A subterranean vault smack bang in the middle of the CBD filled with pasta and a bazillion different types of cider — what's not to love? Cool and dim in the hot summer months, and warm and cosy throughout the winter, Verve is a restaurant for all seasons. It's an old favourite among the CBD folk, who skulk down for a surreptitious lunchtime wine or cruise on in after work for a hearty meal and a happy hour cider. Verve is truly a refuge from the outside world. Once you reach the bottom of the staircase (which you will find on Edward Street, next to Metro Arts), you're in a completely different world; upstairs it could be day or night, sunny or stormy, hot or cold, and you would be none the wiser. The restaurant itself has a rustic feel thanks to its basement setting, exposed brick walls and various nooks and crannies. But, rightly so, the real attraction here is the food, which is served in generous portions and is consistently delicious. It would be criminal to start the meal without a serving of Verve's beloved pan bread, topped with olives, feta and basil ($7.90). Meals include mouthwatering pizzas and main plates, but the real stars of the show are the pastas and risottos. The pork belly linguini ($22.90) is made with olive oil, chilli, garlic and wilted spinach and packs a flavoursome punch. If you are looking for a more traditional dish, then maybe the bolognese conchiglia ($19.90) with sticky balsamic is for you. The moreish blue cheese and chicken risotto ($22.90) augments the strong flavour of blue cheese with rosemary and white wine, while the vodka and artichoke risotto ($18.90) with caramelised onion, vodka and rosé sauce is a decadent choice for vegetarians. All of this rich food is best washed down with a refreshing cider, which is available in torrents at Verve. Different varieties are categorised according to their dryness or sweetness, so all tastes can be ably catered to, and the friendly staff are always happy to give advice and make suggestions according to your preferences.
At this time of year, humanity is forced to do one of two things. The happily partnered generally celebrate the fact in a sea of commercialism-fuelled romantic expression. Everyone else hides, ignores the revelry or comes up with an alternative. When it comes to the latter, we're talking about anti-Valentine's Day parties of course — and doesn't The New Globe Theatre have quite the shindig for anyone looking for something other than love in the lead up to February 14. At Illicit, they'll stage ten acts of theatre, cabaret, burlesque and performance art that definitely aren't about hearts and flowers. Or, if they are, they're not going to adhere to traditional notions of either. Expect dark, diverse, subversive, stereotype-defying pieces, as told across two acts, and with time at the end for dancing. Everyone is expected to dance. "We dare you to bring your Tinder date," the event taunts patrons. If you do, there'll be a bar as part of the show, in case that's something you both find you need.
Whether you missed out on a Splendour ticket or are gearing up to see your fave acts twice, you'd better be quick if you want to get your mitts on some sideshow tix. Splendour has made its final gig announcements and sales to the general public kick off at 9am sharp on Wednesday, 27 April. In other words, right now. All up, eleven official shows are planned, mainly in Sydney and Melbourne (but there are a few locked in for Adelaide and Perth too). You'll be able to catch James Blake, who exploded onto global stages at the wee age of 22 with he debut EP CMYK and is now working on his third album, Radio Silence. For some post-hardcore action, you'll want a spot booked for when Texan titans At The Drive-In hit town. It was 16 years ago that Relationship of Command was released and these gigs are the band's first since 2012. You might well want to spend some time at the arenas (Sydney Olympic Park and Hisense Arena) finding out why The 1975 is one of the world's most sought after acts. Their second album I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It surmounted its extraordinarily cheesy title to top the ARIA and iTunes charts and secured the band gigs all over the place, from Coachella to Glastonbury. Next up is Jake Bugg, who became the youngest ever bloke to enter the UK charts at number one back in 2012 when he was just 18 — and four years later, is three albums into his career, with On My One due for release on June 17. Just lately, he's been on the road with Mumford & Sons. For some super smooth electro anthems, go see London-based Jack Garratt. This is the kind of guy you want to take camping with you – not only can he sing (in an incredible falsetto), he can also write, record, produce and play several instruments. You'll want your whistling skills handy for this next one. Peter, Bjorn and John (they're a Swedish trio, if you hadn't guessed), are responsible for one of 2006's catchiest tunes, 'Young Folks' and, in April 2015, they made a come back with 'High Up (Take Me To The Top)'. And for an escape from today's ubiquitous pop and electro, save your money for Mark Lanegan. He's 50 years of age and has been involved in the recording of just as many albums, nine of which are studio solo creations. You might well know him better as the front man of '90s rockers Screaming Trees. He brings his epic, Nick Cave-esque baritone to penetrating lyrics and bluesy melodies. So hop to it. SPLENDOUR 2016 SIDESHOWS James Blake SYDNEY: Tuesday, July 26, Hordern Pavilion MELBOURNE: Wednesday, July 27, Margaret Court Arena At The Drive-In SYDNEY: Sunday, July 24, Enmore Theatre MELBOURNE: Friday, July 22, The Forum The 1975 SYDNEY: Saturday, July 23, Sydney Olympic Park MELBOURNE: Sunday, July 24, Hisense Arena Jake Bugg w/ Blossoms SYDNEY: Tuesday, July 26, State Theatre MELBOURNE: Wednesday, July 27, Palais Theatre Jack Garratt w/ Kacy Hill SYDNEY: Thursday, July 21, Metro Theatre MELBOURNE: Wednesday, July 20, 170 Russell Peter, Bjorn & John SYDNEY: Wednesday, July 20, Metro Theatre MELBOURNE: Thursday, July 21, The Corner Hotel Mark Lanegan Band SYDNEY: Saturday, July 23, Factory Theatre MELBOURNE: Friday, July 22, Croxton Bandroom Beach Slang / Spring King SYDNEY: Wednesday, July 20, Oxford Arts Factory MELBOURNE: Sunday, July 24, The Corner Hotel For the full list of sideshows and to book tickets, visit secretsoundstouring.com.
Can't make it to Venice any time soon? Don't worry — a taste of the Italian city is coming to Australia. At the beginning of every year, the canal-heavy locale erupts into a colourful festival complete with elaborate costumes and masks. It's a tradition dating back to the 12th century, and it's making its first trip to our shores. The Carnevale Australia Masquerade Ball will brighten up The Peninsula at Docklands on February 11, 2017, asking attendees to don their fanciest threads and best facial covering in the name of the most appropriate theme imaginable in mid February: amore, or love. Indeed, the event certainly plans to share plenty of affection, and not just through its elaborate theming and food. The ball will also include a live silent auction, with proceeds going towards earthquake victims in the Italian village of Amatrice. If that sounds like your kind of shindig (and who doesn't want to dress up, party and pretend they're in Venice?), be prepared: masks are mandatory, and with tickets starting at $450, your masquerade fun doesn't come cheap. In good news for anyone that doesn't have that kind of spare cash, it's also a taster for things to come, with the ball acting as a launch event for Carnevale Australia's full two-week celebration, slated to be held in late October / early November 2017. The Carnevale Australia Masquerade Ball takes place on February 11, 2017 at The Peninsula, Docklands. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the event website and Facebook page. Image: L G.
We drink it, wash with it and bathe in it. More than any other substance, our bodies and our planet are made of it. But, how do we really relate to, what do we really think about, and how are our lives shaped by the clear, flowing substance known as water? Expect to splash around in those questions and plenty of other H20-inspired pools of thought at Chris Bennie's latest exhibition, Mood Swings. Popping up at the appropriately named POP Gallery in Woolloongabba, the Gold Coast artist continues his fascination with all things wet after explore what water does to caravans after Bundaberg's floods and nuclear reactor control rooms after Japan's tsunami. This time, rather than taking inspiration from a catastrophic event, Bennie looks inwards to probe just how he makes sense of the substance that springs from our seas, rivers, skies, taps and showers. Combining performance and manipulated video, he swims through his feelings and ponderings. Whether that happens in a literal sense is something you'll have just to drop by and see. Image: Chris Bennie "Lotus Pond" 2017,
Definitely kill 164 people, or potentially see casualties of up to 70,000? It's a choice no one wants to make, but what's the better option? And if you were faced with passing judgement on a man who chose the former over the latter, what would you decide? At Terror, you can find out, with the international smash coming to Australia for the first time. In its exclusive Brisbane Festival-only run, the debut play by German defence lawyer and author Ferdinand von Schirach runs through the trial of a fighter pilot who thought he was thinking about the greater good. Audiences will be asked to vote on his sentence, with the creative team adhering to their choice. The narrative changes accordingly, and has been performed in more than 70 theatres around the world since 2015. Image: Stephen Long.
Now in its 19th year, Share the Spirit is an annual festival that takes place on January 26. The event is a celebration of the survival of Australia's First Nations people through music, art and culture. In previous years, Share the Spirit has taken place at Treasury Gardens, but it has been moved to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl this year as part of the Live at the Bowl series. Presented by Songlines Aboriginal Music and supported by Arts Centre Melbourne, the event features an impressive lineup of First Nations talent. Following an Opening Ceremony with Joy Murphy, N'arweet Carolyn Briggs and the Djirri Djirri dancers, musicians such as Archie Roach, Alice Skye, Andy Alberts and Kee'ahn will all take to the stage while Shelley Ware and Shiralee Hood co-handle the hosting duties. Due to having a limited COVID-safe capacity, Share the Spirit 2021 is already sold out, however, it will be live streamed in a few places so you have plenty of opportunities to tune in. Fed Square will be showing the festival live on its big screen — if you would like to head along to an in-person showing — or you can tune in on the Share the Spirit Facebook page or listen to a special broadcast of the festival from 2pm on 3RRR. [caption id="attachment_796726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Lau[/caption] Share the Spirit 2021 runs from 12–8pm. Top image: James Henry
Stranger Things is almost back, there's more than a demogorgon to battle and every aspiring monster fighter needs a little sustenance. For the series' heroine Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Eggo frozen waffles are the food of choice. For Australian fans who love the show and free sweet treats, ice cream waffle sandwiches will keep you going. With Stranger Things' third season set to drop on Netflix next week, Baskin-Robbins outlets around the country are marking the occasion by giving away freebies. Free ice cream waffle sandwiches, that is. To get your hands on yours, you'll just need to visit the chain's virtual Scoop Alley on Uber Eats on Thursday, July 4. It's an online recreation of the ice cream parlour that features in the show's new batch of episodes, where Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) works — complete with his towering head of hair, obviously. If you're one of the first 1985 people to hit the site on the day — 1985, because that's the year the third season is set in — a home-delivered 'Eleven's Waffle Sandwich' will be yours. And, while you won't need buy anything else to get your delicious dessert, you will need to pay for delivery. The giveaway also celebrates Baskin-Robbins' new Stranger Things-themed ice cream range, which will be available to devour from Monday, July 1. As well as the aforementioned ice cream waffle sando, you can buy concoctions called 'The Shadow Cone' (which comes covered in red sprinkles), 'The Mind Flayer Macaron' and 'The Demogorgon Sundae' (which, yes, actually looks like the creepy critter) — in-store, or via Uber Eats. Find Baskin-Robbins' Stranger Things-themed range in stores and on Uber Eats from Monday, July 1, or visit the ice creamery's virtual Scoop Alley on Uber Eats on Thursday, July 4 to nab a free ice cream waffle sandwich. To find your closest Baskin-Robbins store in NSW, Vic, Qld or WA, head to the website.
Brisbane is gearing up for another balmy season, and, at the city's busiest new food precinct, Tex Mex hot-spot El Camino Cantina is set to join the party on the first weekend of summer. Even better — when this loud venue flings open its doors, starts pouring its giant cocktails and beings serving up its lively Tex-Mex fare, it's doing so with a party. The venue will launch on Friday, November 30 with a weekend-long fiesta, starting with a ticketed party on Friday night and continuing with $2 tacos, 10-cent wings, free tortilla chips and $7.50 margaritas across Saturday and Sunday. What else is in store in general? Well, eight slushie machines signal big nights and brain freezes — El Camino's margaritas come in a swag of flavours and multiple sizes, including a group-friendly two-litre tower. From the food lineup, think fiery buffalo wings, sizzling fajitas, plump burritos, soft shell tacos loaded with punchy flavour combinations and unlimited complimentary corn chips and salsas. Images: El Camino Cantina Manly by Tom Ferguson.
UPDATE, July 31, 2022: Wash My Soul in the River's Flow is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. A silent hero and a rowdy troublemaker. That's what Ruby Hunter calls Archie Roach, her partner in life and sometimes music, then characterises herself. She offers those words casually, as if she's merely breathing, with an accompanying smile and a glint in her eyes as she talks. They aren't the only thoughts uttered in Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, which intersperses concert and rehearsal clips with chats with Hunter and Roach, plus snippets of biographical details from and recollections about their lives as intertitles, and then majestic footage of the winding Murray River in Ngarrindjeri Country, where Hunter was born, too. Still, even before those two-word descriptions are mentioned, the film shows how they resonate within couple's relationship. Watching their dynamic, which had ebbed and flowed over three-plus decades when the movie's footage was shot in 2004, it's plain to see how these two icons of Australian music are dissimilar in personality and yet intertwine harmoniously. Every relationship is perched upon interlocking personalities: how well they complement each other, where their differences blend seamlessly and how their opposing traits spark challenges in the best possible ways. Every song, too, is a balance of disparate but coordinated pieces. And, every ecosystem on the planet also fits the bill. With Hunter and Roach as its focus, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow contemplates all three — love, music and Country — all through 2004 concert Kura Tungar — Songs from the River. Recorded for the documentary at Melbourne's Hamer Hall, that gig series interlaced additional parts, thanks to a collaboration with Paul Grabowsky's 22-piece Australian Art Orchestra — and the movie that producer-turned-writer/director Philippa Bateman makes of it, and about two Indigenous stars, their experience as members of Australia's Stolen Generations, their ties to Country and their love, is equally, gloriously and mesmerisingly multifaceted. When is a concert film more than a concert film? When it's Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, clearly, which is named for one of Kura Tungar's tracks. Bateman could've just used her recordings of the legendary show, which won the 2005 Helpmann Award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert, and given everyone who wasn't there the chance to enjoy an historic event — and to bask in the now-late Hunter's on-stage glories more than a decade after her 2010 passing — but that was clearly just the starting point for her movie. With Roach as a producer, the documentary presents each of its songs as a combination of five key elements, all weaved together like the feather flower-dotted, brightly coloured headpiece that Hunter wears during the performance. With each tune, the film repeats the pattern but the emotion that comes with it inherently evolves, with the result akin to cycling through the earth's four seasons. First, a title appears on-screen, overlaid across breathtakingly beautiful images of the Murray and its surroundings, and instantly steeping every song in a spectacular place. From there, the Kura Tungar rendition of each tune segues into practice sessions with Grabowsky and the AAO of the same track, plus both text and on-the-couch chatter between Hunter and Roach that speaks to the context of, meaning behind and memories tied to each piece. Hunter's 'Daisy Chains, String Games and Knuckle Bones', which springs from her childhood, gets that treatment. Roach's unforgettable 'Took the Children Away' does, too. 'Down City Streets', as written by Hunter and recorded by Roach, also joins the lineup. The list goes on, and the power that each song possesses alone — which, given the talent and topics involved, is immense — only grows when packaged in such a layered manner. What a story this symphony of tunes and its entwined materials tells, spanning Hunter's recollections about being taken from her family under the guise of a trip to the circus; the coin flip that saw Roach head to South Australia from Mildura after a season spent grape-picking, where he'd meet Hunter when both were teenagers; and Hunter's certainty before that, when she spied Roach on television as a kid, that she'd marry him. The Ngarrindjeri, Kokatha and Pitjantjatjara woman's way with words continues throughout the film, including when she explains how that stroke of fate that brought Roach to Adelaide's People's Palace when they were both homeless adolescents saw her stop "her gambler from his rambling". For the Gunditjmara and Bundjalung man, he shares snippets of his own past alongside his overflowing love for Hunter. Indeed, when he marvels about how she can remember everything in her life, the Murray River's pelicans and the Dreamtime among them, it's a statement of pure and joyous affection. Along the way, Bateman ensures that her documentary tackles a dark chapter of the country's history head on, because it's impossible to relay Hunter and Roach's tales without exploring the nation's Stolen Generations. Her film is a tribute to her subjects and their work first and foremost — a tribute from Roach to Hunter overwhelmingly, too — but the resilience and fortitude that it's taken to weather everything that the government policy sent their way shines just as vividly. Both of Wash My Soul in the River's Flow's main figures are candid although, true to her own self-description, Hunter repeatedly takes the lead. Still, Roach's striking admission that, until the pair met, he thought it was just him and his siblings that'd been forcibly removed from their home, is nothing short of heartbreaking. Also intensely affecting: getting the chance to spend an intimate 90 minutes in Hunter and Roach's company, especially the former, the first Aboriginal woman to be signed to a major record label, following her death; and those awe-inspiring shots of Ngarrindjeri Country, as shot by cinematographer Bonnie Elliott (The Furnace), that keep returning with each soulful song. Combined with the movie's music, plus its dedication to unflinchingly diving into the problematic past, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow becomes a quintessential portrait of Australia. Championing two First Nations icons, their culture and their connection to Country; exploring the injustice they've endured at the hands of the government, and how they've ultimately thrived and healed together and through their talents; and showcasing the art they've made and the land they love — this moving movie couldn't ask for anything more. Letting it wash over you, and its silent hero and rowdy troublemaker with it, is simply inescapable.
Activewear fans, we've got some big news: P.E. Nation is bringing back its warehouse sale — and it's all online. The athleisure experts hosted their first ever sample sale in 2016, and everything sold out in the first day. But, luckily, you don't have to worry about being crushed in a throng this year. You just need to have your mouse at the ready. Whether you're stocking up your own balcony-gym wardrobe (or WFH outfit, if we're totally honest) or doing a solid for sporty loved ones, you'll find an extensive array of swim, activewear, accessories, sweaters and jackets now available — and all for up to 60 percent off. That spans tops from $49, bottoms from $59, hoodies from $69 and jackets from $129 (because yes, cold weather really is just around the corner). Remember the age-old advice of when it comes to sample sales: you need to get in quick. Given the following the label has amassed since General Pants Co. design director Pip Edwards and former senior Sass & Bide designer Claire Tregoning joined forces, its functional, fashionable bits and pieces are bound to be popular. So, keep an eye on the website — and you'll need to be signed up as a member to access the deals.
It's that time again: to wish that you're in Germany for the next month, or to do your best to pretend you are even while you're right here at home. That's the kind of response that Oktoberfest inspires, because we can't all always head over to Europe just for the annual brew-fuelled celebration. Brisbanites can hit up The Bavarian's various locations around town between Friday, September 16–Sunday, October 9 instead, though. On the menu: parties, German-style beers, schnapps, giant pretzels, pork-heavy menus, Sunday sausage sizzles and, at Barracks, Oompah bands providing a soundtrack. So, everything you could want and need to mark the occasion. The venues will sport all the Oktoberfest trimmings — greenery, ribbons and bright tables cloths included — and staff will be decked out in dirndls and lederhosen. Yes, you're encouraged to dress up as well. If you're most excited about the drinks, there'll be eight types of beers, plus tasting paddles to sample them all. Also, the final week of the fun — so, from Monday, October 3 onwards — has been dubbed Big Beer Week to ramp up the brews. Fancy living your best Oktoberfest life all year round afterwards? You can purchase one of The Bavarian's one-litre steins to take home with you and— for $40, which includes a beer that you'll drink onsite first. Food-wise, options start with the OktoberBoss set menu, which serves up a feast of pork knuckle, pork belly, sausages, schnitzels and sides (plus a schnapps on arrival) for groups of four-plus for $49 per person. If it's just you and one mate / your date, there's the Oktoberfest Mate set menu is for two-plus diners for the same price, spanning pretzels, pork belly, sausages, schnitzels and sides. Brews can be added to each menu for an extra $45 per person — and you can cap things off with an apple strudel for $7 a pop. Love pretzels? A special lineup of giant versions is on offer for the first few days of The Bavarian's Oktoberfest shenanigans, from Saturday, September 17–Friday, September 23 — including ones topped with bacon, filled with cheese and covered in sprinkles (no, not all at once). Or, there's a black forest doughnut pretzel. The word for that is yum. Snag fans can make a date with those sausage sizzles, which are available at Chermside on Sundays in October. There'll be six types of traditional bangers, served solo in a roll (from $10) or via a sausage wheel on a stick.
As part of the flurry of new streaming services competing for our eyeballs, FanForce TV joined the online viewing fold during the COVID-19 pandemic — with the pay-per-view platform not only screening movies, but pairing them with virtual Q&A sessions as well. That's a point of difference all year round, but the service also goes the extra mile for National Reconciliation Week, which is when it hosts the Virtual Indigenous Film Festival. In 2022, that'll take place between Thursday, May 26–Monday, May 30, all solely online. The returning event will showcase five titles: the first two episodes of TV series Firebite; films My Name is Gulpilil, Off Country and Wash My Soul in the River's Flow; plus shorts by up-and-coming First Nations talent. That means you can watch your way through an array of Aussie content focused on Indigenous stories, spanning both dramas and documentaries — and exploring race relations in the process. Sessions will also feature guest speakers, with filmmakers Tanith-Glynn-Maloney, Molly Reynolds and John Harvey among those doing the chatting. And, viewers can tune in on a film-by-film basis, or buy an all-access pass to tune into everything. Top image: Firebite, Ian Routledge/AMC+.
Eager to take your dog for a drink? Keen to help support an organisation that assists animals in need? Fancy adding some canine cuteness to your Saturday-afternoon sipping session? Then look no further than Pups and Pints, which will deliver exactly what it sounds like — including adorable fluffballs to pat if you don't have your own to bring along. Taking place from 2–6pm on Saturday, April 6, the event sees Slipstream Brewing Company and Safe Haven Animal Rescue Inc join forces — bringing four-legged friends to the Yeerongpilly watering hole to mark Safe Haven's tenth birthday and raise funds. Just by drinking from the karma keg, you'll be doing your part. Entry is free, but you'll obviously need your wallet for the brews. And for your barking bestie, there'll be barkuterie bards, plus mini sessions with a professional pet photographer. Also, your dog might win a prize, with best dressed, best tricks, best smile and best pet-owner look-alike awards up for grabs. A vet and a dog trainer will also be in attendance answering questions, giving the arvo an informative spin. Of course, there's another way that you can lend a hand: not just cuddling Safe Haven's pups, but adopting one.
Sweet birthday babies, the big dose of déjà vu you've long been waiting for is finally almost here. It's been three years since Russian Doll first brought its Groundhog Day-meets-The Good Place vibes to Netflix, proved a hit and got renewed for a second season — and if you've been hanging out to rehash the smart and twisty Natasha Lyonne-starring series all over again, it'll drop new episodes in April. Orange Is the New Black, Irresistible and The United States vs Billie Holiday star Lyonne plays New Yorker Nadia, who had a 36th birthday she'd never forget in Russian Doll's first season — although she desperately wished that she could. While getting stuck at a celebration in your own honour will sound like a literal party to most folks, that wasn't Nadia's path. So, after a couple of go-arounds, she went searching for answers. Indeed, being trapped in a loop featuring her closest pals (Sisters' Greta Lee and Werewolves Within's Rebecca Henderson), friendly ex (Yul Vazquez, Severance), wise aunt (Elizabeth Ashley, Ocean's 8), a cute roaming cat and a determined but neurotic guy (Charlie Barnett, You) who lives around the corner wasn't quite bliss for the show's acerbic, misanthropic lead character. Co-created and co-written by Lyonne, the one and only Amy Poehler, and filmmaker Leslye Headland (Bachelorette, Sleeping with Other People), the show's eight-episode first run was one of the highlights of 2019 — and fingers crossed that its second season proves the same in 2022. As well as announcing that Russian Doll's second season will drop on Wednesday, April 20, Netflix also released a first sneak peek at the new episodes, although little is given away story-wise. Examining fate, logic, life's loops and wading through limbo in a clever and compelling way is this show's wheelhouse, though — and proving dark, heartfelt, hilarious and inventive all at once, too, even though the do-over premise has become a well-established trope on both the big and small screens. So, if any series was well-placed to serve up a savvy second season — a do-over in a show that's already about do-overs — it's this one. NYC's subway system does feature prominently in the season two trailer, so there's one big clue. Also, Barnett is back as Alan. A graveyard is seen, too, as so is Nadia providing her latest advice: "when the universe fucks with you, let it." Plus, although they're not glimpsed in this first sneak peek, Schitt's Creek and Kevin Can F**k Himself star Annie Murphy and District 9's Sharlto Copley also join the cast. Check out the first teaser trailer for Russian Doll's second season below: The second season of Russian Doll will be available to stream via Netflix on Wednesday, April 20. Image: Netflix.
Christmas means many things: chaos in the shops, carols invading your brain, and a focus on all things red and green. In Brisbane, it also means Queensland Ballet's final production for the season, with The Nutcracker brightening up the QPAC stage every year. It really wouldn't be the festive season without it. Whether you've experienced the Tchaikovsky-scored two-act performance about sentient toys, dancing snowflakes and the Sugar Plum Fairy before, or you're joining little Clara on her Christmas Eve journey for the first time, you're certain to get swept up in the show's magic. And if you don't already have a ticket, don't delay — selling out is also an annual tradition. Queensland Ballet's The Nutcracker dances across the Playhouse stage from Friday, December 2–Friday, December 23 — and, depending on the day, you can either hit up an evening session or a matinee. The company has been bringing the show to the stage since 2013, but the ballet itself dates back more than 120 years because this kind of Christmas magic never gets old. Top image: David Kelly.
The Brisbane area is damn lucky to have an ever-growing list of craft breweries right on its doorstep. But with so many awesome spots popping up all around Queensland, why not expand your horizons beyond the city? The state is home to breweries of all kinds, from the small and family-run operations to ones focusing on wildlife conservation and making beer with rainwater — you name it, you've got it. Here are seven Queensland breweries that are worth a road trip. MOFFAT BEACH BREWING COMPANY Sunshine coast mainstay, Blackwater Trading Co. opened its own brewery last year in the form of Moffat Beach Brewing Company, showcasing the beers of long-time homebrewer and owner Matt Wilson. The bar is a favourite of locals with its regular live gigs, from jazz and rock to funk and blues bands, along with the classic combo of pub grub and fresh seafood. Now, the guest taps hang alongside the Moffat brews on an extended eight-tap bar — one of which is the newly released grapefruit and blood orange IPA, a seasonal brew that is even more incentive to take that road trip sooner rather than later. If you miss out, their Voodoo Lady chocolate milk porter is a great reason to travel in cooler months — let's face it, who wouldn't want chocolate milk in beer form? 12 Seaview Terrace, Moffat Beach. FORTITUDE BREWING COMPANY Fortitude Brewing Company was created back in 2012 and their emphasis is on consistency. Situated at the top of Tamborine Mountain in the Gold Coast hinterland, the location immediately makes the beer taste fresher and crisper. The building itself has a log cabin vibe and is overall an ideal spot to laze the day away. The company trades under two names, the second being Noisy Minor, which is the creative, loud cousin of the sessionable Fortitude brews. On the Noisy Minor side, go for the limited release Bad Wolf IPA — a big, bold beer at 8.8 percent ABV and a must-try for hop lovers. For the sensible folk, the Drifter summer ale is perfect for balmy weather. 165 Long Road, Eagle Heights. HEMINGWAY'S BREWERY Hemingway's Brewery is all about keeping it local and embracing its Port Douglas surroundings. Using all Australian hops, locally-sourced malts and water from Mossman Gorge, Hemingway's is a truly Aussie as. It's the perfect stop on a road trip, as the owners are lovers of adventure and there's no greater adventure than a beer one. The Kick Back ginger beer should be on that journey — infused with ginger, the drink is a fruity and spicy combo. On the food side, they've got southern fried popcorn chicken ($14) and ginger steamed mussels ($16), along with the requisite burgers ($22-24) and stone-fired pizzas ($19-24). Their boardwalk and upstairs deck overlook the pristine marina, allowing patrons to enjoy a nice seaside breeze with each sip which is a hard experience to beat. The Reef Marina, 44 Wharf Street, Port Douglas. 4 HEARTS BREWING PUMPYARD BAR AND BREWERY 4 Hearts Brewing is the first production brewery in Ipswich since the early 1900s and is located in a 100-year-old heritage building. The interior plays to its industrial roots with a lofty, warehouse fit-out and exposed brick interior. It isn't just the space that celebrates history, either — 4 Hearts' throwback beers do the same. This is especially true of the Nineteen Ten, an old-world, barley wine-style beer, named for the year the pumpyard was built. They're also using beer extensively in the menu, which consists of bar food like the chilli barbecue-glazed chicken wings and chorizo empanadas ($12 each). Don't forget about the burgers and hand-rolled pizzas ($14–18), which are made using 4 Hearts pale ale breads and dough. 88 Limestone Street, Ipswich. BARGARA BREWING COMPANY Bargara Brewing Company is worth a visit for its eco-friendly nature alone — all of their beer is made using 100 percent rainwater, a boast we doubt many other breweries can make. They also give you the chance to do some good with your beer bucks — 50 percent of all profits on their Great Barrier Beer, an unusual and delicious mid-strength IPA, goes towards the Australian Marine Conservation Society. Another beer to seek out while you're up here is there Ginja Ninja, brewed using three additions of locally-grown ginger. Once you get peckish, a simple menu of pizzas and beer snacks will keep your beer belly happy. 10 Tantitha Street, Bundaberg. BARRIER REEF BREWING CO. The Barrier Reef Brewing Co 's owner Cameron McPherson is, strangely enough, a qualified veterinary surgeon. His brewery splits his love of wildlife with his passion for brewing and nicely bridges the gap between conservation efforts and good beer — their flagship pale ale was brewed in association with the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and the turtles of the area are featured in their logo. The beers are created with the tropical Cairns climate in mind, with a focus on refreshing, bright fruity notes like passionfruit and citrus. If you only have one beer here, it has to be the pilsner, which won the TNQ Beer Awards 2016 for best overall craft beer. 17 Johnston Street, Cairns. GRANITE BELT BREWERY Granite Belt Brewery focuses on the small batch brews, only brewing 20 kegs of any given beer at a time. This includes their Stanthorpe Apple Ale, which is brewed using fresh apple juice and is a major drawcard to the brewery in itself. If you're keen to try a few, the four-course 'beeregustation' includes the best of the menu, along with four beer tasters ($50-55). If you're more into classic pub food, the fish and chips ($19) and the truckload of wings ($20) will hit the spot and both go well with the Granite pilsner. The best day to come up is Saturdays, when live music a go, with a separate kids room keeping both singles and parents happy. 146 Glenlyon Drive, Stanthorpe.
Is your wardrobe overflowing with clothes that you don't wear? We've all been there, and we've all been too busy to do anything about it. Through its op shops, Australian Red Cross finds a new home for your pre-loved outfits, shoes and accessories, with proceeds going towards its charity efforts — but we all know that wanting to donate your old threads is one thing and finding the time to do it is another. That's why Australian Red Cross has once again partnered with Uber for its annual Uber x Red Cross Clothing Drive. When it launched in 2018, it collected over 43,500 kilograms of clothing in that first year alone, which saw clothing items worth an estimated $800,000 donated. And you'd best take the drive part literally, as the ride-sharing service will actually drive to your house, pick up your unwanted clothes and accessories, and deliver them to Red Cross Shops. Even better: it's not only super easy to take part, but it's free as well. Brisbanites, make sure you're ready between 10am–4pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Once you've bagged up all of your old bits and pieces (items you'd happily give your best friend, and no toys, books, furniture or electrical objects) into a bundle that weighs no more than 20 kilograms, it's all incredibly simple. Open the Uber app during that six-hour window, then find the Red Cross Clothing Drive image. After that, you need to set Red Cross Clothing Drive as the drop-off spot — and it should come up with a $0 amount. An Uber driver will then stop outside your house, meaning that you just need to take your preloved goods out to their car. Voila, you've cleared out your closet and you've helped folks in need, all with the tap of a button.
It sounds like something you'd hear on a Serial-esque podcast or binge-watch in a Making a Murderer-type true crime show: in 2010, Jarrod Duffy disappeared. His furniture was still in his house, and the University of Wollongong student had an Honours show coming up as part of the multi-art form collective Applespiel. Now, Applespiel delve into his story in Jarrod Duffy Is Not Dead — aka the tale of their lost ninth member, their search to find their friend and their quest for answers. And, in a nod to the way everyone consumes these kinds of cases these days, they're doing so in a live podcast-type show, presented on stage, and combining performance, personal storytelling and chatter. "The investigative nature of podcasts like Serial is really exciting, and throws up some tricky questions of ethics and what it means to tell someone else's story," says Applespiel's Nathan Harrison. "We thought the most challenging way to look at those questions would be to tell a story that happened to us," he continues. Challenging for them, intriguing for us — and an engaging, unique and inventive night out.
If you didn't know it was there, you could easy spend time at the Regatta without ever venturing downstairs to its underground speakeasy-style bar. But, once you've become acquainted with The Walrus Club, you'll want to add it to your cocktail-slinging go-tos. Heading by from 6–8pm on Friday, March 8 is particularly recommended, because that's when the venue is celebrating International Women's Day. At the annual Women in Walrus event, an all-female bar takeover is on the cards, with the establishment's ladies mixing up the best beverages they can — in general, and also as part of a cocktail-making competition. Entry costs $5, with the proceeds going to Share the Dignity, which helps combat period poverty. After that, you'll pay for whatever you drink and eat as the evening rolls by. While women will be in the spotlight, anyone can attend this after-work drinks session to mark the occasion. Images: Markus Ravik.
When Christmas hits each year, the Nundah Markets stay up late, swapping one of its usual daytime events for a twilight shindig. That kind of fun isn't just for getting festive, though. In 2023, it's also for celebrating the beginning of winter. Meet Nundah by Night, which will take place from 4–10pm on Saturday, June 10. On the agenda: shopping, eating, drinking and being merry midyear. There'll be quite the lineup of places to grab handmade items from — 120-plus stalls, in fact — with clothes, jewellery, art, homewares, soap, candles and all things edible available. You'll find gourmet foods on offer as well (including bites to eat while you're there). For your $3 entry fee, you can enjoy a stint of browsing and buying under the site's fairy lights at Nundah Markets' usual spot on Station Street. And, you can stop in at the Stone & Wood bar for a craft brew, too. Live music is also on the lineup across two stages, as is a petting zoo and roving performers. And if you're wondering what you'll be snacking on, cob loaves, South American barbecue plates, steamed and fried Tibetan momos, karaage chicken and vegan pizza are just some of the dishes on the menu.
Until Sunday, February 23, 2020, QUT Art Museum's walls will be filled with vibrant images — spanning domestic scenes, the tension of awkward moments, lush greenery and Brisbane bands. No one can accuse Anne Wallace of painting the same thing twice, although her art shares a common feeling. When you're staring at a woman reclining in an Eames chair, peering through a window at hands holding a record or seeing the faces of The Go-Betweens, you're looking at images that appear both ordinary and extraordinary. That's all by design, with the Brisbane artist capturing what lingers beneath average and everyday sights. The fruit of her labour is all on display at Anne Wallace: Strange Ways, which marks the first major survey exhibition of her work — including more than 80 pieces created across three decades. [caption id="attachment_754281" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Installation view of 'Anne Wallace: Strange Ways' (9 November 2019 - 23 February 2020), QUT Art Museum, 2019. Image copyright Carl Warner.[/caption] Expect nods to John Lennon, The Beatles and Sylvia Plath, too, as well as 50s cinema and London in the 80s. Anne Wallace: Strange Ways is on display from Tuesday–Sunday, with the QUT Art Museum open from 10am–5pm Tuesday–Friday and 12–4pm Saturday–Sunday. Top image: Anne Wallace, Talking Cure 2010, oil on canvas. Collection of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Brisbane.
If you spend your free time binging on true crime, then you're probably familiar with the Golden State Killer. Between 1974–1986, the serial killer, rapist and burglar terrorised California, committing at least 12 murders, over 50 home-invasion rapes and more than 100 burglaries. Until 2018, however, the culprit hadn't been caught. Accordingly, it's the type of case that has kept more than a few folks wondering over the years and decades — including writer Michelle McNamara. HBO's new true-crime docuseries I'll Be Gone in the Dark chronicles McNamara's obsession with the case, as well as her hunt to find the perpetrator. Her tale is filled with intrigue, too, with her nights spent sleuthing through unsolved crimes while her family slept, as well as penning the blog True Crime Diaries. Fixating on the Golden State Killer led to an article for Los Angeles Magazine, plus a book deal. But before she could finish her manuscript, McNamara — who was also married to comedian Patton Oswalt — died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in her sleep. Based on McNamara's book I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, which was published two years after her death (and before an arrest was made in the case), the six-part series steps through this whole scenario. When the series hits HBO in the US at the end of June — with dates Down Under yet to be revealed, but Australian airings likely to happen via Foxtel — viewers can obviously expect quite the detective story. On offer: archival footage and details from police files; interviews with detectives, survivors and family members of the killer; and McNamara's own words, via original recordings as well as excerpts from her book read by actor Amy Ryan (Late Night, Beautiful Boy, The Office). The series also doubles as an exploration of the handling of sexual crimes in the 70s and 80s, as well as an examination of true-crime obsession and pursuit of justice. Check out the trailer the below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTNHJETw0S8 I'll Be Gone in the Dark starts screening on HBO in the US on June 28. An air date Down Under is yet to be announced — we'll update you when further details come to hand. Top image: Robyn Van Swank/HBO.
By the time that Thursday night rolls around each week, most of us are thinking about escaping the nine-to-five grind. There's still one pesky weekday left to go until the weekend, of course, but sinking underground with a glass of red wine in your hand — and with jazz tunes setting the upbeat but relaxing mood — sure does sound enticing. That's what's on offer at The Walrus Club's Jazz and Shiraz nights. Usually, the Regatta spot turns its cosy, dark space into a whisky haven on Thursday evenings, but for winter, it's opting for red wine instead. The event is a weekly fixture from 8.30pm through the colder months, and will give you something to sip other than the watering hole's hefty array of 300-plus spirits. Prohibition-era bar vibes and lively — and live — music remain, of course. Entry is free, and reservations aren't required — and you'll have a range of different shiraz drops to choose from.
If you prefer an art experience that extends beyond looking at works on a wall, prepare to be impressed by Melbourne's new 3000-square-metre, 11-metre-high immersive digital art gallery. Originally set to open in late 2020, then postponed till autumn 2021, The Lume will make its home permanently at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) with projections of some of the world's most celebrated artworks splashed across various surfaces, backed by powerful musical soundtracks and complemented by aromas. The inaugural exhibition at The Lume will celebrate the works and life of Vincent van Gogh. So, you'll be able to walk through artworks like The Starry Night and Sunflowers while listening to a classical music score. If you were lucky enough to make it up to Sydney this year for Van Gogh Alive, expect something very similar. The project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Experiences, which, for the past 14 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 130 cities across the world. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. The Lume will open at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in autumn 2021. We'll let you know when more details are announced. You can check out some of Grande Experiences' other gallery experiences over here.
Whether you've been directly impacted, have watched on from your own less-waterlogged patch of southeast Queensland or have seen the news from further afield in Sydney, the past week's catastrophic wet weather has been impossible to ignore. It's been a lot to take in, actually, thanks to record rainfalls in Brisbane, relentless deluges hitting from the Sunshine Coast down to northern New South Wales, and floodwaters destroying homes and businesses in two states. Accordingly, it might've left you wanting to do your part to help out. In Brisbane, you can sign up to the Mud Army 2.0 to assist on the ground — and wherever you're located, you can also throw your support behind a fundraising effort by Surry Hills' Bar Suze. The late-night Sydney haunt is helping the flood-relief cause in two ways: in-person at a big wine-fuelled five-hour event on Sunday, March 6, and online via a raffle. For Sydneysiders, you'll want to swing by Foveaux Street between 1–6pm to sip rare natural wines, mix them up with Poor Toms gin and tonics, and tuck into Bar Suze snacks. Whatever you choose to eat and drink, all of the proceeds will go to flood-relief funds for folks impacted by the weather in NSW and Queensland. At the event, the venue will also be drawing a raffle, with more than 25 prizes on offer — and all of the proceeds from the $50-each tickets will also go to the flood relief fundraising effort, too. Prizes include a dinner for two at Bar Suze, as well as a one-night stay at the soon-to-open Ace Hotel Sydney in Surry Hills, a two-evening trip to a Byron hinterlands retreat that sleeps 12 — and boasts its own saltwater pool and outdoor cinema — plus an In Bed linen set, hair salon vouchers, a Coffee Supreme subscription, and a bar tab at Redfern's The Woolpack. There are also prize packs on offer from DRNKS, Cocktail Porter, Pepe Saya Butter, Worktones and Lo-Fi Wines — and the list goes on. The raffle is open to everyone, and tickets can be bought online, too — so that's how you can get involved if you're not located in Sydney or can't make it along on Sunday. (Obviously, tell your Sydney pals to attend either way). For tickets, just get buying before 5pm AEST on Sunday, March 6, with the raffle drawn live at Bar Suze that evening. As for all of those proceeds, they're going to on-the-ground initiatives in the Northern Rivers and Queensland. At the time of writing, Bar Suze is supporting Flood Relief Cook Up — Northern Rivers region, Bundjalung flood relief and Northey Street City Farm flood relief — with more worth initiatives likely to be added. Bar Suze's flood relief fundraiser will take place from 1–6pm on Sunday, March 6. Raffle tickets are on sale online now, with prizes drawn at 5pm AEST on Sunday. Images: Nikki To.
Hankering for something quick and easy to eat, but don't feel like chowing down on junk? Southeast Queensland's growing Asian street food chain wants you to rethink that decision. Of course, they're championing Junk in name only. Their dishes might arrive at your table speedily, but they're a far cry from typical fast food. Instead, the menu consists of a creative blend of Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Chinese cuisines – think Peking duck spring rolls, Gangnam fries topped with kimchi and nacho cheese sauce, and spiced squid with coconut caramel dip. The chain no longer boasts pork gyoza bao amongst their affordable lineup of share plates, with nothing costing more than $20. Still, fried fish, pork belly and braised shiitake mushroom varieties more than make up for it. Other highlights include JFC (their own Korean-style fried chicken paired with a sweet and spicy sauce), grilled king prawns with Singapore chilli sauce, and pork, spice and panko crumb-coated scotch eggs. As for sides, they've got fried rice with barbecue pork and Chinese sausage, slaw with house-made nuoc cham, and a plate of prawn crackers with their own sweet soy. The new Coorparoo store joins a location at South Bank as the brand pushes into Brisbane. Junk originally started on the Sunshine Coast, has since spread to Toowoomba, and also adds Broadbeach on the Gold Coast to the mix this week. "I want to offer customers the same quality of food you would get at a restaurant in a more relaxed and fun setting at a much cheaper price," explains CEO Scott Hoskins, who also had a part in Donut Boyz and Hello Harry. Find Junk at 9/300 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo. For more information, head to their website.
The silly season is for cooking, decorating and creating napkin swans for Aunt Julie, who insists on tradition even though it is 40 degrees outside and everyone is already in a punch coma. DIY Christmases are where it's at. Join those who actually know what they are doing (and buy some gifts with the same amount of love) at this year's Christmas Design Market. Find jewellery, ceramics, textiles and pre-loved fashions for some of your favourite humans (or perhaps as a self-gift, because you're worth it). A bunch of well-known names in the creative gifts department will be on display — such as Paper Boat Press, Touch Wood Designs, Yippywhippy, Meta Design, Illy's Wall and more — and take the time to peruse the GOMA collection of books and art, as well as the edible delights to keep you going. Remember: cute design gifts call for cash, as EFTPOS facilities might not be available at all sellers. This year's market promises more stalls than ever before. Merry shopping!
Add satay skewers to the list of things that no one has ever eaten just one of. There's something about those meat pieces on a stick that screams "eat more now!" — and your tastebuds know it. Also well aware: South Bank's Ma Pa Me, which does bottomless satay evenings regularly. Your destination: Little Stanley Street. What you'll be eating: non-stop satay skewers for two hours. Those sticks will come filled with chicken, pork, squid and tofu, as finished over charcoal on a traditional hibachi grill — and they won't stop hitting your plate until your session is up. The full all-you-can-eat lineup spans chicken satay with peanut sauce, pork satay with spicy tamarind sauce, squid satay with sambal ulek and tofu satay with sweet chilli sauce, plus fried rice, acar, garlic crackers and stir-fried kailan as sides. The dates to lock into your diary for 2023: Tuesday, March 7, then Tuesday, June 6 and Tuesday, October 3. And all that satay will only cost you $35. If you're keen on drinks, too, that's extra — with yuzu sours, Thai-style margaritas and Asian craft beers on the menu.
UPDATE, April 9, 2021: Chaos Walking is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. From battles in a galaxy far, far away to caped crusaders trying to save the day, cinema's big franchises currently dominate popular culture. They spark months of anticipation before each new film hits screens, top the box office, inspire constant chatter year-round and have even begun to sink their teeth into TV. And, they influence how audiences see other features, too — because watching almost any flick at present involves spotting cast members from Hollywood's ongoing blockbuster sagas. In Chaos Walking's case, for instance, the most recent Spider-Man finds his life disrupted when Star Wars' latest heroine crash-lands on his planet. In the tense aftermath, another Star Wars alumni and an Alien franchise veteran are involved, as is an actor with ties to Star Wars and Marvel, and an upcoming role in the Harry Potter realm. Boiling a feature down to the film behemoths also on its stars' resumes is simplistic, but it's a movie marketer's dream, with the powers-that-be hoping their talent will bring their existing aficionados with them. Here, it's also the most interesting thing about this tedious and generic space western. Adapted from the book series of the same name, Chaos Walking has weathered a difficult path to cinemas. It releases ten years after the rights to turn Patrick Ness' novels into films were first acquired, four years since the movie was originally shot and two years after major reshoots following unfavourable test screenings. The feature went through a plethora of rewrites, with I'm Thinking of Ending Things' Charlie Kaufman on scripting duties at one point, and Ness (A Monster Calls) and Spider-Man: Homecoming's Christopher Ford getting the final credit. Navigating such a mess rarely bodes well for a movie, so the fact that Chaos Walking proves dull and derivative shouldn't come as a surprise. It's hard to see how it might've fared better, though, with its premise an instant struggle. Set in 2257, the film follows colonists from earth on a planet called New World, who are plagued by a strange phenomenon. A multi-coloured haze hovers around men's heads — and only men — showing their every thought. The sensation has been dubbed 'the noise', and experiencing it while watching sure is rackety. In his pioneer village, teenager Todd (Tom Holland, The Devil All the Time) can rarely control his noise. While the Mayor (Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round) is able to filter the words and images that project from his mind — and also rock a furry red coat and wide-brimmed hat far better than anyone should — few others have the same ability. Seeing what everyone is thinking is a tricky way to live at the best of times, and it applies to the entire population, because women have been wiped out in a war attributed to the planet's original inhabitants. But Todd's troubles multiply when he discovers a spaceship, as well as Viola (Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), its sole surviving occupant. The mayor and his followers don't take kindly to the first female in their midst for years; however, supported by his adoptive fathers Ben (Demian Bichir, The Midnight Sky) and Cillian (Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter), Todd isn't willing to surrender the only girl he's ever seen to an angry mob. On the page, the Chaos Walking series dates back to 2008, when first instalment The Knife of Never Letting Go hit bookshelves — but its tale of toxic masculinity feels timely in the current social, political and cultural climate. That said, this isn't a complex, layered or thoughtful film. Instead, it's content to stress its themes in such a broad and easy manner that getting Holland to hold up a sign saying "the patriarchy is bad" would've been more subtle. Cue one-note villains, including Mikkelsen's mayor and David Oyelowo (another The Midnight Sky cast member) as a cartoonishly frenzied preacher. Cue Todd's self-reprimands to "be a man", too. There's no faulting the underlying idea that constantly enforcing stereotypical visions of manhood has damaging consequences, and that the behaviour it inspires (and the sense of entitlement that goes with it) is dangerous and destructive. But Chaos Walking really just uses these notions as a backdrop for a predictable and formulaic dystopian story, and as a handy reason to motivate its conflicts. As told here, the material is so thin and blunt — and so desperately endeavouring to set up a Hunger Games-esque franchise — that thinking about Holland, Ridley and their co-stars' roles elsewhere comes naturally. The awkwardness that has served Holland so well as Spider-Man peeks through, and Ridley's Star Wars steeliness is on full display, but neither actor is ever tasked with extending their talents. Mikkelsen, Oyelowo and Bichir are only asked to hit one note (nefarious, maniacal and caring, respectively), while Cynthia Erivo (The Outsider) is criminally underused. With all that distracting and frustrating noise literally hanging around and screaming for attention, it's hard for anyone to stand out. It's harder still in a movie that plays like a hodgepodge of far better sci-fi and western fare. Just try to see the orange suspenders that Ridley sports in the second half — or realise that this is a flick about a woman falling out of the sky and into a man's life, who then has to protect her on her quest to save the world as everyone knows it — and not wish you were watching The Fifth Element instead. He has Swingers, Go, Mr and Mrs Smith and American Made to his name, but filmmaker Doug Liman is no stranger to helming movies that recall 90s greats. While Edge of Tomorrow instantly impressed for many reasons, using time-loop trickery in a smart action flick and never just feeling like a cheap Groundhog Day ripoff was chief among them. Sadly, Liman doesn't have the same luck with Chaos Walking. Even its busy chase and fight scenes are a slog, although the feature's frontier-town production design and clever visual use of a buried spaceship do catch the eye. As for everything else, 'noise' is the absolute right word for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ICPoXlmTO0
Minimalist Aussie clothing designer Assembly Label is currently hosting a massive online charity sale so you can upgrade your WFH wardrobe with linen pants, baggy tees and a big cosy jumpers — and help Aussies doing it tough. With both men's and women's wear on offer, you'll find winter essentials such as denim, basic tops, jumpers and jackets, plus swimwear, dresses and shorts if you're already dreaming of hitting up the beach once the cold months pass. Best of all, you can nab it all at up to 70 percent off — and with free shipping across Australia, too. Because the label is known for its chic-yet-comfy casual staples, it'll now take you from going to grab your morning coffee, working in your living room and lounging around on weekends — really, you won't need much else while you're spending more time at home. If you've been shivering through the current cold snap, you'll probably want to snap up something like this super warm turtle neck ($90). As part of the sale, Assembly Label has a choose-what-you-pay initiative raising money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. When you buy a sale item, you can choose to pay an extra $5, $10 or $15, with that amount then matched by Assembly Label and donated to The Red Cross. So, you can grab some new threads and feel good about it too.
Home to a bar, restaurant and markets — and to small Brisbane food and beverage businesses, too — South Brisbane's Wandering Cooks has long been an inner-city go-to if you're looking for a bite to eat, something to drink or a tasty dish to take home. Over the next few months, however, change is coming to the much-loved incubator. Indeed, by May, you'll be heading to a new location to tuck into its wares. Wandering Cooks is saying goodbye to its current site on the corner of Fish Lane and Cordelia Street, and hello to a new space at 63 Vulture Street, West End. So, while it's definitely moving house, Brisbanites won't have to travel too far to check out the incubator's new digs. The first part of the move has already taken place, with Wandering Cooks' weekly Urban Produce Market now happening each Saturday at the West End site. Other events will also make the shift over the coming months, too, before the full relocation is complete. For now, the Fish Lane venue is still open and operating from 4–10pm Wednesday–Saturday, including its sustainable-focused bar and restaurant. The menu will keep changing each week, and will continue to highlight Queensland's small local farmers and producers. As for what else is in store once Wandering Cooks has shifted its entire operations, that'll be revealed over the coming months. Wandering Cooks is currently located on the corner of Fish Lane and Cordelia Street, South Brisbane — but, from Saturday, February 27, it'll start moving to 63 Vulture Street, West End. For further details, head to its website.
As well as giving popular culture some of its most beloved characters of the past few decades, the Harry Potter franchise has also conjured up a whole heap of astonishing critters. The Boy Who Lived himself studied them at Hogwarts, all thanks to textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Then, to the joy of Potter-loving muggles everywhere, that tome became an actual IRL text in 2001. Every Wizarding World fan knows that that book followed the original Harry Potter novels in making the leap from the page to the screen, resulting in a first film in 2016, then 2018 sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and also 2022's Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. But if you're more interested in the actual fantastic beasts than a movie plot spun around them — and in natural history in general — exhibition Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature has you covered. First announced in 2020, then premiering at London's Natural History Museum, this is all about critters that fly, scamper and scurry through the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts realm on the page and screen; however, it's also about real-life creatures, specimens and artefacts, too. The exhibition combines beasts from the natural world, the mythical world and the Wizarding World, and was always slated for an international tour. Now, it's Australia's turn to see it, with the showcase displaying at Melbourne Museum from Friday, May 19–Sunday, October 8. Visitors to Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature will see legendary beasts placed alongside specimens and historic objects, while also venturing through elements from cinema's last two decades. Unsurprisingly, there'll also be a hefty focus on Newt Scamander, the Wizarding World's famed magizoologist as played Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse). You'll see items from the Natural History Museum's scientific collections, custom-made Wizarding World models, props from the flicks and original artworks from Bloomsbury Publishing. And, you'll also also wander through a celebration of real-life scientists trying to understand the planet's animal inhabitants. In London, the exhibits included a tiger, a Galápagos marine iguana and a giant oarfish (the planet's longest bony fish) alongside an Erumpent horn and the dragon skull from Professor Lupin's classroom. Patrons were also able to compare the camouflage tactics of a jaguar to those of the Demiguise. Images: Trustees of the Natural History Museum London.
It's that time again, seafood-loving Brisbanites, with the Sandstone Point Hotel hosting its annual Oyster and Seafood Festival. If you're a fan of slurping down molluscs or munching on other morsels from the ocean, prepare to be in your element. Taking over the venue on Saturday, October 17, the day-long celebration of salty, slimy deliciousness will treat your tastebuds to oysters from all around the country, asking whether you can discern the difference. They'll be freshly shucked at the fest's oyster bars — and if you need something to snack on in-between, you can feast on the rest of the sea's finest bounty (and sip a few beverages) at an array of seafood and wine stalls. Mussels, calamari, prawns, fish: they'll all be on offer. Anyone that really, truly loves their oysters can also take part in the competitive portion of the day, because it wouldn't be a food festival without a contest. Chef demonstrations and live music are on the bill as well, alongside a cruisy day hanging out, with entry costing $7.65. Image: Sandstone Point Hotel.
Those hobbits will go on. In JRR Tolkien's pages, they went on perilous Middle-earth adventures. On screens big and small for decades so far (and into the future, with more movies on the way), they've trekked, ate second breakfasts and attempted to project precious jewellery. Onstage in Australia in 2025, they're also marking an eleventy-first birthday, receiving a gold ring, taking a quest to Mordor and attempting to fight evil, all in The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale. Dating back to 2006, just after the original live-action movie trilogy, this stage musical was revived in the UK in 2023, opened in the US in July 2024 and hit New Zealand in November 2024. After that, it's taking the hobbits to Australia, including to HOTA, Home of the Arts. The Gold Coast venue's season kicks off on Friday, July 4. Lord of the Rings fans, take note: you'll want to go there and back again to discover what happens when Middle-earth gets melodic. Your guides for the show are the hobbits, of course, as Frodo and company celebrate Bilbo Baggins, then depart The Shire upon a life-changing journey. Thanks to Tolkien, what occurs from there has enthralled audiences for 70 years now, with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers initially hitting bookshelves in 1954. There's been no shortage of ways to indulge your Lord of the Rings love since Peter Jackson's features — including his Hobbit trilogy — helped fan the flames of pop culture's affection for Frodo, Samwise, Pippin, Merry and the franchise's many non-underground-dwelling characters. Cinema marathons, visiting the Hobbiton movie set, staying there overnight, hitting up pop-up hobbit houses, sipping hobbit-themed beer: they've all been on the agenda. Only The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale is combining all things LoTR with tunes and dancing, however, in a show that sports a book and lyrics by from Shaun McKenna (Maddie, La Cava) and Matthew Warchus (Matilda the Musical, Groundhog Day the Musical), plus original music by Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner AR Rahman, folk band Värttinä from Finland and Matilda the Musical alum Christopher Nightingale. Images: Liz Lauren.
Thanks to the gelato powers that be, Brisbanites now have two places to get their Messina fix, with the chain slinging its frosty scoops in both South Brisbane and Fortitude Valley. But if you're keen on the ice creamery's extra special desserts, it's always worth keeping an eye out for their one-off festival menus. Whenever the company pops up at an event, it rarely brings the same sweet treat twice. At this year's Fish Lane Festival, Messina has something particularly delicious on offer: gelato s'mores. Only available from midday on Saturday, May 11 — and only at its festival stall — they'll combine Graham cracker biscuits, Italian meringue, gelato (obviously) and other ingredients, with two flavours available. If that doesn't get your ice cream-loving tastebuds excited instantly, then the specific varieties might. What's better than a classic Aussie dessert? Two classic Aussie desserts turned into gelato s'mores, obviously. The Gaytime s'more will feature all of the aforementioned ingredients, plus salted caramel gelato, dulce de leche, and a honeycomb and shortbread crumble in the middle. As for the pavlova s'more, it'll include the same base, then add vanilla gelato, passionfruit gel and and freeze-dried raspberries. Fish Lane Festival will also be serving up plenty of other notable nibbles, including vegan nuggets made out of coated tofu, karaage hot dogs and salted caramel brownie cookies. Whether you're just after a s'more, or you're keen to pair it with another dish, our advice remains the same: get in early, as they're all likely to prove popular. Fish Lane Festival takes place from midday on Saturday, May 11 in Fish Lane, South Brisbane.
No one should spend their lunch break eating at their desk, but breaking that habit isn't always easy. From Monday, May 29–Friday, September 1, the Howard Smith Wharves precinct is giving you plenty of motivation to step away from the computer. Head to the riverside spot from Monday–Friday for a middle-of-the-day meal all winter and your lunch will cost $25. Five HSW venues are getting in on the deal, each serving up three options — so you can pick between multiple dishes at Felons Brewing Co, Felons Barrel Hall, Felons Fish 'n' Chipper (doing walk-ins only), Mr Percival's and Ciao Papi. Or, you can work your way through them all (and stare at their slightly different views of the water) across the frosty season. You'll just need to keep an eye on each eatery's opening hours — and, while you can just rock up, bookings are recommended. As for what you'll be eating during the returning — and now three-month-long — Let's Lunch festivities, the specials are varied. Fish pie, short ribs and truffle pizza are on offer at Felons, while mud crab tom yum, suckling pig and crispy fish salad, and a bean curd herb curry are on the menu at the brewery's Barrel Hall. Over at the Fish 'n' Chipper, there's seafood chowder, half a rock lobster and a vegetable-packed buddha bowl. For dining over the water, Mr Percival's is doing sautéed mussels, slow-braised lamb shoulder with polenta and baked eggplant parmigiana. And if you're keen on Ciao Papi, you'll be eating tortellini di carne with truffles, caviar and spanner crab linguini, and artichoke and pecorino gnocchi. Unlike in previous years, you will need to buy any drinks on top this time around, however.
When Brisbane finally had its shot at seeing Hamilton, heading to QPAC was just one way that the city embraced Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical. Another also took place at South Bank, on the pre-theatre dining menu at fine-diner Bacchus. Now that the Beauty and the Beast musical is in town, the restaurant is taking the same approach and dishing up bites based around the show. For Hamilton, diners tucked into a dessert that came topped with the appropriate star. Be Bacchus' guest from Wednesday, March 6–Saturday, April 20 and you'll be treated to a Beauty and the Beast-themed sweet treat in the form of a rose instead. Yes, it looks exactly like the real thing. Yes, you can eat it. It's called The Lychee Rose, and it's made with raspberry mousse, matcha and pistachio soil. To spirit your tastebuds into a tale as old as time, you'll need to opt for the pre-theatre dinner menu, which costs $89 per person. It covers three courses, starting with a consommé made with seasonal vegetables and wagyu, then plating up a beef ragout tagliatelle with parmesan cream, then The Lychee Rose. You'll also get wattleseed sourdough, plus petit fours to finish. Located within Rydges South Bank, Bacchus is pouring cocktails that take their cues from Beauty and the Beast as well. The Enchanted Zest includes Pavan, limoncello, lemon, chilli and egg white; the Royal Infusion blends Paris tea, vodka and wattleseed; and the Tavern Brew mixes vanilla-infused vodka with bourbon, apple beer syrup and egg white.
Whenever the urge hits, stopping by Emporium's Piano Bar is never a bad idea. Until the end of winter, however, you'll be in for a surprise. The venue has given itself a ski chalet-style makeover, complete with a fireplace to get cosy by. Yes, you live in Brisbane. Yes, it really has been cold lately. Yes, you know you want to get toasty by the flames. Operating from Wednesday–Sunday weekly until spring hits, this snug setup also includes blankets — we told you it was cosy — as well as plenty to eat and drink. All the season-appropriate dishes are taken care of, including soup of the day ($9), three-cheese and truffle jaffles ($12), and macarons ($20 for a box). There's also fondue, of course. Go cheesy with gruyère and smoked cheddar fondue, plus parmesan cheese straws. Or, opt for dessert instead with white, milk or dark chocolate fondue accompanied by cookies, marshmallows, chocolate brownies and fruits. Both versions cost $30. As for the drinks, Mumm Champagnes is helping theme out the place, so that's what's on offer — including a few Aussie-exclusive drops. There's also a couple of cocktails — and yes, one uses champers, while the other can be served either warm or cold.
If golden, crunchy, juicy fried chook is your idea of a perfect meal then you probably have July 6 permanently marked in your diary. Each and every year, that's when the world's fried chicken-lovers celebrate their favourite food. We're not saying that the chook will taste better on that date, but if you just can't get enough of the trusty dish, it's definitely time to celebrate. This year, to mark the occasion, 50 restaurants across Australia are offering up to 50 percent off their take on the dish for two days via Deliveroo. On Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7, you can get finger licken' good chook delivered straight to your home or office — or home office — for cheap. Lunch, sorted. Melburnians have 18 chook joints to choose from, including Hawker Chan, Seoul Hot Chicken, Oriental Teahouse, Hakata Gensuke and Carl's Jr, while Sydneysiders have 16, with the likes of Johnny Bird, Broaster, Chi Kim and Angry Tony's all getting on board. Brisbanites have six options for their half-price burger fix, including Seoul Bistro, Lord of the Wings and Cafe Etto. You can check out the full list below. To get your fix, all you need to do is jump on to Deliveroo and find your closest chook favourite and order. [caption id="attachment_659902" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johnny Bird[/caption] WORLD FRIED CHICKEN DAY RESTAURANTS SYDNEY Angry Tony's - Darlington Rooster and Grill Inferno Grill Inferno Grill Pyrmont Chi Kim WingBoy - Bondi Junction WingBoy - Parramatta WingBoy - Eastgardens WingBoy - Macquarie It's Time for Thai Newtown Manoosh Pizzeria (Enmore) Manoosh Pizzeria (Marrickville) Manoosh Lebanese Pizza - Waterloo Manoosh Pizzeria - Caringbah Johnny Bird Broasters Fried Chicken MELBOURNE Hakata Gensuke QV Hakata Gensuke Yatai Carlton Hakata Gensuke Hawthorn - Ramen Professional Hakata Gensuke Tonkotsu Ramen Seoul Hot Chicken Chicken Episode Oriental Teahouse Little Collins Chicken Episode 2.5 Slap Burger - Editions Collingwood Angry Birds Burger Joint - Editions Collingwood Peach's Fried Chicken - Editions Collingwood Bao Wow - Editions Collingwood F.A.T - Fried & TastyCarl's Jr (Docklands) Carl's Jr - Knox Carl's Jr - Altona Hawker Chan Hawker Chan - Chadstone Hawker Chan Box Hill BRISBANE Seoul Bistro Lord of the Wings Indooroopilly Lord of the Wings Carindale Cafe Etto Brisbane Chop Chop Changs Wilde Kitchen Top image: Lord of the Wings
Autumn means many things for Brisbanites, including pouring rain, cooler nights and, most importantly for some, the beginning of football season. Whether your code is league, union or soccer, you'll be heading to Suncorp Stadium to support your beloved team (sorry Lions lovers, we'll cover the Gabba soon). And since you're in the area, you may as well make a night of it, either heading to dinner beforehand, or partying on to celebrate your team's victory. Here, we narrow down our top ten places to go before or after a game at Suncorp Stadium. Libertine Libertine is the perfect place to dine in a group for a refined night out before heading down the road to watch some ball sports. With a menu designed to share, you and your friends can get jolly on their delicious French-Vietnamese influenced cocktails and menu. The pork spring rolls with green chilli sauce are a must. On the heartier end of the scale, the wagyu, pork belly and duck are all mouth-wateringly good. No. 5 The Barracks, 61 Petrie Terrace, Paddington; 07 3367 3353; www.libertine.net.au Peasant Enjoy the brand new menu at Peasant, which features some incredible tapas and wines to match. The boisterous atmosphere will certainly start your night off with excitement and a bit of the European cultural flair. Peasant is great for groups to celebrate their favourite sporting event, particularly if it falls on a Sunday where they can enjoy paella in the garden. 61 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane; 07 3367 8066; www.peasant.com.au FAB If you’re just after a quick bite to eat before the game then FAB (Fish and Burgers) at the Barracks will do the trick. With an extensive range of burgers on their menu including vego and gluten-free options, everyone will be satisfied and have their stomachs sensibly lined before potential fieldside boozing. They also do a mean fish and chips. The Barracks, Petrie Terrace, Paddington; 07 3367 8088; www.fabfishandburger.com Paddo Tavern The Paddo is another Brisbane institution known for its cowboy hat-wearing bar staff, saddle chairs and footpath frontage, perfect for people watching. The quintessential pub, the Paddo caters for all desires including a hearty pub meal, a game of pool, a round on the pokies, live music, plasma screens showing sports and an expansive outdoor seating area. With a very laid back vibe, the Paddo is an easy place to meet with friends for a casual night out. 186 Given Terrace, Paddington; 07 3369 0044; thepaddo.com.au Gambaro For a lavish night out with friends or clients you should start out in true style with a seafood feast at Gambaro. Known for its incredible seafood, including amazing platters, you can eat like royalty here. They have beautiful options for both entrees and mains but your real focus should be on the seafood-heavy options such as the live rock lobster prepared your way, BBQ Moreton Bay bugs, or one of the famous chilled seafood platters. 33 Caxton Street, Paddington; 07 3369 9500; www.gambaros.com.au Caxton Hotel The Caxton Hotel is one of Brisbane’s best known and longstanding pubs and is the most obvious choice for post-match debauchery. With their space extended, the Caxton can literally squeeze thousands of people in. Known for playing classic music - think 'Jesse’s Girl' to 'Eagle Rock' (upon which you will see hundreds of men with their pants around their ankles) - plus a mix of modern hits as well, the Caxton Dance floor is one of the most hilarious, gross and wonderful experiences all rolled in to one. Girls, be prepared to be the prey of drunk men. Boys, be prepared to be the prey of drunk women. 38 Caxton Street, Paddington; 07 3369 5544; www.caxton.com.au The Scratch For those after a low-key start to the night, head to The Scratch for amazing craft beer on tap. With four taps and one hand pump, the guys at The Scratch change their selections on a daily basis, keeping everyone on their toes. Aware that not everybody is a beer-spert, they welcome newbies into their home with open arms, eager to explain what's on tap, where it's from and how it has been made. It is a totally relaxed vibe and a perfect way to ease into the afternoon. 8/1 Park Road, Milton; 07 3107 9910; www.scratchbar.com Iceworks The Iceworks is a great place to go both before and after the game. Located diagonally opposite the stadium, it is in prime position. The food menu is very modern but fairly inexpensive and includes menu items like duck foie gras parfait, mud crab and clam linguini, and tea-smoked ocean trout. The bar is long and well-staffed meaning that despite the inevitable crowd, you will not have to wait too long for a drink. Location is key here though; if you head out right on the buzzer you can make it back to the bar within two minutes. Corner of Given Tce and Dowse Street, Paddington; 07 3367 9800; www.iceworks.com.au Casablanca Casablanca is a hybrid of latin dance, karaoke, food and debauchery. It is the place where generally intoxicated, and also very talented, people go to get up on stage and sing in front of a crowd of strangers. You know you've had a big night when your night ends up at karaoke. You'll be able to tell from a raspy voice, a couple of bruises, and some unused song selection pieces of paper in your hand. Casablanca fills up with those chasing the musical dream right before 3am where they sing to their hearts' content until they saunter down the road to Dirty Harry's for some chicken chippies. 52 Petrie Terrace, Paddington; 07 3369 6969; www.casablanca.com.au Arrivederci Pizzeria Park Road in Milton is abundant with soccer fandom and a wide selection of Italian food. Arrivederci is celebrated for their pizzas - both the flavour and size. Pizzas at Arrivederci are ordered by length coming in one metre, 50cm or 25cm. Because of this, it is the perfect place to gather with a large group of friends and smash metres of pizza before you cheer on the Brisbane Roar. Alternatively, if you can't get tickets to a game, or want to watch your favourite European team play, then it's guaranteed that the major sport fans of Arrivederci will be playing the game which you can enjoy in the comfort of a highly atmospheric Italian restaurant. 1/1 Park Road, Milton; 07 3369 8500; www.arrivedercipizza.com.au
Watching Poor Things and not thinking about the mother of all tales about reviving the dead, aka Frankenstein, was impossible. At GOMA's latest film program, embracing their thematic similarities — and the entire genre about madcap creators experimenting that came alive when Mary Shelley's tale made it to celluloid in 1931 — is the entire point. Screening from Friday, May 3–Sunday, June 23, the Mad Science lineup doesn't just boast movies that owe one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever a massive debt, but it throws plenty of love that way. Think: the above duo, including together on the retrospective season's opening night, plus The Bride of Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein, The Curse of Frankenstein, Re-Animator, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Andy Warhol's Flesh for Frankenstein and M3GAN. This new excuse to spend Wednesday and Friday evenings at the Australian Cinematheque — and also Saturday and Sunday during the day — has been programmed with a jolt of inspiration. Covering over a century of horror and thriller flicks, it's filled with films that ponder scientific investigation, where humanity is willing to push it, and the ethics and consequences of playing god. Other highlights span 1920's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, both 1933's and 2020's The Invisible Man, Bond entry Moonraker and Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Or, plug in for the OG Ghost in the Shell, get immersed in French great The City of Lost Children and see one of Antonio Banderas' (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) stunning performances for Pedro Almodóvar (Parallel Mothers) in The Skin I Live In. And yes, life has found a way to get Jurassic Park onto the bill, too. Whatever you catch, this is a ticketed lineup, starting at $10 for adults.
If you're a Brisbanite that thrives on the kind of adrenaline only rollercoasters and water slides can offer, then you probably already have the directions to the Gold Coast saved in Google Maps. In the next few years though, you might have to add an extra route north, because the Sunshine Coast is getting an amusement park. Soon Steve Irwin Way won't just play host to the wildlife tourist attraction that helped give the road its name, though Australia Zoo isn't going anywhere. The patch of Sunshine Coast land will also also boast an "outdoors haven" and "community lifestyle and tourism hub never seen before in Australia", according to local developer SANAD Capital. Just what this new venue will be called is yet to be announced, but it does have that other important aspect finalised: its theme. Prepare for all the action sports antics you can handle, including Australia's first surfing wave pool (if Melbourne's proposed Urbnsurf doesn't beat them to it, that is). Who doesn't want to jump on a board, Johnny Utah-style, into a man-made approximation of the ocean? More details are due to be released later this year, and construction is set to start in 2017. However, looking at similar projects in the United Arab Emirates is highly recommended; the $400 million Sunny Coast venture is being built with the support of Dubai-based investment group Najibi Capital, after all. Worlds of Adventure, the world's biggest indoor theme park, is due to open there this year, as is another precinct that will feature the entertainment-oriented Motiongate, Dubai Bollywood Parks, Legoland and a water-based centre. Via The Courier Mail. Image: Cameron Kirby.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, Groovin the Moo has unveiled their 2016 lineup. Taking the large-scale music festival out of the city and into regional centres for another year, GTM will kick things off on the ANZAC Day long weekend and travel through Maitland, Canberra, Oakbank, Bendigo and Townsville before finishing up in Bunbury. This year's lineup sees all the international talent come from the U.S., with rappers Danny Brown and Vic Mensa taking the stage, along with electronic duo Odesza and returning acts MS MR and Ratatat. Otherwise, it's an all-Aussie affair with locals like triple j Hottest 100 winners The Rubens, Client Liaison, SAFIA, Remi and Ngaiire making their way to the Moo. Here's the full lineup. GROOVIN THE MOO 2016 LINEUP: Alison Wonderland Boo Seeka Boy & Bear British India Client Liaison Danny Brown (USA) Drapht DZ Deathrays Emma Louise Golden Features Harts Illy In Hearts Wake MS MR (USA) Mutemath (USA) Ngaiire Odesza (USA) Ratatat (USA) Remi The Rubens SAFIA Twenty One Pilots (USA) Vallis Alps Vic Mensa (USA) GROOVIN THE MOO 2016 DATES & VENUES: Saturday, April 23 – Maitland (NSW) Sunday, April 24 – Canberra (ACT) Monday, April 25 – Oakbank (SA) Saturday, April 30 — Bendigo (VIC) Sunday, May 1 — Townsville (QLD) Saturday, May 7 — Bunbury (WA) For more info, head to GTM's website. Image: Joseph Mayers, GTM.
It doesn't take much to turn a day at the Regatta into a party, but when the iconic Brissie pub really wants to throw a shindig, it knows how to go about it. Enter Vineyard in the Courtyard, a scaled-down but still hefty version of the Toowong spot's old Regatta Fairs — which only spans one day, but is still all about riverside food, booze and hanging out. Taking place from 12pm on Sunday, June 26, Vineyard in the Courtyard is an excuse to eat, drink and be merry at one of the city's favourite haunts — and you won't hear us complaining about that. Who doesn't want to wander beneath the fairy lights strung up over the venue's courtyard, sip vino, listen to live jazz and get munching? Anyone keen on a pop-up charcuterie station will find plenty to snack on. The usual cafe and courtyard menus will also be on offer, including prawn tacos, fried cauliflower popcorn, lamb kofta pockets, mozzarella sticks and barbecue brisket rolls. Drinks-wise, yes, mulled wine will warm up your stomach. 'Tis the season for it, after all. Or, you can opt to taste varieties from Brokenchack and Italiquore, or take your pick from the standard bar range. Entry is free — and you'll pay for whatever you eat and drink. And expect to kick back in woodland-themed surroundings thanks to the Regatta's ongoing wintry makeover, aka Forbidden Forest in the Courtyard. Images: The Regatta / Creative Commons.
It's the longest-running American musical in Broadway and West End history. It's the longest-running production now currently playing Broadway, too. It's been seen by over 34-million people worldwide in 38 countries, and played more than 33,500 performances in 525-plus cities. And, it's won six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy. The show: Chicago. It has also locked in a return date with Australia, including splashing a healthy dose of 1920s razzle dazzle in Brisbane from Tuesday, January 2, 2024 in the musical's big Aussie comeback. Come on babes, why don't we paint the town? With all that jazz, the the record-breaking smash will shimmy back onto QPAC's Lyric Theatre stage to put on one helluva show. Get ready to see Zoë Ventoura (Home and Away) as Velma Kelly and Lucy Maunder (Mary Poppins) as Roxie Hart, plus Aussie theatre star Anthony Warlow (The Phantom of the Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Annie, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as Billy Flynn. [caption id="attachment_714916" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jeremy Daniel[/caption] Also featuring: Peter Rowsthorn (Kath & Kim) as Roxie's husband Amos, Asabi Goodman (Hairspray) as prison warden Mama Morton and S. Valeri as crime reporter Mary Sunshine. Inspiring 2002's Renée Zellweger (Judy)- and Catherine Zeta Jones (Wednesday)-starring Academy Award-winning film of the same name, Chicago tells the tale of housewife and nightclub dancer Roxie Hart. In the decadent 1920s, she twirls through a whirlwind of murdered lovers, jail time, fierce rivalries and tabloid sensationalism — all set to a toe-tapping soundtrack. Based on a 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the production showcases music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and choreography by Tony Award-winner Ann Reinking. [caption id="attachment_714915" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Kolnik[/caption] Top image: Jeff Busby.
You can never have too much greenery in your life, both inside and outside your house. And, whether you're decking out your interiors or setting up a luxe outdoor hangout zone, you can never have too many homewares either. At least that's what you'll keep telling yourself while you're browsing around The Home Collective, with northside market offering up an array of plants, pots, furniture, cushions, art and more. If you're keen for a sneak peek, or some design inspiration, check out the event's Instagram page. That'll motivate you to head along, we're certain Taking place in Wavell Heights from 9am to 1pm on Sunday, June 3, the market won't just kit out your abode with — it'll also help cute critters, with your gold coin entry free going towards the Animal Welfare League Queensland. The AWL will also be bringing along a few four-legged creatures in need of a new home, so you could end up leaving with a green baby and a fur baby.
By the time Sunday rolls around, you're lucky if you have the energy and willpower to think, let alone cook. So, do neither. Instead, grab a friend or three and head for King Tea Chinese Kitchen and Bar in Paddington, where, from 10am, you can sink into all-you-can-eat yum cha for 30 bucks a head. The menu is big on both classic and inventive dishes, from bacon, egg and cheese dumplings, to mushroom wontons, to fried chicken, to Chinese omelettes and pancakes. Also look out for the vegetarian and vegan options — they take up half the menu. That's right, you won't be going hungry around here — no matter how worn out or ragged you might be from the night before. Bookings are essential — to the surprise of no one (especially if you're now salivating and making Sunday plans), this bottomless feast is bound to be popular.
Summertime at Given Terrace staple Darling & Co is all about hangs in the venue's breezy space, and every Aussie knows that a weekend party isn't complete without a little (or a lot of) bubbly. Happy to oblige, the Paddington spot has launched bottomless prosecco and spritz picnics, which are now on offer every Sunday. And the restaurant isn't simply offering the standard two hours of bottomless booze, either. Instead of table service, patrons have unlimited access to a fountain, which comes complete with a carved lion that has a prosecco tap for a mouth. You'll be able to pour your own bubbly from that tap throughout the two hours, while enjoying an extensive spread. Find a comfy spot while enjoying the grazing menu — it includes brisket and smoked cheddar croquettes, freshly shucked oysters and buttermilk crocodile, along with fried baby squid and chicken caramel glaze with blue cheese sauce. Sides include garlic and herb crostini and breads, plus a selection of charcuterie and cheese. Sparkling Springs costs $60 per person, with sittings at 2pm every Sunday until December 22. Bookings are essential and can be made through the website.
