As far as culinary memories go, for many Australians street food evokes holiday recollections of steaming pad Thai precariously balanced on a paper plate at a bustling Bangkok market, ketchup-laden three-for-$1 hot dogs in Times Square or condensed milk and peanut butter waffles relished on a hurried Hong Kong stopover. As part of Ketel One's Modern Craft Project, Brisbane-based architect, designer and social entrepreneur Helen Bird drew inspiration from the success of a recent wave of street food vendors setting up mobile shop in other highly regulated countries to inform the mobile food project she launched earlier this year, which aims to satiate a growing hunger for not only international cuisine but socially and environmentally sound practice. In a bid to bring a little bit of holiday spirit to her urban surrounds in the form of quick, cost-effective and tasty fare, Bird personally designed an artfully constructed and environmentally sustainable spin on the humble bicycle-cart to peddle around the laneways of Brisbane. Not one to be motivated by the pursuit of business success alone, Bird has harnessed the project as a literal vehicle through which to provide assistance for migrants and refugees wishing to enter the local food industry. Working with Street Food Australia (SFA), a social enterprise small business incubator established by Bird last year, participating protegees will take on the running of a bicycle-cart, while receiving the ongoing support and mentorship necessary to successfully establish a functioning business that serves food from their native culture. After raising start-up funds through the crowd sourcing website Pozible late last year, in February SFA launched their first street food vendor bike, a steamed dumpling cart, as part of a pilot designed to test the fundamentals of the project. “Growing up my father was a bank manager who would lend money to migrants to start their first businesses. These families had no money, no business plan and the difficulty of a language barrier, but somehow when Dad would take me to their houses years later, they would be living in big, fancy places, thanks in part to the opportunity he gave them'”, says Bird, reflecting on what initially propelled her to fuse an acute understanding of business principles with her expert knowledge of craftsmanship to benefit the lives of those less fortunate. To describe Bird's career path as unusual is conservative — she’s had a stint making circus equipment, spent time installing massive bamboo art sculptures in Europe and established a successful design studio, Pearler, with her "right-hand man and business partner" Billerwell Daye. Formal architecture training, a lifelong penchant for carpentry, welding, "repairing, rebuilding and picking apart everyday objects" and a commitment to doing things the long, hard way has allowed Bird to develop the formidable skillset necessary to craft the bicycle-carts used in the project, which are modeled on an economic, social, ecological and cultural sustainability quadruple bottom line. "This project draws on diverse and complex processes, collaboration, old and new skills and the understanding that craft, design and society can meld together in exciting possibility to create something that helps other to achieve their full potential," explains Bird. Much as Bird works to provide deserving migrants and refugees the kind of opportunities that hold the potential to completely re-route their futures, the Ketel One legacy, awarded to her this week, has opened up previously impossible avenues for the development and expansion of the project. Bird plans to direct the $100,000 prize money towards establishing an office and workshop away from home to draw, model and test the bicycle-carts and oversee the project, obtain core resources she currently lacks and even donate a bicycle-cart to a new vendor, dramatically reducing their start-up costs. Like a true modern craftswoman, Bird seeks to achieve big changes through small acts carried out slowly and simply. If this starts with a bite of a mini banh-mi, tequila ribs or Mexican elote bought off the back of a travelling trike, that's an initiative we don't need to be asked twice to support. The training wheels are about to come off, thanks to the Ketel One legacy.
We all follow that one Instagrammer who seems to share everything they eat — from decently presented but poorly lit cafe brunches to the monochromatic mac and cheese they're scoffing at home on a Wednesday night while watching Offspring with their poodle. So you may be pleased to know Virgin Mobile Australia is launching a new initiative that will put those somewhat annoying, always frivolous and only occasionally applause-worthy food 'grams to actual good use. Every time foodstagrammers take a photo of a meal, share it on social media and use the hashtag #mealforameal, Virgin will donate to food rescue organisation OzHarvest — absolute legends who collect surplus food from commercial outlets and deliver real meals to people who need them. The company is jumping on the 'foodporn' bandwagon but using it to give back to vulnerable people around the country. And now you and your compulsion for food snapping can get involved. To help launch the project in Sydney, Gelato Messina is serving up a new flavour made of food scraps. Really. Head to a Messina store on July 19 and try out the flavoursome experiment (which is only made from food scraps and apparently doesn't taste like food scraps). This is one situation in which you're practically required to take a photo of your food (just don't forget to tag it #mealforameal). With public opinion on foodstagramming being that it is serious business — when it's good it's highly celebrated, and when it's bad it's lambasted (even when you're Martha Stewart) — the trend isn't predicted to die out any time soon. For those who thought they'd rather never see someone else's cronut or shakshuka eggs on their feed again? Well, now there's good reason to get off your high horse and get your lens on your ceviche.
Nosferatu. The Wolf Man. Frankenstein. All three names are icons of classic horror cinema. All three are headed back to the big screen in 2025. The entire trio are also making a comeback with impressive directors leading the charge, with Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) giving Nosferatu a new spin, Leigh Whannell moving from The Invisible Man to Wolf Man and Guillermo del Toro behind the latest iteration of Mary Shelley's masterpiece (to the surprise of no one who has seen the Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water helmer's past movies). Nosferatu will hit picture palaces first — and, in true Eggers fashion, it's keen to unnerve. So, what happens when the acclaimed filmmaker directs his attention to the second-most famous name there is in vampire tales for his fourth feature? If both the initial teaser trailer and just-dropped new sneak peek for Nosferatu are anything to go by, embracing a twist on Bram Stoker's Dracula is set to turn out chillingly. More than a century has passed since the initial Nosferatu flickered across the big screen, a German Expressionist great that adapted Stoker's story with zero authorisation, hence changes such as its count being named Orlok. The film has been remade before, with Werner Herzog (The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft) giving viewers 1979's Nosferatu the Vampyre. Now, Eggers is sinking his teeth in — and visibly loving it. The new Orlok: Bill Skarsgård, fresh from action-star mode in Boy Kills World but pivoting back to creepy villains, just swapping IT and IT: Chapter Two's Pennywise for another insidious pop-culture figure. In the two looks at Eggers' Nosferatu so far, the writer/director plays coy with his monster, but not with Orlok's impact. "My dreams grow darker," cries Lily-Rose Depp in the initial trailer, trading the nightmare of The Idol for the gothic horror kind as Ellen Hutter. Joining Skarsgård and Depp is a stacked cast of fellow big names, including Willem Dafoe enjoying another stint in gothic mode after Poor Things and returning to Nosferatu after his Oscar-nominated performance in 2000's Shadow of a Vampire, where he played Max Schreck, the IRL actor who played Orlok back in 1922. Nicholas Hoult jumps from dancing with Dracula in Renfield to more undead eeriness, and Emma Corrin (A Murder at the End of the World), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (The Fall Guy) and Ralph Ineson (The First Omen) all also feature. In the US, audiences have a silver-screen date with Nosferatu on Christmas, but viewers Down Under will see the film from Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Check out the full trailer for Nosferatu below: Nosferatu releases in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Images: courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.
When you're sitting in a cinema, you want to hear one thing and one thing only: the film that you're watching. No one likes having their movie-going experience ruined by excessive noise from those around them; however, shooshing and scowling are only somewhat effective at combating the problem. Sure, you can ask an incessant talker to pipe down, but requesting that the person behind you devours their movie munchies at a lower volume isn't so easy, particularly in a place that sells far-from-quiet foods such as popcorn and potato chips. Enter Silent Snacks, aka the invention someone really should've thought of earlier. The brainchild of theatre ticketing app company TodayTix, they're exactly what they sound like — or ideally don't, thanks to products such as Quiet (Pop)corn, Muffled Truffles, Silent Slices and Anti-Gas Lime and Mint Drink. Basically, the new snack range takes your usual cinema treats and gives them a few twists to tone down any annoying munching, crunching and slurping sounds. The popcorn has been ground down, mixed with dates, coconut butter, cocoa butter and coconut blossom nectar, and rolled into balls; chocolates have been switched with truffles; and chips swapped for dehydrated pears. And when it comes to washing it all down, Silent Snacks' beverage of choice is not only designed to reduce burping noises coming out, but is served in silicone to ensure that it's also stealthy while you're sipping it. Yep, soft, soundless packets and wrappers are all part of the package, because everyone knows that it's not just loud eating that can echo throughout a cinema, but the crinkling and rustling that goes with it. Of course, given that TodayTix only operates in the US and UK at present, you won't find these super-quiet foods at a local candy bar any time soon. Instead, we'll live in hope that something similar will pop up here soon — silently, of course. Via TodayTix.
The red light man never gives us much joy in life. Holding us up from catching the train or making us that crucial extra bit late for work, he is the cause of much frustration and general bad vibes in your day. Faced with his staunch neon presence we must choose to stand and stare at his mocking little face or dangerously make our way through oncoming traffic. Tough call. To combat this frustration and make the streets a whole lot safer, Smart — the people behind the Smart car — found a way to keep us satisfied at the lights. Operating at an intersection in Lisbon, Portugal earlier this year, The Dancing Traffic Light put an interactive and entertaining spin on the red man — he danced. Made in real-time, the dancing red man was controlled by the movements of other pedestrians nearby. Let loose inside a little dancing box with their own choice of soundtrack, passersby could manipulate the red man into all manners of disco, hip hop and salsa moves. Those waiting at the lights were then treated to the bizarre sight of a twerking pedestrian signal. Produced as part of a Smart advertising campaign promoting safety, the experiment was designed to keep people entertained enough to not jaywalk. And, for the most part, it worked. The ad claims that 81 per cent more people stopped at the lights to watch. Though there are no plans to bring the dancing red man to other parts of the world, those seem like the kind of figures we should listen to. Imagine if we could not only bring the number of pedestrians injuries down next to nil, but also provoke daily dance mobs every morning. Forget about elaborate motorways and public transport ticketing that doesn't ever work, the next state election is all about dancing red man. Via Mashable.
It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Thanks to Black Mirror, it's about to become the bleakest. A release date for the fourth season of Charlie Brooker's dystopian TV show hasn't yet been announced, but it is expected to drop on Netflix sometime this month. In the interim, the streaming platform has been ramping up the excitement by revealing episode-specific trailers. With each approximately hour-long instalment of Black Mirror standing alone in the story department — while always tying into the anthology series' satirical musings about humanity's relationship with technology — the individual sneak peeks offer a glimpse of just what's in store. Four have been released so far, stepping into areas such as the evolution of surveillance, high-tech misdeeds and dating apps. The clips join the previously revealed whole-of-season trailer, and once again, things look grim. It's likely two more will follow, given that full season will consist of six episodes: 'Arkangel', 'Black Museum', 'Crocodile', 'Hang the DJ', 'Metalhead' and 'USS Callister'. Brooker himself wrote every new instalment, while the likes of Jodie Foster, Australian filmmaker John Hillcoat (The Road, Triple 9), Peaky Blinders' Colm McCarthy and American Gods' David Slade are sitting in the helmer's chair. On screen, expect a cast that includes La La Land's Rosemarie DeWitt, Nocturnal Animals' Andrea Riseborough and Fargo's Jesse Plemons getting up to the kind of sci-fi antics that no one wants to dream of. Check out latest trailers below, and prepare for more bleak thrills before the year is out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5N_Tq1EtRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV0J3Bq3BIc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-NCySETRIc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yef_HfQoBd8
It's meant to be a relaxing getaway go-to — gathering the gang, hightailing it to an impressive spot, getting into party mode and ignoring all your troubles, that is. But what happens if there's a hurricane, then a power outage, then a series of murders? As new Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad) and Amandla Stenberg (Dear Evan Hansen)-starring horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies shows, you can instantly forget that all bliss. That's the setup behind this slasher satire, which sees a group of twentysomething friends — and one of the gang's 40-year-old boyfriend — celebrating a big storm. They've got the company, drugs, glow sticks and massive mansion for the occasion, and the party game that gives the movie its title, too. Here's how Bodies Bodies Bodies, the game, is meant to work: everyone picks a piece of paper, one of which marks the person who has it as the murderer. The lights then go out, the victim gets tapped on the shoulder, and everyone starts guessing who's behind it. It's supposed to be fun — but it depends on who the crew's finger is pointing at. Making this on-screen stint of Bodies Bodies Bodies more chaotic is those actual bodies, bodies, bodies, and plenty of blood. As the just-dropped new trailer shows, no one handles the situation well — with the cast also including Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova, Shiva Baby's Rachel Sennott, Generation's Chase Sui Wonders and Industry's Myha'la Herrold. And, playing that two-decades older interloper is Pushing Daisies and Halt and Catch Fire favourite Lee Pace. Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (Instinct) directs, and the result looks brutal, wild and hilarious all at once. Something that makes everyone's efforts to survive a murderer a struggle: bickering among themselves, digging up old baggage and not being able to get past their simmering resentments. If you're keen to sleuth (and laugh) along with it, the film will hit Australian cinemas on September 15. And yes, Bodies Bodies Bodies joins a hefty list of recent movies and TV shows that don't find getaways all that enjoyable, including The Resort, Sundown, Old, Palm Springs, The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers. None of the above are also slasher flicks, though. Check out the latest Bodies Bodies Bodies trailer below: Bodies Bodies Bodies opens in Australian cinemas on September 15. Images: Erik Chakeen / Gwen Capistran.
Prepare to feel stressed, movie lovers. Prepare to be plunged into an on-screen nightmare, too. That's Ari Aster's gambit, as the US filmmaker demonstrated with two of the eeriest, creepiest movies of the past five years: 2018's Hereditary and 2019's Midsommar. So, of course the trailer for his long-awaited new flick Beau Is Afraid is unsettling. In fact, it'd probably be even more distressing if it wasn't. Move over Toni Collette and Florence Pugh — this time, Joaquin Phoenix is getting the disquieting works thrown at him, in the actor's second film since picking up an Oscar for Joker. He plays the eponymous Beau, who just wants to go home to see his mother when the just-dropped trailer for the April-releasing movie starts. Then he gets run over by a woman and shackled with an ankle monitor by a doctor (aka Only Murders in the Building costars Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane). The latest US release by adored studio A24, which is currently even more abuzz after Everything Everywhere All At Once's Golden Globes wins, Beau Is Afraid doesn't saddle its namesake with hauntings and cults. Its trailer isn't as grimly dark as Hereditary, either, or a sunshine-filled daylight horror show like Midsommar. But it does paint a picture of Beau as a lonely, paranoid man — his phone's recent-call list is heavy on chats with his mum, therapist, landlady and pharmacy — dreaming about past family holidays, popping medication, and eating Hawaiian and Ireland-themed TV dinners before he ends up being held hostage. Once again, Aster writes and directs, with viewers able to see the end result in April — with the US getting an April 21 release date, and Down Under distributor Roadshow locking in an April 20 date. Also part of Beau Is Afraid's first trailer: an epic journey, multiple versions of Beau, whimsical dreamscapes and Beau not having any idea what's going on. And, also among the cast: Patti LuPone (American Horror Story), Denis Ménochet (The French Dispatch), Kylie Rogers (Yellowstone), Parker Posey (The Staircase), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Causeway), Hayley Squires (The Essex Serpent), Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark), Zoe Lister-Jones (How It Ends) and Richard Kind (The Watcher). Check out the trailer for Beau Is Afraid below: Beau Is Afraid opens in cinemas Down Under on April 20.
Thirty-four-metres long, more than twice as big as a regular hot air balloon and ripped straight from Patricia Piccinini's inimitable mind, Skywhale might just be one of Australia's most recognisable recent pieces of art. It's a sight to see, and the largest-scale example of the artist's fascination with the thin line that separates nature and technology — and it's about to meet its match. Come February, the National Gallery of Australia will unveil Piccinini's new Skywhalepapa, which is designed to form a family with Skywhale. It was originally scheduled to premiere in 2020 — but, after joining the list of things that didn't turn out as planned last year, it'll take to the sky on three mornings in 2021 instead. Both Skywhale and Skywhalepapa will float above Canberra at 5.30am on Saturday, February 6, then again on Monday, March 8, and finally on Saturday, April 3, as part of an event called Skywhales: Every Heart Sings — with the second bulbous sculpture commissioned as part of the gallery's Balnaves Contemporary Series. Although art lovers can check out the event for free, you do need to register if you'll be in Canberra on any of those dates, and fancy getting up early and going along. Of course, that's hardly surprising in these COVID-19-safe times. [caption id="attachment_751759" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Skywhalepapa, 2019/20 (artist's sketch), Patricia Piccinini. Courtesy of the artist.[/caption] Just how big Skywhalepapa will be is also yet to be announced but, given the impressive size of its companion, expect it to be hefty. And if seeing two Skywhales isn't enough, the NGA has been hosting Patricia Piccinini: Skywhales, an exhibition dedicated to them, since March 2020. It'll wrap up on August 1, 2021. If you can't make it to Canberra to see the growing Skywhale clan, it'll also head around the country for an NGA touring exhibition. Locations and dates haven't been announced as yet, and are set to be confirmed in the future. Skywhales: Every Heart Sings takes place at the National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes, ACT — with the floating sculptures taking to the sky at 5.30am on Saturday, February 6, then again on Monday, March 8, and finally on Saturday, April 3. For further information, visit the NGA website. Top images: Skywhale, 2013, Patricia Piccinini. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of anonymous donor 2019, Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program. Photo: Martin Ollman Photography.
If you’re keen on your gin but not so passionate about the fake flavours that too often creep into your mixer, Karolina Partyka has a solution. She's the brains and brawn behind Blood Moon: an Australian, handcrafted tonic syrup that hit its $10,000 Pozible target in just three days and is now well on its way to a $20,000 stretch goal. Partyka has spent countless hours in her kitchen, grinding spices with an old-school mortar and pestle and mixing batch upon batch of tonic syrup, to come up with a winning recipe. She's also been digging up some ancient brews — and the rituals to go with them. Blood Moon is a non-alcoholic, concentrated syrup that's made to be diluted with either soda or still water and then matched with your favourite gin. Its key ingredient is cinchona bark — a 17th century answer to malaria and (most importantly) a natural source of quinine. This is what gives tonic its characteristically bitter hit, one far too often achieved via synthetic means. According to Partyka's Pozible campaign, one of Blood Moon’s early samplers described it as 'the difference between a single-origin cold-drip coffee and instant'. Not only does the syrup provide quinine as created by Mother Nature, it also delivers a rich, complex flavour profile — and therefore mixes well with tequila and whiskey too. Three variations will be released: Traditional Cinchona, which contains a combination of cinchona bark, citrus, herbs, spices and floral hints; Australian Native, which is the Traditional blend revamped with native fruits, seeds and leaves; and Unsweetened, which features all the goodness of the Traditional syrup, but without any sweeteners (real or artificial) at all. It's one for the sugar-quitters. To get yourself a bottle, get on board with Blood Moon’s Pozible campaign, which will run for another sixteen days.
Ah, the bottom end of Australia – 'tis the land of many a trail to be traversed by ferry, car, foot….or mouth. It turns out Tasmania, especially, is the place to head if you wish to eat and drink your way around the land. We at Concrete Playground know this, having teamed up with Spirit of Tasmania to curate a smorgasbord of cellar doors, breweries, wineries and markets to more than wet your whistle if you're having a spell off the mainland, via our foodie road trips in Tasmania's east, northwest and northeast. Now, we're offering you the chance to get amongst all of the goodness of the latter. We're giving away a bonanza of tastings, accommodation and lunch, all for two people – so word your friend or partner up and enter. Up for grabs is a return sailing for two (and your car) on Spirit of Tasmania in your own personal cabin, a Premium Arras tasting for two (including a bottle of sparkling) at Bay of Fires Wines, one night's accommodation at The Trig — in a fancy solar-powered studio, with an outdoor bath overlooking the rolling valleys and farms — organic brekky at the hotel and lunch for two at Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe. Basically prime fodder for the most romantic mini-getaway of your life (what says "romance" more than sailing the seas and cheersing your glasses of bubbly?), this is one you're going to be crossing your fingers and toes to get on – plus, the whole escapade is valued at over $1500. And it's not just for Melbourne folk either, if you live up in the lands of the north you could road trip down via this route – what's wrong with a little more indulging on the way? To enter, see details below. [competition]667967[/competition]
Pirates of the digital kind will be well aware of Village Roadshow's quest to rid the country of internet plundering, with the film company stepping up their efforts in the last year or so. This time twelve months ago, they commenced legal action against one movie streaming site. In October, co-chief executive Graham Burke announced plans to start suing illegal downloaders. A successful bid to stop Australians from accessing The Pirate Bay and four other sites followed in December — and they're just getting started. In their latest move, the folks responsible for releasing films such as the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, The LEGO Movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and more on our shores have filed a Federal Court application to block 41 additional piracy-enabling culprits. Torrent sites, streaming portals and direct download sites are included, spanning the likes of Demonoid, EZTV, ExtraTorrent, LimeTorrents and Torrent Downloads, as well as CouchTuner, 123Movies, Putlocker, WatchFree and WatchSeries. In many cases, multiple URLs are included for each site. Given their success last time around, Roadshow wants the next round of bans to be modelled on the last, which didn't include rolling injunctions — that is, the ability to add proxy and mirror sites to the list as they spring up. To combat that inevitable occurrence, they're proposing that ISPs file and affidavit and pay $50 per domain name whenever a new site arises. For anyone with access to a VPN, this news probably won't drastically alter your content acquiring behaviour. Or, the awareness that the driving force doesn't always keep in step with the rest of the globe when it comes to releasing big films. Indeed, one of Roadshow's most eagerly awaited titles of the year — The LEGO Batman Movie — arrives on Aussie screens more than a month and a half after most of the world. In a nation already known to swashbuckle when it comes to timely access to new films and TV shows, that might just send them flocking to their computers rather than the cinema. Via Computerworld. Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Skip the hassle of flights, long airport queues and overcrowded tourist traps, and embark on a Euro-inspired adventure in the renowned food and wine region of Orange, NSW, instead. With world-class wineries and notable restaurants dotted across rolling hills and endless vineyards, Orange combines a European bon vivant lifestyle with the easygoing, laidback charm of Australia. Its spectacular views, superb eateries and top-notch wineries will have you feeling like you've crossed continents, without having to leave the country. Want to know where to start? Here's how to soak up those Euro-summer feels in Orange and its surroundings. Scenic Views First, you'll need to set the scene so you can really kickstart your cross-continental holiday. Channel the serene beauty and rustic magic of the European countryside at one of Orange's scenic landscapes. Situated below Mount Canobolas, Lake Canobolas is an idyllic spot for swimming, hiking, cycling or just basking in the sun with a picnic. Spice up your Euro-inspired adventure with some uniquely Australian flora and fauna — you are still home after all — as you make your way up to Pinnacle Lookout or Federal Falls for panoramic views across Towac Valley, Canobolas and beyond. For those seeking an expedition with a Euro twist, hop on a bike and pedal through the picturesque countryside of Orange and its surrounding villages. There are numerous trails to choose from in the region, no matter your skill level. With endless scenic routes, you'll be stopping every few kilometres just to take in the views. Delightful Dining Now that you've worked up an appetite, it's time to settle in for a leisurely long meal with indulgent dishes, flowing wine and good company. Transport yourself to Italy at Lucetta Dining or Fiorini's, which both offer authentic Italian fare in the heart of the region. Hidden in an unassuming barn, Fiorini's serves a selection of traditional dishes — think rigatoni alla carbonara, spaghetti alla vongole, saltimbocca alla Romana — in a warm, homey space that feels like a family-run restaurant in the Italian countryside. Lucetta Dining is a touch more glamorous, dishing out contemporary plates in an intimate, industrial space. The menu includes pesce crudo with yuzu; burrata with fermented chilli oil and bottarga; pappardelle with mixed mushroom ragu, mascarpone and truffle pecorino; and lamb rump with leek, bronze fennel and rosemary caramel. For dining with a view akin to feasting under the Tuscan sun, head to Rowlee Dining & Bar for family-style, farm-to-table plates amidst the winery's sprawling rows of vines. If you're just after a quick bite, you can also nibble on snacks and smaller plates at the Garden Bar. With a restaurant, outdoor courtyard and bar, The Union Bank will see you through from day to night with aperitifs, wines and modern-European plates. Housed in a historic bank dating back over 165 years, the spacious venue slings dishes such as crudo with blood orange, bone marrow with salsa roja, and sirloin with miso bagna cauda, along with additional options for an express lunch and set menus for groups. Sun-drenched Sips You don't need to jet off to sip world-class wines amid breathtaking scenery — Orange's 40-plus cool-climate vineyards bring a slice of Europe to you. Start your journey at celebrated local winery Nashdale Lane, where you can savour local drops as you take in sweeping views across the vineyard. In fact, Nashdale Lane Wines was dreamt up while the team were visiting a vineyard in Radda in Chianti, so you can expect strong European influences. Continue your taste of Italy at See Saw Wines, where you can sit al fresco and sip the only locally produced prosecco in the region. Next up on your vineyard tour is a stop-in at Tamburlaine Organic Wines. Sample Tamburlaine's range of organic, vegan-friendly and low-sulphur wines at its cosy cellar door in nearby Millthorpe. While you're there, discover the village's charming assortment of boutiques, cafes, wineries and bed-and-breakfasts. Head to Mayfield Vineyard or Logan Wines for more impressive vistas and unconventional wines. At Mayfield Vineyard, you'll be able to taste elegant minimal-intervention wines in rustic, French-inspired surrounds, before kicking back with a vino in the airy and sun-filled cellar door at Logan Wines' new Orange location. If you're overwhelmed by the sheer amount of wineries to choose from, let someone else handle the decisions (and the driving) with Orange Private Tours or Orange Trike Tours. Plan your trip now to the Orange Region at the Orange360 website. Additional author: Orlaith Costello Images: courtesy of Destination NSW and Orange360.
The minds at Barossa Australia and vinous event organisers Revel have another specialised wine exploration to add to your calendar, this time devoted to the famed South Australian wine region that is the Barossa Valley. From 11am–8pm on Saturday, May 27, Barossa. Be Consumed makes its Brisbane debut after popping up in previous years in Sydney and Melbourne. Wine lovers can expect a one-day celebration of the Barossa's finest, showcasing a more than 40 of the region's wineries — and 200-plus vinos from them. You'll have the chance to meet producers while you sample their best creations, and then have bottles of your favourite wines shipped straight to your door. Drops from the likes of Henschke, Seppeltsfield, Torbreck, Purple Hands, Brothers at War and Lienert Vineyards will be among the liquid offerings. Your $55 ticket includes entry, all those tastings and a take-home wine glass — plus vino knowledge and an appreciation for the Barossa's tipples that'll last a lifetime.
As the weather gets colder it makes more sense to stay indoors and watch movies than to brave the icy winds. So, for your viewing pleasure, we've put together out top five trailers for this week to help you into hibernation mode. From directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson and Sam Mendes, we are sure you will find a film of your choice in our five favourite trailers this week. Hyde Park on Hudson Hyde Park on Hudson stars the great Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR. The film is based on FDR's love affair with his distant cousin Margaret Stuckley and a weekend when the King and Queen of England visited his upstate New York property in 1939. Tapping into an era which is all the rage at the moment, this film is definitely worth a look. Dark Blood An unfinished film featuring the late River Phoenix which was thought to never be shown, Dark Blood is a film by George Sulzier which was only days from being completed when Phoenix died of a drug overdose. Sulzier has now decided to share Phoenix's final performance, alongside co-stars Jonathan Pryce and Judy Davis who have aged almost twenty years since the film was first made. Anchorman: The Legend Continues This trailer is more of a teaser for the film as it doesn't give much away, except for the fact that you can't help but laugh. Anchorman fans have been waiting a long time for this sequel and it's almost here. It will be interesting to see what the Channel 4 News team have to say this time around. Skyfall Directed by Sam Mendes, this is Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond. Co-starring Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem, the film is action packed and tests James Bond's loyalty to M, keeping 007 fans on the edge of their seat. The Master The Master boasts an incredible cast - Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Laura Dern. A drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film discusses the idea of a a young drifter who becomes the right hand man for a post World War II religious organisation known as 'The Cause'.
Game of Thrones might be coming to an end, but hope's not all lost for fantasy fans, with news that a Lord of the Rings television series is in the works. According to Variety, the folks at Warner Bros. Television and the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien are in talks with Amazon Studios, and and are planning to make all your binge-watching dreams come true with a TV adaptation of the legendary novels. Sources have told Variety that the Tolkien estate and Warner Bros. have already been playing around with ideas for a series and apparently Amazon wants to be the studio to make it happen. The move comes just weeks after Amazon Studios farewelled three key executives, as it overhauls its programming in favour of large-scale shows with broader international appeal. Warner Bros' involvement is especially interesting, with the company recently ending its huge legal dispute with the Tolkien estate over the use of Lord of the Rings film characters in online games. No deal has been made and the talks appear to be in the very early stages. But we'll keep our eye on this precious tidbit and wait for confirmation from Warner Bros. or Amazon. Via Variety.
This is the way: after starting out on the small screen as the very first live-action Star Wars streaming series for Disney+, The Mandalorian is making the leap to cinemas. This news might be about as surprising as a trip to a galaxy far, far away that features lightsabers, but it still means that the bounty hunter played by Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) and Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, have a date with the big screen. Disney has revealed that it's making a movie about Din Djarin and Grogu, which is set for a theatrical release. There's no date yet as for when you'll be able to head to your local picture palace, nor any cast announcements. The Mouse House has unveiled the film's director, however: Jon Favreau, who created The Mandalorian series to begin with. And, the picture will go into production in 2024. "I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," said Favreau, announcing the movie. "The prospect of bringing The Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting." Favreau will also produce the flick with LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy and The Mandalorian writer/director/executive producer Dave Filoni, with the latter also behind 2023's Ahsoka. Filoni is set to be busy thanks to Disney's other just-dropped piece of Star Wars news: a second season of Ahsoka. No other details have been advised there yet either, including a release date, other than the fact that more of the Rosario Dawson (Haunted Mansion)-led series about Anakin Skywalker's former padawan is in development. If you're new to Star Wars' small-screen adventures, The Mandalorian follows its namesake; however, it's his encounter with a fuzzy little creature first known as The Child, affectionately named Baby Yoda by everyone watching and officially called Grogu that's always had everyone talking. As for Ahsoka, it saw Dawson return to the eponymous role after playing the part in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. As well as sporting those ties to Anakin from before he became Darth Vader, Ahsoka Tano is now an ex-Jedi Knight battling threats to the post-Empire galaxy — and the series is Disney+'s first series focused on a female Jedi. There's no trailer for the movie about The Mandalorian and Grogu yet, or for Ahsoka season two, but you can check out sneak peeks of The Mandalorian season three and Ahsoka season one below: The movie about The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't yet have a release date, and neither does Ahsoka season two — we'll update you when more information is announced. The Mandalorian and Ahsoka both stream via Disney+. Read our review of Ahsoka season one. Images: © Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Owning your first pair of R.M. Williams is like an Australian coming-of-age moment. The brand, first established in 1932 by Reginald Murray Williams, is a classic through and through. From a modest start in the Adelaide outback learning leatherworking from local bushmen, Williams built a following among the stockmen and women of the heartland, and eventually — over a highly prolific eight decades — gained global notoriety. 85 years later, fans are still wearing R.M.s — from farmers in the outback, to corporate businessmen, to the style set at fashion week. How has the iconic brand managed to stay relevant, and stand the test of time over eight decades? In partnership with R.M. Williams and in celebration of their 85th anniversary, we sat down with head designer Jeremy Hershan to discuss respecting your roots, honouring the craft and innovating from there. Oh, and never, ever forgoing quality. TIMELESS DESIGN NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE Jeremy Hershan earned his stripes in the fashion industry designing for high-end, heritage brands — he's worked with Kris Van Assche of Dior Homme, and set up on London's Savile Row at Gieves & Hawkes. Last year, the Melbourne-born designer landed the lead design role at R.M. Williams, bringing with him a respect for tradition, an appreciation for quality shoes and most importantly, contemporary insight — a necessity for keeping things fresh and captivating at a history-rich design house like R.M. Williams. A treasure trove of beautifully-crafted pieces, the R.M. Williams archive provides a huge source of inspiration. Reworking archival pieces to suit contemporary trends, Hershan explained how he looked to the archives to find relevant styles to reinterpret for the brand's future. Take the R.M. Williams signature Craftsman boot, for example. First created for the working men and women out in the Australian bush, the boots' design has barely changed during the brand's 85 years. Rather than reinvent the boots every season, modern touches and the use of alternative materials and treatments keep the iconic style fresh and contemporary. For the latest collection, R.M. Williams' master craftspeople worked and reworked the leather of the boots over several days, hand-staining with different creams to create a rich, burnished patina. This sort of attention to detail, and the quality of each and every pair has been key to the brand's 85-year survival. Every shoe is made with one single piece of leather and one integral seam, personally created by craftspeople at the brand's Adelaide workshop. KEEPING THINGS FRESH THROUGH INNOVATION Over the years, the Craftsman boot has evolved to incorporate new materials, cuts and fabrications. There are now Classic, Comfort, Signature and Natural styles — each with a different finish, sole style and fit. Originally available only in classic dark brown, the boots are now available in a range of colours including dark tan, chestnut and black, as well as leathers, like French veal calf, crocodile and even kangaroo (if you're feeling patriotic) among many other options. If you are more partial to lighter styles, there's also the women's Adelaide — a slimmer shoe to the Craftsman — and the pointed-toe Millicent, which gained popularity with the fashion crowd after Australian designer Dion Lee collaborated with the brand and dressed his models in custom boots for his runway at fashion week in New York and Sydney in 2014. By responding to trends through colour and material, the brand has managed to evolve, stay relevant and keep their boots fashionable. Small tweaks have made huge differences, and collaborations with high-end designers have opened the brand up to new customers, all while allowing them to keep their loyal customer base. They've even gone as far as expanding their reach into your home. You can now customise your very own bespoke pair of boots — literally creating those perfect, slightly out-of-reach shoes you've been searching for your whole life. THE ANTIDOTE TO DISPOSABLE FASHION With shops overrun by fast, disposable fashion, it's all too easy to buy designer imitations that only last a few months. Hershan urges the need to return to quality and reevaluate our view of fashion. Not mentioning the numerous social and environmental benefits that come from quitting fast fashion, if you invest in a quality pair of boots, they'll last you forever and only get better with time — you know when your boots start to scruff in exactly the right places, that's when they've truly become your boots. Follow Hershan's advice and spend your hard-earned money on a long-term investment, like the Craftsman, that remains stylish and cuts through the noise of ever-changing fast fashion. "It's about buying less, but buying better. A pair of boots is an investment that will last you a lifetime if you take care of them in the right way." Judging by the success of R.M. Williams over the past 85 years, they won't go out of fashion either. R.M. Williams Craftsman, Adelaide and Millicent boots are available online — head to the website to shop the latest collection or create your own bespoke pair. By Quinn Connors and Kelly Pigram.
Let's face it: we're a fast-paced, high-stress society — and although we would like life to slow down for a second (or for Internet to go down just for a few days, at least), it's not going to let up. To manage your physical and mental health in this crazy world, UK-based startup Vinaya have created a bracelet that is wholly concerned with tracking your emotional wellbeing. The wearable device — the first of its kind — is the first to measure sleep and fitness, as well as happiness, stress and mindfulness. It even tracks fertility (kind of creepy, we know). The wearable, named Zenta, was 100 percent crowdfunded on Indiegogo in record time this week, raising a whopping $137,191 USD in just 41 hours. The product looks like a more stylish version of a Fitbit, and is available with a sports band ($119 USD) or a leather band ($149 USD). And while you can purchase one now, the bracelets won't ship until mid-2017. Here's how it supposedly works. The biometric sensors track your heart rate, movement and perspiration, as well as respiration, electrical activity and oxygen levels. These patterns will then be cross-referenced with the information (like your calendars, meeting schedules and social media use) from your smartphone — though you only share as much (or as little) as you want. The Zenta app is essentially meant to 'learn' your patterns and determine your normal emotional state, as well as decipher any variations from your norm and indicate what caused those variations. As Zenta learns, the idea is that it will require less input from you and get smarter about shifts in your emotional state. Vinaya is already talking with research institutions, mental health organisations and mindfulness experts to make sense of the Zenta data. We must admit, we're sceptical about where this data will end up — the thought it landing in the hands of advertisers, marketers or Google is a pretty frightening concept. Still, if the device helps bring some sense of calm to the stressed-out masses, we would like to see it in action. Zenta is currently available for purchase through Indiegogo. The estimated shipping date is mid-2017.
Brisbanites, if catching a train is on your agenda this Christmas period, then you might want to rethink your travel plans. TransLink has announced that signal work will be undertaken on the Ipswich, Springfield and Inner City lines between Saturday, December 22 and Saturday, December 29, with a long list of stations closing as a result. Buses will replace rail services in the affected areas. Specifically, trains won't run between Darra and Roma Street for the entire eight-day period, with the ten stations between the two spots completely closed while the works are in progress. And, for three specific days — on Tuesday, December 25 and Wednesday, December 26, and again on Saturday, December 29 — trains won't run in the inner city either, shutting down the Roma Street, Central, Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills stations. Stations at South Brisbane, South Bank and Park Road will also close on December 25, 26 and 29, while Albion will be closed to trains on the Ipswich, Springfield, Caboolture, Cleveland, Doomben and Shorncliffe and lines on the same dates. For those in the city's west, trains will still run from Darra towards Ipswich and Springfield during the shutdown. The same applies from Park Road and Albion — that is, services heading away from the city will still be operational. The closures are part of Queensland Rail's Roma Street to Corinda Signals Upgrade Project, which, as the name makes plain, involves upgrading signals along that stretch of track. Sixteen signalling gantries will be replaced with signal portals, signal huts and equipment, as well as trackside cabling and equipment, while two new track crossovers will be constructed near Milton station. The crossovers will let trains turn back, and then be stored along the corridor between Milton and Sherwood stations, which QR says will help during the morning peak period. If you're thinking that this'll add some time to your journey, you're absolutely right. Travellers have been advised to factor an extra hour into their trip each way. For more information, and to check train and bus timetables between Saturday, December 22 and Saturday, December 29, visit the TransLink website. Image: Denisbin via Flickr.
Some people love last-minute New Year's Eve plans, going wherever the mood takes them. Others can't start planning early enough. If you fall into the latter category, here's something for your calendar: the return of end-of-year staple Lost Paradise, which turns a slice of Glenworth Valley on the New South Wales Central Coast an hour out of Sydney into one helluva shindig. There's no lineup as yet, but you can mark Saturday, December 28, 2024–Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in your diary now. This multi-day fest includes live music and DJ sets spanning both international and Australian talents, and regularly sells out — 2023's fest did. [caption id="attachment_965685" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Jordan K Munns[/caption] Tunes are just one part of the Lost Paradise experience. Art, culture, wellness, and food and drink also get a look in, with the 2024 event set to include a lineup of yoga and healing arts, and also workshops covering fashion, sustainability and more. So, you can not only farewell one year and see in the next with a party, but by relaxing, feasting and learning something. Last year's lineup will give you an idea of the usual mix of musicians, with 2023 ending with help from headliners Flume, Dom Dolla and Foals, alongside Basement Jaxx, Bicep and Carl Cox on the decks. Other notable names included local festival favourites like Lime Cordiale, PNAU, Winston Surfshirt, Royel Otis and Sycco; pop heavyweight Holly Humberstone; 'Afraid to Feel' hitmakers LF System; and international dance mainstays Kettama, Barry Can't Swim, Ewan McVicar and Yung Singh. [caption id="attachment_965687" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Byravyna[/caption] Since first unleashing its specific flavour of festival fun back in 2014, Lost Paradise has become a go-to way to wrap up one year and embrace the next — including if you're keen to camp for its duration. Just as in 2023, this year's Lost Paradise is also opting to steer away from a traditional first-, second- and third-release ticket strategy. Instead, ticket prices gently increase in accordance with demand, while maintaining fair market pricing. [caption id="attachment_965686" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Amar Gera[/caption] [caption id="attachment_965688" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Byravyna[/caption] Lost Paradise returns to Glenworth Valley, New South Wales from Saturday, December 28, 2024–Wednesday, January 1, 2025. To sign up for presale tickets, head to the festival's website — with general tickets set to go on sale in August. We'll update you when the lineup is announced. Images: Jess Bowen, Jordan K Munns, Byravyna and Amar Gera.
In the first season of Severance, which was one of the best new shows of 2022, celebrations were marked with waffle parties, egg bars and melon bars. In the upcoming second season of the Apple TV+ sci-fi mindbender, there must be more festivities on the way. The streaming platform has finally unveiled its debut glimpse at the series' return, with Adam Scott's (Loot) Mark — well, his innie — holding blue balloons in Lumon Industries' labyrinthine hallways. There's no full trailer for Severance season two as yet, but snippets of footage are included in a just-dropped compilation trailer for Apple TV+'s upcoming slate. While the segments relating to the series don't give away much about what's going on in the biotech company that has a drastic way to enforce work-life balance, they do represent a step closer to the show returning. No release date for the second season has been locked in so far, however. Science fiction has proven one of Apple TV+'s strengths, with Silo in 2023 also one of the best new shows of that year. The first new footage from the Rebecca Ferguson (Dune: Part Two)-starring dystopian series' second season is also included in the platform trailer, putting a big focus on Tim Robbins' (Castle Rock) IT head Bernard addressing a crowd inside the titular structure. As with Severance, there's no confirmed release date for Silo season two, but you can start getting excited about another plunge into an underground chamber with 10,000 inhabitants anyway. Apple TV+'s new teaser covers the second season of page-to-screen drama Pachinko as well, and of Shrinking with Jason Segel (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). The first will return in August, with the second still yet to reveal when it'll be back. Season four of Gary Oldman (Oppenheimer)-led British spy dramedy Slow Horses also received a sneak peek. Among the service's upcoming new shows, Bad Monkey and Lady in the Lake both feature. Vince Vaughn (Curb Your Enthusiasm) leads the former an ex-Miami cop who is now a health inspector, but thinks he's found a way back to his old job. Natalie Portman (May December) stars in the latter, which puts the disappearance of a young girl in Baltimore in 1966 at its centre. Also scoring a glimpse: movies Fly Me to the Moon with Scarlett Johansson (Asteroid City) and Channing Tatum (Magic Mike's Last Dance), Wolfs with George Clooney (Ticket to Paradise) and Brad Pitt (Babylon), and The Instigators with Matt Damon (Drive-Away Dolls) and Casey Affleck (Oppenheimer). The first two have a date with cinemas before making their way to Apple TV+, while The Instigators will be available to stream in August. Check out Apple TV+'s new trailer for its upcoming slate below: New TV shows and movies will continue to hit Apple TV+ throughout 2024 — head to the streaming platform for its current catalogue.
When word first dropped in late 2020 that Surfers Paradise was about to nab a new sky-high beach club — a space that takes its cues from both California and Europe, sits right near the ocean, and features everything from pools and cabanas to restaurants and volleyball courts — the venue loomed as a must-visit summer destination. And, while it launched almost a year later than initially planned, that's still the case. Cali Beach is open on Surfers Paradise Boulevard. Here, you'll head up to a fourth-floor rooftop and get swimming and sipping — and enjoy lazing around on sun loungers and daybeds under both the sun and the stars. This new space inspires a few questions, too, the answers to which make quite the itinerary. Do you like hanging out by the beach? Splashing around in four pools, including three with beach edges? Enjoying a few games of volleyball on the sand? If you nodded heartily in agreement at all of these queries, then you'll want to add Cali Beach Club to your must-visit list. If you also like to spend your time kicking back in a cabana, hopping between multiple restaurants and bars, dancing to DJs and gathering the gang on a rooftop with a view, you will as well. The site features all of the aforementioned facilities and activities in the one spot, so it's more than a little jam-packed with things to do. Perched on the corner of Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Elkhorn Avenue, sprawling across more than 5000 square metres, and boasting vantages over both the ocean and the Surfers' skyline, it's billing itself as an "adults-only playground" — but you might prefer to think of it as the boozy adult alternative to the theme parks that the Gold Coast is best known for. Australian hospitality group Artesian Hospitality is leading the charge here, putting almost $10 million into the entertainment precinct. Those funds have been spent on all of the aforementioned features, plus exercise areas and sports facilities — including that beach volleyball court — and an openair cinema and dance floor as well. Food-wise, you have options, thanks to menu choices that include karaage chicken ($24), oysters ($5 each), braised pork belly skewers ($16) and bug sliders ($45), as well as fruit ($29), chips ($35) and sushi ($75) platters. The drinks menu spans three pages, complete with classic, signature and two-litre shared cocktails, boozy slushies, a range of wines and beers, and a champagne list that spans to 12-litre bottles (for $8550 — yes, you read that correctly). Or, there's alcoholic Cocowhip desserts ($21.50) in apple crumble, passionfruit, cherry ripe and strawberry shortcake varieties.
Why is it the most controversial topics that make us laugh the hardest? Perhaps it's catharsis. Perhaps it's because we dare not make the jokes ourselves. In either case, Sacha Baron Cohen's latest film The Dictator requires no introduction. But let's just say, Baron Cohen's newest creation - supreme leader General Aladeen - is on a mission to safeguard his beloved (oppressed) nation from the clutches of democracy. That's right. The man behind Borat and Bruno is no stranger to controversy; to promote his upcoming release he famously turned up to the 2012 Academy Awards (despite being initially banned from attending) bringing with him "the ashes of Kim Jong-il". Later spilling those "ashes" (reportedly pancake mixture) over well-known American TV host, Ryan Seacrest. Don't call that funny? Then it's likely that The Dictator may offend. Starring Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley and John C. Reilly alongside Baron Cohen, and loosely based on Saddam Hussein's novel Zabibah and the King, the film is hitting cinemas on May 16. Concrete Playground has 20 double passes to give away. To get your hands on a pair of tickets, make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground, then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Now, more than ever, bees need friends too. Like Frankenstein’s monster, they might seem scary and potentially aggressive from the outside. But the truth is, wild bees are more concerned with keeping out of your way than with launching a mega sting attack. Plus, as you probably know by now, bee populations are on the down and down, which for us may well lead to diminished food supplies. So, Netherlands-based artist AnneMarie van Splunter has conjured up a public sculpture that’s all about helping humans and bees to get to know one another better. Dubbed the Buzzbench, the gorgeous artwork is a park bench, but not of your usual rectangular variety. Made of cane and bamboo stalks, placed between curved boards, it takes the shape of an enormous flower. For humans, the Buzzbench provides a dreamy place to sit, which looks like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. For bees, it offers teeny-tiny, cosy crevices, where they can rest while taking a break from their busy pollinating activities. "Wild bees spend a large part of their lifespan looking for a suitable place to lay their eggs — providing a nesting opportunity really helps them," van Splunter explained to Co.EXIST. "We tend to keep our distance from bees because we are afraid to get stung. But actually, the chances you get attacked by wild bees are nil." The sculptor hopes to install the Buzzbench in a park in Amsterdam and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise funds and build awareness. Van Splunter says that once it’s in place, she’ll be able to maintain it for at least a decade, by replacing the cane and bamboo whenever necessary. "It's important to maintain it to make it work," she says. "I would like it to be a place that many people feel involved with, for example as an educational tool, or as a place of research for experts, or just as a place for park visitors to rest." Via Fast Company.
After recent exploits in the US and Europe, PVT are becoming old hands at the whole ‘touring’ thing. They’ve supported high profile acts such as Bloc Party, Menomena and Gotye and, over the course of their career to date, have toured Australia several times in support of their creative efforts. The latest of these efforts is Homosapien, a thrilling example of PVT’s instrumental prowess and creative capabilities. This album is their fourth, and it brings together all of the great elements of their previous releases dating back to 2005 (released under the name Pivot). They have wasted no time in inserting themselves into the Australian music consciousness. Indeed, the trio have had taken the country by storm with their brand of electro-laden music that blends ethereal elements with grounded, contemporary hooks. Homosapien sees the band place more emphasis on vocals, adding an intimate element to their experimental soundscapes. Joining PVT on their tour is the up and coming electro-RNB duo, Collarbones, who have been making waves since releasing Die Young last year. They are being hailed as a great genre-bending talent, much like their tour buddies, PVT. Get in quick and secure a ticket. Trust me, you’ll be blown away.
When Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi invited the world to experience the vampire sharehouse mockumentary genre, one of the best comedies of the decade wasn't the only result. Every film seems to spawn sequels, remakes, spinoffs and the like these days, but no one's complaining about spending more time in the What We Do in the Shadows universe. A follow-up, We're Wolves, is in the works, focusing on the undead bloodsuckers' Rhys Darby-led lycanthrope enemies. So is six-episode television spinoff Wellington Paranormal, following the movie's cops (Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary) as they keep investigating the supernatural, and expected to air in New Zealand mid this year. Add a US TV remake of the original flick to the pile as well, but withhold any "do we really need a remake?" judgement. First revealed by Waititi last year and now moving ahead, the pilot has been written by Clement, and is expected to shoot this year. He won't appear on camera, however; speaking to Indiewire as part of the Television Critics Association press tour for Legion, which he stars in, Clement said the series will be about a documentary crew in America. With What We Do in the Shadows actually starting its life as a short back in 2005, the concept of flatting members of the undead arguing about bloody dishes has taken quite the journey since those early beginnings. If any idea was going to come back in multiple guises, it's this one. Of course, so have Clement and Waititi. Clement also revealed that he'll be filming a Flight of the Conchords TV special for HBO later this year to coincide with their new US tour, while Waititi just directed a little superhero-filled box office blockbuster called Thor: Ragnarok. Via Indiewire. Image: Kane Skennar.
In case you were wondering if the IKEA/Airbnb experiment was actually any good, their guests were woken up in the most painfully adorable way possible. After a night staying in the IKEA showrooms, three families were woken up with breakfast in bed, live classical orchestras and tiny, tiny, extra fluffy puppies. But we don't care, not even, shut up, we're not jealous, you're jealous, whatevs. Just a couple of weeks ago, IKEA became the latest registered accommodation on Airbnb, offering Sydneysiders the opportunity to stay the night instore at the furniture giant's Tempe store in Sydney. For free. Setting up their room displays as so-called quirky accommodation, IKEA let three winning families snuggle in to their fake homes for one epic slumber party on Sunday, August 31. After a Sydney-wide competition, IKEA selected three young families to take the three temporary stays — leaving the unwashed, debaucherous rest of us to wait for some kind of bad review with crossed fingers. After the three winning families were to a big communal dinner feast (featuring dem meatballs), the lucky ducks had Playstations to take the slumber party vibe next level. Airbnb put on a whole bunch of sessions with top notch hoster Claire Ferguson on how to make your home better equipped to become an Airbnb hosting (there's the branding exercise). Before all those rotten customers rolled in for the day, IKEA woke up the three families in three pretty kickass ways (even though, you know, you're snuggled in with your parents and surrounded by flashing cameras, no biggie). Awkward strings: Sweet, sweet breakfast in bed with your parents: AND ADORABLE FLUFFBALLS: Plus, they got to keep their sheets. So. Have a great sheetless, puppyless day.
You know exactly what it’s like. There you are, staring at the big screen, popcorn in hand, but all you can think is ‘How good would it be to go there right now?’ Even with passports full of stamps gathered the globe over, boutique travel experts Mr & Mrs Smith aren’t immune to the allure of the world’s most beautiful destinations when they appear larger than life on the big screen. Here, we’ve reviewed the new releases and flipped through the DVD cabinet to bring you ten jaw-dropping locations sure to inspire your own memorable moment. 1. Il Palazzetto Where: 8 Vicolo del Bottino, Rome, Italy Inspiration: Woody Allen’s latest, To Rome With Love Some of Woody Allen's personal decisions leave us a little perplexed, but he sure knows how to make a movie. On a roll with stories told outside his native New York, he’s now focused on the Eternal City. Within staggering distance of the Spanish Steps, Il Palazzetto is a serene dream at the heart of the tourist beast. With just four quiet and airy rooms, it can almost feel like you’ve moved into your own 18th-century villa complete with winding staircase (the exact staircase that appeared in Bertolucci’s Besieged). A prime spot is the rooftop terrace, a sun-drenched respite from the Roman chaos below. 2. La Belle Juliette Where: 92, rue du Cherche Midi, Paris, France Inspiration: Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge While the theatrics of the film may not sit completely comfortably in luxe lodgings, there’s something about the colours and fabrics at La Belle Juliette, located in Saint Germain des Pres, that connects it to the celluloid Moulin Rouge. Lolly-sweet hues embellish many of the 34 rooms, although room 306 has more masculine tones. In the salons you may want to bring the cabaret, because it’s here you’ll find a baby grand and golden harp. 3. The Spire Where: 3–5 Church Lane, Queenstown, New Zealand Inspiration: The wild landscape of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Jackson famously shot his epic fantasy trilogy at more than 150 locations around his native New Zealand. Thankfully, you don’t have to go that far to get a wide-format view of those craggy snow-capped peaks eventually tamed by Frodo and friends. As well as those incredible vistas, each of the ten suites at boutique hotel The Spire has iconic midcentury furniture, fur throws, minimalist fireplaces and rich autumnal tones. After a long day on the mountain, raise a glass downstairs in the city’s only champagne bar. 4. Neri Hotel & Restaurante Where: Calle Sant Sever 5, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, Spain Inspiration: The sun sheer romance of another Woody Allen classic, Vicky Cristina Barcelona You can’t help but drool over Vicky Cristina Barcelona's sun-drenched Spanish scenarios and abundance of vino tinto and flamenco guitar. In the midst of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter – all narrow cobbled lanes emptying on to buzzing squares – Neri Hotel & Restaurante is the epitome of classic meets contemporary. In an 18th-century palace, original Gothic architecture and features have been updated with super-modern features. Romance your own Javier Bardem or ScarJo in one of the 22 rooms decked out in velvet and silk and sporting grey slate tubs, before heading to the hotel’s private rooftop terrace to sip on cava. 5. Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas Where: 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, USA Inspiration: The debauchery of The Hangover Who wouldn’t be tempted by the hedonism of the neon kingdom. Luckily, once the slots and shows have lost their shine, the chic digs at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas can revive your spirits. Its 397 airy, Asian-inspired rooms tower over the Strip with nary a slot machine in sight. Soak up some natural light – so often nullified in sin city – at one of the four pools, and eat like a king at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire. The Michelin-starred chef creates three- or six-course tastings in an otherworldly room. Feeling refreshed? All the better for hitting the town again. 6. Zeavola Where: 11 Moo 8, Laem Tong, Koh Phi Phi, Thailand Inspiration: The remote exoticism of The Beach Yes, things really went tits up for Leo and the gang, but before that happened you couldn’t help but be enchanted by the perfection of Koh Phi Phi. At first, boutique hotel Zeavola may seem like a tiny village of thatched huts perched on the sand, but get closer and the level of luxury becomes more obvious. Each of the 52 freestanding villas is fashioned entirely from teak, with outdoor showers and all mod cons hidden within Thai-inspired furniture. Surrender your shoes and stroll barefoot along pristine Leam Tong beach, book an early-morning boat tour to Koh Phi Phi Lai – where The Beach was filmed – and give yourself over to soothing ministrations in the spa. As the sun sets, ask the staff to set a table by the water and dine with a soundtrack of gently lapping waves. 7. Bamurru Plains Where: Humpty Doo, Northern Territory, Australia Inspiration: Nic and Hugh’s over-the-top outback romance in Australia It may not be the most critically acclaimed flick ever made, but you can't help but be swept up in the grandeur of Australia. With big skies and vast plains, Bamurru Plains is the Australian version of a safari lodge. Nine bungalows, artfully kitted out in timber and corrugated iron, are enclosed in mesh that allows sheer views over the wetlands. The main lodge, with dining room, lounge room and pool, is the centre of activity, but the real action is out there in the wild. Cruise around in an open-top jeep or an airboat in search of buffalo, wallabies, magpie geese and, of course, crocs. 8. Chateau Marmont Where: 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA Inspiration: Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, where the digs had equal billing with Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning We’re not sure that a stay here will have you re-examining your life – as the aimless Johnny Marco was inspired to – but a few days at the Chateau Marmont will make you appreciate the history of the City of Angels. Surprisingly, for a place where the stars glitter ever-so-brightly, this boutique hotel is understated and elegant. Built in 1920 in the arts and crafts style, each of its 63 rooms is midcentury cool. Pop on your Raybans for parading by the pool, jag a garden table at Chateau Restaurant, or order an old-fashioned at Bar Marmont. 9. The Modern Honolulu Where: 1775 Ala Moana Boulevard, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, USA Inspiration: Russell Brand’s rogue rockstar, Aldous Snow, taking a break from touring in Forgetting Sarah Marshall The Modern Honolulu’s rooms are decked out in minimalist white, with ukuleles and orchids to bring the Hawaiian vibe, and seem to reflect all that amazing Hawaiian sunshine. The rooms with views of the ocean are the pick, particularly Room 911, an Ocean Front Suite with a balcony facing the sea and another over the pool. Bust a move at the hotel’s own nightclub, Addiction, and make sure you’ve made a day-after detox appointment at the spa. 10. Goldeneye Hotel & Resort Where: Oracabessa Bay, Oracabessa, Jamaica Inspiration: Bond. James Bond. (Of course) Author Ian Fleming penned all 14 of his Bond novels in the villa that is now the centerpiece of this island hideaway. Things have changed quite a bit since then: there are now 20 cottages at Golden Eye Hotel & Resort surrounding a four-acre cerulean lagoon, as well as a swim-up hillside spa, watersports area and treetop restaurant. It really is the Caribbean paradise you’ve always dreamed of, complete with shaken or stirred rum cocktails from the resort’s Bizot Bar. The owner of this idyllic locale is Island Records supremo Chris Blackwell and some of the personal touches have rockstar written all over them: every room has an iPod loaded with reggae and island tunes, and each guest is given a hip flask of Blackwell’s rum on arrival.
A quick search through magazines and online will bring up hundreds of bucket lists suggesting the bright lights of Manhattan or the ancient ruins of Rome. However, for many people a city is a city, and to truly live and experience beauty one has to look further — much further. Here's just a few of the world's hidden wonders. 1. Mount Roraima in Venezuela/Brazil/Guyana Mount Roraima, the highest of the Pacaraima Mountains, is a massive tabletop plateau that spreads into three countries. Boasting a variety of plant life — such as pitcher plants, bellflowers and heather, some of which are unique — Roraima creates some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world and has steep sides that reach over 400 metres in height. Popular with backpackers and hikers, who usually hire a guide from the village of Paraitepui below, the plateau has only one route up, a perilous ascent of near constant cloud cover and uncanny rock formations. 2. The Door to Hell in Turkmenistan It's not strictly one of Mother Nature's greatest creations as mankind lent a hand in making it, but the locally dubbed Door to Hell in Turkmenistan is unlike anything else in the world. A giant hole in the ground with a never-ending supply of burning gas, the crater is around 60 metres across and easily just as deep. Supposedly formed in the '70s when geologists, drilling for natural gas, went too deep and caused a massive cave-in and explosion, the Door to Hell has been ablaze ever since, and may never go out. 3. Chocolate Hills in the Philippines Formed, according to legend, by the tears of a giant that had lost his love, the Chocolate Hills appear on the provincial flag of Bohol and all stand between 30 and 50 metres high. A more reliable explanation for this unusual landscape could be that the hills were the result of the self-destruction of an active volcano. Mostly uniform in shape and size, the hills are covered in rich, green grass that turns brown during the dry season (hence the name). It's thought that there are as many as 1770 of these mysterious hills spread out over an area of 50 square kilometres. 4. Stone Forest in Madagascar Home to many unique species, including the white lemur, which can be found in the passageways below as well as above, Madagascar's Stone Forest is filled with pillars of extensively eroded limestone that rise up to 70 metres above the ground. From the air, the area appears harsh and barren, but beneath the jagged peaks lies a world of forest canyons and humid caves, all teeming with plants and animals. The Stone Forest is known locally as 'Tsingy' (where one cannot walk barefoot). It's quite clear why. 5. Mount Sanqingshan National Park in China Shrouded in mist for 200 days of the year, Sanqingshan National Park, which is considered a sacred place, is used by many for meditation and is believed to grant immortality. Home to about 2500 species of plant, the area's granite formations and strangely shaped pine trees resemble silhouettes of people and animals. 6. Socotra in Yemen Considered to be the most biodiverse place in the Arabian Sea, world heritage site Socotra has some of the most unusual looking plant life in the world, including the distinct Dragon Blood Tree, mainly because of its harsh climate. Located within the Republic of Yemen, the group of islands are also home to a huge number of spiders, birds, and spectacular coral reefs. Socotra's main island has three different terrains: narrow coastal plains, a limestone plateau dotted with deep caves, and the Haghier Mountains, the tallest of which is 1503 metres high. 7. Devils Tower in the USA According to Sioux Indian legend, a group of young girls were out picking flowers when they were suddenly chased by bears. Seeing and taking sympathy on their plight, the Great Spirit moved the ground beneath them and raised them to safety. The bears, who couldn't climb the rock's steep sides, fell, leaving scratches in their wake. The mysterious rock is sacred to a number of tribes, and during the month of June, when they conduct ceremonies around it, climbing is prohibited. The truth behind the formation of Devils Tower, located in Wyoming, has experts baffled. While many believe it is the neck of an extinct volcano, as evidenced by the surrounding landscape, others are sceptical. We may never really know. 8. The Eye of the Sahara in Mauritania Used by shuttle crews as a landmark since the earliest days of space travel, the Eye of the Sahara, which has a diameter of 50 metres, resembles a giant bull's-eye in the desert or, to be more descriptive, the fossil of a giant ammonite. A true geological wonder, it was once thought the Richat Structure, as it is also known, was formed when a meteorite struck the earth. Nowadays experts believe it was formed by the constant lifting and erosion of the earth. 9. Dune of Pyla in France Completely out of place in France, the Great Dune of Pyla, Europe's largest sand dune, is a popular hot spot for paragliders and holidaymakers. With a height of around 100 metres, the dune comes in from the coast and runs along 3 kilometres of coastline, with its steepest side facing a green forest beyond. A strange sight indeed. 10. Cano Cristales in Colombia For most of the year, Cano Cristales, a river so remote it can only be reached by horse or on foot, is different to no other, littered with waterfalls, rapids, wells, and hollows, but for a brief period it transforms and earns its nickname, 'The River of Five Colours'. During the gap between the wet and dry seasons, a unique species of plant that lines the river floor suddenly appears to turn a brilliant red, which, along with yellow and green sand and blue water, turns the whole area into a vision of paradise.
Apple has set its fair share of technology trends, but today it seems more accurate to say they're chasing one — Apple has today announced HomePod, a seven-inch wireless speaker which acts as your voice-activated DJ and home assistant. Their newest product will be available just in time for the December holidays in the Australian, US and UK markets, but, at around $470 AUD a unit, this gift will be reserved for your nearest and dearest. HomePod will feature an Apple-designed upward-facing woofer with A8 chip, a custom array of seven beam-forming tweeters, automatic room-sensing technology, a six-microphone array with advanced echo cancellation, siri waveform, automatic detection and a balance of two speakers using both direct and reflected audio. To put it in plain terms, this means the speaker can sense its location in a room and automatically adjust audio. The six microphones allow users to control the speaker from across the room, as Siri can supposedly distinguish your voice among even the loudest music. Apple's new nuts and bolts should make for distortion-free, quality sound and means this tiny speaker can get seriously loud. Of course, this one is designed to work with an Apple Music subscription and Siri can track your personal music preferences for different moods, as well as handling advanced searches within the music library — meaning users can ask specific questions about the musicians they're listening to or create an 'up next queue'. As a home assistant, HomePod can provide remote access throughout the house, even if you're not home, including turning on lights and closing shades, sending messages and getting all internet updates or searches read out to you. In typical Apple fashion, there's a catch — HomePod is only compatible with iPhone 5s or later and must run on iOS 11. We wouldn't quite call HomePod the "breakthrough" they're positioning it as, with multiple home speakers already on the market that serve nearly identical functions at a much cheaper price point — HomePod is nearly double the price of Google Home and Amazon Echo and even more than Sonos' Play:3, which was previously the more expensive home speaker at $300 USD. As with any Apple device, it looks great, but with so much competition, they'll need more than looks to sell this one. Image: Apple.
Every time one of your friends has posted something incredibly sad on Facebook and you've 'liked' it? Things are about to get a little more appropriate on the social media IV drip. After Facebook co-founder and known hoodie-wearer Mark Zuckerberg announced the possibility of a 'dislike' button in September, the site has now launched a set of Facebook 'Reactions' which shake up the mere 'like' function. There are now six new little emojis Facebook users can use to react to posts, alongside the OG 'like' button. Users can now respond to posts with love, laughter, happiness, shock, sadness and anger. We're sadly going to have to wait a teeny spell before we can branch out into Facebook's new set of emotions, with the new feature starting out as a test in just two markets, Ireland and Spain — according to TechCrunch, these two countries have been picked mainly because their national user bases have mainly limited international friend networks, so they make a more concentrated test group. If the test is a success, Facebook will roll it out worldwide. Yep, they look exactly like emojis — which is why this will probably immediately work for Facebook. We've been using them this whole time. Via TechCrunch. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Every year, when spring hits Toowoomba, the regional city 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. Running from Friday, September 20 to Sunday, September 29, the annual event showcases all of the gorgeous florets, growths and gardens around town — usually including everything from park tours to ikebana displays to specific shows for orchids, bonsai, clivia and bromelaids each year. Outdoor dwellers can also expect daily live music in bloom-filled parks, while pub and dinner walks are also on the agenda. In total, more than 1100 hectares of public parks and private gardens will be on display in 2019. And, they'll boast more than 180,000 blossoming bulbs and seedlings. The event also kicks off with a three-day food and wine festival across September 20–22, and features an illuminated night garden between September 26–28, so 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. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
If the phrase 'cheap beer' is music to your ears on a stinkin' hot day, then the bartenders at the Abbotts Hotel are about to become your favourite musicians in the city. The Waterloo pub has started offering beer prices based on the barometer or 'beer-o-meter' as they're calling it. When the temperature reaches 38 degrees — on the Bureau of Meteorology app, not your dodgy car thermometer — schooners are knocked down from $6 to $3.80. As the temperature continues to rise, the prices keep dropping until it hits 45 degrees (otherwise known as 'hell'). At this point, your beer is free. Yep, that's right, free. You'll never complain about the weather again. Abbotts will be honouring these discounts if anywhere in greater Sydney is sweltering, so keep an eye on your app and keep the bar accountable. The offer will run for the foreseeable future (with whispers of the beer-o-meter swapping in winter to sling cheap stouts when the temp drops) so we'll be crossing our fingers for a steamy March. Abbotts Hotel is located at 47 Botany Road, Waterloo. In the event of free beer, it will be limited to one per person, per day.
Fitz (Jason Priestly), a devilishly handsome low-life of a used car salesman, is missing something. After years of womanising and substance abusing, he's on the hunt for his long-lost conscience. Fitz just didn't think he'd find him sitting at the office desk opposite his. Never much concerned with ending his sleazy ways, Fitz has a change of heart when, during a test-drive he is sure will secure him 'Employee of the Month' status, he crashes. The accident unleashes something with Fitz, a twinge of guilt and emotion we didn't know he had, that comes embodied in his conscience-turned-business partner, Larry (Ernie Grunwald). Now forced to face Larry each and every day, Fitz must (unwillingly) reexamine his dodgy ways. The hilarious pair and their bickering antics lend a humourous twist to this black comedy of a 'buddy' TV series. To win one of four Season One Call Me Fitz DVDs, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=MKEZS6DoX3E
In food news that's not so #cleaneating #fitspo today, deep fried alcohol is a thing now. At first glance it looks like an unassuming fried doughnut, but rather than being filled with jam or custard, this brand new monstrosity has a gooey centre of potentially poor life decisions. Sure, Texas invented deep fried beer, but this is next level regret. Creators Corinne and John Clarkson, chip shop owners from Lancashire, UK, were influenced by a good ol' traditional sherry trifle when creating this beastly bar snack. The pair soaked sponge cake in Baileys, Sidekick strawberries and cream liqueur (the UK's liqueur equivalent of Passion Pop trashiness) or apple schnapps, then lowered those monsters into the deep fryer. Just look at these things: So, the biggest question, can you really get drunk from them? The answer is yes. Drunk, and fat. The levels are high enough on both counts. But despite the obvious health risks involved with making this product readily available, the deep fried alcohol has already started to establish a fan base. The couple have already tested out the alco-balls at a local event and sold them for £3 a pop. They sold out within hours. Now, the Clarksons want to sell the battered booze cakes from their fine establishment (although their humble chip shop might probably need an alcohol licence). Look, we’re not here to judge. If the opportunity ever arises and curiosity gets the better of you, by all means give those little problematic parcels a try — and tell us all about it. Just remember to, you know, consume responsibly. Via Business Standard and My Daily.
Gone are the days of crashing on your own filthy camp stretcher at Splendour, padlocking up every tenty inch at Falls or nursing a crick floor-torn neck at Meredith. Belgian music festivals have changed the festival accommodation game with this brand new pop-up hotel design, so you'll never want to take the townbound shuttle again. Structured around a Japanese-style capsule hotel design, the prototype pods have been popping up at Belgian music festivals of late, prompting winsome looks from poor ol' regular stuck-in-the-mud campers. Adorably dubbed B-and-Bee, the design is the winner of a recent competition in Belgium that sought out sustainable entrepreneurship bright ideas. Often also the case at Australian festivals, Belgian festival campers aren't the most environmentally friendly of guests; leaving their cheap tents in a heap post-festival for someone else to deal with. The B-and-Bee team, led by Diana Schneider, Raf Schoors, Tim Ruytjens and social entrepreneurs at Compaan and Labeur, wanted to combat this regular trashing of resources. "It’s an ecological nightmare," Schneider told Wired. "We wanted to provide a sustainable sleeping option." The B-and-Bee honeycomb structure kicks a few goals, both sustainably and as a space-saving device. Attempting to reduce the spatial footprint, maintain cushiness and privacy while accommodating as many festivalgoers as possible is no mean feat. Using a stacked, tesselated design was the key. "We were looking for the most effective way to stack cells so they strengthen each other," says Schneider. "If you stack a square on top of each other the structure won't strengthen itself, whereas if you stack hexagons, they fit into each other and stabilise the structure." Slipping into a tiny, capsule space might sound a tad claustrophobic for some campers, but the B-and-Bee pods actually measure 1.7 metres wide by 1.45 metres tall, with a king-sized bed that's able to transform into a seat. You've also got power in your pod to charge that receptionless phone of yours, along with a light — camping's most underrated ally. While the combs are still in prototype phase, the team are hoping to have the structures geared up for next year's northern hemisphere summer festival season. Fingers crossed for a southern export, these little hives would go down a treat with yoga mat-weary Australian festivalgoers. Via Wired.
The year was 1992. Aladdin, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon 3 and A Few Good Men ruled the international box office. Slipping into a habit and sliding in next on the list, becoming the sixth-biggest hit of the year: Sister Act. The film about singing nuns spawned a sequel, with word of a third movie floating around for years since — and, as everything from Mean Girls and Muriel's Wedding to Groundhog Day and Beetlejuice has also done, it inspired a stage musical as well. The theatre take on the Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)-led film franchise debuted in California in 2006, then hit West End in 2009 and Broadway in 2011. Now, it's finally Australia's turn — including in Brisbane. Sister Act will make its Aussie premiere at Sydney's Capitol Theatre to see out winter, then make a date with the Regent Theatre in Melbourne from November, and has then locked in a stint at QPAC in the River City after that from February 2025. [caption id="attachment_939236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sister Act UK & Ireland Touring Production 2023-24, Mark Senior.[/caption] The first movie was filled with songs like 'Rescue Me', 'My Guy' and 'I Will Follow Him', ensuring that its soundtrack was a smash, too, so the film was always primed to tread the boards. The Sister Act musical features original tunes, with Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid) doing the honours. Among the show's rewards so far: five Tony Award nominations and six Olivier Award nominations. "It is a joyous thing to produce a musical that has never been seen in Australia before and I feel very blessed to be bringing Sister Act to our shores," said producer John Frost when he initially announced the Sydney and Melbourne seasons. "It's a brilliant, must-see show that will lift audiences up and I know Australians will get into the habit of seeing again and again." [caption id="attachment_956082" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Benny Capp[/caption] Story-wise, the production follows Deloris, who witnesses a murder and has to go into protective custody. Her hideout: a convent. It's there that the nightclub singer finds a struggling choir, which she begins to help. For the Australian run, Casey Donovan (& Juliet) is leading the cast, while Genevieve Lemon (Billy Elliot) co-stars as Mother Superior. The Brisbane season doesn't yet have exact dates, but you can sign up for the ticket waitlist online. Sister Act Australian Tour 2024: From Tuesday, August 3, 2024 — Capitol Theatre, Sydney From Sunday, November 3, 2024 — Regent Theatre, Melbourne From February 2025 — QPAC, Brisbane Sister Act will hit the stage in Brisbane from February 2025. For further information and tickets, head to the show's website. Top image: Sister Act UK & Ireland Touring Production 2023-24, Mark Senior.
It's been a long time coming and a pretty rough road, but we finally have an answer to the Australian marriage law postal survey. And that answer is a big fat yes, pushing the nation, at long last, closer than it's ever been to marriage equality. As announced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in Canberra at 10am today, 61.6 percent percent of Aussie voters are on board with same-sex marriage being legalised — that's a tidy 7,817,247 people. A break-down of the votes for various electorates and the participation rates for different age groups has also been nutted out, and is live now, over at the ABS' survey results website. Of course, this 'yes' doesn't automatically ensure a smooth ride to marriage law reform. The issue will now be handed over to parliament, and while Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull promised he'd "facilitate a private member's bill to legalise same-sex marriage", if that's how the public voted, the bill still has to be passed. That said, if you were one of the majority hanging for a 'yes' result, it's time to cue the celebrations, and get along to one of the many post-results gatherings and parties happening across the country. In Melbourne, they're closing off part of Lygon Street in front of Trades Hall for a massive street party from 5.30pm, complete with food, booze and performances by the likes of Habits, Tanzer, MinnieTaur and The Ballarat Orchestra + LGBTIQ Choir. Sydney pub The Lansdowne will be letting its hair down with some loved-up celebrations featuring DJs from 2pm until late, plus shows by legendary tribute lip-syncing parody drag band The Magda Szubanskis. And in Brisbane, West End's Rumpus Room is teaming up with GetUp! and Equal Love for an evening of drinking, dancing and celebrating, from 6pm tonight. Image: Leticia Almeida.
With the rise of the mp3 and the gathering of the cloud, the concept of physically owning your music has gradually begun to disappear. Yet for many music lovers, the tactile nature of analogue media still holds a powerful nostalgia. How else do you explain last year's record-breaking vinyl sales? But while the record may have experienced a bit of a resurgence as of late, what about the humble audio cassette? Well, it turns out there may be a market for that too. Inspired by the success of Record Store Day, Cassette Store Day is a celebration of all things magnetic tape and plastic. Its third iteration is set for October 17 — and for the first time, the southern hemisphere is getting in on the action. Australian label Rice Is Nice and New Zealanders Arch Hill Recordings will join Germany’s Mansions & Millions, America’s Burger Records and original UK founders Suplex Cassettes, Kissability, and Sexbeat in organising the 2015 edition, an international party marked by a slew of events, sales and releases. Last year saw such big name artists as Karen O and There Might Be Giants drop tapes for the occasion, among more than 300 others. Of course, not everyone is so enamoured with these chunky slabs of plastic. Last year Tone Deaf penned an article titled ‘Why International Cassette Store Day is Stupid’, arguing that the event is simply nostalgia taken too far. And look, the killjoys may have a point. Although vinyl fans insist that records sound ‘warmer,’ it’s a lot harder to make that argument for the compact cassette. Still, anything that gets people supporting local music stores is okay by us. Besides, who doesn’t secretly want an actual mixtape from their crush? CASSETTE STORE DAY AUSTRALIAN RELEASES Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit Summer Flake — Time Rolls By EP Bloods — Work It Out Ocean Party — Light Weight Step-Panther — Strange But Nice Dollar Bar — Paddington Workers Club Dollar Bar — Hot Ones Red Riders — Drown In Colour Demos The Finks — Lucklaster Fraser A. Gorman — Slow Gum Ouch My Face — Bunyip Raindrop — Crowded Brain EP Rice Is Nice Records — Vol. 3 Mixtape (various artists) Ft. Blank Realm (unreleased), Black Zeros, Tired Lion, Lowtide, The Living Eyes, Pearls, Love of Diagrams, Day Ravies, Us The Band, Zeahorse, White Dog, Weak Boys Wonrowe Vision — Triple Cassette Mortification — Scrolls Of The Megaloth Double Cassette Barrow-man — Dog Tales Betty & Oswald — King Of Bohemia Tutu and the Bodyrockets — The Ballad of Bonnie Bigfish Hills Hoist / Piqué — Cool Change / Kitty Australian labels and store owners that want to be part of this year’s Cassette Store Day can apply via Rice Is Nice starting from July 11. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Telling your co-workers to wash their damn plates has never looked so suave. Comic Sans, the "I'm not like a regular mom, I'm a cool mom," of the font world, has been given a streamlined, minimalist makeover and is lurking dangerously close to legitimate suavity. Taking cues from the more sophisticated typography go-tos like Helvetica Neue, Comic Neue could potentially be suited for more than passive-aggressive staff kitchen notices and school canteen specials. Constantly scorned for its combination of rounded edges and likeness to the Foundation Handwriting font taught at preschools, Comic Sans has long worn the crown for biggest lamebot in the font family. Writers at McSweeney’s tried to convince us otherwise, but until graphic designer Craig Rozynski decided to give the font a new pair of pants, it was doomed to the Angelfire blogs of yesteryear. Japan-based Australian designer Rozynski saw an overlooked elegance in the world’s most ridiculed font. “Comic Sans wasn’t designed to be the world’s most ubiquitous casual typeface,” he says on the font’s own website. “The squashed, wonky, and weird glyphs of Comic Sans have been beaten into shape while maintaining the honesty that made Comic Sans so popular.” Sporting a makeover to rival Rachel Leigh Cook’s She’s All That staircase descent, Comic Neue is sure to score all the invites to prom with its new schwanky look. Rozynski believes teaching a an old dog new tricks will impress even the biggest font snobs. “Comic Neue aspires to be the casual script choice for everyone including the typographically savvy.” You can test drive Comic Neue over here for free for a limited time. Go on, lightly warn the good people about the consequences of taking people's fridge food. It's going to look damn classy. Via Mashable.
Blending Homer Simpson and Piet Mondrian might be the most unlikely of team-ups, but two Russian designers have begged to differ. Seeing a primary colour-based no-brainer in the pair, Constantin Bolimond and Dmitry Patsukevich have created a line of wine bottle packaging called Wine, or maybe not?. Stripping Homer and Marge back to minimalist Mondrian-like lines and restricted colour areas, the Simpsons have rarely looked so MOMA Gift Shopworthy. Although there's no wine yet created to inhabit the Simpsons, we'd be happy to chuck some Duff in there, work a couch groove and tune into the rest of your life. Via Fubiz. Images by Constantin Bolimond and Dmitry Patsukevich. Keen for more minimalist pop culture wine design? Sure you are. We're on it, head over here for a drop of Westeros.
In the catchy theme tune to one of the best, wildest and most cathartic TV shows ever made, aka Billy on the Street, comedian Billy Eichner promised to make dreams come true. How? By taking to the New York City pavement to ask ordinary folks about movies, music and TV shows, often with a celebrity in tow. Each episode also involved Eichner yelling at his unsuspecting contestants about their questionable pop culture taste or utter lack of entertainment knowledge — yep, right there on NYC's streets, with a camera pointing their way — and the end result was a hilarious dream to watch for audiences, too. Now, thanks to new rom-com Bros, Eichner is fulfilling fantasies in a different way. The Parks and Recreation and Difficult People treasure becomes the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio film, which is set to hit cinemas Down Under in October — and its just-dropped, extremely self-aware first trailer hilariously plays up exactly what making a mainstream queer rom-com means. What does that entail? "Something a straight guy might like?" Eichner's character Bobby Leiber asks. "Am I going to be in the middle of some high-speed chase, then all of a sudden fall in love with Ice Cube?" he continues. Based on the first sneak peek, no, that doesn't happen. Also the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio to feature an entirely LGBTQ principal cast, Bros sees Eichner play a podcaster who has been asked to write exactly this kind of flick — hence those questions about how it might turn out. This isn't just a queer rom-com about penning a queer rom-com, though. Along the way, Eichner's Leiber falls in love himself (with Killjoys' Luke Macfarlane), and navigates the chaos that ensues. Eichner co-wrote the script with director Nicholas Stoller (Bad Neighbours and its sequel), while Judd Apatow (The King of Staten Island, Trainwreck) produces. On-screen, the cast includes Ts Madison (Zola), Monica Raymund (Chicago Fire), Guillermo Díaz (Scandal), Guy Branum (Hacks), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) and Amanda Bearse (Married with Children). Check out the trailer for Bros below: Bros opens in cinemas Down Under on October 27.
From the Lumiere brothers to Christopher Nolan, cinema has always been more than just benign entertainment for our Saturday nights. It has reflected the ages we live in, not just in costumes and settings but in representing the pure zeitgeist. As we head off to the Sydney Film Festival and the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival, where films break barriers and open eyes, we’re thinking about those films that have changed how we see that crazy little thing called love. Mixed-race couples in love Even now it's still unusual to see mixed-race couples on film and television. Take Glee: the Asian girl has to end up with the Asian guy. It seems like a particularly persistent blindness given all the inter-species lovin' outlined below. But go back a few years and you will find a few films that did manage to break down this particular barrier. Most famous is 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner where Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy's daughter brings home a black fiance, the barrier-breaker himself, Sidney Poitier. This film paved the way for a series of bad dance films where white ballerinas hook up with street dancers, a la Save the Last Dance. Awesome. Monsters and humans in love Move over Twilight; if you think this was the first film that depicted the forbidden love between a human and a monster, you need to catch up on some movies. It wasn't even the brilliant Joss Whedon who was first in with Buffy. You have to go right back to the first monster movies, and King Kong. Okay, so in the 1933 version love was a little-one sided on the monkey side, but in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) shows a tender affection for the giant ape. The Mummy (1999) also depicted an everlasting love between a monster and a human, with the mummy rising only with the intention of bringing his love back to life through a human host. Unwed couples in love Cinema is polluted with unwed couples; the only thing is they're usually the ones copping all the flak. Take any disaster or horror movie you know: the first people that are going to get it are the ones that are enjoying a bit of out-of-wedlock nookie. Most movies, in Hollywood at least, focus on the couple's progression towards an inevitable marriage. Even today it's unusual for a Hollywood romance not to end in marriage. The spectacular The Princess Bride is one classic film that, ironically due to the title, doesn't end in a wedding. In fact, it ends with breaking up the marriage that was to be, so the true lovers can be together. More recently, the successful comedy Knocked Up shows us that it's possible to not only be in love but to have a baby out of wedlock and still be relatively happy. Other films catching up to the multitude of ways in which start families include the upcoming Friends with Kids, where friends have kids. Teenagers in love Early cinema often turned to literature's classics for inspiration, which means cinema's first teenage couple in love was that famous star-crossed duo Romeo and Juliet. They were the ones breaking barriers down between two warring families, but were they breaking cinematic barriers? Teenage films really came into their own in the '60s with the likes of cheesy, safe comedies like Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), where the teenage actors were well into their twenties. That trend continued into Grease (1978), surely one of the greatest teen love stories of all time, but it was John Hughes and the Brat Pack in the '80s that really examined what it meant to be a teenager in love. The '90s brought us another round of teens in love with 10 Things I Hate About You being a personal favourite (vale Heath Ledger). If a teenage boy can get over a girl's obsession with Sylvia Plath to buy her a Fender Strat, that's got to be love. Gay couples in love One of the earliest scenes in moving pictures shows two be-suited men dancing together, perhaps cinema's first gay couple. In fact, this scene is from an experimental sound picture now known as Dickson Experimental Sound Film, one of the first examples of an attempt to synch sound and picture. One early German film, Madchen in Uniform, is reputedly the first film with a pro-lesbian storyline, and in 1931, that’s quite an achievement. References to gay characters have permeated cinema throughout the years - for the best breakdown on queer cinema see the brilliant, though slightly old, doco The Celluloid Closet - but it's only been in recent years that we've seen true love, not jaded by other motivations. While we enjoyed the comedic love between the fathers in The Birdcage (1996), it was with the excellent The Kids Are All Right (2010) where we first had a gay couple, truly in love, whose 'gayness' wasn't an issue to be exaggerated; in fact, wasn't part of the main storyline at all. How could it be, when the parents could just as easily have been heterosexual? The Sydney Film Festival is on from June 6-17 and the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival is on from May 29 to June 1. The New Zealand Film Festival kicks off in Auckland on July 19 2012. Friends with Kids releases nationally on June 7. Main image from the film Attenberg.
Maybe hitting the ski fields just isn't your thing. Perhaps, after a few days spent snowboarding, you'd like to see the slopes from a different angle. You could just like climbing up to lofty peaks and peering down on everything underneath. Or, maybe walking over suspension bridges is your preferred adrenaline-fuelled activity. If some of the above apply to you, then add Whistler's newly opened Cloudraker Skybridge to your travel bucket list. A word of warning, however: spanning 130 metres from Whistler Peak across to the viewing platform at West Ridge lookout, it's also 2000 metres above the Whistler Bowl. Acrophobics, you might want to sit this one out — but for everyone that's fine with heights, it's the next reason to head to the famed Canadian region. The cantilevered walkway extends 12.5 metres out from the West Ridge, giving visitors a stunning view — and while that includes a bird's-eye vantage over those skiing below during winter, the skybridge is open all-year-round. Those eager to make the trip will need to buy a PEAK 2 PEAK 360 Experience ticket, which cost between AU$75–81. That also includes a heap of other activities, such as rides on the site's open-air chairlifts and gondolas, walking along its lengthy walking trails, and catching a video or an expert talk at the Alpine Theatre 1860 metres above sea level. Image: Mitch Winton via Whistler Blackcomb.
Let me preface this by saying that I am by no means an expert in the world of movement. However, what I can offer to you dear readers is a review from the perspective of someone who appreciates dance but can’t tell the difference between a plié and a pirouette. Last Friday night I was fortunate enough to be privy to a performance of the world-renowned Sydney Dance Company doing their latest production The Land of Yes and The Land of No. I was slightly hesitant as I attended alone, however my fellow audience members and alone time made the situation ripe for eavesdropping. A mixed bag of people whose only apparent shared interest was dance, numerous conversations floated around me discussing the performance ahead. A lucky seat next to a knowledgeable couple meant I was witness to a quick course in the history of the director Rafaela Bonachela, and what was in store for me for the next 70 minutes. Bonachela has established himself as a leader in contemporary dance choreography, and this performance was to be a representation of that. The storyline of The Land of Yes and The Land of No was created as a representation of how our chaotic world is so crowded with signs, directions and instructions on such a large scale that overwhelmed people miss all of them as they go about their lives. The beauty of the performance is that it clearly highlights that at different times everybody goes through the same feeling of isolation within a busy crowded world and though we may sometimes feel alienated, people will always come to our assistance. The particular collection of dancers that were performing from the Sydney Dance Company formed a very attractive cohort indeed. The variety of male and female performers, each with very diverse and beautiful looks, all acted so equally it was impossible to identify any one dancer as the lead. I would guess this was done on purpose to represent the cacophony that is the human race. The attire that adorned the dancers may not have been pointe shoes and tutus, but it was a perfect fit for the production regardless: bare feet and simple white outfits, although all unique in styling were obviously linked to each other through a repeated use of fabric and pleating. This choice in wardrobe worked well for the performance is it again highlighted the link between humans despite their differences. The set production played a very important role in The Land of Yes and The Land of No, as the entire choreography was set around it. There were a large number of fluorescent light bulbs arranged on stage that would definitely not look out of place in a Daft Punk or Justice concert, but added an interesting youthful element to an otherwise plain stage. Throughout the show there was a level of anticipation to see how the light changes related to the scene ahead as they occurred prior to dancers entering. And change they did right from the beginning. The performance opened with a black out and then from the light bulbs a singular doorframe emerged. The first dancer on stage was a lone female whose solo to a quiet classical piece represented a struggle with living in this century. Shortly after a male companion with the task of ‘saving her’ joined her on stage. It was interesting to note how there were clearly two different levels of choreography that Bonachela had created for the piece as, after the slow beginning a larger number of lights were turned on, the music became more dominating and a larger cohort entered the stage. Throughout the show these two levels continually alternated. The sections where either all or the majority of dancers were on stage were my favourites; the way the choreography was created was very clever in highlighting how everybody goes about their life doing the same activities without generally noticing each other. In a style that was highly reminiscent of primary school music canons, the dancers would go about doing the same routines at different times before sometimes overlapping or falling into sync briefly. As the show wore on, the interaction between the different dancers became more and more frequent in both the slower and faster paced sections. Perhaps as a representation of how humans need to look to each other in order to find sanity in this crazy world. Overall I would recommend The Land of Yes and The Land of No as it addresses some very current and universal themes about the way society is conducting itself and the detriment it is doing to humans. It’s a lecture on humanity in dance form! The Land of Yes and The Land of No opens at Sydney Theatre on October 18.
The producers of Serial and This American Life have teaming up on a brand new true crime podcast hitting the digital airwaves next month. Better yet, they're taking a page out of Netflix's book and dropping every single episode at the exact same time. Today. The non-fiction S-Town is set in rural Alabama and will investigate "the son of a wealthy family who's allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, sparking a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man's life", according to the website. We're in. "This story takes so many unexpected turns," said This American Life presenter Ira Glass in a statement. "Every episode is a new surprise. And the story has this feeling and mood that's different from anything else we've done. I don't think people have heard a show like this." S-Town is one of three new podcasts being launched under the 'Serial Productions' banner. It will be hosted by long-time This American Life producer Brian Reed, and all seven episodes are available from the S-Town website. Image: Peabody Awards, CC.
Whether you're a Melburnian making a regular date with the city's major art gallery, or you're eager to head to the Victorian capital for a getaway, visiting the NGV International over summer is always recommended. That's when the St Kilda Road site plays host to its annual Architecture Commission — including a pink car-wash inspired playground back in 2016, an openair maze in 2017, a timber amphitheatre in 2018 and a dramatic tower in 2019. In 2021, the NGV is set to get watery — and pink, again. The gallery has just revealed its latest Architecture Commission, which'll include two parts: a pink pond that's meant to nod to Victoria's inland salt lakes, and a body of Indigenous plants. The entire installation is called Pond[er], and hails from Melbourne-based architecture firm Taylor Knights in collaboration with artist James Carey. Emerging victorious from this year's submissions, it will join the NGV's Grollo Equiset Garden from November 2021–April 2022. Exact dates are yet to be announced, but entry will be free. And yes, to answer the question that has instantly popped into your head, you'll be able to wade through the pond. When visiting Pond[er], NGV patrons will wander through a series of interconnected walkways and accessible platforms, which will become part of the venue's garden rather than sit separate from it. You'll then be able to step into the water as you're moving about, with giving NGV visitors somewhere to cool off during the summer one of the piece's main purposes. Also driving the installation: reflecting upon the environment, which Pond[er] aims to evoke in a number of ways. By filling the pond with pink-coloured water, the piece is designed to get people thinking about its scarcity and importance. By using Victorian wildflowers among its plants — which will bloom at different times throughout the installation — it also endeavours to inspire folks to contemplate just how fleeting and precarious our natural environment can be. Pond[er] will display at the NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne from November 2021–April 2022, with exact dates to be announced. Images: courtesy of Taylor Knights and James Carey.
It must be tough being a local artist. Breaking through to audiences is tough without some spark to ignite the fuel of fanaticism for art. Sometimes you just need a helping hand. Well then, thank the powers that be for the Institute of Modern Art. Their annual exhibition, Fresh Cut, is dedicated to shining a light on emerging artists from Brisbane and Queensland at large. Since 1997 (16 years, for those counting at home) IMA and Fresh Cut have shown works by dozens of artists who have never had the opportunity to be displayed on their hallowed walls. Thanks for BCC’s Creative Sparks grant, each member of the Fresh Cut exhibition receives $5000 to help them create their work – a nice sum of money! This allows each artist to go all out and realise their potential for the betterment of their careers. The lucky artists-du-jour are Joseph Breikers, Caitlin Franzmann, Anita Holtsclaw, and Ruth McConchie. Joseph and Caitlin will be presenting their works in the first instalment in the Fresh Cut series. Go have a look and see what hard work and dedication can achieve.
Game, set, match, music: when the Australian Open returns in January 2024 with two jam-packed weeks of Grand Slam tennis action, it'll also be serving up a few aces for fans of live tunes. In 2023, the annual Melbourne sports event launched the AO Finals Festival, which gets a heap of talents taking to the stage. Unsurprisingly proving a hit, the fest is returning next year. Attendees will be treated to a program of live acts on three of the event's final four days, all in John Cain Arena. 2024's AO Finals Fest will start on Thursday, January 25, on AO Pride Day. Then, it's back for both the women's final on Saturday, January 27 and the men's equivalent on Sunday, January 28. A stellar lineup awaits, including Tash Sultana, Peach PRC and Yaeji on the Thursday; DMA's, Ruel and The Jungle Giants on the Saturday; and Groove Armada, Rudimental and Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir on the Sunday. Just like in 2023, the stacked bill doesn't come as too much of a surprise, given that it has again been curated with help from the respected music heads at Untitled Group — the brains behind Pitch Music & Arts, For The Love, Grapevine Gathering and more. "The Australian Open is one of the most loved events on Melbourne's calendar, so there is no better time to bring together tennis and some of the best global music to the stage, right in the heart of summer's favourite tennis tournament. Untitled Group are proud to return to the Australian Open in 2024, giving tennis and music fans alike an amazing day out, full of forefront artists across three jam-packed days of music festival entertainment," said Pia Del Mastro, Untitled Group's music programmer. "Can't wait to return to the iconic Australia Open. See you on the court!" added DMA's. Expect plenty of company, with the 2023 event selling out. Accordingly, 2024's AO Finals Festival has moved venues, shifting to John Cain Arena to take advantage of its 10,000-person capacity. Tickets can be bought individually per day, or matchgoers can upgrade their tennis tickets to head to the festival. As always, there'll be scores of food and drink pop-ups scattered throughout Melbourne Park, as well as big screens showing all the on-court action. AO FINALS FESTIVAL 2024 LINEUP: Thursday, January 25: AO Pride Day Tash Sultana Peach PRC Yaeji Anesu Djanaba DJ Luv You Saturday, January 27: Women's final DMA's Ruel The Jungle Giants Tia Gostelow Mell Hall Sunday, January 28: Men's final Groove Armada Rudimental Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir Latifa Tee Cooper Smith The 2024 AO Finals Festival hits John Cain Arena, Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne, from Thursday, January 25–Sunday, January 28. For tickets from Wednesday, December 13 and more information, head to the festival website. Images: Ash Caygill.
