You've seen the TV series, following an incredibly relatable tale of trying to balance work, life, love and the like. Now, see the play that inspired the show. Before Fleabag was winning TV awards all over the UK, including a BAFTA for best female performance in a comedy for writer/creator/star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it was a similarly applauded one-woman stage piece. And, it's headed to Brisbane. Actress Maddie Rice takes on the lead role as Fleabag hits Brisbane Powerhouse from February 8 to 10, stepping through the story of its titular character. Fleabag's existence is perhaps best described as chaotic. Friends, family, job interviews, keeping a guinea pig-themed café afloat... they're just the beginning. The idea behind it came at one of Waller-Bridge's pal's storytelling nights, as a challenge to create a character for a ten-minute slot. If you're a fan, you'll want to see where it all began — and fill in the gap until the TV show's second season, which is expected in 2019. If you've just heard everyone talking about Fleabag, and haven't watched it yet, here's your chance to jump on board.
Plenty can happen in six years. Since the last time that Hans Zimmer performed in Australia, his score for Dune won him his second Academy Award and his work on Dune: Part Two earned him his fifth Grammy, for instance. Over that period, the iconic composer has also given everything from No Time to Die, Wonder Woman 1984, Top Gun: Maverick and The Creator to Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III their tunes. One of the biggest names in big-screen music, he's clearly been busy — but he's not too busy to add a three-city Aussie tour to his 2025 calendar. Zimmer will head Down Under for the first time since 2019, including for one night in Sydney. If you've seen him live before, you'll know that this is quite the sonic experience, especially for movie lovers. And if you haven't caught him yet, you'll want to fix that at his Thursday, April 24 gig at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. For more than four decades now, Zimmer has given screens big and small a distinctive sound. The German composer helped put the bounce in The Lion King's score and the droning in Inception's memorable tunes, and has loaned his talents to everything from Thelma & Louise to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to Blade Runner 2049. It's an impressive list that just keeps going and growing — see: above — and it sounds even more impressive when played live and accompanied by an orchestra. [caption id="attachment_990221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] The latest trip Down Under for the man who has worked his music magic on a wealth of titles — Hidden Figures, The Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Widows, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, The Lion King remake and The Crown are just a few more of his recent-ish credits — comes not only after his 2019 visit, but after he toured his Hans Zimmer Revealed concert series in 2017, including to Australia. His 2025 shows see the return of his Hans Zimmer Live gigs, complete with a 19-piece live band and full orchestra, as well as a huge stage production that features a luminous light show and other eye-catching visuals. While the Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony-winner obviously isn't going to perform every single one of his iconic film scores, expect to hear plenty of your favourites from a newly arranged lineup of tunes that includes Dune, Gladiator, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, The Lion King, The Last Samurai and Pirates of the Caribbean. Onstage, Zimmer will have Australian singer Lisa Gerrard for company, with some of the songs that she co-penned with him featuring in the set — so, tracks from Mission: Impossible, King Arthur, Black Hawk Down, Tears of the Sun and more. [caption id="attachment_990220" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] Top images: Lee Kirby / Frank Embacher Photography / Suzanne Teresa.
Ever wanted to see a Bollywood-style comedy about two vaginas falling in love? The idea mightn't have crossed your mind, but you'll want to see this show at MELT Festival. The Adventures of Yoni 1 & Yoni 2 has plenty of fun with its concept, as you'd expect from the writer and producer behind Midsumma and Mardi Gras hit The Ultimate Lesbian Double Feature. Affection, taking inspiration from Indian cinema and discovering what happens with the female body parts in question embark on the path to matrimony are all on the agenda, as told with humour and dancing. As for what happens next, well, there's an answer to that — but you'll just have to join creator Zoe Brinnand to find out.
After critical accolades at the Next Wave festival in 2014, James Welsby's evocative dance production Hex is making its way north for MELT. Partly inspired by this controversial HIV/AIDS awareness ad from 1987, Welsby's show uses movement, music and allegorical imagery to chronicle the gay community's relationship with the devastating disease. To the tunes of Queen, Liberace and Michael Jackson, three dancers move fluidly through the gay scene of the early '80s, the onset of the AIDs crisis, all the way up to present day. In doing so, the hour-long show pays tribute to the countless lives lost to illness, while exploring its impact on young gay men today. HEX is one of our top six picks of MELT Festival. See the other five here.
SBS2 has poached Vive Cool City from the clutches of its internet following to give them a stab at a late-night TV viewership. The show takes a look at some of humanity's beautiful freaks through the winning presence of judgement-free, committed reporters. If you are suspicious about the 'committed' bit of that sentence, let me refer you to Ryder Susman's brush with a golden shower, and by brush I mean this. "(Our) aim is to embed, to understand, to attempt to get an uncensored take on the story," explains host and former Hungry Beast reporter Kirk Docker. "What we want our audience to do is see the topics we deal with, with new eyes — get them thinking, talking, questioning. What people get up to in real life is so much more compelling than what you can make up." Tonight at 11.30pm, Kirk, along with Ryder Susman, will announce the arrival of Vive Cool City to SBS2 by dropping into the Collingwood housing projects to interview heroin users, taking an in-depth look at a nudist Melbourne gym and introducing us to homemade tunnels, equine psychotherapy and Swedish bridge jumpers. Not to mention the You Report segment, where some UK viewers will show us the intricacies of turning breast milk into ice cream. The show claimed 10 million views on YouTube and has some serious TV pedigree behind it in producer Andy Nehl (Hungry Beast and The Chaser), so Vive Cool City could well be your next 30 (uncomfortable) minutes of choice. Check out some of their online stuff at their website.
When you were a kid, did you wish that all your favourite chocolates would be turned into ice creams? You might've, but you also could've also just been perfectly happy scoffing down whichever bars took your fancy whenever you had the chance. Both are acceptable. That said, as every Gelato Messina fan knows, the dessert chain has spent a decent amount of time not only pondering whether a heap of childhood faves should get the gelato treatment, such as Iced Vovos, lamingtons, Coco Pops and more, but actually following through. Here's the latest example: gelato Bounty and Chokito bars, which are a real thing that you can treat your tastebuds to in Brisbane this week. They're called 'the bounty hunter' and 'chok-it-out-now', respectively, and the first includes salted caramel gelato and chocolate fudge, which is coated in a milk chocolate and rice bubble rocher glaze — and the second goes with chewy coconut and salted coconut gelato, as coated in a dark chocolate glaze The catch? Like almost all Messina specials, they're here for a good time, not a long time. With the James Street Food and Wine Trail finally bringing its big culinary party back to New Farm this month after two pandemic-affected years, Messina is busting out these gelato Bounty and Chokito bars as part of the trail's Market Day. While the entire food and wine fest runs from Thursday, July 28–Sunday, July 31, the Market Day only happens on the Sunday. You'll find the bars on offer then from 10am–6pm. You'll also need to hit up Messina's Market Day stall, which you'll find between McLachlan and Arthur streets, rather than its James Street store. And yes, this'll fill the Messina-shaped gap you might have in your freezer right now if you ordered some of its special tubs when it dished up 40 of its greatest gelato hits back in June, but you've eaten them all already. Gelato Messina's chok-it-out-now and bounty hunter bars will be on sale from 10am–6pm on Sunday, July 31 at the James St Food and Wine Trail. For more information, head to the Messina website.
The term 'ladies night' mightn't always make you want to rush to a bar, but Dolls 'n' Drams should. Held on International Women's Day on March 8, it's The Gresham's way of celebrating a tasty type of amber spirits and the ladies who love it. We'll say cheers to that. Cocktails on arrival, tastings, samples and just all-round tasty beverages: they're all on offer. So are charcuterie, spending time with fellow whisky aficionados and just generally giving a dram. Attendees will get all of the above for $45, with the fun kicking off at 7pm. As for the exact tipples you'll be drinking, Suntory's Yamazaki Japanese whisky will be in the spotlight, plus a few others from Scotland, Ireland and the US. It's basically a global tour just for your whisky-loving tastebuds, and it sounds like a successful evening to us.
UPDATE, November 25, 2022: The Northman is available to stream via Binge, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Satanic goats don't talk in The Northman. Heartthrobs don't masturbate while fondling mermaid figurines, either. Still, within ten minutes, pre-teen Viking prince Amleth (Oscar Novak, The Batman), his glory-seeking warrior father King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke, Moon Knight) and jester-meets-shaman Heimir (Willem Dafoe, Nightmare Alley) descend into a fire-lit cave to take hallucinogens, growl, grunt, bark like wolves and fart like it's a god-given superpower. If viewers didn't know who's behind this bold, brutal, brilliant, and blood- and guts-strewn Scandinavian opus before then, there's no doubt from this trippy scene onwards: after The Witch and The Lighthouse, writer/director Robert Eggers' touch, approach and style have become that distinctive just three remarkable features into his helming career. As he first demonstrated with his potent pilgrim horror movie, then doubled down on with his mesmerising oceanside nightmare, Eggers crafts chaotic celluloid dreams about faith- and sanity-stretching dances with madness and mania. He makes features so striking that they're haunting, rippling with the devotedly realistic and the hypnotically occult in tandem. Eggers' work isn't merely meticulously tense and atmospheric; it proves blisteringly visceral to the point of feeling inescapably tangible. Indeed, his steadfast commitment to authenticity spirits the whole concept of immersive filmmaking high into movie Valhalla. See: the vivid period-appropriate detail in The Northman's Nordic villages, which'd only be more evocative if they'd time-travelled in from the ninth and tenth centuries. Sense: the entrancing swirl that springs from all of the above, complete with Eggers' unfailing idiosyncrasies. Experience: the sublime tussle with myth, fantasy and folklore that results, as it has in each of his features, to both plunge into and interrogate his history-set reveries. In this untamed and laid-bare portrait of the past, something is rotten in the state of Iceland — as it was in Denmark via William Shakespeare, and in the Pride Lands of Africa in both versions of The Lion King. Writing The Northman's screenplay with poet, novelist and Björk collaborator Sjón (Lamb), Eggers takes his cues not from Hamlet, however, but from the Old Norse legend of Amleth that inspired the iconic tragedy. The narrative still involves a son anointed to be the future king, a tragedy that shatters his regal family, and a dastardly uncle who gets murderous to seize the throne and his brother's wife, of course. And, it keeps following its protagonist as he wages a determined odyssey of feral revenge against the man who reshaped his fate so ruthlessly. "I will avenge you, father. I will save you, mother. I will kill you, Fjölnir." That's Amleth's vow as a boy on a north Atlantic island in 895 when he witnesses the latter's (Claes Bang, Locked Down) treachery. He flees after hearing his uncle bay for his head, too, and seeing him carry off Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos) as a spoil of his victory. Two decades later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård, Succession) is a hulking, wolfskin-clad Viking berserker, living life flinging whatever weaponry he can find while viciously pillaging through the lands of the Rus. But amid the bloodlust, gore and piling-up body count, the intense marauder is thrust back onto his vengeance-seeking path. A Slavic seeress (Björk, in her first film role since 2005) whispers stark truths about his current savagery and lapsed mission against Fjölnir, reigniting his yearning for that promised slaughter — and the single-minded behemoth learns that his uncle is now sheep-farming in Iceland, having lost the kingdom in another coup. A line from Hamlet comes to mind: "now could I drink hot blood". By the time Amleth brands himself to pass as a prisoner of war, slips onto a slave ship and ensures he's among the new captives at Fjölnir's ranch, he's already literally done just that. But his thirst for honouring his father, rescuing his mother and slaying his uncle remains unquenched, and he soon has help from and the heart of fellow servant Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy, who scored her big break with The Witch alongside Eggers). How that quest eventuates won't surprise anyone familiar with the Bard, but The Northman still astonishes again and again. As only visionary filmmakers can, Eggers refuses to take any expected turn or make a single predictable move even while playing with a plot that's long spilled its thrills across popular culture, and while slashing into a genre — Viking epics — that's rarely far from screens. High among The Northman's joys and wonders, both large and small, sits its cast — with Skarsgård fulfilling a decade-plus journey from playing True Blood vampire Eric Northman to both starring in and producing this, which he's been trying to bring to fruition for just as long. His muscular power and presence as the epitome of rage and revenge is pulsating, not to mention physically commanding, and buying Amleth as the lacerating spirit of both a wolf and a bear is one of the easiest things about the film. His Big Little Lies co-star Kidman also turns in a ferocious performance, and the pair's evolution from that TV hit's husband-and-wife dynamic to this flick's unhinged mother-and-son duo drips with the requisite Oedipal creepiness. Elsewhere, Bang does brooding villainy like he's born to it, as he showed in Dracula; 22 years after playing Hamlet himself, Hawke delivers a 20-minute supporting-player masterclass; and the inimitable Taylor-Joy ensures that no one else could ever be pictured in her pivotal part. Plus, that Eggers finds small roles for The Witch's Kate Dickie and Ralph Ineson doesn't go unnoticed. A ravaging rampage of a film — a movie beating with unshakeable fury, as metal a Viking saga that's ever likely to be made, and equally thunderous and off-kilter — Eggers' best feature yet wouldn't be what it is without its weight and spectacle, though. It's a picture of brusque poetry in its dialogue, its curt lines laden with importance but never trite (Amleth's stated juggling act to find "kindness for my kin and hate for my enemies" included). It's a work of elemental potency in its sweepingly shot imagery, with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke (a veteran of all three of the director's films) painting with light, the stunning landscapes, and the wind, rain, snow, mud, fire and ash that lurks upon it. That's true in the head-splitting game of Knattleikr that makes just one primal centrepiece, the climactic naked volcano sword fight and the many supernatural-laced sights in-between. And, it all contributes to a breathtaking cinematic onslaught that savvily turns hellishness into movie heaven — all without shying away from the costs and sacrifices of Amleth's crusade; serving up a simplistic revenge fantasy; or excusing, glorifying or downplaying the relentless violence that informs every moment.
It's been four years since Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water turned a creature feature into a love story, and won the filmmaker the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars in the process. That's four years that movie fans have had to wait for his next dance with horror — because the director behind everything from vampire flick Cronos and dark fantasy Pan's Labyrinth to kaiju-versus-machine effort Pacific Rim and gothic haunted house feature Crimson Peak sure does love twisting genre staples in his own ways. Viewers love his work for doing just that, too, and del Toro's long-awaited next film looks set to continue the trend. With Nightmare Alley, he's forgoing Mimic's bugs, The Devil's Backbone's ghosts and Blade II's bloodsuckers in favour of spinning up psychological thrills in a carnival — and, as seen in the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the film, doing so with quite the impressive cast. Here, Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born) plays carnival worker Stan Carlisle, who has a gift for using the right words to get people to do what he wants. That's a savvy — and manipulative, obviously — skill, and it proves even more so after he teams up with psychiatrist Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett, Where'd You Go, Bernadette). Adapting William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel of the same name — which was already turned into a movie back in 1947 — Nightmare Alley also features Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse), Rooney Mara (Mary Magdalene), Toni Collette (Dream Horse), del Toro regular Ron Perlman (who starred in the director's original Hellboy movies) and The Shape of Water's Richard Jenkins. And, as the trailer shows, it's embracing its setting in a big way. Throughout his almost three-decade filmmaking career, del Toro has always given his features quite the entrancing look (see: everything mentioned above), and that doesn't seem to be changing here. Expect things to get dark, story-wise, when the movie hits cinemas Down Under in January 2022. Expect big tops, carnival rides, Dafoe spruiking attractions, blindfolds, blood, fire and plenty of brooding looks, too, based on the trailer alone. Check out the Nightmare Alley trailer below: Nightmare Alley releases in Australian cinemas on January 20, 2022.
Fancy a French Riviera-style summer, but can't afford the trip to Europe? Pretend you're on the other side of the world while just journeying up the coast thanks to The Cabana Club, the Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort's returning Sunday session. Last year, the hotel launched The Cabanas, which offer pristine shelters and decadent menus, aiming to make visitors think they've been whisked far, far away. While they're only available to those staying at the resort, The Cabana Club is an open-for-everyone affair. Just bring your chic-dressed self, your mates and your eagerness for a fun end to the weekend. Back for 2018 on February 25 and March 25 from 3pm to 6pm, The Cabana Club will feature DJs spinning relaxed tunes, plus a bar serving beverages to get you in a chilled-out mood. Alas, you won't get access to the pool while you're there — so factor in some beach time if you want a swim. Entry is free and bookings aren't required, but places are limited.
What inspires someone to go to war? We're not talking about events and ideals — we're wondering about the exact words used to rally the masses in support of combat. Writer and performer Valentijn Dhaenens clearly pondered the same topic, resulting in his latest show featuring at WTF 2016. In BigMoutH, he stands in front of five microphones, cycles through declarations of battle, farewells, final arguments, victory speeches and eulogies, and pays tribute to 2500 years of oration. Everyone from Socrates to Mohammed Ali to Osama Bin Laden gets a mention, in a performance that both depends upon and dissects the age-old art of rhetoric.
UPDATE, September 3, 2021: The Brightside has announced that, after being contacted by the Office Of Liquor and Gaming Regulation, its plans to hand out free beers to Brisbanites have changed. It will now be hosting Jab Club events every Friday in September from 5–7pm, which will only be open to people who've had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. And, you'll be able to donate to Support Act in exchange for your brew. For further details, head to the event's Facebook page. 2021 is well past halfway through, the pandemic has been going for more than 19 months and two Australian states are in lengthy lockdowns — and Australia's vaccination campaign has only recently started picking up steam. As at Sunday, August 29, just 34.2 percent of Aussies over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 57.5 percent of the population have had one dose. Based on the current jab rate, the nation isn't expected to reach the 70-percent and 80-percent fully vaxxed thresholds, which is when more restrictions are set to loosen, until the end of October and mid-November, respectively. Australia's vaccination efforts have been plagued by plenty of issues since the beginning of the year. Recommendations around who should get the AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots have changed a few times, and the rollout's staged approach has limited who can get jabbed when. As a result, most folks under 40 have had to wait to get their chance to get vaxxed. But, if you've had either your first or second dose on or before Friday, September 3 and you'd like a free drink — and who wouldn't? — here's some fantastic news. Anyone who rolls up their sleeve on or before this Friday can then visit The Brightside between 5–7pm and nab a beverage on the house. The Fortitude Valley spot hasn't yet provided further details about what type of brew or brews will be on offer, or how it'll be checking vaccination status; however, there'll definitely be free beers for folks who've rolled up their sleeves. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Brightside Brisbane (@thebrightsidebris) Brisbane's hospitality venues — and those around Australia — have obviously done it tough during COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, which is why the watering hole will be giving away freebies for two hours. It's aiming to encourage people to get the jab and help the city — and the country — progress towards fully opening back up, and to a stage where lockdowns, restrictions and limited venue capacities become a thing of the past. The Brightside's 'beer for jabs' afternoon follows in the footsteps of other hospo initiatives that endeavour to help boost vaccination rates by rewarding folks who've been vaxxed. The Prince Alfred pub in Melbourne did the same thing, Hawke's Brewing Co has been handing out slabs for jabs, and Sydney's Lord Gladstone Hotel has temporarily renamed itself 'The Lord Jabstone' and is serving up free brews, too. Find The Brightside at 27 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley. It's giving away free beers to vaccinated Brisbanites from 5–7pm on Friday, September 3.
Brisbane creatives, look here! The Brisbane Emerging Art Festival is returning in 2012 and is going to be even better than it was this year. The festival was once visual-arts-only but next year will also incorporate film, performance, music and fashion into its 2012 program. The Fashion department are currently calling out for artists to exhibit within their discipline. If you work directly within fashion - be you designer, milliner, jeweller - or indirectly - fashion illustration, film, et cetera - then the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival wants to hear from you. To find out more information on the call out and apply, please visit the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival website. You can also connect to the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival through Facebook and Twitter.
Robert De Niro tries to inspire laughs, Zac Efron takes off his shirt and Aubrey Plaza fires off ample snark. They're the obvious parts of Dirty Grandpa — or, more accurately, the most obvious parts. There's little within the film's frames that could be called subtle or surprising, or appropriate or amusing for that matter. Given that the movie follows a randy, rowdy, rude and crude senior citizen and his straight-laced lawyer grandson, its lowest common denominator approach is hardly unexpected. What's more tiresome is the been-there, seen-that nature of it all. Audiences who have seen Bad Grandpa, Spring Breakers, The Hangover or any party flick will already be more than familiar with the tired material the movie trots out. When Dick Kelly (De Niro) is widowed and seemingly bereaved, he claims to needs his grandson Jason (Efron) to drive him down to Florida. Though Jason's wedding to the demanding Meredith (Julianne Hough) is mere days away, he reluctantly agrees. But once they're on the road, Dick reveals his true boozing and womanising plans. Along the way, the duo cross paths with Jason's former high school classmate Shadia (Zoey Deutch) and her pal Lenore (Plaza), aka new romantic prospects for both men. Yes, it's all as formulaic as it sounds — and yes, the gags are as well. Showcasing terrible male behaviour is the clear aim of the game, all in the name of apparent hilarity that never comes to fruition. Alas, there's little that's humorous about De Niro pleasuring himself, pairing up with Plaza or physically assaulting Efron's genitals, or about scenes of drinking and drug-taking that could've come from any similar offering. Director Dan Mazer may have co-scripted Ali G Indahouse, Borat and Brüno, and writer John Phillips might be helping pen the upcoming Bad Santa sequel, but neither man demonstrates the cleverness of those films in their work here. Instead, they craft the kind of visually shiny, emotionally soulless movie that trades in standard scenarios and stereotypes, attempts to shock just by being as outlandish as possible, and appears the result of very little effort. And yet, as lazy as the bulk of Dirty Grandpa proves, the same charge can't be levelled at De Niro. Swearing like he's in a Martin Scorsese film, he's as committed to his role as he has been in years, though he's firmly in over-the-top mode. The same can be said of Plaza, who furthers the movie's problematic portrayal of women, but still rattles off filthy chatter with relish. Efron, sadly, mostly just looks bored, clearly having had more fun impersonating De Niro in Bad Neighbours than he does acting opposite the real thing here. Viewers will likely share his pain, particularly when the feature tries to mix its taboo jokes with sentimental heart-to-hearts. There's a supposedly soft centre underneath Dirty Grandpa's vulgarity and music video aesthetics, but it's as ill conceived as everything else.
Taking over the city during September, Brisbane Festival does many things. It gives everyone an excuse to devour entertaining cultural delights — and it serves up a new hangout. Actually, make that hangouts. Yes, Brisbane Festival's central hub offers multiple spaces in one. Revamping South Bank's Cultural Forecourt, Arcadia boasts everything from the Little Creatures Treehouse to six pop-up food stops to a festival-first two-spiegeltent set-up. The good news keeps on coming, because the bulk of Arcadia's bustling lineup of fun activities is free. Fancy harmonica and ukulele lessons? Eager to sink a few at a beer workshop or a robot and brew night? Want to watch a wood-carving demo or indulge in some life drawing? Keen to chill out to some live tunes from Tuesday to Sunday? Well, you'll find all that in the Little Creatures Treehouse. Plus, you can catch the fest's big cabaret, comedy and music shows such as Blanc de Blanc, Meow Meow's Little Mermaid and gigs by Custard, Mick Harvey, Jen Cloher and Kim Gordon.
After making his fortune at the card tables as a professional gambler, David Walsh launched MONA as something to give back to the community. Three years later it's become a national icon, boosted Tasmania's economy and given rise to one of Australia's best festivals. Now, despite labelling gambling as "mostly immoral", Walsh has plans in the works to build a mini-casino at his much-loved Tasmanian gallery. Yes, this is confusing. In its defence, Walsh's vision for the space goes far beyond the sad state of affairs you see on an average night at Star City or Crown. Designed for the more refined gambler, the space would be "a little high-roller, tourist-only, no-pokie casino". The entire operation would consist of nothing more than 12 cards tables. Basically, it'd be the perfect place for Bond villains to hang out should they ever find themselves in Australia. To add to this eye-patch wearing, cigar-puffing, international art smuggling cartel theme, Walsh has stated he would call the casino Monaco. While a cute play on the gallery name, the choice could also be a knowing wink at the ritzy Monte Carlo casino the nation is known for — a site coincidentally used in many Bond movies. Regardless, these plans have a long hard road to becoming a reality. At present, the Federal Group (owners of Wrest Point Casino) have an exclusive license on casino operations in Tasmania and Walsh's plans would require an overturning of the license by the state government. Walsh has reportedly made initial contact but is sceptical about his chances. At one point, the MONA owner was banned from Wrest Point for card counting. If the plans were to go through, the gallery would undoubtedly enjoy a large boost in funds. At the very least it would be an un unconventional solution to the impending cuts to Australia's arts industries and a welcome salvation for Walsh himself who has bankrolled the gallery since its inception. But honestly, the outlook doesn't look great. You can't blame an eccentric, art-loving millionaire for chasing the dream. Via The Guardian and The Mercury.
When Brisbane Festival unleashed Riverfire's fireworks in 2022, it moved them to the beginning rather than the end of its annual September run. That shift was a hit — brightening up the sky is always a hit whenever it happens, of course — so now the yearly arts fest is locking in the same kind of spring start in 2023. Brisbane Festival will run from Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 23 this year, with Riverfire getting dazzling on Saturday, September 2. The fireworks display has now settled into its new slot after a chaotic few years, which saw it scaled back in 2019, then replaced with a light and laser show in 2020 due to the pandemic, and finally returning in 2021. If you're the type of person who plans your entire day around staring upwards, mark your diary now. Initially, Riverfire moved to shift out of school holidays. No matter when it's held, more than 500,000 people usually attend. If you've been to South Brisbane when it's on — even hours earlier — you will have seen the masses of people to prove how popular it is. In fact, head anywhere with a decent vantage over the river and crowds await. Even if fireworks aren't usually your thing, you might still be interested in the Riverfire shindigs that always pop up on the night, with bars around town usually throwing plenty of parties with quite the lit-up backdrop. Full details about the this year's Riverfire won't be revealed until the Brisbane Festival program is released later in the year, with a few key events set to be announced in late May ahead of the full program in early July. Naturally, Riverfire itself will be as straightforward as it usually is — with fireworks doing their thing for more than 20 minutes across the evening, and folks around Brissie finding the right spot to look up. As for the rest of Bris Fest, it'll be Artistic Director Louise Bezzina's fourth at the helm, and promises another array of local, national and international artists putting on must-see shows. The event will also be endeavouring to build on 2022's successes, which saw it prove a hit not just with locals but visitors — notching up 71,866 visitor nights in Brisbane, and $12 million in spending from folks from out of town. "Brisbane really does become the stage for great art over September, and it is a great thrill and privilege to program events that amaze, inspire, thrill and challenge audiences, both local and from interstate," Bezzina said. "To this end, we are finalising the 2023 program and will have a few surprises in store that will offer even more compelling reasons to visit Brisbane this spring." Riverfire 2023 will take place on Saturday, September 2, during this year's Brisbane Festival. Further details will be announced with the full Brisbane Festival program later in 2023.
In 1977, Robyn Davidson decided she would walk west from Alice Springs until she hit the Indian Ocean, taking with her only her beloved dog and four camels. She was determined to do this alone, but, finding herself in need of money, was forced to allow National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan to document her journey. Davidson was told the trek would be suicide, but, undeterred, she set out anyway on her perilous, eventful journey. Filmmakers have been trying to adapt Tracks, the book she wrote about her experience, since the early 1980s, with even Julia Roberts attached in 1993. This is the sixth (and, clearly, the only successful) attempt to bring Davidson's story to the screen. Mia Wasikowska stars and is impressive as Davidson, imbuing her with a determination required to sell the character. Adam Driver, best known from Lena Dunham's Girls, is equally superb as Smolan. Driver is a compelling presence, and though his character is an irritant to Davidson, he is a welcome presence to us whenever he appears. Read our full review of Tracks here. Tracks is in cinemas on Thursday, March 6, and thanks to Transmission Films, we have five 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=RyDCfuYTX_U
It's the 32nd year for Australia's largest folk art and music festival. And like a vintage wine, the artistic line up gets more and more complex and impressive as the years go by. This year there'll be over 2000 artists in 400 acts across visual, performance and spoken word formats. Catch folk, rock and pop musicians including John Butler, Kate Miller-Heidke, The Beautiful Girls, Husky, Holy Holy, Canadian band The East Pointers, Timberwolf and Montaigne. Personalities such as Dr Karl, Tracey Spicer and Noel Pearson are among an exhaustive selection of speakers, presenters and comedians doing what they do best and you'll be mesmerised by at least 20 dance and performance acts. You can also try your hand at artisan crafts from pottery to tattoo art to Maori basket weaving — or even just go on a bush walk with a professional nature enthusiast through Woodford's beautiful surrounds. And as usual, you'll welcome in the new year alongside thousands of others with an epic fire display. The crowd is expected to reach over 132,000 this edition, so get your name on a ticket before they become scarce.
Finally, the lobster pop-up our bank accounts have been waiting for. Y'know... relatively speaking, anyway. Now, you will have to venture to the Gold Coast — but this has to be the classiest beach-adjacent lunch you could possibly have. It's all happening at Lobster Shack, taking over the corner of Queensland Avenue and Surf Parade until January 28. And, there's even proper Champagne to go with it. For $35, you can experience Maine lobster confit in a freshly baked roll with buttermilk and fennel slaw. The lobster tails are slow-poached in butter before being placed inside a milk bun. You'll also receive parmesan-dusted truffle fries on the side. If you still don't feel like a baller, you can step up the fancy factor with a glass of Veuve Clicquot on the side for an extra $15. They'll be serving from midday until 9pm each day.
When Coachella was the only thing that everyone could think and talk about in autumn, South Brisbane's sky-high bar Lina Rooftop embraced the occasion, giving itself a Californian-style temporary revamp. Now that winter is here and bringing a chill, the venue is also going all in, this time via a two-month-long seasonal makeover that'll help Brisbanites make the most of the frostier weather — well, Queensland's version of cold — and pretend they're somewhere snowier. And yes, there will be snow. Bringing in seasonal flakes has become a winter go-to at watering holes around Australia when they're keen to get into the midyear spirit, and Lina is jumping on the trend. Obviously, the fact that this snow will be on a rooftop is a hefty point of difference, which also applies to another winter favourite: igloos. From Wednesday, June 28–Sunday, August 27, this winter wonderland — dubbed the Lina Rooftop Winter Wonderland, in fact — will feature private igloos that can welcome in up to six people, and will come equipped with a heater, mini bar and fairy lights. Because they're clear, you'll still be able to soak in the view as you get snacking on cheese and chocolate fondue, plus marshmallows, and while sipping mulled wine. The snow around the place will help set the mood, and so will the firepits and logs, with Winter Wonderland running from Wednesday–Sunday weekly. Eager partygoers have two options in terms of food-and-drink packages, too: a $79 fondue-heavy offering and a $99 spread with raclette. Go with the first pick and you'll tuck into cheese fondue, baguettes, rosemary- and garlic-roasted chats, cured meats, gherkins, on-vine cherry tomatoes, and porcini and truffle arancini. From the sweet side of the menu, there'll also be chocolate fondue, plus strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, marshmallows, brioche and apple to dip in it. If raclette has your tastebuds watering, that package includes the same chocolate fondue lineup as outlined above, but swaps cheese fondue for a 1.8-kilogram block of raclette melted on a hot grill. Also, it pairs the cheese with a French-style platter including potatoes, gherkins, baguettes, cured meats and Swiss brown mushrooms. Everyone gets a glass of mulled wine as well, because it really wouldn't be winter without it — and two-hour seatings take place from 12–2pm, 2.30–4.30pm, 5–7pm and 7.30–9.30pm. The Lina Rooftop Winter Wonderland runs from Wednesday, June 28–Sunday, August 27 at Lina Rooftop, 74/80 Tribune Street, South Brisbane — head to the venue's website for further details.
Mirik Milan knows what it takes to keep the pulse of a city racing long into the night. For the past few years he's held the office of the Night Mayor of Amsterdam, a title given to the head of an advisory NGO tasked with building bridges between various stakeholders, including business owners, residents and government officials, to ensure the hours between sundown and sunup can be enjoyed by one and all. Sounds nice huh? Incidentally, if you're in Sydney right now, sobbing softly into your keyboard, please trust us when we tell you: we feel your pain — especially one day after the NSW Government has decided to 'relax' the lockout times by a mere 30 minutes. For the record, Milan feels your pain too. The former club promoter turned after-dark crusader was in the Harbour City last week as a guest of the annual Electronic Music Conference — and yes, he had plenty to say about the lockouts. [caption id="attachment_578891" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Night Mayor, Mirik Milan[/caption] "The lockouts are a symptom of an undereducated State Government," Milan tells Concrete Playground. "If you want to create behavioural change it needs to come from the grassroots up. If the idea is that you'll create behavioural change by imposing stricter laws on operators, you're blaming operators for a societal problem." "In my opinion, the reason why governments find it easier to clamp down on nightlife and just blame the operators is because that's the cheapest way to deal with it," he continues. "Starting a bunch of initiatives to inform people how to behave and to encourage people to drink less is much more expensive, and the risk of failing is much higher." Nevertheless, Milan believes the rewards of a bustling nightlife are well worth the effort. "Why is it important to have a vibrant nightlife?" asks Milan. "Because it will attract a lot of young, creative people. When you have a lot of young, creative people in a city, you have a lot of creative industries, and this is an engine for economic growth." So what would it take for Sydney to turn its nocturnal fortunes around? Below, Milan shares his tips on how to create a safe, prosperous and energetic nightlife. Let's just hope Mike Baird subscribes to our newsletter. TAKE CUES FROM INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES THAT HAVE ACTUALLY WORKED Both the NSW and Queensland lockouts were introduced to stamp down on alcohol-related violence. But wouldn't it be nice if there was some way to do this without punishing those of us who can have a drink without throwing a punch? In Amsterdam's bar-filled Rembrandtplein district, the answer came in the form of so-called 'square hosts', whose job it is stop confrontations before they start. "They walk the street every Friday and Saturday night in the nightlife area and they try to de-escalate situations when there's something going on," explains Milan. "Unfortunately, when people have something to drink and they see the police, they see [them] as an aggressor. These square hosts are non-aggressive." Meanwhile, the City of Amsterdam has also developed an app that allows people to report antisocial behaviour to nearby community officers. "It means that complaints are dealt with really effectively," says Milan. "We understand that it can be super frustrating for residents that live around the nightlife square, and every weekend you have the same complaints and problems. With this system, you can [be in] direct contact with the community officer… and [it] really gives the residents the feeling that their problem is being listened to." But according to Milan, the biggest accomplishment of the project has been the introduction of 24-hour licenses. "What was really radical about this process was that for the first time in Amsterdam, licenses were given out not on the basis of whether you had four walls, a roof and a bouncer in front of the door, but on the basis of content," he says. "And when you focus on content you get a different kind of audience. These venues are all multidisciplinary. They have a bar, restaurant, live music, gallery space, some venues even run kindergartens." [caption id="attachment_602520" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Night Mayor Summit, nachtburgemeester.amsterdam[/caption] WORK WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS When it comes to making positive changes, Milan understands that collaboration is key, having discussed countless stakeholder viewpoints in community meetings, one-on-one talks and even at a dedicated Night Mayor Summit, the first of its kind, held in Amsterdam in April 2016. "Bring all the stakeholders together and try to come up with a solution and find a middle ground where everyone can benefit," he says. "Bridge the gap between the municipality, policy makers, small business owners and city residents. We always say by having a dialogue you can change the rules of the game." Milan also recommends fighting opposition with evidence instead of emotion. "We deal with [opposition] by making people aware that the baby steps that we make are reasonable," he tells us. "We like to run pilots, to see if [an initiative] works, to see if it doesn't have too much of an impact on residents, and then [we can make] an educated decision. Often these [initiatives] are tailor made for a certain area, because cities are becoming more and more complex… it's really about working together, and bringing operators and residents together, and seeing what works for your area." Ultimately, it helps that the economic incentive is there. "The value of the nighttime economy has become much more important for cities around the world over the last 10 to 15 years," says Milan. "I've never heard of mayors or city councils who want to kill jobs." [caption id="attachment_560788" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Kimberley Low.[/caption] GIVE PEOPLE THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE While you're never going to be able to get rid of every dickhead, in Milan's experience most people who go out at night want to do the right thing — especially when you treat them like grown-ups. "Send out a positive message," he suggests. "[Tell people] you can go out later, but you have to take care of your community." "For example, the Amsterdam Dance Event attracts 375,000 people to the city in five days," says Milan. "When people come into the airport, the first thing they see [are signs] saying, 'Welcome to ADE, be safe and have a great time.' And I get so many good responses from people saying, 'Wow, I feel so respected, I feel so welcome here, I will take care.''" "Give people the responsibility to take care of themselves," asserts Milan. "Of course, you have to have good legislation in place as well, but give them the right to take care of their community. This is a community that is open minded and willing to listen to these kinds of messages." Top image: Bodhi Liggett.
Does your pet pooch have its own calendar? We're not talking about monthly cute canine pics — although every pet owner should definitely make their own. Rather, we mean a system to keep track of your doggo's social engagements. Given the number of pupper-friendly events happening around Brisbane, it's really not that far-fetched. Paws and Pints joined the growing list of markets, festivals, paddleboard sessions last November, and it's back to do so again on February 11. The Osbourne Hotel's doggy drinking session isn't just a chance to take your furry best friend for a few brews — with stalls, a puppy photo booth, a doggo door prize, drinks specials over Yappy Hour and donations going to the Animal Welfare League, it's quite the occasion. If the concept sounds familiar, that's because downing a few bevs with your barking mate in tow is becoming quite the Brissie trend. In fact, if you're taking old Fido to the Valley for this booze sesh, you can also walk him around a couple of corners to The Brightside's equivalent.
It's true of every movie: how much you know going in can and does influence the viewing experience. Great films are still great films no matter your prior awareness of their twists, or even just the main premise, but how the audience takes that ride will morph and shift depending on what they're expecting will eventuate. Abigail is a case in point. Why that's so was revealed in its trailer, leaving almost no one sitting down to it in the dark about what's to come. But when the reveal arrives in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's fifth full-length directorial effort — and their first after bringing back Ghostface in 2022's Scream and 2023's Scream VI — it's a glorious moment. It's also treated in the flick as a big unveiling, and not just for the picture's characters, in what serves as an overt reminder of how divorced that marketing a movie is to making it. Abigail, aka the tween vampire ballerina film, is still an entertaining time irrespective of your starting knowledge, thankfully. It begins as a blend of a heist affair, horror mansion movie and whodunnit, with a kidnapping skilfully pulled off by a motley crew (is there any other type?), then with holing up in the mastermind's sprawling and eerie safe house with their 12-year-old captive, then with fingers being pointed and their charge toying with them. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are slick with their opening, from breaking into a well-secured estate to avoiding surveillance cameras while speeding through the streets afterwards. They're playful, too, when corralling everyone in their next location — a setup that they've turned into an ace horror watch before in 2019's Ready or Not — and letting suspicions run wild. The six abductors here, as given nicknames Reservoir Dogs-style but with a Rat Pack spin, and told not to divulge their true identities or histories to each other: Joey (Melissa Barrera, Carmen), a recovering addict with medical skills; Frank (Dan Stevens, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), who has a background in law enforcement; Rickles (William Catlett, Constellation), an ex-marine; Sammy (Kathryn Newton, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), the resident hacker; Peter (Kevin Durand, Pantheon), the dim-witted muscle; and Dean (Angus Cloud, Euphoria), the stoner wheelman. The middleman for their employer: the no-nonsense Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito, The Gentlemen). And the girl: Abigail (Alisha Weir, Wicked Little Letters), of course, who is the daughter of someone obscenely rich and powerful. She's just finished dance rehearsals, is still in her tutu, and proves the picture of scared and unsettled when she's snatched from her bedroom, drugged and blindfolded — until she isn't. Anyone that's seen Ready or Not will spot the commonalities with Abigail, even amid such hefty differences as well. Although this definitely isn't about a newlywed bride being hunted by her wealthy in-laws on her wedding night, it does trap its characters and the bulk of its action in a stately but isolated residence filled with secret hallways and rooms, and in a fight-to-the-death battle where it's evident from the outset that folks are going to get picked off one by one. There's also a strict timeline, and a red-splattered white dress. Abigail heroes a working-class female protagonist who's forced to grow into her role taking on the privileged, sports buckets full of affection for horror old and new, and winks to the past vigorously among its thoroughly modern irreverence. And, in inventive and eye-catching manners — captured this time by cinematographer Aaron Morton, who is having a great 2024 with this and The First Omen — it loves, loves, loves splashing around OTT violence. Radio Silence, the production company that doubles as a brand for Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, clearly know this terrain. Working with a script by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Ground) and Guy Busick (back from Ready or Not, Scream and Scream VI), Abigail's helmers also know how to make the key storytelling move in frightening flicks, and all other types of tales, of ensuring that familiar elements feel fresh when viewers can spy oh-so-much that's recognisable. That's part of the fun of Abigail, including as it becomes a gleefully gory rendering of a Home Alone-esque caper with its namesake stalking the people holding her for a $50-million ransom: seeing how its pieces, drained from elsewhere as they may be, mix and pirouette anew. It's also why the feature's chief reveal should've stayed that way going in, because there's so much else that drinks from overflowing genre cups anyway, while dropping clues from the use of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake onwards about what's in store. A tense crime-film atmosphere to kick off, Agatha Christie nods, quite the child adversary, deranged dances, getting drenched in blood again and again, a The Cabin in the Woods vibe: they're all in a day's work for the film's well-deployed cast, even if not every character runs deep. The screenplay gives its flesh to Joey and Abigail above everyone else, and Barrera — also reuniting with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett after their Scream flicks — and Matilda the Musical breakout Weir benefit. Stevens, Catlett, Newton, Durand, Cloud and Esposito might only be asked to hit one real note each in this predator-and-prey monster mash, but they commit to the task. It's a talent-trumps-material scenario, where this group were always going to give their figures more life on the screen than on the page — with Stevens especially having a ball, and Cloud's involvement dishing up a reminder of what the world lost when he passed away in 2023. Abigail isn't just any addition to the vampire fold (on-screen, it also knows what else slumbers in this jam-packed coffin). In 2023, Universal Pictures was similarly behind Renfield and Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter. Before 2024 is out, The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman's Robert Eggers will have his own Nosferatu flickering. Finding new ways to rework its Universal Classic Monsters characters and titles — plus the pictures that inspired them, such as unauthorised adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula — is one of the studio's current niches, which also applies to The Invisible Man, the upcoming Wolf Man and this. Abigail does it with flair, enthusiasm, humour and literal guts aplenty, and while biting heartily into maximalist flourishes. It might've tasted sweeter if its promotional campaign had been slyer and shyer, but sinking your teeth in remains bloody delicious.
The cultural renaissance in Canberra continues its unfurling across the dining and arts scenes, bringing more interest from interstate — and international — visitors than ever before. The standard of options for places to stay has also leapt vertically in the past five years, and among the list is the East Hotel. The family-owned boutique hotel is located in the increasingly happening suburb of Kingston. It's stand-out characteristics are warm accommodating service, handsomely-appointed contemporary rooms with all the important details considered (the fluffy white guest robes well and truly pass the comfort test), and the onsite options for drinking and dining. East Hotel's lobby bar, Joe's Bar, has an eclectic, jewel toned fit-out and a generous lineup of creative cocktails (if you have a yen for a good martini try the Tokyo Martini or the signature Joe's Martini). There's also a decent selection of Italian and Australian wines and a showcase of local Canberran beers on tap, bottled and by the tin. Soak up some of those martinis with Italian-inspired bar snacks or pizzas. Calamari fritte and a particularly excellent focaccia served hot and fresh from the enormous clay pizza oven. The clientele of Joe's Bar is a mix of East Hotel guests having a pre-dinner drink but but it's also highly populated with the after-work crowd of Canberra locals, particularly on Thursday and Friday evenings once 5pm has rolled past. The other dining option is Agostini's. It's a relaxed and super-buzzy Italian diner that's focused on creating the atmosphere and dining experience of an authentic Italian family restaurant. As such, you'll find a multi-generational crowd here, from white collar long lunchers to holidaying family tables. The pasta is very good and made fresh daily. The real hero here is the pizza though. The 'Salsiccia' layered with Italian sausage, 'nduja and Fior di Latte mozzarella on a fluffy wood-fired dough with just the right hint of char is excellent. Or if you're feeling a little less traditional, give the 'Granchio' of crab meat, rocket and cherry tomato a whirl. Finish things off with the house tiramisu and an amaro, or sample the negroni selection. Just bring an appetite and a loud voice to cut through the rowdy buzz of an extremely well-attended restaurant.
The Story Bridge is a Brisbane icon, an icon you can climb. Even if you haven't spent much time driving or running across it, you'd still be used to the sight of people in daggy grey and blue jumpsuits marching up and down the length of it. So, we reckon that this Thursday you should throw all inhibitions and fashion cares to the wind, and add 'bridge climber' to your CV. Sign up for a Twilight Climb to see some pretty spectacular sites as traffic whizzes by below. It's time to get over that fear of heights because there's not much else that is as Brisbane as the Story Bridge climb. Book in and see the city from a truly unique perspective.
Pop-up bars are no stranger to Brisbane's streets — but none deliver a message quite as blatant as Trash Tiki. It's operating waste-free and travelling the world showing customers and bar owners how to do it too. In the hopes of drawing attention to over-consumption and single-use ingredients in the craft cocktail industry today, UK bartenders Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths have designed the pop-up to be a launchpad for a conversation on waste. It's travelled Europe, Asia, South America, the US and now Australia. As part of their stint in the country, Trash Tiki is heading to Brisbane to do something a little different — and it comes with dinner. In celebration of World Bartender Day, the duo will settle in at Electric Avenue on February 26 and host a three-course meal that comes complete with four anti-waste cocktails. The drinks selection will be created using a combination of fresh local ingredients and things from the kitchen or bar that'd otherwise end up in the bin, including a special one-off Wild Card concoction that uses waste items from the dinner itself. Also on the menu: the Black & Tan Sour, which features Jim Beam Black Label, honey cream, lemon juice and stock, wattle seed syrup, whey, lemon husks and egg yolks. Two seatings will be held, at 6pm and 8pm, with tickets costing $93.50. Image: Steven Woodburn.
Life has been a cabaret for one of the world's inimitable designers since 2018, when Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show first premiered in Paris. Couture, colour, flair, excess, passion, a larger-than-life attitude: they're all channelled into this fashion show-meets-musical revue that steps through its namesake's career and promises a time at the theatre like nothing else. More than 200 original Gaultier pieces feature. His 50 years making threads are in the spotlight. Unsurprisingly, the whole thing also plays out like a party. So far, London, Tokyo, Munich, Porto, Lisbon, Milan, Barcelona and Osaka have also revelled in the Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show experience. Next, it's Brisbane's turn. The River City will welcome the Australian debut of the show — and the Aussie-exclusive season, too — during Brisbane Festival 2024. Donning attire that Gaultier would approve of isn't a prerequisite of attending the production, but you know that you want to dress the part if you're heading along. Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show will kick off with Brisbane Festival itself, starting on Friday, August 30. The Australian season runs until Sunday, September 15, taking over the South Bank Piazza — which forms part of the Festival Garden for the duration of Brisbane Festival. Of course Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show emphasises its titular figure's boundary-pushing work, his focus on individual expression, and his championing of queer aesthetics and LGBTQIA+ causes. Alongside the hefty range of outfits, it also features a suitable genre-defying soundtrack of disco, funk, pop, rock, new wave and punk tunes as actors and dancers — plus circus artists as well — take to the stage. The diverse cast of faces bringing the show to life spans even further, too, with celebrities and other special guests filming cameos that play during the production.
Ask a cyclist why they risk death on two wheels to get around town, and their response might mention the green credentials of biking: infinite miles per gallon, fewer resources used in manufacturing, no resources required to repair the damage to roads caused by bikes... But what if you wanted to take your eco-cycling to a whole new level? What about all that CARBON in the carbon fibre? One of the world's leading bike manufacturers has come up with a solution. Trek have a recycling program using waste carbon fibre products to make new bike frames, and keeping the waste from landfill. If that's not green enough for you, you could opt for a bike made from nature's own carbon fibre: wood. Audi have partnered with specialist bike manufacturer Renovo to create a range of luxury bikes with hardwood frames. But if you prefer to have an eco-bike that's not associated with a car company, why not grow your own? Bamboo bikes have been around for a while as a cycling curio, and are now getting the full cycle-bling treatment by the likes of Calfee. Or, if you're into DIY, there's even an instructables page on how to build one yourself.
Walking around Brisbane is a great way to enjoy your own backyard, see the local sights and get in some exercise. For a 17-day period between Friday, June 24–Sunday, July 10 this winter, doing just that in Brisbane will also allow you to engage with a series of interactive installations. They're called 'curiocities', and they're part of the returning Curiocity Brisbane festival, which focuses on the interaction of science, technology, innovation and the arts. If this all sounds familiar — and not just from past years — that's because Curiocity Brisbane was meant to take place back in March during this year's World Science Festival Brisbane. Then the wet weather got in the way, the broader fest moved online, and Curiocity decided to hold out until later in the year. While this event loves toying with all things digital, it can't actually go virtual and have the same impact. Peruse its program and it's easy to see why that's the case; giant artworks aren't quite the same when you're only seeing them through your computer or phone. So, in 2022 — across a longer festival in its new dates, too — Curiocity Brisbane will feature physical spaces that are designed to ignite the senses, as spread across South Bank, the Cultural Centre, the Goodwill Bridge, the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens and the Queen Street Mall. That gives you plenty of places to head, as well as a trail filled with 20 artworks to mosey along. Standout installations span Acknowledging Place, which asks participants to sit and consider an Indigenous perspective of caring for Country; public sculpture OHCE/ECHO, which captures your portrait and embeds it in the work; and The Wandering Birds Have Returned to the River (Even Bernice), featuring imaginary giant bird nests made out of repurposed and reusable consumer goods. Other Curiocity must-sees include Luminous Threads, which combines embroidery with modern fibre optic technology; Mirage Project [Iceberg], which uses stereoscopic photography to inlay an iceberg from Antarctica into South Bank; and light and soundscape In the Air, a time-lapse piece that uses data from Antarctic ice-core samples to map changes over the past 400,000 years in a half-hour music and light show. [caption id="attachment_853022" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Evanescent, Curiocity 2021, Markus Ravik[/caption] Curiocity Brisbane will pop up around the city between Friday, June 24–Sunday, July 10. For further information — or to get tickets from Monday, May 16 — head to the World Science Festival website. Top images: Evanescent, Curiocity 2021, Markus Ravik.
Head into Sydney's Odd Culture in Newtown, or its new accompanying bottle shop and small bar SPON, and you'll be greeted with a stack of tasty wine and snack pairings. The venue's chicken liver pâté with potato chips and fish sauce caramel is one of the Harbour City's best bar snacks. The same can be said down in Melbourne, where Odd Culture's Fitzroy digs boasts the same addictive trio on its snack menu. And, all three offer charcuterie from LP's Quality Meats — all of which can be paired with a white, red, skin-contact, rosé or pét-nat. But, sometimes you're not on the hunt for something as extravagant as pâté and instead are hankering for a snack with a bit more nostalgic familiarity. Well, not to worry — we've asked Odd Culture Group's Beverage Manager Jordan Blackman (Odd Culture, The Duke of Enmore, The Old Fitz) for suggestions for the best wines to pair with schoolyard snacks, all of which are available in-store or online at SPON. (And, yes, SPON ships beyond New South Wales.) If you've ever craved a natty wine with a full box of cheese and bacon Shapes, or wondered what drop would partner well with a berry Roll-Up, we've got you covered. ROLL-UPS Jordan: "If we're talking Roll-Ups, then we simply can't go past grenache. Candied fruit with a lick of spice — a match made in heaven. Grab a bottle of 2021 Les Fruits Gonzo made from a blend of grenache and cinsault. Bright and crunchy with juicy red fruits (think strawberry, raspberry and cherry) and gentle tannin. Great chilled, great at room temp. It goes without saying we're talking about the best flavour of Roll-Ups here — and that's strawberry." OVALTEENIES Jordan: "Why do they call it Ovaltine? The mug is round. The jar is round. They should call it Roundtine. Anyway. Steering away from anything too hectic that might overwhelm the sweet, delicate chocolate malt of our precious Ovalteenies, I'd crack into some Ngeringa Altus from Mount Barker. Inspired by Vin Santo by way of Tuscany, it's sweet yet oxidative and insanely complex — crème caramel, Turkish delight, hazelnut and dried fruits drenched in honey." CHEESE AND BACON SHAPES Jordan: "My mind immediately gravitated towards Bandol rosé from the south of France — weighty, powerful and made from mourvèdre, often said to be quite 'meaty'. In the spirit of keeping things homegrown, I've gone with a longstanding favourite: 2022 Poppelvej Dead Ohio Sky Rosé which clearly draws inspiration from the Bandol. Organically grown Mourvèdre from McLaren Vale with texture turned up to eleven, it's serious, savoury and spicy all the while refreshing and moreish — kind of like cheese and bacon Shapes?" LE SNAK Jordan: "Cheese and crackers, but not just any ordinary cheese and/or cracker — elevate your lunchbox with Le Snak and a bottle of 2021 Harkham Aziza's Chardonnay. Hands down, one of my favourite cuvées — zero adds, clean as a whistle, alive! Naturally fermented and rested in seasoned French oak, these two play almost too well together coaxing out notes of fresh sourdough, vanilla biscuits and whipped cream while racy acidity keeps everything in check." JUMPY'S Jordan: "Apparently there are other flavours of Jumpy's than chicken? 2022 Trutta Pétillant Naturel Blanc is the obvious choice here. A blend of chardonnay and riesling, this organic fizz is brimming with energy, bright acidity and reminds us of another nostalgic Australian snack — oh, glorious Splice! Saline, zippy and ultimately refreshing — a perfect match for couch snacks of the kangaroo-shaped kind. We love salty snacks with our bubbles." Head to SPON's website — or in-store if you're in Sydney — if you want to get your hands on any of the mentioned wines. SPON is open at 256 King Street, Newtown 12pm–10pm Monday–Thursday, 12pm–12am Friday and 11am–12am Saturday.
Sitting on the toilet can be a time of contemplation for a lot of us. If your mind ever wanders to the sustainability and style of your toilet paper, Wipe That has you covered. This new sustainable startup has launched a quirky new Christmas collection of bamboo toilet paper that will ease any stress about the environmental impact of your toilet breaks, and make a great gift for friends and family as the holiday season approaches. The star of the Christmas collection is a stylish little character named Poocci. Brought to life by graphic designer Bernardo Henning, Poocci plays off a certain luxury fashion house, rocking a chain and sunnies in order to brighten up your toilet paper. What was once Australia's most in-demand grocery store item is now a cutting-edge fashion statement (of sorts). Non-recycled toilet paper is a major cause of deforestation worldwide, so if you haven't made the switch, now's the perfect time to embrace the wonders of bamboo. The planet and your tush will thank you. All of Wipe That's three-ply toilet paper is environmentally friendly, vegan, plastic-free, and scent-free. It has also partnered with Australian revegetation project Carbon Neutral to ensure a tree is planted for every sale it makes. This new collection means that toilet paper is no longer a dud present come Christmas time. Your eco-conscious relatives will love it, or you can grab a pack for yourself to impress those who might be visiting your place for holiday celebrations. Stock is limited for the Christmas collection, so jump on the pre-sale if you'd like to get your paws on this loo roll. Each 36-roll box is available for $58, contains a personalised Christmas card and is available to be delivered Australia-wide between December 1–14. Outside of the collection, Wipe That offers sustainable toilet paper on a one-off or subscription basis, as well as eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets. You can shop Wipe That's entire range at the website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
One moment, you're watching Diego Luna sit down two rows in front of you in a cinema that seats 1600 people. The next, you're spotting Maggie Gyllenhaal and Patrick Stewart on the street. That's life at the Berlinale, or Berlin International Film Festival, which took place from February 9 to 19 — and it matches all of that star power with a massive, jam-packed program of movies. In its 67th year, Berlinale had everything in its 400-title-plus program, and we mean everything. Want big, mainstream efforts such as T2 Transpotting and Logan? Indie Aussie flicks like Emo the Musical and Monsieur Mayonnaise? A sci-fi retrospective and the world premiere of the 3D version of that other T2 — that is, Terminator 2, not the Aussie tea company or Trainspotting sequel? Geoffrey Rush getting an award? Charlie Hunnam traipsing around the jungle? Two movies filled with famous faces arguing over a meal? A flick about utopian world without men? A 1993-set Spanish coming-of-age effort that makes an impact? Another great entry in Romania's new wave? Yes, the festival delivered on all of the above and then some. Yes, you already know that the list goes on. Of course, not everyone can be there to experience films galore, below freezing temperatures, mulled wine aplenty and a newfound pretzel addiction. Don't worry, that's where we come in. We went, we watched, and we're excited about all of the movies that'll hopefully make their way to Australia at festivals or in general release. In fact, we can't wait to watch these ten again. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME If this film sounds more than a little familiar, that's because we were already mighty excited about it when it screened at Sundance. Oh boy, did Luca Guadagnino's (A Bigger Splash) latest and best feature to date more than deliver. Let us put it this way: when you're watching a 17-year-old become infatuated with his father's handsome research assistant, played by Armie Hammer, you're feeling every single emotion he's feeling. And, you're falling head over heels for everything about this masterpiece as well. Call Me By Your Name is the kind of effort that couldn't be more seductive, from the sumptuous sights of its scenic Italian setting to the summertime heat — and sizzling sentiments to match — that radiate from the screen. Keep an eye on Timothée Chalamet, too, who plays the teenager in question. If this movie is any guide, he should become one of cinema's next big things. A FANTASTIC WOMAN A Fantastic Woman? Yes, this sensitive drama and Berlinale best screenplay winner places one front and centre. A fantastic film? You bet. After using a compassionate gaze to explore the world of an older lady trying to find happiness in Gloria, Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio turns his attention to Marina (Daniela Vega), a waitress and singer whose life is thrown into disarray when tragedy strikes. The family of her much older lover are horrified, judging her transgender status rather than daring to let her into their lives — or let her mourn. The movie doesn't make the same mistake, in an effort that proves empathetic and engaging from start to finish, complete with an exceptional lead performance and one perfect song cue. THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE No one makes films like Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki. Sure, that's true of many directors, however the balance of deadpan humour and heartfelt drama he cultivates time and again isn't an easy one, even if he makes it seem otherwise. In this year's Berlinale Best Director winner The Other Side of Hope, Kaurismäki tackles the subject of refugees in Europe as Syrian Khaled (Sherwan Haji) finds himself in Helsinki, applies to stay and is forced to pursue other options when he's hardly given a hearty welcome. The tale of an unhappy salesman turned unlikely restaurant owner intersects with Khaled's plight, and so does absurdity, but in the filmmaker's warm but insightful way. THE PARTY It all seems so simple: gather a group of excellent actors together, stick them in a few rooms, give their characters plenty to argue about and watch what happens. At its most basic, that's what The Party does over 71 entertaining, black-and-white-shot minutes — of course, it does more than that as well. The scenario sees Kristin Scott Thomas' Janet securing a plum political appointment, with her friends and family — played by Timothy Spall, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy and more — all gathering around to celebrate. As something other than joy starts seeping through their get-together, writer/director Sally Potter crafts a lively and hilarious comedy filled with sparkling dialogue and intent on unpacking the political climate in Britain. ON BODY AND SOUL When On Body and Soul took home Berlinale's top award, the Golden Bear for Best Film, the Hungarian feature caught everyone by surprise. That's the beauty of film festivals, though — little turns out as expected, including a contemplative, surreal romantic drama set in a Budapest slaughterhouse. Writer/director Ildikó Enyedi takes her time to spin a tale of austere lives and vivid dreams, letting the emotion build at a slow and steady pace, as well as glimmers of humour. While it won't be for everyone, two things other than its accolade and its filmmaker make it stand out: just how it brings its absurd yet ultimately still relatable story to a close, and its corresponding performances. CASTING JONBENET Good news and bad news, everyone keen to watch the second full-length effort from Australian filmmaker Kitty Green. On the one hand, it's headed to Netflix in April. On the other, the film really does provide an astonishing viewing experience if you ever get the chance to see it in a cinema. As the name gives away, murdered six-year-old beauty pageant queen JonBenet Ramsay sits at the centre of this documentary — however, a regular true crime offering, this most certainly isn't. Instead, in an approach that results in disarmingly revealing insights about how we filter the events of the world through our own experiences, Green asks the people of Ramsay's home town of Boulder, Colorado to audition for a film about her case, then captures their responses. SPOOR Even if you don't know it, you're already familiar with the work of Polish filmmaking great Agnieszka Holland. Over the past decade or so, she has helmed episodes of everything from The Wire to The Killing to House of Cards — and while we can say that the flavour of all three can be glimpsed in her latest feature, Berlinale Silver Bear winner Spoor, don't go expecting something as straightforward or obvious as that may sound. A series of deaths, an investigation in an insular community and the political fallout provide the storyline for this moody and sometimes amusing feature that flits between mystery, thriller, black comedy and even fairy tale elements. Another Agnieszka also deserves acclaim, this time lead actress Agnieszka Mandat who puts in a more than memorable performance. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO In I Am Not Your Negro, Samuel L. Jackson lends his voice to the words of American essayist James Baldwin. He does an outstanding job at capturing the tone and passion required, but it's the text itself, rather than the star uttering it, that's truly remarkable. Stepping through the state of race relations in the U.S. by focusing on the lives and deaths of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., every syllable spoken couldn't be more perceptive — or, even though they were written decades ago, still relevant today. It's little wonder that the film was nominated for best documentary at this year's Oscars, with director Raoul Peck matching the verbal content with an illuminating compilation of footage from the '50s and '60s. ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE Last year, South Korean director Hong Sang-soo's two most recent films (Right Now, Wrong Then and Yourself and Yours) played at various Australian film festivals. Yes, he's prolific. Expect his latest, On the Beach at Night Alone, to pop up this year — and, amazingly, he has two other features due out in 2017. That might mean that he returns to the same themes of love, identity and fulfilment again and again, and plays with the same kinds of structural devices, but every one of his efforts has their delights. Here, one of them is the fact that he riffs on his own rumoured real-life circumstances, relaying a narrative about the fallout of an affair between an actress and a director. Another is the leading lady herself, Kim Min-hee, who both sits at the centre of his own scandal and puts in a revelatory, Berlinale best actress-winning turn. GOD'S OWN COUNTRY The words "Yorkshire-set Brokeback Mountain" have been bandied about with frequency regarding God's Own Country; however, thankfully they're accurate in the very best way. Set on a struggling farm, it's a film of sprawling landscapes and surging urges — with both weathering hardships but proving rich and resonant. Forced to take care of everything due to his father's ailing health, to say that scowling, constantly booze-soaked Johnny (Josh O'Connor) is frustrated is an understatement, but, slowly and tentatively, the arrival of handsome Romanian farm-hand Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu) helps brighten his unhappy days. First-time writer/director Francis Lee takes a raw, realistic approach to everything from the animals scenes to the feature's underlying emotions, with heart-swelling results.
Do you usually leave your gift purchasing until the last minute? Have you vowed to finally do better this year? Would you like to buy Christmas presents for all of your friends and family members all at once, and in the one spot — even if you currently have zero idea of what you'll get them? Enter The Made Local Market, which is like Etsy IRL — and is hitting Brisbane this spring to lend a hand with your festive shopping. Get a jump on Christmas more than a month early or treat yo'self; whichever fits, you'll have plenty to browse and buy. In the spotlight here: artisans, makers, artists and designers in local communities, with The Made Local Market giving them the opportunity to sell their creations in a physical space. So, whether you're on the hunt for handmade wares or vintage goods, these guys have got you covered. The market will take place in the Exhibition Building at the Brisbane Showgrounds from 9am–4pm on Saturday, November 9 and 9am–3pm on Sunday, November 10 — so spreading across two days. Because it focuses on the best local talent, every market is filled with different stallholders and unique creations, but there'll be more than 120 stalls at this one. Supporting creative small businesses and scoring a killer gift for your loved ones is a win for everyone involved, so head along and get your shopping sorted. Entry costs $2 — and, the whole thing will be cashless, so don't forget your cards. There'll also be craft workshops, maker demonstrations, food trucks slinging bites to eat and plenty of places to get caffeinated.
Fiftysomethings Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg (Lindsay Duncan) are in a rut. He has just been terminated from his job as an academic after making an inappropriate comment to a female student. His wife, a biology teacher, is going through her own career issues. More importantly, their marriage is fraying at the seams. As a way of reviving their flagging relationship, they take off to Paris for a break, returning to the city where they honeymooned many years before. They initially arrive at a hostel which they had stayed at years ago, but Meg turns up her nose at the Spartan accommodation and they up sticks to a more glamorous hotel, where they are offered a beautiful penthouse where Tony Blair once stayed. Meg is overjoyed. Nick is less sure. "As long as you change the sheets first," he snips. Gradually, they begin to explore their new surrounds and are by turns charmed by the fabled city and agitated by old resentments and simmering tensions which have built up in their relationship. The two-hander expands when they run into Morgan (a terrific Jeff Goldblum), a slick but somewhat glib academic and author who was something of a mentee of Nick's, but who has gone on to enjoy mainstream success which eluded his older colleague. He shoehorns them into attending a dinner party with his coterie of cosmopolitan pals, a development which intrigues the vivacious Meg but leaves the anxious Nick more perturbed than ever. Le Week-End feels more like a snapshot in time than a traditional three-act story, as long-held frustrations wane as they wander through the city. The couple sense that they may have stayed together out of routine and fear of being alone rather than any great attachment. With their children having finally moved out of home, what, if anything, will keep them together? Nick suggests that he needs Meg, is hopeless without her. She wonders if a childlike dependence is a healthy basis for their ongoing relationship. Le Week-End is set in the world's most romantic city and was directed by Roger Michell of Notting Hill fame, but this is no Hollywood confection. Instead, it has a messiness, looseness and a real honesty. Paris often looks more tired than idealised. While not as flat-out brilliant as Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise trilogy, those films seem an obvious touchstone in their improvised-feeling dialogue and clear-eyed focus on the tribulations of long-term relationships. Broadbent and Duncan are tremendous as Nick and Meg, characters who are contradictory, vulnerable and at times, frankly irritating. It's rare to see older actors on screen who aren't supporting figures or comic relief, but real, flawed people. https://youtube.com/watch?v=t0jzTSKr3VY
Since Tuesday, September 28, local COVID-19 cases have popping up in Brisbane again, which means that a familiar pattern has kicked in once more. We all know what happens from here, with Queensland Health issuing public health alerts about places that've been visited by people who since tested positive — and Brisbanites now keeping an eye on COVID-19 exposure sites. Indeed, naming locations and venues that coronavirus cases have visited is a key element of Queensland's containment strategy, and has been since last year. Also a core part of the plan: requiring people who've attended the same sites at the same time to take action, including self-isolating and getting tested. This time around, a number of high-profile venues are on the list — as tends to happen when new cases pop up. Two of the notable ones right now: Carindale Shopping Centre and Portside Wharf. So, if you've been to either lately, you might have a test and a stint at home in your future. If you went to Carindale, one of the big shopping centres in Brisbane's south, on Sunday, September 26, that may apply to you. Six sites within the centre have been named as close contact venues, which requires immediately quarantining at home, getting tested as soon as you can, completing the online contact tracing form and continuing to quarantine for 14 days even if you get a negative result. You're in that category if you were at Tree of Life between 12–12.20pm, City Chic from 12.05–12.25pm, Platypus Shoes between 12.10–12.35pm, Typo from 12.20–12.40pm, Jay Jays between 1225–12.55pm and BWS from 1.05–1.20pm. A number of Carindale venues have also been listed as casual exposure sites, which requires isolating ASAP, getting tested, then remaining in self-isolation until you get a negative result. That covers Cotton On from 11.55am–12.15pm, Kmart between 12–12.25pm, Big W from 12.35–1pm and Woolworths from 12.45–1.15pm. And, all of Westfield Carindale's level one and level two is named as a low-risk site from 11.55am–1.30pm on the Sunday, too. That calls for getting tested ASAP, then monitoring for symptoms. ⚠️ Public Health Alert ⚠️ Queensland Health is issuing new contact tracing locations for: 📍 Brisbane CBD 📍 Hamilton Full details can be found at: https://t.co/rujm8F3qL4 pic.twitter.com/1BaiS0NXXo — Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) September 29, 2021 Over at Portside Wharf, the precinct is on the list on multiple days — all as casual contact sites. If you were there on Tuesday, September 21 from 6–9pm, Wednesday, September 22 from 6.30–9pm, Thursday, September 23 from 6–9pm, Friday, September 24 from 7.39–9pm, Saturday, September 25 from 6–9pm, Sunday, September 26 from 6–9pm and/or Monday, September 27 from 6–9pm, you need to isolate ASAP, get tested, then stay in self-isolation until you get a negative result. Other places that've joined the exposure sites list recently venues in Camp Hill, Cannon Hill, Spring Hill, South Brisbane and the CBD — for the full list, head to the Queensland Health website. As always, the usual advice regarding COVID-19 applies anyway. So, requests regarding social distancing, hygiene and getting tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms in general are still in effect, as they have since March 2020. As last reported on Wednesday, September 29, Queensland currently has 18 active cases. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the Queensland COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
When The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre put on a show, Brisbanites expect just that: a series of gigs and performances at the two venues, which share the same owners. That's what Open Season has been all about since it launched in 2020, and also when it returned in both 2021 and 2023. But 2024's event from Monday, May 20–Saturday, July 27 is spreading the tunes beyond its two main sites. If you're keen to hit up Blak Day Out, the First Nations festival that's also returning within the broader Open Season program, you'll do so on King Street in Bowen Hills. Taking to the stage: Emma Donovan, 3% — which features Dallas Woods, Nooky and Angus Field — plus BADASSMUTHA and The Ancient Bloods. It'll also be accompanied by King Street's Open Season Food Fiesta, where diversity and showcasing Indigenous retailers will be the focus. Fancy a dance party in Winn Lane? Even better, keen to make shapes at two? QUIVR DJs is taking the season there as well. Want to hit up The Tiv's carpark? During 2024's Brisbane Street Art Festival, Damien Mitchell and David Lee Pereira will create new works outside the venue. While the fact that Open Season won't just be taking place at The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre is big news, so is the just-announced lineup overall. Explosions in the Sky will head from Texas to Brisbane for the event, Brooklyn's INIKO are playing their debut Australian gig, Sky Ferreira hops Down Under for the first time in a decade, while Regurgitator have two shows on offer — one for kids and one firmly for adults. Record label Elefant Traks is in the spotlight at a 25th-anniversary gig that doubles as a farewell, and with Hermitude, The Herd, Horrorshow, Urthboy and The Last Kinection all on the bill. This show will both celebrate history and make it, marking Elefant Traks' last-ever event. Also on the roster: Yves Tumor's Aussie debut, Blonde Redhead's first Australian trip in 13 years, plus everyone from Marlon Williams and Mildlife to The Paper Kites and SLUMBERJACK — alongside BAYNK, Two Another, DICE and the initial Brisbane outing for Queer PowerPoint. And that's just the beginning, because Open Season always keeps adding to its itinerary, including once it kicks off. "Open Season is about bringing Brisbane to life over the typically quieter winter months, promoting togetherness and celebrating artistic adventure. We are stoked with this year's lineup and proud that Open Season has become such a huge highlight in the city's cultural calendar," said Dave Sleswick, Creative Director at The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre, announcing the 2024 lineup. "This year's Open Season program has something for everyone, from iconic heritage acts to sets from some of Australia's most exciting up-and-coming artists. There is street art, delicious food, shows for the kids and even a performance art series. There's a lot to discover in this year's edition and we can't wait to welcome you back." Open Season 2024 Lineup: Explosions in the Sky INIKO Sky Ferreira Yves Tumor Marlon Williams Blonde Redhead BAYNK The Paper Kites Regurgitator SLUMBERJACK Mildlife Forest Claudette Two Another DICE Queer PowerPoint Bunny Racket – Rock 'n' Roll for Kids Blak Day Out featuring: Emma Donovan 3% The Ancient Bloods BADASSMUTHA and more Elefant Traks 25th Anniversary — The Finale: Hermitude The Herd Horrorshow Urthboy The Last Kinection and more QUIVR Laneway Parties Brisbane Street Art Festival: David Lee Pereira Damien Mitchell Open Season will run from Monday, May 20–Saturday, July 27, 2024, with pre-sale tickets available from 9am AEST on Tuesday, March 26 and general sales from 9am AEST on Wednesday, March 27. For further details, head to the event's website. Open Season images: Will Johnstone, Curdin and Lachlan Douglas.
Who said Good Food Month was a Brisbane-only culinary celebration? Not the folks in charge. For one special event, they're directing hungry foodies up to Noosa — and making the trek to the Sunny Coast absolutely worth it. When and where else are you going to experience a floating street food market in Queensland, after all? Pretend you're in a Southeast Asian city, wander through stalls and soak up the watery atmosphere. And when you're not indulging in edible delights whipped up by chef Shane Bailey, you can knock back a craft beer, wine or cocktail. It's all happening Sunday, July 17 from noon till 3pm.
This article is part of our series on the diverse highlights of NZ's Canterbury region, from city to snow. To book your Christchurch trip, visit the 100% Pure New Zealand website. Bars on buses, pop-up public buildings and shipping container shopping centres — it's what you expect to see in some of the most cutting-edge cities in the world, but is it what you expect to see on the South Island of New Zealand? This is the land of the long white cloud's inventive, industrious and inspiring city of Christchurch today. Excitement and opportunity are stirring everywhere in a city with a fresh slate. It's in the small bars that have appeared in deserted streets, the designers who have started working a disused tannery and the locals who just want to contribute to the new incarnation of their city. For most, it's an inspiring time to be in New Zealand's second largest city, and there's no better time to visit. Here are four areas in which the city is thinking laterally and pulling off big things. Hospitality: C1 Espresso Christchurch is catching up to Auckland and Wellington in the cool stakes and forging its own rep for great coffee, small bars and a focus on local produce.. "We're all starting again and we've got an opportunity to redefine ourselves," says Sam Crofskey, owner of High Street's C1 Espresso. Pioneering the second wave coffee movement through to the third in Christchurch since 1996, C1 is famous for its pneumatic tube system that delivers burgers and fries to you at 100 km/hr. While there is something very Fifth Element about it, but this system is actually more in tune with the past than the future, as the tubes are part of the building's former life as a bank. "There is so much opportunity in the city," Sam says. "You can open a bar in an alleyway or upstairs above a shop or whatever." And people are. Bars specialising in whiskey, craft beer and local wine have popped up in unlikely places and are almost always buzzing with crowds. Retail: Re:START A temporary structural solution is driving the retail industry: shipping container shopping. Re:START encouraged retailers to establish temporary spaces in shipping containers to grow their businesses. Located in Cashel Square, Re:START has been one of Christchurch's biggest successes. (It's also home to Dimitri's, possibly the best souvlaki in the South Island.) In addition to what's happening in the city centre, retail has found an unlikely home-away-from-home in the industrial side of town. Ten minutes drive from the CBD in Woolston, an old tannery has become the new home of Christchurch's boutique designers and retailers. After owning the site for near on 20 years, Alasdair Cassels was able to redevelop the space into an arcade-like shopping mall, aptly dubbed The Tannery. Giving designers a place to create and sell their wares, The Tannery became a meeting place as well as a shopping destination — at a time when the city had nothing else like it. Art: Gap Filler Colour flows through Christchurch in the form of street art. From almost any vantage point you're bound to be in viewing distance of at least two pieces of work, with murals painted on the sides of buildings both abandoned and inhabited and outdoor installations littered over disused blocks. What's happened in Christchurch has shown that adversity exemplifies creativity. Seeing a way to breathe new life into the city, artists have used bare walls to redefine the mood and vision of the urban area. A mural painted We got the sunshine lights up Madras Street, a super-size Rhone portrait sits on one side of Cathedral Junction and local artist Wongi 'Freak' Wilson has left his mark all over town. As well as this, 'Gap Filler' projects are placed all over the city, activating vacant spaces with interactive installations. Walking around, it's likely that you'll hear someone playing the drums (in the Sound Garden), see someone having a boogie in front of a washing machine (at the Dance-O-Mat) or sitting on a giant Astroturf couch. Once a super conservative city, Christchurch now thrives on new work that will continue to shape and develop with it. If you're an artist with a crazy idea, Christchurch is the one city that might just let you do it. Infrastructure: Cardboard Cathedral As well as Re:START, which can be moved at any time, the Cardboard Cathedral is an incredible example of how great transitional architecture can be. Erected as a place of worship by emergency architect Shigeru Ban, the structure is made largely from cardboard tubes and looks like a picture of perfect symmetry from the inside. It's temporary, but it's meant to last around 50 years. But permanency is the ultimate goal, and plans for infrastructure and urban living are well underway. New Christchurch looks like it's going to be one hell of a city. Feature image and Rhone mural image courtesty of Jocey K, Cardboard Cathedral courtesy of Forgemind ArchiMedia via photopin.
SBS has launched their newest cooking program, The Chef's Line, employing a competition format that gives an inside look at how commercial kitchens really operate. The nightly program follows four amateur cooks and four professional chefs over the course of a week as they battle it out to prove who does it best. Every week, the show features four chefs from a particular restaurant, ranging from the apprentices and the chef de parties, to the sous chef and the head honcho. Each night, the contestants go head to head with one member of the chef's line, and the contestant with the least impressive dish is graciously shown the door. On Thursday nights, the last amateur standing unleashes their skills against the head chef. The dishes are judged blindly by Australian food icons Dan Hong, Mark Olive, and Melissa Leong, who take turns each night to either taste and decide the winner, or get about the kitchen, having a chat with the competitors. The week culminates with program host Maeve O'Meara heading to the restaurant in the spotlight for a behind-the-scenes peak at their chef's line in action. It's a pretty interesting twist on something viewers have seen plenty of lately — aka the contemporary cooking competition — as there's less emphasis placed on drama and things going wrong. Instead, The Chef's Line has the kind of vibe you'd expect when a few mates cook up some wicked food in the kitchen. With the relatively small number of contestants getting a complete refresh each week, there's no time to develop a narrative arc of intrigue and cutthroat competition, so the show relies on simply showing some home cooks making rad dishes while hanging out with chefs who make the same dishes for a living. Which, really, is what a cooking show is all about: good food and good people make for good watching. With a multicultural focus, the program brings a new cuisine to the fore every week, ensuring a swathe of various challenges as contestants aim for authentic, global dishes. Week one ran from April 3, championed Vietnamese cuisine, and took its chef's line from the guys behind Dandelion in Melbourne, as led by Geoff Lindsay. "It's a really wonderful way to celebrate diversity," said the program's creator, Chris Culvenor, calling the unique format a "celebration of the diversity of Australian food culture." The Chef's Line airs on weeknights on SBS at 6pm. If you're keen on the great dishes whipped up on the show, recipes will be made available from sbs.com.au/thechefsline.
The release of a shiny new album, Strange But Nice, was a good time as any for Sydney trio Step-Panther to take their show back on the road. Collaborating with long-time buds, Bearhug, the lads will be embarking on an East Coast album launch for the so-called New Arrivals tour. For those of you playing at home, Step-Panther are a homegrown garage-pop-rock outfit, with a sound described as 'slacker-pop'. Indeed, Step-Panther's lo-fi sound makes the perfect soundtrack for a lazy afternoon at a mate's house, preferably paired with an inflatable pool filled with ice and tinnies. Bearhug have a dreamier sound, sporting the unavoidably-dubbed 'indie' vibe without being douchey. Also hailing from Sydney, the band are also celebrating an album released — their recently-dropped second album, So Gone. Guitar-heavy with infectious melodies — these guys are onto something good. Also supported by Hound. and Tape/Off. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2y4goxKYj7M
Step into your local arthouse theatre these days and you'd be hard pressed not to find a regional film festival going on. From established cinematic powerhouses like France, Germany and Japan, to less spotlighted industries such as Poland, Indonesia and Serbia, the sheer amount of world cinema on the cultural calendar means there's almost always an alternative to the latest blockbuster out of Hollywood. As long as you don't mind reading subtitles, that is. In 2014, the line-up is getting that little bit more crowded, with the inaugural edition of a brand new festival highlighting the films from Europe's frozen north. Covering Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the first annual Scandinavian Film Festival is set to put the kvikmynd in kvikmyndahátíð. One area where contemporary Scandinavian cinema really seems to excel is the crime genre. Case in point, the Easy Money trilogy, starring Joel 'RoboCop' Kinnaman as a uni student turned drug runner. All three films will screen at the festival — see them before the scheduled US reboot featuring Zac Efron. From across the bridge in Denmark, meanwhile, comes police thriller The Keeper of Lost Causes, one the highest grossing films at the Danish box office last year. Continuing the dramatic thread, Metalhead, out of Iceland, tells the story of a pre-teen girl who copes with her brother's accidental death by taking on his identity. Sounds a little strange, sure, but the film has drawn rave reviews on the international festival circuit and scored a record-breaking 16 nominations at Iceland's prestigious Edda Awards. Thankfully, despite the region's chilly climate, not everything on the program is so severe. Finland's August Fools is a rom-com set against a Cold War era backdrop, while opening night features the informatively titled Swedish comedy The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. For more information about the Scandinavian Film Festival, visit their website. It's on at Palace Cinemas on the following dates: Canberra Tues 8 July - Sun 20 July Sydney Wed 9 July - Sun 27 July Melbourne Thu 10 July - Sun 27 July Brisbane Fri 11 July - Sun 20 July Adelaide Wed 23 July - Thurs 31 July Perth Thu 24 - Wed 30 July Byron Bay Fri 25 - Wed 30 July
As well as always being cute, cats know something that we humans tend to forget — how great it is to spend a few relaxing hours in a sunny spot. Sure, we two-legged folks love beaches, picnics and the usual outdoor activities, but it's easy to overlook the joys of simply spending a cloud-free afternoon in a bar's bright and breezy outdoor area. If you're a Brisbanite, you've really got no excuse not to head outdoors all year-round. With help from our friends at Heineken, we've rounded up four spots where you can soak up the sun and sip on a few Heineken 3s. If that sounds like your idea of bliss, read on.
One of the world's most-visited multi-sensory experiences will come alive in Brisbane this year. After successful runs in Sydney, Auckland and Adelaide, immersive exhibition Van Gogh Alive is bringing The Starry Night to the Sunshine State — alongside a heap of Vincent van Gogh's other artworks — as part of its Australian tour. The project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Exhibitions, which, for the past 15 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 150 cities across the world. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. A family-friendly experience, Van Gogh Alive creates the sensation of walking right into the Dutch artist's paintings — and you definitely won't feel like you're just standing in an ordinary gallery. Attendees encounter van Gogh's world-famous works in fine detail thanks to Grande Exhibitions' state-of-the-art technology, which uses 40 high-definition projectors. A classical musical score accompanies the vibrant colours, too, as presented in cinema-quality surround sound. And, as part of the experience, two of van Gogh's most popular works have been transformed into vivid new guises. So, when you see The Starry Night, you'll actually be walking through it. Love Sunflowers (the painting, as well as the plant)? An immersive Sunflower infinity room is also included. The Brisbane season of Van Gogh Alive will pop up at Northshore Hamilton from Friday, October 29 — with tickets on sale from Friday, July 30, or from Wednesday, July 28 via pre-sales. Van Gogh Alive will run from Friday, October 29 at Northshore Hamilton. Tickets will go on sale from Friday, July 30, with pre-sales from Wednesday, July 28 — for further details, or to join the waitlist, head to the event's website. Images: Morgan Sette. Updated July 26.
It's called hump day for a reason. This September, spend Wednesday night curled up at home with three sexy little audio stories pinged directly to your phone. Writers Benjamin Law, Krissy Kneen and Mandy Beaumont have penned steamy, tongue-in-cheek stories for The Good Room. On Wednesday, September 9, listen to the story of a call girl working in West End who receives a call from a young gent looking to dominate; on Wednesday, September 16, a retirement home resident plans a covert reunion with her swarthy husband; and on Wednesday, September 23, enter the world of after-hours hairdressing and erotic queer fantasy. You can book into three timed sessions (8pm, 9pm and 10pm) every week. It's strictly adults-only, and each 'call' is $15. Image: Joel Devereux
The apocalypse is something we fear, right? The desolation and destruction caused by a cataclysmic event is something we surely would not want to witness. Yet we seem to have a weird fascination with Armageddon, dedicating a significant amount of time to it in film, video games and those pub conversation about which of your friends has the best zombie survival plan. Now Lori Nix, a Kansas-born artist, has shared her deep wonderment with Judgement Day in her exhibition The City, which depicts New York City devoid of humanity, scarred by the apocalypse. "My childhood was spent in a rural part of the United States that is known more for its natural disasters than anything else," says Nix on her website. "For a child it was considered euphoric." This informed her project The City, which imagines "a city of our future, where something either natural or as the result of mankind, has emptied the city of it's human inhabitants. Art museums, Broadway theaters, laundromats and bars no longer function. The walls are deteriorating, the ceilings are falling in, the structures barely stand, yet Mother Nature is slowly taking them over. These spaces are filled with flora, fauna and insects, reclaiming what was theirs before man's encroachment." Nix portrays this reclamation through a series of photographed dioramas that she painstakingly constructs, right down to the most minute detail. Some of you may have heard of the The City before and that is because Nix began the project in 2005. However, each diorama takes approximately seven months to construct, followed by three weeks to shoot the final image of it, and so the series is ongoing. It has come to the fore again as the latest nine photographic works in the series are currently on exhibition at ClampArt, NYC until November 16 to coincide with the release of her first book. Explore our favourites in the gallery below and head to Nix's website to see the full collection. Via Gizmodo.
Immersing yourself in a treasure trove of theatre, art, cabaret, comedy and burlesque is enough to kick your appetite into overdrive. That hunger you're feeling isn't just for Wonderland's bustling lineup, but for tasty food and a relaxing beverage too — and the festival delivers on both counts. At the Wonderland Food Markets each Thursday to Sunday from 6pm 'til 10pm, Brisbane's best food trucks, market stalls and other culinary traders will converge on the Powerhouse Plaza to serve up all the things your stomach desires. Bring some extra cash on Saturdays, because the Wonderland Treasure Markets will also be out in force. Yes, you can see a show, enjoy a meal and take home some eclectic vintage wares, because Wonderland has thought of everything.
Still sad because you missed The Avalanches much hyped comeback show at Splendour? Well, start saving your pennies because they're back for the Falls Music & Arts Festival. They're just one of the artists who have just been announced in the full 2016 lineup, alongside Childish Gambino, London Grammar, Grouplove, Broods, Jamie T, Parquet Courts and heaps, heaps more. As always, Falls will be heading to Lorne in Victoria for four nights, and Marion Bay in Tassie and Byron Bay on the NSW coast for three nights over New Year's Eve. They'll also be setting up shop in Fremantle for the first time with Falls Downtown, a two-day city festival slated to take place over the weekend of January 7-8. If you're seriously strapped for cash, it's time to warm up those vocal chords because The Falls Festival folks are giving you the chance to win VIP tickets for you and three mates. All you have to do is serenade the world with your favourite song from the 2016/17 lineup and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #fallskaraoke. Get cracking. FALLS FESTIVAL 2016 LINEUP Childish Gambino (No Sideshows) London Grammar (No Sideshows) The Avalanches Violent Soho Matt Corby Alison Wonderland* Catfish and the Bottlemen* Fat Freddy's Drop* Ta-ku The Rubens* The Jezabels Ball Park Music Grouplove Bernard Fanning* Jamie T Broods Tkay Maidza Grandmaster Flash Illy MØ Hot Dub Time Machine DMA's AlunaGeorge Booka Shade Client Liaison Vallis Alps Parquet Courts City Calm Down LDRU* Modern Baseball Tired Lion* Remi* RY X Marlon Williams* Lemaitre Shura *Not Playing Fremantle Tickets for Falls Festival 2016/17 will go on sale at 9am on Tuesday, August 30 via their website.
The COVID-19 situation in Australia continues to change every day. Already, the federal government has implemented a ban on non-essential events with more than 500 people and mandated that everyone arriving from overseas self-isolate for 14 days. And, day by day, that's having an enormous impact on the arts world. On Monday, March 16, Melbourne's major art and cultural institutions — including Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, Arts Centre Melbourne, the NGV and State Library of Victoria — temporarily closed their doors. Today, Sydney Opera House announced that it is doing the same. Now, in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, some of Brisbane's big cultural venues are following suit. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) today, Tuesday, March 17, announced that it is closing its theatres until at least April 30, at which stage it will re-evaluate the situation. It has also cancelled all public performances during that period. Three of the South Bank centre's theatres have capacities larger than 500 — the Concert Hall, Lyric Theatre and the Playhouse — however it's taking precautionary measures and cancelling performances and shows in all venues, including the smaller Cremorne Theatre, as well as the Melbourne Street Green and Cascade Court. [caption id="attachment_760739" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Green Jam at QPAC[/caption] Shows affected include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's entire Brisbane season, which was due to open on Wednesday, March 18; the weekly free Green Jam gigs; all backstage tours; and everything from Queensland Ballet's 60th Anniversary Gala to shows by Penn and Teller, The Umbilical Brothers and The Wiggles. Elsewhere in Brisbane, Brisbane Powerhouse has cancelled the final week of the Brisbane Comedy Festival; however the venue itself remains open at this stage. Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art have cancelled Water Up Late, as well as all public programs, events and tours, but again the venue itself — and the Australian Cinematheque's current program — remains operational for now. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre has closed all theatres until at least April 30. 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.
Add three more names to the hefty list of big music stars heading Australia's way in 2023: Ice Cube, Cypress Hill and The Game. In what's basically a 90s and 00s hip hop and rap fan's dream come true, the trio are teaming up on the same bill for an Aussie arena tour, hitting stages Down Under in autumn. This isn't just any old nostalgia-dripping tour, either. It'll also mark the 30th anniversary of two influential albums: Ice Cube's Lethal Injection and Cypress Hill's Black Sunday. The former was the N.W.A member's fourth solo release, and included singles 'Really Doe', 'You Know How We Do It' and 'Bop Gun (One Nation)', while the latter gave the world 'Insane in the Brain', 'Hits from the Bong', 'When the Shit Goes Down' and 'I Ain't Goin' Out Like That'. Expect to hear plenty of those songs get a whirl in late March — and plenty more — starting at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena, then jumping to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. For Ice Cube, the tour marks his first visit to Australia since 2018, when he became the first-ever rap artist to headline at the Sydney Opera House. "I love performing in Australia. It's been four long years since my last visit and I can't wait to return for a couple of history-making shows in 2023," said the rapper, aka O'Shea Jackson Sr (and yes, his son O'Shea Jackson Jr did play him in N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton). Ice Cube and Cypress Hill will be joined by The Game, who came to fame in the 00s in the West Coast scene. The US talents will also feature Aussie talent in support, with exactly who else will take to the stage yet to be announced. ICE CUBE, CYPRESS HILL AND THE GAME 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Thursday, March 23 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Saturday, March 25 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Sunday, March 26 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Tuesday, March 28 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre Ice Cube, Cypress Hill and The Game will tour Australia in March 2023. Ticket pre-sales start at 2pm local time on Tuesday, November 22, with general sales from 2pm on Wednesday, November 23. Head to the tour website for further details.
