The last bastion of the phone-free two hours, the theatre, might be about to crumble. Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre this week announced that they'll be trialling special seating for social media users, internationally dubbed 'tweet seats', at select shows. Carlton indie theatre La Mama is already all over it, having set aside four tweet seats per show for their upcoming work RAT, and they're even free. Considering we've been live tweeting everything else — from films to talks, concerts and dinners — is the distinction around theatre an artificial one that's been destined to fall away? And is there any benefit to be gained from allowing us to whip out our phones mid-show? The Malthouse announcement has met with some backlash, even on Twitter. Popular opinion is, if you're live tweeting a performance, you're living the kind of hollowed-out half-life that means you may as well stay home and plug into the Matrix. But this is a personal value judgement and not a reason, practically or conceptually, against allowing others to make Twitter a part of their theatre experience. I struggle to express coherent thoughts for half an hour after a film or movie, let alone have any desire to do so while it unfolds and trade away the sense of immersion that comes with live performance. But that's just me, and that's just the shows I've seen. How about a small show built to feed off real-time responses? How about a big, bombastic opera that can't count on the nosebleed section being highly engaged? The LA Times technology blog attributes the first instance of live theatre tweeting to a 2009 staging of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore in Kansas — and it was a more constructive affair than you might assume. Audience members in the 100 special seats of the final performance could access tweets from the show's artistic director about the production, scenery and story unfurling on stage while tweeting their own questions and comments. It was an aid to their enjoyment of the piece, not unlike an audio tour of an art exhibit. Or the special features on a DVD. Or a post-show Q&A, during the show. It's since become common in the US and UK, mainly for ballets, operas and symphony concerts. With conditions tightly controlled — you don't want to distract the real-life cast and crew who need darkness to do their jobs properly — and the agreement of the individual creative team, theatre might continue to become a road more tweeted. But then there's this argument from Alex Roe, artistic director of New York's Metropolitan Playhouse, perhaps the most focused takedown of how your tweeting might affect other people's enjoyment: "Part of the whole theatrical experience is the thought of being present in the company of the rest of the audience and the actors," Roe said to NPR. "To me, the thought of encouraging people to tweet during a performance is necessarily a violation of that agreement." That might just be the tweet-seat deal-breaker.
Embedding sustainable practices in the hospitality industry is a quest many a bar, cafe, eatery and associated organisation has taken up, spanning bans on straws, an attempt to recycle takeaway coffee cups, rewards for carpooling customers and more. One Japanese watering hole has taken the concept and not only run with it, but built their entire establishment out of it. Yes, the Kamikatz Public House is made out of 100% recycled rubbish. From the windows and walls to the furniture found inside, everything in this pub, brewery and sundries store would probably be considered trash in any other town. You'll find the environmentally conscious structure in the town of Kamikatsu, which is committed to not only reducing their wastage, but eliminating it — attaining an 80% recycling rate, and sorting their waste into 34 categories, for starters. Of course, when you fashion a dwelling with in such an eco-friendly manner, you want everyone to know about it, which is why Kamikatz Public House features an eight-metre-high wall of windows, all sourced from abandoned homes. You'll also find discarded tiles used as flooring, a chandelier made out of bottles, and newspapers doubling as wallpaper. Other design elements, such as an elevated ceiling and double-layered window fittings, are designed to increase ventilation and insulation respectively. No wonder the building won World Architecture News' Sustainable Buildings Award for 2016. As well as a cute pub to put on your must-visit list if you're ever in the vicinity of Tokushima prefecture on Japan's Shikoku Island, it's also great motivation to think about more creative ways to recycle. Images: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP. Via: Inhabitat.
If you're thirty-plus (either chronologically, or in terms of your musical tastes) and finding triple j increasingly unsuitable to your aural palette, then you're probably going to love the ABC's latest move. Yesterday afternoon, the broadcaster announced that, as of 5pm, digital music channel Dig had come under triple j's management. Essentially, the plan is to revamp Dig as a 'triple j for over-thirties'. In other words, the program will be shaped by the types of artists that originally informed the triple j ethos. Think Tex Perkins, Eskimo Joe, Nick Cave and their musical progeny. About 75 percent of the playlist will be comprised of new music (triple j's is about 90 percent that way) and the other 25 percent will be made up of classics familiar to '70s and '80s babies. Each week, there'll be a minimum of four pre-recorded, guest-programmed segments. Anticipated curators include Billy Bragg, Sarah Blasko, Adalita, Missy Higgins, Bernard Fanning, Tex Perkins, David Bridie, Eskimo Joe, Clare Bowditch and Moby. During the next six months, Dig is asking listeners to let the station know exactly what they want to hear, and how they want it presented. The channel will be officially launched in its new format in April 2014. "Over the last few years, there have been many voices calling out for a station like this," commented Dig Music's content director Meagan Loader, "and the input of those voices during this initial stage is hugely valuable. We are so excited to be able to evolve with our listeners and create something truly unique." Dig Music is available online at www.digmusic.net.au, on mobile phones via the ABC Radio App, and through both digital radio and television.
For the past nine years, Surfers Paradise has played host to the Sand Safari Festival. If you're fond of elaborate, super-sized sandcastles, you've probably attended. In 2021, however, the event is getting a revamp — and hitting the Gold Coast from Saturday, March 13–Sunday, March 21 as the all-new Beyond the Sand Art Festival. Sand fans, relax. You will indeed still see big sand sculptures, including featured pieces along the beach, plus the best and brightest creations on offer at the Australian Sand Sculpting Championships. But, you'll also check out eight large-scale installations, and see artworks on display as part of a beachside art gallery, with the fest setting up its base on the Esplanade from 10am–9pm daily. The big highlight: the world premiere of Lost, the latest artwork by Amanda Parer. Brisbanites might remember her name from 2020's Intrude, which saw six giant seven-metre-tall bunnies pop up at Eagle Street Pier. On the Goldie, she'll be scattering larger-than-life botanicals around Surfers Paradise, focusing on extinct or endangered species, with inflatables and LEDs part of the installation. Beyond the Sand is going with a circus theme this year overall, so there'll also be circus performances, roving entertainment and workshops, too.
With a nickname like the Sunshine State, Queensland is obviously known for its warm weather, as well as the outdoor lifestyle such sunny climes allows. And, from Thursday, October 1, the State Government is encouraging Queenslanders to spend as much time outside as possible — by increasing capacity caps at openair venues such as beer gardens and outdoor dining areas, as well as at events held outside, and at outdoor stadiums. As announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today, Friday, September 25, the new limits will kick in at 1am when September ticks over to October — with different restrictions in place for different situations. For outdoor venues with a COVID-safe plan, for instance, they'll be able to increase patron density from one person per four square metres to one person per two square metres, doubling the amount of folks allowed in outside areas. As well as cafes, pubs and other places with outdoor seating spaces, this expanded limit also apply to theme parks and zoos. For events with a COVID-safe checklist, attendee caps will increase from 500 to 1000, again doubling the number of people permitted. And, with the AFL finals season about to kick off — in the lead up to the grand final, which'll be held at the Gabba and mark the first time ever it's played outside of Victoria — stadium capacity will increase from 50 percent to 75 percent as well. The latter will also come into effect for outdoor amphitheatres and performance venues that have a COVID-safe plan, so it'll extend beyond the footy. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1309271978474315776 As part of the announcement, Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young explained that she is "getting more and more information that outdoors is the best place to be". She noted that "wherever possible, I strongly recommend that as much as possible people move their lives outdoors" — while recommending that people indoors should be opening up windows to let fresh air circulate. It has been a big week for changing restrictions in Queensland, with today's announcement marking the third in a number of days. As of this morning, gathering limits at home and in public places have increased to 30 in Brisbane and a number of other nearby local government areas, in line with the rest of the state — and, also on Thursday, October 1, Queensland will expand its border bubble zone, allowing folks from northern NSW to enter the state and letting Queenslanders head down south and return, both without quarantining. For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 gathering restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Top image: Atlanta Bell.
If eating your way through plenty of creative and tasty desserts is your current pandemic coping strategy, Gelato Messina has been more than willing to help over the past few months. This year alone, it has released cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties; 40 of its best flavours; and full tubs of Iced VoVo gelato. Messina's own take on the classic Viennetta ice cream cake and a gelato based on Italy's famed cremino dessert. Oh, and it even whipped up a batch of sticky lamington-scroll hybrids as well. For Messina's next tastebud-tempter, it's doing what it has always done best: turning one of your favourite non-ice cream foods into gelato, then giving it a twist. This time around, that means a new take on its beloved cereal-inspired 'Just Like a Chocolate Milkshake' flavour. It still features Coco Pops, obviously, but this batch is all about white chocolate. Naturally, it's called 'Just Like a White Chocolate Milkshake'. It's made with Messina jersey milk and white chocolate Coco Pops, with the latter soaked in the former to get things rolling. From there, the cereal and milk are churned into fresh gelato, which is then layered with clusters of more white chocolate Coco Pops. As well as milk, cereal and white chocolate, you can expect to taste caramel and marshmallow notes, too. Messina's special desserts and flavours are always a limited affair, with this one on offer for a week from Tuesday, September 1. You can pick it up in-store or get it delivered via Deliveroo. [caption id="attachment_741473" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Katrina James[/caption] If you're in Melbourne, remember that you can only venture to shops within five kilometres of your house — and only once a day — to get essentials, including food. Gelato Messina's 'Just Like a White Chocolate Milkshake' flavour will be available for a week from Tuesday, September 1, in-store and via Deliveroo — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
Visiting the Louvre art gallery in Paris is an exciting experience. Battling the crowds to get a glance of Venus de Milo is exciting. Copping an elbow to the face as you attempt to take a selfie with the Mona Lisa is even kinda exciting. But, imagine, if you could spend an entire night inside the Louvre, exploring the halls — and taking many many selfies with Mona Lisa — without any other tourists around. A total dream. And one that could become a reality, thanks to Airbnb. Yep, the company that lets you stay for cheap in other people's homes is giving away a night at the Louvre for you and a mate (date, mum, whoever). As well as spending the night under the iconic glass pyramid, you'll be given a Renaissance-inspired cocktail to toast with Mona — while relaxing on a luxe Parisian lounge and listening to French vinyl records, of course — enjoy an extravagant feast in a pop-up dining room next to Venus de Milo, and watch an acoustic concert inside Napoleon III's lavish apartment. Pick your jaw up off the ground and enter the competition, now. Well, before April 12. This crazy once-in-a-lifetime experience is part of AirBnB's Night At series, where it gifts sleepovers at really over-the-top spots. Previous sleepovers have been held on the Chicago Bulls basketball court, at the top of an Olympic ski jump, in a shark aquarium and on the Great Wall — the list goes on. To enter the competition, you need to answer the question "Why would you be the Mona Lisa's perfect guest?" in 800 characters or less before midnight on Friday, April 12 French time, which the morning of Saturday, April 13 AEDT. The sleepover will take place between April 28 and May 2 (the winner will win a total of three nights in Paris). To win a night at the Louvre head to the Airbnb website. Images: Julian Abrams.
Every year when spring hits, Toowoomba becomes the brightest place in southeast Queensland. Blooms blossom, greenery sprouts and flora reaches towards the sun — that's right, it's Carnival of Flowers time. For 2022, mark all of September in your diary and get ready for a colourful month-long floral fiesta. The event previously only ran for ten days, but in 2021, it stuck around for an entire month — and it's doing the same in 2022. From Thursday, September 1–Friday, September 30, a trip west should be on your agenda, with Carnival of Flowers set to bloom for its 73rd year. As always, its 2022 program will take over a variety of Toowoomba locations — including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park — to showcase all of the gorgeous florets, growths and gardens around town. The big attraction: more than 190,000 blossoming bulbs. No, this huge (and free) carnival won't be short on natural splendour. Attendees can also expect everything from park tours to food festivals — amid the kaleidoscopic arrays of tulips, petunias and poppies, of course. Food trucks slinging bites to eat, a food trail showcasing local eateries and a ferris wheel with a blooming great view are also on the bill, as are a series of talks in local pubs, a dog-friendly program so that your pooch can get in on the action, both guided and non-guided walking tours, pinot and painting sessions, a big food and wine festival, a cinema under the stars and a floral parade. And, yes, the illuminated night garden will return as well. Basically, there's no bad time to visit — and you might want to make the trek more than once. Indeed, when it comes to scenic spring sights, there's no prettier place to be. And, given it takes less than two hours to head up the mountain from Brisbane, it's perfect for a weekend day trip. Make a playlist, take a picnic and there's your Saturday or Sunday sorted. Updated May 9, 2022.
Imagine sitting under the gentle glow of candlelight, enjoying a live performance of Coldplay's "Sky Full of Stars." Thanks to The Concert by Candlelight series, this could soon be true. Returning for its fourth year, the series will host The Music of Coldplay by Candlelight across three locations, Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast. While it may not be the band itself, world-class vocalists and a live band from London's West End will honour legends Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion with powerful performances. The performers will kick things off at 7.30pm Darling Harbour Theatre at ICC Sydney on Saturday, September 13. The show will take over The Star Theatre on the Gold Coast on Friday, September 19, before making the journey west to Perth's Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday, September 27. Given that Coldplay visited fans down under relatively recently in 2024, it's unlikely they'll be gracing us with their presence anytime soon. So, The Music of Coldplay by Candelight may be the closest thing to the real deal Aussies can get, at least for a while. Each concert is a one-night-only event, and they're coming up faster than you think. So get in quick; tickets are likely to sell out fast. The Music of Coldplay by Candlelight will be held in September in Sydney, Perth, and the Gold Coast. Performances start at 7.30pm. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website. Images: Supplied.
If you're a Brisbanite who's fond of cakes, pastries, pies, and other sweet and savoury baked products, then you're also likely fond of Jocelyn's Provisions. And, since the city's floods back in February and March, you've probably been missing its tasty bites, including through Easter. Thankfully, the chain will be back up and running come Thursday, June 16, ready to tempt your tastebuds. The Jocelyn's Provisions facilities suffered extensive damage during the city's last waterlogged stint, including to its production base, headquarters and retail stores. As a result, it has been unable to bake for months now. That's left a big hole in baked goods-loving stomachs — but the brand's chocolate sour cream cakes, passionfruit tarts, lamb and rosemary pies, and sourdough loaves are well and truly worth the wait. The baked goods go-to has built up a well-deserved following over the years, and now sports four stores around the city. So, you have four places to head to again: in James Street, Camp Hill, Albion and Eagle Street in the CBD. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jocelyn's Provisions (@jocelynsprovisions) If that's your snacks sorted for the coming days — and longer — plus your bread and pastry needs, too, you will need to head in-store physically to grab Jocelyn's goodies. The brand's online ordering system won't be back up and running for another couple of weeks, until Friday, July 1. Here's an incentive: for anyone so keen to sink their teeth back into beef and bacon sausage rolls, chocolate and caramel brownies, and more, each Jocelyn's store is doing giveaways for the first 200 people through the door on Thursday, June 16. Find Jocelyn's Provisions in James Street, Camp Hill, Albion and Eagle Street in the CBD, reopening on Thursday, June 16. Head to the Jocelyn's Provisions website and Facebook page and for further details.
Brothers, we have something special to show you and no, it's not kitty cat man. US comedy duo Tim and Eric are bringing their bizarre sense of humor to Australia and New Zealand for a national tour. The Tim and Eric – 'Stralia – Zealand Experience will be making stops at Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland. Since meeting at uni in 1994, the pair have gone on to create an animated series, a hilarious sketch series for Adult Swim, a feature film and even a book. You might not have heard of them, but you've definitely seen their kooky comedic genius before; how about the Vodka movie with Zach Galifianakis for Absolut or their Old Spice commercials with Terry Crews? Grab yourself a ticket and bear witness to the pair's crazy directing style, unique sketches and DJ Douggpound. Celebrate getting tickets by dancing like celery man (you won't be the only ones). Shiny suit and bolo tie optional. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maAFcEU6atk[/embed]
In the initial two episodes of Scenes From a Marriage, Mira (Jessica Chastain, IT: Chapter Two) and Jonathan (Oscar Isaac, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker) brush their teeth in front of their ensuite mirror. It's an everyday task in a familiar place, spanning something we all do in a space we all use, but this powerful five-part HBO miniseries turns these two scenes into a complex snapshot of its central couple. It takes not just skill but feeling and understanding to turn such a mundane activity into a must-see; however, that's this weighty show's remit. Scenes From a Marriage gets viewers engrossed in cleaning teeth because it's ordinary, and because everything within its frames fits the same description. Its central relationship careens from happy to heartbroken, comfortable to distraught, and assured to messy, but it also charts a path that countless others have before it. When they first pick up their toothbrushes, Mira and Jonathan attend to their dental hygiene side by side. They chat between foamy mouthfuls. They're relaxed. They've had an unusual day, after talking to a researcher about their nuptials and then hosting a tumultuous dinner with friends, but they're settled in their usual regime. Seconds afterwards, they'll discuss significant news, but they approach that, too, with a sense of unthinking security. But just one episode later, when they brush again, everything has changed. Mira returns from a work trip to share a bombshell revelation, Jonathan doesn't take it well, and he stands back and stares at they each clean. She can't meet his eyes. He won't look away. Their tension, pain and sorrow fills the entire room, as does their uncertainty — and it's a case of two moments, two people, two vastly different pictures of their relationship. Dedicating each episode to a significant day over the course of several years — hairstyles change, and the couple's daughter ages (primarily off-screen) — Scenes From a Marriage is filled with these routine moments. It's a show about patterns, cycles and echoes, how they ripple through relationships and, when broken or changed, how their absence is felt. Much of the series takes place in the same domestic space, too, as the pair rove around the house they've made their home. So, viewers see the duo walk through the same rooms, sit in the same chairs and recline in the same bed. They have variations of the same discussion over and over as well. Every romance is an ongoing conversation that loops, sprawls and repeats, but Scenes From a Marriage pushes this notion to the fore. Mira and Jonathan are always talking, in some way, even when they're not. Their dialogue continues whether it seems like it's just another evening in the bathroom, or it's a terse morning after everything has disintegrated — and as a whirlwind of love, sex, heartbreak and chaos whips through their relationship again and again. It shouldn't be easy, peering into a romance as its bliss fades, and stepping into its ongoing conversation. That idea isn't Scenes From a Marriage's alone, and it wasn't new in 1973, when iconic film director Ingmar Bergman ran with it in his Swedish TV miniseries of the same name. But as penned and helmed here by The Affair's Hagai Levi, HBO's take on the concept turns the familiar and complex into the raw and the riveting. It breaks a relationship down into pivotal moments to strip away the blissful front that couples build for themselves, and the image they project to the world, and it refuses to look away as things turn difficult. Sketching out anything this complicated via just a few scenes is a gimmick, obviously, as the series even nods to in opening scenes that follow Chastain and Isaac getting into character. Still, in the right hands, and with the right tale of a marriage's minutiae, it's also devastating and powerful. Scenes From a Marriage circa 2021 is shot and scored to ramp up that intensity, that simmering uncertainty, that seesawing between two extremes. Cinematographer Andrij Parekh, a veteran of Blue Valentine and its similarly haunting exploration of a romance in decline, prowls carefully and patiently around comfortable spaces adorned in neutral tones — places The White Lotus' characters might've gone home to post-Hawaii — but lets both light and darkness visually clash and compete for attention. Composers Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine craft a score that also rides an emotional rollercoaster, setting the tone as precisely as they previously did with fellow HBO miniseries The Undoing. Each element of Scenes From a Marriage is fine-tuned to amplify the highs, the lows, and the constant to-and-fro between them. That said, this tale of an ambitious tech industry executive, her ex-Orthodox Jewish philosophy professor husband and their fraying nuptials was always going to live and thrive via its two lead performances. Chastain and Isaac, welcome additions to any on-screen project, have played a married couple before. In fact, 2014's A Most Violent Year also saw them navigate a stormy union — and it, like its main duo, was exceptional. The pair certainly know how to project intimacy on the red carpet, as they did at the Venice Film Festival premiere of Scenes From a Marriage. They don't falter in the series itself, even with a concept that could've played like an acting exercise. Again, the conceit is highlighted in those opening seconds of the duo as themselves; however, as Chastain and Isaac walk across the set that swiftly becomes their Mira and Jonathan's home — doing so with masks and distancing, because this was shot during the pandemic — they also help viewers step into their characters with them. When the camera is rolling rather than flashing, Chastain and Isaac are both experts at unpacking someone's entire emotional journey in just their gaze and stance. Accordingly, when the series flickers from the pair as actors to the duo as Mira and Jonathan, it feels seamless even though the artifice is being called out. They take the plunge, the audience does with them, and we all explore what's happened after Scenes From a Marriage's protagonists did just that. On-screen, opposites attracted, then this pair combined their lives and marched forward towards the future, and now everyone weathers the fallout. Chastain and Isaac are also masterful at responding to each other, and at letting those reactions tell as much of the story as the dialogue they're speaking. It's been done before, and will be again — officially and in everything else that's taken cues from the original Swedish series — but here and now, this series works as grippingly and movingly as it does because of its stars. No one can look away as they brush their teeth, share long looks and fling all manner of words at each other. They don't want to themselves, and neither do we. Check out the trailer below: The first two episodes of Scenes From a Marriage are available to stream via Binge, with new instalments dropping weekly. Images: Jojo Whilden/HBO.
Don't want to compromise when picking a vintage from your favourite restaurant or wine bar's menu? If it's not poured by the glass, that can mean paying up for an entire bottle. Your tastebuds might thank you, but your wallet likely won't. Nowadays, things don't necessarily have to be this way, as Coravin's wine preservation tools make it possible to pour from a corked bottle without actually removing the cork. Returning for a second year, the Coravin World Wine Tour is showcasing these nifty creations by teaming up with five bars across Australia to pour their entire menu by the glass. In Noosa, Atelier Wine Bar is the venue of choice. While there's only enough space to seat 16 guests, this contemporary cellar-like spot has more than enough world-class vino to choose from. Considering you won't have to pay by the bottle, now is your chance to explore over 150 rare and diverse vintages hand-picked from across Europe and Australia. Plus, there's undoubtedly some incredible pairings to discover with Atelier's Italian-inspired small plates. "A new generation of wine drinkers are increasingly curious, adventurous, and willing to experiment with new varieties and styles. Offering more wines by the glass allows drinkers to find their new favourite variety, region, or style, without taking the risk of buying a whole bottle," says Coravin Founder, Greg Lambrecht.
As social distancing has become our new way of life, Aussies are preparing to spend a solid chunk of the coming weeks at home, which means you're probably already busy scouting out bulk entertainment options to see you through. Well now, you can add a few audiobooks to that hit-list, thanks to the good folk at Audible. The online retailer is offering a bunch of its recorded books to download for free. And that's without locking you into its usual free trial period. The newly launched free collection of stories is primarily aimed at kids stuck at home during the outbreak (and of course, their parents), though it's also got a few literary classics tucked away in there as well. Among the books translated into six different languages, you'll find gems like Jane Eyre — narrated by UK actress Thandie Newton — Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World. You might fancy diving into The Call of The Wild by Jack London, or even settling in with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Whatever your style, there's plenty of hours of entertainment amongst this lot. The stories are free to stream on your phone, tablet, desktop or laptop, and with no sign-up required, you can jump on and start listening straight away. The free Audible Stories are available now via the website.
Brisbane certainly isn't short of sublime parks to while away the days in and Newstead Park is definitely up there on the list. With sweeping views of the brown snake, palm trees and a gorgeous rotunda, you won't be hard-pressed to find a nice spot to lay your picnic blanket out on. While it's not a wet area (so you can't knock back any beers), the park features an Alice Through the Looking Glass-themed playground, heaps of lawn space and a river walk that stretches far in both directions — basically, there's plenty of room for activities that don't involve rosé. If grazing in one spot all day is not your thing, the spacious and breezy area is also home to Newstead House, Brisbane's oldest surviving residence. The heritage-listed European building runs as a museum and events space (by appointment only at the moment) making it a perfect historic interlude to picnicking. Images: Kiel Wode
For all of you who've been obsessing over the case of Steven Avery, you might now have the chance to get the answers you crave. Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, the filmmakers behind the addictive and highly frustrating Netflix true crime series Making a Murderer, have just been announced as a last minute addition to the Spectrum Now Festival talks program. The pair, whose ten-part series has become a cultural phenomenon since premiering on Netflix in December, will travel to Sydney for an hour-long interview and audience Q&A session with festival ambassador and The Weekly host Charlie Pickering. Set to take place at 7pm on Thursday, March 10, tickets for the event will cost $49.90 and go on sale on Wednesday, February 24 (or you can sign up to their newsletter to access the pre-sale one day earlier). If you've been living a nomadic lifestyle out in the bush for the past few months and thus haven't heard, Making a Murderer follows the infuriating case of Wisconsin native Steven Avery, who served 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, only to be arrested and tried for murder shortly after he was released. If you've got a spare ten hours, you can binge watch it on Netflix right now. Just don't expect to finish with your faith in humanity intact. "We always wanted Making a Murderer to start a dialogue around important issues in our criminal justice system," say directors Ricciardi and Demos. "We are thrilled that so many people all over the world are responding to the concept of fairness and equality, and we can’t wait to come to Australia to continue this discussion." Making a Murderer: In Conversation with Charlie Pickering will take place at 7pm on Thursday, March 10 at The Star Event Centre as part of Spectrum Now Festival 2016. For more information and to buy tickets, visit their website.
On the night of the 12th, the incident that makes that date worthy of a movie's moniker happens quickly, heartbreakingly and horrifyingly so. It's October 2016, in the French Alps-region city of Grenoble, and Clara Royer (Lula Cotton-Frapier, Mixte) is walking home alone after an evening at her best friend Nanie's (Pauline Serieys, Grown Ups). It's 3am, the streets are quiet, and she's giddy with affection, sending a video message telling her pal how much she loves her. All it takes is a hooded figure emerging from the dark, whispering her name, dousing her with liquid and sparking a lighter, and Clara will never arrive home. Before this occurs in The Night of the 12th's opening scenes, director and co-writer Dominik Moll (Only the Animals) shares details just has distressing and dismaying: the French police are tasked with solving 800 murders a year, 20 percent of them never can be and, sadly, the case in this feature is among the latter. It might seem a strange decision, giving away the film's ending before it even begins; however, while The Night of the 12th is about the search for Clara's killer, it's never about the murderer. Instead, as it adapts 30 pages from Pauline Guéna's non-fiction book 18.3 — A Year With the Crime Squad, takes a Zodiac-style procedural approach and opts for a Mindhunter-esque survey of interrogations as well, it makes clear how easy and common it is for situations like this come about, especially in a world where women are slain at men's whims with frequency (then typically blamed if any of their own actions can be wrongly perceived to have put themselves in danger). Alongside David Fincher's serial killer fare, Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder casts a shadow, too, as detective Yohan Vivès (Bastien Bouillon, Jumbo) and his partner Marceau (Bouli Lanners, Nobody Has to Know) scour the area for suspects and answers. "The problem is that any one of them could have done it," Yohan observes after potential culprit after potential culprit fields their queries and flouts their engrained misogyny. Was it the bartender boyfriend (Baptiste Perais, The Companions), who saw Clara as nothing more than a fling on the side? The gym buddy (Jules Porier, Simone Veil, a Woman of the Century) that's guffawing seconds after the cops bring up the killing, all while bragging about a friends-wth-benefits setup? A rapper (Nathanaël Beausivoir, Runaway) knew the police would come calling because he wrote a song about setting Clara alight, while an awkward local squatter (Benjamin Blanchy, Spiral) welcomes the attention. By the time that her dalliance with an older man (Pierre Lottin, Les Harkis) with a violent past and convictions for domestic abuse comes up, one of Yohan and Marceau's colleagues is joking about Clara's taste in men. Judgemental views about women don't just fester among the interviewees; how many cases have been hindered by such prejudiced perspectives, The Night of the 12th silently gives viewers cause to wonder. Played as meticulous and passionate by Bouillon, the newly promoted Yohan isn't one of those chauvinist officers. More prone to splashing his feelings around in Lanners' hands, neither is Marceau. The film's central duo is dutiful and dedicated, and their efforts turn The Night of the 12th into a chronicle of devoted and hard-working people doing what they're supposed to — and well, and with care — even if viewers instantly know they won't achieve their desired outcome. In the script by Moll and his regular co-scribe Gilles Marchand (Eastern Boys), both men find the case impacting them in different ways, though, including the fact that their obsessive endeavours don't and won't wrap up the case. Amid chasing leads, making enquiries and sitting down with the men in Clara's life, Yohan lives a spartan existence in his spick-and-span apartment and in his relationships. Marceau is navigating a marriage breakdown, and his emotions run high personally and professionally. It might seem strange, too, crafting a movie about a murdered young woman that's actually about men. (If that one word hadn't already been used as a film title this year, also for a Cannes-premiering flick about the terrors that haunt a patriarchal society, it would've fit here). But as Moll puts it, and as won't come as a surprise to anyone watching for a second, The Night of the 12th's focus on male cops and assailants is simply and mournfully realistic. Still, his feature is as committed to ensuring that Clara is never a mere statistic as its main duo are to trying to find the person responsible for her death. The reality this story is based on has made her one of many unsolved cases, but that Clara lived, loved and was loved is never in doubt within the movie's frames. (Among the picture's many supporting performances, Cotton-Frapier's leaves an imprint.) Also indisputable: Nanie's contention that her friend only died, and in such an appalling manner, because she was female; plus Yohan's reflection to a magistrate (Anouk Grinberg, Deception) overseeing the proceedings years later that "there is something seriously amiss in the relationship between men and women." The Night of the 12th's details express these sentiments anyway, and Moll prefers to let the story and its minutiae do the talking, but overtly stating such notions never feels forceful. That's the film from start to finish, in fact, because this is a richly elaborate piece of cinema that lets its presence be known in a lived-in way, including via Patrick Ghiringhelli's (Only the Animals) crisp cinematography and Olivier Marguerit's (Méduse) brooding score. The Night of the 12th is a feature to sleuth along with, as Moll's second whodunnit in a row, but it's also a picture to sink into as its stark truths inhabit everything seen and heard. Three choices, all contributing to much of the striking imagery, perhaps encapsulate this patiently powerful affair best — and all that it aims to convey. Yohan and Marceau's interrogations span a varied lineup of spaces, from dank bedrooms and crumbling shacks to bars and airy apartments, inherently stressing how pervasively threats to Clara's existence have lurked. A moodily lit velodrome gives Yohan his sole outlet from the case, offering a much-needed physical coping mechanism, and all that pedalling around and around is innately symbolic. Then there's the mountainous Grenoble and the Maurienne valley setting overall, moved from Versailles where Guéna spent a year in the Criminal Investigation Department, and not just naturally gorgeous but picture perfect and easy fodder for scenic French holiday dreams. Something atrocious, complex and unsolvable happens there, just as it can and does anywhere — and shaking that, and the tightly wound, deeply piercing movie overall, isn't easy.
Both Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement will be present when Flight of the Conchords make a long-awaited, eagerly anticipated return to television — as part of a one-off live special filmed during the duo's recent sold-out tour. Announced earlier in 2018, Flight of the Conchords: Live at the London Apollo now not only has a US airdate but also an Australian one. The special will screen on HBO in America on Saturday, October 6, and on The Comedy Channel in Australia on Tuesday, October 9 at 8.30pm. As the name really does makes plain, it was recorded in the UK, where Flight of Conchords took their show on the road in March and then returned in late June and early July, following a forced break after McKenzie broke his hand. Yes, it'll be business time, Bowie will be in space and no one will have hurt feelings. Fans can expect to hear the classic tracks that everyone has had stuck in their heads since the folk parody pair's TV series aired between 2007 and 2009, of course, as well as a few new songs. It's also a case of Conchords almost coming full circle, with nabbing a spot on HBO's One Night Stand in the mid-00s one of their big breaks. Foxtel Now subscribers can stream the special live when it airs, but whether it'll be available on demand afterwards has yet to be revealed. In the interim, check out the trailer, as well as the initial HBO date announcement video featuring McKenzie and Clement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLZQfnFyelTBOQ15kmHSgEbdjzLMWzZpL7&v=xz_-9PlcouE
If your idea of a stellar Sunday includes a Cantonese banquet and cracking river views, then Howard Smith Wharves go-to Stanley has long had you covered. One of the precinct's top spots, it's been in the yum cha game every weekend for a few years. But what if you're keen to feast your way through small plates every other day of the week? Your daily yum cha cravings can now be satisfied at the waterside spot, with Stanley serving up its yum cha lunches daily. So, if the hankering for XO seafood dumplings, Moreton Bay bug spring rolls, salt and pepper chicken wings and steamed barbecue pork buns with chilli jam strikes Monday–Saturday, your tastebuds won't be disappointed. The yum cha menu is on offer from 12–4pm Monday–Saturday and 11.30am–4pm Sunday, with the a la carte range also including oysters with rice wine vinaigrette, cumin-spiced lamb ribs, Chongqing quail eggs, duck and vermicelli spring rolls, prawn and coriander toast, scallop siu mai and more. You can pair your dishes with peking duck pancakes as well, or other substantial options such as lobster, stir-fried black angus, steamed coral trout and kung pao cauliflower. Dessert spans custard steamed buns; a mango tart with yuzu cream; fried choux pastry with star anise sugar and passionfruit; and a baby pineapple with vanilla gelato, plus lime sago and tropical ice. And if you're celebrating in the middle of the day, two-hour champagne packages are also available. Stanley opened at Howard Smith Wharves in 2019, with the Hong Kong-inspired Cantonese venue one of the four initial tenants first revealed for the precinct back in 2017, alongside Greek restaurant Greca, octagonal overwater bar Mr Percival's and Japanese joint Yoko Dining. Head Chef Louis Tikaram's authentic, often seafood-heavy dishes are served up in the two-storey, heritage-listed, 1930s-era former water police building in the riverside spot, which features three bars, can cater for 220 guests and includes seating on a deck by the river. Decor-wise, Stanley pays tribute to traditional Chinese design with a handcrafted rattan ceiling and bamboo fretwork lining its walls. It also features antique pieces sourced from Europe and Hong Kong, parquetry inlay floors and a centrepiece circular bar on the upper level. Find Stanley at Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane — with yum cha lunches on offer from 12–4pm Monday–Saturday and 11.30am–4pm Sunday. Head to the restaurant's website for bookings and other details. Top image: Sun Box Studios.
There are after-work watering holes, and then there are after-work watering holes. The first could be anywhere that's not the nine-to-five grind; the second are the type of place you look forward to all day (and sometimes plan your afternoons around). As Petrie Terrace favourite, Lefty's Old Time Music Hall falls into the latter category. If it's a quick snack that you're after, perusing their small bites menu is recommended, particularly with bacon-wrapped pardon peppers and fried pickles with smoked habanero sauce on offer. They're served up from 5pm Tuesday to Sunday, as is the venue's heftier selection of burgers and po' boys. Plus, if you're not particularly worried about getting home at a reasonable time, the bar's greasy, delicious fare goes down extra nicely with a whisky.
Some events are worth locking into your diary regardless of who's playing and what's brightening up the place, and Parrtjima — A Festival In Light is one of them. An annual favourite in Alice Springs, the Indigenous arts, culture and storytelling festival just might be Australia's most luminous event, as attendees will learn when it returns from Friday, April 7–Sunday, April 16. Parrtjima announced its 2023 dates last year, and also outlined its theme — 'Listening with Heart' — plus some of the light-heavy artworks that folks can look forward to. Now, it has dropped two further details: the list of musicians taking to its stages, as well as a sneak peek at what this year's installations will look like. The music bill overflows with First Nations talent, including Docker River Band, Eastern Reggae Band, Emily Wurramara, JK-47, KAIIT, Karnage and Paul Ah Chee. They'll be joined by Radical Son, Richard J Frankland, Discovering Leerpeen Mara, Rowdy Birds, The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band and The Merindas across the ten days — and with a range of dazzling backdrops. "Parrtjima is a unique experience of large-scale light installations combined with a fascinating program of not just music but also talks, workshops and film," said Northern Territory Major Events Company CEO Suzana Bishop, with the organisation delivering the event on behalf of the Northern Territory Government. "As well as being visually stunning, Parrtjima offers so many other experiences, and the chance to see some of Australia's leading Indigenous artists perform. Combined with the unique tourism offerings available in the Red Centre, Parrtjima is not to be missed." Parrtjima's 2023 theme is inspired by the artwork surrounding the Statement from the Heart. That piece depicts Uluru-Ku Tjukurrpa, the Uluru story of connection, and was created by a group of artists from Multijulu as led by Maruku artist Rene Kulitja. So, Kulitja will work with other of artists for Parrtjima to turn the Statement from the Heart artwork into a large-scale immersive light and sound installation. That means that Parrtjima attendees will find themselves plunged in the world of the Aṉangu people of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands surrounding Uluru. The idea is to feature ancient songlines, plus Indigenous viewpoints on Country, as well as connecting to First Peoples' strong links with the land, water and sky. Two things that'll also be on the bill: two of the festival's regular annual attraction, aka a huge artwork that transforms a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic, 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival; and Grounded, the installation projected over the red dirt at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park. Free to attend, Parrtjima is just one of Northern Territory's two glowing attractions in 2023, with Australia's Red Centre lighting up in multiple ways. The festival is a nice supplement to Bruce Munro's Field of Light installation, which — after multiple extensions — is now on display indefinitely. PARRTJIMA — A FESTIVAL IN LIGHT 2023 MUSIC LINEUP: Docker River Band Eastern Reggae Band, Emily Wurramara JK-47 KAIIT Karnage (DJ) Karnage n Darknis Paul Ah Chee Radical Son Richard J Frankland Discovering Leerpeen Mara Rowdy Birds (DJ) The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band The Merindas Parrtjima – A Festival in Light will run from Friday, April 7–Sunday, April 16, 2023 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. 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.
Don't you hate when there's an imminent party in your city, that you may not have been informed about? Yo Gabba Gabba are bringing their There's A Party In My City! tour to Brisbane for two matinee shows tomorrow! The troupe, led by human DJ Lance Rock and flanked by his 5 furry monster pals, are all over kids' television at the moment. The show you see on TV is a mixture of live-action and cartoon sequences, with some hilarious, borderline insane, collaborations with celebrities and musicians, including Jack Black, The Shins, Elijah Wood, Hot Hot Heat and MGMT, just to name a few. Even our x&y bar in the Valley has a little nod to the zany show, with a stuffed Brobee doll sitting proudly on the main bar. But what is it about this children's show that draws viewers of all ages? Yo Gabba Gabba's creators, Scott Shultz and Christian Jacobs (of Aquabats fame) have made this quirky schmozzle into an indie favourite because they felt a mutual disappointment in today's kids' programs, and knew they wanted a show that was both educational and entertaining. They draw inspiration from current indie acts, their own kids and the old-school shows we all grew up watching. On this tour, DJ Lance Rock and his crew are supported by Little Red and Art Vs. Science. And here you were thinking it was just for the little people you know. You can take them along, AND enjoy yourself too, unlike those boring On Ice shows! I dare you to try not to smile when you hear 'There's a Party in My Tummy'. You will be seriously impressed and immediately in love, I can almost guarantee it.
Finding a designated driver on New Year's Eve is not an easy feat. No one's putting their hand up to find a park near the fireworks, South Bank or anywhere near the city. TransLink understands, easing the pain of commuting on the big night (slightly) by offering public transport for free each year. Yes, that includes 2023 ending and 2024 beginning. On Sunday, December 31, all trains, buses, ferries and CityCats will be free from 8pm through until 5.30am on Monday, January 1. This doesn't apply to the Airtrain or long-distance services, but if you're otherwise travelling within Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, you're in luck. And, on the Goldie, it includes trams, too. [caption id="attachment_630654" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Thomas via Flickr[/caption] In Brisbane, as there will be hordes of people flocking to and from the fireworks as usual, there'll also be additional services. The extra buses will hit the road between 8.40–9.50pm and again from 12–1.30am, covering South Brisbane, King George Square, Roma Street, Woolloongabba and Mater Hill stations. Two NightLink routes will also up the number of buses: the N250 to Capalaba will get four services, while the N555 to Loganholme will score three inbound and 11 outbound services. Trains will increase to four trains per line (except Doomben) from 8.45–9.45pm, with one Ipswich service also extending to Rosewood and one Caboolture service doing the same to Nambour. From 12.15–1.30am, the arrangement will be similar — except there'll be two extra trains for the Doomben line, and the Caboolture service will extend to Gympie North. Then, from 1.30am until Monday, January 1's normal first service, there'll be a train per hour on all lines other than Doomben, Rosewood and Sunshine Coast. [caption id="attachment_749921" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] John via Flickr[/caption] Until 1am, CityCats will run around every 15 minutes, while KittyCats and Kangaroo Point Cross River services will run until around 2am. You can check out a comprehensive rundown of New Year's Eve services at the TransLink website. [caption id="attachment_754201" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Find more information on free travel periods on New Year's Eve in Brisbane, and on service updates, head to the TransLink website.
What's better than one major Australian structure proudly displaying the Aboriginal flag, hoisting it high for everyone to see on a permanent basis? Two, of course. And what would top that? Three, obviously. Actually, watching that list keep on growing would be even better still — but for now, a new petition is calling for Brisbane's Story Bridge to join the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Melbourne's West Gate Bridge in making the Aboriginal flag an enduring fixture. The e-petition was launched on Wednesday, September 7 by Brisbane City Councillor Kara Cook, who represents the Morningside Ward — and at the time of writing on Thursday, September 8, it has passed 800 signatures. It doesn't only request that the Aboriginal flag take a berth atop the CBD structure spanning from Kangaroo Point over the Fortitude Valley, but also the Torres Strait Islander flag as well. In the online document, Cook notes that "only the Australian flag and Queensland flag currently fly on the Story Bridge", with her petition calling "for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to be proudly displayed on the bridge" permanently. Cook raised a motion with Council this week, asking Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner to make the move; however, he declined, saying that the idea was simply stolen from New South Wales — and that the millions it would cost should be used elsewhere. [caption id="attachment_840573" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oliver Lupton via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] The request to add both flags to the top of the Story Bridge comes mere months after the NSW Government installed the Aboriginal flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge — following a five-year-long campaign by Kamilaroi woman Cheree Toka to get that outcome — and after the Victorian Government quickly did the same with the West Gate Bridge. Also in Aboriginal flag news this year, the Australian Government unveiled a copyright deal at the end of January with Luritja artist Harold Thomas, who designed the symbol, to make it freely available for public use. For more information about the Brisbane petition to fly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags atop the Story Bridge, head to the Brisbane City Council website. Top image: Colin Campbell via Flickr.
What microwaves did for heating, UK company Enviro-Cool is promising to do for cooling. They've created a drink cooler that takes bottles and cans from room temperature to 5 degrees celsius in just 45 seconds. There's every possibility that the invention, which uses 80 percent less energy than commercial refrigeration, could soon become commonplace in homes, shops and eateries all over the world. Envriro-Cool created the technology, which they've patented 'V-Tex', back in 2007. It's based on a sophisticated application of the 'Rankine Vortex'. A European Commission grant of 930,000 Euros enabled its development into a commercial product. According to the promo video, the EC "recognised that the energy used to constantly chill pre-packed beverages was enormous and an unsustainable strain on our depleting energy resources." Three types of coolers have been developed. There's one suitable to commercial use, powerful enough to replace high-energy use equipment, such as multi-deck open refrigerator, and two domestic-friendly units — one stand-alone and one that can be added to existing refrigerators. It's estimated that, for every fridge replaced, over $1000 in electricity will be saved annually. Trials begin in Holland next month. Via PSFK.
Everyone's jumping on the clean eating bandwagon, and that includes Teneriffe's newest eatery. The space that once housed paleo cafe Primal Pantry might've undergone a change of name and a brand new fit-out, but the same commitment to healthy food haunts the place on the corner of Florence and Macquarie streets. Breakfast and lunch are what most will flock to the rustic confines of Wilde Kitchen for, and few will be disappointed. A sextet of options on each menu sees the likes of savoury waffles with sticky pork spiced pumpkin and fried duck egg and prosciutto pizza with wild mushrooms and manchego tempt hungry diners with dishes that don't just taste great — they're also good for you. Wilde Kitchen boasts another feather in its cap, too, and we're not just talking about the Wolff Coffee Roasters coffee or their smoothie bowls. For those who want to savour their whole, fresh ingredients at home, they also have a takeaway menu of prepared meals. Like the eat-in options, everything is made fresh on-site daily, though orders must be placed 24 hours in advance. Whether you're hanging around at their wooden outdoor tables or heading off with your food, we recommend downing one of their four types of health tonic shots as well to cap off your healthy cafe experience.
There is no denying Brisbane is going through somewhat of a beer renaissance period. Breweries are popping up left right and centre, and the punters are embracing them with a schooner in each hand. The birth and growth of small bars has changed the way we think, and the craft beer revolution is making us view beer as an artform with the same respect that coffee gains. Brewsvegas is here to celebrate the joys of better beer and to deeper carve Brisbane’s unique identity on the brew scene. Embrace Brewsvegas, let beer serve its purpose — bringing people together — and let the good times roll. We’ve rounded up a rough guide to the six-day fiesta. Better hops to it. Pick your fight As the founding fathers of beer discovered, the best brews are made on hops, sweat and testosterone. In somewhat of Brewsvegas trend, The Scratch are pitting themselves against Tipplers Tap in a battle of bars, beer and barbecue pork ribs (not once, but twice). Also entering the boxing ring will be 10 of Brisbane’s best brewers for Untapped. The brews are coming together to put the city of map, but there can only be one winner. Learn something new So you think you know your beer? Think again. Newstead Brewing Co are letting punters dive into the science behind brewing at Get Flawed. Using professional craft brewer sensory kits, Newstead Brewing will be spiking beer with the major flavour compounds and flaws found in brewing. Learn about why beer tastes that way and sharpen your craft tasting skills. Or, if coffee and craft beer are your two true loves, join this degustation event and explore the similarities in practice of tasting and appreciating these two artisan beverages. Mix four beers, two coffees and five courses for an excellent Saturday afternoon. Beer is a food group Beercaroons: You guessed it – limited edition Beard and Brau beer-flavoured macaroons. Beerkary are selling them in four-packs with a Golden Paw (Malt and Hop Biscuit with a Lemon, Malt Cream and Lychee Jelly), Red Tail Ale (Hops Biscuit with a Bitter Caramel filling and a Chocolate and Passionfruit core), Bon Chiens (Honey, Beer biscuit with Honey, Hops, Orange cream, Crystal malt and Champagne Jelly) and Black Snout (Stout and Dark Malt biscuit with Milk Chocolate, Vanilla, Coffee Cream and Caramelised milk core). Look out Adriano Zumbo. Eau de Beer When a man decides it’s time he upgraded from a trusty spray of Lynx for the ladies to a more unique scent, it opens a dangerous world of possibility and who better to turn to than his trusty friend, beer. You heard. Brewski have teamed with Damask Perfumery to create Eau de Brewski. A four-part collection of single-hop infused colognes, choose to smell like Riwaka, Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy or Saaz. When in Brewski, match your fragrance to one of four single-hop pale ales by Bacchus Brewing Co and come home smelling like your favourite brew. Beer cocktails Whoever said cocktails were girly drinks was wrong. Super Whatnot is making cocktail drinking more socially acceptable for men by using Green Beacon beer. Some of Brisbane’s best bartenders at Super Whatnot are stepping up to challenge and are inviting you to come test them out. There will be a judging panel, but will you agree with their top pick? And will your taste buds be able to accept a beer cocktail? Broga, beer, bacon The Mill on Constance knows what boys want, they know what boys like. And so, they’ve taken the best things that start with ‘B’ and invite you start your Sunday with a stretch, brew and feed. Broga is yoga for bros, by bros, and beginners and newbies are welcome. Finish off your session with a craft beer and bacon sandwich – if only exercise always concluded with a nice brew. Craft night And here you were thinking Broga, beer and beards were all the man things Brewvegas cared about. This one’s for the ladies (and men who aren’t scared to macrame). Drink Craft Make Craft is a hands-on craft night at The Mill that will teach you how to make beer crate coffee tables, bottle top art, and other crafts. Your $15 ticket includes all craft material, a tap beer, cider, ginger beer or wine on arrival and nibbles throughout the evening. No previous hot glue gun experience required. Floristry smackdown If you prefer to sit back and let the magic happen around you, head to The Scratch for the inaugual Scratch Hop Floristry Smackdown. Some of Brisbane’s finest florists will go head-to-head for a live, in-house arrange-off. Beer and flowers? Their challenge is to use harvested hops as the floral centrepiece. The Scratch will also be offering “Hoptical Infusions” – four different beers each infused through four different varieties of fresh hop flowers. The great outdoors Sports and beer go hand-in-hand. What is backyard cricket without a coldie in one hand and a bat in the other? Brewsvegas are realising the dream a mighty Table Tennis Battle at Archive. It’s brewers and reps Vs punters, your move. Alternatively, for a day on the green join brisbane’s Chicks With Ales and Tipplers Tap for an afternoon of croquet and bocce. Brewsvegas is on March 23-29.
Riparide is a new online venture which aims to provide surfers from around the globe with an easier means of coordinating holidays and trips. The brainchild of Australians Marion Law and Dane O’Shanassy, Riparide allows surfers to seek accomodation and equipment from locals at their destination. Conversely, surfers who would rather catch waves than go to work can offer their own services in return for cash. O’Shanassy stated that “we’ve gone to places where we know the people with boards and places to stay, but not everyone’s lucky enough to know people in, say, Hawaii.” This is a great service which will only tighten the global surfing community. Staying with other locals will also give you a greater insight into the area and a more authentic experience. Who knows, you might find yourself staying on the couch of the next Kelly Slater. [via PSFK]
How do you make the news of a new Brisbane bar even more exciting? Keep the address under wraps until moments before throwing open the doors. That's Tomcat's strategy, anyway — they'll only reveal the bar's exact Fortitude Valley location right before the launch. Here's what we do know so far. In its main space, Tomcat will attempt to fuse a house party and dive bar into one hangout space, and give it an '80s-like atmosphere. Decor-wise, think street graffiti on the walls and dim red lighting setting a mysterious mood. The kitchen will crank out New York-style pizzas for patrons keen on both eating in and taking away, and the drinks range will include two cocktails on tap, as well as bottle service that extends to gin, rum, scotch and more. And that's just the first part — Tomcat has another secret up its sleeves. Within the main bar they'll have another bar called The Boiler Room. Setting up a high-end spirit and cocktail establishment with an industrial, substation-esque vibe is the name of the game, with low lighting, jazz trip-hop tunes, leather lounges and daily changing charcuterie boards providing the finishing touches. And if you opt for bottle service here, your preferred Remy Martin beverage will be kept in a locked cabinet with your name literally on it. The dual-concept venue hails from a bunch of folks with plenty of experience, with owners Chris Denman and Stevie Waite veterans of Fourth Wall and The Manhattan Line, venue manager Kal Moore hailing from The Gresham and assistant venue manager Scott Griffin boasting X&Y on his resume. And while Tomcat's specific site won't be officially revealed until opening night, if you're savvy with your online searching you might be able to piece a few clues together. We could tell you right here, right now — but where's the fun in that? Tomcat will open in Fortitude Valley from late September until early October. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more information as they release it. Image: star5112 via Flickr.
Australians, if you like your burgers cruelty-free, then you've probably been keen to introduce your tastebuds to Impossible Foods. One of the big names in plant-based meat, the brand has built up quite the following in the US — and, from today, Thursday, November 4, it's finally available Down Under. Known for making not just meat alternatives but also dairy substitutes out of plants, Impossible has launched in Australia with two big collaborations: with burger chain Grill'd and Sydney fried chicken joint-meets-sneaker shop Butter. Nationwide, you can now tuck into four Impossible burgs made with the brand's beef alternative. If you're a Sydneysider, you have a couple more options at Butter's Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and you'll also be able to try a broader menu at Butter's upcoming Impossible pop-up in The Rocks. For burger fiends, those four new additions at Grill'd Australia-wide include a cheeseburger (complete with vegan cheese and vegan mayonnaise), the 'Simply Grill'd' which recreates the chain's standard burg, a vegetable-heavy option that comes with beetroot and avocado, and an Aussie spin on the concept that also adds beetroot and barbecue burger sauce. In Sydney, Butter is doing an Impossible cheeseburger and an Impossible classic burger, marking the first time it's ever had plant-based meat alternatives on its menu. Butter will also be adding a new Impossible burger to its lineup every fortnight, and slinging Impossible lasagnes and meatball subs via its home-delivery brand Mumma Julian's. And, at a yet-to-be-revealed date sometime later in November, Butter's Impossible pop-up in The Rocks will only serve items made with Impossible beef. Think: meat-free katsu, cheeseburgers and chilli cheese fries, plus whatever else Butter co-owner and executive chef Julian Cincotta comes up with. In total, Impossible's meat-less 'beef' is now available in more than 150 restaurants around the country — and you can expect more places to join the list. And if you're wondering what makes the brand's plant-based options stand out, it was named the best plant-based burger by The New York Times. Grill'd's Impossible menu is available in stores from Thursday, November 4. Butter is serving two Impossible burgers at its Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and will set up an Impossible pop-up in The Rocks later in November. For further details about Impossible, head to the brand's website.
Back when streaming platforms and digital television were just a futuristic dream, and when every Australian TV network only had one channel, SBS was an Aussie cinephile's go-to source for free international cinema. The public broadcaster has continued to uphold that role over the past decade or so, especially via its online service SBS On Demand. But now it's giving movie buffs what we've always wanted: a new, free-to-air, 24-hour world movies channel. SBS World Movies will launch on Monday, July 1 on channel 32, playing flicks from around the globe all day, every day. Prepare for quite the movie marathon, as more than 700 films will be broadcast each year. The channel will also become the network's third in HD — a far cry from the days when folks at home would record the station's international movies on grainy VHS tapes to watch again later. While the full launch slate hasn't been revealed, a selection of recent high-profile titles will be heading SBS World Movies' way, including Yorgos Lanthimos' dark and twisty The Killing of a Sacred Deer with Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman; moving French drama Amanda, which just screened at this year's Alliance Française French Film Festival; and applauded 2018 festival hit Ash is the Purest White, the latest film by acclaimed auteur Jia Zhangke. Norwegian historical drama The 12th Man, French thriller Just A Breath Away and Belgian Cannes winner Girl round out the just-announced first movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=QT3KlMWHfzw The channel will also showcase women in film via a weekly double focusing on female filmmakers and lead actors, highlight favourites from the international film festival circuit, delve into up-and-coming cinema from far-flung corners of the world, and curate seasons around events like Diwali, Lunar New Year, International Women's Day and Mardi Gras. Along with programming world movies on its existing channels, as well as on SBS On Demand, SBS is no stranger to the dedicated film channel game. For nearly a quarter of a century up until January 2018, World Movies was available via subscription TV services such as Foxtel. When SBS World Movies joins the network's lineup, it'll sit alongside existing channels SBS, SBS VICELAND, SBS Food and NITV. SBS World Movies launches on Monday, July 1 on channel 32.
Almost one year after their break-up, a film documenting the final chapters of alternative powerhouse LCD Soundsystem will premiere on January 22 at the Sundance Film Festival. Shut Up and Play the Hits, directed by Dylan Southern and William Lovelace, shows frontman James Murphy in the hours prior to the band's farewell show at Madison Square Garden. This will be combined with unbeatable footage from their epic ultimate performance, as well as Murphy's reactions and reflections on what has been an illustrious career. With a devotion to both the personal and performance aspects of Murphy's character, Shut Up and Play the Hits gives fans an intimate insight into the brains behind one of this generation's most innovative and critically acclaimed bands. The anticipation before the LCD's grand farewell is balanced with the sense of loss the morning after, giving viewers a complete experience on this emotional and artistic rollercoaster. On top of three studio albums and numerous Grammy nominations, LCD Soundsystem were able to forge a cult following which reflected their diverse sound combining disco and punk rock with a distinct indie tinge. Murphy was also the co-founder of DFA Records, home of fellow alternative favourites Holy Ghost! and The Rapture.
In the two decades that Gelato Messina has been in dessert business, more than 4000 special flavours have made their way through the chain's gelato cabinets around the country. Each year, it releases 260 specials, in fact. Yes, that's a lot of frosty and creamy scoops. To celebrate some of these oldies but goodies, the chain brings a selection of these flavours back every now and then — and, sometimes, it busts out its entire top 40 greatest hits. That's happening again this winter, based on the past year's top flavours, so you'd best make room in your freezer. Lucky Sydneysiders, Melburnians and Brisbanites will be able to treat themselves to a treasure trove of limited-edition gelato varieties. While, in the past, the greatest hits specials have been a buy-in-shop-only deal, the chain went with preordered tubs in 2020 — so no one had to worry about long queues and empty cabinets — and it's doing the same thing again in 2023. Gelato fiends can preorder 500-millilitre tubs of the 40 flavours from Monday, July 10. You'll then need to pick them up from Sydney's Marrickville, Tramsheds, Bondi, Darlinghurst, Norwest, Brighton Le Sands stores; Fitzroy and East Brunswick in Melbourne; South Brisbane in Brisbane; and Braddon in Canberra — all between Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23. Individual tubs are filled with just one flavour and will set you back $19, or you can get three for $54, five for $75, ten for $140 or — if you have the freezer space — 20 for $250. Wondering which flavours are available? Messina has dropped the full list of faves making a comeback — and it's stacked with deliciousness (just like your freezer will be). Fairy Bread (toast and butter gelato with 100s & 1000s) and Robert Blondie Jnr (white chocolate gelato, blondie and white chocolate fudge sauce) will all return in tub form. So will Balls Deep (chocolate gelato with chocolate mud cake and salted caramel fudge) and You Cannoli Live Twice (chocolate crème patisserie gelato with chocolate hazelnut fudge, candied hazelnuts, and crushed cannoli shells), too. Love Messina's takes on other beloved desserts? The Malteaser, Eton Mess, Baked Mango Cheesecake, Have a Gay Old Time, Pavlova, Red Velvet — those Messina flavours are all on the list as well. Good luck trying to choose just one, or even a mere few. Gelato Messina's Greatest Hits will be available to preorder on Monday, July 10 with pick up between Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23 from Sydney's Marrickville, Tramsheds, Bondi, Darlinghurst, Norwest, Brighton Le Sands stores (orders from 12.15pm); Fitzroy and East Brunswick in Melbourne; South Brisbane in Brisbane; and Braddon in Canberra (orders from 12pm).
When you drink a spritz, it might get you dreaming of Italy, the country that gave the world the summery tipple. Sip one of the cocktails at South Brisbane's Como and you'll definitely be thinking about the other side of world. A ten-option spritz menu that themes its sips around different Italian regions — Venice, Rome, Milan, Sicily and Bologna included — will do that. As its name makes plain, this spot takes inspiration from a specific part of the European country in general: Lake Como. Cue Euro summer vibes all year long and no matter the weather in Brisbane or in Italy, all on Melbourne Street. Seasonal produce is in the spotlight, with the small bites beginning with oysters, sago chips, crispy polenta with mushroom, pan brioche with raw kangaroo loin, fried calamari and caviar. There's also a selection of cured meats and focaccia, which are recommended to be paired. Or, from the antipasto range, tuck into beetroot tartare and yuzu-marinated swordfish. Among the pastas, spaghetti champagne lobster stands out, albeit with a hefty price tag to match; pappardelle with wild boar ragu and rigatoni with mussels will also tempt your tastebuds. For mains, porchetta, duck breast and market fish sit alongside two types of wagyu and dry-aged black angus sirloin. And as for dessert, watermelon yoghurt, raspberry sorbet and cheese all feature. If you can't choose what to eat, two degustation menus are on offer, including one for groups that spans six courses for $110 a head and an eight-dish feast that'll set you back $149 per person. Pizzas are available for takeaway via the restaurant's Fish Lane entrance all day from Tuesday–Sunday, while Como's bar also operates from open till close six days a week. But for dining in, you'll need to make a date for lunch from 12–2.30pm and dinner from 5.30–9.30pm. As well as spritzes, Como's drinks selection boasts multiple takes on the negroni, classics on request, non-boozy cocktails and eight pages of wine choices — with Italian, Australian, New Zealand, French, American and Spanish drops all getting their own menu sections. The mood is refined but laidback, encouraging patrons to while away their visit with their nearest and dearest. You can start at the bar, then settle in at a table. Also, if you let the staff know when you book, Como will cater to your timing if you're heading in before seeing a show somewhere around South Bank.
Calling all sleuths of Australia — again. If you haven't fulfilled your murder-mystery fix on the big and small screens over the past few years, and if you missed a whodunnit play hailing from the one and only Agatha Christie in both 2022 and 2023, then you'd best make a new date with The Mousetrap. Here are two questions for you to solve first: why is this play coming your way once more a big deal, and when is it doing the rounds again? The answers: as well as being penned by Christie, it's the world's longest-running play; and, because its past Aussie seasons have proven such a hit, it's returning to a heap of cities from May–September 2024. As well as heading to Hobart and Darwin, this tour is favouring regional and smaller spots. That means seeing The Mousetrap in Newcastle, Wollongong, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Geelong and Frankston — among other stops — for audiences in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Initially premiering in London's West End in 1952, The Mousetrap has been treading the boards in the UK ever since, only pausing during to pandemic venue closures. When theatres reopened in Britain, so did the show. Indeed, when it arrived in Australia in 2022, The Mousetrap did so 70 years to the month that it first debuted. Unsurprisingly, that hefty run means that the show has enjoyed the longest stint for any West End production, and for any play anywhere in the world. So far, there's been more than 28,500 London performances. To answer the other obvious question, yes, it's all about an unexpected body. The murder-mystery starts with news of a killing in London — and with seven people snowed in at a guest house in the country. They're strangers, which is classic Christie. When a police sergeant arrives on skis, they're told that the murderer is among them (which, again, is vintage Christie). They all have wild pasts, too, and all those details are spilled as they're interrogated, and also try to work out who among them is the killer. Those guests at Monkswell Manor include a pair of newlyweds who run the house, a spinster, an architect who is handy in the kitchen, a retired Army major, a man who says his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist. Naturally, there's another death as they're all puzzling it over — and a twist conclusion, which audiences have been requested not to reveal after leaving the theatre for seven decades now. Again, it's all Christie all over, which'll be evident if you've seen the recent film versions of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile — or the original cinema adaptations, or read the books, or devoured anything else that Christie ever wrote. And, if you caught 2022's See How They Run, you'll be more than a little familiar with The Mousetrap as well. This theatre work started as a short radio play, which was written as a birthday present for Queen Mary. It aired in 1947 under the name Three Blind Mice, after which Christie rewrote it as a short story, then adapted it again for the stage as The Mousetrap. And no, there isn't a movie of it — because Christie stipulated that it can't leap to the screen until at least six months after the West End production closes. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet. In Australia, the play boasts Robyn Nevin directing and John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia producing. AGATHA CHRISTIE'S THE MOUSETRAP 2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Saturday, May 11–Saturday, May 25: Newcastle Civic Theatre, Newcastle Thursday, May 29–Sunday, June 2 — HOTA, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast Tuesday, June 11–Monday, June 24 — Theatre Royal, Hobart Thursday, June 27–Sunday, June 30 — Civic Theatre, Orange Thursday, July 4–Sunday, July 7 — Geelong Arts Centre, Geelong Thursday, July 11–Saturday, July 13 — Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin Wednesday, July 17–Friday, July 19 — Glasshouse, Port Macquarie Tuesday, July 23–Wednesday, July 24 — Empire Theatre, Toowoomba Wednesday, July 31–Saturday, August 3 — Frankston Arts Centre, Frankston Thursday, August 8–Sunday, August 11 — Albury Entertainment Centre, Albury Thursday, August 15–Sunday, August 25 — Glen St Theatre, Frenchs Forest Thursday, August 29–Sunday, September 1 — Entertainment Convention Centre, Mackay Thursday, September 5–Monday, September 16 — Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will tour Australia in 2024. For further details and tickets, head to the play's website. Images: Brian Gleach.
Yoga lovers of Brisbane, it's time to unleash your flexibility in a former prison. It's time to take a spooky tour of the place, too. It's October, which means that it's Halloween time — and while combining bending and stretching with ghost stories mightn't have been on your to-do list before, it should be now. This city is rather fond of creative yoga sessions, of course, spanning everything from mountaintop yoga and yoga on a pier to beer yoga and yoga with llamas. Still, this Boggo Road Gaol class on Saturday, October 31 is something particularly adventurous. Doing downward dog as you're in the middle of quite the historic spot is just the beginning, as afterwards you'll be hearing about and wandering through the site's haunted history. Places are limited, so if you're keen to step inside the jail for this unique session, you'll need to snap up a ticket before Monday, October 19. All of the fun kicks off at 4.30pm, and you're asked to bring your own mat, water, comfortable clothes, enclosed shoes and torch. Also, this is one Halloween event where you can't dress up in horror-themed costumes.
When a business celebrates a birthday in a big way, its customers might be lucky enough to receive a present themselves. That's the case with cinema chain Hoyts, which is hitting 115 years old with two days — an entire weekend, in fact — of cheap movie tickets. Book in a big-screen date across Saturday, October 12–Sunday, October 13 to score $8 general-admission tickets. The special is open to everyone and you don't need to sign up for a membership; however, as there always is with these kinds of deals, there are a few caveats. If you reserve your $8 ticket are online, there'll also be a booking fee. And again, the deal applies just to standard sessions, not Hoyts LUX and special events — but you can pay extra to sit in a D-BOX motion recliner, for a lounge or daybed, or to get the Xtremescreen experience. If you want to head to Hoyts LUX, that'll cost you $25. Movie-wise, your viewing options include supervillain sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, more comic book-inspired antics with Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Sebastian Stan (Dumb Money)-starring Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, gore aplenty thanks to Terrifier 3, and all-ages-friendly animation with The Wild Robot and Transformers One.
For most folks, Easter is about two things: chocolate and plenty of it, and enjoying at least a four-day break from the daily grind. However many sweet treats you have in your near future, and however you're planning to spend your time off, Virgin wants you to keep the holiday vibes going — dropping a pre-Easter sale with 350,000 discounted fares up for grabs. As the airline tends to, it's starting prices as cheap as $55, which will get you from Sydney to Byron Bay and vice versa. From there, the sale spans everywhere from the Hamilton Island, Tasmania and Darwin through to Tokyo, Bali, Fiji and Vanuatu. The low fare, more air sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, April 3 — unless sold out earlier, with The Whitsundays, the Sunshine Coast, all the regular Australian capital cities, Queenstown and Samoa also covered. That means paying $75 one-way from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, $89 from Adelaide to Launceston, $99 for a trip from Melbourne to the Gold Coast and $115 to get from Brisbane to Hamilton Island. Or, still on local deals, $89 from Melbourne to Adelaide, $115 from Sydney to Cairns, $219 from Melbourne to Darwin and $229 from Sydney to Perth. All legs are available in both directions. Internationally, return fares include the Gold Coast to Bali from $419, Sydney to Fiji from $459, Melbourne to Vanuatu from $539 and Cairns to Tokyo from $699. For folks in Sydney and Melbourne keen to head to Japan, the Tokyo trip costs $819 from each via Cairns. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the fares cover between Tuesday, March 9–Thursday, December 14, all varying per route. Inclusions also vary depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick if you're keen to stack your year with post-Easter getaways. Virgin's low fare, more air sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, April 3 — unless sold out earlier. 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.
Brisbane has caught a serious case of burger fever, and the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Ben's Burgers has taken up residency in Winn Lane (at Flamingo Cafe’s old digs) to help medicate the good people of Brisbane and treat their burger lovin’ symptoms. Ben's Burgers are all about simplicity. From the food to the fit-out, everything is fuss free and fairly fantastic. They’ve got the business of burger building down to a fine art and have only one rule — no alterations. But that’s ok, because why mess with perfection? You can choose BB Classic, BB Special or BB Veg ($11 each), and rest assured that what comes out between two halves of brioche will be fresh, juicy and damn tasty. The BB Classic is exactly that: a classic. The tender, juicy beef pattie is in perfect proportion to the soft and sweet brioche bun, gooey melted cheese, and precisely placed pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard and mayo. This masterpiece is the perfect size to get your mouth around as you enjoy all the fixings all together, bite after bite. Don’t be afraid to make a mess as the succulent juices trickle down your wrists — this is a real burger after all. If you’re one to push the boundaries, why not try the BB special — its foundation is the same tender, juicy beef pattie as the classic, but it comes dressed up in jalapenos and a special sauce — or the BB veg where a whole roasted mushroom replaces the meat. In true American style, you can wash down whichever burg you choose with a cup of housemade cherry cola or ginger ale, or if you’re feeling game, a Hershey’s chocolate milkshake. But it seems Brisbane’s burger urges aren’t restricted to lunch and dinner. From 7am until 11am, Ben's Burgers can satisfy your morning cravings with three breakfast burgers ($7 each) on offer. You’ve got your usuals — bacon, egg, cheese and special sauce, and sausage, egg, cheese and bourbon barbecue sauce — and your unusual: the BB Elvis. Give your arteries a King-sized workout with bacon, peanut butter, banana and maple syrup hugged by a brioche bun.
If you're looking to dip into a few fresh literary delights, why not opt for a deep-dive into some of the world's oldest storytelling traditions? That's what you can expect to enjoy when this week's Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival serves up a celebration of First Nations stories and writers, fusing tradition and innovation. Running from Thursday, March 17 until Sunday, March 20, the festival will spotlight over 67 talented storytellers — both emerging and familiar — across a program of conversations, workshops, readings and performances. Most events will be held at Melbourne's Wheeler Centre, with many also streamed online. The festival's launch night kicks off with a Welcome to Country and multi-disciplinary performance piece Solace, as traditional owners and artists Philly, Bryan Andy, James Henry and Steven Rhall explore ideas around men's mental health. During Borrow a Living Book, you'll have the chance to sit down with an elder at Indigenous-owned eatery Big Esso and immerse yourself in the stories of their lived experiences. With Kimmy Lovegrove as MC, Gammon (Aboriginal slang for 'joking' or 'kidding') delivers a serve of Blak comedy, while The Monologues showcases words from celebrated First Nations playwrights including Kodie Bedford, Anita Heiss and Jane Harrison. Elsewhere, you'll catch a series of ten-minute talks by social justice activists, an in-depth exploration of Aboriginal aesthetic within the Australian design landscape, and a group poetry read featuring writers like Jazz Money and Charmaine Papertalk Green. Can't make it in person? A stack of the events will also be available to enjoy streamed online, with various ticketing options on offer. [caption id="attachment_846280" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maurial Spearim, by Tiffany Garvie[/caption] Top Image: Richard Frankland and Stan Yarramunua, by Tiffany Garvie
2022 marks four years since The Westin opened in Mary Street in the CBD, finally filling the giant hole in the ground that sat in the middle of the city for years in the process. The first location in Queensland for the Marriott-owned international brand, the decadent resort-style hotel arrived with all the usual features — 298 rooms and suites with views, onsite eateries and bars, and a spa — but it's Nautilus Pool Bar that's one of its biggest drawcards. The swim-up spot is the first in Brisbane, and still the only bar in the city like it. Obviously, that's wonderful news for guests keen to splash around in the 300-square-metre swimming pool, grab a beverage and gaze out over views over the city skyline. Thanks to the hotel's new summer-long beach club, it's also ace news for Brisbanites in general. This isn't the first time that Nautilus Pool Bar has held public sessions, but this seasonal stint comes with an Amalfi theme, seafood towers, spritzes galore and DJs spinning tunes on the deck. Dubbed Nautilus Beach Club, it kicks off on Friday, December 16, and will run 11am–7pm Friday–Sunday until Sunday, March 5. Attendees have a couple of options for Mediterranean-influenced lounging by the pool, with a $29 ticket including access, a towel to use while you're there and your first spritz. If you and a date or mate are feeling like treating yo'selves, there's also a cabana experience for $239 for two, which gives you your own cabana to hang out in, a seafood platter and a bottle of rosé. On the menu in general: oysters, prawn cocktails, Moreton Bay bug rolls, kingfish ceviche, and both antipasto and seafood platters. The drinks lineup features spritzes made with limoncello, Campari, Aperol and Malfy gin, and there's also two Riot Wine Co vinos on tap. Those live DJ sets run from 3.30–6.30pm, with DJ Vicki Lee doing the honours on Fridays, and DJ Gloria Ansell taking to the decks on Saturdays and Sundays. And the pool itself? It's heated to 28 degrees, perfect for comfortable swims during Brisbane's sultry summer. Nautilus Beach Club runs 11am–7pm Friday–Sunday from Friday, December 16– Sunday, March 5 at The Westin Brisbane at 111 Mary Street, Brisbane. Head to the Nautilus Pool Bar website for further details and tickets.
This year, the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards will be held in Melbourne, and will see the globe's biggest culinary names descend on Australia to shed some light on what goes into creating the world's best dishes. But what about the food that gets left behind? Well, none other than the world's best chef Massimo Bottura will tackle the issue of food waste head-on when he teams up with a slew of local chefs and food waste charity OzHarvest for an exclusive degustation in Sydney on Sunday, April 2. Bottura — the super affable renowned chef behind Italy's Osteria Francescana, which was again named the number one restaurant in the world last year — will host the eye-opening event at OzHarvest's Alexandria headquarters. While he won't be cooking, he'll be joined by a hand-picked team of local chefs who will, including Rob Cockerill (Bennelong), Josh Niland (Saint Peter), Monty Koludrovic (Icebergs, The Dolphin), Clayton Wells (Automata) and James Viles (Biota). They'll plate up a fine dining feast made with food that's usually destined for the bin, matched to some top Aussie wines. The 130 lucky diners will enjoy sharp service led by Rockpool Dining Group's food and beverage director Jeremy Courmidas, the sommelier skills of Icebergs' James Hird, and a stunning setting designed by George Livissianis and decorated with works from some leading Australian artists. Plus, with everyone's time and all produce and products donated, all proceeds from the night will head straight to OzHarvest, as well as Bottura's Italian food waste non-profit Food for Soul. It's set to be a once-in-a-lifetime dining event, so, naturally, it comes with a once-in-a-lifetime price tag. Tickets will set you back a cool $1000. Tickets to Massimo Bottura's OzHarvest degustation dinner go on sale at 9am this Tuesday, March 14, and are available here.
The Apple iPod has been nipped and tucked since its original version to become the compact, nearly paper-thin music-playing masterpiece that it is today. We now have room for thousands of songs and videos on a piece of metal that's smaller than a playing card and lighter than a feather. Just when we thought there was no more improving the little guys, technology went ahead and proved us wrong. Scientists from Georgia University of Technology, lead by Dr. Zhong Lin Wang, are in the experimental stages of developing nanotechnology that will create self-generated energy that could power portable devices like iPods. In presenting their findings to the American Chemical Society, Dr. Wang explained that the devices would have a microchip made of zinc oxide nanowires (500 of them could fit on a human hair) that generate energy at any body movement, even just the beat of a heart. So far the human-powered technology has been used to power LCD screens and store radio signals. These advances may seem small, but Dr. Wang believes that the team's development of the microchip is a significant milestone in the creation of power that isn't battery-operated or plugged into an electrical outlet. "Their potential is only limited by one's imagination," he said. We're certainly looking forward to listening to beats powered by heartbeats. [via The Telegraph]
Fancy an art experience that extends beyond looking at works on a wall? Then prepare to be impressed by Melbourne's new 3000-square-metre, 11-metre-high immersive digital art gallery. Originally set to open in late 2020, then postponed till autumn 2021, and now finally set to launch when the first day of spring hits — so, Wednesday, September 1 — The Lume will make its home permanently at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). The big drawcard: projections of some of the world's most celebrated artworks, which will be splashed across various surfaces. Those luminous displays will be backed by powerful musical soundtracks, too, and even complemented by aromas. The inaugural exhibition at The Lume will celebrate the works and life of Vincent van Gogh. So, you'll be able to walk through artworks like The Starry Night and Sunflowers while listening to a classical music score. If you were lucky enough to make it up to Sydney last year for Van Gogh Alive, expect something very similar. The project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Experiences, which, for the past 15 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 130 cities across the world — and is taking Van Gogh Alive around Australia this year, too. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. The Lume will open at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, September 1. General public tickets go on sale at 12pm on Thursday, June 3 — with wait list pre-sales from Monday, May 31.
Prepare yourself, folks — this year, Australia's launching into summer with the help of a huge new music festival. The brainchild of industry big guns Onelove (Stereosonic), Live Nation (Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival) and Hardware (Piknic Electronik, Babylon), Festival X will hit Brisbane on Friday, November 29. The large-scale music party is pulling no punches when it comes to its debut lineup, headlined by international heavyweights including Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, the Grammy-nominated Armin van Buuren, Steve Aoki and our own Alison Wonderland. Spanning multiple stages, it's set to deliver a world-class serve of hip hop, pop and electronica.US rapper Lil Pump will make his own Aussie debut, joined on the all-star bill by the likes of British DJ duo CamelPhat, Ohio-based rapper Trippie Redd, Denmark's Kölsch and German techno king Paul Kalkbrenner. Meanwhile, there'll be plenty flying the flag for the local scene, with sets from favourites including bass and dubstep star Godlands, Australian-raised trance DJ MaRLo, Sydney act Sunset Bros and singer-songwriter Thandi Phoenix.
The Holidays' sound reminds me of Sunday afternoon drives with the sunset on the horizon, only the majority of the time I've listened to them it's been 4am and on my way to work. It's the kind of music that instantly makes you feel warm and alive, holding you in its jangly tones and releasing you only when you really have to get back to the real world. Back in Brisbane after their apt afternoon slot at Laneway, The Holidays are here on their Seven Million Mornings Tour to showcase their fantastic debut LP, Post Paradise. Filled with resplendent melodies coupled with some pretty damn good lyrics, the music created by these Sydney boys will definitely leave you mesmerised. You've probably heard their three released singles (Moonlight Hours, Golden Sky and Broken Bones) on the airwaves, and unlike some other bands, every song is actually worth a listen. They've even be nominated for several prestigious awards, like the Australian Music Prize. So, do not even think about missing out when they roll into The Zoo for what is sure to be a sweet ride.
Situated smack-bang in the middle of the city, Post Office Square boasts many things, including lunchtime eateries, a patch of grass amidst towering office buildings and a busy thoroughfare to Central Station. And, it now also features Brisbane's newest micro pub: Isles Lane. Slotting into the parkside space at 300 Queen Street, the 400-person venue comes courtesy of Trent Meade and Matt Blyth, the current team behind Fortitude Valley's The Met and GPO Hotel. For their foray into the CBD, they've whipped up a casual watering hole that segues from daytime eating to afternoon drinks every day of the week. Or, as Meade explains it, the venue takes its cues from "classic big city eating houses, from New York to Barcelona", while adding its own modern Australian twist. While the beverage selection is filled with familiar brews and special rotational beers — think Balter, Stone & Wood, Kaiju and more — plus a curated array of cocktails, riesling, rosé, prosecco and Champagne, Isles Lane places a heavy emphasis on the food side of the gastropub equation. With head chef Lucie Woods overseeing the kitchen, diners can tuck into the likes of karaage-topped waffles, lobster rolls, spicy barbecue beer-can chicken, crab omelettes and roasted lamb shoulder, along with sides of haloumi chips and spicy fried school prawns with burnt lemon aioli. Decor-wise, the space takes inspiration from its surroundings, bringing the outside in where it can. There's natural light and greenery aplenty, with a colour palette to match. And, Isles Lane will spread the fun outdoors as well as part of its lineup of yet-to-be-revealed events. Find Isles Lane at shop 10A, 300 Queen Street, Brisbane. Head to the venue's website and Facebook page for further information.
Forget socks and jocks this holiday season. This year it's all about experiences. So why not give the gift of local travel and send your friends and family on an enviable journey that sets them up for a stellar 2022? Plus, you'll be helping Australia's tourism industry get back on its feet. It's a win-win. If you know someone who's itching to reunite with big adventure travel experiences, you can stock up on multi-day hike vouchers or surprise them with a whale shark swimming adventure. In partnership with Tourism Australia, we've pulled together a list of thrilling experiences to help you pick the perfect present for the adrenaline seeker in your life.
UPDATE, Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Alliance Française French Film Festival's Brisbane 2025 season was delayed due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred; however, Palace Barracks and Palace James St are open as at Tuesday, March 11, and opening night will take place on Friday, March 14. Each autumn, Brisbane movie lovers score a super-sized French treat: a feast of flicks hitting the big screen, all thanks to the Alliance Française French Film Festival. In 2025, the fest marks its 36th year. On the lineup: 42 pictures that span the breadth and depth of Gallic filmmaking. So, when you're not enjoying the latest version of the The Count of Monte Cristo, you'll be diving into France's newest black comedies, then plunging into French drama and seeing a restored masterpiece. In the River City, the fun runs through the first month or so of autumn with the full 42-title program playing until Tuesday, April 8 at Palace Cinema James Street and Palace Cinema Barracks. Kicking off the fest: opening night's Tahar Rahim (Madame Web)-starring Monsieur Aznavour, about singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour — which has been doing big business in France, selling 1.8-million-plus tickets. From there, the highlights keep coming, right through to closing night's rom-com In the Sub for Love. The aforementioned The Count of Monte Cristo features Pierre Niney (The Book of Solutions) in the lead and takes AFFFF's centrepiece slot, while Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 great Army of Shadows arrives in 4K Down Under after premiering its restored version at Cannes 2024. Or, catch a 50-years-later remake of Emmanuelle, this time starring Noémie Merlant (Lee) and Naomi Watts (Feud), with Audrey Diwan (Happening) directing — or see Mélanie Laurent (Freedom) and Guillaume Canet (All-Time High) portraying Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI in their final days in The Deluge. Plus, Meet the Leroys is a road-trip dramedy that marks Charlotte Gainsbourg's (Alphonse) latest film, while Prodigies delivers a tale of sibling rivalry with Emily in Paris' Camille Razat. Viewers can also look forward to The Divine Sarah Bernhardt, with Sandrine Kiberlain (Meet the Barbarians) as the eponymous actor; All Stirred Up, a comedy focusing on a customs officer on the border between Quebec and the United States, plus her daughter's attempts to win a cooking contest; and Riviera Revenge, where an affair almost four decade prior sparks a quest for vengeance in the French Riviera. Elsewhere, How to Make a Killing features regular AFFFF face and Call My Agent favourite Laure Calamy (The Origin of Evil), as does My Everything; Louis Garrel and Vincent Cassel (co-stars in the 2024 festival's The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady) team up in Saint-Ex, about Argentinian pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; When Fall Is Coming is the latest from acclaimed director François Ozon (The Crime Is Mine); and nonagenarian filmmaker Costa-Gavras (Adults in the Room) delivers the personal Before What Comes After. Or, get excited Beating Hearts, which is helmed by Gilles Lellouche (Sink or Swim), stars Adèle Exarchopoulos (Inside Out 2) and François Civil (The Three Musketeers), and played at Cannes International Film Festival 2024 — as did the music-loving My Brother's Band from The Big Hit writer/director Emmanuel Courcol. Also in the Cannes contingent are a range of movies exploring the stories of a courier facing a interview to obtain residency, plus artist Niki de Saint-Phalle, a midlife crisis, pastoral France and being a teenager amid Corsican gang politics, aka The Story of Souleymane, Niki, This Life of Mine, Holy Cow and The Kingdom.
