What do Gertrude Stein, J.K. Rowling, Jack Kerouac, Rudyard Kipling, Sylvia Plath and Colonel Sanders have in common? On top of collectively penning a notable portion of the most memorable and well-known literature ever (the king of KFC came up with that song about Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut, right?) they are all familiar with the harsh sting of rejection, each having had their unpublished manuscripts rejected by people whose names no one remembers now. If only these seminal thinkers had been familiar with premier print-on-demand publishing company Blurb they could have cut out the middleman and saved themselves the heartache. The creative platform allows anyone with a computer (aka anyone with a pulse) to create, promote and flog his or her own seriously schmick looking book, photo book, magazine or e-book. This weekend Blurb hosts a series of free masterclasses and workshops run by photographers Daniel Milnor and Garry Trinh, who wax lyrical on the bookmaking process, the future of print and advancements in modern storytelling. Book now to avoid the kind of disappointment experienced by Stein, Rowling, Kerouac and co. Image Garry Trinh via Blurb
Each individual member of How I Met Your Mother seems to do something cool. Jason Segel resurrected the Muppets. Neil Patrick Harris produces interactive theatre and dresses his adorable babies in adorably elaborate Halloween costumes. Alyson Hannigan was Willow freakin' Rosenberg. When you break it down, the omnipresent sitcom might be less than the sum of its parts. Josh Radnor, the personal pronoun of How I Met Your Mother, follows suit by being an indie film writer and director of some repute, having won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for 2010's happythankyoumoreplease. His newbie, Liberal Arts, is about a 35-year-old demi-achiever, Jesse (Radnor), who works a dull job as a university admissions officer and reads dead-tree books constantly, while walking even. When he visits his alma mater to honour his retiring former professor, Peter (Richard Jenkins), Jesse also starts a romance with sparky 19-year-old student Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen). Between her exuberance for new knowledge and the campus's leafy, Midwestern nourishment, he rediscovers some of the wide-eyed optimism of his own college days — and also learns why he can't have them back. Really, you can't blame anyone for falling a bit in love with Olsen. She elevates the whole movie, bringing a flood of beauty and intelligence to a character already written to be quite beautiful and quite intelligent. She's not a manic pixie dream girl, although the film pales from being made in an MPDG world. The story of 'unremarkable pre-middle-aged male seeks shaking up, via female, into remarkable life' is a little tired. Sure, seedy, equivocating men deserve our empathy, but arguably they've already had their time in the sun. We know you shouldn't sleep with the girl; we don't need to see your working out. There are other flaws in the film that follow on from all this obviousness: One character, Dean (John Magaro), a random student among thousands, appears in front of Jesse 'by coincidence' with such frequency he'd have to be a ghost stalking our protagonist (he's not), and his arc becomes too foreseeable. Perhaps Liberal Arts would have meant something more if all these other characters didn't so perfectly serve Jesse. They awaken him, confront him, absolve him, and release him. That said, arts graduates will nod in recognition of post-modern theory references, and Allison Janney fans will delight in her cameo as an ironically hard-hearted Romantics professors. There are several estimable bon mots. Liberal Arts may make a forgettable thesis, but you'd still find a couple of passages within it to highlight.
The music industry often takes itself too seriously. Funny photos of serious musicians are scarce, but hilarious. Take a took at these photos of (usually) serious musicians. We've got everything from Dallas Green (City and Colour, above) in underwear with an umbrella, Elvis Costello in a fedora hanging with Elmo, and the always intimidating post punk band Swans squatting awkwardly in a swimming pool. Even the deepest and darkest of musicians have a soft side (or at least a somewhat funny side). Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson Elvis Costello Ian Anderson John Cage Radiohead Elliott Smith Iron Maiden Jeremiah Greene and Jim Fairchild of Modest Mouse Swans Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Some cocktails feature both gin and whisky. Usually, though, if you're sipping one then you're not sipping the other. That means you're either enjoying the citrus and juniper taste that comes with gin, or indulging in the malty flavour that whisky is so well-known for. Or, you can now opt for Never Never Distilling Co and Sullivans Cove's newest release. The two Australian distilleries have teamed up on a tipple they've named Jennifer, and the South Australian gin outfit and Tasmanian whisky fiends really have combined the best of both worlds. This flavoursome spirit takes its cues from Dutch Genever, which is all about blending malt wine and botanical flavours. The aim here: to make a new concoction that nods to both gin and whisky, and works in cocktails that normally feature either. Taste-wise, you can expect notes of pine fresh coriander, spicy cinnamon scroll and pepperberry. You'll smell malt, toasted cereal and warm spice scents, too and also coriander and juniper. So, it's both rich and fruity — and it's part of Never Never's limited-edition Dark Series. Jennifer also marks the first time that two trophy winners from the World Gin Awards and World Whiskies Awards have joined forces to make to hybrid spirit style, and it's also quite the rare tipple. Only one batch has been made so far, and getting your hands on some will set you back RRP$92 for a 500-millilitre bottle. "We wanted to create something that was generous in flavour and luxurious in mouthfeel that will be appreciated by enthusiasts in both camps," said Never Never Head Distiller Tim Boast. "It was a perfect candidate for a Dark Series release, which are exciting experimentations in flavour that push the boundaries of the spirit category." "Our aim is to present, in the most delicious way possible, the most authentic expression of our ingredients and people," said Sullivans Cove Distillery Manager Heather Tillot. "An innovative mindset is vital for this, and centres around perspective, approach and detail." Jennifer will be available to purchase via the Never Never Distilling Co website from Wednesday, September 15, and from Never Never's McLaren Vale Distillery Door. Images: Meghan Coles.
Dance and classical aren't music genres you'd usually find swirling around in the same basket — unless you have a particular bent for the orchestral 'Sandstorm' covers found in the depths of YouTube. Synthony — A Generation of Dance Music is here to prove that the disciplines go hand in hand. After a sellout run in New Zealand, the event arrives at Brisbane City Hall on Saturday, August 17. The event will see the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra join forces with a selection of DJs and live performers to play the biggest dance tracks of the last 30 years. Expect the usual quiet inner-city venue to take a few cues from the nightclub scene, with lights, lasers and mapped video all part of the experience — and a selection of dance floor bangers note-for-note. After kicking off with DJ Phil Smart, the event will also feature live performances from Ilan Kidron (Potbelleez), Jenny B (the vocalist on Corona's 'Rhythm of the Night'), Nastasha, Cherie Mathieson and saxophonist Lewis McCallum, before Ron Carroll carries the party into the small hours. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Monday, June 10.
Leah Shelton and Lisa Fa'alafi of Brisbane collective Polytoxic asked more than 100 Queensland artists to send them their memories of lockdown life, from apartment block isolation to endless Zoom calls. Polytoxic has then taken those reflections and weaved them into a full-scale visual tapestry that'll be projected onto the 20-metre-high walls of Brisbane Powerhouse. The 'time capsule' of what we're living through right now tells the stories of those within the arts industry — including musicians, writers, poets, dancers and artists. And the beautiful projection work and accompanying soundscape is experienced alongside live performances. It's free to watch, and each performance lasts for 30 minutes. Head to the Powerhouse before 6.30pm or 8.30pm, Thursday to Saturday nights.
Musical theatre fans just keep getting more reasons to celebrate Jonathan Larson. In the past few years, none other than Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda took one of the composer, lyricist and playwright's works and turned it into a movie. After tick, tick…BOOM! hit screens, a stage production toured Australia as well. Next, Aussie audiences can catch the show that made him an icon: Rent. In 2024, it too will do the rounds Down Under, kicking off in Brisbane. Larson created and composed the smash-hit production. Also, his Rent journey comes with quite the heartbreaking behind-the-scenes story. In the 90s, Larson passed away at the age of 35 on the day that that now-huge show premiered its first off-Broadway preview performance. So, he didn't get to see the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon that it would become. Plenty of other people have — when it first hit Broadway, Rent ran for 12 years, making it one of the famed theatre district's longest-running shows. And among those prizes is the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer for Drama, all for a tale about seizing the moment, facing adversity and finding one's community. Loosely based on Puccini's La Boheme, and written to include real-life locations and events, the rock musical will bring tunes including 'Seasons of Love', 'Take Me or Leave Me' and 'La Vie Bohème' to the QPAC Playhouse from Saturday, January 27–Sunday, February 11. If you need a refresher on the story — or you're coming to Rent for the first time, having missed past performances and the 2005 film version — then prepare to step back to New York in 1991. Over the course of the year, as their neighbourhood is being gentrified and HIV/AIDS casts a shadow, a group of friends chase their dreams and strive for their place in the world. Images: Pia Johnson Photography.
Barbecue shapes. Fried chicken. Together in a crunchy combo at last. In terrible news for aspiring dieters everyone, Arnott's has teamed up with some of the best chicken joints in the country to create a taste combination of a very different feather. For the next three weeks, hungry residents of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane can order fried foul coated in crushed Arnott's Barbecue Shapes. And before you ask, yes, they're using the original flavouring. Sydney's Juicy Lucy, Melbourne's Phat Chicks and Brisbane's Seoul Bistro have all gotten on board, with each restaurant offering their own unique take on the brief for $8–15. The whole thing is part of a promotion by Deliveroo, so you'll only be able to get the creations delivered. They'll be available via Deliveroo until Sunday October 7. No word on whether they're planning on doing a pizza shapes variant, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.
With the last three years taking her across the world, from Australia to Asia, the US and the UK, Kate Miller-Heidke is back on Australian soil, and back on our stage. Playing two nights at Brisbane’s The Hi-Fi the aussie songstress is celebrating the release of her highly anticipated third album with the ten-date Nightflight tour. Described as ‘pop music for clever people” and “clever, insightful and revealing” by Rave Magazine the album debuted at number two on the ARIA chart, competing even with 2008’s platinum offering, Curiouser, and sees the falsetto-driven beauty meditating an emotionally stark lyricism and sonic, panoramic lushness. Audiences will be treated to a playful spectacle, one that has been enthralling international audiences for several years, along with plenty of classic tracks and memorable moments. Support is provided by Adelaide’s The Beards, a folk rock band that exclusively perform songs about one subject only; beards.
In support of their new release, Chasing Ghosts, The Amity Affliction will burn a path across Australia with what is shaping up to be a blistering parade of infernal jams. After the success of their previous release, Youngbloods and some incredible shows at the Big Day Out festival earlier this year and a massive headline tours a few months after, the band are taking 2012 by storm. Performing with The Amity Affliction on all their dates will be a collection of international acts that revel in a similar style of chaotic music. California’s The Ghost Inside, Brighton’s Architects and local rockers Buried In Verona will all be on hand to rev the audience up.
Everyone needs a hobby — and if adding to your gin shrine is how you pass the time, Four Pillars has launched yet another tipple to boost your collection. After recent collaborations with Melbourne venue Arbory Afloat and the national QT Hotels chain, the award-winning distillery has teamed up with Qantas on a celebratory drop called QF100. The reason: last year, the Australian airline turned 100, so this new gin is designed to mark that hefty milestone. And, to reflect the carrier's ties to Longreach in Queensland — where it was born, and where the Qantas Founders Outback Museum is based — QF100 is made with botanicals sourced from the central western Queensland spot. Accordingly, when you say cheers to Qantas' centenary with you next cocktail, you'll be tasting lemongrass, macadamia and lemon myrtle. The botanicals were foraged in the area under the guidance of local Indigenous elder Suzanne Thompson — and lemongrass features heavily because it was growing in the region in abundance at the time. Like Four Pillars' other collabs, this one is a limited-edition affair — and, its 700-millilitre bottle bottles have already sold out via the distillery's online store. But, Qantas is still selling it online, and serving it in new signature centenary cocktails at its lounges. You can sip the 'Longreach Fizz' at its Qantas International first lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, the Brisbane International lounge and the brand's six domestic chairman's lounges. Four Pillars and Qantas' QF100 gin has sold out via Four Pillars' online store, but it's still available to buy via Qantas for $90 for a 700-millilitre bottle.
If you're the kind of bar patron who picks their next boozy go-to based on accolades, then this week is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only have four Australia bars earned places among the World's 50 Best Bars for 2021, but the Wineslinger Awards has announced its top picks for this year's Aussie wine-sipping spots — calling out another four spots. Wineslinger isn't about vino itself, or bars in general. As the name makes plain, it's about watering holes that focus on wine. Only four awards are handed out each year, covering the best Wineslinger, Best New Haunt, the Maverick prize for venues that push the limits and the People's Choice gong. While the first three awards are voted on by more than 150 industry experts, the latter stems from vino aficionados at home. Nabbing the big prize this year: Melbourne's Embla, which marks the second year in a row that the Victorian capital took out the Wineslinger award — and the second year it did so despite a hefty stint in lockdown. Announcing Embla's win, the Young Gun of Wine team — which runs Wineslinger — said that "Embla has become a Melbourne icon in quick time, a dogma-free temple to wine that is made from the ground up, by hand and with minimal tinkering, and all paired with Dave Verheul's breathtakingly simple fire-fuelled cooking." [caption id="attachment_836612" align="alignnone" width="1920"] P&V Merchants Paddington[/caption] In the other fields, Sydney's P&V Merchants in Paddington nabbed the Best New Haunt prize. Yes, that gong is rather self-explanatory. In the Maverick category, Perth's Si Paradiso emerged victorious for being "a venue that takes its wine as seriously as it does its quest for good times". And, the People's Choice went to Good Gilbert in Adelaide, meaning that all four winners hailed from different cities. The Wineslinger Awards were created in 2018 by Rory Kent, who also founded the Young Gun of Wine Awards. Where the latter prize aims to recognise stellar up-and-comers, the former is all about excellent and innovative places where vino lovers can enjoy an ace drop. Wineslinger also releases a list of top places to drink wine across the country each year — and the 2021 list expanded from 50 to 100. It was revealed back in November, if you still need a few more places (or 96 more, because all of this year's prize-winners are on it) to add to your vino-drinking itinerary. For further details about this year's Wineslinger Award winners, visit the awards' website. Top image: Embla.
It's a nice feeling to bring a little something into the world. Feeding it, taking good care of it. A plant is just like a pet, or even a child – just half the trouble. But if you live in an apartment, there's not always the room to undertake extensive horticultural projects. If your green thumb is itching to get gardening, IDEA award-winning Simple Garden will tickle your fancy. They've created a gardening 'starter kit' with everything you need to cultivate your own piece of earth. They even throw in the earth itself – just add water and the NutriRich soil brick will be just the stuff to raise your seedlings into healthy plants. Gadgets like the Lite Stick help provide enough natural light to indoor plants, while the colourful plastic pots are specially designed to improve air flow, water circulation and nutrient absorption. Sweet and self-contained, this is one hell of a city-living solution. [Via Cool Hunting]
Each year we anticipate the arrival of December 25. Because of the day off, the promise of an afternoon spent dozing in a hammock — and the arrival of Gelato Messina's annual Christmas cake. This year, the gelato chain is bringing back its version of the quintessential Australian dessert: the trifle. Yes, The Christmas Coma, which made its debut last year, is back. But this year it'll even more decadent. The epic ice cream creation will feature layer upon layer of everything that is good about Christmas — but instead of being soggy and slightly regrettable, this one will have you licking the glass bowl. So what's in it? Well, Messina has switched out the vanilla gelato for a rich chocolate number, and will be slathering it with its house-made dulce de leche mousse. Then it will be layered with — here we go — red velvet cake, vanilla Chantilly cream, chocolate-coated biscuit crumbs, meringue, sour cherry jelly and lime gel. Plus, it'll come with some chocolate-coated nuts and Messina brandy custard to douse all over the mess. The trifle, which serves 18–20 (or less if you really commit), costs $150 and can be ordered for pickup between December 20 and 6pm on Christmas Eve. In Sydney you can pick one up from Rosebery, Darlinghurst, Bondi, Miranda, Penrith, Tramsheds and Parramatta. If you're in Melbourne, you can get one from the Fitzroy or Windsor outposts — and the South Brisbane store will be making them too. Hopefully nan won't take it personally. The Christmas Coma will be available to order from Wednesday, November 14 — you can add your name to the waitlist here.
Sometimes, you just want to watch a couple of coins get tossed into the air, and then try to guess which way they'll land. Come ANZAC Day, if that's you, The Shaftson has your day planned. After wowing the city with their Tinnies and Two-Up combo last year, the East Brissie pub is giving their appropriately themed laneway party another spin. Expect food trucks, free-flowing beer and many a person throwing money about. Sure, that might sound like a normal Shaftston get-together — but this time, when you're splashing cash around for a one-day-a-year tradition, you'll be channeling the ANZAC spirit.
Brisbane's newest all-day eatery comes with some serious interstate credibility, with Sydney favourite Devon opening its doors at Mount Gravatt. Setting up shop at Garden City shopping centre, the cafe's new digs mark its first venture into Queensland — and first outside of Sydney, too, where its three locations have built up a devoted following. Visitors to Devon's 80-seater Brissie spot will soon find out why. While views of the shopping centre's water feature, a bleached timber and concrete fit-out, and communal tables and banquette seating all await in the city's south, it's Devon's menu that keeps attracting devotees much further down south. The cafe hasn't brought its multiple types of katsu with it; however, it is slinging plenty of other signature dishes that have proven a hit in Sydney. Among the highlights: the Croissant St Denis, an omelette with blue swimmer crab and salmon, bisque beurre blanc, caviar and finely chopped herbs, all served in a fresh croissant; plus Breakfast with the Sakumas, which features miso-marinated king salmon, an eel croquette, a 63-degree egg, kewpie mayo and furikake. Other daytime standouts include brioche French toast with mango and frosted corn flakes, a 'yakuza' burger with either a chargrilled beef patty or fried chicken, and baked eggs with yellow lentil dhal, broccolini, cauliflower, kale, curry leaves and grated haloumi. After a two-hour aperitivo selection each afternoon — think marinated olives, whipped roe and calamari with green nahm jim — the dinner range features the likes of crispy pork hocks with steamed bao, slow-roasted lamb neck on the bone, and squid ink angel hair pasta with mussels, crab and mentaiko cream sauce. Executive chef Zacharay Tan is also keen to incorporate Queensland seafood and produce, and to offer up Queensland-exclusive dishes, such as the grilled Hervey Bay scallops with kombu butter, potatoes and caviar. Drinks-wise, as well as getting caffeinated from Devon's house-blend coffee, customers can sip matcha lattes, iced teas, bubble teas with cheese foam, freshly squeezed juices and milkshakes. Or, with the venue slinging alcohol all day, to peruse the beer, wine and cocktail list. And as for dessert, the cafe's soft serve has quite the reputation, including for its sweet-and-savoury combo with hot chips. Find Devon Cafe at Westfield Garden City, 2049 Logan Road, Upper Mt Gravatt. Its's open Monday–Tuesday 7am–4pm, Wednesday–Saturday 8am–10pm and Sunday 8am–4pm.
Is there anything more soul-crushing than doing your weekly grocery shopping? The packed aisles, the irritated checkout operator, the trolley that won't steer straight? No thanks. Take your food shop up several notches by stopping by Davies Park Markets for a big box of farm-fresh produce. Need a little more encouraging to get out of bed on a Saturday? The food stalls at Davies Park are worthy of the trip alone — every imaginable cuisine is represented, plus there is plenty of seating so you can enjoy your brekkie comfortably (without the usual din of your regular brunch haunt).
If you’ve ever had that joyful experience of finishing an arts/creative degree with such pride and hope, marched into the world looking for the big career move only to find yourself doing one of the following: A. waitressing B. working at Maccas C. selling frocks D. stacking shelves – well, you’re not alone. With performing arts degree in hand, Gillian Cosgriff found herself in the no job, no house, and in a place where eating chips and watching Oprah reruns formed the main activities of the day. What did she do? She picked herself up, dusted herself off and became a waitress! In a highly and widely praised new cabaret show, Cosgriff takes her audience on this hilarious journey of life lessons, exploring every detail of this period and its many funny, frustrating, odd and wonderful experiences. The show features many of Cosgriff’s original songs, as well as some old faves given a reworking. This is a show for all those who have experienced this big adventure, and those who are currently embarking on it.
Brisbane's luxury hotel scene has been playing a bit of musical chairs in recent months, all thanks to the Hong Kong-based chain Ovolo. First, it took over the Inchcolm Hotel in Spring Hill, turning the art deco spot into a glam mix of the old and the new. Now, it has revamped the Fortitude Valley spot that was previously known as the Emporium. If you're still playing catch-up on all of these changes, the Emporium brand actually moved over to a new site at South Bank — one which, as of October, boasts a decadent rooftop bar on its 21st floor. But the old Emporium is quite the stunner too. Now called Ovolo The Valley, the 103-room hotel has had a $55 million facelift with a design-led focus, including two suites inspired by David Bowie. Fancy being a hero just for one day (and night)? In 'rockstar' suites aptly named Major Tom and Rebel Rebel, guests will find 1970s-inspired velvet lounges and a gold bar. If you're not up for channelling your inner icon, all rooms feature rich colours that take their cues from the Valley's streets and laneways, plus custom wallpaper and eclectic furniture choices. Also standard across the board is 24-hour room service, flat-screen TVs with Google Chromecast and an in-room Alexa to answer all of your questions — plus access to the rooftop swimming pool, gym and sauna. Like other Ovolo sites, Ovolo The Valley offers a heap of freebies: a free mini-bar with every room (including a lolly bag full of treats), free breakfast with every stay, free wi-fi, free laundry and free happy hour drinks each day. That said, rooms start from $300 a night, so it's still an indulgent staycation. The colourful new fitout was overseen by architecture firm Woods Bagot, who're also looking after the Howard Smith Wharves redevelopment. Collaborating with Chloe Want from AvroKO in New York, they'll be working through into next year on Ovolo The Valley's final touch — a standalone restaurant and bar slated to launch in early 2019, with chef and restauranteur Justin North heading up the kitchen. Ovolo The Valley is now open at 1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley.
Ah, summer days in Brisbane. Ask anyone who lives in the river city and we will all tell you that they are long and hot. But, Queenslanders being Queenslanders, battle through — while sweating profusely — seeking solace in every air-conditioned space and breezy open terrace. And even if you can't bear to be outside during the height of the day, we all know when the sun begins to set and that welcome breeze blows in, there's nothing quite like a balmy summer's night out in Brisbane. From riverside to rooftop, the city's dining scene embraces the climate and caters to summertime nightlife. So, to help you plan your next al fresco outing, we've put together a list some of Brisbane's latest and greatest outdoor spaces. These beauties have popped up just in time to make the prospect of a summer stinker more than bearable.
It's the stuff beer lovers' dreams are made of. In fact, it's the kind of event that really does seem too good to be true — that is, ten whole days of celebrations dedicated to the amber liquid we all know and love. Stop pinching yourself: Brewsvegas is real. So real, in fact, that it'll be taking over the town from March 11 to 20 for a third year of grassroots, community-minded, beverage-based fun. Whatever your preferred beer is — and whoever your favourite brewer may be — you'll find them both here as part of the action. After a massive launch party gets the shenanigans started, it's time for everything from bar hops to river cruises, table tennis tournaments to pinball wizardry, and cocktail making comps and dessert drinks too. Working your way around the world in 18 beers, having a pint to raise money for animals in need, enjoying a live music Sunday sesh, and shining the spotlight on female brewers is also on the lineup, as well as our top five picks of the sudsy showcase. Yes, there's plenty on offer that you'll be saying cheers to.
It's been almost four years since all things Yayoi Kusama took over Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art and left everyone with colourful, dot-filled and pumpkin-shaped memories. But Brisbanites can actually spy one of her artworks, Eyes are Singing Out, whenever they want to — and by simply going for a walk in the city. If you weren't aware of that handy local tidbit, now you've just learned something. This town of ours boasts more than a few pieces of standout outdoor art, in fact, but it can be easy to mosey past it all and not pay these works enough attention. That's where Museum of Brisbane's new Public Art Walking Tour comes in — and it'll have you seeing and appreciating Brissie in a whole new way. Starting at City Hall at 2.30pm every Friday and Saturday, this tour will take you to a range of eye-catching pieces sitting in plain view. Expect to see works from more than a century ago, far more recent installations and everything in-between. Don't just walk around looking at your phone like so many of us usually do, obviously. [caption id="attachment_804862" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Robert McPherson via Wikimedia Commons[/caption]
Fall in love with movies Italian style, at the latest glamorous edition of the Lavazza Italian Film Festival. Hosted once again in Palace Cinemas around the country, this year's festival features more than 30 features and docos, plus a breathtaking restoration of one of Italy's all-time classics. The 2014 festival opens with Marina, a light biopic about singer, songwriter and world-famous accordion player Rocco Granata, produced by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. Other exciting titles include impressionistic Cannes Jury Prize winner The Wonders and Asia Argento's semi-autobiographical new film Incompresa. But the best of the fest will be saved until last. This year's closing night film is none other Marriage Italian Style, beautifully restored in time for its 50th anniversary. Sophia Loren is dazzling as the mistress of a wealthy Italian businessman determined to lock down a marriage proposal. A quintessential comedy about the battle of the sexes, it puts most modern-day rom-coms to shame. https://youtube.com/watch?v=IeD7rBVAQQo
Haunting strains of bluegrass music flow through Belgium's tear-jerking entry to last year's Academy Awards. Such mournful melodies are a fitting accompaniment to the story, about two musicians whose marriage begins to crumble after their daughter succumbs to terminal cancer. Despite the miserable subject matter, writer-director Felix Van Groeningen eschews unchecked histrionics for honest, bittersweet emotion. Actors Johan Heldenbergh and Veerle Baetens have devastating chemistry as shell-shocked parents Didier and Elise. A banjo-playing cowboy and a music-loving tattoo-artist respectively, they're a free-spirited pair brought crashing down to earth by six-year-old Maybelle's unexpected diagnosis. The best moments in the movie are undoubtedly the songs; a mix of classics and original compositions performed in key scenes by Didier, Elise and their band. In these moments in particular, Van Groeningen finds his harmony between beauty, sorrow and joy. Read our full review here. The Broken Circle Breakdown is in cinemas on Thursday, May 15, and thanks to Entertainment One, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=raaHRyBtIEo
If you're looking for a practical gift for your wine-loving dad this Father's Day, look no further than Good Pair Days. This year, the personalised wine delivery service has joined forces with sustainable retailer Manrags to bring you four wine and socks boxes — each of which was created with dad in mind. The man behind the wine offering is Sommelier Banjo Harris Plane (ex-head sommelier at Attica and co-owner of Melbourne's Bar Liberty), so you know you're getting some extra special drops for your pop. If your dad is well into his reds, go for the deluxe box ($164) — which boasts a New Zealand pinot noir, an Italian dolcetto and a Victorian shiraz mencia blend — or the the wine lover box ($123), with a malbec, a Barossa GSM (grenache, syrah and mourvedre blend) and cabernet merlot from Southern Highlands' Tertini. There's also a classic box ($84) and one solely dedicated to shiraz ($39). Along with the extra special bottles, each box also includes three pairs of Manrags socks, which are made from super-soft Egyptian cotton and are printed with funky Australian designs, as well as tasting notes, details on the winemaker, food pairing suggestions and a matching recipe card for each bottle. Shipping is included in all boxes and the packaging is 100-percent compostable to boot. And, for those last minute gift givers, Good Pair Days ships quickly within one-to-two business days. To order one of Good Pair Days' dad packs, head on over to goodpairdays.com. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Digital nomad visas and remote working have never been more attainable, so if you've ever toyed with the idea of taking your skills abroad, Tourism Authority of Thailand is giving you the chance to try before you fly (away forever) with its Live Your Best Digital Nomad Life competition. Up for grabs is a Concrete Playground Trips voucher valued at $3000 (covering return flights to any major airport in Thailand and accommodation for any hotel in Thailand hosted on the CP Trips website), a $500 Klook voucher to spend on top experiences, activities and travel essentials such as transport and SIM cards, as well as $1500 worth of Visa travel vouchers which should cover you for long-tail boat rides along Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, trekking in Chiang Mai's Doi Inthanon National Park, hopping on island escapades in Phuket or Krabi and all the Tom Kha Kai you can consume in a week. That's a total prize value of $5000. And who knows — at worst you can enjoy a change of WFH scenery. Or after a week you might love the Thai hospitality, your digital nomad life (and affordable living) so much, that you'll decide never to come back. Want to find out more about remote working in this incredible part of the world? Here's what you need to know to get yourself set up for a working holiday in Thailand. [competition]885290[/competition]
Australians haven't had many chances to attend a music festival or escape the mainland in the last twelve months. Festivals around the country have been few and far between, with even approved large-scale events being called off last-minute. And, as for travel, a lot of the nation's usual island getaways have been off limits due to domestic border closures. But, if you've been longing to sing along to your favourite tunes while surrounded by your friends and to take a trip to a secluded beachside resort, a newly announced festival has you covered. Dream Machine, the new venture from the team behind Wine Machine and Snow Machine, will see music lovers travel to The Whitsundays this October for a stacked lineup of local electronic talent. Heading up the party-forward lineup is the fan-favourite combo of Flight Facilities and Hayden James — and they'll be joined by the likes of former Triple J House Party presenter KLP, Touch Sensitive, CC:Disco!, Set Mo and Yolanda Be Cool. The Jungle Giants, Confidence Man and Cosmo's Midnight are also onboard, hitting the decks for DJ sets. If the simple activity of grooving to tunes on a tropical island isn't enough motivation for you, festival-goers will also be treated to an island-hopping adventure between Daydream Island, Paradise Cove and a surprise location. Your itinerary can also include kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing and waterside cocktails, and, if you stay at Daydream Island Resort, you'll have four restaurants, three bars, a pool and a spa to enjoy as well. Dream Machine will run from Wednesday, October 6–Sunday, October 10, with festival events running for three days within that five-day, four-night period. Unsurprisingly, it isn't cheap, with packages starting from $1899 per person for a yacht stay and $2099 for a stay in the resort. The extravagant price tag will get you accommodation, breakfast each morning, ferry transport to and from the airport, and tickets to the festival (of course). DREAM MACHINE 2021 LINEUP: Flight Facilities (DJ set) Hayden James CC:Disco! Cosmo's Midnight (DJ set) Confidence Man (DJ set) Dena Amy Fleetmac Wood Generik Happiness is Wealth Jimi the Kween KLP Kristina Jaman Made in Paris Mira Mira Owl Eyes (DJ set) Poof Doof DJs Set Mo Squeef The Jungle Giants (DJ set) Touch Sensitive Wax'o Paradiso Yolanda Be Cool Dream Machine takes place from Wednesday, October 6–Sunday, October 10 in The Whitsundays. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, April 7 — visit the festival's website to sign up for pre-sale access.
Gold Coast four piece Oceanics are proud to announce their most realized work to date, their new single ‘The City’, and celebrate it with a tour out on the East Coast. Oceanics are quite a success story. Thanks to the strength of their second EP, Bright People (released in March of this year, they’ve signed a deal with Alberts (AC/DC, Gotye), been championed by MSN and AOL, performed with Michi in Japan and landed syncs for Quiksilver and Fox. The band has one foot firmly in late Britpop. With big hollow guitars and a cacophony of discordant tones they force together fans and send them into an inescapable trance. ‘The City’ is laden with infectious pop rhythm’s and keen hooks. A real, likeable gem its epic vibe has the crowd just lapping up its indie pop goodness.
The Brisbane Powerhouse is playing host to a great night of vibrant musical entertainment. The Rhythm of Melanesia combines native, contemporary and westernised styles of Hip Hop and Dance as well as elements of Melanesian Reggae. Countries represented in Rhythm of Melanesia include Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, with performers from each country participating in the event. South Sea Island songstress Georgia Corowa is performing alongside Papua New Guinean artists Jagarizzar and Cathy Lee as well as some as of yet unnamed performers from Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Rhythm of Melanesia is a part of the Powerhouse’s world music and dance program, Planet, which is delivered in partnership with multicultural arts organisation BEMAC.
If you live in 11 Local Government Areas in southeast Queensland — in the Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim LGAs, to be exact — then it has been some time since you've been able to flash your smile at people outside of your own home. Since the end of June, in an effort to stop the region's recent COVID-19 cases from spreading, wearing masks has been compulsory across the region. And, with these areas in lockdown until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8, that mask mandate will remain in place until then. This is familiar news, because the State Government has extended the mask requirement for these 11 LGAs not just once but multiple times now. That last extension was due to end at 6am on Friday, August 6; however, masks remain compulsory under lockdown conditions, so they're not going anywhere while stay-at-home rules are still active. If you need a refresher, the mask rules apply whenever you're spending time indoors somewhere other than your own home — and outdoors as well, which is a change from the mask mandate that was in place before lockdown. In all of these situations, you must wear a mask. Accordingly, you also always need to be carrying a mask with you. They must be worn at all times when you're not in your own house, unless five specific conditions apply. So, you don't have to mask up if you are alone in your car or with members of your household, if you're eating or drinking, and if you're at your usual workplace and can socially distance from others — unless you work in a hospitality venue or in transporting passengers, where you'll have to keep masking up regardless. You also don't have to cover your face if you are alone outdoors or with folks you live with, or if it is unsafe to do so. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1421984774277656576 Obviously, these rules cover — but aren't limited to — all indoor spaces other than your house, all indoor workplaces unless it is unsafe to do so, public transport, and in taxis and ride share vehicles. And, under lockdown, you can still only leave your home for four reasons: to get essential goods — for example, groceries and medications — but only within ten kilometres of your house; for essential work if you can't work from home, and for school or childcare; for exercise within ten kilometres of home, and only with one person who isn't in your household; and for healthcare, including to get a COVID-19 vaccination, or to provide help, care or support. Queensland currently has 66 active COVID-19 cases, with 13 locally acquired cases reported in the past 24 hours. As always, the usual requests regarding social distancing, hygiene and getting tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms also still apply — as they have since March last year. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gnTuWEKSXw BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC When it comes to goofy and sweet movie concepts handled with sincerity, the Bill & Ted franchise has always proven most triumphant. In 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, the big-screen comedy series introduced the world to Californian high schoolers Bill S Preston, Esq (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves), who are apparently destined to write the rock song that unites the universe — if they can first pass their history exam by travelling back in time in a phone booth to recruit famed past figures like Beethoven and Socrates to help, that is. The idea that Bill & Ted's affable, air guitar-playing slackers would become the world's salvation was a joke that the film itself was in on, and the movie struck the right balance of silliness, earnestness and affection as a result. So, the end product was joyous. And, it inspired two follow-ups: 1991's even loopier but still entertaining Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and now Bill & Ted Face the Music's affectionate dose of warm-hearted lunacy almost three decades later. Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) are back, obviously. They're older, definitely not wiser, and yet again take a few leaps through time. The fate of life as everyone knows it is still at stake. And, as always, the loveable pair's motto — "be excellent to each other" — is pivotal. Combine all of the above with marital malaise, chip-off-the-old-block daughters Theadora (Ready or Not's Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina (Atypical's Brigette Lundy-Paine), multiple Bills and Teds, and a 77-minute deadline to write the tune the changes the future, and Face the Music saunters casually forward with a purposeful sense of familiarity. Thankfully, though, this film isn't merely trying to relive past glories. In fact, the very notion that some dreams don't come true sits at the core of this tender and loving movie. Naturally, it's a delight to see Winter and Reeves reprise their roles. They step back into Bill and Ted's shoes with ease, expertly conveying the characters' lingering immaturity, middle-aged malaise and ever-present kindness. They're also clearly having a blast as different versions of the duo, and their enthusiasm is infectious. But when Face the Music finds a plethora of ways to illustrate the merits of their characters' optimistic and warm mindset, it's at its best. Far from bogus, the heartfelt happiness it brings is 100-percent excellent. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO2rvCCVQLQ ADAM From its opening frames, Moroccan drama Adam is both tender and determined, with neither trait subsiding for a moment. Its focus: the unmarried but visibly pregnant Samia (Nisrin Erradi), who tries to find both work and a place to stay in Casablanca as the birth of her baby approaches. Met with the type of attitudes she's already running from, and demonstrating her society's overall disdain for births outside of wedlock, she's turned away at every single door — including, at first, by baker and bereaved single mother Abla (Lubna Azabal). But when the latter spies Samia sleeping on the street across from her home and shop that same evening, she gives her a bed for the night. It's just a once-off, Abla insists; however after Samia hits it off with Abla's pre-teen daughter Warda (Douae Belkhaouda), shows that she's experienced at making pastries (popular ones, too, as the store's customers attest) and starts to share her story with her initially begrudging host, that arrangement is extended. If the above narrative sounds simple, that's because it is, with first-time feature filmmaker Maryam Touzani never resorting to needlessly complicating matters. There's enough that's complex about both Abla and Samia's situations as it is, including the way that they're treated by the world simply for existing and cycling through the usual life events that women face, that Adam really doesn't require any big twists or turns to heighten its emotional impact. A fine-tuned, observational, always heartfelt script, also by Touzani, helps considerably, as does the movie's naturalistic visual style — which suits a drama that makes clear the high stakes in play for its two characters, as well as the huge choices they're confronted with for their children, but allows its plot to unfurl in a low-key way. One playing resourceful but uncertain, the other stern and wounded, both Catch the Wind's Erradi and Mary Magdalene's Azabal turn in stellar performances, too. The film could easily watch the ebbs and flows of their relationship for far longer than its 98-minute running time, in fact. As a result of all of the above, add Adam to the ever-growing collection of features that thoughtfully, carefully and unwaveringly unpack the plights endured by women around the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgA8DMzjzlk SLIM & I As documentary Slim & I conveys more than once, there's little in this life that's ever been more Australian than Slim Dusty. But, as the film's title also informs viewers, this survey of more than a half-century of Aussie country music stardom isn't just about the man known for 'A Pub with No Beer', 'Duncan' and 'G'day G'day', among other tracks. For all of those years, and spanning more than 100 albums and oh-so-much time on the road playing the country's outback towns, Joy McKean was by Slim's side — as a performer in her own right on tour with him at first, then as his wife, musical partner and driving force, as well as the person responsible for penning most of his tunes. Joy won the first ever Golden Guitar award for writing Slim's 'Lights on the Hill', and her lyrical impact has inspired as many Aussie performers as her husband. Indeed, to make that point plain, Slim & I assembles a lineup of talking heads that spans Paul Kelly, Keith Urban, Missy Higgins, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kasey Chambers and Bill Chambers. As directed by Red Dog and The Go-Betweens: Right Here filmmaker Kriv Stenders — blending the unshakeable Australiana of the former with the music acumen of the latter — this affectionate doco also ensures that Joy herself does plenty of talking. Looking back on her life at the age of 90, she's sprightly, no-nonsense and generous as she chats through her and Slim's intertwined story, including the struggles as well as the highlights, and spanning both professional and personal details. An impressive treasure trove of archival footage is splashed across the screen to help, meaning that there's always a new and interesting piece of material to catch the audience's attention. It's all set to the obvious soundtrack, and the result is as loving, engaging, informative and well put-together as you'd expect from an endearing portrait of Aussie icons. While there's much about this celebratory effort that lingers, however, seeing Slim and Joy's commitment to taking their music to the country in action leaves a firm impression. It's never difficult to understand why this movie was screaming to be made, and why Joy deserves as much public acclaim as her husband, but watching the adoring response from the remote Indigenous communities they visited again and again isn't easily forgotten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6fssT03sSw BECKY If, in Becky, its eponymous 13-year-old protagonist was to exclaim "keep the change, ya filthy animal" — or, to be precise, to play a videotape of a movie where a gangster utters those words — it wouldn't be surprising for a second. That doesn't happen but it easily could've, given that Becky (Ready Player One's Lulu Wilson) is charged with fending off the villains who've encroached upon her family's lake house. That said, she isn't home alone. Her widower father Jeff (Joel McHale) is onsite as well and, much to Becky's displeasure, he has invited along his new girlfriend Kayla (The Handmaid's Tale's Amanda Brugel) and her young son Ty (Random Acts of Violence's Isaiah Rockcliffe). Alas, after a knock at the door, a group of Nazi prison escapees led by the tattooed and menacing Dominick (Kevin James) also make their presence known. Searching for a hidden key on the secluded property, they quickly take Jeff, Kayla and Ty hostage, leaving Becky to fight back. Like Kevin McCallister, Becky is eager to use every means at her disposal to mess with these interlopers — in a far more brutal and bloody fashion than this film's obvious predecessor, though. No one will be screening Becky to families at Christmas for decades and decades, that's for certain. Making their third feature after 2014's Cooties and 2017's Bushwick, filmmakers Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion don't ever pretend that they're in new territory here. Instead, they take their given concept, soak it in violence and embrace as much nasty carnage as they can fit in. The end result is repetitive, but it's also filled with a host of gorily entertaining and nicely choreographed B-movie moments. And although enlisting James to play wildly against type is blatantly supposed to be the big casting drawcard, it's Wilson who steals every scene as the calculating, clever, fierce and often fearsome teenage girl who won't let anyone — the dad she's initially angsty at, the future stepmother she doesn't want to give a chance or the very unpleasant men with equally unpleasant plans who spoil her weekend — get in her way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bovE44LgBv0 AFTER WE COLLIDED The worst movie of 2019 now has a sequel, and it's on track to claim that exact same title in 2020. Originally penned as Harry Styles fan fiction, the After series takes a leaf out of Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey's books by holding up a thoroughly toxic relationship as the ultimate in epic romances — this time focusing on the on-again, off-again exploits of two college students. In After, Tessa Young (Josephine Langford, the Wolf Creek TV series) and Hardin Scott (Hero Tiffin Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) met, opposites attracted and a hot-and-heavy affair kicked off, although the rebellious Hardin sought after the virginal Tessa with shady intentions. Accordingly, when After We Collided meets back up with the duo, they're no longer seeing each other. But the brooding Hardin is still unhealthily obsessed, and the supposedly smart and conscientious but actually overtly insecure Tessa can't help but make reigniting their bond the latest entry on her lengthy (and expanding) list of bad decisions. This time around, the plot uses Tessa's new internship as its reason for a fresh spate of terrible dialogue, as well as its source of drama. It's in publishing, in case 50 Shades didn't already spring to mind, and it's one of those fantasy jobs where the lowest person in the company's hierarchy gets their own office to sit around and read manuscripts in all day. Shameless and steamy wish fulfilment is exactly this franchise's aim, of course — but the big dream that author and After We Collided co-screenwriter Anna Todd pushes is constantly insulting, with the series repeatedly telling its audience that being loved by a moody, erratic bad boy, and taking the breakups, fights and stalking with the gifts and shower sex, is the ultimate fate. This sequel also throws a romantic rival into the mix, courtesy of Tessa's straight-laced colleague Trevor Matthews (Dylan Sprouse, twin brother of Riverdale's Cole Sprouse), and where that narrative strand goes proves as predictable as everything else in the film. Although he has Cruel Intentions on his resume, director Roger Kumble only adds superficial gloss and no signs of interest or excitement; however given that two more After books exist — After We Fell and After Ever Happy — it's highly likely two more movies will, too. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas, check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27 — and our full reviews of The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables and The New Mutants.
It's a film about searching for treasure, and it is indeed a treasure. La Chimera is also dreamy in its look and, while watching, makes its viewers feel as if they've been whisked into one. There's much that fantasies are made of in writer/director Alice Rohrwacher's fourth feature, which follows Corpo Celeste, The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro — God's Own Country breakout and The Crown star Josh O'Connor leading the picture as a British archaeologist raiding tombs in 80s-era Italy chief among them. Thinking about Lara Croft, be it the game, or the Angelina Jolie (in 2001 and 2003 flicks)- or Alicia Vikander (2018's Tomb Raider)-led movies, is poking into the wrong patch of soil. Thinking instead about the way that life is built upon the dead again and again, and upon unearthed secrets as well, is part of what makes La Chimera gleam. Rohrwacher's latest, which also boasts her Happy as Lazzaro collaborator Carmela Covino as a collaborating writer — plus Marco Pettenello (Io vivo altrove!) — resembles an illusion not just because it's a rare mix of both magical-realist and neorealist in one, too (well, rare for most who aren't this director). In addition, this blend of romance and drama alongside tragedy and comedy sports its mirage-esque vibe thanks to being so welcomely easy to get lost in. As a snapshot of a tombaroli gang in Tuscany that pilfers from Etruscan crypts to try to get by, it's a feature to dig into. As an example of how poetic a film can be, it's one to soar with. The loose red thread that weaves throughout La Chimera's frames, intriguing folks within the movie, also embodies how viewers should react: we want to chase it and hold on forever, even as we know that, as the feature's 130 minutes tick by, the picture is destined to slip through our fingers. Wearing his crumpled linen suits and residing in his makeshift shack, O'Connor's Arthur knows what it's like to not be able to grasp tightly onto what you want. Just as the movie that he's in transports its audience four decades back, he's stuck in the past, obsessing over the missing Beniamina (Yile Yara Vianello, The Beautiful Summer). Stolen Italian artefacts are his trade, with friends to help with the excavations but his own divining methods (rod included) locating where an invisible X marks the spot. When he's not dowsing and delving, or offloading the loot he extracts to antiquities dealers who profit from and perpetuate the cycle of tombaroli thievery far more than Arthur and his pals, the mansion of Beniamina's mother Flora (Isabella Rossellini, Spaceman) is his frequent pilgrimage. It was equally true of The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro: a movie by Rohrwacher, and with cinematographer Hélène Louvart (Disco Boy, The Lost Daughter, Never Rarely Sometimes Always) behind the lens, is a movie that looks ethereal and earthy at once. Shot on a mix of different film stocks (35-millimetre, 16-millimetre and Super16), La Chimera's imagery virtually floats, but it similarly sees the dirt and the grit. Arthur's journey couldn't better live and breathe that contrast as he illicitly uncovers riches in a marvellous setting, but not without the grime and the risk that goes with it. He also starts the feature freshly released from jail for his grave-robbing manner of making a living, then spends his time chasing more 2000-year-old pieces — pottery, statues and such — that mysterious broker Spartaco will pay for, as punctuated with chats with Flora and a burgeoning connection with her housekeeper Italia (Carol Duarte, Segunda Chamada). The language of archaeology, whether taking from the dead or studying history through its physical remains, is the language of discovering and seeking — and mine, disinter and pursue, Arthur does, including with his feelings and hopes. He pines for his lost love while burrowing down where valuables, secrets and lives gone by are kept; he's navigating his own Orpheus and Eurydice as well. He's haunted, plunging literally to where such torments spring from in humanity's eternal grappling with mortality, and also emotionally and psychologically into memories that gnaw as if they too are possessed. A mastery of symbolism is among Rohrwacher's many skills as a filmmaker; however, so is a command of effortlessly lingering in the realm, as La Chimera does, between the tangible and intangible. Here's another talent to her name: casting, especially with O'Connor standing in front of the camera. While Rossellini's involvement is a magnificent touch — only she can switch to marauding from warm, and back, so naturalistically and so quickly; also, the link with Italian cinema history that she brings via her director father Roberto Rossellini, the neorealist great, is so wonderfully apt — O'Connor is an exquisite choice as La Chimera's lead. Rumpled charm, lost-soul melancholy, drifting and yearning, a hold on his temper that's flimsier than a deal on the relics black market: as Arthur, he conveys or has them all. A picture as enigmatic as this needs someone at its centre that's able to both go with its flow and be grounded — and again, in a role that joins Mothering Sunday, Emma, Hope Gap and Challengers on his post-God's Own Country resume, that's O'Connor. As La Chimera proves evocative and expressive, and loose and playful, it takes its audience on an adventure so layered and distinctive that Rohrwacher could be the only one guiding it. Thoughtful and contemplative as her film also is, it has clear eyes to stare daggers at social inequality, and towards those who think that they can own the past. Forming a trilogy with The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro — one about beekeepers, the other about sharecroppers, each fascinated with communities that are far from the everyday now, as with the tombaroli — La Chimera almost feels as if it has pulled off a heist itself, then. In ensuring that every single element of the movie works perfectly, this gem steals itself a place as an unforgettable piece of cinema; long may it keep being cherished.
Running between South Brisbane's Grey and Manning streets, Fish Lane is the city's little roadway with a big impact. Everything from wine bars, beer cafes and rib shacks to hawker-style Asian restaurants, retro fish 'n' chipperies and famous gelato joints can be found along its expanse — and they've just scored four new neighbours. Already welcoming customers is Fish Lane's Next Episode, which combines getting a haircut with having a few beverages. The hip hop-themed spot is both a barbershop and a speakeasy — and to find the latter, you'll need to enter the main area, pick up the red phone on the wall and ask to be let in. Once inside, cocktails await, all with names to suit the venue's soundtrack and graffiti-style artwork. Gin and juice is one of them, and so is the vodka-fuelled 'I Got 99 Problems But a Drink Ain't One', the juniper tipple that is 'Hendrick's Lamar', and a bourbon and pear liqueur blend called 'Purple Drank'. Additional locations for both Kiss the Berry and DA'Burger round out Fish Lane's fresh class of newcomers, one slinging acai bowl and smoothies, and the other combining meaty burgs with 12 beers on tap. DA'Burger has expanded its range for its new store, too, adding vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. While the doors won't swing open until later this month, Grassfed ranks among the street's most exciting new inclusions. A collaboration between ex-Urbane chef Alejandro Cancino and Brisbane Vegan Markets' Jonny Garrison, it's a vegan burger bar that takes the meat out of everyone's favourite bread-based meal, but keeps plenty of flavour. Think mock pork, chicken and beef, as well as stacked veggie burgs, plant-based sides, cold beers and vegan ice cream. Find Next Episode, Kiss the Berry and DA'Burger on Fish Lane, South Brisbane. Grassfed will open from a yet-to-be-revealed date in December — we'll update you as soon as we know more.
Brunch is the pinnacle of a good weekend — but hosting your own brunch party can feel like a huge effort. However, gathering your friends for a tasty start to the weekend is well worth it when you get to pick out the best pastries from your favourite local bakery, purchase top-shelf booze for fancy bloody marys and spin your favourite tunes. It'll impress even the most hungover of your besties. Here to help you deliver an elevated brunch party, we've partnered with premium French vodka Grey Goose to give you five simple tips that'll turn your weekend get-together into an elegant affair. [caption id="attachment_704266" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] SET UP AN INTERACTIVE BAR Let's be real, the most important part of brunch is not the food but the drinks, and anyone who tells you otherwise obviously hasn't experienced the healing powers of a good bloody mary before noon, and that's their loss. So getting the booze portion of the morning right is a must. To turn a slow party into one with a purpose, set up an interactive bar for people to experiment with their drinks and get creative. Ensure you've stocked the best liquor — and keep it simple. Purchase a bottle of Grey Goose vodka as a premium base for a mood-lifting spritz, and, of course, the humble bloody mary. Having a French themed do? Order the limited-edition Maison La Biche bottle for a chic upgrade. PAIR YOUR FOOD AND DRINK FOR PERFECT HARMONY The symphony of food and booze is all you need for a really great brunch, so it's worth thinking about what cocktails go with which breakfast foods. For what it's worth, we reckon the classic bacon and eggs fry up with a bloody mary is always a winner, but if you really want to win at brunch, try making a Morning Mule (Grey Goose vodka, orange juice, ginger beer) with buttermilk pancakes, or a Breakfast Martini (Grey Goose vodka, orange marmalade, cointreau and lemon juice) with freshly baked pastries. And for the health-conscious, opt for a Provence Spritz (Grey Goose vodka, French rose and pink grapefruit juice), always fantastic with an açaí bowl. Experiment a little! It'll elevate the whole party, plus you get to drink while doing 'research'. [caption id="attachment_752451" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr/Creative Commons[/caption] OPT FOR AN EASY SELF-SERVE SET-UP Who amongst us isn't a little particular about our brekkie? Given it's often the first meal of the day, and one with the power to make-or-break your weekend, even the most relaxed guests can be fussy when it comes to breakfast food. So, in the spirit of diplomacy — and let's be honest, convenience — design a help-yourself table with grab plates and bowls and mountains of brunch staples (such as fresh fruit, yogurt, granola and juice) and plop them on the table. You're done with the serving part of the morning before it's even begun, plus it makes catering to dietary needs a breeze. [caption id="attachment_735735" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria/Josie Withers[/caption] SPLURGE ON THE GOOD STUFF Don't be afraid to spend a little on the best produce you can afford. Good produce means less work for you, and brunch is the most decadent meal of the day so it's worth sourcing fruit and veggies from the farmers' markets, or forking out for some really fancy orange juice from the supermarket. Be comforted by the fact that a good artisan bakery haul can save any meal and you can top it off with premium spirits for those cocktails, it makes all the difference when you're catering at home. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1x0bE4Gh2POCIMIpzP4dot[/embed] DON'T FORGET THE TUNES A good soundtrack can elevate your brunch party from a casual affair to an all-out party for the ages. Spend a bit of time ahead of the event thinking about your playlist of laidback tunes and singalong anthems (nostalgia is a quick pick-me-up in any occasion). Hit play and, with a healthy serving of hangover-busting cocktails, your guests are sure to find themselves dancing around the living room. Special shoutout to the likes of Angus and Julia Stone for chilled vibes, Jack Johnson for a retro feel, Nina Simone if it's THAT kind of morning, San Cisco for some light-hearted fun or any of the peppy indie supergroups from the last ten years. Feeling uninspired? Check out the Brunch Playlist above. It's your party, so pick whatever you feel will turn your brunch into an arvo dance party. Upgrade your brunch by choosing premium vodka Grey Goose. Each bottle is distilled in France, and the high quality vodka has a 100-percent traceable production process, from crop to cork.
Chunky Monkey, Clusterfluff, New York Super Fudge Chunk. These are just some of the more popular flavours of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, a leading cause of happiness around the world since 1978. While doctors in the future will no doubt tell me otherwise, we can’t think of many things better than gorging a giant tub of sweet, sweet ice-cream on a warm spring day, except for maybe getting some friends together and going to the movies. Well, it turns out Ben & Jerry’s can help us there as well. Staring on September 28 and running until early November, Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinema, erected on Rainforest Green, South Bank, will combine recent releases like Begin Again, Magic in the Moonlight and Guardians of the Galaxy with some more nostalgic picks, including Point Break,The Princess Bride and a sing-along screening of Grease. Festivities start daily at 5.30pm on school nights and 5pm on Friday and Saturday, with two screenings squeezed in most nights and plenty of time to suss out the bar and stock up on snacks. Best of all are the Sunday ‘Sundae’ Sessions, which kick off an hour earlier with additional music, games on the lawn and free Ben & Jerry’s for all. For session times and more information, check out the event website.. Image: Tyler Alberti.
To those in the know, Michael White has long been the epicentre of the London entertainment scene, spreading his producing talents across the stage and screen in everything from Oh! Calcutta! to Monty Python and the Holy Grail to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. To those outside his orbit, his name remains unfamiliar even as his impact is inescapable. Documenting the untold story of his life and legacy, The Last Impresario dwells in the space between both extremes. Australian actress and filmmaker Gracie Otto once fell into the latter category, until spotting White at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. There he sat, surrounded by the who's who of the industry, and her curiosity was instantly piqued. They quickly made each other's acquaintance, formed a firm friendship, and the idea for the film was born. In keeping with her enigmatic introduction to the now elderly entrepreneur, it is not White that monopolises Otto's insider look at his influence, but the myth of the charming man and the many people and projects that came under its thrall. A septuagenarian with declining health, he has a limited ability to tell his own tale, but there is no shortage of famous faces — from John Waters to John Cleese, Kate Moss to Anna Wintour, and Australians Greta Scacchi, Naomi Watts, Lyndall Hobbs and Barry Humphries — able to regale viewers with amusing anecdotes. Of course, much of the fun comes in reliving his celebrity experiences with Jack Nicholson, David Bowie and the like, as meticulously photographed by avid snapper White and further catalogued in decades' worth of memorabilia. His life and the documentary that results is the ultimate act of star-spotting, filtered through a charismatic figure who should be better known than those he interacts with. Scacchi succinctly puts it best; he is "the most famous person you've never heard of". Making her first full-length effort after a series of award-winning shorts, Otto is a naturalistic documentarian afforded ample access undoubtedly aided by her own movie pedigree (in addition to forging her own career, she is the daughter of Bliss's Barry and the sister of The Lord of the Rings' Miranda), yet only occasionally does she overplay her hand. Her visuals are vibrant, her interviews probe, but it is her tone that best impresses, celebrating the feature's subject while never shying away from the underlying melancholy of his less-than-ordinary existence. Two areas skirted around — White's illness and finances — provoke unfulfilled intrigue; however, what does comprise the film paints a very interesting picture nonetheless. The feature's thesis, that they just don't make them like White anymore, is easily proven. In name and in nature, The Last Impresario colourfully charts the final remnants of dying breed. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mRbUZA161vc
The past year has seen the film industry embrace streaming in a far bigger way than anyone could've imagined just 12 months ago. If you'd told even the most avid of movie buffs that a heap of cinema chains would be setting up their online viewing services, and that film festivals would be delivering their programs online, you might've been accused of wishful thinking. But, that's now the world we find ourselves in, and Event Cinemas is the latest Australian outfit to join the digital realm. It isn't turning its back on bricks-and-mortar picture palaces, of course. Neither did Sydney's Golden Age, or the teams behind the city's Ritz and Melbourne's Lido, Classic and Cameo cinemas when they did the same thing. Rather, the Aussie chain and its predecessors are all giving viewers more options, while also adapting to current movie-watching behaviour. Called Cinebuzz On Demand, Event Cinemas' service operates on a pay-per-view basis. So, it's more like YouTube Movies or Google Play than Netflix or Stan. You simply pick what you'd like to watch from its 1000-plus launch library, then pay accordingly per title — with prices starting at $4.99 per film. You won't find brand new, just-released blockbusters on the platform, or even the same movies that you can see if you head to one of Event Cinemas' physical locations and sit in a theatre. That said, the current catalogue does include plenty of flicks that have been brightening up the big screen over the past six months or so, such as Tenet, An American Pickle, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Wonder Woman 1984, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Antebellum and Baby Done. If you're particularly keen on comedies, horror movies, superhero flicks or Aussie titles, Cinebuzz On Demand lets users search by genre and theme. Or, you can simply browse through the entire library from A to Z. The service takes its name from Event Cinema's existing loyalty program, with members also earning points for their online rentals. And, viewing-wise, Cinebuzz On Demand is available on iPhones, iPads and Apple TV, plus Android and Chromecast, and on Windows and Mac devices as well. Cinebuzz On Demand is available via the service's website, with titles available to watch on a pay-per-view basis.
When it comes to movies, we sometimes use 'Hollywood' as a pejorative. We might employ it to mean schmaltzy, unrealistic, vapid and other similar unpleasantries. But when I say The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is the ultimate Hollywood movie, I mean it's the good side of Hollywood, all packaged and wrapped up in time for Christmas. Funny, optimistic, life-affirming and full of pretty pictures and massive special effects, the film is something of a passion project for Ben Stiller, who directed, produced and stars in it. It's adapted from a 1939 short story by Jamie Thurber that's been reshaped entirely beyond its basic premise. The film follows a quiet Life magazine staffer as he learns to seize the day. As the head of the negative assets department, Walter is responsible for selecting and processing the works of their world-roving star photographers, chief among them the shamanistic Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn). But Walter has never experienced this wide world for himself, after the blows of life turned him timid. Instead, he imagines epic adventures for himself — diving into exploding buildings to save a dog, hiking the Arctic and, in a high point of the film, living a backwards Benjamin Button-like life with the woman he loves. That he 'zones out' while engaged in these daydreams does not help his social standing in cutthroat New York. Life doesn't exist any more, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is set in the dying days of the monthly magazine. Ted Hendricks (a disconcertingly bearded Adam Scott) is brought in to oversee the move from print to online and the accompanying rafts of redundancies, and Walter is firmly in his sights. Unfortunately, Walter can't find Sean's 'negative 25', which the photographer has described as capturing the "quintessence of life" and which is wanted for the final cover. Given new courage by love — in the form of colleague Cheryl (Kristen Wigg) — he sets off to track down Sean and the missing negative, using the few clues he has. Iceland is his starting point for a very big adventure that sees his latent resourcefulness and cool coming to the surface. For a mainstream, very feelgood film, it's the weird quirks that make The Secret Life of Walter Mitty loveable. Aside from the interjecting daydream worlds, Walter is shadowed by an over-caring eHarmony customer service representative, Todd (Patton Oswalt), who's determined to help him succeed in love. Their phone chats, coming at inevitably odd times throughout the film, are always funny and welcome. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is really ideal New Year's rather than Boxing Day fodder, egging you into living fully and booking that adventure holiday you've been putting off. There's so much focus on travel as a means to self-realisation, in fact, that it's ultimately to the film's detriment. It's simplistic; skateboarding down the valley of an active volcano might make you a more open person, or it could make you a twat. All outcomes are possible for the intrepid traveller. But that shouldn't ruin the journey of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It's a charmer with a good heart and a healthy dose of unrealism. https://youtube.com/watch?v=7ve8mc6UNSk
You've probably heard about Brisbane in the '80s. Under the conservative Joh Bjelke-Petersen government, times were tough — particularly if you were an arts lover, creative practitioner, or just liked going out and having a good time. With dark days like that not that long ago in the city's past, it's little surprise that Brisbane's current hustle and bustle still inspires wonder from those who lived through it. It wasn't all bad news, though. Many artists left, but some persevered, hung out at One Flat, A Room, That Space, The Observatory, and John Mills National, and tried to make a go of it. ephemeral traces: Brisbane's Artist-run Scene in the 1980s documents the latter category: the progressive folks who dug in their heels, attempted to ply their trade and created an arts scene around those five key spaces. Through artworks, documentation and other bits and pieces, the exhibition delves into their artist-run activity and examines the projects, publications and places at the centre. Yes, getting all nostalgic about retro pop culture and art might be common, but this is a truly different kind of '80s flashback. Image: Jeanelle Hurst, Highrise Wallpaper, 1988. Documentation of the project 'InterFace 88: City as a work of art', Brisbane. Collection of Jeanelle Hurst.
The lineup for everyone's favourite New Year's Eve party has just landed, and it's a doozy. Way back in 1993, a tiny one-day concert was held in Lorne, a beautiful coastal town on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. Over 10,000 people showed up, far more than were expected, and a great Australian tradition was borne. In 2003 the festival (now known as Falls) celebrated hitting the big 1-0 by spreading its wings and setting up across the Bass Strait in Marion Bay; and now, to celebrate their 20th instalment, the Falls team are bringing the New Year party to Byron Bay for the first time. And they will be celebrating in style with the greatest house band in the world, The Roots, who haven't played in Australia since the Great Escape festival (RIP) in Sydney in 2007. They always bring the party, and we should thank Jimmy Fallon for lending them to us even if just for the weekend. The other headliners include festival favourites The Wombats, the always-interesting Grizzly Bear, 2013 Album of the Year contenders Vampire Weekend, R&B star Solange and The Violent Femmes. And there's an excellent contingent of local acts, too, including Hermitude, Pond, Chet Faker and Big Scary. Tickets will be allocated via a ballot, which is currently open via the Falls website. Registrations close on midday, August 26. Ballot-winners will be able to purchase up to four tickets from August 29, 9am. There will also be an allocation of tickets set aside for general sales starting on September 4, 9am. Prices will be released soon. Falls Festival first announce line-up: !! (Chk Chk Chk)AstaBig ScaryBombinoBonoboThe Cat EmpireChet FakerCrystal FightersCyril HahnFlight FacilitiesGosslingGrizzly BearHanni El KhatibHermitudeJames Vincent McmorrowLondon GrammarMGMTNeil FinnPondThe Preatures The RootsRüfüsSolangeTom Odell Vampire WeekendViolent FemmesWhite DenimThe Wombats Event dates: Lorne, Victoria (18-plus): December 28–January 1Marion Bay, TAS (all-ages): December 29-January 1Byron Bay, NSW (18-plus): December 31–Jan 3
To some people, Doctor Who is just a television show and a character that likes telephone booths. To others, the time lord and his TV program are the inspiration for an all-consuming obsession. Rob Lloyd falls into the latter camp, and has dedicated himself to amassing as much Doctor Who knowledge and paraphernalia as he can afford since 1996. In his honest and hopefully hysterical one-man show, he details his fascination and its consequences. He also dares to ponder and answer the questions every pop culture fan contemplates: how did he get here? Why is he so fixated? Is his passion healthy?
If you're a fan of basketball, talented Aussies shooting hoops and one of the biggest local names in the game in the 21st century, then this one's a slam dunk: Patty Mills is coming home to chat about his career. The Brooklyn Nets point guard returns to Australia for the first time since helping score the Boomers their first-ever Olympic medal — and shooting 42 points himself in the crucial bronze-winning match — to tour the nation throughout September. Whether you're keen to hear the man himself discuss his success, life, learnings and everything in-between in the flesh, or you know some budding basketballers who are eager to follow in the Indigenous Aussie's footsteps, you have options. There are two parts to the tour: basketball camps for young up-and-comers and in-conversation gigs. Yes, the four-time Olympian will be present at both. [caption id="attachment_867421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erik Drost via Flickr[/caption] The camps will hit up the Gold Coast, Logan, Sydney, Thursday Island, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne in one-day stints, starting on Wednesday, September 7 — but players do need to be aged between 12–17 to head along. If that's someone you know, they'll get time with the some of the top basketball coaches and volunteers in each area, and also nab an up-close-and-personal experience with Patty Mills himself. Plus, basketball clinician DJ Sackmann will be leading the fun. The onstage component of Mills' tour will make four stops, kicking off on Monday, September 5 at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, then heading to ARA Darling Quarter Theatre in Sydney, Astor Theatre in Perth and the Palais Theatre in Melbourne. That's where the star player will speak from the heart about his journey — which has taken the Kokatha, Naghiralgal, Duaureb-Meriam man from growing up in Canberra to rising through the basketball ranks, and also becoming Australia's first Indigenous Olympics flag bearer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Patty Mills (@balapat) "The Patty Mills Unearthed Tour is the realisation of a dream that I have had for some time now. Home really is where the heart is, and this homecoming trip fulfils a desire in me to connect with the communities and supporters who have been by my side, no matter where my career has taken me," said Mills. "It's been a huge couple of years and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to go back to my roots to deliver an immersive experience to be felt and enjoyed both on and off the court. It was also important that this tour allowed me to share parts of me that I've never been able to share before. Getting up close and personal with my own hopes, challenges and achievements has allowed me to embrace opportunity to the fullest and by sharing my own journey, I hope to inspire others out there, especially our youth, who are on their own path of self-discovery." PATTY MILLS UNEARTHED AUSTRALIA 2022 TOUR DATES: SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE — PATTY MILLS IN HIS OWN WORDS Monday, September 5 — The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane Sunday, September 11 — ARA Darling Quarter Theatre, Sydney Friday, September 16 — Astor Theatre, Perth Tuesday, September 20 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne PATTY MILLS BASKETBALL CAMPS WITH DJ SACKMAN Wednesday, September 7 — Gold Coast Thursday, September 9 — Logan Saturday, September 10 — Sydney Tuesday, September 13 — Thursday Island Saturday, September 17 — Perth Monday, September 19 — Adelaide Wednesday, September 21 — Melbourne The Patty Mills Unearthed Tour heads around Australia throughout September 2022, with tickets to both the on-court and speaking events on sale now.
Located in Burketown, Yagurli Tours is a First Nations-owned and operated tour company. With local Gangalidda and Garawa guides, these experiences offer a unique opportunity to learn about Tropical North Queensland from the Traditional Custodians of the land. Yagurli Tours offer five different immersive adventures, like Yaliya's Stories (Stargazing) on Australia's largest salt pans and the Gambumanda Sunset Cruise with dinner and drinks. Also on offer is the Marrija 4WD Cultural Tour and Aloft Hot Air Balloon flights showcasing the Albert River, salts pans and the Arafura Sea in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Image: Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
Laura Davis is the kind of comedian that, after watching her share tales of life, love, fears and fragility for 60 minutes, you feel like you've just become BFFs with. And yes, the fact that she takes to the stage wearing a ghost costume definitely has something to do with it. We're not saying that's why her latest show, Ghost Machine, won the Golden Gibbo Award at the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the best comedy gong at the 2015 Melbourne Fringe. But, we're not saying that her warts-and-all onstage confessions don't feel more personal and poignant than your average stand-up routine, either. Laura Davis is one of our top ten picks to see at the Brisbane Comedy Festival.
After being cancelled just days out from its usual Easter slot, then postponed to October, Bluesfest has announced its new 2021 lineup. The festival's first event in more than two years will once again take over Byron Events Farm (formerly Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm) just outside Byron Bay. And, on- and off-stage, it won't be lacking in company. Leading the bill between Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4: Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Tash Sultana and Jimmy Barnes. They'll each headline a different night of the now four-day fest, and will be joined by a lengthy list of familiar homegrown names. Ocean Alley and Ziggy Alberts will also be taking to the stage, as will everyone from Xavier Rudd, Kate Ceberano and The Church to Barnes' Cold Chisel bandmate Ian Moss, Briggs and Kate Miller-Heidke. A number of the newly announced acts were initially due to play at the festival in April, until a COVID-19 outbreak saw NSW Health sign a public health order to cancel the event. This is the second year that Bluesfest has been forced to adapt its plans, after its 2020 fest was completely scrapped due to the pandemic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bluesfest Byron Bay (@bluesfestbyronbay) Season tickets to the rescheduled 2021 festival will go on sale at 9am on Thursday, May 20, with one- and three-day passes set to follow at a yet-to-be-announced date. Folks with tickets for the April festival will be contacted by Moshtix with all the necessary information about the new dates, rolling your existing tickets over and getting a refund if you can no longer attend. BLUESFEST OCTOBER 2021 LINEUP: Midnight Oil Paul Kelly Tash Sultana Jimmy Barnes Ocean Alley Ziggy Alberts John Butler Xavier Rudd The Cat Empire Pete Murray Mark Seymour & The Undertow Kate Ceberano Kasey Chambers The Waifs The Church Jon Stevens Ian Moss The Living End The Angels Ross Wilson And The Peaceniks Russell Morris Troy Cassar-Daley Briggs Tex Perkins The Man In Black Hiatus Kaiyote Kate Miller-Heidke Weddings Parties Anything The Black Sorrows The Bamboos Chain Backsliders Ash Grunwald Melbourne Ska Orchestra Vika & Linda Jeff Lang Nathan Cavaleri Mick Thomas' Roving Commission Kim Churchill Henry Wagons JK-47 Garrett Kato Mama Kin Spender Dami Im Pierce Brothers Emily Wurramara The Buckleys Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers Ray Beadle Pacey, King & Doley All Our Exes Live in Texas Hussy Hicks Roshani Declan Kelly Daniel Champagne Little Georgia Lambros. Round Mountain Girls The Regime Electric Lemonade Palm Valley Byron Busking Competition Bluesfest 2021 will now run from Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay. Season passes will go on sale at 9am on Thursday, May 20, with one- and three-day passes set to follow at a yet-to-be-announced date. For further information, head to the Bluesfest website. Top image: Andy Fraser
If you're missing travel as much as we are, you're probably spending your days dreaming of faraway destinations — and binge watching every single travel show on Netflix. But, Australian intrastate borders are beginning to open, which means it's time to start planning a local getaway. And we found a way to do this that won't cost you a cent. Surf fashion brand Roxy is giving two Aussies the chance to win a free trip to absolutely any beach in the country. Maybe you could head to New South Wales' Cabarita Beach — Tourism Australia's best beach for 2020 — or The Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach, which has been named one of the best beaches in the world (multiple times). Whether you're after white sands and sparkling blue waters, secluded spots hidden away from the hustle and bustle or legendary stretches of surf, Australia has it. You just need to choose the beach you want to visit. [caption id="attachment_785976" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whitehaven Beach in The Whitsundays[/caption] To enter, head over to the competition website and describe, in 25 words or less, your all-time favourite Aussie beach, and what makes it so bloody great. You'll also have to subscribe to the Roxy mailing list, but we reckon that's a small price to pay. If you win, Roxy will organise the flights, accommodation and hire car to your chosen destination — and you'll get a $500 gift card to spend on some new beachy threads. And don't worry about COVID-19 restrictions when choosing your beach — Roxy will honour the prize until it's fully safe to travel anywhere in Australia. The competition closes on Saturday, October 31, though, so best get on it. Roxy's Request a Beach competition run until Saturday, October 31. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
If you're fond of staring at the heavens with your own two eyes to see a stunning sight, you'll want to spend Wednesday, September 18, 2024 looking up. A supermoon is upon us, with the best time to see it arriving just after sunset Down Under — so if you train your peepers upwards this evening, you'll be in for a glowing show. While super full moons aren't particularly rare — several usually happen each year, and one occurred just last month — there is a good reason to peer upwards this time around. If you're wondering why, we've run through the details below. [caption id="attachment_769713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NASA/Joel Kowsky[/caption] What Is It? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. As we all learned back in November 2016, a supermoon is a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. They're not all that uncommon — and because September 2024's supermoon is a full moon (and not a new moon), it's called a super full moon. It's also a harvest moon, too, which refers to the time of year in the northern hemisphere, because this is when the autumn harvest tends to begin in the other half of the world. Of course, that doesn't apply in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks. When Can I See It? As mentioned above, your best time to look at the harvest supermoon is from sunset on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. The moon always appears full for a few days, however, so if you already thought that the night sky looked a little brighter this week, that's why. To catch a glimpse, you'll want to peek outside when it gets dark to feast your eyes on a luminous lunar sight. Head over to timeanddate.com for the relevant moonrise and moonset times for your area. In Sydney, the moon rises at 6pm on Wednesday and sets at 6.19am on Thursday. Those times for Melbourne are 6.26pm Wednesday and 6.43am Thursday, while Brisbane's are 5.53pm Wednesday and at 6.13am Thursday. In Perth, it's 6.26pm Wednesday and 6.44am Thursday, while Adelaide's are 6.23pm Wednesday and 6.40am Thursday. Where Can I See It? You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies — so city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. Also, if you've heard about the supermoon partial lunar eclipse, sadly that's not visible from Australia — but you can watch it online from 11am AEST Down Under. Via NASA / timeanddate.com. Top image: Andrew C.
Cyclists, for a long time considered well behind the peloton in the fashion stakes, seem to be catching up. Leading designers are decking them out in fashionable threads, and now the helmet is even starting to look good. Perhaps fuelled by the rise in cycle chic, designers are now rethinking the humble lid and giving it a new look — after all, what’s the point of looking sharp in your $650 jacket if you cap it off with a Stackhat? Designboom have gathered together some of the more interesting takes on the humble helmet. Some simply add some quality materials to the traditional design, others take inspiration from the military, or nature. The more radical ideas start with a blank slate, and end up with something foldable that can be slipped in your handbag or back pocket. They might look great and suit your new outfit perfectly, but many of them wouldn’t meet Australian safety standards. Which is a shame, as it seems that a lot of cyclists would rather be a traffic-victim than a fashion-victim. [via Designboom]
Since Australia started easing out of COVID-19 lockdown, the country's internal border restrictions have earned plenty of attention. With tactics to stop the spread of the coronavirus implemented at a state-by-state level, each Aussie state has navigated the situation in its own way when it comes to letting non-residents visit. Queensland's decision to keep closed to date has become a particularly frequent political talking point, for example, although every other state apart from New South Wales and Victoria also shut their borders. Slowly, however, they're beginning to open back up — with South Australia the latest to unveil its reopening plans. In a press conference held today, Friday, June 12, Premier Steven Marshall revealed that SA will allow travellers from interstate back in from Monday, July 20. "South Australia has been doing particularly well," Premier Marshall noted, not only announcing the end of border restrictions, but that the state will move into its third stage of eased COVID-19 measures earlier than expected. That phase will now kick off from Monday, June 29. That means that, when folks from other parts of the country do head to SA for a holiday from the latter half of July, they'll enter a state with some of the most relaxed coronavirus measures in the nation (based on announcements at the time of writing). Premier Marshall also advised that stage three will no longer require a specific 100-person cap on the number of people in public places, but will revert to the overall rule of one person per four square metres. [caption id="attachment_679115" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Africola by SATC[/caption] That's a move that has been given the national stamp of approval, as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also revealed today. From July, Australia will allow socially distanced mass gatherings to return and won't require the previously proposed 100-person patron limit — with SA the first state to announce when that will come into effect following the day's national cabinet meeting. While receiving the tick at federal level, all states will need to implement the change separately. Regarding current quarantine requirements in SA, with anyone given permission to enter state at present required to self-isolate for 14 days, Premier Marshall said that further details are still being finalised. "We will be looking at some of the state borders with individual state borders who are doing particularly well," he noted. "We don't want to unnecessarily detain people for two weeks of isolation if they don't pose a health risk for us in South Australia." If you're now eager to start planning an SA getaway, we have suggestions — whether you're eager to hit up Adelaide, or sip and sightsee your way around the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Limestone Coast or the Clare Valley. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in South Australia, and the state's corresponding restrictions, visit its online COVID-19 hub. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: d'Arenberg Cube
If you're craving to know what the world's best supper tastes like, you’d best book yourself a flight to Denmark. Restaurant magazine has announced the World’s Best 50 Restaurants for the year and Copenhagen’s Noma has reclaimed the Number One position. Having topped the list in 2010, 2011 and 2012, it fell to second in 2013. Meanwhile, second place went to El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain and third to Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. So, how did we fare? The only Australian restaurant to have made the Top 50 is Melbourne’s Attica, which fell from 21 but still came in at 32; also named the Best Restaurant in Australia for the second year in a row. The judges laud head chef Ben Shewry’s "earthly flavours and foraged ingredients", describing the Attica dining experience as "simultaneously sophisticated and deeply grounded". They’re also impressed with Shewry’s commitment to "his principles of sustainability, to his family and to the cooking craft". Meanwhile, Sydney’s Quay, headed by chef Peter Gilmore, slipped from 48 to 60. (Despite the awards being titled ‘World’s Best 50’, the top 100 are named as well). Even though just two of our homegrown restaurants made the list, Aussies chefing abroad have been making an impact. Newcastle’s Brett Graham, who heads The Ledbury, London was pleased to secure tenth place. “It’s a huge surprise,” he said. “We’ve got a great young team, actually half-full of bloody Australians as well, from all over the country.” At the same time, David Thompson’s Bangkok-based Nahm ranked 13th. He expressed that it’s not easy for Aussie restaurants. "One of the difficult things for Australian restaurants is that it’s so distant – or so far away from the circuit of judges," he said. "It’s a matter of luck in the awards ceremony; it really is." Finally, Sydney chef Tetsuya Wakuda came in at 50th with his Singapore-based restaurant Waku Ghin, improving on last year's 68th ranking. Image credit: Ben Hutchison
