Back in March 2020, when the Sydney Opera House shut its doors due to the pandemic, the venue quickly went digital. Last year was the year of experiencing gigs, talks and shows online, after all — but the Opera House isn't stepping away from its online slate now that life is returning to normal. With the venue's 2020 digital season From Our House to Yours proving a hit, the Opera House is taking the next step in 2021 and launching its own streaming platform. Simply called Stream, the new service is online now and serving up a lineup of concerts, chats and performances. At present, Stream features over 30 hours of programming, which spans more than 45 different events. Plenty of it is free, including a compilation of past Opera House gigs that features The Cure, Bon Iver, H.E.R. and Solange; a live set by Ziggy Ramo; Badu Gili's projection of Indigenous art onto the building's sails; First Nations dance competition Dance Rites; and the From Our House to Yours program. There's also a paid component, including highlights from the Opera House's recent Antidote and About All Women festivals — if you missed out on either and are keen to dive in. Performances by Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Sydney Chamber Opera and Omega Ensemble are also on offer, as is free content for kids and families — and Stream's slate will keep growing, too. When the venue hosts four concerts at its Forecourt from Friday, April 9–Sunday, April 11, for instance, they'll be livestreamed free on the streaming platform. A new series of online commissions, called Shortwave, will explore the intersection between performance and digital. Online exhibition Returning, which will highlight works by Australian and Japanese artists that examine the post-pandemic world, is also set to join Stream in the near future. [caption id="attachment_806347" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Badu Gili[/caption] Announcing the platform, the Opera House's Head of Digital Programming Stuart Buchanan said that Stream will augment "livestreams and performance recordings with digital-first work that celebrates the ways in which technology is being embraced and disrupted in the performing arts." Stream is also great news for folks who don't live in Sydney, or do but can't make it to a gig, show, festival or talk. While the Opera House won't be placing everything that graces its stages on the platform, the new service will still let you sample the venue's lineup without physically stopping by. To check out the Sydney Opera House's new Stream service, head to the platform's website. Images: Daniel Boud.
Purrfect news, feline fans: everything a dapper doggo can do, a cute cat can as well. While that's an accurate statement in general, as anyone who has ever shared their life with both a pooch and a kitty will know, it's also the thinking behind Australia's latest animal event. From the folks behind the Dog Lovers Show comes the mouser equivalent: the Cat Lovers Show. If you wear the 'crazy cat person' label as a badge of honour, stop to pat every moggie you meet while you're walking down the street or spend your all of your spare time watching cat videos (or all of the above), then you'll want to block out September 8 and 9, 2018 in your diary. And, if you live elsewhere, you'll want to head to Melbourne. The Victorian capital first boasted the country's first cat cafe, and now it'll host the first Cat Lovers Show. Expect Carlton to come alive with the sounds of meows, with the event taking place at the Royal Exhibition Building on Nicholson Street. On the agenda: feline-focused education and celebration. Before you go thinking about adorable kitties wearing glasses and sitting at desks, or popping streamers and wearing party hats (awwwwwwwww), it's humans will be doing the learning and rejoicing. Really, what's more informative and exuberant than entering the Pat-A-Cat zone and getting cosy with cats of all shapes and sizes — and possibly taking one home with you? Watching a cat talent show in the Pet Circle Colosseum comes close, obviously. If that doesn't tickle your whiskers, attendees will also be able to take a purrfect match quiz to find out which type of cat suits them best, meet different breeds, listen to talks by experts, browse more than 120 stalls and snap selfies with Instagram cat stars. Plus, a cat-inspired food menu will also be on offer, because everyone wants to eat chicken 'cat'cciatore or chocolate 'meow'sse. Just remember: there'll be plenty of mousers in the Cat Lovers Show house, so you'll need to leave your own moggie at home. The Melbourne Cat Lovers Show will take place on September 8 and 9, 2018 at the Royal Exhibition Building, 9 Nicholson Street, Carlton. For more information — and to keep an eye out for tickets, which will go on sale in February — visit the website.
Craft beer isn't just for hipsters anymore. More and more people are looking for alternatives to the usual swill of Carlton Draught or Toohey's New, and the boutique market is flourishing. The beer taps at your local pub are as varied as ever and there's always a colourful, new offering to taste test. But that's just the thing; with such a wealth of options out there, how can we decide which to pick? Enter the Craft Beer Industry Association. These legends have just hosted the inaugural awards for Australian brews and picked you the cream of the crop (so to speak). At a ceremony at Giant Dwarf last night, 11 awards were given to breweries in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth (sorry, Brissie). The big winner of the night was Modus Operandi Brewing Co, a small Mona Vale brewery which launched earlier this year. We've written about them before because they sell truly incredible 1L takeaway cans, but apparently the beer's pretty good too. Their red ale, Former Tenant, took out the top gong for best craft beer as well as best amber/dark ale and their Zoo Feeder IPA also won its category. Quite rightly, the company itself was named the best small brewery in the country. Other winners include Melbourne's Moon Dog Brewing, Two Births and La Sierene, Sydney's 4 Pines and Nail Brewing Australia from Perth. The best drops for summer will undoubtedly be 4 Pines' ESB Pale Ale; Saison, the award-winning French and Belgian style creation from La Sirene; and specialty ale Taco from Two Birds. The latter beer actually has hints of corriander leaf and fresh lime peel — the perfect replacement for your tired old summer ales. These victors were picked from a spread of 280 beers from 80 breweries across the country. "We were blown away by not only the quality but the variety of brewers we have in Australia," said CBIA Chair Peta Fielding. "[We] are proud the CBIA can help draw attention to these talented brewers." Speaking as people who enjoy a beer or two over the sunnier months, we wholly appreciate this too. Stay classy, Australia — stick to craft beers this season. Full list of winners: Kegstar Champion Australian Craft Beer - 'Former Tenant', Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW) AIBA Champion Pale Ale - 'ESB', 4 Pines Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW) Labelmakers Champion Amber/Dark Ale - 'Former Tenant', Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW) Champion Porter and Stout - 'Black Lung IV', Moon Dog Brewing (Melbourne, VIC) Champion Speciality Beer - 'Taco', Two Birds Brewing (Melbourne, VIC) Beer and Brewer Champion IPA - 'Zoo Feeder', Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW) Champion French and Belgian style - 'Saison', La Sirene (Melbourne, VIC) Hopco Champion Small Brewery - Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW) Cryer Malt Champion Medium Brewery - Nail Brewing Australia (Perth, WA) Bintani Champion Large Brewery - Joint winners: 4 Pines Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW) and Two Birds Brewing (Melbourne, VIC) CBIA Services to Australian Craft Beer - Willie Simpson Photos via Modus Operandi Brewing Co.
He’s hung out in Nevada brothels, suburban swingers’ clubs and high-security gaols in Miami. Does Louis Theroux have what it takes to survive Q and As across Australia? We’ll find out when the fearless filmmaker, journo and social commentator heads our way this September for a national speaking tour. In his first visit to the Great Southern Land, Theroux will be joining ABC’s Julia Zemiro for big chats in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. You’ll be hearing all about how he’s survived dens of iniquity all over the planet without losing his sanity or moral sense. He’ll also be reminiscing about time spent with a nasty neo-Nazi gang in the United States and recounting his brief stint as a rap god on New Orleans radio. “For me, making my programs is quite a private process,” Theroux said. “They are about forging a human connection with people whose lives are at the outermost edge of what we as people experience: the most forbidden impulses, the most frightening lifestyles, the most traumatic turns of events. To get inside the lives of those people — criminals, sex workers, people with mental illness, ultra-committed religious believers — is a kind of high-wire act.” Theroux is looking forward to sharing the ins and outs of the filmmaking process with his listeners, while telling all the bizarre stories that didn’t make the cuts. In between talking, he’ll be screening footage from Weird Weekends, his famous series of one-off investigations and encounters with various celebrities and power brokers. When he and Zemiro are done, you’ll have loads of time to ask questions of your own. “In his documentaries, Louis Theroux finds the extraordinary in the ordinary," says Zemiro. "Through patience, stillness and rigour, he reveals so much about human nature. I'm delighted to be hosting this tour and intend to pick up as many tips as possible in the art of interviewing.” Catch Louis Theroux at Perth’s Riverside Theatre on September 22, Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on September 25, Sydney’s State Theatre on September 27, Adelaide’s Festival Theatre on September 30 and Brisbane’s QPAC on October 1. Tickets go on sale on March 21 via Louis Theroux's tour website. Image: Carsen Windhorst.
Here are the very few things I know about Finland: it's cold and covered in forests, people are pale and highly educated, and they have an array of deeply frightening death metal bands. Now you can add World Design Capital to that list, because Helsinki, Finland's capital, has just been awarded the 2012 title by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. Helsinki, proclaimed the world's most livable city by Monocle, won due to its ability to use the country's creative and artistic industries to promote economic growth, as opposed to other country's attempts at killing them off to try and save costs. Combining beautiful landscape with efficient infrastructure and socially conscious urban planning, design has been an integral part of life in Helsinki for years and manifests itself in furniture, jewelry, interior design and architecture. Festivities will last for a year and include more than 300 events and programs in and around Helsinki, officially beginning on New Year's Eve with a celebration in Helsinki's Senate Square. The activities will include not only designers and creative leaders but the entire Finnish community, and will also feature traveling exhibits in St Petersburg, Taipei, London, Berlin and Tokyo. In a highly sensible and Scandinavian way, Helsinki has vowed that the year won't be a fireworks display of events and shows, but a deeper attempt to explore sustainable design from a broad perspective and how design can be made better, easier, more functional and accessible to everybody. If there was ever a time to take a trip to Helsinki, looks like next year might be it. [Via Cool Hunting]
As bushfires have ravaged Australia this summer, much of the country's wildlife has been caught in the blaze, with an estimated one billion creatures killed and significant numbers injured. Photographs and footage of fire-affected animals have become a common and heartbreaking sight, with organisations such as the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) working to assist these critters in need — and your next coffee-flavoured boozy beverage can help them. To raise money for WIRES, homegrown coffee liqueur company Mr Black has released a limited-edition version of its cold-brew tipple. Buy a bottle, and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the wildlife rescue organisation. Each one costs $100, with Mr Black aiming to raise $10,000 for the incredibly worthy cause. As well as getting 700ml of the brand's very popular alcoholic caffeinated beverage, you'll receive it in an adorable bottle, as made in collaboration with creative studio The Young Jerks. A koala adorns the label, clinging to a branch as part of a stylised and striking — and immensely cute — design. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7aDMi0B2KM/ Orders are open now, with bottles expected to ship in six–eight weeks. And, that shipping cost will be covered by Mr Black, meaning that every dollar you spend on the Bushfire Relief Limited Edition will be donated — and won't need to cover the cost of getting the booze to you. Mr Black's Bushfire Relief Limited Edition cold brew coffee liqueur is currently available to purchase from the brand's website, with orders expected to be shipped in six–eight weeks.
The celebrations have been a little scarce so far this year, but the festive season is coming in hot and the country is good and ready for some revelry. If you're a lover of craft brews, you won't find a much better accompaniment for those holiday happenings than the latest limited-edition offering from boutique booze retailer Craft Cartel: Australia's largest ever case of craft beer. Available now for pre-sale, the 100 Can Case features a monster edit of 100 tinnies from 25 of the country's best-loved indie breweries. Enough to see you through a good chunk of the summer picnics, backyard barbecues, beach sessions and Christmas Day lunches to come. Or, if you're the sharing type, enough to make you one very popular Christmas party guest. Favourites like Akasha, Bentspoke Brewing Co, Sauce Brewing and Young Henrys have goodies in the box, as do a range of the Victorian breweries hit especially hard by extra lockdowns this year, including Mornington Peninsula Brewery and Bridge Road Brewers. The style lineup is broad, too, featuring NEIPAs, brown ales and just about everything in between. They're all housed in a limited-edition custom timber box, with the whole thing clocking in at an impressive 40 kilograms. And, while it'll set you back a cool $499, the 100 Can Case also comes with ten $20 Craft Cartel vouchers, effectively sorting out all your Christmas present shopping in one neat hit. Of course, it's not the first time Craft Cartel has gone big on the beer front. Earlier this year, it stocked the slightly smaller Pabst Blue Ribbon 99 Can Carton, packed with 99 tins of the legendary USA lager. To register for pre-sale of the 100 Can Craft Beer Case, head to the website now. If there's stock left, it'll then go on sale to the general public this Thursday, November 26, for $499.
Created by Jim Henson, first seen on TV in the 50s and boasting eight movies to their name, The Muppets are easily the most loveable felt and foam creations in pop culture history. They're also the driving force behind the best variety television series that's ever reached the small screen: The Muppet Show, which ran for five seasons between 1976–81. Forget all those other efforts hosted by humans over the years, because nothing is as absurd, surreal and delightful as this puppet-fuelled program. And, whether you grew up watching reruns over and over, have always wanted to check it out or somehow weren't aware that the series even existed, it's coming to Disney+ in full from Friday, February 19. Yes, it's time to play the music and light the lights — and to revisit this Muppets-starring favourite. You won't just be checking out the comic stylings of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the Swedish Chef (and their songs and skits, too), of course. The Muppet Show is also famed for its guest appearances, so get set to spy everyone from Elton John and Mark Hamill to Martin, Liza Minnelli, Alice Cooper, Julie Andrews, Diana Ross and Gene Kelly. The streaming platform is already home to a host of other Muppets-related fare — including the most recent 2011 and 2014 movies — so The Muppet Show will easily slot into the Mouse House's streaming catalogue. And, although we're sure you now already have The Muppet Show's theme tune stuck in your head, here's a clip of its opening credits anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zaQgbACc1E All five seasons of The Muppet Show will be available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, February 19. Top image: The Muppets, Scott Garfield.
Yoga, bars, markets, bed and breakfast-style wizarding schools, parties — if you're a muggle looking for more Harry Potter magic in your life, there's no shortage of options. Add this new New York pasta restaurant to the list. At Pasta Wiz, you'll be slurping spaghetti as you're spying a sorting hat out of the corner of your eye, all while sitting in a HP-inspired enchanted lair. Think chandeliers and candles too, in what's hoped will be the first venue in a potential chain if there's enough interest. Given that the book and film side of things doesn't really seem to be slowing down (we have four more Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movies to watch, remember; and, 2017 marks 20 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published), you'd think locals and tourists alike will be dropping in. It's not just the decor that's designed to make customers feel bewitched, though; or dishes with names like Magic Meatballs, Dragon's Blood (a mango, raspberry and strawberry smoothie) and the Dark Lord (a liquid mix of avocado, cacao, cashews and agave), plus four types of potions (aka juice blends). It's also the speed of the service. According to the Pasta Wiz website, their meals only require three minutes to make, on average. Perhaps the chefs have a time-turner? https://www.instagram.com/p/BO6YL37AI56/?taken-by=pastawiz Via Gothamist.
Circus stunts never fail to look astonishing, but how do they sound? At Undertone, the performers use live triggering to create soundscapes from the show itself. That means that you'll never see or hear the same show twice. Instead, you'll grab more than a peek at traditional circus disciplines, which have been given a few modern twists and stunts dressed up in shiny new choreography. You'll also listen to a performance that reacts to everything going on around it, meaning that your reaction — whether you're holding your breath, laughing at the hilarity or exclaiming in awe — is all part of the production. This event is part of this year's Wonderland festival.
Here's one for all you Tolkien fans out there. A go-getting housing company are now selling prefabricated homes that wouldn't look out of place in The Shire. Made from fibre-reinforced polymer shells that are then covered in soil, Green Magic Homes are the closest thing you'll get to living in an actual hobbit-hole. Now hand us the pipe-weed. Constructed from pre-made vaulted panels, the dome-like residences are designed to be eco-friendly and energy efficient, and can be easily assembled by just about anyone. Pre-made components can be screwed together based on the desired shape and size of the home under construction, with a three bedroom house requiring only five to six days and three people to build. Once the house has been put together, it's completely covered in soil, stabilising the structure and providing natural insulation, as well as giving it that classic Hobbiton circa the end of the Third Age feel. You can plant a garden, or even trees, atop your hillside homestead — just watch out for wandering roots. According to the Magic Green Homes website, the modules are fully waterproof, suitable for hot and cold climates, are earthquake and hurricane resistant, and can be expected to last several lifetime of use. As long as the Sackville-Bagginses don't get their greedy hands on it. For more information about Green Magic Homes, check out the delightfully cheesy promo video, below. Via Inhabitat.
"If nothing came, we just hadn't looked properly." Partway through The Velvet Queen, writer Sylvain Tesson utters these lyrical words about a specific and patient quest; however, they echo far further than the task at hand. This absorbing documentary tracks his efforts with wildlife photographer Vincent Munier to see a snow leopard — one of the most rare and elusive big cats there is — but much in the entrancing film relates to life in general. Indeed, while the animals that roam the Tibetan plateau earns this flick's focus, as does the sweeping landscape itself, Munier and his fellow co-director and feature first-timer Marie Amiguet have made a movie about existence first and foremost. When you peer at nature, you should see the world, as well as humanity's place in it. You should feel the planet's history, and the impact that's being made on its future, too. Sensing exactly that with this engrossing picture comes easily — and so does playing a ravishing big-screen game of Where's Wally?. No one wears red-and-white striped jumpers within The Velvet Queen's frames, of course. The Consolations of the Forest author Tesson and world-renowned shutterbug Munier dress to blend in, trying to camouflage into their sometimes-dusty, sometimes-snowy, always-rocky surroundings, but they aren't the ones that the film endeavours to spy. The creatures that inhabit Tibet's craggy peaks have evolved to blend in, so attempting to see many of them is an act of persistence and deep observation — and locking eyes on the snow leopard takes that experience to another level. Sometimes, pure movement gives away a critter's presence. On one occasion, looking back through images of a perched falcon offers unexpected rewards. As lensed by Amiguet (La vallée des loups), Munier and assistant director Léo-Pol Jacquot, The Velvet Queen draws upon hidden cameras, too, but so much of Tesson and Munier's mission is about sitting, watching and accepting that everything happens in its own time. Letting what comes come — and acknowledging that some things simply won't ever occur at all — isn't an easy truth to grapple with. Nonetheless, it's also one of this contemplative feature's achievements, even though it's a type of detective story through and through. Tesson and Munier follow clues to search for the snow leopard, moving positions and setting up blinds wherever they think will score them their sought-after footage. In the process, they learn a lesson as all sleuths do. As they face the possibility that they might not be successful, which Tesson's perceptively navel-gazing narration explains, The Velvet Queen becomes a mindfulness course in filmic form. It has something astonishing that all the Calm, Headspace and similar apps in the world don't, though: the film's on-the-ground recordings (well, 5000-metres-up recordings), which show why finding peace with life's ebbs and flows is all that we can really hope for. Accompanied by a stirring score from Australian icons and lifelong bandmates Warren Ellis and Nick Cave — their latest contribution to cinema on a resume that includes The Proposition, The Road, Hell or High Water and Wind River before it — it's no wonder that The Velvet Queen's philosophising voiceover also notes that "waiting was a prayer". It's similarly unsurprising that Tesson penned a book, The Art of Patience: Seeking the Snow Leopard in Tibet, based on the trip captured in the documentary. In fact, if you're the kind of person who keeps their peepers peeled for feline life in any new neighbourhood you visit, or even if you're just strolling around your own, this feature firmly understands. More than that, it one-ups you, while also connecting with the act of scouring and seeking as much as the potential joys of getting what you wish for. To stress the point, poetic missives about being content with what you have are peppered through as well. Think: Werner Herzog (The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft) meets Terrence Malick (A Hidden Life), complete with the penchant for whispering that's such an established part of the latter's work. Keeping a hushed vocal tone is wholly justified when you're trying not to disturb nature, however, which is also key among The Velvet Queen's goals. It may not boast the descriptive and scientific run-through of a David Attenborough (Prehistoric Planet)-hosted nature doco, but this film is committed to taking in its worshipped namesake and the plateau's other residents in all their innate and inherent glory. Most of the narration is precisely deployed as a result, letting the movie's visuals do the bulk of the work — but helping, emphasising and augmenting what's already a ruminative mood. What majestic and magnificent imagery it is, too, especially when Amiguet, Munier and Jacquot are standing back, taking in the land as far and wide as the lens can see, and letting the audience do the spotting along with them. A sense of distance radiates throughout the movie, visibly showing the remove that Munier and Tesson remain at for their safety, and to increase their chances of seeing a snow leopard — and also underscoring that chasm between humanity and nature that Tesson talks about. When The Velvet Queen does zoom closer during its 92-minute duration, the end product is similarly breathtaking. Scenes of a Pallas' cat in pounce mode give off a mischievous vibe — again, the connections with everyday life are plain to see; anyone with a cat in their lives will recognise the links — and a sequence of portrait-like telephoto-lens closeups belongs on gallery walls. Add The Velvet Queen to the ranks of meditative and transportive cinema, alongside films such as Jennifer Peedom's River and Mountain, for instance — features that know the power of communing with our environment and its vast array of other inhabitants. Add it to the list of such movies that look on in spellbinding awe but never with simplicity, including when surveying the complexities of making this very documentary. Add it, as well, to the always-needed reminders about interacting with the tangible over the digital, knowing how existence's cycles affect us all, finding serenity where and how you can, and accepting life's unshakeable certainties. The Velvet Queen doesn't always need lines as flowery as "prehistory wept, and each tear was a yak" or "for me, a dream; for him, a rendezvous" to go with it, but it's always a film of beauty, feeling, insight and inspiration.
Every year, when Brisbane Festival rolls around, two things happen. Firstly, the city explodes with an array of arts, culture and music performances. Secondly, it explodes with colour and light thanks to a big riverside light show. In 2019, the latter is called River of Light — and if you saw the vivid display last year, you'll want to return for a new luminous combination of awe-inspiring combination of water fountains, lights and lasers. A free 10-minute show taking place at 6.15pm, 8pm and 9pm each night between September 6–28, it's designed to spin another traditional story over Brisbane's brown snake of a waterway. And, to make it happen, Yuggera and Toorbal man Shannon Ruska will once again team up with Oracle Liquid. Catch it from the Arcadia precinct, on the South Bank Cultural Forecourt, over a few beverages.
With restrictions easing across the state, and summer well and truly upon us, it feels like the perfect time to get out and enjoy live music performances once again. You don't need to book in advance to see smaller, more intimate gigs across the city — and you don't have to wait till the weekend, either. Together with Jim Beam, we've compiled a list of where to find live music in Brisbane from Monday to Sunday, from within hidden bars to big outdoor beer gardens. BROOKLYN STANDARD Whoever said Mondays are boring has obviously never been to Brooklyn Standard on the first day of the week. Enter through the secret door located on Eagle Lane and you'll find yourself in a dimly lit grunge-style cellar where there's always live tunes to enjoy from Monday to Saturday. With acts ranging in genre from funk to mariachi, there is truly something for everyone. The cocktail list is almost as impressive as the music lineup. You won't go hungry either; it offers an extensive American-style menu of philly cheesesteaks, pulled pork burgers and New York-style hot dogs. THE BEARDED LADY Known as the 'Beardo' by hardcore West End live music fanatics, The Bearded Lady is a community bar that is weird and wonderful. It's buzzing every night of the week with bands playing originals and covers throughout the evening. The set up has a personality all its own with exposed beams and eccentric carpets. Of course, the experience wouldn't be complete without a stiff drink. You'll find creatively named cocktails and cheeky pints on tap, alongside comforting eats from salt and pepper tofu to vegan pies. THE TRIFFID Beat those hump day blues by heading out to The Triffid for a fix of local live music every Wednesday. Its vintage-inspired bear garden is just a 15-minute walk from Fortitude Valley Station. Acoustic Wednesdays are a crowd favourite and are pup- and family-friendly, too. Beer on tap comes from from Teneriffe-based brewery Green Beacon Brewing Co. For food, keep it under $20 with the classic Triffid Burger for $17 or the Wednesday rump for just $12. [caption id="attachment_794007" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Creative Commons[/caption] THE WALRUS CLUB Hidden away in the iconic Regatta Hotel is an underground den known as The Walrus Club. The 1920s speakeasy-style bar is the place to be on a Thursday evening for premium rum (you can choose from more than 150 different blends) and some top-notch live jazz from 8pm. In true prohibition style, The Walrus Club can be entered through a secret staircase from two unassuming entry points by the main bar. Its jazz performances are among the finest in Brisbane. With the City Cat Ferry Terminal just across the road, it's also super convenient on a Thursday night. THE JUNK BAR See out the weekend in style at The Junk Bar in Ashgrove. Its Sunday sessions have live music in the Skukum Lounge and its vinyl collection playing elsewhere in the venue. Enter the bar through the red velvet curtains and you'll come across vintage decor and edgy vibes. Recent acts have included Kings and Castles with their dynamic harmonies and acoustic charm. The cocktail menu has classics plus more decadent options like chilli chocolate martinis. And, as the City Glider service takes you practically straight to its door, so you can enjoy your cocktails knowing that getting home is sorted. Top image: Brooklyn Standard
There are few film festival experiences as fun as spending four days camped out at Marrickville's Factory Theatre during the Sydney Underground Film Festival. Attending this fest in-person involves hopping in and out of its makeshift cinemas, watching all manner of out-there and indie movies you won't see elsewhere, and spending plenty of time at the bar chatting about what you've just seen — and, whether you're a diehard cinephile and festival devotee, you're just sick of watching mainstream fare or it purely sounds like a great way to spend a weekend, it's a total and utter delight. SUFF isn't playing out quite like this at the moment, however, for obvious reasons. Moving online for the second year in a row, it's hosting its 2021 edition virtually. Thankfully, while no one can enjoy the physical side of the fest between Thursday, September 9–Sunday, September 26, SUFF has brought its usual anarchic vibe to its 30-film program — all of which is now available to stream, and nationally as well. Get ready for affectionate documentaries, weird and wild features that just keep getting weirder and more wonderful, and pretty much everything in-between, all while getting cosy on your own couch. And if you've not sure where to start, we've watched, picked and reviewed seven highlights from SUFF's 15th annual program. There's your viewing sorted for the next fortnight or so. POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ Add Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché to the list of exceptional music documentaries — and yes, that observation can end there and prove 100-percent accurate. That said, this excellent film also belongs among the ranks of standout docos about famous musicians that serve multiple purposes. For existing fans of Marianne Elliott-Said, the punk singer who fronted late-70s band X-Ray Spex, this is an unflinching love letter that dives into every facet of her life. Covered here: her rise to stardom at a pivotal time in music history, the way she was treated as a British Somali woman, her efforts to subvert every standard that applied to women and public figures, and the toll it all took. As co-written, co-directed and guided on-screen by her daughter Celeste Bell — as an act of embracing everything her mother was and stood for — the film also demonstrates again and again why its title couldn't be further from the reality. For newcomers to the woman best known under her stage name Poly Styrene (which she picked from the phone book), this loving feature acts as an entry point, too. Like fellow outstanding music doco The Sparks Brothers, it'll give some of its audience a new obsession. Via voice snippets rather than talking heads, the likes of Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore also offer their memories of and insights into all things Poly, but Bell and her co-helmer Paul Sng (Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain) understandably push their bold, rebellious and inimitable central figure to the fore at all times — including via riveting archival footage, as well as potent and emotional snippets from her diaries and poems. WONDERFUL PARADISE No one will finish Wonderful Paradise wondering what writer/director Masashi Yamamoto (The Voice of Water) and co-screenwriter Suzuyuki Kaneko might've left out of their script. The pair throw everything they can into this absurdist Japanese comedy, and it shows — because this is the type of movie where giant coffee beans get ravenous, children segue from projectile vomiting to transforming into branches, pregnancies last around 20 minutes, and parties become funerals, then turn into big song-and-dance numbers. The premise: at a house in suburban Tokyo, Akane (Mayu Ozawa, The Happy Prisoner), her father (Seikô Itô, We Are Little Zombies) and her brother (Soran Tamoto, I Turn) are packing up their belongings. For financial reasons that involve big debts and shady figures who are keen to collect, they're moving out of the sprawling abode. But Akane decides to host one last party and, after she tweets out the details, friends, relatives and strangers alike — including her estranged mother Akiko (Kaho Minami, Oh Lucy!) — all start popping up. From there, anything that can happen does. Indeed, sharing the same kind of manic energy that also made fellow low-budget Japanese flick One Cut of the Dead a delight, this plays like a hallucinatory mind trip more than a movie. That isn't a criticism of Wonderful Paradise; this is just a film that sweeps you along for a strange and surreal ride, satirises everything it can while also making plenty of savvy statements, careens off in weird and wonderful directions, and also makes you adore every minute. LORELEI Following an ex-felon who has just been released from a 15-year prison stint, as well as his former teenage sweetheart, Lorelei isn't in a rush to unfurl its dramas and dive to its deepest depths. Marking the feature debut of Sabrina Doyle, it's the type of film that needs that space and 111-minute running time to grow and breathe, and to build up to its surprises — and to earn the emotional journey that its standout lead performances slowly but commandingly convey at every moment. Orange Is the New Black's Pablo Schreiber plays Waylan, a small-town biker who didn't snitch when he was sent up for armed robbery. Keeping quiet cost him not only a decade and a half of his life, but his romance with Dolores (Jena Malone, Antebellum). His incarceration has saw their shared dreams dissolve, too, and led Dolores to have three children with other men since. The pair reunite after Waylan is released, crossing paths purely in passing. Quickly, staring into each other's eyes brings back old feelings, and also conjures up new regrets about the existence they always thought they'd lead together. Doyle is as concerned about the precarious situation that Dolores and her children Dodger (first-timer Chancellor Perry), Periwinkle (fellow newcomer Amelia Borgerding) and Denim (debutant Parker Pascoe-Sheppard) have endured over the years as she is with Waylan's route forward, and much of Lorelei thoughtfully dwells on the stark realities facing all of its characters. Indeed, there's not just empathy but a sense of rawness here — including when the film endeavours to leap into sunnier waters. ALIEN ON STAGE It's one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made, and always will be. It spawned three sequels and two prequels over the course of four decades and, while many of those have been stellar themselves, it still remains the best film there is with xenomorphs at its centre. It made Sigourney Weaver not just a star but a legend, too — and, thanks to an amateur stage version of the iconic flick that was initially staged in Dorset, then hit London's West End, it gave a group of British bus drivers their time in the spotlight as well. The movie in question: Alien. It mightn't seem suited to the theatre, but that didn't stop Dave Mitchell and his friends. When they decided to turn the film into a stage production, they put their hearts and souls into it, and Alien On Stage tells their story. The show turns out exactly as you'd expect with a non-professional cast and crew at the helm, and with homemade props recreating the Nostromo and its unwanted stowaway. The same description applies to his loving documentary — because this is a movie made by fans, about a stage show made by fans, and the end result leans into all of those layers of affection. Back in 1979, Ridley Scott mightn't have ever imagined that his sci-fi/horror film could spawn this level of devotion, or give this much happiness to folks trying to follow in his footsteps — and to a room full of immensely entertained Leicester Square Theatre attendees, too. That's just one of the things that Alien has spawned, and everyone can hear this movie's screams of joy. SWEETIE, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT When Arman (Azamat Marklenov) and Murat (Erlan Primbetov) pick up Dastan (Daniar Alshinov, A Dark, Dark Man) for a day of fishing in Sweetie, You Won't Believe It, they're just trying to gift him one last moment away from his responsibilities. His girlfriend Zhanna (Asel Kaliyeva, The Secret of a Leader) is about to give birth to his first child, and this film subscribes to the idea that parenthood means kissing goodbye your old self. But, the trio have never cast a line into the water before. That's the excuse they've used to head away, though, so they decide to stick with it. They're soon fashioning a boat out of blow-up sex toys, but that's far from the worst that their day trip to regional Kazakhstan has in store. As they're floating and not really fishing, they witness gun-slinging gangsters (Alamat Sakatov, Yerkubulan Daiyrov and Rustem Zhaniyamanov) attempting to squeeze information out of another man in a violent fashion — and, soon, Dastan and his pals find themselves being pursued by the ruthless criminals as well. Then, complicating matters even further, a one-eyed, jaw-ripping psychopath (Dulgya Akmolda) on a quest for vengeance starts targeting everyone in sight. Sweetie, You Won't Believe It doesn't take any of its various parts seriously, thankfully. It's one part buddy getaway comedy, one part western slapstick, one part secluded horror and one part gory gangster flick, and it loves seesawing back and forth between all four. It also has ample fun satirising prevailing ideas of masculinity amidst the blood, guts and over-the-top silliness. CANNON ARM AND THE ARCADE QUEST When The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters chronicled Steve Wiebe's attempt to earn Donkey Kong's highest score ever — and oust Billy Mitchell from retaining that title in the process — it turned a slice of the gaming world into one of the must-see documentaries of the early 2000s. Well over a decade later, Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest mashes similar buttons, this time focusing on the eponymous Danish Gyruss devotee and his dream of clocking up 100 consecutive hours playing the 80s game. If successful, Kim aka Cannon Arm won't just claim the world record for his favourite shoot-'em-up title. Standing in an arcade for more than four days straight (with some canny plans around how to eat, nap and go to the bathroom, if you're wondering how that all works), he'd smash the existing feat by a whopping 41 hours. Sporting a greying mullet and noted for his lack of conversation, Kim himself approaches the possibility with few words; however, his friends and fellow games are eager to do anything they can to assist his quest. As this doco charts, achieving this kind of milestone isn't straightforward. Yes, Kim's health is considered in detail as first-time feature filmmaker Mads Hedegaard — who narrates as well — explains. All that gaming isn't the only focus of the documentary, though, with Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest smartly diving into what draws Kim and his Bip Bip Bar mates to their preferred pastime, what else they're fascinated with in their lives, and how gaming both parallels their other interests and provides a respite from their daily lives. DANNY. LEGEND. GOD. If there's one thing that Bulgarian councillor Danny (Dimo Alexiev, A Hidden Life) isn't lacking, it's confidence. He isn't short on arrogance, either, or on the impulses needed to take the most corrupt, abhorrent, self-serving option at any possible juncture — and he's extremely unpleasant to be around even in small bursts. Danny is also the titular figure in mockumentary Danny. Legend. God., so he demonstrates his worst traits over and over, and for an extended period. First-time filmmaker Yavor Petkov wants viewers to feel uncomfortable, in fact, because that's the natural reaction to seeing someone who's little more than a crook throw their weight about in a position of power, care only about themselves and have zero regard for the long-term repercussions for everyone in their orbit. In other words, this is a film that proves particularly piercing given the current global political climate. It's darkly humorous, but in a savage, biting, only-two-degrees-removed-from-reality way. And if you're wondering why Danny is in the spotlight — and why Alexiev puts in quite the committed performance in the part — that's because the film revolves around a news crew visiting the character's home town to capture and ideally expose his wrongdoing. What starts out as an attempt to make a documentary about money laundering soon gets hijacked by their subject, though, as Danny demands that his freewheeling life is captured exactly how he wants it — no matter what he's doing, or snorting, or the cost of his actions. The 2021 Sydney Underground Film Festival runs from Thursday, September 9–Sunday, September 26. For further details, or to watch online, head to the festival's website.
After two years of cancellations, Brisbane Showgrounds will give the city a big winter taste of normality come August. Yes, the Royal Queensland Show, aka the Ekka, is finally set to make a comeback after its 2020 and 2021 events were scrapped due to the pandemic. Get ready for rides, show bags, giant vegetables, cute animals and Brissie's favourite dessert: those coveted strawberry sundaes. Since last year's Ekka was ditched due to restrictions and lockdowns, this year's has always been in the works, stretching across Saturday, August 6–Sunday, August 14. But that's now just weeks away, and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has noted that even with COVID-19 cases rising in Queensland, it's still set to proceed. "I can't see why it can't go ahead if people follow the same thing about wearing masks indoors," said the Premier on Saturday, July 16, after advising that it is now strongly encouraged that Queenslanders wear masks indoors. If you're feeling a bit rusty about the Ekka after the event's hiatus, there's a reason that it comes with its own midweek public holiday. Brisbanites are set free from work to rush to the Royal Queensland Show, fill themselves up with fried and sugary goodness, then brave the rides and gaze at the fireworks. While this year's day off falls on Wednesday, August 10, the Ekka still runs for its usual nine days. That means plenty of time to enjoy sideshows, animal competitions, cooking demonstrations, live music and more — patting pigs, crashing dodgems, throwing balls in a clown's mouth for a prize and taking home all the Bertie Beetles you can eat all included. More than 400 different types of show bags will be up for grabs, ranging in price from $2–125 each, and the evening Ekka Nites lineup will provide live performances when the sun goes down. One big change for this year: you can only buy tickets online, and you have to nominate the day you'll be attending when you purchase. This helps the RNA manage capacity, for obvious reasons. First held in 1876, the Ekka has been held every year since except on four occasions: in 1919 due to the Spanish Flu, in 1942 courtesy of World War 11, and in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The 2022 Ekka is set to run between Saturday, August 6–Sunday, August 14. For more information, visit the show's website.
In the manner of "why not both?" believers everywhere, Sydney's craft beer darlings Young Henrys have teamed up with Irish whiskey-giant Jameson to bring fans of both libations an extra special taste of each. Now through to August 31, 49 Australia-wide venues are serving up high-end collaboration boilermakers. The appropriately nicknamed Boilermates will bring craft beer and whiskey lovers under one roof, where they most likely were already. This special boilermaker — which, for the uninitiated, is a glass of beer paired with a nip of whisky — isn't the trashy kind where punters drop a shot into a beer and skull. No, this partnership is a classy one, consisting of Jameson Caskmates, served neat or on the rocks, paired with a Young Henrys beer of choice. The Caskmates whiskey — dreamt up by Jameson's head distiller and the head brewer of Cork's Franciscan Well Brewery — is aged in stout-seasoned whiskey casks and triple-distilled for a super smooth finish. In short, it is not for shooting. Venues across NSW, ACT, WA and Queensland will be participating, including Brisbane's Lefty's Music Hall, Sydney's iconic craft beer haunts Mojo Record Bar and The Little Guy, as well as venues including The Unicorn, Mary's, The Lord Gladstone and The Hazy Rose. It should come as no surprise that these two beverage behemoths hatched this spectacular plan over a few drinks at Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS). The festival is known as a beacon for craft beer creativity and innovation. The group felt that, while beer and whiskey lovers are aplenty in Australia, the boilermaker isn't nearly as represented in bars and pubs as it should be. They've launched Boilermates with the hope that, come end of August, the two libations will remain close cousins in the eyes of Australians everywhere. Together may not always better, but it sure is when it comes to craft beer and whiskey. Check out Young Henrys website for a list of all venues serving Boilermates.
With Australia's craft beer scene going gangbusters and innovative new local drops hitting the shelves every week, it can be hard to keep track of what's worth buying. But if you fancy scouting out some winners, The Independent Beer Awards, affectionately known as The Indies, is a decent place to start. The Aussie awards just announced its top beer picks for 2019, after a team of judges drank their way through a record-breaking 1017 beers from 147 Australian breweries. The scoreless competition awards gold, silver, bronze and no medal across a range of categories, rather than the usual numerical quantification or points system. And what better than this expertly chosen lineup of winners to inform your springtime beer hit-list? The triple dry-hopped double Red Eye Rye imperial red ale from Carrum Downs' Dainton Brewery took out top honours, claiming the coveted title of Champion Australian Independent Beer. Better get that one in your fridge, stat. Meanwhile, the most celebrated venues included Victoria's 3 Ravens, named Champion Independent Australian Brewery in the small/medium category; Fixation Brewing Co, taking out the large category counterpart; and All Hands Brewing House at Sydney's King Street Wharf, which was bestowed the title of Champion Australian Independent Brewpub. State brewery winners included SA's Mismatch Brewing Co, the ACT's Bentspoke, Gage Roads from WA, 3 Ravens in Vic and Sydney's All Hands Brewing House. The Gold Coast's Balter Brewing Company was named Queensland State Champion, after its XPA took out top honours at GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers list earlier this year for the second time in a row. Among The Indies' list of top brews in each style, you'll find a beer for just about every palate. There's the spring-perfect Surry Hills Pils from Sydney Brewery, which claimed the title of Champion Lager; Modus Operandi's big, bold Former Tenant as Champion IPA; and named Champion Session Beer, the Piss-Weak Sauce by Marrickville's Sauce Brewing Co. Also on the list are the Champion Porter/Stout — the Bunker by Collingwood's Stomping Ground — the Champion Pale Ale from Mismatch and the Champion European-Style Ale, claimed by Bright Brewery's Razor Witbier. You can check out the full list of The Indies' 2019 winners over at the website.
UPDATE, February 15, 2024: Supernormal Brisbane is now set to open in 2024. Head to the Supernormal website for further details. Big culinary names making a move to southeast Queensland: now that's a trend that Sunshine State residents love to see. In just the past couple of months, Guy Grossi has announced plans to open an Amalfi-inspired restaurant in Brisbane, and Hong Kong's Michelin-starred cantonese restaurant T'ang Court just launched on the Gold Coast. The latest eatery that's set to join them: Melbourne's famed Supernormal. Acclaimed chef Andrew McConnell has revealed that Supernormal will launch a second location in 443 Queen Street, Brisbane, in a new residential tower that's due to open in late 2023. It'll sit on the riverfront, and boast views of the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge — and also be perched between the Queen Street Mall and Howard Smith Wharves. "There is a special combination of relationship, location, environment and architecture at 443 Queen Street that we are seriously excited to be a part of," said McConnell, announcing the news via Trader House — the collective that spans his restaurants, specialty retail stores and events. "For the past seven years, we've welcomed many interstate and international guests to Supernormal in Melbourne. Now, we look forward to contributing to Brisbane's already growing and vibrant food scene." "There's also a bounty of some of the country's best produce available. What a thrill to be able to explore this as we refine our offering," McConnell continued. Supernormal Brisbane marks Trader House's first venue beyond its Melbourne base, and will seat around 120 diners both inside and out — including in a private dining setup. While it's obviously too early to reveal the menu, the Brisbane restaurant will feature a hefty focus on Queensland produce and seafood, while plating up contemporary Australian dishes that also take inspiration from McConnell's time in both Hong Kong and Shanghai. Fingers crossed that Melbourne's marinated claims, New England lobster rolls, Hunan-style beef tartare and whole roasted flounder make the jump. On architectural and interior design duties: Vince Alafaci and Caroline Choker of Sydney's ACME, with the agency also working on the design of Melbourne's Gimlet at Cavendish House — the only Australian venue to make the longlist in 2022 for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, coming in in 84th position. Brisbanites can expect Supernormal Brisbane to link in with the Brisbane Riverwalk precinct — 'tis the location for it — and operate seven days a week, including offering an all-day dining menu. The new venue will start welcoming in patrons 22 years after McConnell opened his first restaurant, Dining Room 211, in Melbourne in 2001. And, it folds into a career that's spanned plenty of other notable Victorian sites, including Cutler & Co, Cumulus Inc, Marion, Builders Arms Hotel, Meatsmith and Morning Market. Supernormal Brisbane is set to open at 443 Queen Street, Brisbane in late 2023 — we'll update you with an exact launch date when one is announced. For more information about Supernormal Melbourne, head to the restaurant's website. Images: Supernormal Melbourne, Nikki To / Jo McGann / Kristoffer Paulsen.
Laneway have been kicking goals all year. In 2012 alone, they have released a great album, embarked on a massive national tour and were also awarded the 2012 Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship. Laneway’s newest album, Turn Your Love Up, which was released in August, is a remarkable display of musicianship. Harmonies, roomy compositions and gorgeous guitar work have made this album a success for the duo, who now have the chance to travel overseas to promote their music to international audiences. Before they move to Berlin and make it big, make sure you catch them at Black Bear Lodge as they wind down their national tour. Laneway will be supported by Ed Guglielmino and The Fingers Malone Ensemble.
It has been a tough summer in Australia, with bushfires raging across the country and ongoing drought still taking its toll. In response to these disasters, it's been a summer filled with Aussie spirit, too — as the country rallies together to do whatever it can to support those affected, as well as the volunteer firefighters battling the blazes. Trust Australia's distillers to take the whole Aussie spirit concept literally, though. Making Aussie spirits is their job, so they're banding together to donate some of that local booze to a great cause. That's what the Aussie Spirit Auction is all about — selling off Australian-made gins, rums, vodkas, whiskies and whiskeys, moonshine and other liqueurs, and giving all the proceeds to Rural Aid's bushfire and drought relief efforts. More than 100 Aussie distilleries are taking part, including big names such as Four Pillars, Starward, Archie Rose and Brookie's Gin. Together, they've donated more than 200 bottles, including many that are rare, limited edition or simply can't be bought in stores. A number of experiences, such as distillery tours, are also on offer, as are fine art prints of distilleries if you need something for your wall. There are two ways to take part, stock up your liquor cabinet and help those in need: a physical auction and gala in Sydney on Friday, February 28, and an online auction that's currently underway online until the same date. For those thinking about attending in person, your $120 ticket will also be donated to Rural Aid, and you'll also eat your way through a three-course dinner, drink plenty of craft spirits and get the chance to bid on the auction's top 12 items. There'll also be a pop-up bar onsite showcasing distilleries from bushfire-affected regions, including WildBrumby, Karu, Reed & Co, Corowa, Craft Works and Joadja. [caption id="attachment_761560" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] 5Nines Distilling, Richard Lyons[/caption] Online, current bids range from reasonable to hefty, depending on the brand and the item on offer. And, if you're eager to help but aren't interested in the booze, you can also simply donate without bidding. Plus, you can bid on a brand new whisky that's being made especially for the occasion — called 'the Aussie Spirit', naturally. The Aussie Spirit Auction is currently underway online, with bids accepted until 10pm AEDT on Friday, February 28. The live auction and gala takes place in Sydney on the same date — at Dockside, 2 Wheat Road, Darling Harbour — with tickets on sale now. Top image: Archie Rose Distilling Co.
The summer of 2019 in the US was unofficially dubbed 'White Claw Summer'. The hard seltzer (an alcoholic carbonated water) was as popular as frosé was the summer before — and now it's set to make a splash Down Under when it launches here in October. So, Aussies, it's time to prepare for your own summer of sippin' Claws. Lion Australia has partnered up with Mark Anthony Brands International, the makers of White Claw, to import and distribute the sparkling beverage from mid-spring. To start, it'll be selling the company's three most popular flavours — mango, natural lime and ruby grapefruit — but expects to launch more of the expansive range over time. White Claw comes in white cans and is named after the supposed legend of the "white claw wave": when three perfect crests come together to create the perfect wave. As well as being a little like an alcoholic version of the already extremely popular La Croix drinks, White Claw gained popularity for its relatively low calories (100 a pop), low sugar content (two grams of carbohydrates a can) and catchy unofficial slogan: "Ain't no laws when you're drinking Claws". As American police departments were quick to point out, however, there are still in fact laws when you're drinking Claws. https://www.facebook.com/BathTownshipPolice/posts/2450523918365166 Australia's own police departments are known for publishing many tongue-in-cheek social posts, so expect plenty of Claw references when the drink lands here. White Claw isn't the only hard seltzer you'll find on bottle shop shelves this summer, either. Aussie-brewed Fellr and sugar-free Good Tides are both already available at BWS and Dan Murphy's, and Lion launched Quincy last year, which it dubbed the "first alcoholic seltzer in Australia". White Claw is set to hit Aussie bottle-o shelves this October. We'll let you know when more details are announced.
Transform your iPhone into the classic rangefinder camera of a photojournalist with the solid black Gizmon iCA Military Edition. This case will totally convert your iPhone, wrapping around it completely and creating an entirely new 'camera', complete with a viewfinder and a top-mounted shutter button. Choose from the available wide, macro, and fisheye lenses, and attach to create photographic effects unavailable in the iPhone itself. The iCA Military Edition comes with a detachable tripod mount, ideal for longer exposures, as well as a fabric bag to store and protect the durable polycarbonate pieces of your camera. The product site claims that the iCA "blurs the line between phone and camera by combining them both", and it's all yours for around $70. [via NOTCOT]
Aussie supermarket giant Woolworths has gotten a little bit creative with its latest waste minimisation efforts, transforming unsold loaves of bread into beer. A hefty haul of over 350 kilograms of unwanted, leftover bread has been rescued and used to create a new limited-edition pale ale it has fittingly dubbed Loafer. As well as helping to cut down on a big chunk of bread going to landfill, the beer is also helping to raise funds for Aussies in need. You can pick up a six-pack of the new brew from BWS and Dan Murphy's stores, with a portion of profits heading to support the Feed Australia Appeal. Funds will be used to lend a helping hand to Aussies impacted by food insecurity, through a variety of local food relief programs. Pitched as the company's first "circular economy craft beer", Loafer was brewed by Goulburn's Tribe Breweries. Apparently, the bread-infused base gives the easy-drinking brew "the aroma of fresh toast", which mingles with bright, hoppy pear and pineapple accents. Grab a few Loafers for your fridge and, for once, you can kick back feeling pretty good about your beer drinking. Each six-pack sold raises 50 cents or the equivalent of one meal through Feed Appeal, while a carton donates $2 which is enough to feed a family of four. Last year, Woolworths joined fellow supermarket group Coles in another high-profile move in the war on waste, ditching single-use plastic bags from its stores. This latest limited-run initiative won't have quite the same widespread impact, though we're sure it'll do a whole lot better at quenching your thirst. Loafer pale ale is available from BWS and Dan Murphy's stores across Australia. A six-pack will set you back $25 and a carton $73.
For a lot of us, 2020 so far has involved a whole heap less travel than we'd usually like. With devastating bushfires raging across the country, many had to forego our annual summer trips and stay at home. Then, COVID-19 hit Australia, resulting in nationwide restrictions on travel. To say we have a bit of wanderlust would be an understatement. Last week, on. Friday, May 8, the Australian Government announced its three-step roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown, with talks of interstate and possibly trans-Tasman travel happening before the end of July. Finally, we can start thinking about leaving our four walls and dreaming of our next trip away. While we can't jet off to Europe or make our way through Southeast Asia yet, we'll soon be able to explore our own backyard — from its pristine coastline, lush bushland, snowy mountains and expansive plains. And, to help inspire your post-iso plans, Tourism Australia is launching an online program of virtual travel experiences and entertainment. Best of all, it's completely free. Dubbed Live from Aus, the program will run from Saturday, May 16 to Sunday, May 17 via its YouTube channel and Facebook page. It'll feature everything from Phillip Island's penguins to underwater reef tours at the Great Barrier Reef, music by First Nations artists with Uluru as its backdrop, Mona's Spectra light show, an Australian wine tour with Adelaide Hills' Unico Zelo, a cheesemaking session with Jo Barrett and Matt Stone, and sunrise yoga at Byron Bay. All up, expect a taste for Australia's natural beauty, food, music, wildlife and culture. [caption id="attachment_769947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sunrise Yoga with Elements of Byron Bay, courtesy of Tourism Australia[/caption] Other highlights include a disco party with The Wiggles, an exploration of Indigenous Australian ingredients with famed chef and MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo, tours of Australia's greatest golf greens, pub trivia, a coffee making tutorial with Ona Coffee, a tour of Kangaroo Island, a night at the Opera House and Dreamtime stories with Darren 'Capes' Capewell. You can check out the full program and times here. Live from Aus will kick off at 7am AEST on Saturday, May 16 till Sunday, May 17. You can tune in for free via Facebook or its website. Images: Underwater Reef Tour at the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru Sunset Session with First Nations music curated by Sounds Australia, Penguin Parade Bedtime Stories from Phillip Island and Kangaroo Island Tour with Craig Wickham — all courtesy of Tourism Australia.
There are some truly incredible buildings in the world, but unless you have amazingly hi-res Google Street View or a platinum Amex there's just no way you can see them all. That's where architectural photography comes in. Bringing us images of the craziest buildings and landscapes around the world, these photographers constantly fill up our magazines, Tumblrs and Pinterests with pics from where we'd rather be. Now, they've been judged against one another. Each year the Arciad Awards pick the year's best work in architectural photography. There are thousands of dollars in prize money and the winners are bestowed with countless likes, shares and reblogs from all of the internet — and with good reason. The pictures picking up recognition at this year's awards documented Dubai's twister Cayan Tower (pictured above), the space-age Heydar Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan, and a sunken flea market in Barcelona. However the grandeur of the structure wasn't a prerequisite to photographic success. Other noted offerings included a tiny metropolitan roof space in South Korea, a cow shed in the Netherlands and a lone boxy home next to a creek in Ohio. The outright winner was a photograph (pictured below) that showed the aforementioned Azerbaijani architecture with jaw-dropping surrealism. Get ready to take a trip — these images will leave you with a serious case of wanderlust. All images via Arciad.
Sun, surf, sand, ice cream: what a combination. As cemented in the childhood memories of most Australians, there's nothing like pairing a trip to the beach with a frosty dessert. Haven't had the pleasure of that experience lately? Keen for a sweet treat by the shore just because? Fancy enjoying one of life's simple delights for just 36 cents? Enter the ALDI ice cream truck. For one day only on the Sunshine Coast, the supermarket chain is sending an ice cream van to the beach with cheap chilled bites. While the 36-cent price only applies to mini yoghurt sticks, nothing else on the nine-item menu costs more than $1 each. So, you can enjoy ALDI's take on choc-coated ice creams on a stick for 40 cents, its version of Splices for 50 cents and its Paddle Pop alternative — in both chocolate and rainbow — for 62 cents, for instance. An ice cream sandwich will cost you 95 cents, a Drumstick equivalent is 92 cents and the brand's version of a Golden Gaytime is $1.Queenslanders need to make the trip to the Alexandra Heads Surf Life Saving Club at Alexandra Headland on Saturday, February 8, with the truck serving up its menu from 11am–3pm. The reason for the pop-ups is to spruik ALDI's in-store ice creams, which is what it's dishing up — and at the same price that you'd pay per ice cream if you were to purchase a box of each in the supermarket. Buy them individually from the truck and you'll also be helping a good cause, with 100-percent of the sales going to Camp Quality. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
Don't you hate being the third wheel to a wall? This must be a never-ending predicament for boy girl wall, seeing as they had a sell-out season in April and are back for another spin this month for an eleven show encore. boy girl wall is just that: a boy, a girl and a wall. Well, minus an actual girl, and an actual wall. Everything in this play is executed by the incredibly talented and flexible actor Lucas Stibbard who plays all roles: from the next-door neighbours Thom and Alethea, to magpies and days of the week. What seems incomprehensible and frankly just a little bit too far-fetched, is actually a winner on stage, and has delighted audiences with its simplicity, but also its depth. boy girl wall is the story of two neighbours living in West End, who are essentially convinced into falling in love by the wall that separates their apartments. Mix razor sharp wit and a matchmaking room divider and you have a recipe for a unique performance straight from the minds of The Escapists – a team of creatives who have taken theatre to the next level. The only problem with boy girl wall is that it doesn't go for long enough! You become so entranced by the whimsical stage production that it almost seems like anything but a piece of chalk and an overhead projector are overdoing it. Make sure you destruct any other plans you have and see boy girl wall before the wall comes down on you.
It's the excuse you need to stop for a drink on the way home from work — or even hit quittin' time a little early. From Tuesday–Friday, West End's Ehden Bar and Kitchen serves up $1.50 oysters from 3–6pm. The happy hour special is also available at the same time on Saturdays and all day on Sundays, if you're keen on slurping down some saltwater bivalve molluscs on the weekend as well. On offer until August 27, this six-day-a-week celebration of freshly shucked oysters does come with a caveat: to access the cheap seafood, you will need to buy a beverage. You'll find the venue's usual array of drinks waiting to wet your whistle, including beer, wine, champagne and cocktails — and, should you feel like turning your visit into dinner from 6pm, that's perfectly acceptable. Head by on Fridays, make a night of it, and you'll also be able to tap your toes to live tunes. Ehden Bar and Kitchen's $1.50 oyster happy hour is available on Tuesday–Saturday from 3–6pm and all day Sunday. Images: Ehden Bar and Kitchen.
Anything humans can eat, dogs think they can munch on as well. But as every responsible pet parent knows, that isn't actually the case. So, we've all weathered those adorable, yearning, pleading looks from our beloved pooches as we've tucked into something they'd like to taste as well. And, we've all felt the heartbreak at letting our cute critters down — even though it's for their health. Does your doggo get a twinkle in their eye whenever there's a doughnut around? It wouldn't be the first — and, for the next fortnight, it's in luck. In the lead up to International Dog Day on Thursday, August 26, Krispy Kreme has announced the release of a limited-edition range of 'doggie doughnuts'. They're doughnut-inspired dog biscuits, actually, but they sure do look like the real thing. The eye-catching bikkies are a collaboration with Coolum-based pet treats business Huds and Toke, and they come in six different varieties. If you love Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts, perhaps your pupper will adore the dog biscuit version as well. Or, you could let then go barking mad over choc iced, choc cookie, choc cheesecake, choc sprinkles and strawberry sprinkles varieties. The biscuits aren't made from doughnuts or from chocolate, of course; instead, they use a hard-baked cookie base, as well as frosting made from ingredients like carob and yoghurt that's been designed specifically for dog jaws. The bikkies are also meant to be good for chewing and for dental cleaning — and they're designed to last longer than your usual dog treat. If these round delights will get your four-legged friend's tail wagging, you can buy them in six-packs (for $14.95) between now and Thursday, August 26 at Krispy Kreme stores — including via drive-thru and click-and-collect. And, they are just for pets — so just like how Fido or Rover can't have your doughnut, you can't have their version either. Krispy Kreme's doggie doughnuts are now available from the chain's stores — including via drive-thru and click-and-collect — until Thursday, August 26.
It may have dropped the $2 price from its moniker, but there's nothing quite like the Sunnybank Food Trail on Brisbane's culinary calendar. The appeal is all there in the name, with the Brisbane suburb's shopping hubs becoming a diner's delight in quite the affordable fashion. Think of it as the ultimate self-guided foodie adventure, for nothing more than spare change — and, pre-pandemic, with around 22,000 people taking part. The latest time that the Sunnybank Food Trail popped up was in 2019. As many food-focused events were, it was forced to take a break when COVID-19 hit; however, now this southside feast is finally returning. Mark Saturday, July 22 in your calendar and get ready to tuck in from 12–8pm at both Sunnybank Plaza and Sunny Park. How does it work? Attendees walk between a heap of local cafes and restaurants, all at their own pace. The range of eateries taking part is usually hefty — in 2018, more than 45 places served up dishes. From chicken katsu and wontons to mochi ice cream and bubble tea, every participating joint will feature a range of authentic Asian cuisines. You'll feast on Chinese, Japanese, Hong Kong-style, Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian and Taiwanese bites, with prices starting at $2 per tasting plate. With such an array of steaming soups and sizzling stir-fries on offer, we don't recommend eating lunch or dinner first; in fact, you'd best arrive feeling as hungry as possible. Snacking on signature dishes is the main course — or several — but there's also plenty of non-edible appetisers, too. Enjoy live music, watch traditional lion dancers, and and check out the roaming entertainment as you feast and wander, adding the perfect garnish to every meal by setting the mood. Image: Sunnybank Food Trail.
Back in 1988, as part of an ongoing mission to elevate Brisbane's standing on the world stage, the city hosted a World Expo. The event, featuring exhibits and entertainment from more than 50 nations and corporations, spanned over six months and was considered a huge cultural success. Over 90 artworks were loaned, gifted or commissioned and displayed throughout the site reflecting the theme of 'leisure in the age of technology'. This year marks the event's 30th anniversary. And to celebrate, the council is hosting a dazzling retrospective public art trail. A number of sculptures — many of them pieces that have been restored or relocated from the original 88 exhibition — have be placed throughout the CBD and parklands for residents to explore. Among the pieces featured in the trail are Peter D Cole's Man and Matter series — 12 red steel sculptures installed along Kangaroo Point Cliffs Boardwalk — and The Human Factor, a series that was created by Brisbane's Artbusters and originally displayed at the World Expo's 88 site. For the anniversary, the latter has been re-cast with fibreglass and the figures, which include 'The Juggler' and 'The Trapeze Artist', have been dotted throughout King George Square, Brisbane Botanic Gardens and Southbank House. Meanwhile, Forme del Mito, a bronze series created by renowned Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, has been restored and relocated to the top of Edward Street for the 30th anniversary event. The art trail is self-guided — you can find a map on the Brisbane City Council website along with details on each of the artworks.
With more warm months ahead, we need more ways to stay cool. Sure, there are always runs to Brisbane's various ice cream shops and plenty of cool new watering holes to quench our thirst, but now there's a bar combining the best of both — a pop-up slushie bar. Brisbane's waterfront bar Riverland has given us the summer gift we didn't know we needed — until now, that is. The pop-up features six different alcoholic slushie flavours: piña colada, margarita, blue lagoon, frozé, mango daiquiri and classic daiquiri. It'll be open every weekend until March, so you can grab yourself an alcoholic slushie and sip to your heart's content while overlooking the Brisbane River — just beware of brain freeze. A big ol' glass of icy goodness costs $9 and is a serious win for your inner child. Or, if you really want to go all out, you can enjoy two hours worth of slushies for $39. Talk about a sugar high. The Rainbow Slushies pop-up is open on weekends till Sunday, March 1. To book yourself a spot, head here.
There are a lot of weird food museums around the world, dedicated to everything from potatoes to Jell-O to kimchi. Some of them are a little questionable — others totally genius, like Japan's ramen museum — but there's certainly no question that an ice cream museum would be an important, delicious, 100 percent necessary educational facility. So it comes as no surprise that the announcement that a Museum of Ice Cream is opening in New York City this month has gone down very well with the public — especially as one of its draw cards will be a life-sized pool of sprinkles. Yes, you read that right — a pool of sprinkles. That you can swim in. Well, I don't know if you can technically swim through sprinkles, but you'll be able to fully immerse yourself in them either way. They won't be actual sprinkles, but according to Eater, they'll be made to look and feel just like those colourful little edible dots that make ice cream 10000x more delicious. The Museum of Ice Cream is being brought to life by two ice cream-loving New Yorkers, Maryellis Bunn and Manish Vora, who noticed a severe lack of ice cream-dedicated spaces and sprinkle swimming pools in the world. A pop-up museum, it will open in New York's Meatpacking District on July 19 and run until August 31. Aside from the sprinkle pool, the ice cream playground will also feature edible balloons, an "immersive" chocolate room (!!), an ice cream sandwich swing and a giant sundae. Randomly, there'll also be a room sponsored by Tinder. And because it wouldn't be a true food museum without some eating action, admission will also include tastings of special scoops created by some of the city's best ice cream artisans, including Black Tap and OddFellows. What a day out. Pool of sprinkles https://t.co/rBOQsoYgFK pic.twitter.com/4pbrSt3ray— Serena Dai (@ssdai) July 8, 2016 Via Eater.
Here's a question we bet you're eager to know the answer to: how much pasta can you consume in a single sitting? No matter what type you happen to be devouring, the Italian dish is oh-so-easy to just keep eating. So at Salt Meats Cheese in Newstead from 5pm on Monday, October 25, that's exactly what's on offer. This all-you-can-eat pasta night is being held to celebrate World Pasta Day. Yes, it's a case of another food-focused date, another reason to fill your plate. With this one, we're betting your carb-loving tastebuds won't be complaining. Four types will be on the menu, so you can tuck into bottomless serves of lamb pappardelle and crab linguini, as well as SMC's beloved carbonara rigatoni — and a vegan zucchini and pesto tagliolini. The pasta free-for-all will set you back a highly affordable $25, although you'll have to also buy a drink. You'll need it, clearly, to wash down all those bowls.
UPDATE, February 8, 2021: The White Tiger is available to stream via Netflix. Adapted from Aravind Adiga's 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning debut novel, The White Tiger shares an animal metaphor in its name. It works it into the story, obviously, and mentions it in dialogue as well. As a boy, after proudly demonstrating that his reading abilities eclipse those of his classmates in his poverty-stricken village, young Balram Halwai (Harshit Mahawar) is likened to the titular jungle cat by a teacher. He's "the rarest of animals that comes along once in a generation," he's told. That statement arrives within the movie's opening minutes and is meant to linger over the film, which it does. That said, another animal metaphor, also uttered early but pondering roosters and coops, truly cuts to this biting picture's core. Like poultry in a cage awaiting slaughter, India's poor are kept in their place as servants, explains Balram (Adarsh Gourav, Hostel Daze) as an adult. At the mercy of cruel and ruthless masters, the country's workers are well aware that they're being treated thoughtlessly at best, and watch on as everyone is stuck in an unending cycle of drudgery. But, ever-dutiful at every moment, they're unwilling to break free or even mildly defy their employers. That's the compliant life that Balram is supposed to lead, as he notes in the always-pacy, often-winking narration that drives this smart and savage thriller. Balram's existence does play out that way, too, at least for a time. He ingratiates his way into a driver position for Ashok (Bollywood star Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Baywatch's Priyanka Chopra Jonas), the American-educated son and New York-raised daughter-in-law of the rich landlord (Mahesh Manjrekar, Slumdog Millionaire) who owns his village and demands a third of all earnings from its residents. But The White Tiger starts with a car accident outside Delhi involving Balram, Ashok and Pinky, then unfurls in flashbacks from an unapologetic Balram in the future. As a result, it's immediately apparent that he won't always be kowtowing to those considered above him in his country's strict caste system. It's also instantly evident that his tale, as cheekily told via a letter penned to 2003–13 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, will take the audience on quite the wild journey. Balram's plan to work for the man who rules over his home stems from his burning ambition to enjoy a life far removed from his struggling childhood. So does his scheme to supplant the family's first driver, as well as his efforts to later forge his own path. When he is given the white tiger label as a kid, he is also advised that "any poor boy in any forgotten village can grow up to become Prime Minister of India". Politics isn't on his agenda, though. During his time with Ashok and Pinky, he starts thinking bigger. He doesn't just want to win "a million-rupee game show" either — the film's wink to fellow rags-to-riches saga Slumdog Millionaire. As viewers watch Balram evolve from an attentive servant to the self-made entrepreneur who unfurls the movie's twist-filled tale with a sense of mischievous glee — and a clear feeling of accomplishment, too — one truth haunts every moment: that the vast chasm between the wealthy and not-so has wide-reaching consequences, and not just those that the rich, powerful and blinkered foresee. The White Tiger's framing device is a little clumsy, and its overt, blackly comic observations about the well-off taking advantage of everyone they consider inferior definitely aren't new. Nonetheless, this is still a ferocious, compelling and entertaining film with something sharp and accurate to say, and an engaging way of conveying its central perspective. As long as the world remains beholden to the few at the expense of the many, eat the rich-style tales will never get old — Oscar-winner Parasite certainly felt anything but — and this one also skewers globalisation and its ramifications, especially as new technologies are supposed to be bringing everyone closer together. Thanks to 2005's Man Push Cart, 2007's Chop Shop and 2015's 99 Homes, Iranian American writer/director Ramin Bahrani is no stranger to street-level stories about everyday folks trying to survive and thrive under capitalism's boot, or to the twisted power dynamics that can ensue in society at large and in close quarters. Accordingly, he's a perfect fit for the material here. Whether he's focusing on a ponytailed, moustachioed Balram as he narrates away, or following the character from dusty shacks and crowded markets to the basements of Delhi's sky-high apartment blocks, Bahrani brings a constantly probing eye to Adiga's tale in both a storytelling and visual sense. (He's was also one of the author's college classmates.) Also ideal is Gourav, so much so that it's almost impossible to imagine the movie being as captivating without him, or as slick yet scathing. The actor is in excellent company, with Rao and Chopra Jonas each finding multiple layers in their characters' lives of privilege, and their eagerness to regard Balram as a friend while it suits — but, as a bright-eyed but still calculating young man trying to work his way up, and then as a cynical experienced hand who has seen much, endured more and knows how he wants the world to work, Gourav is electrifying. It's a performance that's bound to catapult him into other high-profile roles, and it's also the likeable and empathetic yet also hungry and slippery portrayal this rollercoaster ride of a story hinges upon. Or, to put it in Balram's words, Gourav plays his part as "straight and crooked, mocking and believing, sly and sincere, all at the same time", and it's never less than riveting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35jJNyFuYKQ Top image: Tejinder Singh Khamkha/Netflix.
2024 will be a year of many things, including the year that hitting the skies Down Under means travelling on the three safest airlines in the world. As it does every January, safety and rating website AirlineRatings.com has released its latest ranking of the best carriers to fly with. Coming out on top: Air New Zealand, closely followed by Qantas and Virgin Australia. Air NZ returned to first place after also doing the honours in 2022, taking over from 2023 winner Qantas. The latter has a long history of topping the list, doing so for eight years in a row from 2014–21. Virgin Australia has also proven a mainstay on the full rundowns each year, with the top 25 carriers named in 2024. "Our top 25 safest airlines are all standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation and launching of new aircraft. In fact, the safety margins between these top 25 airlines are very small," said AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas. "Between Air New Zealand and Qantas there is only 1.5 points. It's incredibly close." Wondering how Air NZ topped the list, then? The website called out the airline's "firm focus on safety", while also advising that it "has excelled across a broad safety spectrum right down to the smallest detail, and its pilots operate in some very challenging environments". The highly sought-after accolade chose its safest airlines for 2024 from a pool of 385 carriers from around the world. Factors that influence a carrier's placement on the list include crash and incident records, safety initiatives, fleet age, profitability, training assessments for expert pilots, and audits by aviation governing bodies, industry bodies and governments. Bird strikes and turbulence injuries aren't take into consideration, however, and neither are weather diversions and lightning strikes, given that airlines have no control over these issues. If you're a budget-conscious flyer, the website also outlines the 20 safest low-cost airlines. The winner this year also came from Down Under, with Jetstar emerging victorious. TOP 25 SAFEST AIRLINES FOR 2024: Air New Zealand Qantas Virgin Australia Etihad Airways Qatar Airways Emirates All Nippon Airways Finnair Cathay Pacific Airways Alaska Airlines SAS Korean Air Singapore Airlines EVA Air British Airways Turkish Airlines TAP Air Portugal Lufthansa/Swiss Group KLM Japan Airlines Hawaiian Airlines American Airlines Air France Air Canada Group United Airlines TOP 20 SAFEST LOW-COST AIRLINES FOR 2024: Jetstar easyJet Ryanair Wizz Norwegian Frontier Vueling Vietjet Southwest Volaris flyduba AirAsia Group (AirAsia, AirAsia X, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Philippines and AirAsia India) Cebu Pacific Sun Country Spirit Westjet JetBlue Air Arabia Indigo Eurowings For the full AirlineRatings.com list, visit the airline safety and product rating review outfit's website.
When Hollywood isn't bringing back beloved television series such as Daria and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or spinning off huge hits like Game of Thrones, it's taking successful films to the small screen — with Lord of the Rings the next set to make the leap from the page to the cinema to your TV. As first announced late last year, a television version of J.R.R. Tolkien's novels is in the works courtesy of Amazon Studios, the Tolkien Estate and Trust, publisher HarperCollins and Warner Bros. Entertainment's New Line Cinema. After acquiring the global rights to turn the franchise into a TV series in November, the group will now move ahead, with JD Payne and Patrick McKay (writers with credits on the upcoming Star Trek 4 and Jungle Cruise) chosen to develop the series. The announcement was made at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour, which is currently underway in the US. According to The Hollywood Reporter, new head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke revealed that the series will be in production in the next two years, targeting an airdate of 2021. "We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care — it is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime," said lifelong friends Payne and McKay in a statement. Five seasons are apparently planned — while leaving room for a spinoff, of course — with the new reportedly show set in Middle-earth but exploring stories set before The Fellowship of the Ring. And as for casting, it's way too early for even rumours about who'll be eating second breakfasts, but expect them to start ramping up soon. Via The Hollywood Reporter.
We've been getting more aware of animal welfare issues, but when it comes to grain-fed versus grass-fed meat, 'huh?' is probably still the likely response from consumers. Gourmet burger chain Grill'd (whose Garden Goodness burger made it onto our top ten list) wants that to change, and to that end, they've released a controversial and mildly gory ad featuring animated cows and sheep discussing their diets, talk show-style. After covering the benefits of grass over grain, the ad ends with a sunnies-wearing bull talking about how his career was going nowhere until he started eating grass "and his agent got [him] the job on Grill'd", before being decapitated quite graphically — well, as graphically is possible in animated form. He winks, then we cut to a blood-spattered Grill'd logo. The ad, created (unsurprisingly) by Vice and animation studio Rubber House, is the first instalment of their 'Inside the grass diet craze' campaign, which, as Grill'd founder Simon Crowe told Mumbrella, aims to "put on the agenda the debate or the discussion around grass-fed versus grain-fed beef and lamb and the fact that we believe it’s of a higher quality and it’s better for the animal." Grill'd is no stranger to controversy, having previously attracted criticism for their 'Coat of Arms' kangaroo and emu burger earlier this year. Is it effective? The ad arguably does what it sets out to do: it makes you think about something you didn't know was an issue; it makes you laugh, albeit a little uncomfortably (particularly the pop-up about grain leading to "unsightly bull boobs"); and the gore isn't so in-your-face you'll never want to eat another hamburger again — which would have been a bit counterproductive for a burger chain.
After years of performing complex procedures, Dutch surgeon Lex Van Stekelenburg was suffering from enough neck, shoulder and back pain to compete with Quasimodo. But rather than retire to a bell-tower, Stekelenburg decided to take to cycling. The only problem is that, over a long period, conventional bicycles tend to exacerbate upper body problems, rather than alleviate them. Figuring out that it's natural to want to move our arms in harmony with our legs, Stekelenburg decided to design a bicycle that mobilises all four of our limbs. A patented mechanism on the handle bar enables both pedalling and steering, placing the rider in the position that a quadruped might adopt. Our shoulders and pelvis are better aligned, plus we gain speed and strength from increased power. The 4 Strike Bike requires the use of 78 muscle groups, as opposed to the 50 set in motion by a regular two-wheeler. Stekelenburg, who has spent five years experimenting with various prototypes, is convinced of the efficacy of his final model. He says it's 'healthier for heart, better for aerating the lungs and prevents undercooling of the upper body in rain and cold. You'll have more fun on this revolutionary new bike.' [Via Inhabitat]
UPDATE, May 12, 2021: Doctor Sleep is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. A river of blood cascading from an elevator. Creepy twins eager to play forever. The eerie woman in room 237. Since Stanley Kubrick brought Stephen King's horror novel to cinemas in 1980, these images have become synonymous with The Shining, as has the word 'redrum' and frosty hedge mazes. But, really, this story owes a debt to ice cream. That's not how King's 1977 book starts, or Kubrick's masterpiece; however Dick Hallorann's (Scatman Crothers) telepathic offer of dessert to five-year-old Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) is one of the movie's pivotal moments. It's when audiences learn what the film's title means, and discover they'll be spending time in the duo's heads while they communicate without moving their lips. Doctor Sleep — which hit bookshelves in 2013 as a King-penned sequel to The Shining and now reaches theatres under the direction of Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) — latches onto that idea. In its predecessor, the Overlook Hotel that Danny and his parents (Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall) temporarily called home also had a "shine", turning it into a ghostly battlefield — but in Doctor Sleep, the characters' minds become a combat zone as well. Danny is now Dan (Ewan McGregor), a drifter who finds the straight and narrow in a small New Hampshire town, yet remains haunted by his boyhood experiences. He connects with fellow telepath Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a teenager whose powers eclipse his own. They initially chat without chatting, until Abra glimpses a sinister group of nomadic quasi-immortals who possess the same extrasensory gifts and consume the essence of psychic folks. Led by the malevolent Rose The Hat — who's played with menacing relish by Mission: Impossible – Fallout's Rebecca Ferguson, complete with Babadook-style headwear — this death cult earns Doctor Sleep's considerable attention. Sometimes, they recruit their potential victims. Mostly, they kill them, inhaling their shine or "steam". In Abra's case, the group is ravenous for — and frightened by — her potent power. As a face-off looms, Dan, who is still mentored by the spirit of Hallorann (now played by Carl Lumbly), adopts the same role for Abra. While the film takes its time teasing out Dan and Abra's individual stories, bringing them together and depicting Rose's twisted reign, it's always headed in one direction: to the Colorado hotel that has lingered over cinema history for nearly four decades. In a movie where getting into someone's head is crucial — and thriving on what you extract out of it, too — Doctor Sleep does the filmic equivalent with The Shining. King famously hated Kubrick's adaptation, even scripting his own TV version in the 90s. By writing Doctor Sleep, he attempted to reclaim his own story and put it back on his preferred path. Flanagan, however, has no such qualms about one of the best horror movies ever made. On the screen, Doctor Sleep begins with notes from The Shining's main theme, and the nods and winks only continue. He recreates scenes, mirrors visual motifs, uses snippets of the original, and finds aesthetic, narrative and thematic ways to allude to Kubrick's film. The picture's nostalgia is never as gratuitous and empty as Ready Player One's reference to the movie, thankfully, but it still traces its predecessor's footsteps more closely than it needs to. It can't be easy, making a sequel to an iconic book-to-film adaptation that also adapts the follow-up novel addressing the author's issues with the first movie. It's to Flanagan's credit that Doctor Sleep wholeheartedly tries to juggle these competing aims. An accomplished horror writer/director/editor with fellow King adaptation Gerald's Game to his name, he infuses Doctor Sleep with growing dread and gnawing unease. Never just trying to ape Kubrick, he crafts his own standout images — involving Rose and her cronies at their most frenzied, and literally stepping inside Dan, Abra and Rose's minds. Also boasting top-notch lead performances, a thoughtful exploration of childhood trauma and its impact, and an unnerving score, Doctor Sleep builds its own momentum and intrigue. Inevitably, though, it starts chasing The Shining's tail too blatantly and feverishly. Doctor Sleep was never designed to stand alone, but by remaining so beholden to The Shining, it can feel like a missed opportunity. It doesn't need to prop itself up so forcefully, or to imitate Kubrick so stringently, and proves a much better film when it's doing neither. In rare scenes where the sequel interrogates rather than apes the original movie, Doctor Sleep is far more convincing in linking the two. When Dan admits to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that he drank because that's how he connected to the memory of his dad, it's the picture's most powerful moment — and shows why McGregor is perfectly cast to wade through Dan's niggling pain. It's also a way to take viewers both into the character's head, and into The Shining, without being so overt. The film still shines more often that not, but if only the bulk of Doctor Sleep had that same gift. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oCTK2U5lpc
Mona has never shirked attention. Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art has welcomed it, in fact, whether it's bringing in 80 tonnes of sand, is allowing music fans listen to the sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin or is part of a TV show about potentially eating Australia's invasive animal species — and that's just in the past year. Also part of the venue's story over the past 12 months or so: the legal proceedings around Ladies Lounge, the feminist installation created by artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele, which was taken to court due to an anti-discrimination complaint. Two big developments impacted Ladies Lounge in 2024: first, in April, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that it must start letting men enter; then, a September decision by the state's Supreme Court upheld Mona's appeal, permitting it to reopen for women only to continue to make its statement about the lack of opportunity historically offered to ladies by such spaces. Kaechele did indeed relaunch the installation, but only briefly, while flagging that it could go on tour. So, after ending its run at its original home in January 2025, Ladies Lounge is now headed to the Gold Coast. Each year, the coastal Sunshine State spot turns over much of the city to Bleach*, its annual arts festival. This year, Ladies Lounge is on its lineup. This is the first time that it will pop up beyond Mona, and therefore also beyond Tasmania, with the Gold Coast's HOTA, Home of the Arts playing host to the feminist space. "Yes, some boys may be allowed in for domestic arts lessons and reparations," the fest advises. Bleach* 2025 runs from Thursday, July 31–Sunday, August 10, also covering music, opera, drama, food and more, all at festival hubs a HOTA, Kurrawa Park and Emerald Lakes. It has more big art names attached, too. Australian visual artist Michael Zavros is the festival's guest Artistic Director for the year, curating a program that spans 100-plus events. Among them, Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale and Skywhalepapa are on the lineup, and will float through the Gold Coast's skies. That's how Bleach* will kick off at sunrise on its first 2025 day. Among the festival's three world premieres of works created on the Gold Coast, plus five Queensland premieres and plenty of other must-sees, other highlights include opera, classical music and dancing horses taking over Kurrawa Beach; artist Jeff Koons getting chatting at an exclusive in-conversation event; and Selve's new album Breaking Into Heaven performed in full with lasers, Karul Projects dancers and the Australian Session Orchestra outdoors at HOTA. Or, there's also Drum As You Are, a family-friendly Nirvana tribute — one of the iconic band's albums is called Bleach, after all — that'll feature both professional and community drummers. Unsurprisingly given that he's steering this year's festival, you can also see Zavros' Drowned Mercedes, the sculpture that was first unveiled in Brisbane in 2023 and, yes, features a 1990s Mercedes-Benz SL convertible filled with water. Zavros is also taking part in life-drawing sessions, Melissa Spratt and Tal Fitzpatrick are teaming up to showcase how textiles can be comforting in public space, and Josh Cohen's Radiohead for Solo Piano II will be in the spotlight.
When September 1994 rolled around, and a new sitcom about six New York City-dwelling friends first debuted on television screens, no one could've known just what would follow. It made stars out of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, and made seemingly everyone keen to copy Aniston's hairstyle — and it unleashed a genuine pop culture phenomenon that's still watched and rewatched by adoring fans all these years later. The setup is so very simple, and it's one that plenty of other shows have also tried. But Friends manages to distill a familiar and straightforward idea into 236 episodes of entertaining comedy. Call it 'The One with the Huge Longevity', 'The One That No One Seems to Be Able to Get Enough Of' or 'The One That Made Sitting on Orange Coffee Shop Couches and Singing About Smelly Cats Cool'.
Our team of explorers has created an exclusive Queenstown travel experience for Concrete Playground Trips – and for this one we have well and truly pulled out all the stops. The lineup includes a world-first scenic flight, gin tastings at New Zealand's leading distilleries, a world-renowned Onsen experience with views like no other, and a stay at one of Queenstown's leading boutique hotels by Lake Wakatipu. This Concrete Playground Trips package gives you VIP access to some of Queenstown's very best offerings without the hassle of organising it all yourselves. All you and your mates need to do is book your flights there and back — we've got the rest sorted. Scroll down to get the details before you book here. HELI GIN TOUR Forget touring around wine regions by bus — been there, done that. Instead, fly from gin distillery to gin distillery by helicopter, all while taking in the insanely beautiful sites of New Zealand's Crown Range. This is a world-first experience that you have to try. Once you touch down, the tour guide-meets-gin aficionado will take you to a unique cellar door and distillery serving up some of New Zealand's finest gin. You'll hit three seperate gin spots during this tour, tasting a variety of gins and learning more about how this nectar of the gods is made. You'll also feed on a smorgasbord of seasonal bites throughout your six-hour expedition so there's no need for BYO snacks. ONSEN POOL EXPERIENCE After a big day of gin tasting and flying around Queenstown, you'll need to spend another day dedicated to relaxation. Cue this luxury spa experience. You'll be picked up from your hotel and taken to the world-renowned Onsen retreat. Plunge into your private cedar-lined hot pool overlooking the surrounding mountain ranges and let the rest of the world drift away. It's the pure escapism that you deserve. THE ACCOMMODATION The Concrete Playground Trips package includes three nights at the five-star QT Queenstown hotel in the plush Alpine King Room. QT hotels are known for their high-end finishes as well as their focus on art and design. And this Queenstown version lives up to the hype. Each room is full of artwork (paintings, sculptures and more), alongside simple but bold furnishings. Everything is just that bit extra. You're also located close to town — you can easily explore the rest of Queenstown in between the pre-planned experiences. A daily full breakfast for two is also included at the hotel, so you're all fuelled up for a day of exploring. Book tickets now by visiting Concrete Playground Trips.
Follow is a new design concept store huddled in the warmth of a heritage-listed former pharmacy at 380 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills that has just opened its doors to the world. The store is the work of the same duo who produced the Finders Keepers Market, who we are very much a fan of, through which they have been supporting emerging design since they began back in 2007. At the moment, shop doors will be open Wednesday to Saturday from 11am – 6pm, and Sundays from 11am-4pm. Follow showcases a carefully curated selection of over 40 independent designers from all over Australia, featuring products from art prints, contemporary jewellery, clothing, textiles and homewares. The designs and limited edition products will be continually rotated, so you're sure to always find something new and exciting, particularly if their amazing work with Finders Keepers in anything to go by. ‘But,’ you are saying, ‘this place is all the way over in Surry Hills and that’s an entire bus ride away and not only is it raining outside but I have had three colds in two months and every time I get on a bus I get sneezed on by someone who clearly hasn’t learnt sneezing etiquette.’ (This may or may not be a projection of my state of mind on to you). However, allay your concerns - they are also working on an online store. And you know how I feel when I hear things like that? Unconditional love and a fierce impulse to accept the bank's offer of an increase on my credit card limit. Check them out below.
Sightseeing and fine dining have been combined in a joint project between the Swedish appliance corporation Electrolux and the Italian architects of Park Associati to create what has to be one of the most surreal restaurant experiences ever to be had. They've developed 'The Cube', a pop-up portable restaurant made with laser-cut aluminum for easy assembly and take-down. Like the Greenhouse, which will soon leave Australian shores for a European tour, a pair of the pop-up 'cubes' will travel around Europe and sit atop historical monuments, famous buildings or breathtaking landscapes, beginning its journey at the Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels on April 1. The dynamic duo will then make appearances in unexpected locations in Italy, Russia, Switzerland and Sweden. There are even rumours that one of the intended destinations has the restaurants plopped in the middle of a lake. The Cubes are equipped with eco-friendly Electrolux appliances for international chefs to whip up delectable delicacies, a single-table dining room that seats 18, which can be raised to the ceiling after dinner to create a lounge space and a 538-square foot terrace that ensures picturesque views of the surroundings. Destination dining just took on a whole new meaning.
Satellite Boy is a truly great Aussie film. It's not just a great film that happens to be shot in Australia; this touching and evocative little fable from first-time film director Catriona McKenzie is a great film that was both born and bred in Australia and whose primary protagonist is Australia herself. And what a protagonist she is! If Tourism Australia had any sense, they would put Satellite Boy on every cinema screen in the world, as it may be the most dazzling advertisement for Australia's natural beauty that has ever been committed to celluloid. The celestial night sky, the pink sunsets and the dry lake beds of the Kimberley region are so gorgeously photographed by cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson that they come to take on an almost otherworldly quality, perfectly befitting the film's fascination with the spiritual wonder of the Australian outback. Much like Terrence Malick's legendary cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, Simpson seems acutely aware that setting always equals character. The film tells the story of two Aboriginal boys, Pete and Kalmain (newcomers Cameron Wallaby and Joseph Pedley). After hearing that a major mining company are planning to tear down Pete's home in order to make way for a massive industrial development, the two boys head cross country to give the company's executives a piece of their mind. Inevitably this path is one of enormous self-discovery, with both boys coming to understand what living in and of the land truly means. Basically, what McKenzie gives us is the Indigenous equivalent of a road trip/coming-of-age film, or perhaps more accurately, a walkabout film. To the film's discredit, the story is at times as hackneyed and overwrought as its premise suggests. Many of the characters' revelations, particularly towards the film's conclusion, are stiflingly conventional and detract from the more subtle and gradual developments of the first two acts. Yet Roger Ebert often wrote that "it's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it", and in this case Satellite Boy manages to transcend its inherent simplicities due to the visual and lyrical flair with which the filmmakers imbue each and every shot. The story itself never pretends to be anything more than a grand allegory for what is essentially the central Aboriginal struggle of the last 200 years: displacement from spiritual home. The beauty of the Australian landscape is contrasted with the rotted and ruined nature of technology. Disused tractors have become heaps of rusted iron, telephones fail to connect Pete with his estranged mother and a single handgun threatens to tear the boys' friendship apart. Ultimately, this story belongs to the two newcomers, Wallaby and Pedley. Their genuine chemistry and naturalistic performances gives the characters an infectious warmth and youthful exuberance that is as compelling as it is endearing. Satellite Boy may well have passed as another Australian "also-ran" if it weren't for these phenomenally mature performances.
If you're a fan of music, comedy, live performances or dinner theatre and you live in Brisbane, then you've been to The Tivoli, the Fortitude Valley venue that's been hosting all of the above for more than three decades now. The site has has long and varied history — a few years back, the art deco-style spot was placed up for sale, earmarked for development, but then saved, and the building itself dates back to 1917 — however, it has been operating as a music and performance venue since 1988. Fancy celebrating that fact? Keen to hit up a year-long 35th-anniversary party for a structure that's more than a century old? Then Encore, The Tivoli's big 2023 gig series, is for you. It'll fill the venue with a heap of Aussie-focused concerts throughout next year, bringing in a best-of roster of talent that includes some of the site's most-played acts. (And yes, given that the crew behind The Tivoli also operate Woolloongabba's Princess Theatre, which is marking its first birthday this year despite being 134 years old, creative maths is sparking some massive music-filled Brissie parties.) [caption id="attachment_817947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Somefx[/caption] At Encore, the tunes kick off in January with Thundamentals and Cog, with the latter headlining The Other Festival. Also on the just-announced Encore lineup so far: Sunnyboys in February, The Smith Street Band in March, Meg Mav in May and The Waifs in July. These shows will see Thundamentals play The Tivoli for the fourth time, Meg Mac and Sunnyboys notch up visit five each, The Smith Street Band hit its sixth stop, Cog play for the seventh time and The Waifs make their eighth appearance — so it really is a best-of bill. And, it's just the beginning of Encore's program, which'll span more than 15 artists — with more to be revealed in December 2022, and a third batch of announcements coming in January 2023. [caption id="attachment_871205" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Somefx[/caption] "The Encore program features a hand-picked selection of artists and musicians that form the deep musical heritage of The Tivoli. Each Encore artist has been a catalyst for some of the greatest moments that have taken place within the old girl's four walls. We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate her 35th anniversary," said The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre Senior Producer Madison Stevenson, announcing the gig series. "We want to celebrate the vibrant spirit of The Tivoli and honour the artists who have made the venue a tried-and-true icon of Brisbane's music scene." [caption id="attachment_871207" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] ENCORE 2023 — FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT: Saturday, January 14, 2023 — Thundamentals Saturday, January 28, 2023 — Cog (at The Other Festival) Saturday, February 11, 2023 — Sunnyboys Friday, March 24, 2023 — The Smith Street Band Friday, May 12, 2023 — Meg Mac Friday, July 21, 2023 — The Waifs Encore will run throughout 2023 at The Tivoli, 52 Costin Street, Fortitude Valley. For further information, head to the venue's website. Top image: Vincent Shaw.
UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cockatoo Island—Wareamah—is set to be transformed into a world-class public destination, under a bold new vision put forward by the Harbour Trust this week. New precincts for Sydney's largest harbour island include a new arts quarter, dining pavilion, parklands and dedicated educational spaces. The proposal also outlines the importance of preserving the island's rich Indigenous cultural heritage, with a key focus on elevating First Nations voices and respecting Wareamah's significance as a sacred women's place. Plans for Bunggal grounds, permanent First Nations public artwork and the restoration of native fauna and flora have been put forward, in consultation with First Nations communities and cultural leaders. [caption id="attachment_810573" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Artist's impression of Cockatoo Island's Creative Precinct[/caption] "We heard that more needed to be done to respectfully acknowledge the Island's First Nations' past as a sacred women's place and in identifying Cockatoo Island as a place of cultural connection," Chair of The Harbour Trust, Joseph Carrozzi said in a statement. "From these conversations with the community, we have developed an early vision that considers the Island's potential while respecting and celebrating its important past." The 18-hectare area would encompass a new creative precinct hosting live performance, exhibitions and pop-up events, while a revitalised Fitzroy Dock is promised to host a bevvy of Sydney's best dining and retail options. Wareamah Tidal Terrace will become a sprawling new parkland on the island's edge, with transformed gardens, picnic areas and a harbour boardwalk. [caption id="attachment_810574" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Artist's impression of Cockatoo Island's Harbour Walk[/caption] A large adventure and water playground, new accommodation options including high-end glamping and improved campground facilities are also outlined within the Harbour Trust's proposal. "We want to create a truly special destination for both Sydneysiders and all visitors—a destination that acknowledges the historic significance of Cockatoo Island for First Nations Peoples, and its important role in the history of modern Australia," Carrozzi said. To deliver the sprawling transformation, Harbour Trust would seek funding from both state and federal governments as well as the private sector. The vision comes after an Independent Review of the Harbour Trust last year highlighted the need for a restoration plan for the island. The Harbour Trust will seek community consultation on its draft vision, with everyone in the community invited to provide feedback. You can visit harbourtrust.gov.au to view the Draft Concept now. The consultation period closes on Tuesday, June 11.
If you're looking to send a little something to a loved one (for Valentine's Day, perhaps) or yourself (always appropriate) but don't want to do the same old, you're in luck — LVLY is here. The same-day gift delivery service has expanded its operations from Melbourne and Sydney to offer its cheeky selection to Brisbanites. LVLY wants to buck cliches with its floral gift range featuring seasonal posies in their trademark 'You LVLY F*cker' floral jars (with non-sweary options available for Mum-bound gifts). There's also succulents to combat a drab desk or body care items like the Soft Hands Strong Hearts hand cream if self-gifting is your thing — which it absolutely should be. Things get a bit saucy in the chocolate section thanks to Tall Dark and Handsome and Dreamy and Creamy dark chocolate. Gifts often sneak in a life affirming message — take the You Da Bomb ginger cookie or You LVLY Hottie canvas beauty bag, for example. LVLY also packages gifts in bundles, as seen in the Day Maker (with flowers, chocolate and hand cream), the Desk (with flowers, a candle and a notebook), and the espresso martini-laden Pick-Me Up. And, making a great service even better, they often partner with local businesses for limited-edition gifts — Melbourne was treated to a Short Stop Donuts collaboration, so keep your fingers crossed for Brisbane-based goodies. Originally housemates, co-founders Hannah Spilva and Verity Tuck are excited to bring the service home after growing its base out of their kitchen in Melbourne. Hannah says the gifts are designed help you celebrate the good days, bad days and everything in between. Gifts start at $39, and you can select same day delivery if ordering before 1pm (it'll get to its recipient by 6pm) or pre-order for a future date. The delivery zone spans from Chermside to Sunnybank to Cleveland and beyond. Delivery prices differ based on suburb so plug in your postcode to check what's what, with shipping free for orders over $99. To send a delivery or for more info, head to lvly.com.au.
