137356460539904 The Queensland Premier's comments come a few days after her New South Wales counterpart Gladys Berejiklian called for borders between Australian states to be reopened — and just a day after the NSW Premier singled out Queensland specifically, saying "I don't want to be able to say to people I'm allowed to go to Auckland before I can go to Brisbane". As part of the national three-step roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier this month, some interstate travel is earmarked to return in step two, while all interstate travel would be allowed in step three — however, while it's the Federal Government's aim to implement all three stages by July, each step has to be put in place by every state individually. Over the past week, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria each moved to the first stage of eased coronavirus restrictions in different ways, with the same approach likely to apply to interstate travel. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Here at Concrete Playground, we try find the best of what's happening in our city. The brilliant thing that makes this job so easy is when people around us are so forward-thinking and creative, it doesn't take long for us to hear about them. Lost Movements is a project we have been following for some time now, run by a handful of passionate people who try to expose and promote the arts in as many ways as possible. The team brings together visual art, performance art, music and even burlesque under one roof in a treat for the senses. The Lost Movements warehouse parties are an example of a small idea taking off in a big way; since its inception, LM has grown to incorporate a zine and a frequent competitive art night called Scribbleslam. The LM team have recently embarked on a new project with their new warehouse HQ, Found. We spoke to Lost Movements mastermind Lincoln Savage (the dude even has a cool name) about LM and Found, and what to expect from the team this year. Describe the initial inspiration for Lost Movements? The concept has evolved and grown a lot since the first idea of bringing different arts together into the events. Initially I would say that we were driven by the desire to try something different from what was happening at the time around Brisbane. Since its inception, how has LM grown and what has been its impact on the Brisbane cultural landscape? It started as a warehouse party thrown together by a few people that went quite well. Over its life various people have contributed, which has influenced the direction, ultimately leading to the incorporation as a community organisation. It has given many musicians, performers and artists a chance to experiment and share their work with a larger audience. The collaborative environment nurtured by LM has also been beneficial the emerging arts in Brisbane. What are the plans for Lost Movements this year? This year I hope to keep experimenting and innovating, I think this is one of the most important things for what we are trying to do. With the new home slowly coming together it is opening up a lot of doors to create more serious experimentations with what can be done in a live environment. There are some interesting projects in the works involving gesture reactive projection mapping which we can hopefully implement in conjunction with the live events. Tell us about your new project, Found? Found is kind of the next step for all of these things. It is a venue dedicated to the emerging arts, music and also my personal direction in the use of technology to support creative expression. What is different about Found that you hope people connect with? It is a step away from the established norm of how we experience venues in Brisbane. We hope to provide something different by experimenting with the performer-audience interaction. What do you think is currently inspiring about the Brisbane art scene? Right now Brisbane feels like it is on the edge of shifting the culture away from pubs and Valley binge drinking culture to nurturing original live music, performances and experimental venues. There are a few people that I have been watching, including the guys over at Lucid putting on Daydream on February 15 — keep an eye out for that one. Tell us about some artists that you think are worth checking out Gus Eagleton is the first artist to hit the walls at Found; he is killing right now. Guido van Helten is a local currently in Iceland putting together some amazing works as well.
First, it was a popular 80s comedy starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Then, it became a five-season television sitcom led by Parton's real-life younger sister. In 2009, 9 to 5 made the leap to the stage too, because you just can't stop a good story about female empowerment in the workplace. Revived in the West End back in 2019, it's still a huge hit — and now, the stage production will head to Brisbane in March next year. Just by reading the show's title, we know that you already have Parton's catchy song of the same name stuck in your head. Pour yourself a cup of ambition, because that tune isn't going away anytime soon. Indeed, you'd best get ready to exclaim "what a way to make a living" more than once when 9 to 5 The Musical hits QPAC's Lyric Theatre from May 22, 2022. Ahead of its time when it first reached cinemas, this tale of three women who take on their sexist, egotistical and all-round despicable male boss is obviously still highly relevant today. Before #TimesUp and #MeToo, workmates Doralee, Violet and Judy decided to turn the tables by kidnapping their supervisor and reforming their office. Expect the same story in 9 to 5 The Musical, as penned by the original film's screenwriter Patricia Resnick — just with more songs. The Australian version will star Caroline O'Connor (a veteran of the movie version of Moulin Rouge!), as well as Eddie Perfect as the workplace's controlling boss. With Parton herself writing the score — and earning Tony and Grammy nominations for her efforts — expect plenty of feel-good music as well. Although she doesn't appear on stage, the famous country star is still involved with the show, and with bringing it to Australia. The musical will premiere in Sydney before heading north, with its long-awaited arrival in Australia delayed from 2020 due to the pandemic. Still singing 9 to 5 to yourself? Of course you are. And you can also check out Parton's Sydney announcement video below: 9 to 5 The Musical will hit Brisbane's Lyric Theatre at QPAC, South Bank from May 22, 2022. For more information, to join the waitlist or to nab seats — with pre-sales from Monday, November 22 and general ticket sales from Friday, November 26 — visit the musical's website. Images: Pamela Raith Photography.
Paris — city of light, culture, shoebox apartments and, now, Post-it note art wars. Earlier this year, inspired by either a bout of spring fever or possibly an excess of office supplies, French video gaming company Ubisoft created an image of a space invader — made out of Post-it notes — in their office window. Shortly after, their neighbour, BNP Paribas, responded by creating their own Post-it note art in their office window. Not to be upstaged, Ubisoft responded with a new, slightly bigger and better, Post-it note creation. And that is how the 'la guerre des Post-it' began. Since then, office windows in the west of Paris and around the business district, La Defense, have been covered with colourful Post-it note artwork as new companies enter into the battle attempting to outdo each other's artwork, either in size or ingeniousness. A website has been created to showcase the Post-it creations and to keep score of each companies' contributions. To date, Ubisoft appear to be the victors in the Post-it wars; their latest creation consists of over 3,000 Post-it notes and extends over three floors. While shareholders may not be overly impressed with the level of productivity taking place, it's nice to see that French corporate types unleashing their creative sides.
As far as takeaway staples go, fish and chips can seem pretty run-of-the-mill. When all you've really got to work with is a piece of fish and a potato, it's hard to reinvent the wheel. That doesn't stop people from trying, however, and there are some Brisbane restaurants that have a lot to show for their efforts. Whether they attempt subtle variations of the classic combination or just hone a traditional craft to the point of excellence, the restaurants on this list serve up some of the best fish and chips in the city, no dreaded stodge in sight. Fishmonger's Wife Mention The Fishmonger’s Wife to an eastsider and you will be met with coos of approval and appreciation. It has won a spate of ‘best fish and chip shop’ awards on the state and national levels and it’s no surprise. The beer battered fresh king snapper is particulrly good – the batter not too heavy – and reasonably priced for what you get. 6/83-93 Lytton Rd, East Brisbane 4170 Jellyfish At Jellyfish, in addition to oven baked or grilled fish, you can get soda, beer, saffron, curry or gluten free batters, or Szechuan pepper, parmesan, sesame seed, citrus & dill or panko crumbs. For sides, get the chips with malt vinegar or shoestrings and aioli or fried potatoes with smoked jalapeno mayo, and you’re all set for fish and chips by the river. They don’t do takeaway, but why would you want to given the view. 123 Eagle St, Brisbane 4000 The Fish Factory The Fish Factory inspires much affection amongst locals, having successfully weathered rain and fire (literally). Their fresh seafood market is a reliable go to for many. Their cooked takeaway options are similarly dependable. 363 Lytton Rd, Morningside 4170 Swampdog Good for you, good for me, good for the sea: this is Swampdog’s mantra. Make no mistake, eco-consciousness is not a passing affectation at this South Brisbane restaurant – it seems to permeate every aspect of their business. The fish they serve is local and mindfully sourced and their atypical selection of seafood is brought to life through a considered and varied range of dishes. 186 Vulture St, South Brisbane Chumley Warners Being that they are a speciality British-style fish and chips shop, Chumley Warners has a few items in common with O’Connors: deep fried haggis for one. Their battered cod is good, but what sets Chumley Warners apart from other places on this list is their chips – not the crispiest by any stretch, but with an intense potato flavour and a home-style charm (kind of along the lines of Shannon’s Potato Chips van – if you are fortunate enough to have sampled a cup). 8/190 Birkdale Rd, Birkdale 4159 Seafood Tale Seafood Tale is a bit more ‘seafood café’ than traditional fish and chip shop, which is a good idea given Chumley Warners is barely 10 metres away. It differentiates itself through clean, crisp flavours, as far as the nature of fish and chips will allow. A good choice if you like your fish and chips to look and taste a little more wholesome. 15/190 Birkdale Rd, Birkdale 4159 Blue Ocean Seafood Right next door to Flute, the food at Blue Ocean Seafood is in stark contrast to its neighbour. Very highly regarded for their burgers, they also do well with the food for which they are named. The seafood is fresh, the batter very light, and the chips have spent the right amount of time in the deep fryer. 380 Cavendish Rd, Coorparoo 4151 Fish’s Seafood Market Teneriffe favourite, Fish’s Seafood Market does its best to provide a welcoming dine-in atmosphere. Along with the basics they have a broad range of lavish seafood dishes. The basic fish and chips are good of course, but chances are if you visit, you’ll be ordering the hot and cold seafood platter. 110 Macquarie St, Newstead 4006 View all Brisbane Restaurants.
The City of Stars is heading to the Big Apple, and from the screen to the stage as well. In news that's been easy to predict since Damien Chazelle's Oscar-winning Los Angeles-set musical La La Land first hit cinemas back in 2016 — news that's been rumoured back since then, in fact — the Ryan Gosling- and Emma Stone-starring film is officially being turned into a theatre production, with a Broadway premiere slated. Swooned over Gosling's crooning in the movie? Took a fancy to Stone's fine footsteps? Felt like La La Land's bittersweet Hollywood antics were shining just for you? You haven't been alone. The flick won over audiences, critics and awards bodies alike, including taking home seven Golden Globes and six Academy Awards, beaming bright in the cinema world. The stage show's powers-that-be will be hoping for the same response to the version with live tunes and routines, obviously. The story will remain the same, following an aspiring actor and an up-and-coming jazz musician as they chase their dreams in Tinseltown. The cast likely won't, although if the La La Land stage musical can get Gosling and Stone to reprise their parts, that'd help sell tickets even faster. As announced by Lionsgate, Tony- and Emmy-winning producer Marc Platt — who is also a producer on Chazelle's recent film Babylon — will oversee the stage version of La La Land. Tony-winning helmer Bartlett Sher (South Pacific) will direct, and the book is set to be penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced) and Barrymore Award-winner Matthew Decker. And yes, this production will feature music by Justin Hurwitz, plus lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — all of whom won Oscars for the movie. No premiere date has been revealed as yet, but expect a jazzy time when La La Land does start treading the boards. Fingers crossed that the show heads elsewhere, including Down Under, after its Broadway debut. Of course, this isn't the first time that the film has inspired a live performance, thanks to a concert version that's been doing the rounds. La La Land joins considerable company in sashaying from cinemas to the stage — a list that only keeps growing. Think: Amélie, Moulin Rouge!, The Bodyguard, Matilda, Singin' in the Rain, Heathers, Carrie, Muriel's Wedding, Strictly Ballroom and Starstruck, to name a mere few movies that've followed up their big-screen stints by enlisting a new cast to sing and dance live in theatres. Check out the trailer for the film version below: The stage version of La La Land doesn't yet have a premiere date — we'll update you when more details are announced.
