Been spending the first half of 2021 pondering the future? Given how the past year has panned out, that's only natural. But in the early hours of Friday, June 25, you might want to look to the skies as well — and feast your eyes on this month's noteworthy lunar sight. For folks located Down Under, this is when you'll see this year's 'strawberry' full moon. According to NASA, it could also be considered a super full moons, with different publications split on the matter. If you choose to deem it a supermoon, you'll know that they aren't particularly rare — one occurred back in April, and then another took place in May — but there are still plenty of reasons to peer upwards this time around. If you're wondering what else you need to know, we've run through the details below. WHAT IS IT? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. June's full moon is called a strawberry moon not because it's pink or red — it isn't — but because that's when strawberries traditionally ripen in the northern hemisphere. Of course, it's currently winter in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks. And, if you're going with the supermoon school of thought, that name applies to a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. Again, they're not all that uncommon — whether or not you want to claim this one as a supermoon. WHEN CAN I SEE IT? If you're keen to catch a glimpse, you'll want to peek outside on Friday, June 25. In Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the moon will be full at 4.39am according to Timeanddate.com. In Adelaide, that time moves forward half an hour, so it'll take place at 4.09am — and in Perth, it'll be earlier still, at 2.39am. Those times refer to the exact full moon time. Of course, the moon will still be visible in the sky before then — and looking rather full, even if the exact minute hasn't arrived. So, if you'd prefer to take a gander at a more pleasant hour on Thursday, June 24 or even in the evening on Friday, June 25, that's understandable. WHERE CAN I SEE IT? You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies. So, city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. If you can't get a clear vantage, The Virtual Telescope Project will be live-streaming from the skyline above Rome from 5am AEST on Friday, June 25 . The 'strawberry' full moon occur at 4.39am AEST on Friday, June 25 along Australia's east coast — although the moon itself will be visible in the sky all evening before that. For further information, including about timing, head to Timeanddate.com.
UPDATE, Friday, February 7, 2025: Blur: To the End and Blur: Live From Wembley Stadium are both available to stream via DocPlay. In Blur: To the End, headlining London's famous Wembley Stadium is the pinnacle of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree's careers so far. For two nights in July 2023, the Britpop band played their biggest-ever gigs to a crowd of 150,000 — shows that had been a dream not just since the group initially formed in 1988, but when high-school friends Albarn and Coxon watched 1985's iconic Live Aid concert on TV. Blur enjoyed no shortage of highlights in 35 years beforehand, of course; thinking about British music in the 90s means thinking about the foursome instantly. Still, in the latest documentary to turn the camera their way, which is playing big screens in Australia thanks to the 2024 British Film Festival, there's no doubting what standing on Wembley's stage at this point in their journeys, after reinventions, hiatuses, reunions, solo projects and more, means to the band. If the feeling that's written across Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree's faces when To the End finishes could be summed up by a snippet from one of their songs, the "woo hoo!" chorus from 1997 hit 'Song 2' would actually work nicely. That sensation — that immense emotional reaction, too — is evident not only in the intimate doco from Transgressive record label co-founder, filmmaker and lifelong Blur fan Toby L, however. It's also clear in accompanying concert film Blur: Live From Wembley Stadium, which captures the first night's show in like-you're-there detail (including largely sticking close to the band, so that viewers can truly witness what the gig means to them as they work through a two-hour set filled with everything from 'Popscene', 'Girls & Boys', 'Parklife' and 'Country House' to 'This Is a Low', 'To the End', 'Tender', 'The Universal' and 'The Narcissist'). Asked about what that pure joy was like to witness — Albarn comments in the film that the moment was as good as it gets — Toby L stresses how it genuinely did feel like the pinnacle for the band. "I can honestly say yes. And I know that if all four of them were asked that question, they would all agree. Which is amazing, because what must be it like to be at this point in your lives where you feel you've done one of your best albums, and you've done your best and biggest gigs?" he tells Concrete Playground. "I think just on a completely subconscious level for any performer, even if they pretend they don't want to get to that level, I think there's that sense of attainment and achievement that is the zenith of possibility. To not only play it, but to headline it and sell it out, I think it is the bucket list for every artist, potentially, that wants to get to a certain level." "And the feeling in the stadium both nights was so electric. I've been through a lot of big gigs and a lot of stadiums and a lot of festival shows, and they're always fun but, truthfully, sometimes the scale is just hard to make it feel personal and intimate. But somehow those gigs were. And anyone that was there — people that work in the music industry, everyone has recounted how something happened that was next-level in terms of the emotional connection," Toby L continues. "So yeah, it really was what the film portrays, that sense of it being a bit magic, and Damon being quite rarely open about the fact it's kind of the pinnacle, that was the truth. And I feel honoured and privileged to have been part of that in a small way." [caption id="attachment_980200" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Reuben Bastienne-Lewis[/caption] Toby L's own Blur journey also began decades back, as a fan since he was a kid. He has an early tie to Wembley, too, but at the indoor Wembley Arena, which sits next to the stadium. In the 90s, he saw his first-ever live gig at the venue — and yes, at that show when he was at age of ten, he was watching Blur. From his mid-teens, a career linked to music beckoned. He's blogged, founded music sites, organised live events, hosted TV, started his label 20 years back, and directed Olivia Rodrigo's Sour Prom, Rihanna's 777, Liam Gallagher: Knebworth 22 and more. Collaborations Albarn and Coxon first came through Transgressive, before he heard word about Blur's Wembley Stadium shows. That connection didn't mean that Toby L was a sure thing behind the camera when the idea of immortalising the gigs arose. His plan was always exactly what audiences can experience now, though: the full concert experience in one film — plus the path to it, through Blur reuniting in Albarn's country house in Devon to make their first album in eight years, then doing warm-up gigs, playing other festival sets and finally hitting Wembley, in another. The latter eschews the biodoc treatment for the here and now, for four men musing on their twists and turns together and apart, and for diving into friendship and mortality as well. Live From Wembley Stadium and To the End make a helluva pair, which Melburnians can see in a double feature at The Astor Theatre for one night only. How did the band respond to the two-movie plan? How did Toby L carve out a space for To the End when past documentaries such as No Distance Left to Run and Blur: New World Towers exist? How open were Albarn and company to such a close-up approach? We also chatted with the filmmaker about the above — as well as how being a fan shaped his role as a director, ensuring that the concert film felt equally intimate, and the longevity of both Blur and Oasis. ("Let's put it this way: I think Blur were my first band, and working with Liam was also a completely wonderful experience. Totally different. But a wonderful thing," he advises.) On the Pitch to Make Two Films About Blur's Wembley Gigs — and the Band's Reaction "It all stemmed back from me discovering about the gigs on the d-low, as it were. I was with Damon talking about a completely different project, and Wembley came up in discussion. I think he might have cheekily brought it up with that cheeky glint in his eye and his shining gold tooth, probably he was quite excited about the surprise element of it about to hit the newswires. I'd already done some filming with Damon around his second solo album, so he knew that I was in that world slightly. I think I probably quite embarrassingly and tritely said 'I'd love to throw my hat in', quite literally that basic. And I remember him just saying cryptically, both supportively but then also very vaguely, 'I would like that, too'. Then that was it. It wasn't spoken about for with him probably for another six months, during which time I felt that that was enough latitude for me to put a treatment together of what I would do with the documentary and the concert film. The original treatment and proposal that I put together, which was the written treatment, it was quite extensive, it was quite specific, and it stipulated that I felt there were two films. I felt that people would want to see a concert film, almost eternally as an evergreen Blur piece of memorabilia or document of that moment. But then I felt there was an opportunity for a wider story, hence the documentary, which was about getting older and growing up, and reconciling friendship, and mortality, and I guess some deeper human themes. And I just thought that'd be interesting to transpose into the situation Blur were finding themselves in, where they were getting back together for the first time in almost a decade, and they were that much older and about to undertake their biggest challenge yet, which was their biggest-ever gig. So it felt like to me there was a really cool story there that wasn't necessarily predicated on 'and then this album came out in this year, and then they had this fight with Oasis' and all the shit that most people can find on a Wikipedia page. So that was the premise of it, really. It was that — and then me waiting for months and hearing nothing. I thought I might have disgraced myself or embarrassed myself. Then suddenly, quite out of nowhere, I had a breakfast with the band's manager. I thought she was going to let me down because I hadn't heard anything. We're talking about other things and other projects, and then about an hour and a half into two-and-a-half hour breakfast, that's when she dropped the bombshell that they'd gone through the treatments and they thought mine was the strongest, regardless of relationships, which was really flattering. Then I had to have a meeting with all four of them the following week or so to convince them I could do it. Ten days later, we were filming in Devon." On Making To the End to Complement, Not Repeat, Past Documentaries About Blur "In a weird way, there was a relief that No Distance Left to Run had come out. Because that film did the job of 'if you don't know who Blur are or even if you do, here's their story'. It was the legacy story, if you will. It talks the viewer beautifully through how they came to be, and some career highs and lows, and key eras in their career, and the initial downfall. I thought that film did that job, so it was a relief that I didn't have to retread that old ground. But the one thing I felt that was completely up for opportunity was 'where are Blur at now?'. They're mid-to-late 50s, they're about to do, again, genuinely their biggest-ever gigs. There's nothing bigger than doing Wembley Stadium, in a way. So it just felt like this was a pivotal moment to reflect on their present state of being rather than reflecting on their career as a whole. Inevitably there are moments and flashbacks to their career, but really it's all in the context of the here and now. And I guess I wanted to do a bit more of a philosophical, emotional character portrait of the four of them, which I felt hadn't necessarily been done in the other documentaries. The other documentaries, even though this has a specific journey of sorts, they had more of a clear function than an emotional character study. Ultimately, I was lucky that the band were up for going there. Because I could have had this in my head and then, understandably, they might have been like 'fuck off, that's a bit personal'. Thankfully, they didn't respond that way. They understood what the essence of the project was — that my intent wasn't to expose them or show them up, it was to unveil a perspective that many people don't often see in a stadium band, which is the vulnerability and the drive and the motivation behind what it takes to be that kind of individual. And also what it takes to maintain a relationship after such a long time, which isn't easy. A lot of people have this entitlement that bands can and should live forever but, I don't know about you, how would you like it if you were stuffed in a tour bus for years on end even with your closest friends or family, and being forced to smile for the media and perform on no sleep? I think it's going to drive anyone a bit bananas. So I think that's kind of where I was coming from with the project. I was wanting to show something that could create a real bridge between the viewer and the subject, and hopefully a totem of empathy in this fractured age of ours." On the Band's Openness to To the End's Intimate Approach "We all agreed that was the way it was going to be best. That was the way I portrayed it in my treatment, and that was the way they were comfortable with it being captured. I think they had maybe moments before where they've been filmed for other projects and television, where they were just a bit — they're at this point in their career where they don't need to do this, right. It's like they don't need to do any of it. Their career is set. They don't necessarily need to reunite at all. They don't necessarily need to come back with a great album. They don't even necessarily need to make a documentary of any of that activity. But the reason they're doing it is because they want to, and they feel that there's a purpose to it. So equally the filmmaking had to have that element to it. It needed to not be interruptive to the point that the band couldn't do what they needed to do. And it needed to be an honest portrayal and a mirror to their activities. I actually think that's way more interesting than 'let's get the lighting up, let's sit them down, let's ask them the same questions — oh, retake that answer because we didn't get audio'. I just think it's so much more exciting to be in the present. It's technically quite a hard thing to do as a documentary crew because on the one hand, you're trying to be invisible and fly-on-the-wall — but then on the other, you need to also make sure you're guiding the viewer at points so it doesn't just feel like complete empty, vapid voyeurism with no purpose. So it's this tightrope you're walking between being sensitive to what's going on, but then also making sure that you're getting the insights that will contextualise the moment in real time. It's a tough thing to get right, and there are many famous examples of filmmakers being barked out by artists to 'get the eff out of the dressing room'. And that's always the risk, that you go too far or, equally the other way, you don't go far enough and then you haven't really got much to work with. Thankfully, the band were open to that way of working, and I think it's hopefully to the film's credit that the viewer gets that level of intimacy and access that is probably increasingly uncommon in these sorts of projects." On How Seeing Blur at Age Ten and Being a Fan Since Childhood Shaped Directing Two Films About the Band "I think being a fan is really useful, actually, because you just got that knowledge. It's quite an embarrassing, hilarious thing to say, but occasionally there'd be moments where they're trying to recount a song title from 1992 that was the B-side to a single — and being a massive nerd, you can go 'oh, was it this one?'. And then they all look at you and go 'yes, that's what it was'. And the irony is, apart from being vaguely helpful in moments like that, there's also just that sense of trust. You're not there to do a hatchet job. You're not there to trip them up. You're not there to be secretly a dissenting voice that's trying to throw them down. You are a fan. So you're coming at it from a pure place. So then the challenge becomes, in terms of credible filmmaking and documentary-making, how do you straddle that fandom with telling the truth and making sure you're being as objective as any one person can be objective? So that then is probably the other tightrope to walk, ensuring that your enthusiasm and your passion and your love for your subjects doesn't contaminate the need to extract truth, and to make sure that there's an honesty to the whole thing. Because otherwise it could just fall into being sycophancy or just a PR puff piece. And that was another thing we said when we all got together, that we hated documentaries that were too clean and too 'and isn't life perfect'. To that end, I think I really made sure that the enthusiasm of being a fan of the band didn't cloud my judgment. And hopefully anyone that watches it will agree that it's rare to see a band this vulnerable on-camera of their level, and so hopefully people will appreciate the fact that this is definitely a real account of who they are." On Finding Intimacy in Live From Wembley Stadium, Too, to Convey the Experience of Being There to Cinema Audiences "I love the way that you picked up on that approach because that was definitely, again, conscious. I just thought that the worst way to capture this gig was going to make it just be 'look, it's the Wembley Stadium gig, let's have fucking loads of wides and let's make it just look big, and yeah!'. It just felt naff. I also just feel that the art of Blur live is the emotion and the chaos, and then countered by the beauty and the ballads, so the only way to really portray that for me is to have cameras quite close to them. The idea of just dotting the cameras at some distance — obviously we've got lots of dynamic shots at various ranges in the stadium, but most of the cameras, over 50 percent of them, are just in and around the stage, and all on the audience, really close-up on the audience. Because I just thought the story is going to be on stage and the story's going to be in the moshpit. That's going to be where this magic happens. And yeah, we're going to have some big shots at the stadium, yada yada yada, but that stuff's fairly generic to me. You could put those in any concert film of any stadium shoot and it could just apply to stock footage for any artist. But the bit that was special for me was going to be the reactions of the band playing this environment and the excitement of it all — and, again, the audience and their adulation for the moment." On Where You Land on What Gives a Band Longevity When You've Made Films About Both Blur and Oasis "I think obviously it's the songs. I think songs have to permeate not just in the era in which they're conceived, but most truthfully resonate with periods beyond that. A great folk song that was written probably in the 1700s or whatever travels around the hills and finds its way to become a traditional song all around the world, and then eventually becomes blues music. Good songs travel and they last, and I think songwriting is at the core. I think then beyond that, obviously the performance of the song, the recording and the way in which it becomes indelibly linked to people's lives. If you capture the zeitgeist, which both Blur and Oasis did, as examples, it brings people back that were there first time round — or even people that weren't there, they feel that essence of connectivity and culture just resonate in the chords and in the performances and in the vocals. And that's what is effectively bottling magic. That's what music is, it's trying to find magic and it's bottling it, really, either in performance or in recording. Both bands just had that essence of reality. They came at writing and culture in completely different ways, but totally valid respective ways. And they just endured. I know for a fact that you could play most Blur songs to a small child and they're going to enjoy them because the melodies are good. And then most adults are going to connect to them because the themes lyrically still resonate to this day. The album Modern Life Is Rubbish by Blur, that could have been released last week, sadly. And that's ultimately what makes great art: stumbling across something that in the moment feels real, but then for decades onwards still manages to resonate. That's the art of it all, really: trying to find something eternal in the moment. " On What You Learn About Blur When You're Making Not Just One But Two Documentaries About Them "I think you learn that everyone, even if we've all got our own personalities, our own characteristics, we're all kind of the same person really. We all have our own needs and vulnerabilities, and strengths and weaknesses, and really that's what binds us all as a human race. And that's why I think it's so harrowing, the state of the world that we find ourselves in right now. Because I think that there are forces that are trying to falsely attribute disparity to our state of being, when actually we're all fucking similar and that's what we should be focusing on, our common ground, not our points of distinction. I think what I learned was that the fallibility and the brilliance in them is eminently what unites us all. It's kind of in all of us and in all of them. So in that way, it was very grounding. As the ten-year-old fan, what did I learn? I just learned that my favourite band were a great band to get behind. They were really complex in many ways, in terms of their unique quirks and things. They were very, very entertaining and very funny. They were very sweet and emotional people. And, ultimately, there's no other band like them to go on the stage. They really tear it up in a way that I don't think anyone before or since them has been able to do. And so for me, what I learned was, yeah, it was a great band to fall in love with at the age of eight years old or whatever it was." The 2024 British Film Festival tours Australia in November and December, wrapping up on Sunday, December 8. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website. Both Blur: To the End and Blur: Live From Wembley Stadium are playing at the festival's stops across the country, with the Blur double feature showing at Melbourne's Astor Theatre on Saturday, November 16, 2024. Images: Altitude.
Fancy seeing one of Brisbane's most popular spaces in a completely new light? Or, to be more accurate, with more than 22,000 square metres of lights flickering in, around and over the top of its lush greenery? As every home renovation-focused TV show has told us time and time again, a splash of colour can make a world of difference — and, at Roma Street Parkland's returning Enchanted Garden, it can turn an already picturesque space into a glorious festive wonderland. This local favourite pops up year after year, delighting Brisbanites of all ages — and 2022 is no different. This year, you'll be heading along from Friday, November 25–Wednesday, December 21, with the event sticking around for an extended season due to past demand. We all sure do love glowing lights, clearly. Designed to take half an hour to wander through and stretching along a one-kilometre walk, The Enchanted Garden combines custom-made LEDs — plus special effects, light sculptures, lasers, projections and holograms — with an immersive audio soundscape. The aim: getting merry and celebrating nature, with the 2022 installation featuring five sections. One will pay tribute to the parklands' water sections, another focuses on its rock formations, while a third showcases the locale's fig tree avenue. There's also a section that's all about floral art, and one filled with moving shadow sculptures. Unsurprisingly, it's a family-friendly affair — and, like in 2021, there is a fee. You'll pay $7 to head along and stare up at all that dazzling brightness. Once you're in, you can soak up the luminousness for as long as you like. Attendees shouldn't go expecting the kind of setup that you've been ignoring on every street corner in Brissie's suburbs. Lights will twinkle and decorations will sparkle; however, this isn't a tacky DIY display. Nope, not at all. That said, a word of warning: people love all things glittery, so prepare to a heap company. Also, tickets usually get snapped up quickly, with this year's going on sale at 9am on Monday, November 7. Sessions run from 6–9.30pm and, if you're organised enough, you can always pack a picnic, arrive early and enjoy dinner beforehand. Plus, you can BYO drinks to one of the few public places that allows them in our fair town — although Roma Street Parklands' licensed areas are only licensed until 8pm. Food trucks will also be onsite at the Celebration Lawn from 4–9.30pm daily if you don't get around to taking care of your own nosh. The Enchanted Garden returns to Roma Street Parkland from Friday, November 25–Wednesday, December 21. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Monday, November 7 — head to the event's website for further details.
When winter begins to thaw, with leaves growing back on trees and flowers coming into full bloom, we want to celebrate the warmer weather and the world's annual rebirth. And, come September, Australia's biggest festival of spring will roll around. Now in its 34th year, Floriade will once again fill Canberra's Commonwealth Park with more than one million blooms. But this month-long flower festival is more than just smelling the tulips. After a successful introduction last year which saw more than 80 community groups plant a stunning tulip trail through Canberra's suburbs, the Floriade Community initiative will return with an additional 300,000 bulbs and annuals available. While you're in town, you may as well take the time to check out Canberra's best microbreweries, cafes and cultural hotspots, too. Start looking at accomodation ASAP. [caption id="attachment_736041" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Martin Ollman Photography[/caption] Top image: VisitCanberra
"Eventually, I've come to realise that there are bad guys," says Julia Louis-Dreyfus (You Hurt My Feelings) as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the just-dropped teaser trailer for Thunderbolts*. "And there are worse guys," she continues, "and nothing else". So goes the setup for one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next big-screen releases — and it plays with a familiar template. Banding together a disparate group of characters is MCU 101. Teaming up antiheroes to take on worse folks as mandated by the government is also how Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad from DC have played out. The Thunderbolts* version hits cinemas in May 2025 Down Under, also starring Florence Pugh (Dune: Part Two), David Harbour (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story), Sebastian Stan (Dumb Money), Wyatt Russell (Night Swim), Olga Kurylenko (Paradox Effect) and Hannah John-Kamen (Breaking Point) in their Marvel returns. Pugh is back as Yelena Belova after Black Widow and Hawkeye, while Harbour again plays Red Guardian, Stan returns as Bucky Barnes and his The Falcon and the Winter Soldier co-star Russell is back as John Walker. Kurylenko played Taskmaster in Black Widow, too, while John-Kamen's Ghost was part of Ant-Man and the Wasp. This is a flick with a bit of homework, then, if you're keen to know the ins and outs of every character before they get thrust together in Thunderbolts*'s storyline, becoming a band of misfits and going on missions. The film marks the 36th in the MCU, and will follow fellow 2025 release Captain America: Brave New World into picture palaces. Behind the lens on Thunderbolts*: director Jake Schreier, who has helmed episodes of Beef, Minx, the Russell-starring Lodge 49 and more, plus films Paper Towns and Robot & Frank. Marvel has had a light year on the silver screen in 2024, with just Deadpool & Wolverine releasing. That definitely won't be the case in 2025, however, with not only Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* slated to drop, but also The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Check out the first teaser trailer for Thunderbolts* below: Thunderbolts* releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Images: courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
Making the leap from computer screens to gallery walls, digital art is here to stay. Tokyo has a whole museum dedicated to it, and now Brisbane Powerhouse is following suit for a month-long showcase. Displaying in the Visy Foyer and other exhibition spaces, Power to the Pixel runs from Tuesday, January 15 to Sunday, February 17, highlighting the eye-catching work of some of the world's best artists in the medium. Australia, the US, the UK, Brazil and Israel are all represented, with Brisbane games whiz Wren Brier on curation duties. If you've played Jetpack Joyride or Fruit Ninja, then you're familiar with her work. Other featured artists include Melbourne's Paul Robertson, who's particularly fond of geometry and fractals; American Jubilee, who reinvents landscape images in 8- and 16-bit form; and Brazil's Bruno Moraes, who features characters travelling through space heavily in his work. Getting up close and admiring every aspect of these pieces is highly recommended — they've been created one pixel at a time, after all. Image: Paul Robertson.
Ever wondered what words taste like as they roll off the tongue? From the delectable to the putrid, James Wannerton has compiled a smorgasbord of the London Underground. For him, winding through the Tube is a visceral, gastronomic experience. For example, Bond Street is the acidic bite of hair spray, Euston Square is the meaty sweetness of caramelised lamb and Willesden Junction is the translucent texture of evaporated milk. The specificity is astounding. However, it's not just when Wannerton is rocketing through the underground that he is plagued by different tastes, but in daily life as well. For example, he reveals on his website, "If you are called Virginia, Denise, Donna, Helen or Christine, my brain unfortunately places you at a disadvantage. Sorry. I can't help it." Wannerton has lexical-gustatory synaesthesia, a condition characterised by the involuntary taste testing of words; it is the conflation of senses that are normally experienced separately. Though his map may come across as fun and eclectic, Wannerton's process of creating it was a meticulous operation that took 38 years. According to him, some stations required revisiting as tastes and textures change with the general ambience of the station. Further, the flavour map can actually have a pragmatic purpose. Researchers can use resources like this to study links between taste synaesthesia and word formation. You have to admire Wannerton’s commitment to accuracy. However, apparently the London underground is just an appetiser; he has now turned his taste buds towards creating similar diagrams of the New York subway and Toronto network. Via Fast Co.Design.
It's pretty difficult to make a bad film with Paris as your backdrop, but it's nigh on impossible when that backdrop is Paris in the 1920s and the city is brimming with creative royalty like Hemingway and Picasso. Throw Woody Allen into the mix and you're pretty much guaranteed a witty, artfully shot piece of cinematic brilliance. Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris, offers a snapshot of the world's most adored city in its glory days, where avant-garde intersected with the everyday at the height of the Modernist movement. After opening the Cannes film festival in May, this blend of history and fantasy is finally being brought to Australian screens. The film's protagonist, Gil, is played by Owen Wilson, potentially an unlikely candidate for a Woody Allen film since findinga place in mainstream films since his Wes Anderson years. But like your typical Allen protagonist, Gil is utterly dissatisfied with his charmed life. His successful career in Hollywood, his trip to Paris and the beautiful woman on his arm, Inez (played by Rachel McAdams), all offer little pleasure to this jaded writer, yearning to produce a novel to match the literary works of masters gone by. One Parisian night, Gil's fantasy is indulged when he is picked up by a vintage car conveniently doubling as a time machine. The film follows Gil's adventures in the intellectual treasure trove that was Paris in the Roaring Twenties, rubbing shoulders with the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, T. S. Eliot and Salvador Dali. Midnight in Paris will take you on a journey into the Paris of the past - one we all wish we could visit - with cinematography to show off the City of Light as it stands today. To win one of ten single passes to see Midnight in Paris, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=dL95WR4Jzhc
This article is sponsored by our partners, Rekorderlig. Sweden has a lot going on for a small country shrouded in darkness and snow for most of the year. Take a look around at the headliners of music festivals, at the clothes you’re wearing and the cider you’re drinking. You may have more in common with the sauna-loving nation than you’d think. Here are ten elements that define Swedish cool, compiled by Laura Phillips, editor of Mr Wolf Magazine, the journal of Nordic style. Raised in Melbourne, she was lured to the north with a promise of attractive men and affordable smoked salmon. Kanken backpacks Launched in 1978 in response to Swedish school children experiencing back problems, the Kånken is as minimal in design as you get. It’s everything a backpack should be — nothing more, nothing less. The weight of the pack is distributed evenly, its handles make it easy to hold as a handbag, its one front pocket and single internal compartment allow you to organise your keys and your notebook respectively. The fabric, sourced from yacht sail manufacturers in Japan, shifts from crisp to soft and glossed over time, commonly remaining a faithful companion to a Swede for 40 or so years. Saunas If sweating naked in a room full of strangers before plunging into a pool of ice doesn’t sound like you, Sweden will change your mind. Surprisingly relaxing and without doubt refreshing, the sauna is the place to make friends and bond with your fellow Swede. Some saunas, such as the Bjärred Saltsjöbad in southern Sweden, add stunning waterside views and rooftop sun bathing platforms for your cleansing enjoyment. Weekday Denim Forget the US, Sweden is the irrefutable capital of denim. For Swedes, denim is a way of life. No school uniforms and a year-round cool climate has nurtured a national attachment to jeans. It’s no wonder that the leading denim brands are all Swedish owned: H&M, Nudie Jeans, ACNE, Dr. Denim, to name a few. Weekday, responsible for the Cheap Monday label, has designed a jean for everyday of the week, perfect for the daily life of a Swede. Rekorderlig Cider Rekorderlig has captivated the globe with its cult of cider. Its tag line, 'Beautifully Swedish', has converted even the most staunch beer drinker and wine connoisseur to join the cider bandwagon. Savouring the feeling of fresh air, the woods and the comfortable welfare state, Rekorderlig (pronounced re-core-deer-lig) is the ideal accomplice for your induction into the Swedish way of life. Little Dragon Sweden’s recent electro music success is enough to believe the likes of Lykke Li, Robyn, The Knife, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, Adrian Lux and Rebecca & Fiona all hang out with each other, and swap industry tips over fika (see no.7). Groups such as Little Dragon, however, have developed an international following with records characterised by smoothly evocative lyrics. Their self-proclaimed ‘global sound’ is experimental and consistently enjoyable. Their latest album, Nubuma Rubberband, is absolutely worth a listen. Way Out West Festival Every August Sweden’s second biggest city, Gothenburg, plays host to Way Out West, a staple of the Scandinavian summer festival circuit. Swedes are lured outside by the warm weather to dance through the night, dress so well it hurts and keep ahead of the next international Swedish music sensation. Johan & Nystrom Specialty Coffee Concept Store, Stockholm How do Swedes function on winter days with two hours of sunshine? It’s all in the coffee. This is epitomised in the cultural establishment of fika (pronounced fee-ka). A Swede is known to fika multiple times in the day. It’s a ritual of sitting down with a coffee and a cinnamon bun to take a break and socialise with colleges, family and friends. The specialty coffee movement in Stockholm is elevating the quality of the standard cup in Sweden; Stockholm’s Johan & Nyström in particular offer patient education on the art of coffee. ACNE The only kind of acne you want all over you, the Swedish fashion retailer epitomises Swedish minimalism. From its block colours to its clean branding, ACNE sells the composed self-assurance at the essence of Swedish cool. ACNE makes no frills look good. With a legion of loyalists from New York to Melbourne willing to renounce all things obnoxious and studded in the name of Swedish design, it’s onto something. If in doubt, dress head to toe in black and paint your apartment white; you’ve got Swedish minimalism in the bag. Restaurant Tusen at Ramundberget Ski Resort If you could generalise contemporary Swedish architecture at all, an attachment to nature would be the common ingredient. To understand a Swede, you must appreciate a deep connection with the environment. Sweden’s seasons occupy both extremes. As well as the temperature, their year is dictated by serious variation in light, fluctuating between complete darkness in the north during winter and 24 hours on sunlight during the summer. The built environment hence must accommodate for the extremes and adjust for the inhabitants within. Using natural materials and neutral colours such as blond wood and white walls keeps interiors adaptive and simple, allowing the transition from outdoors in to be seamless. The Restauant Tusen at Ramundberget Ski Resport by Hans Murman Arkitekter is a magnificent example. Dads with prams A progressive approach to paternity leave is the cornerstone of Sweden’s culture of gender equality. The result: a lot of dads with prams. Strolling through Stockholm’s hipster haunt, Södermalm, the packs of fathers-with-child would drive the most cynical bachelor to jealousy. No wonder Sweden is in a baby boom. Top image by Rekorderlig ambassador Agnes Thor.
If Brisbane was a man, he'd be rather mysterious to say the least. Sure, up front you might be taken aback by his bi-polar weather patterns (let's celebrate summer...by staying indoors and losing power!) and his Eiffel Tower in the middle of Milton's little Italy (je ne parle pas Italien!). However, take a trip to his suburban ethnic grocery stores and you'd be forgiven for falling in love with his well-travelled and cultured charm. Mr. Brisbane sure knows his haloumi from his Dodoni! Here at Concrete Playground, we've done all the hard work for you, presenting Mr. Brisbane's top 10 ethnic gourmet finds. Hellene Food Brokers Specialty: Olives/Wholesale Hidden in the industrial backstreets of West End, Hellene Food Brokers offers the public top quality products at wholesale prices. Shelves are packed full of Turkish, Greek, and Italian goodies and the smell of spices gets you feeling all giddy inside. You may have to elbow a few eager nannas out of the way to get to the olive bar, but it is well worth it. Wait. Did we just say olive bar? Yes we did. From kalamata to stuffed green olives, a lovely assistant will help you bag your preference from their huge drums of imported salty nuggets. At the back of the store, you'll even find Greek souvlaki BBQ kits complete with rotating motors, so you can DIY your own feast at home. Prices are extremely competitive when buying in bulk, and why wouldn't you want to when everything tastes so good? 2/17 Duncan St, West End; 07 3844 1696; http://www.hellenefood.com.au/ Rosalie Gourmet Market Specialty: Pastries and gifts Otherwise known as Brisbane's boutique food hall, Rosalie Gourmet Market has everything on offer. From the gorgeous fresh flowers that greet you on your way in, the I'll-have-one-of-everything mini patisserie, locally made preserves to the imported Italian boxed chocolates there is absolutely no excuse to walk away empty handed. This is also a great spot to pick up a gift for your food-obsessed friend (or for yourself) as they have a great range of boutique kitchenware. 1/164 Baroona Road, Rosalie; 07 3876 6222; http://www.rosaliegourmet.com.au/ Koz Asian Grocer Specialty: Japanese candy Affectionately known to local university students as the ultimate pre-exam pitstop, Koz is where you will find more Asian snacks than you can Pocky a stick at. For those with a savoury tooth, Koz also offers countless flavours of instant ramen noodles and sachets of Furikake — dry rice condiments made from seaweed and dried fish, bound to make anyone on a tight budget leap for joy. If you are on your fifth week of eating nothing but fifty cent packets of Mi Goreng, then consider this place to take your taste buds to the next level (without breaking the bank.) 85 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane; 07 3220 2677 Kumusha African Store Specialty: Biltong You never know when unexpected guests may arrive at your doorstep. As your mama taught you, it's polite to offer them a cup of tea and possibly something to nibble on. But these days, let's face it, a weak cup of International Roast and stale iced vo-vos just won't cut it. Impress your visitors with South African Biltong wafers and chocolate Romany creams. Kumusha also offers a range of delicious marinades and chutneys, the perfect addition to any BBQ celebration. Stale iced vo-vos be gone! 16/2100 Logan Road, Upper Mount Gravatt; 07 3420 3422; http://www.kumushastore.com.au/ Sourced Grocer Specialty: Middle Eastern Yes, this foodie hipster hang out is awesome. We get it. The food is great and the coffee is pretty damn good too. But did you know that the lovely owners suffer from Middle Eastern fever? It’s a real disease, look it up. It’s right next to Taboulehitis and Hommus Syndrome. Head on over to the back shelves and the evidence is clear: delicious Orange Blossom water from Lebanon, Egyptian Zaatar made from local ingredients, colourful Persian sweets. These are common symptoms of Middle Eastern fever and the only treatment is to stock up on your favourites and consume orally. If you fancy something fresh, Sourced Grocer’s bakery section also carries locally made Afghan bread, perfect as a base for fancy homemade pizzas or as a dipping apparatus to baba ganoush. 11 Florence Street, Newstead; Phone: 3852 6734; www.sourcedgrocer.com.au Banneton Bakery Specialty: Brioche loaf If you can manage to walk through this bakery without physically drooling at their many treats in the window, then we applaud you. If indulging in a tasty breakfast and smooth as silk coffee just isn't enough for you, then Banneton's take-home breads are just what you need to fill that bread-shaped hole in your heart. The brioche loaf, made based on the traditional French recipe of eggs, milk, and butter is so damn popular you may like to call ahead the day before and secure this treasure for yourself. Just a warning though — French toast with this baby will never be the same; birds will sing, unicorns appear at your doorstep, and you will find yourself in a trance of pure bliss. 25 Balaclava Street, Woolloongabba; 07 3393 2111; http://www.banneton.com.au/ Heinz Butcher & Continental Goods Specialty: Smoked meats It seems as though good ol' Heinz has been there since Brisbane was founded. With its antique signs and a shopfront enough to draw in any keen carnivore walking along Stanley Street, Heinz has become a bit of a landmark. It specialises in house-smoked meats and German sausages, and you shouldn't leave here without a few Knackwursts and their signature wood-smoked pork fillet rolled in pepper and herbs. Heinz also offer a selection of ready-to-eat Danish specialties — perfect for those bring-a-plate late-notice dinner parties. 611 Stanley Street, South Brisbane; Phone: 3391 3530; http://www.heinzmeats.com.au/ Hong Lan Asian Food Supplies Specialty: Fresh rice noodles It can happen anytime. To anybody. It can hit you like a fistful of rocks to your pretty little face. Yes, we're talking about the craving of a freshly prepared pad see-ew. Who knows what restaurants are open or nearby when the craving strikes? Lucky for us, Hong Lan Asian Grocer is West End is one of the few places in Brisbane where you can buy fresh rice noodles, silken tofu, kai lan (chinese broccoli), and other fresh herbs without having to make the trek out to Sunnybank. So don't be caught unawares; stock up or spend your 2am cravings thinking of what could have been — a delicious bowl of noodles sitting right there in your lap loving you right back. 56 Vulture Street, West End; 07 3844 4873 Pennisi Cuisine Specialty: Cheese A cheese lovers paradise, Pennisi has an incredible range to satisfy the biggest fanatic from their fresh buffalo mozzarella to their big wheels of Parmiggiano Reggiano. New products are featured regularly and loyal locals are never disappointed as Pennisi is also renown for its consistency in quality. With ample choice, why not bring a basket and fill up before heading out to a nearby picnic spot? There's no doubt your loot will turn heads and bring all the boys to the yard. 17 Balaclava Street, Woollongabba; 07 3891 7643 Maha Latchmi Specialty: Indian sweets Here at Concrete Playground we take no responsibility for getting our readers addicted to the fine delicacies Brisbane has to offer. Be very careful when walking into this little establishment. Maha Latchmi is one of the few Indian shops specialising in desserts and take-home sweets that will have you coming back time and time again. For such a small little shop, the daily variety it offers it quite impressive. As a first-timer, you can't go past freshly made jalebi (deep-fried orange pretzel shaped sweets soaked in sugar syrup) and gulab jamun (deep-fried milk solid dumplings soaked in rose water). If you are looking for a quick fix while trawling the weekend Valley markets, grab one of Maha Latchmi's tasty and filling mango lassis. You've been warned, friends! 24 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley; 07 3216 0142;
When the Goodwill Bridge, then the Neville Bonner Bridge, then the Kangaroo Point Bridge each opened in Brisbane, helping pedestrians get around the River City on foot was high among each structure's aims. Brisbane Festival 2025 clearly applauds that idea. The Queensland capital's major annual arts fest is not only embracing the concept, but is also building upon it. How does an event in a city that adores constructing more and more bridges work that reality into its program? By turning those three aforementioned river crossings into art installations — and featuring them in an art trail. Walk This Way is one of Brisbane Festival's big 2025 highlights. Brisbane art and design duo Craig Redman and Karl Maier, who are globally known as Craig & Karl, have been given the task of transforming the Goodwill, Neville Bonner and Kangaroo Point bridges with large-scale art. With this free part of the fest's program, you'll not only see these structures as you've never seen them before and, of course, mosey along them; you'll also follow the path around the city to other iconic sites. Craig & Karl have an exhibition at Griffith University's Art Museum, celebrating where they first met, on the Brisbane Festival 2025 as well. Across Friday, September 5–Saturday, September 27, there's plenty more in store for the city — 106 productions and 1069 performances, in fact, featuring contributions from 2260 artists. A huge 21 events in the program are world premieres, while more than 39 percent of the lineup is free. After-dark experience Afterglow is among those global debuts, filling the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens with fire sculptures and candlelit installations. Or, catch The Great Gatsby-themed show and pop-up club GATSBY at The Green Light, which is heading to Twelfth Night Theatre to celebrate 100 years since F Scott Fitzgerald's book first hit shelves. Thanks to Gems, which was commissioned by French luxury house Van Cleef & Arpels, Brisbane will witness three specific pieces by acclaimed choreographer Benjamin Millepied and LA Dance Project staged together for the first time ever. Courtesy of Baleen Moondjan, First Nations artist and Bangarra Dance Theatre founder Stephen Page is back home in Brisbane with a production that explores the link between baleen whales and Country — and, fittingly, will be performed in a barge featuring whale bone sculptural elements on the Brisbane River. [caption id="attachment_1008626" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Craig & Karl, Dirty Puppet and Jared Hinz.[/caption] Another must-attend Brisbane Festival show pays tribute to one of the city's beloved Indian restaurants, with A Place in the Sultan's Kitchen not only featuring Joshua Hinton chatting about his family's eatery, but cooking his grandmother's chicken curry live. Fellow standouts include yet another dance must-see in Bad Nature, with Australasian Dance Collective and the Netherlands' Club Guy & Roni teaming up; TINA — A Tropical Love Story's tribute to Tina Turner; the solo debut of Josh Taliani, who is behind House of Alexander; Shake & Stir giving A Midsummer Night's Dream a pop makeover as The Lovers; and Back to Bilo bringing Priya and Nades Nadesalingam and their family's tale to the stage for the first time. Plus, AMPLIFIED: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett is an ode to its namesake, Milestone is William Yang's latest presentation, 100 Guitars gives 2025's festival its mass-participation performance and Community Choir: The Musical does indeed show the love for everyday voices. Roma Street concert series Night at The Parkland has a heap of Aussie talent on its bill, such as ICEHOUSE, Lime Cordiale, Jack River, Xavier Rudd, Amy Shark, Grinspoon and Cut Copy. To catch Odd Mob, CW Stoneking, Wolters, Phantastic Ferniture and more, head to Tivoli in the Round, which is shaking up its stage setup. And, Wunderhorse, Winston Surfshirt and Sarah Blasko are also on Brisbane Festival's program, as are Brisbane Serenades' outdoor concerts at Brisbane Powerhouse, Manly, Moorooka at St Lucia. It wouldn't be a Brisbane Festival without Riverfire, which will light up Brisbane's night sky with fireworks on the event's opening weekend. Also getting everyone looking up, Skylore will be back with another First Nations traditional story taking to the air via 400 drones. [caption id="attachment_1008620" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laurent Philippe[/caption] Top images: JD Lin, Craig & Karl, Lachlan Douglas, Joseph Mayers, George Gittoes, UAVS, Stephanie Coombes, Laura Du Ve and Children of the Revolution.
Mention Caxton Street to a Brisbanite and a few things automatically spring to mind: the football stadium, pubs and seafood, to be specific. No matter how you feel about sports or even booze, the roadway's regular ode to the ocean's finest is always worth a trip to Paddington — and yes, The Caxton Hotel Seafood Festival is back for 2024. This street party loves everything from fish and prawns to oysters and calamari — and tunes, brews and a good time all round as well. On the culinary side of things, expect seafood galore on the menu on Sunday, May 5, including from food trucks, plus all the drinks that the Caxton Hotel serves to wash it down with. Also on the agenda: live music across two stages. Across its beer garden and beyond, the aforementioned pub is driving the whole shindig, with the watering hole a fest staple since the event first launched more than a quarter-century ago. And, while you're sipping brews and cocktails with a soundtrack, and tucking into seafood platters, there will be sports on the big screen — it is The Caxton, after all. Entry is free, but you'll need your wallet for whatever you're eager to eat and drink.
Brisbane band Orphans Orphans are the platypus of the Brisbane music scene. They're made up of five talents from different local bands, and when you put them together, it's kind of weird and wacky, but on some strange level, it works. Composed of Sam Hales (The Jungle Giants), Lewis Stephenson (The Belligerents), Spencer White (Morning Harvey), Aidan Moore (Moses Gunn Collective) and Steve Kempnich (audio engineer and former touring member of Last Dinosaurs and Millions), Orphans Orphans have set themselves up to be the next big thing in Queensland music and they're proving it song by song. Their debut EP What's a Boy S'Posed to Do was released last September, and they've been playing shows across Brisbane as both supports and headliners since they got together. Now, to celebrate how good they've got it going on, Orphans Orphans will be playing at The Brightside on Friday, March 27. They'll be supported by The Family Jordan and local youngster The Missing.
Two decades ago, the live-action Scooby-Doo movie was one of the Gold Coast's big claims to fame. While it was shooting, it was also the reason that plenty of Queenslanders tried to spot Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr and Linda Cardellini IRL, too. And if it also made you wish that you could drive around in a multi-coloured van with your mates — and dog — while solving crimes, you definitely weren't alone. In great news for meddling kids everywhere — well, former meddling kids who are now nostalgic meddling adults — hitting the road in the iconic Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine is actually a real thing that you can currently do. You'll need to swap Australia for a vanning holiday in Southern California, though, and you'll even be hosted by Lillard. In its latest pop culture-themed experience after the Bluey house and the Moulin Rouge! windmill already this year, Airbnb has listed the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine for stays, all to mark the movie's 20th anniversary. The word you're looking for is zoinks, obviously. Having a talking pooch to bunker down with you is optional. Like all of Airbnb's themed stays, this one is only available for a limited time — and by booking in a specific way. It'll be open for three three individual one-night reservations, for two guests per night, from June 24–26. And it'll only cost you AU$28 (US$20), but only if you're lucky enough to score a booking by hopping online from 3am AEST on Friday, June 17. Basically, you'll probably already want to be in the US over those dates anyway — or you'll need to be able to drop everything and make plans faster than Shaggy can pull off some scheming criminal's mask (because there's always a mask). If you do nab a booking, you'll be living like Shaggy and Scooby for a night, including listening to Sugar Ray on a portable CD player, lighting up the van with a lava lamp, soaking in plenty of 70s-style decor and wearing a puka shell necklace. Also included: a virtual greeting from Lillard upon your arrival, all-you-can-eat snacks, a dinner of Shaggy and Scooby faves such as hot dogs and eggplant burgers, and an outdoor lounge hangout area with a hammock. And yes, watching Scooby-Doo is also on the agenda, complete with popcorn, candy and bottomless Scooby Snacks. You'll also play mystery games, of course, because it wouldn't really me a night in the Mystery Machine without a bit of whodunnit action. "I've been channelling Shaggy since the live-action adaptation in 2002, and he's been a part of me ever since," said Lillard. "I can't wait to welcome guests into the world of the Mystery Inc gang as their Airbnb host and give them a summer vacation they'll never forget... monsters not included!" That AU$28 (US$20) price doesn't include getting to and from Southern California, so you'll also need to stump up for flights. While Airbnb has Lillard on the books, if it wanted to get him to host a Scream-themed stay, too — scary movies and all — we'd sign up for that as well. For more information about the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine listing on Airbnb, or to apply to book at 3am AEST on Friday, June 17, head to the Airbnb website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Images: Hogwash Studios/Ja Tescon.
Chocolate gelato works deliciously when you can't choose between chocolate and ice cream. When Easter hits, however, that won't do the trick. Hankering for a chocolate egg, because it's the time of year for it, but also want something creamy and frosty? That's where Gelato Messina's gelato-filled chocolate eggs usually come in. In 2023, the dessert chain whipped up packs with three eggs inside. This year, it's giving everyone the treat that we all coveted when we were kids: a hefty-sized egg. This one is even better than the foil-wrapped supermarket versions, of course, because it comes filled with Messina's gelato. The chain's 2024 Easter offering weighs a kilogram and is designed to serve six (but if you're keen to keep it to yourself, we understand). The shell is made of milk chocolate, which is then painted in bright Messina brand colours. Inside, as made at Messina HQ in Marrickville, is a wealth of flavours and textures. Milo gelato is one of the chain's tastiest varieties, and you'll find it inside this Easter egg. You'll also find Milo mousse as well. Among the other layers, the treat includes Oreo crumble and Oreo cookie chunks, plus malted vanilla chantilly. Finally, there's both hazelnut praline and a hazelnut caramel centre, too. Messina's 2024 Easter eggs can only be ordered online on Monday, March 11 for collection over Easter — of course — between Thursday, March 28–Sunday, March 31. Messina now opens its orders at various times for various places, so you'll want to hop online at 12pm AEDT for Queensland, South Australian, Western Australian and Australian Capital Territory stores; 12.15pm AEDT for Victorian shops; and at either 12.30pm, 12.45pm or 1pm AEDT depending on where you are in New South Wales. Gelato Messina's 2024 gelato Easter eggs are available to order from Monday, March 11 for pick up between Thursday, March 28–Sunday, March 31 — head to the Messina website for further details.
Heading to the Ekka is a different experience for everybody. For long-time locals it can be a nostalgic journey; for country folk it is a big reunion with their fellow farmers; for kids it means conning mum and dad into buying as much junk food for them as possible; and for some it means exploring Queensland’s pedigree animals, and top foods. Whatever food experience you are looking for, the Ekka has it all. Let’s start with the nostalgic journey of Ekka favourites, mostly found at the Royal Snack Bar. Dagwood Dog - found all around the Ekka, the Dagwood Dog (also known as a Pluto Pup in some parts) is your batter-soaked and fried sausage, dipped in tomato sauce. Not the healthiest snack, the Dagwood is an acquired taste, but if you’re into savoury junk on a stick, then the Dagwood is a Wiener. Fairy floss - this can be found all over the showgrounds. Ranging from bucket-size to bags, this cotton candy is mass-produced spun sugar, sure to rot the teeth and give the kids* a sugar comedown at the end of the day. *You, you sugar addict. Strawberry Sundae - definitely the Ekka’s most famous food item, the Strawberry Sundae’s are made in front of your eyes with fresh and beautiful strawberries. The Sundae comes in a cone, which has strawberries down the bottom then topped with vanilla and strawberry ice cream and more strawberries. According to our Ekka expert (my mum) these taste exactly like they did from back when she was working at the Kirks stand in 1965. A compulsory purchase for all Ekka attendees (minus the lactose intolerants). Fresh Butter Sandwiches - no, these are not pieces of bread exclusively covered in butter, these are just sandwiches made with real butter. Another classic, you can purchase delicious toasted sandwiches here. Baked potatoes - just what you’ve always desired – a mobile baked potato. These bad boys are popular, so there may be a line up. Topped in sour cream, cheese and buttery goodness, yet another one of Ekka’s healthy choice snacks. We’ll move on to the gourmet foods now. For those of you after a healthier option, or at least, something where the main ingredient isn’t butter, then you need to head to the Gourmet Harvest. Five local foodies prepare the perfect mix of cuisines to suit all taste buds: CJ’s Pasta serving Italian; Let’s Do Yum Cha serving Chinese; Steakhouse Snackbar serving Australian*; Sultan’s kitchen serving Indian food; and Ii-Naa serving Japanese food. For an entrée, the dumplings at Let’s Do Yum Cha are absolutely delicious – we recommend the pork dumpling, prawn dumpling, and chicken dim sim. At $2.50 each or 5 for $10, for show prices, which are regularly exorbitant, this ain't bad, especially for the quality. The Ekka burger from Steakhouse Snackbar was the perfect meal to give a tiring Ekka attendee a much-needed energy boost. Made with wagyu beef and topped with salad, cheddar and bacon, it is an impressive burger. This will set you back $10. *Steaks, burgers, vegetable stacks. If you like to try a lot of different things, and you want to purchase food to take home with you then you need to go to the Woolworths Pavilion. Full of local food and wine producers keen to sell their wares, the Woolworths Pavilion is not only packed with people, but also a tremendous array of foods to taste and buy. Ranging from beef jerky to olives to fudge, if you are on a budget, you could probably fill yourself up with the samples at these stalls. If you are keen to spend, then this is the place to do it, with enviable deals for fresh and quality produce. The Woolworths Pavilion also hosts the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show cooking demonstrations, with a range of local celebrity chefs taking you through some of their cooking specialties. Finally, if you like to look at food that is made to look like something else, then go no farther than the Agricultural Pavilion. Rows of fruit and vegetables are made into designs by local organisations such as the Scouts and Girls Brigades. Here you can taste the fresh produce and also eat honey right from the beehive - a wonderful and organic experience.
Since 2017 in Sydney, 2018 in Melbourne and 2019 in Brisbane, a trip to Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq has meant stepping inside a circus-themed arcade bar that's primed for kidulting. And, that's still the case; however, once a month from May until November, the chain is ramping its core concepts of circus, arcade fun and nostalgic activities for adults up a few levels. Run by Funlab, the group also responsible for Holey Moley, Strike Bowling and B. Lucky & Sons, Archie Brothers is kicking off a new Showtime event series. After launching on Friday, May 7 in Alexandria, and on Saturday, May 8 in Docklands and Toombul, it'll take place on the second Saturday of each month at each site, turning each venue into an adults-only circus and cocktail pop-up. From 7–10pm at each event, attendees can expect stilt walkers, magicians, burlesque and beverages — and tarot card readers and face painters as well. The lineup of performers will vary depending on the city, but there'll also be juggling and snake charming in Sydney, and mime in Melbourne. Brisbanites can look forward to unicycling, acrobatics, diabolo, balloon modelling and more juggling. The carousel-themed Archie Brothers bar will be pouring Showtime Disco Mirror Ball cocktails, which combine Red Bull, passionfruit, cranberry juice, triple sec, whiskey and lime, while the rest of the chain's usual drinks list will be on offer, too. Food-wise, the theme park and American diner-inspired menu will span sandwiches, pizzas, sliders, onion rings, mac and cheese and other dishes. And, all of Archie Brothers' usual games and activities will be on the agenda, as will prizes. So, you'll be whipping out your Mario Kart skills, hitting the dodgems, bowling and just generally mashing buttons in May, and again come June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9 and November 13. Then, you'll be trading all the tickets you amass for gaming consoles, 90s paraphernalia and more (and there won't be any kids around vying for the same goodies). Showtime at Archie Brothers kicks off on Friday, May 7 in Alexandria, and on Saturday, May 8 in Docklands and Toombul, then runs on the second Saturday of each month until November. To attend, you'll need to book online. Images: Zennieshia Butts.
If you've been making an effort to be kinder to the planet, chances are your daily coffee habits have had a bit of a shakeup of late. Maybe you've said farewell to your last takeaway coffee cup, switched to drinking only fair-trade beans, ditched environmentally harmful coffee pods, or all of the above. Well, now local company Pod & Parcel could just see you change up your coffee game once again. The start-up is the brainchild of three Melbourne business consultants, Ben Goodman, Elliott Haralambous and Jai Felinksi, who wanted to combine the ease of a coffee pod with the quality of specialty coffee — without leaving a nasty impact on the planet. The trio developed a special plant-based pod that is fully biodegradable and compostable, taking just six months to break down, as opposed to the 500 years of its competitors. With an estimated two-to-three million coffee pods consumed daily in Australia alone, that's a whole lot of reasons to switch. Another is the coffee itself. Far from skimping on quality, the trio has collaborated with local coffee roasters to develop its product, so you can enjoy that cafe-level cuppa from the comfort of your home. Choose from a single-origin Guatemalan — with notes of creamy vanilla and blood orange — or a toffee-noted blend of Colombian and Tanzanian beans, among many others. Because it's specialty-grade arabica coffee, it has a back-story, too. Consumers can find out where it came from, how it travelled and exactly when it was roasted. Consider this a budget-friendly alternative to those exxy brews from your local specialty coffee shop, that also challenges big name pod manufacturers like Nespresso. Pod & Parcel's creations come in a swag of different flavours and intensities, available online from around 86 cents per pod. If you fancy saving even more, you can sign up to its Coffee Club, which delivers pods straight to your door.
UPDATE, February 22, 2024: The Queen's Wharf precinct is now due to start opening from August 2024. Sky-high drinks are on offer at plenty of spots around Brisbane, ever since the River City started embracing rooftop bars over the past decade or so. Among Brissie's towering watering holes, Cicada Blu will have you sipping 100 metres above the CBD at the new $3.6-billion Queen's Wharf precinct, however, when it Brisbane's new Sky Deck opens its doors in 2024. The riverside precinct's lofty tourist attraction will fall under The Star's remit, just as the reimagined Fat Noodle, cocktail bar Cherry and Italian eatery Cucina Regina also will. In the latest unveiling of what's to come, The Star has outlined the three venues that'll feature as part of the Sky Deck. As well as Cicada Blu, get ready to spend time at Aloria and Babblers. Your new place for a cocktail with a killer view will sit centrestage on the Sky Deck, welcome in patrons by day and by night, put a particular focus on drinks with botanical infusions and offer tunes by sunset. A lighting installation will give the openair bar even more of a glow than its sunny perch is already bound to, and will take its cues from cloud formations and summer storms. Stopping by for a pre- or post-dinner drink, or just because, is recommended. Located at the western end, Aloria is the Sky Deck's signature restaurant, with beverages also a big attraction. One drawcard: a dedicated martini menu that'll span classics and inventive variations. Another reason to grab a glass: a hefty range of wine, which The Star is dubbing a 'cellar in the sky'. Food-wise, the menu will skew both European and Australian, as cooked in an open kitchen that heroes woodfired and grill dishes, all while using Australian produce. As well as dry-aged steak, seafood will get ample love. If you're after a more relaxed dining experience, that's where Babblers on Sky Deck's eastern side will come in. Here, share bites will be paired with Australian craft beer and wines. Handcrafted flatbreads are the only dish revealed so far, but that gives you an idea of the laidback vibe. And as for the name, it comes from the babbler bird family. All three venues will form part of Sky Deck's 250-metre rooftop runway with a glass-floor viewing platform, and sit atop a precinct that's been in the works for at least eight years now. And the views? Expect a 360-degree vantage out over the Brisbane CBD, Brisbane River, Mt Coot-tha and Moreton Bay. "We have gone above and beyond to consider every detail of each venue and how the trio seamlessly integrate to serve up unforgettable moments in the sky," explains The Star Brisbane General Manager Food & Beverage Dustin Osuch about Aloria, Babblers and Cicada Blu. "Aloria is destination dining redefined, Babblers brings a sense of familiarity through its warmth and charm, and Cicada Blu is the magnetic centre that brings the three together." "From a breezy brunch or long relaxed lunch swapping stories with friends, to sunset soirees, intimate dinner dates or celebrations that continue late into the evening, Sky Deck will deliver endless opportunities for locals and visitors to choose their own adventure." Exactly when the three venues, plus Sky Deck in general and Queen's Wharf overall, will start welcoming in both Brisbanites and tourists hasn't yet been revealed, but April 2024 was the last date floated. When it does launch between Alice, George, Queen and William streets, Queen's Wharf's crowning glory will be located above other dining options, hotels, shops, apartments and a heap of public space. While part of one of Queen's Wharf's resident resorts — it's set to feature four hotels — Sky Deck will be open to the public. Also, it isn't small, with a capacity of 1500 visitors at a time. Expect Brisbane's Sky Deck to be popular. The Queensland Government certainly does, anticipating that an estimated 1.4 million international, interstate and local visitors to the city each year might stop by. As for the rest of the Queen's Wharf Brisbane redevelopment area, it spans across 12 hectares in the CBD, and will include around 50 new bars, cafes and restaurant; a casino; those four aforementioned hotels; approximately 1500 apartments; and a swathe of retailers in a huge new shopping precinct. The full precinct also covers repurposed heritage buildings, plus the Neville Bonner Bridge and Brissie's first riverside bikeway cafe. For Brisbane inhabitants, Queen's Wharf has been in the making for so long — and the construction around it just seems to be taking forever, too — that it feels like it has always been coming. But "let's meet at Queen's Wharf" is something that'll soon be able to be said, including by visitors. Ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, the River City is transformation central, including tearing down and rebuilding the Gabba; renewing and reinvigorating South Bank, complete with a treetop walk, a permanent handmade goods market and new riverside lawns; making over Victoria Park; and revamping and expanding Northshore Hamilton. Also, a new seven-hectare riverside parkland is set to join South Brisbane, QPAC's fifth theatre is under construction and Kangaroo Point is set to score a new green bridge with an overwater bar and restaurant. Queen's Wharf is slated to start opening in the Brisbane CBD from April 2024. We'll update you when a specific date is announced — and you can find out further details in the interim via the development's website.
When the Australian Government introduced an indefinite ban on all overseas travel in late March, Qantas and Jetstar suspended all scheduled international flights and temporarily stood down two-thirds of its staff. Today, Thursday, June 25, the airline has revealed that overseas flights will not takeoff again until at least July 2021. At a press conference this morning, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced 6000 job cuts across all parts of the business and the continued standing down of 15,000 employees until flights return — which, for international flights, won't be for a while. Referencing a report released earlier in the year by an airline industry expert, Joyce said that it is expected to take three years for international travel to return to 2019 levels. "We think international will take a long time," Joyce said. "There'll be nothing this next financial year, July next year we may start seeing some international services and that will only get us to 50 percent. The following year, only two-thirds of the pre-COVID international schedule." [caption id="attachment_773510" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A trip to Japan won't be on the cards until 2021[/caption] The likelihood of international travel not returning for Australians until at least 2021 isn't new, news, though. Earlier this month, Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said as much, telling the National Press Club, "international border restrictions are likely to be there for some time to come" — and that "keeping those border restrictions largely in place is a price we're going to have to pay to keep COVID under control". The good news is that, as has come up frequently over the past few months, implementing a 'travel bubble' with New Zealand — aka reinstating international travel just between the two countries before Australia's international border reopens to all nations worldwide — is still under consideration according to Birmingham. Whether Qantas and Jetstar will run flights across the ditch if a travel bubble is allowed before July 2021 is currently unknown. The airlines will, however, definitely still be running domestic flights — and expect domestic travel to be back to 100 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels by 2022. "We're very optimistic about domestic," Joyce said at the press conference. "The domestic market will get back to maybe 70 percent of pre-COVID levels in the next year and the following year to 100 percent." The airlines have started ramping up domestic flights again and even held a big sale, with one-way flights as cheap as $19, last week. https://twitter.com/Qantas/status/1268341083257233408 It's worth noting, of course, that many of Australia's state borders are still closed. Queensland is working towards reopening to visitors from other states on July 10, although that hasn't been officially confirmed as yet, while the Northern Territory announced it'll reopen on July 17 — and South Australia is slated to do the same on July 20. While Victoria, NSW and the ACT currently have open borders, numerous state health ministers — including NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard today — have encouraged their residents to avoid travel to Victoria, especially to Melbourne's COVID hotspots, as the state has seen a recent uptick in new cases, with 33 recorded in the last 24 hours. Qantas and Jetstar's 6000 job cuts are part of post-COVID-19 recovery plan for the airlines, which also includes the retiring of the remaining 747s six months early and the grounding of 100 aircraft for up to 12 months. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Dating apps are getting more niche by the day, because, let's face it, Tinder isn't for everyone. There's a lot of people out there and meeting up with someone because you both like The Dodo on Facebook is not the most foolproof way to date. But the newest online dating tool to launch in Australia aims to connect people with one big thing in common: they're all vegans or vegetarians. V Love has been founded by entrepreneur and long-time vegan Amber Gouzy, who noticed her own circle struggling with online dating. So she decided to create a service that would be help them meet like-minded people. While the app is primarily for vegans and vegetarians, it's designed to bring together individuals with similar values and help them avoid dates with people who are completely closed off to the idea of vegetarianism. While the app does sound like it's only hitting a small market, data from Roy Morgan Research shows that over ten percent of Australians identify as vegetarian, which is even more evident in New South Wales, where there has been a 30 percent growth in vegetarians since 2012. Market Researcher Euromonitor International has also shown that Australia's packaged vegan food market is currently worth nearly $136 million and is set to reach $215 million by 2020, making the Australian market the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world. Though the food industry in Australia is clearly taking note of this stark increase and specifically responding to the increasing vegetarian population, V Love aims to fill the gap across other sectors. V Love is free to download but a $5.99 monthly subscription fee must be paid to access all features. As with most dating apps, users create a personalised profile, conduct a filtered search and use a 'swipe' method to connect with others. Matches are based on the V Love compatibility algorithm and connects users that live in the same area. Gouzy is planning for worldwide expansion for the app, with the goal of registering 800 downloads/subscriptions in Australia this month alone. V Love is currently available on the App Store and Google Play — it's free to download but has a monthly subscription fee of $5.99 per month. For more info, visit vlove.com.au.
Humans have made a pastime of staring up at the night sky for as long as history can tell us. Unfortunately, the amount of excess light that our big cities leak into the sky makes for pretty poor stargazing conditions on an average night in the inner city. With that in mind, we've scoped out the spots all around Australia where it's still possible to use one's telescope for its intended purpose. Stargazing, that is — not trying to peek at what your neighbours keep behind their curtains. So, find the closest stargazing spot (or book a flight ASAP) and take part in this time-honoured tradition. Sydney Observatory, NSW In terms of physical proximity to the night sky, Sydney Observatory is a pretty good starting point. One of the highest accessible points overlooking Sydney Harbour, its building houses three telescopes — including the oldest working telescope in Australia, which was acquired for the 1874 transit of Venus. The other two are a 42-centimetre computer-controlled lens and, for those of you who prefer gazing at the star closest to us, a telescope that lets you look at the sun. You can get a glimpse through the onsite telescopes on a ticketed guided tour. Otherwise, the Observatory is free to visit and open Wednesday–Saturday from 12–6pm. This is definitely the first step for every would-be Galileo. [caption id="attachment_730726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marc Aragnou via ASNSW[/caption] Wiruna, Blue Mountains, NSW Wiruna is the Astronomical Society of NSW's best-kept secret — if you go to its website, you'll see what we mean. Located on the outskirts of Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains, Wiruna is basically 107 acres of astronomy Christmas. Starry season's greetings, sky-lovers. The ASNSW holds a number of stargazing sessions on weekends throughout the year, and encourages amateurs and old hands alike to come and use the incredible array of equipment they've got stashed up there. The easiest way to get involved is to become a member of the ASNSW — it's a process that requires payments and applications — but allows you to visit this site and others with the group or on your own once you're accredited. [caption id="attachment_730730" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Warrumbungle National Park, Coonabarabran, NSW Warrumbungle National Park is a proper hike (read: a five or six hour drive from Sydney), but it's also a proper dark sky site. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has dedicated funds to limiting light pollution in and around the park and, with these measures in place, Warrumbungle joins the likes of Death Valley National Park in the US and Galloway Forest Park in Scotland as an official dark sky park — that is, one of the top places on the planet to revel in galactic goings-on. Warrumbungle does have its own observatory, but scientists and astronomers have the run of the place after sundown. Amateur astronomy in Warrumbungle is best performed the old-fashioned way, with the humble eyeball (and optional pince-nez). [caption id="attachment_730745" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Graham Hosking via the City of Greater Bendigo[/caption] Leon Mow Dark Sky Site, Heathcote, VIC Located just 1.5 hours drive north of Melbourne, the town of Heathcote boasts some incredibly beautiful skies — and heaps of bush walks, reserves and national parks from which to see it at night. If you take your astronomy very seriously, you can head to Heathcote's Leon Mow Dark Sky Site. The country estate is available for use by Astronomical Society of Victoria members at any time, and they're even welcomed to camp out overnight. Membership will set you back $80 a year or, for non-members, the site is open to the public for free during annual events and meet-ups (just check the website for details). You can BYO telescope or binoculars, or just gaze up — there's plenty of beauty to be seen by the naked eye. [caption id="attachment_730556" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, VIC The breathtaking views to be had on any trip along the Great Ocean Road are hard to beat. But we bet you haven't considered taking this trip after dark. Turns out that the routes along these many rock formations offer a stunning view at night, too. This is especially true at the road's all-star site, the Twelve Apostles. On a clear night, the stargazing is truly awe-inspiring. It won't be the view of these golden cliffs and crumbling pillars that you're used to seeing in photos, but it offers something else altogether — and that a lot of people haven't seen. Look up, listen to the lapping waves and enjoy the rare peace and quiet here. Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, Mt Coot-Tha, QLD Named after the soldier and astronomer who gave Brisbane its name, the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium has been a favourite school tour spot since 1978. If you're a Queenslander, you've definitely been — and it's definitely worth another visit, even if you're well out of class. But unlike school, staring into space here is not only acceptable, it's mandatory. The Cosmic Skydome is the main attraction, under which you'll lean back and send your eyes skywards as informative films tell of black holes, the dark universe, moons and cosmic collisions. Once you've toured the stars, return to earth with a walk through the surrounding Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. [caption id="attachment_730557" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] The Jump-Up Dark Sky Sanctuary, Winton, Queensland The sleepy town of Winton in northwest Queensland is perhaps the number-one stargazing destination in all of Australia — as of April 2019, the town received Australia's first of seven international certifications for a Dark Sky Sanctuary. There are only 22 certified sites worldwide, so it's a particularly impressive win for Aussie shores. The sanctuary is set within the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum at its Jump-Up facility, which is free and open all year round. Here, you can view the spirals of the Milky Way and Orion Arm, as well as the collapse of nebulae and the birth of new stars. Bring along a telescope, binoculars and a picnic — you'll want to stick around for a while. [caption id="attachment_730555" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Charleville Cosmos Centre, Charleville, QLD The tiny town of Charleville — situated a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Brisbane — is home to one of the few observatories where you can stargaze both day and night. When the sun is up, you can attend a range of astronomy tours at the Cosmos Centre, including the sun viewing, which uses a special telescope to let you gaze directly at the surface of our planet's closest star. At night, experiences range from $45 for an Aboriginal night sky story session, up to $130 for personal astronomy tours. Check out clusters, planets, nebulae and, on a good night, the Milky Way. Inside the centre, there are heaps of tours and events going on each day, plus some seriously impressive equipment to boot.
If you want floor to ceiling ocean views at a centrally-located hotel, Crystalbrook Riley is for you. This five-star luxury resort is perched on the Cairns Esplanade, placing you in walking distance of many of the tour operators, restaurants and bars that Cairns has to offer. For a picturesque waterfront wake up, check in to a Panoramic Sea room or Riley's Suite and you'll awaken to uninterrupted views of the Coral Sea and beyond. There's a lush pool that wraps around the entire resort, a day spa to destress at and two in-house restaurants to try — Paper Crane and rooftop bar Rocco. The resort makes an effort to reduce food miles by sourcing 80-percent of ingredients from within a 3.5-hour radius of Cairns, including all of its beef products which come from Crystalbrook's own 85,000-acre cattle station.
If you eagerly drink your way through the taps at most craft beer bars, then a host of tell-tale signs await the next day: headaches, cold sweats, dehydration, a queasy stomach and a strong craving for greasy food, usually. That won't be the case at BrewDog's latest venture, however, with the Scottish brewery opening up the world's first alcohol-free craft beer joint. Called BrewDog AF — with the final two letters standing for "alcohol-free", rather than the other term that instantly popped into your head — the bar launches in London on Monday, January 6. Every one of its 15 taps will pour booze-free brews, focusing on draught craft beer sans alcohol. That includes both zero-percent and 0.5-percent tipples, with the latter also officially classed as alcohol-free. On the menu: BrewDog's 0.5-percent pale ale Nanny State, as well as the alcohol-free version of their flagship Punk IPA, Punk AF. It's also creating two new booze-free brews: a coffee stout called Wake Up Call, and Hazy AF, an alcohol-free version of its New England IPA, Hazy Jane. Alcohol-free spirits and cider will be available too, as will burgers, salads and buffalo wings — and if you're looking for something to do over your booze-free pint, get ready for karaoke and bingo, among other activities. While BrewDog has been busy opening bars and breweries around the globe over the past decade — launching its first Australian site in Brisbane late in 2019, in fact — BrewDog AF marks its first fully alcohol-free venue. It's not London's first booze-free bar, or the world's, but it is the first to focus on alcohol-free (and hangover-free) craft brews. To celebrate that fact, as well as the new range of booze-free beers, the brewery has also dubbed the entire month 'drink all you can Jan' — when it comes to alcohol-free beers, that is. Not only at BrewDog AF, but at all of BrewDog's bars and breweries worldwide, drinkers can score free refills of all alcohol-free beers throughout January. BrewDog AF and its increased non-alcoholic craft brew range forms part of the company's mission to whip up a craft beer for everyone, including folks who like their brews sans booze. As brewery founder James Watt explains, "drinkers opting for low or no alcohol are in danger of compromising on quality, taste and experience. And that's just the beer – forget about places in which to enjoy it. We are going to change that. We exist to be a point of difference, and our first BrewDog AF Bar is just that." Even if a trip to London isn't in your future, BrewDog's new venture is a welcome development for anyone who has tried to forgo alcohol during Dry July, doesn't drink booze but would still like to sink a few cold ones with their mates, or can't imbibe for a number of reasons — medication interactions, other health reasons or just by choice. With non-alcoholic spirits like Seedlip and Brunswick Aces gaining more attention, bars such BrewDog AF are the natural next step. Yes, you can get non-boozy beverages like juice and soft drinks anywhere, but it's not the same as knocking back booze-free beers in a spot that celebrates the drink but not the alcohol. Find the BrewDog AF Bar at the Mews Unit of the Bower Development at 211 Old Street, London, from Monday, January 6 — open 12pm–11pm Sunday–Thursday and 12pm–11.30pm Friday–Saturday. For booze-free beer lovers in Brisbane, BrewDog's first Aussie brewery — DogTap at Murarrie — is serving up unlimited refills of BrewDog alcohol-free beers until January 31.
Remember when your parents threw dinner parties when you were a kid? Your parents had likely planned the menu well in advance, pulled out the good crockery, and cleaned the house in a frenzy. It was gorgeous, of course, but it was also a colossal effort. Thankfully, the popularity of formal dining at home took a nosedive, and now we want the kind of easy and elevated dining experience that Pinterest has championed: relaxed, but still worthy of sharing pictures across the internet. Which brings us a new kind of challenge, when you search 'dinner party ideas' you'll get 275 million results and too many options to choose from. So to help cut through the anxiety you may be feeling about hosting your next dinner party, we've partnered with super premium French vodka Grey Goose to bring you a guide on how to host an elevated evening meal at home that won't cost you your entire pay cheque (or your sanity). Read on for some sensory inspiration. TASTE Arguably the most important part of a dinner party (aside from your guests) is the food and drink, so don't let this part trip you up. Repeat after me: delegation is key. Nobody expects you to do this on your own (and foot the expenses, too), so when people offer to bring something, assign them a dish immediately. Keep it simple with cheese, charcuterie or a salad. For drinks, rest assured that everyone will bring their own beer or wine, so flex your hosting skills by having a pre-dinner cocktail ready for when everyone arrives. So fancy! So adult! The Grey Goose Peach Spritz is an elegant cocktail that's easy to make. Simply build 40ml of Grey Goose Original with 20ml of peach puree, 10ml of lemon juice, 10ml of sugar syrup and 45ml of sparkling rose in a wine glass. Stir and top with a sprig of rosemary. Look at you go! [caption id="attachment_751536" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Creative Commons: Flickr/Eva Coudyser[/caption] SIGHT Your parents were onto something with all those candles they lit at their weekend soirees; lighting really is important. Fairy lights, lamps, tea lights = good ambiance. That dodgy fluro light in the living room = bad vibes. You don't live in a dive bar. Once you've picked out the lights that suit your home, spruce up the rest of the house. Hide any clutter, put something floral on the table, and pull out some old photos. Not only will this serve as decoration, but it'll also work as an ice-breaker for any guests that might not know each other that well. Bonus points if the photos contain questionable haircuts circa 2010. [caption id="attachment_751529" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Creative Commons: Flickr/Marco Verch[/caption] SMELL They say the smell of baking bread is used by real estate agents to attract home buyers — and it's a very comforting aroma. Rather than baking your own loaf of sourdough for the occasion (#toohardbasket), stop by one of the best bakeries in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane and pick up something ready made. Heat it up in the oven, and cut up thick slices to throw on a cheese board. Your gluten-free/low-carb/Keto friends probably won't eat it, but everyone will appreciate the smell. And if your sense of smell is chef-level impressive, see if you can pick out the notes of French baguettes in the Grey Goose vodka, as the same winter wheat is used to make the vodka as bakers use to make the country's famed pastries. [caption id="attachment_751744" align="alignnone" width="1920"] InBed[/caption] TOUCH Two words: table linen. It makes a real difference — and you can create a tactile environment really easily with one throw-over table cloth from linen purveyors like InBed (from $110) to more affordable homewares stores like IKEA (from $19.99). In a pinch, you can always use a picnic rug, or a sarong, to dress the table. Next, create an inviting environment where people can congregate after a big meal. Grab all the blankets from your bedroom, and get some hygge happening. Imagine a pillow fort, but more chic. SOUND When it comes to music, people fall into one of two categories: the effortlessly cool people who have a record player (and a well-curated vinyl collection) and those who rely on the old faithful Spotify and wireless speakers, which wins points for being totally customisable. If you choose to use a music streaming service during dinner, please abide by the cardinal rules: pay for premium (so you don't have pesky ads interrupting the mood) and use 'private session' so you don't add the tracks to your algorithm. Alternatively, rely on pre-made playlists like Front Left; the latest tracks become conversation starters. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX5WTH49Vcnqp[/embed] Upgrade your dinner party by choosing premium vodka Grey Goose. Each bottle is distilled in France, and the high quality vodka has a 100 percent traceable production process, from crop to cork.
Back from a visit to 'Brucefest' in Kyogle, upper NSW — named, fittingly, after my Uncle Bruce — I have seen the glory of the backyard music festival and have returned to spread the word. Brucefest emerged one year ago, simply enough, from my uncle's need to burn off some extra lumber cluttering the paddock. Why not have a bonfire, he thought? On that note, why not have some mates round to watch the bonfire? In fact, why not have some tunes? For that matter, why not build my own stage? Thus, with a little ingenuity, Brucefest was born. While the constructed stage was certainly a testament to the carpentry skills of the Newton clan, the main thing I take away from Brucefest — as I watched my uncle and a ragtag collection of local Kyogle musos spend the night hopping on and off stage, switching easily between drum solos, stoking the bonfire and mingling with the crowd — is that anyone with a few talented mates can do this. Combine a jam session with a few microphones, a crowd of your mates and some open space, and the possibilities are endless. Whether it be a garage-punk do crammed in an inner west back lane or a blues and roots jam in Bruce's back paddock, the home-grown vibe just can't be beat. Without further ado, here's a few dos and don'ts for getting your own 'insert-name-here-Fest' off the ground. DO CONSIDER GOING RURAL If you know someone with a rural property I would infinitely recommend this over your typical suburban lane fest. Yes, it’s oh-so-Melbourne to be crammed into tiny lanes, chilling in the gutter with your longneck in a paper bag, but come on, look at this place. The chance to watch the sun go down behind your very own stage and have room to dance despite the crowds just can’t be beat. DON'T MAKE IT BIGGER THAN YOU CAN HANDLE The whole idea of a backyard music festival is that it's small enough that you and your mates can run it. Make sure you've got a setting that can actually fit the amount of people you're wanting and won't have the cops shutting you down in a half hour. You'll probably find that you and your mates and the bands and their mates are pretty much all you need. Remember, when the music stops, the clean-up begins. Note: Public Facebook pages are your enemy. DON'T FORGET TO PLAN THE STAGE We can’t all be carpenters like my moustachioed Uncle Bruce, (although sometimes we really want to be). So if you’re wanting to construct a stage that isn’t going to collapse underneath your best act and electrocute the bassist, then you had best put a little thought into the technical side of things. Have a think about how you're planning on hooking up your bands to power, whether you’re going to be needing some lighting and (if you’re playing on a grassy knoll) how you’re going to keep your bands out of the mud. DON'T STRESS TOO MUCH ABOUT MAKING A LINEUP THAT FLOWS The beauty of a backyard fest is that there are no rules. Recruit anyone you know who you want to hear and enjoy the freedom to put together bands that would otherwise never be on the same stage. I guarantee you that you know more good musicians than you think you do and that you'll have more fun watching your mates merge reggae with punk than you would listening to a tight lineup intended to please the crowd. From experience, the best part of your night is going to be when every single guitarist present jumps the stage to play the 'Johnny Be Good' solo simultaneously. DO/DON'T HAVE A BONFIRE This one’s a little less than clean cut. On the one hand: it's cold at night and bonfires are magical things. Burning off your extra lumber pile will provide a surprising amount of heat for your frost-bitten crowd and keep you going through the night. On the other hand: Do not have a bonfire. If you are not on a rural property and you have never managed a bonfire before, then bonfires are not your jam. It’s all fun and games until a stray spark lands on an inner west terrace and you’ve gone and burnt the whole neighbourhood down. DON'T ORGANISE THE FOOD YOURSELF What, are you crazy? You’ll spend the whole day in the kitchen and checking supplies and you will miss the whole thing, regardless of whether or not you think you have catering skills of my Aunt Judy. You don't. Either get people to bring their own or sort out a food truck that wants in on the day. DO REMEMBER TO TELL THE NEIGHBOURS Might seem like a hassle, but if you don’t get the neighbours on board with what you’re planning in advance, then you’re just going to get shut down by the cops before you get to the good stuff. If you’re living rural and your neighbours are a 10 minute drive down the road, then the only thing you have to remember is not to freak out the livestock. Which brings us, finally, to... DO REMEMBER TO TURN THE ELECTRIC FENCES OFF Though remember that if you turn the electric fences off, the livestock may come for a listen. Holding a rural fest might mean making a choice between zapping your mates and sharing a dance with a few friendly cows. Livestock and crowds are never the best mix, but I can promise you that when you see two little girls dancing around that bright white wire, you'll be more than happy to know that the fence is turned off. If your four-legged friends pay you a visit, just treat them with respect and let them bask in the tunes. I know from experience they are big fans of a good Tracy Chapman cover, the big softies. Top image: Dollar Photo Club. Other images and videos by Elise Newton.
As fun as it is, Easter isn't just about staying home and eating chocolate. Given that most of us have four days off, it's also a great time for a road trip. In keeping with the eating and drinking theme, might we suggest a cheese, wine and food festival? If heading to the Sunshine Coast sounds like your idea of fun, then the Kenilworth Cheese, Wine & Food Fest should be your first destination. Sample cheese and wine all day long, watch cooking demonstrations, and enjoy some live music. And then there's the cheese rolling contest, which is exactly what it sounds like. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Looking for somewhere to take a splash Down Under but feeling spoiled for choice thanks to Australia's thousands of beaches? Here's one way to pick where to head: Manly Beach in Sydney has just been anointed the seventh best beach in the world for 2024, and also the best beach in the South Pacific for this year as well. Tripadvisor bestowed the honours, as part of its annual lineup of top coastal spots. The New South Wales choice is the only Aussie destination to make the global top ten and top 25. Australia has form with the travel website's picks. Back in 2017, Whitehaven Beach ranked 17th. Jump to 2021 and the same Queensland spot came in first, with Turquoise Bay in Exmouth, Western Australia in sixth. Then, in 2022, the WA beach ranked third in the world. The state was also home to Australia's best-placed piece of shoreline in 2023, when Cable Beach came in third. [caption id="attachment_891589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Manly Beach[/caption] Manly Beach was recognised as the world's seventh-best beach for 2024 and Australia's top beach for 2024 partly for being a good spot for walking and shopping in the vicinity. Tripadvisor also recommends that heading along between March–May and September–November is better for temperatures and sparser crowds. In 2024, Manly Beach sits behind Portugal's Praia da Falésia in Olhos de Agua, which was named the number-one beach for the year — plus Spiaggia dei Conigli in Lampedusa, Italy in second; La Concha Beach, San Sebastian, Donostia, Spain in third; Ka'anapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii, US in fourth; and Grace Bay Beach in Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos in fifth. In sixth: Anse Lazio on Praslin Island in the Seychelles. From the full top 25, beaches in Aruba, Cuba, Mexico, Iceland, Brazil, Costa Rica, Greece and Tanzania are among the other places to earn a spot on the list. [caption id="attachment_891588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cable Beach[/caption] Among South Pacific beaches, Manly Beach emerged victorious over Cable Beach, as well as five other Aussie locations and one from New Zealand. Queensland was home to four of the Australian picks, thanks to Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas, Surfers Paradise Beach, Mooloolaba Beach and Whitehaven Beach. The other: Emily Bay on Norfolk Island. Aotearoa's recognition came via Mt Maunganui Main Beach. The two beaches deemed the best in the South Pacific that aren't from Down Under? Matira Beach on Society Island in Bora Bora, French Polynesia, which placed third and Piscine Naturelle, Ile Des Pins, New Caledonia, which came in eighth. Across both the worldwide and South Pacific rankings, winners were chosen as part of Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice awards, which is based on millions of reviews and ratings left on the online platform from October 2022–September 2023. [caption id="attachment_891592" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whitehaven Beach[/caption] Top 25 Beaches in the World for 2024: Praia da Falésia, Olhos de Agua, Portugal Spiaggia dei Conigli, Lampedusa, Italy La Concha Beach, San Sebastian, Donostia, Spain Ka'anapali Beach, Lahaina, Hawaii, US Grace Bay Beach, Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos Anse Lazio, Praslin Island, Seychelles Manly Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Eagle Beach, Palm-Eagle Beach, Aruba Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, Florida, US Varadero Beach, Varadero, Cuba Playa Pilar, Cayo Guillermo, Jardines del Rey Archipelago Balandra Beach, La Paz, Mexico Reynisfjara Beach, Vik, Iceland Poipu Beach Park, Poipu, Koloa, Kauai, Hawai Seven Mile Beach, Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands Playa de Las Canteras, Gran Canaria, Spain Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Playa Manuel Antonio, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica Falassarna Beach, Crete, Greece Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar Island, Tanzania Kelingking Beach, Nusa Penida, Indonesia Nissi Beach, Ayia Napa, Cyprus Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia, Greece Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico Muro Alto Beach, Porto de Galinhas, Brazil Top Ten Beaches in the South Pacific for 2024: Manly Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia, Australia Matira Beach, Society Island, Bora Bora, French Polynesia Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia Surfers Paradise Beach, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia Mooloolaba Beach, Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Queensland, Australia Piscine Naturelle, Ile Des Pins, New Caledonia Emily Bay, Norfolk Island, Australia Mt Maunganui Main Beach, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand [caption id="attachment_891590" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matira Beach[/caption] [caption id="attachment_891591" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mooloolaba Beach[/caption] To check out the full list of top beaches for 2024, head to Tripadvisor. Images: Getty Images / Tripadvisor. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
South Brisbane's newest watering hole happily shortens its name from Saccharomyces Beer Cafe to SBC — and after a few drinks, you probably will too. Tasting whatever the taps happen to be pouring that week is the main attraction, after all. Ten options are on offer at a time, though it might be best not to try all of them in one visit. Don't stress — you'll want to return to the Fish Lane hangout's sleek interiors, and not just when the kegs are switched over. Knocking back tasty craft beverages isn't all SBC is about. There's also the food that helps the spot earn the cafe part of its moniker, even if it's more of a beer hall or a gastropub than a regular eatery. With a rotating menu, feasting is an ever-changing affair here as well. Expect whatever is in season to pop up, though chef Johanna Possumah isn't shy about throwing in some Indonesian flavour. Candied bacon rosettes on a hotcake bed with maple infused berries don't just sound like the breakfast special your mornings need, but look and taste the part too. Later in the day, wings, tacos, sliders and more feature — aka the perfect nosh to accompany a freshly poured pint, or a few.
In Dan Bradley’s Red Dawn, a surprising remake of the 1984 classic starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, a city wakes to the alarming sight of foreign parachuting shocktroops dropping from the sky. The USA has been invaded by North Korea and Spokena, Washington, is their initial target. Determined to fight back rather than surrender, a group of young teenagers, including US Marine on leave, Jed (Chris Hemsworth) and his football player brother, Matt (Josh Peck), take refuge in nearby woodland; training and organizing themselves into a tactical, guerrilla group. Taking influence from their high school mascot they become the Wolverines, and hope to band together to take down their captors. Used to parties and nights in playing Call Of Duty, the teenagers must live the virtual lives they live from the comfort of their sofas, with real bullets, and enemies that fire back. Red Dawn is in cinemas now and also stars Josh Hutcherson from The Hunger Games and our own Isabel Lucas.
It's one of the world's biggest sporting goods retail brands, found in over 30 countries and dubbed by many as 'the ALDI of activewear'. And now, France's famed Decathlon — which launched an online store here last year — has physically hit Aussie shores, yesterday opening the doors to an enormous Sydney flagship store. Located in Tempe Retail Park next to Ikea, the new space is a monster 3800 square metres, stocked with an impressive 7000 sport-related products and promising savings galore. And to see locals happily through the festive season, it's set to stay open 24/7 for the next two weeks. If you've got a sports nut or fitness fiend in your life, put this one at the very top of your Christmas shopping hit-list. CEO of Decathlon Australia Mr Olivier Robinet said that the company wants to make sport accessible to all locals. "Australians are some of the most active people in the world, the whole country is like a playground," he explained. "Until now many Australians have had to spend hundreds of dollars to get a quality product. Decathlon has now changed this." So how cheap is it? Well, a pair of yoga pants range will set you back between $12 and $40, while a two-person tent is $30. More than just a standard store, Decathlon's Tempe venue also features dedicated active zones, where customers can roadtest certain products, and its own community sporting areas, where local sports clubs can host sign-up days, barbecues and fundraising events. Find Decathlon at Tempe Retail Park, 634–726 Princes Highway, Tempe. The store will be open 24/7 in the lead-up to Christmas and then 5am till midnight in 2018. For more info, visit decathlon.com.au. Image: Decathlon via Facebook.
Wine lovers visiting New Zealand's biggest city are truly spoilt for choice. A cluster of award-winning and family-owned vineyards sit less than an hour's drive from the CBD, making it the perfect destination for your next short break. Dotted among the hillsides and bays of northern Auckland, Matakana has a warm climate that produces elegant reds — there are 28 varieties planted in the region, which makes it one of the most diverse wine growing areas in New Zealand. Here you'll find the only vineyard in the country to specialise solely in Italian grapes, French-inspired drops and an elaborate 'if you build it, they will come' sculpture park. Flights to Auckland from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are super short — around three-and-a-half hours on average — and Air New Zealand flies direct from all three cities and offers great everyday fares. SCULPTUREUM A Nike-wearing alligator, inspirational quotes from Steve Jobs, an exotic bird aviary and an 80-seat restaurant — Sculptureum isn't your average vineyard. After 12 years of design and development, Auckland-based lawyers Anthony and Sandra Grant opened the doors to their elaborate 'if you build it, they will come' space. The 25-acre site is located less than five minutes' drive from the Matakana village en route to Omaha (north of Auckland). After strolling through art-filled gardens, seeing a massive chandelier created by American glass artist Dale Chihuly and spotting large rabbits in a grassy arena named Rabbiton, it'll finally be time to sit down for a wine. On a sun-soaked hill beyond the gardens is the vineyard that produces Sculptureum's award-winning wines. Current varietals available include chardonnay, Bordeaux blend, syrah and rosé. They're best enjoyed by the glass with a meal at on-site restaurant Rothko — though you can always grab a bottle for later, too. BRICK BAY WINERY Brick Bay is another spot that incorporates boutique wines, a sculpture trail and a top-notch restaurant. Nestled amidst a patchwork of native bush and farmland, the winery is a magical setting for a short break out of the city. For a little over 32 years, the brand has made a name for itself crafting sustainable wines, notably the classic pinot gris and berry-driven rosé. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, tastings are held any time at on-site restaurant The Glasshouse for $8. Designed by respected architect Noel Lane, the building is exactly as the name suggests — a light-filled glass box, which sits over a lily-filled pond. For an additional fee, you'll also be given the opportunity to stroll around the sculpture trail and see work by some of New Zealand's top contemporary sculptors, including Paul Dibble, Terry Stringer and Judy Darraugh. The full trail takes around an hour to complete. HERON'S FLIGHT Heron's Flight is the only vineyard in New Zealand to specialise solely in Italian grapes. The winery was established 31 years ago by David Hoskins, whose work as a chemist, philosopher and winemaker makes him quite the renaissance man. Heron's Flight has been consistently committed to sustainable winemaking and can be found in the wine lists of top restaurants up and down New Zealand. Heron's Flight works with two grape varieties: sangiovese, which translates to 'the blood of Jupiter', and dolcetto, a variety which is often both dry and full-bodied. Tastings are available seven days a week, excluding public holidays. MATAKANA ESTATE Matakana Estate has been around since the boutique wine region first sprung to light more than 30 years ago. Under the care of Australian winemaker Richard Robson, the estate produces stylish, full-bodied chardonnay, syrah and pinot gris. With expansive views over the vineyard — the largest in the region — the tasting room is one of the most popular to visit for an afternoon of sniffing and swirling. That said, it's recommended to call ahead if you're looking to try a specific varietal. If you haven't sorted transportation for your return journey, the estate boasts a luxury lodge, which stands proudly on a ridge overlooking the Matakana valley and hills. It has room for up to eight merry guests. RUNNER DUCK ESTATE Runner Duck Estate is a boutique vineyard nestled in the Matakana valley, specialising in small quantities of French-inspired syrah, Bordeaux blends, pinot gris, sangiovese and rosé. After leaving behind a successful business in Mumbai and purchasing the estate, it was the objective of owners Clyde and Farida to produce a small amount of iconic red wine that would impress the world's most discerning wine drinkers. Staying true to their word, the pair will not produce wine under the label unless the year been outstanding. The estate's cellar door can be found at celebrated vineyard restaurant, Plume, which offers tastings of any five wines for $7 per person. Alternatively, tastings are free with any bottled purchased. Book your flights to Auckland with Air New Zealand and start planning your next long weekend away. Plus, Vinomofo has released a case of wine featuring six delicious wines representing the diverse and unique sub-regions of Waiheke, Kumeu and Matakana. Every case has a one in 50 chance of winning return flights to Auckland (from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane). T&Cs apply.
Let’s be honest here, Brisbane is pretty underrated by the rest of the ‘it’ towns in terms of who has and who has not got the coolest markets. Sure, we might have a lot of markets consisting of marquee-style stalls selling handmade soaps, dream catchers and heat packs, but we have so much more too. With the weather getting milder every day now, there is no better time to discover some of the best markets around without the fear of being baked alive in the process. So without further ado, here is Concrete Playground's guide to the best markets in our city. 1. Finders Keepers Markets When: Bi-Annually (Autumn/Winter & Spring/Summer) The Finders Keepers Markets are some of the most highly sort out markets in Australia and Brisbane is lucky enough to play host twice a year. The free markets showcase the work of amazingly talented emerging designers and artists from all around Australia and New Zealand. The whole event is like walking around in a real life Frankie Magazine – a lot of awesome design with just the perfect amount of kitsch mixed in for good measure. With a laidback festival feel, the markets even have great live music, a café/ bar and amazing food stalls. It’s clear that there is an incredible passion for high quality, independent design that’s consistent throughout the markets and which they maintain year after year. If you are looking for one-offs and high quality unique pieces you can’t find anywhere else, the Finders Keepers Markets are definitely for you. 2. Suitcase Rummage When: First Sunday of every month, 12pm – 5pm. On the first Sunday of every month, Reddacliff Place plays host to the Suitcase Rummage – a market that, as the name might suggest, encourages you to make like your grandma and have a rummage through goods sold from old suitcases. There’s so much wonderment to be had with retro finds, unique artwork, bric-a-brac, clothing, books, jewellery, seconds, records, cupcakes…you name it! Not only will you find all of these goods at a bargain price, you are also welcome to swap or have a bit of an old fashioned haggle. Make sure you head down early to find all the best stuff before some other savvy individual gets there first. You can also register to sell your own suitcase full of goods. 3. Black Markets at Black Bear Lodge When: First Saturday of every month, 12pm – 5pm. Remember the Troubadour? So many memories, I go all fuzzy inside and start giggling like a schoolgirl with the amount of nostalgia locked away in that place. Although the Troubadour might be gone, in its stead is the wonderful Black Bear Lodge – a mix of the old Troub covered with smatterings of Twin Peaks style deco. Going all gooey inside at the thought? Well there’s more! Black Bear Lodge is more than just an indie hot spot for nightlife and live music, they also play host to artisan markets every month. These aren’t your regular markets, which typically cater to girls and crafty types. The Black Markets feature records, poster art, zines, handmade guitar pedals and collaged shirts along with local emerging fashion and designers. Curated by the girls at Velvet Pins, the markets are a collection of some of the most eclectic goods in Brisbane. Come enjoy a coffee or boutique beer and soak up the snuggly cabin style vibe whilst browsing some covetable wares. Black Bear Lodge is sure to bring about a nostalgia all of its own in years to come. 4. Bleeding Heart City Markets When: First Friday of every month, 10am – 4pm. City markets seem to be enjoying a moment in the sun at the moment as CBD inhabitants relish in the opportunity to purchase something found outside the surrounding chain stores. The latest market to pop up in the area is courtesy of Bleeding Hearts Cafe and Art Gallery, an artisan retail store dedicated to funding charitable and community enterprise. The Bleeding Hearts Markets take place on the first Friday of every month and will offer an assorted mix of handmade items and art from local artisans, who will set up shop along the gallery veranda and in the front garden. Get your hands on some new and exclusive prints, illustrations, jewellery, accessories, children's clothing and toys and meet the talented people responsible for these clever crafts. 5. Kerbside Markets When: Sundays monthly, from 12pm. We all remember the days when the Brunswick St Valley markets were actually good. Or maybe we were just young and naïve. Either way, there is another alternative to get your Valley market fix on a Sunday afternoon. The Kerbside Markets are a monthly Sunday afternoon laneway market held at the uber cool Kerbside bar on Constance St. Not only do the markets manage to incorporate a distinctive mix of vintage wares with both booze and BBQ goodness, there’s also no bulk imported cheap stuff in sight. Chill out at the bar, take a couch seat or filter through the loveliness on offer. With 20+ stalls, there’s sure to be something that tickles your fancy. 6. Junk Bar Trash and Treasure Markets When: Monthly, 10.30am – 3.30pm Junk Bar, a living room-esque hole-in-the-wall bar, has got everything you need for it to be your new favourite hang out. It’s got good music, walls covered in forest wallpaper, an assortment of vintage lamps and couches, a delicious array of cocktails and bonus points for its fringe of the City location. This Ashgrove-based home-away-from-home also plays host to monthly trash and treasure markets where you can score some of the finest vintage finds and off casts. Stall holders utilise the unique space and furniture of the bar in a creative way to best show off their wares which include one-of-a-kind vintage and pre-loved clothing, records, art, bric-a-brac, books, jewellery, hand-made items, badges, greeting cards, vintage photos and cameras. Get out of the house without feeling like you really left at all. 7. Brisbane Vintage Fair When: Annually in March Maybe it’s the collective nostalgia or the desire to reuse and recycle that draws people to vintage attire? More realistically, the love for vintage is probably inspired by the knowledge that fashion will never again be as good as it was in the yesteryear. Whatever your reason for loving vintage fashion, Brisbane’s vintage aficionados can get their fix of fashion at the Brisbane Vintage Fashion Fair at Eagle Farm Racecourse. Whether you're seeking a specific vintage item, just want to add some difference to your wardrobe or just get amongst the colourful crowd, this fashion fair is set to have something for everyone. With best-dressed comps, vintage tunes and bubbly at the bar you can dip back into the past and grab yourself a fabulous gem. Vintage fashion never gets old. 8. West End Twilight Markets When: 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, 4pm – 9pm. Despite the often-questionable locals and hordes of hippies, West End just can’t seem to shake its laidback cool vibe. Plus, those West Enders sure know how to throw one hell of a market. Already renowned for their wonderful farmers' markets, West End also play host to the West End Twilight Markets. A specialty marketplace, the West End Twilight Markets feature a diverse mix of treasures, food and live performance. Every second Saturday afternoon you can head down to the reclaimed Hangar on the corner of Wilson and Boundary streets for an enchanting evening. With a unique focus on sustainability, engagement and local talent, these markets are a wonderfully relaxing event filled with community spirit and all sorts of ethical, fair-trade, one-of-a-kind goodies to be found. 9. Young Designer Markets at South Bank When: First Sunday of every month, 10am – 4pm. If you’ve never been to the Young Designer Markets in South Bank and you have in any way associated them with the regular South Bank Markets, forget it. While the South Bank Markets are the home of the lame middle-aged marquees selling candles and tie-dye fisherman pants, the Young Designers Markets are where you go to find some of Brisbane’s hottest up-and-coming student designers before the make it big. Consisting of over 40 stalls of clothing, accessories, homewares, object design and art, you are also getting the chance to meet and buy direct from the talent. Show your support for our bourgeoning fashion and design scene whilst scoring one-of-a-kind pieces from Brisbane’s incredibly talented youngsters. 10. BrisStyle Indie Markets When: Every second month, 5pm – 9pm. If you prefer your markets twilight style, then Brisbane has another edition to add to the growing list of night time markets. The BrisStyle Indie Twilight Markets are the perfect place to find all sorts of crafty handmade trinkets and oddments galore, browsing by lantern light at our very own King George Square. BrisStyle is a collection of talented crafters and designers from Queensland who sell their wares through Etsy, but these creatives want more than just an online presence so every second month they set up shop in the heart of the city to show their wares to all under the stars. Meander through the stalls of over sixty emerging and established local artisans, all 100% hand made in Australia.
Treat yo'self to something sweet, help save one of Australia's most beloved animals: that's what's on the menu right now thanks to Lindt. The brand has just launched a limited-edition item that not only looks adorable, but also assists a great cause — with its new koala-shaped chocolates raising funds for the Australian Koala Foundation. Everyone knows Lindt's gold Easter bunnies, so consider this the suitably silver and thoroughly Aussie version, all to support the AKF's work to ensure the Aussie marsupial's survival. Beneath that shimmering foil and its cute red ribbon with a heart-shaped pendant, the 100-gram chocolate is shaped like a koala, obviously. It's hollow inside, but you'll taste notes of both caramel and honey within the milk chocolate itself. For each koala purchased — with the new choccies only available via Lindt's retail stores and its website — the brand is donating $1 to the AKF. And, for every dollar that Lindt donates, AKF is matching it. Those funds are specifically earmarked for the foundation's 'Koala Kiss Project', which is all about finding where the species' fragmented habitat comes close to joining up, then regenerating the landscape to create a koala conservation corridor — with the first stage of the project focusing on developing software and collaborating with scientists to plot out all those 'kiss points' over a 1.5-million-square-kilometres patch between Cairns and Melbourne. "The Lindt koala is more than just chocolate. We want our Lindt koala to raise awareness and educate the community of the important role the Australian Koala Foundation plays in the long-term survival of our beloved native animal," said Lindt Australia CEO Michael Schai. "If we achieve contiguous habitat across the entire stretch of the koala range, then all creatures great and small could traverse through the bush unthreatened. With over 30 years of research behind the Koala Habitat Map, AKF's next grand vision could redirect the fate of the koala," added Deborah Tabart OAM, Chair of Australian Koala Foundation. "Lindt's support will help kickstart those efforts, with an ultimate vision to save the koala with 'kisses' through chocolate." Lindt's chocolate koalas are available to purchase for $6.25 at Lindt stores and via the Lindt website for a limited time.
Spy movies and intrigue go hand in hand. Matthew Vaughn should know. With Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The King's Man and now Argylle, the British filmmaker has spent a decade bringing the espionage world to the big screen with splashy flair. His latest secret-agent caper isn't just filled with twists in its plot, however. The story around it has been earning its own interest and speculation, including the possibility that Taylor Swift penned the book that it's based on. There's no truth to that rumour, however, but it was a helluva way to get everyone talking about Argylle before it even hit cinemas. The fact that there's many tales about Argylle's genesis IRL befits the twisty spy caper, which stacks narratives within narratives gleefully. Chatting with Concrete Playground, Vaughn describes the film by referring to the Harry Potter franchise. If you imagine that its author "met a wizard for real and the wizard went 'you got a lot of it right, you get a lot of it wrong, and I'm going to take you on adventure," the Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class director explains, then that's Argylle. "And by the way, Voldemort wants to kill you — let's go." Within the movie, writer Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World Dominion) has done the penning. Her bestselling saga is also called Argylle, about a suave operative of the same name. The fourth book has freshly hit shelves and she's putting the finishing touches on the fifth novel, but real-life agents are now after her because she knows her stuff a little too well. Elly Conway is also the name adorning the Argylle text that's in bookstores everywhere off-screen, with little other information about the scribe initially given. Hence the Swift conjecture, although the reality is that novelists Terry Hayes (I Am Pilgrim) and Tammy Cohen (They All Fall Down) are behind it, as revealed shortly after the feature started playing to audiences. So, Argylle sparks another spy saga for Vaughn, who isn't one to back away from something he loves. See also: his role as the producer on Guy Ritchie's early pictures, not only including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, but also Swept Away; bringing not just one but two Mark Millar comics to the screen in Kick-Ass and Kingsman; and his Taron Egerton ties, producing Eddie the Eagle, Rocketman and Tetris starring his Kingsman lead. And, Argylle spun a gambit around its own existence. It's also home to an impressive cast, and links in with the glorious Sam Rockwell dancing meme. [caption id="attachment_940444" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Green/Getty Images for Universal Pictures[/caption] Henry Cavill (The Witcher), Dua Lipa (Barbie), John Cena (Freelance), Ariana DeBose (Wish), Sofia Boutella (Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire), Samuel L Jackson (The Marvels), Catherine O'Hara (Pain Hustlers), Bryan Cranston (Asteroid City), Richard E Grant (Saltburn), Rob Delaney (Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One), Vaughn and his wife Claudia Schiffer's own cat: they're all featured. As for Rockwell (See How They Run), he plays Aidan Wilde, the agent trying to keep the film's Elly alive after nefarious forces put a target on her back. If you rightly believe that all Sam Rockwell-starring flicks should require him to bust out his fondness for fancy footwork, as the actor himself clearly does, Vaughn obliges in Argylle. We chatted to the director about the tale behind the film's source material, that cast and Rockwell's smooth moves — so, from taking inspiration from pandemic viewings of 80s action-adventure comedies to imagining Sean Connery and Roger Moore in the movie, and also making a female-led action flick that didn't feel like the character had just been gender-swapped from a male protagonist. On Argylle's Secretive Source Material — Which Isn't Written by Taylor Swift — and Vaughn's Broader Inspiration The truth behind the IRL Elly Conway mystery has now been unveiled, with Hayes and Cohen's names made public, and no mention of Swift to be heard. But Vaughn's story about the film's origins involves throwing it back several decades — and, doing what we were all doing at the beginning of the pandemic, aka viewing old movies at home. "I watched Romancing the Stone with my kids during lockdown and they were like 'why can't you make a movie that's a really good feel-good action-adventure film?'. And I said 'well, I guess I could'," he notes. "And then the manuscript came of the book, and then the script arrived as well, which is similar in the idea — and it was about a book and an author, and there was another book. And I thought 'god, I'm gonna create the meta universe of all universes here. I'm going to do it in the spy world." Cue the aforementioned wizard analogy "but translating that into a spy world — and off we went to the races," Vaughn advises. "The book has just come out, and the book's great. The movie is about book four and book five, and book one has just been published." "It was just me wanting to push the boundaries and try and do an original spy movie — or, should we say, a novel spy film." On How Vaughn Imagines His Characters Before He Starts Casting Given the hefty list of well-known names that've starred in Vaughn's work — a pre-Bond Daniel Craig (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) in Layer Cake among them — audiences might expect that the filmmaker has his cast in mind early. But he actually approaches his features by picturing icons in the parts first, then matching today's talents accordingly. "I always imagine movie legends, because it's easier that way — and then I haven't got the baggage of real actors of my generation. So for example, Henry Cavill, when we were writing Argylle, I was imagining he was a mixture of Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Those two Bonds could be cut in half and spliced together. You have the humour, but the toughness together. So Henry Cavill, I knew he could do that," Vaughn explains. "Sam Rockwell as Aidan Wilde, I was really imagining primarily Gene Wilder but with a bit of Bill Murray and Jack Nicholson. So that became Aidan Wilde. And so on and so on." This isn't a new approach for Argylle. "Even in Kingsman, I did it. David Niven was the inspiration for Kingsman," says Vaughn. On Bringing Together Argylle's Star-Studded On-Screen Talent Once the director has done his spot of fantasy casting with film legends, how does he pick their counterparts? That's where his connections do come in handy. "What happens with actors, I knew Henry Cavill and I knew Sam Jackson, so that means I could call them up, pick up the phone and call them, and they said yes. And Bryce — I've done two movies with Bryce as well. So those were just phone calls," informs Vaughn. "And then Cranston. I think when I got Cranston, it was amazing. He's like an actor's actor — and Rockwell," he continues, noting that getting the Breaking Bad star and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winner onboard was like catnip for other cast members, "It was interesting watching — you can hear other actors going 'Rockwell and Cranston, I want to be in that film'. So it was just great." On Getting Sam Rockwell Not Just Playing a Spy, But Playing a Dancing Spy It's been true for decades, and gloriously: to watch Rockwell on-screen is to watch him dance. The music video for Flight Facilities' 'Down to Earth' deployed his skills, but the 2015 clip for the Australian duo's song capitalised upon a reputation built in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Moon, Charlie's Angels, Matchstick Men, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and more. Indeed, Rockwell rarely makes a movie that doesn't involve him dancing. Argylle busting out bops pre-dated Rockwell's casting, however. "It was definitely in the script. But Rockwell is like a dog with a bone when it comes to dancing — just give him an inch and he's taking a mile, and he will dance all day long," Vaughn observes. "But in this one, I wanted to do some action sequences that celebrated beauty and feminism — something where it's action sequences that a woman would be playing." "What's happened in Hollywood and in a lot of the movies, the female characters, all they did was change the name. The idea is that Philip becomes Philippa, or James becomes Jane, and that's it." "And I'm like 'well, I want to be more than that'. And I thought again, instead of John Wick-style action, let's do something where some people will think it's cringey and weird, but I think it's fun and beautiful." Argylle opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, February 1. Read our review.
For the past decade, spy films have been Matthew Vaughn's caper, thanks to Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and The King's Man until now. With Argylle, he's still being playful with a genre that he clearly loves but isn't precious about, and he's also approaching espionage antics from another angle. 80s action-adventure comedy Romancing the Stone, which isn't about secret intelligence operatives, is one of this page-to-screen effort's blatant inspirations. Something that both do have at their centres: writers caught up in scenarios that would usually only happen on paper. 2022's The Lost City took the same route — but Argylle throws in a touch of North by Northwest, and also gets meta about its own origins. And no, Taylor Swift didn't write the source material. For his eighth feature, which hits 20 years after he made his directorial debut with the Daniel Craig (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery)-starring Layer Cake, Vaughn adapts the novel that gives Argylle its name; however, the specifics aren't quite that simple. The IRL title is only being published as the flick hits cinemas, starting a franchise on the shelf. That said, the film — which is similarly aiming to begin a series — jumps to a later as-yet-unreleased book. Those tomes are credited to Elly Conway, which is the name of the movie version of Argylle's protagonist. In the feature, Elly is also an author who has written a saga about spies. Back in reality, who she really is has sparked a frenzy, hence the theories that she could be one of the world's biggest pop stars amid a massive world tour and a huge concert film. Again, despite Swifties' dreams, that speculation needs to be shaken off. To recap, this is the spiel: Vaughn directs a picture from a book saga that's just reaching shelves, doesn't kick off with the initial tome and works in an iteration of its mystery author. Within the movie, Elly (Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World Dominion) isn't an unknown but she is happiest out of the limelight, as turning down a date for an evening at home writing with her Scottish Fold cat Alfie illustrates early. Her in-film novels are already smashes, with just one problem. As she discovers after penning the draft of her fifth book just after readers get their hands on the fourth, and much to her surprise, her plots bear more than a little resemblance to reality. So informs actual agent Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell, See How They Run), who also advises that a villainous espionage outfit called The Division is after her because her texts are so prophetic. To add another layer to the Argylle trifle, Elly sees her fictional agent — the eponymous Argylle (Henry Cavill, The Witcher) — beyond her imagination. He's a Bond-type right down to the bar altercation with a femme fatale (Dua Lipa, Barbie). He's also a Mission: Impossible-style sort thanks to the team around him, including a trusty offsider (John Cena, Freelance) and tech guru (Ariana DeBose, Wish). With towering flat-topped hair, Argylle is a knowing spoof in a self-aware comedy, too. He's the stereotypical dashing vision of the undercover world, as juxtaposed with Aidan, who is introduced all scruffy and beardy on a train, blending in and earning Elly's incredulity when he says that spying is his gambit. The more that she gets pulled into the covert world, Argylle is also a blatant contrast to the writer herself; that there's more than one type of hero thrums within screenwriter Jason Fuchs' (Wonder Woman) script. More twists, more reveals, more zigzagging here and there (and, of course, everywhere) slip into a narrative that's unique in a way that's rare of late, especially when it comes to spies, action and big-budget big-screen fare. Argylle might be reaching screens with that did-Swift sheen and seemingly everyone that Vaughn knows in the cast — Cavill was in Stardust, Howard in the Vaughn-produced Rocketman, and Sofia Boutella (Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire) and Samuel L Jackson (The Marvels) both have a place in the Kingsman realm — but it isn't an already-known property. That said, there's a game of connect the dots at work for anyone who has seen any action flicks this century, spotting familiar parts. Still, with the visual flair that he's been known for since making the switch from solely producing (including Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch), Vaughn leans into the fun and spectacle of it all. This strives to be a just-go-with-it affair, putting its audience in the same situation as Elly as she tries to stay alive, outwit The Division, and work out what's going on and why. Howard, Rockwell, Catherine O'Hara (Pain Hustlers) as Elly's mother and Bryan Cranston (Asteroid City) as the head honcho overseeing the quest to capture the author: they all help make Argylle easy to spend time with. Rockwell, though, is the feature's mood ring. He's having a ball with the looseness that made him such a captivating performer long before he had a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and he nails Argylle's aimed-for vibe. His Confessions of a Dangerous Mind casting two decades back also comes to mind. Yes, he dances as he adores to, multiple times. He's always giddily entertaining. That Argylle doesn't earn the same label consistently is partly down to its running time: it might've more often if there wasn't 139 minutes of it. If the whole film all seems gleefully OTT, with its winks, nods, parodies, nesting-doll setup, more-is-more embrace of extravagant fights and frays — and kinetic chases and confrontations as well — and unconvincing CGI around the cat, Vaughn and his wife Claudia Schiffer's own, that's also been Vaughn's caper for even longer than he's been playing with spooks. In bringing Kick-Ass to the screen from Mark Millar's comic, then the latter's Kingsman afterwards, plus helming X-Men: First Class in the middle, the filmmaker hasn't been one for the grounded approach. It doesn't always pay off for him. The first Kingsman was undone by its ending, the second a subpar carbon copy and the two pictures' prequel thoroughly superfluous. But the energy of the cast, the Romancing the Stone throwback, plus standout setpieces involving skating through oil on knives and pirouetting through a gunfight amid rainbow-hued smoke grenades, prove both a lot and mostly enough to start off Vaughn's latest espionage franchise.
After a near-sold out first spin around the Brisbane river in 2017, Sydney's permanent floating venue, Seadeck, is once again heading north. From May 12 until mid September, the glamorous vessel will be cruising through Brissie waters for another season of luxe parties and hangouts. Missed Seadeck last time? It's been up and running in Sydney Harbour since October 2016 — after almost two years, 10,000 nautical miles, a run in with Egyptian pirates and a stint in liquor licence limbo. The boat's first venture up Australia's east coast resulted in an 11-week Brisbane stint, and it clearly just can't keep away. The vessel spans 42 metres, can accommodate 410 passengers and is the epitome of handcrafted luxury — from the handmade tiles and custom-designed brass bar to the bespoke furniture from every corner of the glove, everything you see was tailored for floating. Even the palm trees, standing four metres tall, took a dozen specialists to make to the right specifications. Each of the three decks is connected by sweeping staircases and cast iron lace railings, an homage to Hollywood's golden age of the '20s, '30s and '40s. Yes, the word 'swank' should come to mind. Seadeck's second Brisbane visit will start on Saturday, May 12 with an afternoon cruise at 1.45pm. Tickets, available from the Seadeck website, start from $25 general admission on Friday nights (which also includes a tour of the city's lights) and Sunday afternoons, and $40 general admission on Saturdays. If you're feeling the need to blow some serious dosh, VIP packages and hosted bottle service is also available. By Marissa Ciampi, Lauren Vadnjal and Sarah Ward.
Sydney minimalist chill house trio Movement have fired a flare, significantly showing up on All The Radars in the last year. Following a hugely successful run of shows supporting Solange and Nicolas Jaar's Darkside with their self-titled EP, Jesse Ward, Lewis Wade and Sean Walker will embark on their own national headliner tour to herald their shiny new offering, Like Lust, out today via Modular and streaming below. The lads from Movement were kind enough to share their EP celebrations with Concrete Playground, fixing us up with a solid playlist of their go-to tracks right now to kickstart the listening party. We figure you've now got enough beats and smooth vocals to keep you going for the next hour or so, cheers dudes. 1. Earn — Childish Gambino (Violet Frosted Remix) "Somebody on YouTube has pitched shifted Childish Gambino's tracks — got a lot of hate for doing so — but we love it." https://youtube.com/watch?v=gQpMJwpOV9A 2. Kelela — Send Me Out "Quality production and songwriting." 3. Kwabs — Pray for Love "We really value the vocals." 4. Zoo Kid — Out Getting Ribs "Real track with a real sound." https://youtube.com/watch?v=L9wLrAtcd6Y 5. Nathan Adams & Black Coffee — Afraid of the Dark "The harmonies... we adore." https://youtube.com/watch?v=_OlIBzIir6k After that generous dose of influence, Movement's hugely anticipated new EP Like Lust is out today via Modular — and was seriously worth the wait. Just be sure to find a significant pair of cans to crank it with, this is some straight-up smooth production — recorded at home and optimized by Canadian producer and The Weeknd foil Illangelo. Four tracks of laidback chill house with some seriously silky vocals, Like Lust is full of wonderfully unexpected moments (most notably the face-melting guitar solo at the end of 'Ivory'). Take a listen below. CATCH MOVEMENT ON TOUR: 22 May - Shebeen, Melbourne - Tickets available via Shebeen. 23 May - Cats @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide 30 May - Spectrum, Sydney - Tickets available via Oztix. 5 June - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane - Tickets available via Oztix. 6 June - Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
What is music? This curious question might be asked by the youngest of us, the oldest, and almost everyone, ever. The forever rhetorical question has not even been answered or its meaning brought into question when involved in the Tribal Theatre's last hurrah, but we're gonna go with it anyway. I have a question for you: did you know that the Tribal Theatre had a bomb shelter? Who even has bomb shelters these days? My mind goes back Ned Flanders' bomb shelter for some reason... anyway, it's best to be prepared for impending doom, and sadly, in this instance the doom is the Tribal Theatre's closure. The old Dendy cinemas on George Street were given a new lease of life earlier last year under the Tribal moniker, and are about to change hands once again – but it's unsure if it will return as cinemas. There'll be plenty of performing artists, sound artworks and even a DJ set to get the underground a pumpin', including the curiously named bands Company Fuck and Meat Thump. What better way to celebrate the triumphs the little cinema that could has made (hosting theme nights, presenting BIFF and becoming a wedding venue) than to ponder what music is, whilst acting like it's the end of the world? You might even find the answer.
It's been more than a year since Welcome to Bowen Hills first opened its doors, and the permanent food truck park is still offering new reasons to stop by. Late in 2018, it added both an onsite pizza joint and a whole heap of arcade games to the mix, and now it's combining the two in the best possible way. On Thursdays until the end of June, you can head along to Bottomless Pizza and Pinnies night, delivering exactly what the name suggests. If the name sounds familiar, that's because the venue ran something similar with pale ale in February and March. While it has ditched the brews, it's still offering up a bargain. "I wish I could eat more slices" and "I just don't want to stop hitting those flippers" aren't things that you'll be saying here. Yes, the main attractions are all endless. For $15, attendees will enjoy as much of Harry's Pizza's finest as they can handle — and the same applies to playing pinball, NBA, Pac-Man and the other games around the place. If that sounds like your ideal way to spend an evening, the fun runs from 7pm each week. Image: Adam Shaw. Updated April 28.
Capable of tearing it up with a screamalong feedback-fuelled tune or turning things down with a snuggly acoustic ballad, Sydney's rambunctious garage crew Palms are one of the country's surefire good time live shows. If you haven't burled along to 'The Summer is Done With Us', scratched up your vocal chords with 'Love' or dived into All The Feels with 'In the Morning', you're in for a warm, sweaty introduction. The brainchild of Ex-Red Riders Al Grigg and Tom Wallace, the foursome released their debut album Step Brothers last August. Currently working on their follow-up, the lads were getting a little stir crazy. According to their Facey-B: "Because we get bored easily, and because it's been about a year since we put out our debut album Step Brothers, and because we missed yas, and because we missed sleeping on our mates' couches, drinking their beers and washing irregularly, we decided to hit the road." One for fans of fuzzy, gazey fun like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Twerps or Bleeding Knees Club, Palms crank a mean, loud live show. Likely to trial material from the upcoming second album, this is set to be a tour-before-the-follow-up type of deal — meaning no holds barred, pressure off, get loose type of fun.
There'll be rockin' in the free world on April 28 — or, at The Triffid, to be exact. The Newstead venue is throwing one of their now-legendary celebrations of absolutely legendary musicians. In the spotlight this time is the man that keeps searchin' for a heart of gold, Neil Young. Halfway, Good Oak, Dana, Gehrman & The Honey Sliders, Phil Smith & The Lights and The Predators are on the bill at Like a Hurricane: A Tribute to Neil Young, and the latter is particularly exciting. The local rockers feature Haugie and JC from Powderfinger — well, the latter does own the joint, after all. They'll all do their best to do justice to Young's enormous array of tracks, and they'll keep The Triff's tribute series flowing. Previous gigs have showered the love on Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, The Cure, Pink Floyd, The Clash, Metallica, Iggy Pop, The Go-Betweens and Radiohead. Yep, these shows are always something special.
There are days when the Brisbane art scene needs to count its blessings for having Metro Arts under its banner. They consistently bring home some of Australia’s best names in art, and their latest exhibition is true testament to their pulling power. FLEET brings to Brisbane Sydney-based can-do-no-wrong visual arts collective OK YEAH COOL GREAT, who have curated pieces from 12 interstate contemporary artists working in collaborative duos. Duos Darren Seltmann and Vicky Browne, Kylie Banyard and Ron Adams, SuperKaleidoscope (Kim Fasher and Sarah Mosca), Charles Dennington and Tully Arnot, Todd Robinson and Mark Titmarsh, and Monika Behrens and Rochelle Haley present a mix of experience, talents and times in Metro Arts' FLEET. The pieces mirror their collaborations — there’s distortion, collision and the exploration of alternative representation through various mediums. Sculpture meets painting, video meets performance, and two becomes one in this collaborative exhibition. FLEET opens Wednesday, October 22, at 6pm, with the opportunity to hear from the artists at the opening event. OKAY YEAH COOL GREAT will perform on Friday, November 7, as part of Friday Night: November at Metro Arts.
As Pedro Almodóvar sees it, every aspect of life is filled with emotion and mystery. Sentiment and suspense ooze through his movies – although it's not just his narratives that inspire intrigue, or speak volumes about desire, loss, longing and guilt. With a command of style that matches his storytelling abilities, each shade of colour, each textured surface, each intimate close-up and each patient pause reveals and teases, too. The writer-director asks audiences to do more than watch; he wants viewers of his films to probe, to question and — above all else — to feel. It's little wonder, then, that Almodóvar's career has been built upon affairs of the heart and matters weighing on the mind, with his twentieth feature sticking to familiar territory. After sky-high camp comedy misfire I'm So Excited, Julieta unpacks the life of its eponymous figure with hints of the darkness that made the horror-tinged The Skin I Live In so thrilling, and with ample doses of the contemplation and inner drama that have served the Spanish filmmaker so well. First glimpsed in middle age, Julieta (Emma Suárez) is preparing to leave Madrid with her boyfriend (Darío Grandinetti) when she crosses paths with an old friend of her now-estranged daughter. Memories of other times swirl up, derailing her plans and motivating a move into a building the two inhabited years earlier. There, as she comes as close as she can to living in the past, she puts pen to paper to recount her tale. The film brings her recollections to the screen, as a younger Julieta (Adriana Ugarte) meets fisherman Xoan (Daniel Grao) on a train, settles in a seaside village, and forges a happy but short-lived existence. Complex relationships, contentment stolen away by a painful fate, and previous tragedies colouring future decisions – yes, Julieta proves a classic Almodóvar effort through and through, as it fuses three separate short stories from Alice Munro's 2004 book Runaway into one vivid and involving whole. Of course, from the moment the movie opens with the sight of the red fabric of one of Julieta's dresses, its visuals fall into the same category. And while there's little about Julieta that challenges its director or will surprise his fans, it still offers an evocative example of a craftsman doing what he does well. That Julieta largely unravels as expected in both its narrative and in Almodóvar's approach doesn't dampen its vibrancy. Indeed, appearing to so closely follow his own formula might just be by design. That increasingly seems the case whenever the film's performances capture attention, with both Suárez and Ugarte demonstrating devastating nuance. Not only do they provide two different takes on the titular character, but, in the process, they also represent the present and past of Almodóvar's long line of on-screen women. He's long been recognised for exploring female-centric stories and drawing potent performances out of his actresses. As he lets his two leads energise and complicate the film as necessary, he showcases their talent as well as the quiet evolution of his various heroines.
If you’ve been keeping up with Brisbane’s live music exports, you’ll be no stranger to Kite String Tangle. With his groove-abusive beats, and vibrant angles on conventional electo-sound, he’s one of our cities finest musical crafters, and is finally receiving the overwhelming national credit he’s long deserved – hand him the key to the city already Newman. Kite String Tangle has strings pulling him all around the nation – from festivals to sold out gigs – and now he’s home, and ready to throw some dance beats around the neighbourhood. The Zoo will be hosting his homecoming – tiara’s encouraged, and you can jog along for the cheap and chips price of $19.40. If you’ve read this entire piece, thinking who the heck is Kite String Tangle, you are a loser – sorry. But seriously, get on board, and discover the best piece of musical meat on the Brisbane beat buffet. Check out Kite String Tangle’s 'Given the Chance'
Death is everywhere in The Book Thief: sometimes shown, usually implied and — every so often — speaking as its narrator. There is death in the film's opening scene, and there is death again at its end, yet early denunciations have labelled it 'Holocaust lite' or 'Holocaust kitsch', with one critic going so far as to call it "a preposterously sanitised portrait of hardship and war". If these criticisms (of which there have been many) were to be distilled into one pure, refined quibble, it would be that The Book Thief is simply too nice for a story that, at least in part, touches upon the Holocaust. Is it Schindler's List? No, but let's be clear: it's not even remotely trying to be. Directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey), this is a PG film, based on a young adult novel and told from the perspective of a 13-year-old German girl. Neither the bestselling book by Markus Zusak nor the film adaptation ever set out to tell the same old conventionally harrowing and affecting war narrative, because — presumably — that story has already been told so many times before. Instead, it presents the moving, imaginative and even charming tale of a child's profound love of literature and its ability to transport, enlighten, incriminate, incite and inspire its reader. That child is Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nelisse), who's put up for adoption after her communist mother is forced to flee the Nazi purge. Liesel's brother dies en route to their new home with the elderly Hubermanns (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson), and from the outset it's clear she has an ally in the playful Hans and a challenge in his irascible wife Rosa. She also quickly befriends her snowy-haired neighbour and champion runner Rudy (Nico Liersch), whose idolisation of African-American sprinter Jesse Owens places him at odds with local the Nazi Party officials. Most importantly, though, Liesel begins to learn how to read, and together with Hans she quickly discovers the infinite joys and rewards to be found in books. Her first is picked up on the day of her brother's funeral, the next, rescued from the ashes of a book burning event. Each book tells a story, yet also has a story of its own, and none more so than the copy of Mein Kampf possessed by Max (Ben Schnetzer), a Jewish man kept safe and hidden by the Hubermanns. Which brings us again to the accusation of 'Holocaust kitsch'. Max's torment is prolonged and palpable, drifting close to death on multiple occasions through exhaustion, malnourishment, exposure and the unremitting threat of discovery. Worst of all, he spends — quite literally — years living in the Hubermanns' basement without even a single opportunity to breathe fresh air or once see the sky. Had The Book Thief been told from his perspective, it would have been every bit the despairing and wretched tale so many apparently seek, yet it would not have been the tale told to Zusak by his grandparents and which he, in turn, wished to tell the world. If many of these critics are to be believed, the only way you're permitted to tell a Holocaust story is through bleak imagery, solemn dialogue and a complete lack of tenderness. The Book Thief, much like 1997's Life Is Beautiful, offers a different perspective. Through the extraordinarily talented Nelisse, we see a scared, confused and compassionate girl attempting to make sense of the senseless. The horrors befalling so many around her aren't explicitly shown, but our knowledge of them, matched with the meticulously recreated settings, contributes to a beautiful and largely original tale of one family's bravery, decency and humanity. https://youtube.com/watch?v=hEnLF-pCybw
It has been a busy year for Russian incompetence, on-screen at least. After Chernobyl so blisteringly explored 1986's devastating nuclear reactor explosion and its widespread fallout, Kursk jumps forward to 2000's submarine disaster, where 118 sailors lost their lives during the sinking of a nuclear-powered vessel. The arrival of both the HBO mini-series and now this film in such short succession is a clear sign of the times — as Russia's influence, especially of the covert kind, continues to loom over world affairs, interrogating the country's high-profile misfortunes is hardly an unexpected trend. Today's filmmakers can't force certain parties in power to take Russian election meddling seriously, but they can examine how the world's largest nation by area has dealt with its own catastrophes. Kursk, like Chernobyl, doesn't provide a flattering portrait. In August 2000, as part of the first major Russian naval exercise since the fall of the Soviet Union, Oscar-class K-141 submarine Kursk descended into the ocean's depths. Although it was merely participating in training, it carried live combat weapons, including practice torpedoes — and when one exploded onboard, it set off a chain reaction that would strand the vessel at the bottom of the Barents Sea. Those who survived the initial blast were stuck waiting. First, they waited for Russian authorities to realise what had happened, which took hours. Then, as water seeped in, and supplies and oxygen dwindled, they bided their time as repeated rescue efforts floundered. Ever-protective of their military technology, and just as determined to assert that they could take care of the problem themselves, the Russian Navy even refused international assistance, making the trapped men wait longer still. That's how Thomas Vinterberg tells the tale of the Kursk, with the Danish filmmaker teaming up with Saving Private Ryan screenwriter Robert Rodat to adapt Robert Moore's non-fiction book A Time to Die. For the sake of heightened drama, some facts and timelines have been massaged, however the overall premise — that a Russian submarine sank, the country was poorly equipped to handle it and people paid with their lives — remains. So too does the notion of a nation more concerned with perception than its population; one in which citizens are expected to prove their unflinching patriotism by paying the ultimate price, but where the government won't dare risk its reputation to save them in return. Understandably, this damning truth lingers over every moment of Kursk, making an already sombre story even more so. Indeed, it's as evident on-screen as the grey colour scheme, the oppressive pressure felt in the movie's submarine scenes, and the use of different aspect ratios to send an emotional message. While he's working with a budget far beyond anything he might've dreamed of, or wanted, back when he co-founded the fiercely independent Dogme 95 cinema movement with Lars von Trier, Vinterberg is in comfortable thematic territory. Boasting a resume littered with moral quandaries, including the recent The Hunt and Far from the Madding Crowd, the writer-director has always been a keen observer of folks in a bind. That's what captain-lieutenant Mikhail Averin (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his men find themselves in, to put it mildly, as the clock ticks down and the end we all know is coming inches closer. Meanwhile, Mikhail's wife Tanya (Léa Seydoux) fights for both action and answers back above sea level, numerous admirals (Max von Sydow and Peter Simonischek, primarily) either toe or flout the government line, and offers of British help by Commodore David Russell (Colin Firth) keep falling on stubborn ears. Kursk doesn't spend enough time with any one person to be called a character study, and its broad scope necessitates more than a few shortcuts and cliches. When the movie opens with the sound of gasping breaths, only to show Mikhail timing how long his pre-teen son Misha (Artemiy Spiridonov) can stay underwater in the bathtub, it's an obvious move, for example. Still, in serving up an overview of the disaster's affected parties, and cycling between them as they endeavour to weather the horrific situation, Vinterberg's film is never less than compelling and heartbreaking. While his cast helps considerably, especially Schoenaerts and Seydoux, the director paints a powerful picture of tragedy, courage and (on the part of the Russian officials) sheer arrogance. This is a story of sailors scrambling to wade through life-or-death terror, of their loved ones refusing to kowtow to the authorities, and of the conflict bubbling beneath the rescue attempts — and it's as moving and gripping as the real-life scenario and the men lost to it demands.
UPDATE, January 27, 2021: Savage is available to stream via Stan and Amazon Video. Tattoos covering his cheeks, nose and forehead, a scowl affixed almost as permanently, but raw sorrow lurking in his eyes, Jake Ryan cuts a striking sight in Savage. He's a walking, drinking, growling, hammer-swinging advertisement for toxic masculinity — how it looks at its most stereotypical extreme, and how it often masks pain and struggle — and the performance is the clear highlight of the Home and Away, Wolf Creek and Underbelly actor's resume to-date. Playing a character named Danny but also known as Damage, Ryan also perfectly epitomises the New Zealand gang drama he's in, which similarly wraps in-your-face packaging around a softer, richer core. Savage's protagonist and plot have had plenty of predecessors over the years in various ways, from Once Were Warriors' exploration of violence, to Mean Streets' chronicle of crime-driven youth, plus the bikie warfare of TV's Sons of Anarchy and even Aussie film 1%, but there's a weightiness on display here that can't just be wrung from a formula. That said, although first-time feature director and screenwriter Sam Kelly takes inspiration from NZ's real-life gangs, and from true tales from within their ranks spanning three decades, Savage does noticeably follow a predictable narrative path. Viewers first meet Danny in 1989, when he's the second-in-charge of the Savages, which is overseen by his lifelong best friend Moses (John Tui, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Solo: A Star Wars Story) but is also under threat by rank-and-file members agitating for a leadership challenge. In-fighting, and Moses' sheer desperation to remain on top, aren't Danny's biggest issues, however. Whether imposing the ramifications of being disloyal upon a younger colleague or being unable to relinquish control in an intimate situation, he's both tightly wound and silently aching, and he's also unable to shake the cumulative effect of all the factors and decisions that have led him to this testosterone-saturated point. A series of flashbacks, each fittingly moody and tense, explain why Danny is in his current situation physically, mentally and emotionally. The film first jumps to 1965, when he's nine (played by Pete's Dragon's Olly Presling), victimised by his overbearing father and sent to juvenile detention, where he initially meets and befriends a young, wild-haired Moses (Lotima Pome'e). The circumstances leading to Danny's stint in custody and his treatment while he's there each leave an imprint, with Moses swiftly becoming the only person that he can count on. Skipping forward to 1972, when the pair are in their late teens (played by James Matamua and Haanz Fa'avae-Jackson), they establish the Savages — and, although it gives them a sense of belonging that's absent elsewhere, they're soon caught in a Wellington turf war with a rival gang. Yes, all of the above narrative elements have a well-worn feel to them, but a blandly, routinely by-the-numbers flick isn't the end result here. Aided by suitably gritty and restless camerawork that mirrors Danny's inner turmoil, the film packs a punch when it lets that unease fester in quiet moments. It's also particularly astute when honing in on Danny and Moses's complicated friendship, and how pivotal it is throughout their constantly marginalised lives. There's never any doubting that Savage is a movie about family, including the traumas they can inflict, the hurt that comes with being torn away from loved ones at a young age, the kinship found in understanding pals and the concept of brotherhood in gangs, and the feature is at its most affecting when it lets these truths emanate naturally. Kelly does like to stress the point, though, and to do overtly. Indeed, the clunkiest parts of Savage involve Danny's yearning to see his mother and his tussles with his older brother Liam (played by Jack William Parker as a teen and Seth Flynn as an adult). Every year Danny, stands outside his childhood home, looks on at his parents and siblings and, unable to step into the yard, notches a mark on the fence outside — and it's an instantly and repeatedly overdone touch. When he's reunited with Liam, it's because the two brothers are in opposing crews, another obvious, template-esque inclusion that's far less effective or moving than seeing how Danny navigates the gang he has chosen as his new family. Unsurprisingly, Danny's gang life is brutal and violent, which Savage doesn't shy away from in a visual sense. Tonally, the film aims for Shakespearian levels of tragedy, too, as Sons of Anarchy did before it. But while most of the feature hits its marks, draws viewers in and keeps them interested, the movie's biggest force and asset is always Ryan. Tui also proves a commanding screen presence, as does first-timer Alex Raivaru as the latter's nemesis, while young Presling and Pome'e share a convincing rapport. When an actor plays the kind of immediately imposing role that Ryan is tasked with, however, how they handle the subtler side of the character is pivotal — and audiences can feel Danny's bubbling distress even when he's the most formidable figure figure in the room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK3eDfkXBzg Top image: Domino Films, Matt Grace.
There’s whisky and then there’s whisky — but can you tell the difference? Jim McEwan certainly can. A veteran of over 50 years in the business, working his way up to Bruichladdich’s master distiller, he knows cheap liquor from the top-of-the-line, put-hairs-on-your-chest tipples certain to get mouths watering. McEwan is stopping by The Gresham to share knowledge from a life lived with delicious amber spirits — accompanied by a sampling menu, of course. For two hours, one of the best-known figures in the industry will discuss whiskies many aficionados have only dreamed of, including the experimental Octomore 6.1, distilled from the most heavily peated barley humanly possible. It is little wonder, then, that The Jim McEwan Whisky Experience is being dubbed a once-in-a-lifetime treat. When else will the only three-time winner of the Whisky Distiller of the Year award impart his tricks of the trade, after all, with drinks to match?
