Do you remember how Nokia got us feeling all nostalgic by re-releasing its iconic 3310 handset earlier this year, only to crush our dreams by making it available only in 2G? Well now owner HMD is righting its wrongs, last night relaunching the much-loved phone in 3G, complete with the device's hit game, Snake. That's right, the best-selling handset is set to make a proper comeback, Snake and all. It will be released in Australia from mid-October. A new-school riff on a handset first released back in 2000, this little guy comes in two distinct matte colours (azure and charcoal), retails at just $89.95 and boasts a six-and-a-half-hour talk time. It also features a new-and-improved customisable user interface, with an online browser that has Facebook and Twitter capabilities. Best of all, it's got an extra long battery life — just like they used to make 'em back in the day. So you'll be able to text your mates and play Snake all night. The reborn Nokia 3310 3G will be available this October from JB-Hi Fi, Harvey Norman and on pre-paid through Vodafone and select Optus retailers. For more info visit nokia.com.
"So, how long have you been dead?" If you're a vampire being interviewed, that's the kind of opening question that's bound to come your way. More queries obviously have to follow, but it's a helluva ice-breaker — and, in the new Interview with a Vampire TV series, it's slung Louis de Pointe du Lac's way. Set to arrive in October — in Australia via AMC+ from Sunday, October 2, with New Zealand details still to be announced — this new small-screen adaptation of Anne Rice's 1976 gothic horror novel of the same name sparks plenty of questions itself, too. No, Brad Pitt doesn't play Louis, as he did almost 30 years ago in the 1994 movie. No, Tom Cruise doesn't play fellow vamp Lestat de Lioncourt again either. And you can guess the answers to your next two queries: no, Kirsten Dunst isn't back as Claudia, and neither is Christian Slater as the interviewer. All those characters feature here, though, with the Interview with a Vampire series retelling Louis, Lestat and Claudia's tale. If you remember the flick — the film that helped push Dunst to fame as a child, well before she was an Oscar-nominee for The Power of the Dog — you'll know that it steps through the undead trio's not-quite-lives (being eternally undead might be the better way to describe it). This time, Jacob Anderson — aka Game of Thrones' Grey Worm — is the New Orleans resident who can't resist the offer to live forever. Playing Lestat to his Louis is Australian actor Sam Reid (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson). As for child vampire Claudia, Bailey Bass (Psycho Sweet 16) does the honours, with the always-welcome Eric Bogosian (Succession) as probing interviewer Daniel Molloy. Like plenty of other upcoming movies and TV shows did — such as The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, House of the Dragon, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Interview with the Vampire dropped its first sneak peek at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. With Louis' story starting in the 1900s, it's big on period details and costuming, plus a sweeping mood. And yes, reviving 90s movies as a series is a trend that shows no signs of dying — like interviewed vampires — given that Interview with the Vampire will hit streaming queues less than two months after the new TV version of A League of Their Own does the same. Also, Interview with the Vampire joins the film-to-TV vampire ranks, too, alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer and What We Do in the Shadows. Check out the Interview with the Vampire trailer below: Interview with the Vampire will start streaming in Australia viaAMC+ from Sunday, October 2. We'll update you with New Zealand details when they become available. Images: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC.
Two decades ago, a new Christmas tradition was born: watching a whole heap of stars revel in romance, comedy and the festive spirit in what's now the quintessential British seasonal rom-com. It was back in 2003 that Love Actually debuted on the big screen, bringing with it familiar faces, songs and eight intertwined tales. Everyone knows how that went, especially given that no one has stopped talking about it since. When the end of the year hits, if you get 'Christmas is All Around' sung by Bill Nighy (Living) stuck in your head, then you're definitely aware of Love Actually's popularity. If you've ever held up a piece of cardboard to tell the object of your affection that to you they're perfect, you do as well. Missed it on the big screen 20 years back, whether you gave it a pass or weren't old enough to be interested in English romantic comedies? It's now returning to cinemas in December to celebrate its anniversary. Getting festive watching Nighy, Hugh Grant (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Liam Neeson (Retribution), Colin Firth (Empire of Light), Laura Linney (Ozark), Alan Rickman (Eye in the Sky), Emma Thompson (Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical), Keira Knightley (Boston Strangler), Martin Freeman (Secret Invasion), Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Man Who Fell to Earth) and Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) in the same movie on the silver screen hasn't been absent from anyone's calendars of late. Outdoor cinemas give Love Actually a spin at this time of year, and an in-concert version does the rounds. But instead of getting one-off sessions here and there, the film is heading back to picture palaces in general release from Thursday, December 7. Accordingly, your December routine — one that's shared by many — can now include hitting up your local like it's 2003 again to revisit the Richard Curtis-written and -directed flick. Love Actually marked Curtis' first effort as a helmer after penning the screenplays for the Grant-starring Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones' Diary, and also writing for Blackadder and French and Saunders. On offer: interweaved Yuletide stories of romance, with Christmas and love all around everyone from rock 'n' roll singers, the Prime Minister of the UK and long-married couples to film stand-ins and school kids with crushes. Love Actually's anniversary season will screen the movie in a new 4K presentation, and feature ten minutes with the feature's cast and crew as they look back on their involvement in the film. Check out the trailer for Love Actually below: Love Actually will return to cinemas from Thursday, December 7, 2023.
Based on Leslye Headland's play, Bachelorette is a comedy that tells the story of three best friends from high school turn bridesmaids. Their less-attractive friend, Becky (Rebel Wilson), is getting married, and the competitive Regan (Kirsten Dunst) accepts her role as maid of honour. Gena (Lizzy Caplan) is on a mission to confront her high school ex after he left her bitter with a broken heart, whilst Katie (Isla Fisher), the last of the bridesmaids, adds some extra laughs with her sometimes ditzy personality and impulsive sass. Bachelorette combines humour, drunken romance and the dynamic of female relationships in a raunchy and intoxicated weekend that these women will certainly never forget. The film will be released in cinemas November 1. Thanks to Hopscotch, Concrete Playground has ten double passes to giveaway. To go in the running just subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Juniper has come a long way — from curing stomach pains and repelling snakes to burning sprigs to ward off the plague, and on to its most common use today in our beloved gin. To dig deep into the history of the botanical tipple, we spoke to master distiller Joanne Moore from Greenall's Gin (produced at England's oldest gin distillery — G&J Distillers) for advice on bluffing our way through junipers and genevers to get to the good stuff: gin. WHY DOES GIN HAVE AN EMOTIONAL REPUTATION? There are two sorts of people who drink gin: one, that after a touch grazing the lips, starts to bare their heart and soul and drags you into a D&M, and the latter, a shark-fresh-outta-water sort who can sink snooker balls like it ain't nobody's business. So what's the deal, Joanne? "I think this stems from the poor reputation of gin following the gin craze of the early 18th-century when there was no regulation around making it. The result was a lot of 'gins' of dubious quality being drunk, which was immortalised by William Hogarth's infamous painting of Gin Lane. There's nothing in gin that would make you cry any more than if you drank the same quantity of another product with the same alcohol level." [caption id="attachment_663983" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Letícia Almeida.[/caption] THE TASTE OF A GOOD GIN First up, genevers. We know this to be the drink that begat gin; the older Dutch spirit cousin you might say. But what else should bluffers know about gin to charm all their mates? "London dry gins, such as Greenall's original, are traditionally distilled white spirits, made from three building blocks: grain spirit (in Greenall's case, English wheat), botanicals and water. The only botanical we have to use to be legally defined as a gin is juniper berries, and for london dry, this should be the predominant aroma. "A good gin should have recognisable juniper notes — after all, that's what legally defines a gin — so, it should be dry, not overtly sweet, balanced and have a good soft mouthfeel. It shouldn't be too harsh or burning to the taste. "Much like wine tasting, gin tasting uses the same basic principles. Aerate your glass and nose the aromas, as your sense of smell signals to your brain what you are going to taste. There's no need to hold the spirit in your mouth like you do with wine though, just sip and enjoy," says Joanne. [caption id="attachment_638855" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Brook James.[/caption] A PERFECT TIME AND PLACE Like rosé to spring, red to winter and white to summer, is there a best time to drink gin? "That's a difficult one to answer as it all depends on the individual, how they feel and what sort of day they have had — do they want a long drink like a refreshing G&T, a cocktail or a short drink? For me, that's the real beauty behind gin. It's so versatile that you can drink it responsibly in lots of places," says Joanne. AN OPTIMAL VESSEL Now we know when we should be drinking gin, but what about how we should be drinking it? Are there certain vessels that are better than others? "It could be argued that for the optimum drinking experience, you need a glass with a narrow neck to allow the concentration of aromas to be appreciated. Plus, glass as a material is better suited than say, plastic, as it doesn't contain any elements that could potentially react with your spirit and leach into your drink." [caption id="attachment_663977" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Letícia Almeida.[/caption] HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT G&T A classic gin and tonic can be traced back to when colonial Britain spread its tentacles across the world and the English encountered a whole range of new tropical diseases, including malaria. To try to combat the disease, troops in India were given rations of the very bitter cinchona bark, which contains quinine, a treatment for malaria. And from there, these wily soldiers mixed their rations with sugar, soda water and gin to make it more palatable. Now, when mates come over to celebrate being malaria free — or really for any occasion — we tend to go for a splash mighty enough to fill half a glass. What's the best way to mix up a good ol' G&T? "Gin is best served chilled with a good quality mixer and appropriate garnish to bring out the key flavours. For mixing a classic G&T with Greenall's gin, we recommend using some good quality tonic such as Fever Tree, lots of ice and a wedge of lime to bring out the rounded juniper notes, warm earthy spice and mature citrus notes of our Greenall's Original gin recipe. "It's also important to mix the gin and tonic to avoid layering flavours. Mixing allows the two to marry together and complement each other." WHAT'S TRENDING? Throughout gin's long life many trends have come and gone. There have been gins made with ants and seaweed, gins bottled with flecks of gold and turkey-flavoured gin (yes, really). Luckily, the latest trend is a bit more palatable (or, if we may, palette-able). While gin may traditionally be clear, that's no longer the hard-and-fast rule. And gin's colour of the moment is pink. Was it inspired by Regina George's midweek mantra? The millennial colour of the moment? A certain animated feline detective? We don't know. But we do know that it certainly adds an extra shade to your G&T. And, in the case of Greenall's Wild Berry gin, it tastes good too. This variation of the pink libation is made with natural blackberry and raspberry flavouring. As you'd expect, it has berry notes (on the nose and tongue) but the combination with juniper botanicals gives the drink a warming spice and slightly peppery after tones. [caption id="attachment_663980" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Letícia Almeida.[/caption] AND FINALLY, SHAKEN, STIRRED OR THROWN? The martini is the quintessential gin cocktail, a blend of gin and vermouth mixed to the drinker's exact specifications. But when you order a martini should you ask for it shaken, stirred or thrown? Many people will tell you there is a definitive answer, but the only difference is that the ice breaks into smaller chips and waters down the martini when you shake the cocktail. Joanne say, "too much ice doesn't dilute gin, but it does keep it chilled, dulling the effect of the alcohol in the mouth and making for a more pleasant drink." So tosh to them; drink it how you like, we say. Grab a bottle of Greenall's, throw that dry martini, aerate until it breaks into tiny droplets, serve in a chilled glass and don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong. Header image: Brook James.
Brisbane's new public transport lines are still five years away from being completely operational; however, that hasn't stopped the proposed system from getting bigger. Initially planned to span 21 kilometres and 18 stations across two routes, the Brisbane Metro plans have now been expanded to include Chermside, Carindale and Springwood. Brisbanes Times is reporting that the Brisbane City Council aims to extend its existing proposal, which had outlined two lines — one between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street to take care of southern residents, and the second linking the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to the University of Queensland. A Carindale route would tie in with the first line, while a Chermside track would connect to the second. Heading down to Springwood would involve lengthening the Eight Mile Plains line along the South East Busway. While construction isn't expected to start until 2018 for a 2022 completion, the idea of offering more frequent public transport services in more places throughout Brisbane can only be a good thing, as anyone who has suffered through the current mess of unreliable and infrequent services — aka everyone in the city — can no doubt agree. The project is currently in its feedback phase, with the Council hosting public sessions in the CBD, Holland Park, Woolloongabba and Upper Mount Gravatt until the end of April, before a preliminary business case is due to be delivered in May. For more information, head to the Brisbane Metro website. Via Brisbane Times.
Nobody can resist a subtle jab at Tom Cruise, but Com Truise is known for more than just the pun. The New Yorker's been generating buzz ever since appearing on the electronic music scene four years ago. Now, Truise, aka Seth Haley, is touring Australia for the first time, taking him across Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney in a series of intimate sets. Like his name, Com Truise's music is fun and energetic, hailing back to an era of luscious '80s synth. Haley's most recent release, Wave 1, from the faultless Ghostly International label, is a trademark to his signature style — slick production which transforms the otherwise monochrome sounds of today's pop with an eclectic mix of sci-fi sounds, funk beats and drenching bass. It's music that everything feel textured, fuzzy, lo-fi and somewhat rainbow-coloured. Just go with it. Com Truise is one of our top ten picks from this year's Brisbane Festival. Check out the entire list here.
Whether you're celebrating Galentine's Day, Valentine's Day or Singles Awareness Day this February, we're betting that a holiday to look forward to would make the occasion even better. So is Virgin Australia, and it only has sunny, summery spots in mind. The focus of its latest flight sale: trips to Queensland. Destinations from the Gold Coast up to Cairns are covered, and dates with plenty of sun, surf and sand between autumn and spring, too. Starting on Wednesday, February 14, this is a one-week-only sale — so you've got until 11.59pm AEST on Tuesday, February 20 to get booking, unless sold out earlier. More than 300,000 fares on offer. While the sale is focused on one part of the country, you still have options in terms of departure points and destinations. Within Queensland, you can leave or arrive in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Hamilton Island, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Mt Isa and Proserpine. And, around the rest of the country, flights to and from Adelaide, Alice Springs, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney are available. One-way fares begin at $69 — which'll get you from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast and vice versa, and also from Brisbane to Cairns and Brisbane to Proserpine (to hit The Whitsundays) or the reverse. Other sale flights include Sydney–Gold Coast from $79, Brisbane–Hamilton Island from $86, Melbourne–Cairns from $115 and Adelaide–Gold Coast from $119. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the travel periods depend on the leg — but the general range is from Wednesday, March 6–Thursday, September 12. The sale has the backing of the Australian and Queensland governments' Tourism Recovery Package, to help the Sunshine State's tourism industry after ex-tropical cyclone Jasper. Only select fares cover seat choice and checked baggage, however, with the airline announcing back in 2021 that it now splits its economy flights into three types. Economy Lite doesn't include checking any baggage or picking your seat, but Economy Choice does — and Economy Flex gives you extra flexibility (hence the name) if you have to change your plans later. Virgin's Queensland summer sale runs from Wednesday, February 14–11.59pm AEST on Tuesday, February 20 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Attention all wannabe heroes: something big is coming. This March, much-loved comic company Marvel will bring its world-class Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. exhibition to Melbourne. The immersive exhibition, held at Federation Square, will give would-be caped crusaders the chance to delve into the history, engineering, genetics and technology behind Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the rest of their superhero team. Visitors will also undergo training, as if they were learning to become agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and can explore bespoke equipment and costumes including the Hulkbuster suit, Captain America's uniform and shield, Iron Man's MK armor and Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. combines complex science and technology, developed by Marvel to help bring the successful film franchise to life. Space agency NASA have also contributed to the interactive experience, helping to enhance its scientific authenticity. After successful stints in cities including New York, Seoul and Paris, the exhibition will now head Down Under for the very first time. It'll be open 11am–6pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11am–10pm Thursdays, 10am–10pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 10am–6pm Sundays between March 16 and July 15. Last year Marvel broke records when it brought its Creating the Cinematic Universe exhibition to Brisbane, drawing in close to 270,000 fans. Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is expected to be even bigger.
The third season of The Bear is a season haunted. Creator and writer Christopher Storer (Dickinson, Ramy) — often the culinary dramedy's director as well — wouldn't have it any other way. Every show that proves as swift a success as this, after serving up as exceptional a first and second season as any series could wish for, has the tang of its prior glory left on its lips, so this one tackles the idea head on. How can anyone shake the past at all, good or bad, it ruminates on as Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, The Iron Claw) faces a dream that's come true but hasn't and can't eradicate the lifetime of internalised uncertainty that arises from having an erratic mother, absent father, elder brother he idolised but had his own demons, and a career spent striving to be the best and put his talents to the test in an industry that's so merciless and unforgiving even before you factor in cruel mentors. Haunting is talked about often in this ten-episode third The Bear dish, but not actually in the sense flavouring every bite that the show's return plates up. In the season's heartiest reminder that it's comic as well as tense and dramatic — its nine Emmy wins for season one, plus four Golden Globes across season one and two, are all in comedy categories — the Faks get to Fak aplenty. While charming Neil (IRL chef Matty Matheson) is loving his role as a besuited server beneath Richie aka Cousin (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, No Hard Feelings), onboard with the latter's commitment to upholding a Michelin star-chasing fine-diner's front-of-house standards and as devoted to being Carmy's best friend as ever, he's also always palling around with his handyman brother Theodore (Ricky Staffieri, Read the Room). They're not the season's only Faks, and so emerges a family game. When one Fak wrongs another, they get haunted, which is largely being taunted and unsettled by someone from basically The Bear equivalent of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Boyles. For it to stop, you need to agree to give in. In Storer's hands, in a series this expertly layered, this isn't just an amusing character-building aside. Joining the Disney+ menu Down Under on Thursday, June 27, 2024, season three opens with an episode called 'Tomorrow', setting the action on the titular day following the soft relaunch of Carmy's pride and joy. Season one followed his immersion in The Original Beef of Chicagoland, which his elder sibling Mikey (Jon Bernthal, Origin) ran before his death, and the call to turn it into the restaurant that Carmy has always wanted. Season two charted the hard yards traversed to make the plan happen and bring The Bear to fruition, culminating in an unveiling to family and friends that had them raving about the food while The Bear's staff were in bedlam. With Carmy, who was stuck locked in the fridge for most of the big hurrah, then ended it with his girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon, Theater Camp) out of his life and his relationship with Richie at a new low, the third go-around asks how you whisk that difficult kickoff — and all previous difficulties — out of your brain and somehow move forward. The Bear has been posing a version of this question from the outset, because it's one of existence's defining queries: how does anyone go on when our heads are swirling with the pinnacles and plunges, achievements and traumas, and riches and missteps gone by? This is a show that sees baggage and, Station Eleven-style, remembers damage. So, how could Carmy, Richie, Carmy and Mikey's sister Natalie (Abby Elliott, Cheaper by the Dozen), their pseudo-uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt, Chicago Med), and The Beef's loyal staff Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas, IF), Marcus (Lionel Boyce, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) carve a path — any path — after losing Mikey? With newcomer chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Inside Out 2), after they ensured it was still a place that he'd approve of, how could they pivot to The Bear? And with Jimmy's money backing them and the culinary world watching, how can they now guarantee that their new restaurant not just simmers but boils? 'Tomorrow' is a tone-poem first instalment to The Bear's third course, flitting through Carmy's history — the other kitchens that he's been employed in feature heavily — to establish how being haunted will season everything that follows. It's a mindset episode, and a smart and absorbing one, as his time working for the unpleasant David Fields (Joel McHale, Animal Control), the kindly Andrea Terry (Olivia Colman, Wicked Little Letters) and the IRL René Redzepi at Noma all flash up. Its mood then turns haunting itself, persisting atmospherically as Carmy makes some blunt decisions solo about what the restaurant will be and do, then Syd, Richie and the crew are confronted with his choices. The Bear will now operate under a list of non-negotiables. It will change its menu entirely daily. It'll actively seek Michelin's covered five-pointed endorsement. It isn't overtly stated, but it will also exist in a state of fear over what a review by the Chicago Tribune might deem it, be it innovative, excellent, delicious, confusing, overdone or inconsistent. The aftertaste of what's come before, and how impossible it is to cleanse it from your palate, lingers in every moment of kitchen and dining-room chaos — of which there's a buffet — alongside every plot strand. Syd struggles with the realisation that she's still the entree to Carmy's main, clicking the button on the partnership agreement that will formalise her stake in The Bear and whether to leave what she's toiled so hard for to take a new opportunity. Richie has the reality of his ex-wife (Gillian Jacobs, Invincible) moving on to deal with. The pregnant Nat's due date speeds closer. Marcus endeavours to cope with his grief by focusing on the job. Tina's route to The Beef gets its own episode. And The Computer (Brian Koppelman, the creator of fellow TV series Billions), Jimmy's no-nonsense numbers guy, has thoughts as The Bear keeps booking out and generating buzz but battling financially. Season three's performances in roles not only lead and supporting but also among the guest stars — well-known names pop up again, some returning, some new — remain delectable. Leading the show, no one better provides the faces of those tormented by their choices, hopes, yearnings, chances, mistakes and regrets, sometimes as motivation and sometimes as an anchor for Carmy, Syd and Richie, like the one-two-three punch of White, Edebiri and Moss-Bachrach. No one on- or off-screen across the whole series shows any sign of being plagued by living up to the one of the best new shows of 2022 and best returning shows of 2023, or knowing what to do, either. Although the second and third seasons of The Bear have had the program's own past to match, doing so hasn't been a problem to-date, including when Storer can so effortlessly segue between experimental and classic, and wide-spanning to ultra-focused as well. One of the reasons that the exploits of Carmy and company satisfied audiences from the show's initial arrival is its authenticity, understanding the pressures and anxieties, plus the hustle and bustle, of the hospo grind at the sandwich-diner level and the cream-of-the-crop tier alike. The Bear is equally as emotionally astute and frenetic beyond the kitchen, as every spoonful of its third season reminds viewers. The reality of trying to make it as a chef, cook, restaurateur and server collides with the reality of simply trying and being; it's a perfect recipe. In the show, the feeling of sitting down to your dream meal but proving incapable of dislodging your inner mayhem is inescapable. For those watching, The Bear is the streaming equivalent of the ultimate dish — and, because we all have our own internal turmoil, also the cure for being haunted across its superb 14 hours now over three seasons. Check out the full trailer for The Bear season three below: The Bear streams via Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand, with season three dropping on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Read our review of season one and review of season two. Images: FX.
If you're going to launch a brand new online school encouraging creativity in girls, it doesn't hurt to have Marina Abramovic's backing. Or Yoko Ono's. Or Pussy Riot's. Or Sia's. Or Every Strong Awesome Wonderful Lady Doing Amazing Things Right Now. The School of Doodle did just that. A brand new, free online school geared to infuse a little creativity into girls' educations, the School of Doodle has launched a Kickstarter campaign with the support of some of the world's most high-fiveworthy women. The Portland-based (of course) SOD team (lead by Melbourne-born expat Kate Johnson) see an unacceptable lack of arts education in US schools, one they've particularly seen as detrimental to young girls' learning processes. "The arts are being cut from schools and yet all the research shows that when teens' creativity and imaginations are fortified, they excel and stay in school longer as well as develop the necessary skills for future success," says the SOD Kickstarter page. "After extensive research and interviews with teens, teachers and education reform experts, we believe that a girl’s imagination is a right and not a privilege. And, if we don’t fight to protect it, the next generation (of women and men) will suffer." The team have pooled their savings and started building their free online high school, but found funds wanting to finish the website (the key to the whole shebang). So the team looked to Kickstarter, bringing quite the flurry of famous friends to the party. Rounding up 28 all-round goal-kicking women like Marina Abramovic, Yoko Ono, Pussy Riot, Sia, Kim Gordon, Yayoi Kusama, Sarah Silverman, half the cast of Orange is the New Black and too many more to list without their inspirational faces, SOD had each fearless female submit an original doodle of their own devising. Kickstarter backers can nab an individual doodle or a colouring book with the whole series. Here's the backing team, it's honestly like scrolling through a glorious tunnel of oestrogen-charged high-fives: Right? What. A. Lineup. So once you've sent your Kickstarter backing funds, what can students actually learn at the School of Doodle? The team describe the whole thing as "part classroom and part content platform original programming, created by both teens and professionals, to engage and inspire imagination." The self-directed, free curriculum is made up of lessons called 'Daily Doodles', which end with a 'Doodle Challenge' each session for students to start putting their sweet knowledge into practice. The whole philosophy runs on creative confidence and 'being loud' through the 'three paths to imagination': Dabble, Dig, Do. If you're lurking in the dreaded so-called 'Dabble' stage (we've all been guilty of Dabbling), the team have put together a library of 'How Do' videos to get your creative juices flowing. And who's teaching these 'Daily Doodles'? This is where shit really gets cray. Salman Rushdie, Kim Gordon, John Baldessari, Yinka Shonibare, even Abramovic herself are all crafting lessons. Free lessons. From these guys: Best looking faculty lounge ever. Sure, there are no grades — students earn 'Doodle Dollars' that can be saved up and spent on live online expert chats, field trips (or 'dream trips') and other bits and pieces that 'aid imagination' (not in the Parklife way). But if Abramovic, Sia and Pussy Riot see value in a free online school boosting girls' creativity, we're on board for Doodle. Throw some cashola at the School of Doodle over here and nab one of those famously-penned doodles. Via Artnet.
Last month the National Gallery of Victoria launched the first ever major survey of Australian fashion. Featuring over 120 works from more than 90 designers, 200 Years of Australian Fashion not only had us wowed with the scale, diversity and sheer beauty of the threads on display, but also contemplating the thread that runs through each product born of the Australian fashion industry. It's quite a unique industry to be in — isolated, out of season and catering to a completely different market to the global fashion players. But out of this, a new innovative and creative approach to fashion has been born. It's certainly seen successes, from Collette Dinnigan being the first Australian invited to show at Paris Fashion Week in 1995 to Dion Lee, who last year showed his fifth season at New York Fashion Week. Is it our position in the global market that defines our aesthetic? We asked local designers Perks and Mini and Pageant as well as the NGV's Curator of Fashion and Textiles Paola De Trocchio to define how they see Australian fashion. [caption id="attachment_566323" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Tom Ross[/caption] AMANDA CUMMING AND KATE REYNOLDS, PAGEANT Do you think there is an Australian aesthetic in fashion? There is a casualness and subtle eclecticism about the way Australian's dress. It's offbeat and relaxed! Do you think Australia's distance from the rest of the world has influenced our fashion? As designers, this distance can be challenging but it also gives us the freedom to create our own rules. The fashion industry in Australia is still young and not set in tradition, which we feel creates more flexibility and creativity through design. Is there a designer or particular time period that defines Australian fashion for you? We really admire Dion Lee and feel that he has helped to shape the global image of Australian fashion. His designs always push the boundaries and his textile development is impressive! What would you like to see local designers doing? As designers we feel it's important to be aware of your surroundings and reflect on current culture. It's really important to be authentic, as originality is key to a strong vision. [caption id="attachment_566350" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Perks and Mini[/caption] SHAUNA TOOHEY, PERKS AND MINI Do you think there is an Australian aesthetic in fashion? No. But I do think there is a uniquely Australian attitude to fashion. I think it tends to be more relaxed, it doesn't follow rules and is more forgiving. Do you think Australia's distance from the rest of the world has influenced our fashion? Yes, distance and also seasonal difference has had a big effect on Australian fashion. However, as the world be comes more global, seasons drop earlier and climate change affects weather, I think this will have less influence. Is there a designer or particular time period that defines Australian fashion for you? Growing up with rave and street culture, the stand outs for me are Galaxy Abyss and Funk Essentials both by Sara Thorn and Bruce Slorach. What would you like to see local designers doing? My favourite designers are ones where you can see their unique signature in there clothes. Too often you see garments where the neck label could be lots of different brands/designers and it would be believable. I would love to see designers finding their own unique vision and expressing that in their clothing so well that each piece is recognisably theirs. [caption id="attachment_566322" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Wayne Taylor[/caption] PAOLA DI TROCCHIO, CURATOR, FASHION AND TEXTILES AT THE NGV Do you think there is an Australian aesthetic in fashion? What Australian designers have in common is a sense of adventure, resilience, and courage. This can translate to bold, sophisticated and innovative design with a streak of rebellion. Do you think Australia's distance from the rest of the world has influenced our fashion? I think it has caused our designers to be incredibly innovative with their business systems and structures. For example, recognising that they could not compete with and did not even desire to fit into established fashion conventions from the context of Australia, DI$COUNT UNIVER$E launched their brand online through their blog, redefining the rules of what a fashion label could be. MaterialByProduct's engagement with the concept of luxury and artisanal hand production can be seen as suited to systems of production in Australia, where the majority of the businesses are small-scale enterprises with low-production capacity. Is there a designer or particular time period that defines Australian fashion for you? Australian fashion is evolving as we are as a nation. The earliest dress in the exhibition is from c.1805. Its raised waist and slim skirt are known as the empire line. Its Indian muslin fabric acknowledges the immediate network of trade between India, Australia and Britain. It situates the origins of Australian fashion within the broad context of Britain's aspirations towards the Empire and within a network of international trade. Since then Australian designers have continued a dialogue with the wider world that has echoed politics, trends, social movements, trade and identity. I think what is fascinating about Australian fashion is how Australian designers look inwards to find within them their unique voice, whilst looking out and engaging with the wider world. What would you like to see local designers doing? Thriving. I think they are doing incredibly well and I look forward to seeing them reach greater heights. 200 Years of Australian Fashion is now showing at NGV Australia until July 31. For more information, visit ngv.vic.gov.au. Top image: Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee wearing Linda Jackson's Tutti Frutti dress, 1975. Photograph by Ann Noon.
The world's first wandering institution dedicated to showcasing the creative efforts of ordinary folks is coming to Australia. That'd be the Museum of Everything, which will head to Tasmania for a ten-month stint filled with pieces that you won't find in any other gallery. Launching during MONA's Dark Mofo in June, then running through until April 2, 2018, the Museum of Everything, the exhibition will feature over 1500 works in themed spaces, taking visitors on an informal journey through human making. Drawings, sculptures, paintings, ceramics, collage, photography, assemblage, found objects and installations will all be on display during its first trip to our shores. Starting in London in 2009, and touring to Paris, Venice, Moscow and Rotterdam since, the Museum of Everything aims to improve the profile of art that falls outside of the usual channels. Forget famous names — you won't find them here. Instead, lining its walls are works crafted by untrained, unintentional, undiscovered and and otherwise unclassifiable artists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Indeed, the people responsible for the kind of pieces favoured by the travelling display are compelled to channel their creativity into new, different and experimental works, but they don't fit the conventional definition of artists. As founder James Brett explains, "our artists do not create for the markets or museums. They make because they must and— from Henry Darger to Nek Chand Saini — have something vital to say about the essence of their lives". The Museum of Everything will exhibit at MONA from June 11, 2017 to April 2, 2018. For more information, visit the MONA website. Image: George Widener, c. 2007, Courtesy of The Museum of Everything.
A tense, make-your-stomach-drop drama from director Benedict Andrews, Una is not an easy watch. You'll find your skin crawling, and your legs and arms crossed, physically recoiling from the modern-day version of Lolita too realistic for comfort unfolding on screen. You might even forget all about the big crush you have on your fave Aussie dad figure Ben Mendelsohn. The effect of Una is just that jarring. The film tells the story of Una (Rooney Mara), a woman whose sudden reappearance threatens to destroy the life of Ray (Mendelsohn), a man who at first glance it seems she was once intimately involved with. But we soon pick up on the fact that "involved with" here means "sexually abused by". Una was 13 when Ray began a sexual relationship with her. Years later, she arrives at his workplace, come to confront him about the past. In brief, disjointed moments of flashback we meet Una as a child, and Ray as a younger man who becomes obsessed with his neighbour's daughter, sexually abusing her through the guise of them "being in love". Back then, it all ended in a plan to run away to Europe, a single motel bed, abandonment, and a jail sentence. Years later, Ray (now "Peter") has rebuilt his life with a new job, a new wife, a new house, and a whole new identity. Una? Not so. Still dealing with what was done to her as a child, she lives in the same house where it all happened, with a mother she's still failing to communicate with. The last time we see Una as a child, she's pleading with Ray via live video feed in a courtroom, asking him to come back, to make contact, and to tell her why he left her. The first time we meet her as an adult, she's having sex with a faceless man at a club and wandering home in the early morning, stuck in her anger and her past. The film was adapted from Blackbird, a play by David Harrower, and its origins on the stage are clear to see. Una's musings to Ray, mostly within the confines of the lunchroom at his workplace, are delivered like monologues. Mara chews up and spits out the dialogue the way her character must have practised hundreds of times in the years since her abuse. The film succeeds in what it sets out to do in part through its handling of the aspects of Una and Ray's past that, obviously, it can't actually show. A chill runs down your spine with each horrible moment left unseen; a close-up of two hands holding each other, or a long shot of a huge tree that obscures our view. Our imaginations run cold along with our blood. Mendelsohn is convincingly charismatic while bringing the requisite darkness to his role. Mara struggles a little in her attempts to pull off a British accent, but aside from that her performance is exceptional. The chemistry between the two is patently present, enough to make you shudder. Una is one of those films that you can't stop watching, no matter how much you might want to; a tense, confined study of a paedophile that dares you to look away. Is Ray rehabilitated, trying to move on from the unforgivable actions of his past? Or is he still as sick and manipulative as ever? The film, and Mendelsohn, will leave you guessing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSpZBmnamhg
Imagine if someone came along in their pink mobile theatre and started gallivanting around your town? It isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds – in fact LOVE TV’s Big Hot Pink TV is going to be doing just that this week, and we best open our hearts. The goddess Aphrodite has made an amazing comeback, and is now passing the love around the world. She travels in her TV van and interviews people about what they love, who they love, and why they love it. She invites the community she enters to share the love and let her know who they’d love to see her talk to about their passion and heart’s desire. Well, West End has spoken, and they have chosen local writer and media personality, Benjamin Law to be the orator of all things lovely in our city. Joining Ben will be local photographer Paul Rollo, author Krissie Kneen and actress Melanie Zanetti, who will sit on the couch that once hosted Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding, and Australia’s own eclectic John Safran. The guests will be given a public forum to share the story of their own personal love affair with their beloved Brisbane, and will no doubt chat 'til their hearts are content. Be sure to catch the amazing LOVE TV in Brisbane this week – it’ll fill your heart’s every desire. Love TV will visit 3 locations this March; Rumpus Room (7.30pm, 9 March), Davies Park Market (10am, 10 March) and Bille Brown Studio (8pm, 16 March). For full details head to lovetv.com.au.
Cinemas and choc tops go together like movies and superheroes — these days, you can't have one without the other. But if you don't eat animal products, pairing a frosty (and readily available) dessert with your film-going isn't usually on the menu. Until now. Much to the delight of vegan cinephiles, Event Cinemas has launched a new vegan ice cream range. In Sydney and Brisbane, the chain is now slinging two flavours of vegan choc tops from its snack provider Parlour Lane. Instead of dairy, these cones are filled with coconut-based ice cream that's been handmade by Aussie dairy-free producer Over The Moo. There will be two flavours to choose from — chocolate and salted caramel — that are both topped with vegan chocolate. The choc tops are $6.50 for the moment, and are only available at selected sites — so NSW residents should make a movie date with the big screens at Bondi Junction, Glendale, Miranda, George Street, Macquarie and Tuggerah, while Queenslanders should head to Chermside, Pacific Fair, Robina and Kawana. If you're fond of cruelty-free, dairy-free ice cream, you can add these to the growing list of vegan dessert options. Just this year, vegan Magnums, Cornettos and Weis Bars, plus four new dairy-free Ben & Jerry's tubs, hit supermarket and convenience store freezers. Lord of the Fries also added to its vegan lineup, expanding from meat-free burgers, hot dogs and yes, fries, to include a new range of vegan ice cream sandwiches. Now we just need a gluten-free option and all the dietary requirements of cinema-goers will be covered. Parlour Lane's vegan choc tops are now available for $6.50 at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction, Glendale, Miranda, George Street, Macquarie and Tuggerah in New South Wales, and at Chermside, Pacific Fair, Robina and Kawana in Queensland.
Overnight, Jimmy Fallon lived out every '90s kid's dream — he danced with the Fresh Prince. Oh yeah, and he hosted his first Tonight Show, inducting him into late night history forever. But who's to say which makes him more successful? The Tonight Show is a big deal, and some still had their doubts about Fallon. Even after proving himself as a host for five years on Late Night, many just couldn't shake that first impression of him as the baby-faced goofball who screwed up every SNL skit by laughing. (Seriously, he even laughed through Will Ferrell's classic cowbell scene). In last night's show, Fallon played up this doubt in a clever bit about celebrities making $100 bets against him even making it to the Tonight Show. Cue appearances by Robert DeNiro, Tina Fey, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey (WHAT?), Joan Rivers, Seth Rogen and a spiteful Stephen Colbert. But, after an emotional opening monologue and a solid first show, it's clear Leno's legacy is in good hands. With his backing band, The Roots, travelling over from Late Night, it's been clear for awhile now that Fallon loves himself some hip hop. We saw it at the end of last year too when Justin Timberlake came by for a duo in the History of Rap. This was reinforced further with last night's show, as Will Smith dropped in for an excellent demonstration of the Evolution of Hip Hop Dancing. Pulling moves like 'the running man', 'the pop and lock', 'the MC Hammer' and 'the I'm about to breakdance', Fallon showed he's not scared to bring some fresh ideas to the much-coveted show. He even finished it off with a twerk. I doubt Leno would have ever pulled that off.
Well, the world is ending soon (again…) and what better way to go out than with an ode to the impending end of days in the style of a burlesque freak show. Mat Fraser, the Freak, and Julie Atlas Muz, the Showgirl, have teamed up once more to bring us Apocastrip Wow!! Described as an orgy of flippers, strippers, songs, comedy, magic, freakshow and burlesque the legendary couple pose a show not to be forgotten. For the uninitiated, The Freak and The Showgirl are one of the biggest acts in their genre and make a very unique coupling. Fraser, a self-described sealboy mutant, was born with phocomelia of both arms leaving him with a deformity that he cleverly works with charm during his performances. Together with Muz, an award-winning burlesque artist, the duo put on an erotic cabaret sideshow spectacular that won’t easily be forgotten. If you really are concerned that the world is coming to an end, what better send-off show for the end of life on earth?
There may be a lot of prospects for high speed travel, like Elon Musk's Hyperloop, but when we can travel between continents without the agony long haul flights, that's when we'll know the future is well and truly here. And while we wait for teleportation to make it to the molecular mainstream, we'll have to settle for second best: high speed supersonic air travel. Looking to bring back supersonic travel to the people, Sir Richard Branson is set to make high speed transatlantic passenger flights (relatively) affordable and accessible. Working with a Colorado aviation startup called Boom, Branson — under The Spaceship Company (an arm of Virgin Galactic) — wants to create a new plane that can fly at supersonic speeds of up to 2335 kilometres per hour. That would see the flight from NYC to London take a mere three and a half hours (rather than the seven hours it takes now). That's essentially a Sydney peak hour commute. Supersonic air travel has already been achieved by the passenger plane the Concorde, which provided flights between London and Paris to New York, Washington and Barbados between 1969 and 2003. It was decommissioned due to the $20,000 per trip price tag; by comparison, the Boom is set cost only $5000 USD. According to Boom founder and chief executive Blake Scholl, this new plane will be more cost effective by having have less seats and being more fuel efficient. Scholl also told The Guardian that, aside from the London to NYC route, they would also be concentrating on getting up trips from San Fran to Tokyo and LA to Sydney. It's all very ambitious, but the first Boom plane is expected to be tested by the end of 2017. Via The Guardian. Image: Boom.
Face it. There's nothing, nothing more heartbreaking than going out for a casual walkie with your beloved dog, grabbing a cheeky gelato cup at the beach and not being able to share it with your pooch. Much whimper. Such fail. Too long, too long have pups been shunned from ice creameries simply because the pockets in their dog hoodies rarely hold money and dairy products make them incredibly ill. Enough! No longer will this integral gelato market and prime branding opportunity be ignored. Gelatissimo are stepping up and doing what should have been done years ago (because trending topics). They're releasing a range of doggie gelato that can be enjoyed by both pets and owners alike — please avoid sharing though. Please. Importantly, the gelato is gluten free and flavoured peanut nougat (which is a dogwide favourite ice cream flavour, apparently) and gentle on puppy tums. From March 26, you can grab a scoop from 18 Gelatissimo stores (including Balmain, Bondi Beach, Central Park, Coogee, Cronulla, Newtown, Watsons Bay, Wagga, Manuka, Lane Cove, Lygon Street, Coolangatta, Mackay, Mooloolaba, Noosa, Toowoomba, Norwood and Surfers Paradise). Alright we so know it's a bit much and most of us don't have a weekly budget for dog iced treats, but think of it more as a treat for yourself that you can share with your pupper (if they whimper at you enough). Image: Mochi and Miranda @justanotherdogblog.
Plastic shopping bags might seem to last forever, but Australian's reliance upon the pesky, flimsy carriers has an expiration date. In a massive move for the industry — and a huge hug for the environment — the country's supermarkets are ditching single-use plastic bags from 2018. Three grocery chains have announced that they'll be banning the bag: Woolworths, Coles and the New South Wales-based Harris Farm. The big two will phase out plastic bags over the next 12 months, with Woolies' plans also including Big W and BWS, while Harris Farm will remove them from checkouts by January 1, 2018. Rather than offer shoppers free carriers, the supermarkets will sell thicker, reusable options for 15 cents per bag. The move will impact Woolworths and Coles locations around the country — bringing New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia into line with South Australia, ACT, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, where state-wide plastic bans are already in place. Over at Harris Farm, their range will also include single-use paper bags, as well as the free cardboard boxes they've been providing to customers for the past decade. Getting rid the ever-present items everyone has too many of is just the latest example of Aussie businesses putting the planet first, rather than prioritising convenience, money or simply maintaining the environmentally unfriendly status quo. Brisbane's Crowbar banned plastic straws last year, Closed Loop has been trialling ways to recycle takeaway coffee cups, and reusable coffee cups have been gaining popularity all over the place — with some cafes offering discounts, and others banning disposable containers completely. Via the ABC.
If you managed to nab a ticket to Paul Kelly's Making Gravy tour last year, then you were one of the lucky ones. If you weren't and have been lamenting ever since, you can stop. The songwriting legend has just announced that he'll be performing the show all over again this December, in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (on Gravy Day itself, December 21). Like the song, the tour — now in its third year — is becoming a bit of an Aussie Christmas tradition. Time to start thinking about getting the tinsel and ugly jumpers out of storage. As in 2018, you can expect to hear a stack of songs from Kelly's four-decade long career. Listen out for all the hits, from 'Dumb Things', from the album Live, May 1992, to 'Love Never Runs On Time' from Wanted Man (1994). The Christmas classic 'How To Make Gravy', first released in 1996 on an eponymous EP, is on the menu, too. The tour will coincide with the release of Kelly's new greatest hits album Songs From The South (1985–2019), his collaborative avian-inspired album 13 Ways To Look At Birds and a book of poetry he's curated, called Love Is Strong As Death. Kelly won't be hitting the road alone, either — he's inviting a bunch of special guests. He'll be joined by ARIA Award-winning rocker Courtney Barnett, Aussie Eurovison finalist Kate Miller-Heidke, NZ singer Marlon Williams and Gamilaraay songstress Thelma Plum (in Sydney only). [caption id="attachment_737416" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mia Mala McDonald[/caption] MAKING GRAVY DATES 2019 Perth — Optus Stadium, Saturday, December 7 Melbourne — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Thursday, December 12 Sydney — The Domain, Saturday, December 14 Brisbane — Riverstage, Saturday, December 21 Paul Kelly Making Gravy pre-sale tickets will be available from midday on Tuesday, August 20 with general sales from midday on Friday, August 23. Perth, Sydney and Brisbane tickets will be available via Ticketmaster with Melbourne's via Ticketek. Top image: Cybele Malinowski
For loved ones that prefer their flowers edible, Gelato Messina is once again happy to oblige. It has created a new frozen floral creation, dubbed The Tart Breaker: a limited-edition gelato rose cake, which will be released exclusively for Valentine's Day this year. The red rose cake is complex inside and out — in true Messina fashion. It's a chocolate tart shell filled with layers of Basque cheesecake gelato and dulce de leche, topped with petals made from hand-piped burnt vanilla chantilly. Yes, it's as decadent as it sounds. The rose cake will cost you $69 — likely less than a big bouquet of (non-edible) V-day roses — and can be cut into 6–8 slices, which can serve 6–8 people or just you and your partner; the decision is yours, we're not here to judge. Orders are only available for pickup on the days leading up to Valentine's Day. The Tart Breaker is available to pre-order from all Messina outposts except The Star from Monday, February 1 for pick up between Friday, February 12–Sunday, February 14.
Unless you somehow haven't looked at a screen, billboard or newspaper in the past few weeks — or listened to the radio, heard any streaming ads or had a TV on in the background, either — you'll know that Black Friday is upon us for another year. Absolutely everything is on sale, or so it seems, including bargain holidays. Whether you're keen to explore Australian destinations or fancy a getaway further afield, Virgin's addition to the 2023 shopping frenzy has you covered. A whopping 500,000 fares are currently up for grabs as part of the airline's Black Friday, Bright Holidays sale, covering a heap of Aussie and international spots. Sticking with home turf, you can head to Byron Bay, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island, Alice Springs, Hobart and more. And, if you're eager to journey overseas, you can hit up Bali, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tokyo and Queenstown. One-way domestic fares start at $49, which'll get you from Sydney to Byron Bay. As always, that's cheapest route. Other discounted flights include Melbourne to Launceston from $59, Brisbane to either Cairns for $105 or Hamilton Island for $115, Adelaide to the Gold Coast from $125 and Perth to Hobart from $239. Internationally, the return deals start with Sydney to Queenstown from $435, Brisbane to Fiji from $509, Melbourne to Bali from $629 and Cairns to Tokyo from $679. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, there's a range of dates from Wednesday, January 10–Thursday, June 20, 2024, all varying depending on the flights and prices. As usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick. Virgin's discounted fares are now on offer until midnight on Tuesday, November 28 or sold out, whichever arrives first. Virgin's 2023 Black Friday, Bright Holidays sale runs until midnight AEST on Tuesday, November 28 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
2020 has thrown many tough questions our way but, for Queenslanders, quite the conundrum is currently upon us. When the state's indoor dance floors reopen — which is allowed to happen from midday on Monday, December 14, as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk just announced — what fancy footwork will you bust out? Which go-to dance move will you use? And what song to do you want to make shapes to? For much of this year, as we've noted several times before, Queensland has resembled the town from Footloose. Kevin Bacon wasn't here, sadly, but dancing was forbidden. That's been changing in recent months, though, with outdoor dancing at music festivals and in beer gardens — and at weddings — permitted since mid-November. Being able to cut a rug indoors is the next step, however, and it is finally here. Whether you want to shake a leg at a pub, club or nightclub, it doesn't matter — they're all allowed to reopen their dance floors. There is a caveat, though, with the one person per two-square-metres rule applying. So you'll be tripping the light fantastic in a socially distanced fashion. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1336798511791140864 And if you're wondering about the timing of the news — and of dancing inside making a comeback — yes, the fact that it's the most festive and celebratory part of the year has something to do with it. Health and Ambulance Services Minister Yvette D'Ath said that "it is because of everyone's hard work and cooperation with public health directions that we will now be able to can-can at Christmas parties and rock around the clock as it strikes 12 on New Year's Eve". Obviously, you can choose other dance styles (and other ways to describe your dancing), if you prefer. Queensland has now hit 86 days without community transmission of COVID-19, and currently has 22 active cases. For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website.
The South Island is known for its breathtaking scenery. However, if you're a culture junkie, there's no end to the beautiful experiences you can have — and not just in a gallery. Whether you're into history, art, language or music, you're bound to find something (and often with a good feed to go with). We've curated a selection of experiences in the South all cultural but none that require the four walls of a gallery. THE SHERWOOD This little hotel is a gem in Queenstown's tourismscape. Perched on three acres of spectacular alpine hillside, with views over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range, The Sherwood is a true community hotel, built with the express intention of letting its guests connect with each other and with nature. Kitchen gardens service the holistic, natural dishes in its restaurant and the hotel has a community events schedule to boot. During your stay, attend a poetry slam, take a jewellery class or stretch it out at one of the regular yoga classes. With resident artists and writers and almost nightly live music, here, the culture comes to you 554 Frankton Road, Queenstown. FUSH Fush is not your ordinary fish and chippie. This family-owned eatery in Wigram aims to help diners integrate te reo Māori, one of New Zealand's official languages, into their conversations, by offering bilingual menus and using te reo phrases with customers. The fish and chips joint has even started offering free te reo Maori classes, accessible to anyone with the will to learn. What about the food? It's awesome — the fish comes pan-fried, coated or crumbed; hand cut chips are made from quality Canterbury spuds and the place is fully licensed, too. Have a sparkling with your order or a gin and tonic, and order a plate of shucked oysters or a smoked fish pie. It's all good. 104 The Runway, Wigram Skies. CHRISTCHURCH ARTS CENTRE A phenomenally beautiful space, the neo-gothic former home of the University of Canterbury is the heart of the arts in Christchurch. A community centre with events, stores and exhibitions, the Christchurch Arts Centre has something for everyone. If you're after some pieces for your home, visit Frances Nation, a beautifully considered homewares store inside the centre. Owner Tessa Peach stocks quality goods made from natural materials; they're New Zealand-made, functional pieces you will love forever. It sums up the ethos of the centre, really — full of heart and authenticity. 2 Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch. THE MUSSEL INN Golden Bay isn't really Golden Bay without The Mussel Inn. Worth the trip to the northwest Nelson region, this is a beloved watering hole for locals and visitors alike. After a day lounging on the beach, sink in for a night of live music and bevs. While there's no knowing who's going to show up on the bill, every week brings a new lineup of artists to the place. That's one of the beauteous things about the Inn. The team also brews its own beers, ciders and soft drinks. We'd recommend the feijoa cider if it's on tap. 1259 State Highway 60, Onekaka, Golden Bay. THE CHRISTCHURCH FARMERS' MARKET Luxe porridge? Fresh produce? People watching? You'll find it all at the Christchurch Farmers' Market, one of Aotearoa's first markets. The best way to experience a new place is to go where the people are — and on a Saturday, they're all in Riccarton buying wholesome seasonal goodness. Held on the doorstep of Christchurch's founding family's home, Riccarton House, and perched beside the Avon River, the market boasts over 80 stalls selling everything from veggies to coffee, cakes to organic dog biscuits. 16 Kahu Road, Riccarton, Christchurch. LARNACH CASTLE If history is your thing, head to New Zealand's only castle. Nestled in the beautiful Otago Peninsula, the castle was built in the 1870s by bank manager and cabinet minister William Larnach to house his large family. Restored to its former glory by the Barker family, the home and grounds are open every day of the year. While it may be considered a 'mock' castle, it's a magnificent site to see with Italian marble, Welsh slate, English floor tiles, Venetian and French glass, Kauri ceilings, rimu floors and honeysuckle panelling featured throughout. 145 Camp Road, Dunedin. MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS MAILBOAT Come summer, there may be no cruisier way to explore the Marlborough Sounds than aboard the Picton Mailboat. Hop aboard and join in on mail day, with commentary from your skipper on the history of the Sounds, the people who have lived there and those who call the area home today. Each journey is different, depending on where the post bags, groceries and freight need to go. Keep an eye out for dolphins and other wildlife, and make a stop at Ship Cove, where Captain James Cook stopped to replenish The Endeavour. Start planning your trip to New Zealand's south with our guide to the South Island journeys to take here.
The world contains a vivid tapestry of diverse countries and cultures, each woven with its own unique traditions and celebrations. What better way to immerse yourself in the culture of a region than joining in with the festivities? From the rhythmic beats of Carnival to the kaleidoscopic lights of Diwali, take a step beyond the typical tourist trail with Intrepid Travel. Discover the heartbeat of a place through the lens of its most enchanting festivities. It's time to pack your bags, strap on some comfy shoes and create memories that transcend borders. Diwali The festival of lights is celebrated worldwide, but experiencing it in India itself is something else entirely. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. It symbolises the victory of light over darkness, goodness over evil and knowledge over ignorance. There are variations across the region and the different local religions of the country. Some things are always included: lots and lots of candles, lights and delicious food. The festival happens in the first weeks of November to tie in with the darkest days of the year (in India). Time your adventure to this stunning country to coincide with the festival so you can see the magic of the celebrations with the locals. Dia De Los Muertos Feel the mystical vibes of the weird and wonderful Dia de los Muertos, the annual Day of the Dead festival, in Mexico City. Participate in a traditional Day of the Dead ceremony and see elaborate altars dedicated to those who have passed. Enjoy delicious tacos and other street food at the openair Mercado Jamaica, and venture outside the city to see the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan. If you are passing through the capital on your exploration of Central America, time your travel so you can be there for this iconic festival. [caption id="attachment_969162" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Heejin Yu via iStock[/caption] Kwita Inzina If you're all about nature conservation, attend the Kwita Izina ceremony in Rwanda to see the on-the-ground efforts of those fighting the good fight for Mother Earth. That's exactly what you can do with this on-the-ground tour in Rwanda. It puts you in the middle of the ceremony, an adaptation of a traditional Rwandan naming ceremony where locals name and celebrate newborn local gorillas. The festival includes a mix of formal speeches from conservationists and celebrity guests, plus music and dance performances. Prepare to go with the flow and be whisked into the celebrations, as participation is encouraged. The entire region comes together to celebrate the festival and conservation of these beautiful animals. Halloween Bram Stoker may not have intended it, but thanks to the setting of his novel, Dracula, in Transylvania, locals now celebrate his creation based on local legends with a next-level celebration on All Hallow's Eve. Head to central Europe to Bucharest, Romania and explore the haunting beauty of Sighisoara (the birthplace of the infamous creature of the night) and spooky Bran Castle (aka Count Dracula's castle) in Brasov. Break out your scariest costumes for a spooky Halloween party in Cluj-Napoca — the former capital of the historical principality of Transylvania. Christmas The Christmas season just hits different when it's in Europe. Snow falls on rooftops of buildings and market stalls on narrow cobbled streets as stallholders give out mulled wine, chimney cakes, hot cider, pretzels, hot chocolate and sweet treats to the tourists and locals meandering from stall to stall. If a trip to Central Europe is on the cards, be sure to time it so you can explore the famous Christmas markets from Munich to Budapest. And the best way to travel in Europe? By train, of course. Carnival Bright colours, headdresses and more feathers than you can count — Carnival is the world's greatest party on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, just waiting for you to rock up. Witness an elaborate parade of floats and dancers in the Sambadrome, which stretches into the wee hours. Samba your way through non-stop action, join the conga line with the locals and move to the rhythm of the drum-fuelled street fiestas. Whether you're journeying through Brazil on an epic adventure or specifically going to Rio de Janeiro for the fest, it's definitely not to miss. Naadam While the Greeks have the Olympics, the Mongols have Naadam. This festival might not be well known, but it is the best time of the year to see Mongolia. The annual colourful festival is a centuries-old tradition that dates back to the Khans and their dynasties. Expect archery, wrestling and horse racing — the primary skills a Mongol warrior requires. While in the area, explore the stunning natural landscapes of central Mongolia, such as Baga Gazriin Chuluu (granite rocks worshipped by locals), the Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs and the dunes of Khongoriin, called the 'singing sands' by locals for the whistling sound made by small avalanches of sand on a windy day. Get out, explore, dive into adventure and find your WOW with Intrepid Travel. Find out more on the website.
In an effort to further reduce the spread of COVID-19 across Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has this morning, Wednesday, March 18, announced that non-essential indoor events of more than 100 people will be banned — effective immediately. This announcement follows last week's ban on mass gatherings of over 500 people, which is still in place for outdoor events. Airports, public transport, age care, correctional facilities, law courts, parliaments, food markets, supermarkets, office buildings, factories, mining sites, hotels, motels, schools, universities and transit spots — such as Bourke Street Mall, Martin Place — are not be impacted by the ban, but the Prime Minister has said that the "advice to all Australians is do not travel abroad". State and territory leaders have the power to add to this list of essential gatherings, too. The Prime Minister also said that social distancing should be observed by all, which includes regularly sanitising your hands, using 'tap and pay', avoiding crowds and commuting at quiet times when possible, and maintaining a distance of 1.5m apart wherever it is practical to do so. You can read the Department of Health's social distancing guidelines over here. [caption id="attachment_758772" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The NGV has already temporarily closed.[/caption] While the PM hasn't stipulated what exactly a non-essential indoor event is, we can expect large art galleries — that haven't already temporarily closed — cinemas and big restaurants, bars and pubs to close in wake of this announcement. Many hospitality venues have already upped their takeaway offering in response to a downturn in customers during the COVID-19, but it's likely more will offer takeout-only options. During morning's announcement, the PM also said that the hoarding of supplies was "un-Australian" and it should be stopped, and that the above measures were likely to be in place for "six months" so they needed to be "sustainable" and "achievable" for all Australians. For now, the above bans on non-essential gatherings are in place indefinitely. The Australia-wide ban on non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people is effective immediately. The ban on non-essential outdoor events of more than 500 people is still in place.
Melbourne, it's pretty much official — you're the live music capital of the world, with a music venue-to-resident ratio that trumps every other city on the planet. And that's just one of the great findings from the Melbourne Live Music Census 2017, which were revealed this week. The survey, headed up by Music Victoria and the City of Melbourne along with Collarts, RMIT and local councils, sets out to analyse the climate of Melbourne's live music industry every five years. In its second edition, conducted on November 25 last year, it found that climate to be pretty darn healthy. In 2017 alone, greater Melbourne played host to over 73,605 advertised gigs and saw a total live music attendance of 17.5 million punters — that's up 19 percent and 12 percent respectively from 2012's census. In fact, audience numbers for live music events throughout the year were bigger than for AFL, cricket, the Spring Racing Carnival, A-League, basketball, netball, NRL and the Australian Grand Prix combined. And, while we hear plenty about Sydney live music venues shutting up shop, it seems the future's looking brighter for their southern counterparts, with 55% reporting an increased audience in the past 12 months. But the biggest news is perhaps that Melbourne now boasts one live music venue for every 9503 residents, making local music lovers the best-served in the world. Compare those figures with London's one venue per 34,350 residents, New York's one per 18,554 and LA's one per 19,607 ,and you'll have to agree Melbourne's absolutely killing it. The full Melbourne Live Music Census 2017 report is set to be presented at the Music Cities Convention - Melbourne on April 19.
News that's noice, tight and cool cool cool hasn't been the norm over the past year or so, including when US TV network NBC announced that Brooklyn Nine-Nine would end after its next (and eighth) season. That revelation sparked plenty of questions, all of varying degrees of importance. One of the most crucial: how many more times will Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) say "title of your sex tape"? Other essential queries have been running through B99 fans' minds since then, of course. So, if you've been wondering what this last batch of ten episodes will have in store for Brooklyn's fictional 99th police precinct, how the series will wrap up and if Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) will make a final appearance — and how much more yoghurt can Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) eat, too — you're not alone. Thankfully, in just a couple of weeks, answers will start flowing. That's when Brooklyn Nine-Nine's last season will hit screens for a final farewell. Come Friday, August 13, SBS On Demand and SBS will start both streaming and airing the show's last batch of episodes, starting with a double to kick things off, then dropping further eps week by week. Back in May, US network NBC revealed that Brooklyn Nine-Nine's last season would launch following the Tokyo Olympics — and it also dropped a teaser trailer — so, given that SBS has fast-tracked recent seasons, this is both an unsurprising and overwhelmingly welcome development. How many times Die Hard will get a mention before the series says "yippee-ki-yay" for the last time? How will Peralta and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) handle parenthood? What other tidbits will Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) drop about her past in passing? Which crazy food items will Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) eat? They're some of the other questions you're probably now pondering, as well as exactly what else the whole gang — including Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) and Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), of course — will get up to. If you'd like to start planning your own Halloween heist now in celebration — yes, a few months early — that's perfectly understandable. Check out the teaser trailer for Brooklyn Nine-Nine's final season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFDHqFiYoE&t=3s The first two episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season will be able to stream via SBS On Demand (and to view on SBS) on Friday, August 13, with new episodes dropping weekly afterwards.
2022 has been a massive year for one of Fortitude Valley's favourite music venues — a place that, for most of its three-decade lifespan since 1992 so far, hardly seemed like it changed at all. Firstly, The Zoo added an in-house pizzeria, aka Zoopreme Pizzeria. Then, the team branched out with cocktail spot Stranded in Winn Lane. Up next: Booze, which will indeed sling exactly what its name promises. Booze won't just be a bottle shop — although it definitely will sell high-end wines, artisan spirits, both craft and mainstream beers, and sake. The vino lineup will focus on natural wines from Australian producers, stocking a rotating range, with Jauma, Sven Joschke, Dormilona, Koerner Brothers and Dr Edge among the showcased labels. In addition, the space on Winn Street will double as a takeaway pizza joint, a coffee spot and a providore. Head by to stock up your liquor cabinet, grab a slice, nab some speciality caffeine, and support local producers and artisans making chocolate, relish, pickles, hot sauce and charcuterie. In the lead up to Christmas, there'll also be gift hampers up for sale. That isn't the end of the list, either, with Booze badging itself as Brisbane's new home for "cool shit". That includes vinyl and band merchandise, covering a wide array of genres from punk to country, and spanning international and local acts. It is setting up shop in the perfect spot for it, taking over the space previously home to the beloved Tym Guitars. Yes, consider this an icon taking over an icon, with Brisbanites able to drop by from Friday, September 30. The coffees will be on offer from 12pm — and if you're after a pizza, there'll be six on offer from Zoopreme Pizzeria from 5pm Wednesday–Sunday. "We wanted to take your traditional bottle-o offering and elevate it above what's currently available in the area. It's a bit of this and a bit of that, loaded with products that we love, and most importantly infused with good vibes only," says Booze co-owner Luke Johnston. "We look forward to locals dropping in for a chat and a coffee — like The Zoo, all are welcome." Find Booze at upstairs at 5E Winn Street, Fortitude Valley from Friday, September 30 — open 12pm–late, with pizzas from 5pm–late Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Luke Henery.
2022 marks 23 years since Baltimore high-school student Hae Min Lee was found dead, and 22 years since her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of her murder. It also marks eight years since the case became an international obsession thanks to the first season of Sarah Koenig's grimly addictive podcast Serial. Since the latter, the details have rarely been out of the spotlight — including the legal situation, as well as Syed's ongoing quest to have the extremely complex matter reassessed in the years after he was found guilty. And come Wednesday, September 21, the case will fuel a brand-new episode of Serial as well. Yes, everyone's favourite 2014 true-crime podcast obsession is returning to its original subject, with the Koenig-hosted audio series Serial set to drop a new episode about Syed. The reason? After more than two decades in prison, Syed's conviction has just been vacated by the Baltimore City Circuit Court, with Syed released today, Tuesday, September 20, Down Under time. Syed has been released into home detention while the state has 30 days to decide whether to pursue a new trial or dismiss the case. The New York Times reports that Judge Melissa Phinn overturned the conviction "in the interests of fairness and justice". Her ruling came after finding that prosecutors did not turn over evidence that may have assisted Syed during his trial, as well as new evidence might've influenced the outcome. Serial confirmed via social media that Koenig was at the courthouse when Syed was released, and that a new episode of the podcast will arrive tomorrow morning US time. Syed was convicted of first-degree murder in 2020, sentenced to life in prison, and has been fighting his case through the courts ever since. While he was granted a new trial in 2016, that ruling was subsequently appealed by the State of Maryland — only for the Court of Special Appeals to agree to vacate Syed's conviction and finally give him that retrial. Then in 2019, in Maryland's Court of Appeals, that retrial request was denied, but Syed's attorney committed to keep battling. Lee's murder and Syed's conviction were also the subject of HBO documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed, which picked up where Serial's 12-episode first season left off — not only exploring 18-year-old Lee's death in 1999 and Syed's conviction the year afterwards, but the latter's ongoing legal questions. The doco featured everything from Lee and Syed's relationship to the original police investigation and trial, and also the developments up until when it released in 2018, gaining exclusive access to Syed, his family and his lawyers. Keen to re-binge Serial today? Aren't we all. If you don't have time, The Case Against Adnan Syed is available to stream via Fetch in Australia — and you can check out the trailer below: Serial's new episode about Adnan Syed will drop on Wednesday, September 21 Australia and New Zealand time. Keep an eye on Serial's website for further details. Image: The Case Against Adnan Syed, Syed Family / Courtesy of HBO.
Technology allows us to easily capture what we see and hear, and to share these sensory experiences in photos and soundbites. But so far, our sense of smell has been far less casually reproducible. Designer Amy Radcliffe, acknowledging both the disappointment and value of this, has created a scent "camera" that could make us all into amateur perfumiers. Radcliffe's Central Saint Martins MA thesis project, the Madeleine, is a quaint-looking device that makes use of chemist Roman Kaiser's "headspace capture" method from the 1970s. The Madeleine is like something out of The Jetsons, with hipster appeal provided by the tasteful, white ceramic vacuum casing and terrarium-like funnel. The user places said funnel over the source of the smell to be recorded, and then before his/her very eyes, the smell is sucked through a cute plastic hose into an absorbent resin odour trap. Check out the video to see the process. Resurrecting a sense of ceremony from the pre-digital age, you'd then nip over to the local processing lab with your vial of scent and transform it into a liquid fragrance, much like getting photos developed back in the '90s. Once the chemical signature is decoded, that fragrance is captured forever. What's the imaginative power of a pocket perfumier? Scent is, of course, the most potent memory trigger among our senses. Now there's scope to preserve the unique scent of a loved one, long after they've left your life. Imagine posting your crush the smell of jasmine outside your window (or certain, naughtier things) instead of a mixtape. One day there could even be a SoundHound for smells, as in, "Love the perfume that chick's wearing, what is it?" Whip out your smell-o-cam of the future and find out. Radcliffe is now developing the Madeleine further with fragrance labs. Will our olfactory world be cheapened by oversharing and oversaturation of scents? Or enhanced by our raised awareness of the smells around us? Just as Instagram can tend to make you see life in terms of potential freeze-frames, scentography may sharpen your nose to sniffing out shareable fragrances. Via the Guardian.
A group of 88 writers and editors, including The Slap author Christos Tsiolkas, Nobel Prize winner JM Coetzee, Miles Franklin award-winning author Anna Funder, The Family Law writer Benjamin Law and Meanjin editor Zora Sanders, have written an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Treasurer Joe Hockey and Minister for the Arts George Brandis published in The Guardian, outlining their "dismay" at "the many proposed changes to health, education and welfare support announced in the 2014 budget" and their objections to "the reduction in arts funding". On May 13, Hockey revealed a $28.2 million cut to Australia Council funding, a $38 million cut to the Screen Australia budget and a $120 million cut to the ABC and the SBS over the next four years. "This decrease in federal support will be devastating to those who make art of any kind in this country," the letter states. "Many important works, works that would inform national debate and expand the horizons of Australia and its citizens, will simply never be made. Ultimately, these cuts will impoverish Australian culture and society." However, the argument doesn’t stop at moral, emotional and intellectual wealth. The writers point out that in 2008-09, the arts were responsible for adding 7% (or $86 billion) to the national GDP, and in 2011 cultural industries kept 531,000 individuals employed, while creating another 3.7 million jobs. Meanwhile, "it is worth noting that the mining sector only provides $121bn to the GDP, and employs fewer workers (187,400 directly, 599,680 indirectly), yet receives far more government financial support at federal and state levels." Moreover, they continue, the budget not only affects major organisations such as Australian Ballet (which has actually seen a hefty $1 million top up from the government for its budget) but also the threatened international touring capacity of regional companies like Bangarra Dance Theatre. Also affected will be the ability of "decades-old publications continue to foster a love of literature, finding and supporting new writers who will become tomorrow’s great Australian authors." "The loss of funding will devastate these smaller organisations and practitioners, robbing Australia of a whole generation of artists, writers, publishers, editors, theatre makers, actors, dancers and thinkers," they conclude. "Crucially, it will deprive people, particularly in rural and regional areas and in remote communities, of the opportunity to create, educate, learn and collaborate. These proposed funding cuts endanger us intellectually, artistically and severely damage our reputation internationally. Moreover, we fear the prospect of a world of culture and art that is unaffordable to the majority of Australians." Read the full letter here. Via The Guardian.
Pizza Hut. The noble and long-serving ‘za provider who filled our tummies at last-day-of-school pizza lunch and, in our uni student years, staved off hunger and calcium deficiency with cheap Tuesday deals. That is until in 1983 when the Dominos chain hit our shores. Dominos grew in reach and popularity and brought the Hut to its knees (or at least, to mainly smaller takeaway-only venues, less all-you-can-eat restaurants). Sure, there's still a few floating around (lookin' at you Goulburn), but they're harder and harder to come by nowadays. Once a dignified, family-friendly palace of soft serve on-tap, mini marshmallows and slice after slice after slice, Pizza Hut is now reduced to stunt-like takeaway grotesquery such as the Four 'N Twenty Meat Pie crust and its ilk, cramming more and more fast food, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cheeseburgers into the crust until it’s just a misshapen farce oozing with disappointment. There's not much scope for an in-house sit-down pig-out any more. Apparently someone else has also noticed the decline. Sydney-based photographer Ho Hai Tran has taken up the quest of documenting the last surviving original Pizza Hut buildings before they pass into irrelevance. Tran has travelled 14,000kms across Australia, New Zealand and the USA to try and capture the photos of the buildings, most of which have been converted for other uses. “Pizza Hut buildings might not seem like the most aesthetically compelling structures, but they do ooze a certain charm”, says Tran. His purpose in all of this is historical record-keeping and maybe making Gen Y-ers shed a little tear because our world is crumbling to pieces. He’s even launched a Kickstarter to help him on his way. The archive of photographs will eventually be compiled into a book which has, in our humble opinion, the greatest title ever: Pizza Hunt. And the special edition even comes in a pizza box. Ouch, right in the childhood. Help Ho Hai Tran on his quest to immortalise the ‘Hut through by chipping into the Kickstarter.
The Southside Tea Room has become a hub of unique activities. Not only do they provide great food and drink to their patrons, but nearly every week there is some kind of special event where people can indulge their creative side and take part in something different. This Easter Sunday, the Tea Room will be hosting Plaster Fun House – a night where patrons can get crafty and make something they can treasure. The ticket includes one glass or wine or a beer upon arrival, so get into the Easter spirit and see what you can whip up! Make sure to check out the Southside Tea Room website for information on future events, great things like this happen regularly, make sure you keep on top of it!
When you've just made two seasons of a time-loop TV show about reckoning with the past, what comes next? For Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland, another jump backwards beckons. The Star Wars franchise has been telling tales set not just in a galaxy far, far away but also a long time ago for almost five decades; however, across its 11 movies and five live-action Disney+ TV shows until now, it hasn't ever explored the events of as long a time ago as Headland's The Acolyte brings to the screen. As streaming from Wednesday, June 5, welcome to the High Republic era a century before Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace — and into a thrilling new angle into one of pop culture's behemoths. Although they each date back further, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones have become the 21st century's holy trilogy of fantasy and sci-fi fare. They've also all been adopting the same approach to keeping their stories going: stepping through the events before the events that they've already relayed to audiences. So went the Star Wars prequels, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Andor, plus House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. So now goes The Acolyte as well. The key aspect of the latter isn't just that this eight-instalment series gains the space to jettison familiar faces and spin its narrative anew — it's also that it's traversing more of the world that George Lucas first envisaged in the 70s, and what the force means to more than the usual faces and those tied to them. And, it isn't afraid to question the heroes-versus-villains divide that's as engrained in all things Star Wars as lightsabers, having a bad feeling and droids. Taking place in a period of peace and prosperity — well, for some — The Acolyte is still home to heroes. Villains are part of the tale, too. But the idea that the Jedi always fall into the first camp and their enemies can only sit in the second is probed. Similarly queried is the notion that anything in the Star Wars realm, let alone everything, is that binary. The premise: Jedi are being eliminated by a mysterious warrior, a setup that is pushed to the fore immediately and initially aligns its emotional response as audiences since 1977 know to expect. But as gets uttered three episodes in, "this is not about good or bad — it's about power and who gets to wield it". The Acolyte's opening showdown unfolds in the type of cantina that's hardly new to the saga, but the battle itself is. From beneath a mask, a warrior (Amandla Stenberg, Bodies Bodies Bodies) isn't afraid to throw down, throw knives and throw around her ability to use the force, with a Jedi her target. In the aftermath, the robe-adorned head honchos have ex-padawan Osha in their sights. Now working as a meknik, which entails undertaking dangerous spaceship maintenance tasks that robots are legally only supposed to do, she fits the description. Her old Jedi mentor Sol (Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game) isn't so sure, though, especially knowing her past. Get ready to delve into history: throughout episodes set in The Acolyte's present day, Osha's backstory spills its details, plus a glimpse at how the Jedi work when they're the universe's accepted peacekeepers instead of freedom-fighting underdogs. In the season's illuminating third instalment — with Bachelorette and Sleeping with Other People's Headland handing over directing duties to After Yang's Kogonada after the debut two chapters (Cowboy Bebop's Alex Garcia Lopez and SWAT's Hanelle M Culpepper also helm episodes) — the action also leaps back years prior. Diving into to Osha's childhood in a coven that's use of the force isn't approved of by its regular guardians, it sees the show digging deeper into its examination of who is permitted to possess authority and influence. The Acolyte remains a Star Wars mystery as well, with why four Jedi are being singled out by an assassin doing their own master's bidding just one question that needs an answer. Who is pulling the strings behind the campaign against Sol, Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix Resurrections), Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman, Game of Thrones) and Wookiee master Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo, who also sported Chewbacca's fur Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker) is another. As not just Sol but also fellow knight Yord (Charlie Barnett, another Russian Doll alum) and his protege Jecki (Dafne Keen, His Dark Materials) are on the case, only one of these queries receives an answer early. Five years since the franchise started rolling out Disney+ shows in 2019 with The Mandalorian, as followed by The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and Ahsoka, the results have varied from exceptional to unnecessary. That said, in whichever TV tale has been expanding this galaxy, casting has rarely been an issue. From an impressive ensemble of actors that also features Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Jodie Turner-Smith (Sex Education) and Rebecca Henderson (You Hurt My Feelings), Stenberg and Lee are The Acolyte's standouts. While they deliver particularly weighty performances when they're together — portrayals that cut to the heart of the thorny power dynamic that the series keeps laying bare — Stenberg, dealing with a twist on the saga's love of family drama and its echoing repercussions, adds an especially layered turn to her growing resume. Andor, with its complexity, grit, passion and spy-thriller vibe, remains hard to top as the best small-screen Star Wars spinoff. It was one of the best new shows of 2022 all round. Still, leaving sifting through why giving your all to attempt to stave off a dystopian nightmare is the most-pivotal quest there is to Andor, The Acolyte is a worthy addition to the realm. As it unpacks the hierarchy of light and dark, the grey areas that lurk between the two extremes and what all of those intermediary shades mean if you're not among those setting the rules, it's never afraid of the reality that life, even here, is messy. The force might be complicated in this one, but the potential for The Acolyte is strong. Check out the trailer for The Acolyte below: The Acolyte streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, June 5, 2o24. Images: ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Let's do some quick math. 120 bands, 12 venues, two nights. If my basic addition is correct, these all equal one heck of a good time. BIGSOUND is massive. Whether you are a member of Australia’s booming music industry or just a regular music fan, BIGSOUND has something for you. Hailed as Australia’s answer to SXSW, BIGSOUND is a music conference with a bit of bite. Located in our very own entertainment precinct, Fortitude Valley, this music gathering is a place to swap ideas, make contacts and see some of Australia’s best up-and-coming bands. While the music conference might not be for everyone, the Live Showcase is going to be off the proverbial chain. 12 of Brisbane’s best live venues are hosting two nights of great live music. New bands, old bands, great bands – there is something here that everyone can enjoy. Some of the musicians on display are: Billy Bragg (pictured), Robert Forster, Regurgitator ,Megan Washington, The John Steel Singers, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Darren Middleton, Natalie Pa’apa’a of Blue King Brown, Gossling, Yukon Blonde, The Jungle Giants, Calling All Cars, Stonefield, Chance Waters, Bleeding Knees Club and loads more. Whoa, that’s a lot of talent. BIGSOUND is happening all over town from Tuesday the 10th, to Friday the 13th.
Who'll win orb-topped trophies? Who'll wear what? Who'll make the best, funniest and most rambling speeches? Whenever January hits and the Golden Globes approach for another year, they're the standard questions. Here's another: where can Australians watch the red carpet action and the ceremony? In 2023, the answer to that last query is streaming — and, to be specific, Stan. The Aussie platform has nabbed the exclusive broadcasting rights to this year's Golden Globes, covering both the pre-show and the awards themselves. Both will be streamed live on Wednesday, January 11, starting at 11am AEDT / 10am AEST for the arrivals and 12pm AEDT / 11am AEST for the gongs themselves. [caption id="attachment_884053" align="alignnone" width="1920"] CleftClips via Flickr[/caption] This'll mark the first time that Stan has aired the Golden Globes, which be beamed into your streaming queue from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. On hosting duties: comedian Jerrod Carmichael. Nominated: a hefty list of the past year's best movies and TV shows, because these awards cover both. Among the big-screen contenders sits everything from Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Banshees of Inisherin to Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Elvis. On the small screen, The White Lotus, Severance, Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary, Wednesday and more are vying for accolades. Australians have also earned a hefty showing among the nominees, including Baz Luhrmann's Best Director nom for Elvis, and Cate Blanchett, Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman and Elizabeth Debicki all picking up acting nominations (for Tár, Bablyon, The Son and The Crown, respectively). If you're wondering who'll be presenting awards rather than trying to win them, expect to see Ana de Armas (The Gray Man), Billy Porter (Cinderella), Colman Domingo (Euphoria), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween Ends), Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll), Nicole Byer (Nailed It!) and Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) among the folks taking to the stage. Of course, the fact that the 2023 Golden Globes take place on a Wednesday isn't the best for parties — although they will hopefully liven up the middle of your week. The 2023 Golden Globes will be announced on Wednesday, January 11 Australian time, streaming via Stan from 11am AEDT / 10am AEST for red carpet arrivals and 12pm AEDT / 11am AEST for the ceremony itself. Wondering who's nominated? Read our rundown of this year's nominees.
Every tattoo tells a story, whether it's the sole piece of ink adorning a person's skin or one of many on someone whose body is a walking art gallery. That tale can span many things, including the design's meaning and significance, and also everything around making and creating it. Get a tatt while standing 268 metres above Sydney, however, and you'll have one helluva anecdote to tell. For one morning only, Sydney Tower Eye's SKYWALK is offering something more than stunning views high above the Harbour City: tattoos. Teaming up with reality TV favourites Bondi Ink, it's hosting the world's highest tattoo studio over a quarter of a kilometre above the ground, at a pop-up announced to mark World Tattoo Day. That occasion — because there's one for everything — falls on Tuesday, March 21 in 2023. But the sky-high inking will occur from 9–10.30am on Wednesday, April 5. And, to truly commemorate a pop-up tattoo parlour setting up shop at such lofty heights, the folks getting everlasting mementos will actually receive Sydney skyline-inspired tattoos. Given that Bondi Ink is only whipping out its machines for 90 minutes, only two people will be inked — and if you're keen, you'll need to hope that you're one of the lucky winners. To enter, hit up the Sydney Tower Eye website before 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, March 27, and explain both which part of your body you'd like your new tatt to decorate and why you're so eager. [caption id="attachment_782364" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sander Dalhuisen[/caption] "I've tattooed for some interesting events in my time but being invited to create a design for 'The World's Highest Tattoo Studio' on the Sydney Tower Eye is pretty unique; I'm looking forward to it," said Chris Molt, a Bondi Ink artist known for his airbrush, fine line and script skills. "We're already spoilt with our view at Bondi Ink, but the crew loved seeing the whole city from up high on the SKYWALK. No better view to feed into our Sydney skyline tattoo-designing," shared his colleague and visual artist Cristina Martinez, who has a penchant for fine line, traditional and colour tatts. Whoever Chris and Cristina end up inking, they'll get a semi-realistic design representing the Sydney vista, and then take a victory stride on the SKYWALK afterwards. Sydney locals, this might be the ultimate way to show your love for your home town. Interstate visitors, this is quite the souvenir. And new ink with a view — and of a view — isn't in your future, you can nab a ticket to head up to the Sydney Tower Eye Observation Deck on the day from 9am to watch. Bondi Ink's 'World's Highest Tattoo Studio' will pop up on Sydney Tower Eye's SKYWALK from 9–10.30am on Wednesday, April 5. To enter the competition to get inked, hit up the Sydney Tower Eye website before 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, March 27. For tickets to watch, head to the same place.
If there is one thing we can learn from the social network juggernaut that was Kony2012, it is that the pervasive power of Facebook provides internet activists or hacktivists with a unique capacity to transform public consciousness on a truly global scale. As such, a number of environmental activists are not only taking to the streets but taking to Facebook in an attempt to raise awareness about the pressing environmental issues that face society today. Here are six innovative groups and apps that have taken the fight for a greener future into the world of Facebook. Tree-Nation Tree-Nation is one of numerous Facebook groups committed to fighting deforestation and desertification through replanting trees. For every ten people who join the Tree-Nation Facebook page, the organisation will plant one tree. Even more ambitiously, Facebook group iChapter has promised to plant one tree for every new member, with the aim to eventually plant a total of 100,000 trees. For the more Facebook savvy of you, the Earthkeepers have created an app that allows users to plant a virtual tree, tend to it and share it with friends, with every fully matured virtual tree resulting in Earthkeepers planting a tree in the real world. Make Me Sustainable Make Me Sustainable allows users to measure their impact on the environment by tracking energy consumption and carbon footprint, allowing you to see how an action as simple as changing a light bulb can reduce your environmental impact. While there is a great range of software available for individuals and businesses that help in reducing your environmental footprint, Make Me Sustainable is unique as it provides a forum for sharing information and strategies for sustainable living and a virtual space to network with other environmentally-minded individuals on a national and even international scale. A Climate for Change Not simply a Facebook application, A Climate for Change is in fact a whole new social network built around the goal of tackling the issue of climate change. Users create profiles where they share anything and everything they have to say about global warming from rants about the Carbon Tax to interesting articles and videos about the effects of our warming planet. The We Campaign As the name suggests, The We Campaign hopes to shift our focus from what 'I' can do to make a difference but what 'we' as a global community, connected through our shared desires and the power of Facebook, can do together to protect and preserve the environment. The We Campaign app awards points to users for taking certain environmental actions, with donors giving $1 to fight global warming for every 10 points earnt. Trees Have Rights Too In the age of social networking environmental activists no longer have to chain themselves to giant oaks in order to fight for their right to exist. Trees Have Rights Too not only functions as an awareness group, describing how every Christmas season 6 million trees are killed and then disposed of, but also as a particularly vocal advocacy group for the rights of trees everywhere. The group is currently aiming to petition the United Nations to create a Bill of Planetary Rights that places guidelines and regulations on government deforestation. (Lil) Green Patch The now defunct Facebook app, (Lil) Green Patch was once the most used application on Facebook and well-and-truly silenced the doubters who believed that social media couldn't be used to create meaningful environmental change. The app allowed users to tend to a virtual garden, adding little munchkin-like people, plants and flowers and in the process users would raise money for "Nature Conservancy" to save the rainforest. According to one count (Lil) Green Patch raised more than $200,000 for Nature Conservancy over two years, which represented the conservation of rainforests across the globe with an area of 70 million square feet of Costa Rican saved in the first six months alone. (Lil) Green Patch is now the benchmark for every new environmentally-minded Facebook app.
First planned for 2021, and now finally happening this year, Springtime is the huge new — and free — beachside music festival that's taking over the Gold Coast to start off September. And, it's big. The lineup spans more than 25 names already, including Skegss, Thelma Plum and Hermitude as headliners. The fest's hefty array of acts and activities has just expanded, too. Sneaky Sound System, Alex the Astronaut, JK-47, Skunkhour, Haiku Hands, Ninajirachi and Teen Jesus & The Jean Teases are also among the impressive music talents heading to Surfers Paradise across weekend of Friday, September 2–Sunday, September 4 — and taking to multiple stages, including in outside spots and at sideshow venues. Now, they'll be joined by Hauskey, Aodhan, Sh#t Shirt Disco and Lily Papas, plus an arts and skate lineup. A huge highlight at the three-day fest: an interactive installation by performance makers Shock Therapy, with The Cleaners set to live up to its name. It involves a giant slingshot and paint-filled balloons, which attendees can use to create havoc. You might've seen and enjoyed it at Splendour in the Grass back in 2018. Here's how it works: in a container suspended seven metres above the ground and decked out to look like a living room, two cleaners in white uniforms are trying to keep the place pristine. But that slingshot sits below them, on the ground — and those balloons are right there also. Also joining the bill: a pop-up skate plaza that'll connect the fest's two beach stages, and give Australian and New Zealand skaters plenty to navigate around. Among the folks who'll be busting out their best tricks: Tommy Fynn, Nixen Osborne and Mike Lawry, plus folks from the Precinct and Parliament skate shops. If you're planning to make a weekend of it, the lack of entry fee means you'll have more cash to splash on a hotel room. With Australia's tourism industry taking a hit over the past couple of years or so, enticing music lovers to the Goldie for a three-day getaway is obviously one of the fest's aims. Some sideshows will be ticketed, though, so you might want to factor that into your plans. As for who you'll be seeing when, Hermitude and Sneaky Sound System are headlining the Friday, Thelma Plum is doing the honours on Saturday, and Skegss on Sunday. The Gold Coast Music Awards will be part of the fest as well — as will celebrating spring's arrival just by soaking in the location, obviously. SPRINGTIME MUSIC FESTIVAL 2022 LINEUP: FRIDAY: Hermitude Sneaky Sound System JK-47 Peach Fur DVNA Buttered Girl & Girl VICES Sh#t Shirt Disco + triple j Unearthed Winner SATURDAY: Thelma Plum Skunkhour Ninajirachi Haiku Hands IVEY Ebony Boadu Hauskey Aodhan Saint Lane EUCA Fletcher Giv & Latour (Elsewhere DJs) Samin & Lotnic (Elsewhere DJs) Lily Papas Gold Coast Music Awards SUNDAY: Skegss Alex The Astronaut Teen Jesus & The Jean Teases The Lazy Eyes Teenage Dads The Oogars South Summit Just Jessie Geniie Boy THE SPRINGTIME SKATE PLAZA: MC Tora Waldron Tommy Fynn Mike Lawry Parliament team: Dennis Durrant Andrew Brophy Joel Mcilroy Pedro Day Mathew Boggis Pat Pollock Louise Riley Gavin Clarke Mitchell Mashy House Joey Cormack Joel Wilshire Chris Walsh Reef Condon Mitch Owens Karl Baydon Ash Linaka Precinct team: Adam Pirihi Barry Taniwha Brandon Kier Indi Russell Jim Perry Julian Lee Mitch Morrison Noah Bowden Sam Arnold Trent Bonham Zephyr Still Springtime Music Festival will take place across the weekend of Friday, September 2–Sunday, September 4. For further information, head to the festival website.
"Kylie Minogue in her gold hotpants in 'Spinning Around'. That just came to my mind straight away. That was pretty amazing." Ask Celeste Barber to pick her favourite Australian fashion moment and she goes straight for an icon being an icon. In one of 2023's best trends, Barber has spent the year ushering everyone through the ins and outs of wellness and fashion. First came Wellmania, the comedian and actor's Netflix dramedy series about a 39-year-old journalist who copes with a health crisis by embracing prioritising her wellbeing, aka journeying through everything the self-care industry has to offer. Now arrives The Way We Wore, with Barber hosting the new three-part ABC documentary about a subject that she's been interested in since she was a child donning costumes as a dancer, and then a teenager collecting fashion magazines. Barber is no stranger to obsessing over threads in public — or, to be more accurate, parodying whatever's in vogue in the sartorial and celebrity realms. While her career began with acting, complete with an 87-episode stint on All Saints, her #celestechallengeaccepted social-media spoofs have helped make her a household name. If the internet has become fixated on a celeb look, snap or video, Barber has likely satirised it. Most recently, Kim Kardashian's Skims nipple bra launch has been in her sights, but that's just her latest skewering stint. The tone of The Way We Wore is light, but this docuseries isn't a comedy. Instead, as screening on ABC TV from 8pm on Tuesday, November 21 and streaming in full on ABC iView from the same date, it's a sincere and appreciative step through the history and importance of Aussie fashion. Barber didn't ever dream that her career would bring her here, but given that she's hosted The LA Fashion Awards in 2019, appeared on magazine covers and worked with Tom Ford at 2018's New York Fashion Week, it makes sense to her now. "No, no, never, never," Barber tells Concrete Playground about whether fronting a series like The Way We Wore ever seemed possible when she was starting out. "I've always thought I'd have a place in the entertainment industry, but not being someone to narrate documentary on the history of fashion, and it making sense that I did it. When I approached, I was like 'it makes absolute sense that I do this', but I would never have thought that when I was younger — no way." Unsurprisingly, Barber makes an engaging guide through Australian fashion's evolution. With Nel Minchin (Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra) directing, and everyone from Collette Dinnigan, Catherine Martin and Akira Isogawa to Charlee Fraser and Nakkiah Lui sharing their thoughts and experiences on-screen, she hosts an exploration of a sector that's anything but minor yet doesn't always get the appreciation it deserves. The country's need for something to score approval overseas before it can be embraced at home is something that Barber can relate to — "absolutely, and I have experienced that first hand," she advises — as is a process that she hopes all of The Way We Wore's viewers will experience: learning more about Aussie fashion prowess. The series' first episode filters its examination through Australian fashion media, a perfect topic for Barber as a self-described magazine lover. From there, it devotes its second instalment to the local pioneers taking Aussie threads to great heights, even if Barber didn't realise it as a kid growing up without the internet and thinking that Ken Done was the height of Down Under style. Then, The Way We Wore wraps up by pondering why Australian fashion hasn't been getting its due. Ahead of the show's premiere, we chatted with Barber about getting asked to host a fashion doco, her lifelong fascination with dressing up, becoming aware of Aussie designers, her relatable approach to the industry, what she learned from The Way We Wore and more. ON BEING ASKED TO HOST THE WAY WE WORE "I was approached — it was a while ago now — by Nel. She went to my agent to see if I had any interest in presenting this documentary. I love Nel, so I was like 'yes, I would love to do that'. It kind of just made sense to me that they wanted me to do it because I have such an opinion on the fashion industry. It was actually really interesting: I genuinely have an interest in this history of the fashion industry in Australia, and I think I know everything about everything, but it turns I really don't. So it was cool to discover things during the process of filming — and as I was reading the script, to learn things as well." ON ALWAYS LOVING FASHION "I've just always been aware of it. I've always loved fashion. My mum was quite a stylish person. My friends at school used to even say that about her. She's always been really stylish and that got me interested in it. I love magazines — when I was younger, I used to collect them. So, it's just always been around. I've enjoyed the theatre of it as well, the fun side of it, the expressive part of it. Because I danced when I was young, I used to have a room full of costumes that my dad built. My mum would make costumes and store them in this special little room. I've always dressed up and had fun, and I've always had a big fun imagination, and putting on different clothes helped express that. So, as I said before, it's always been a really fun, expressive experience for me." ON THAT AFFECTION FOR FASHION EVOLVING NOT ONLY ACROSS BARBER'S CHILDHOOD, BUT NOW "When I was older, I used to always get InStyle, and I used to collect them. It was fun to see the glossy side. I'd like pretend that I could possibly wear some of that stuff on them — I remember seeing Miranda Kerr with a cute crop top on, and I was like 'yeah, I can do that'. Turns out I can't. I absolutely cannot do that. But it's evolved for me over the years as I get older, like how the 90s fashions are back now. I'm having so much more fun with 90s fashions now than I did when I was younger. When you're a teenager, you're just scared of it. You're scared of putting that acid-wash jacket on the wrong way and then your friends would never talk to you again. But now I'm like 'I don't care, let's just see how we go'." ON BARBER'S EARLY AWARENESS OF AUSTRALIAN FASHION "There was no internet when I was growing up, so you think Ken Done is the biggest thing in the world. There's no other world out there. We went to America for a family holiday once, and I was rocking Ken Done because that's the only designer in the world, right, when you're a kid and there's no internet to tell you otherwise. I didn't go 'I know Valentino was predominantly in Rome, but you'll find that Tom Ford had started off in…'. I didn't have an understanding of that. It was just mum told me to wear that, so I wore that. I think in my InStyle days, when I was buying InStyles and cutting them all up and making my own little magazines out of them — they'd do features on international designers, and I'd be like 'oh, that's bigger, that's different'. But we always held our own. The Australian fashion industry has always held its own." ON STARTING BARBER'S SOCIAL-MEDIA FASHION PARODIES "Just seeing how social media can be toxic in making women feel that if they don't look a certain way that they don't deserve love — I like pushing against this idea of perfection, so I thought I just wanted to make fun of that idea of perfection. I've always just cut through bullshit. It's always been my thing. No one ever is unsure of where they stand with me. So what I saw that with these new apps, with these devices that we're all holding in our hands, was just a new way for women to hate themselves. I thought that I wanted play around with it a bit and see what happens. Turns out it went very well." ON STRIKING A CHORD BY SATIRISING TRENDS ONLINE, AND THE IMPACT UPON BARBER'S CAREER "I kind of always knew it was funny, and I knew that it would help get eyes on me. That's part of the reason why I did it. I always just thought I'd be okay. I've never ever given up. When it comes to my career, I've just never, ever given up — and I've tried to do as much as I can to work and get in the industry. And now it's happened, I guess it's not lost on me for sure. But people have only really known about me in the past few years — I've been at this for decades, so I really worked at it. Don't get me wrong, when I get a text message from someone super fancy, I'm like 'that's awesome'. Or, you know getting invited to things is still brilliant. I'm just enjoying the wave, enjoying the ride." ON BARBER'S APPROACH TO MAKING FASHION AND WELLNESS RELATABLE "It's just my experience in it. It's just my take on it. I don't really come at it by going 'this is super-relatable, I'm excellent' — and I think that's what makes it relatable. I'm like, well, this is just my experience in it, and if I'm experiencing it and I'm just an average lady, then there's a very good chance that someone else has also experienced it like that. Social media, media as a whole, just in general society, we have a handful of the types of women that we are happy to see. And I don't fall within that handful of women, and majority of women don't fall within that handful of women that are being celebrated publicly. So when you see someone like me who is now public and it's quite unusual for someone like me to be public it makes, I think, people feel more comfortable and more seen. That's always a nice feeling." @abciview 🤩🤩🤩 #TheWayWeWore #CelesteBarber @celestebarber #Fashion #Documentary #ABCiview #AustralianHistory #FashionTikTok #AustralianFashion #FashionDesign ♬ original sound - ABC iview ON WHAT BARBER LEARNED WHILE HOSTING THE WAY WE WORE — AND WHAT SHE HOPES THAT VIEWERS WILL LEARN, TOO "The main thing that stood out for me was how big the fashion industry is in Australia. It's a multi-billion-dollar industry and it actually employs more people than mining. I had no idea of that. I've always thought it was great and awesome, and I'm a contributor to the industry, but I had no idea that on an economic level it was so impactful. I hope that the series will open people's eyes to it because, as I say, I didn't know that. Even when I started, when I was reading through that sort of stuff — we actually do a bit of a joke in the doco where I'm like 'really, are you sure we fact-checked that?'. Because the fashion industry is seen as a female-dominated industry, I don't think it's always taken as seriously, and that has something to do with it. But you can't deny those numbers. So hopefully when people watch it, they realise how big and successful it is." The Way We Wore screens on ABC TV from 8pm on Tuesday, November 21, dropping episodes weekly — and streams in full on ABC iView from the same date. The Way We Wore images: Mark Rogers. Wellmania images: Netflix.
Spring 2022 wasn't a happy time for This That, or for Newcastle and Brisbane folks planning to dance their way through the music festival. After hosting fests in both spots earlier that year, the event had to pull the plug on its October and November dates "due to a combination of issues", organisers advised. This That had always promised that it'd be back in spring 2023, however, and now it's locked in its new dates. Queenslanders, you're heading to Sandstone Point Hotel on Saturday, November 4. Music lovers of New South Wales, make a date with Wickham Park in Newcastle on Saturday, November 11. So far, there's no word on a lineup, after 2022's fests featured Hayden James, WHATSONOT, The Rubens, Spacey Jane, Dune Rats, WAAX, Client Liaison, Meg Mac and more. The cancelled events the same year were due to host Earl Sweatshirt and Flight Facilities, plus The Presets, Vera Blue, Winston Surfshirt, DMA's, Chillinit, Skeggs, Hockey Dad and Jesswar, although whether any will pop up in 2023 is yet to be revealed. For now, organisers are teasing This That's biggest festival to date, as well as its largest roster of international acts. Expect more details soon, with the event's website already taking pre-sale registrations. THIS THAT NOVEMBER 2023 DATES: Saturday, November 4 Sandstone Point Hotel, Sandstone Point, Queensland Saturday, November 11: Wickham Park, Newcastle, New South Wales This That will return in November 2023, playing Sandstone Point in Queensland and Newcastle in New South Wales. For more information and to sign up for pre-sale tickets, head to the festival's website. Images: Mitch Lowe / Jordan Munns.
Something happens when fathers get to a certain age — they get really into their hobbies. We don't know whether it's because they have more time on their hands now you're all grown up, or if some magical switch flicks, but suddenly all their downtime is spent dedicated to vintage cars, golf or DIY projects. And that has one major benefit for you: it presents a goldmine of gifting opportunities. If one of your dad's passions is his home bar, we're here to point you in the right direction. We've partnered with Maker's Mark to bring you a round-up of classy gift ideas that'll make your pop's bar the best in the street, whether it's a newfound obsession or it's been there as long as you can remember (and therefore in dire need of a refresh). FANCY GLASSWARE Part of the fun of having a home bar is the ritual of fixing yourself a drink at the end of a long day. It's a form of self-care, in our opinion. But the magic kind of disappears when the vessel you're using is a leftover plastic cup from a backyard barbecue or cloudy contraband from the local pub. So we suggest getting Dad some glassware that he'll actually enjoy drinking from. Canberra-based homewares store Bisonhome sells expertly crafted ceramics and blown glassware designed by Brian Tunks, who studied ancient designs at archaeological digs in the Middle East. If your dad is partial to a whisky mixer, this six-pack of highball glasses is a great way to start his collection. Adhering to the Bisonhome aesthetic of simple, classic designs, these glasses should suit all home bar styles, while the mix of colours will add that retro edge. COOL WHISKY STONES With two stores in Sydney — Opus in Paddington and Octopus in Newtown — plus a stellar online store that ships nationally, Opus Designs has long been one of our go-to spots for gifts. And it certainly delivers on bar cart must-haves, including this cute little set of whisky chillers. If your dad is the type that likes to sit on a nip of whisky for an hour, then complain because the ice has melted and ruined the integrity (and temperature) of his drink, these will suit perfectly. All he has to do is pop these little guys in the freezer a few hours before use, and his nightcap will remain ice-cold for as long as it takes for him to finish it. And because they're made out of granite and soapstone, he'll still hear that satisfying 'chink' as he drops them in the glass. A PERSONALISED DECANTER This personalised decanter from Hard to Find will take pride of place on your dad's home bar. It's a 700ml decanter — which, FYI, will conveniently fit an entire bottle of Maker's Mark — that comes engraved with your dad's name. If you have the type of dad that's impossible to buy for because he purchases everything he wants or needs for himself, personalised gifts are great. Nobody buys themselves personalised things, right? Plus, it shows you've put a little more thought into the gift — without really putting that much extra effort in. A SUPER SWISH APRON If Dad is going to be spending so much time behind his home bar mixing, shaking and stirring, he has to look the part. And a nice, tailormade apron is the way to go — particularly if he hasn't got his mixology skills quite down pat yet and is prone to making a big mess. Sydney-based design studio Worktones specialises in high-quality workwear for the hospitality industry. We bet a lot of your favourite bars, cafes and restaurants uses Worktones for their aprons, uniforms and merchandise. The adjustable Birdy apron is made using 100-percent mercerised cotton twill, so it'll look good and last for ages. It comes in white, dark navy and olive, and costs just $35. [caption id="attachment_746194" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Discrepancy Records, Tracey Ah-kee[/caption] A KILLER SOUND SYSTEM Something else that Dad needs if he's going to be hanging out in his bar so much? Music, of course. Pander to the 'old man' in him by splashing out on a record player, then hunt down some of his favourite classic albums on vinyl. In Melbourne, your best bet is Discrepancy Records, which boasts more than 15,000 LPs. Have a gander at its online store for some of the newest releases — including a re-release of The Rolling Stones' Goat's Head Soup and Bob Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways — plus a bunch of LP bundles (think Queen, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd), all of which you can get delivered for free. In Brisbane, we suggest visiting Rocking Horse Records on Albert Street. And, if Dad's taste is a little left-of-centre, Sydney's Repressed Records, based in Newtown, specialises in underrated and independent artists — so it has music that's hard to find anywhere else. [caption id="attachment_766131" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Maree Downs', Madi Whyte, Cream Town[/caption] SOME EXCELLENT ARTWORK We all know those home bars that are covered in sports team merch. But if you want your dad's version to look a little, well, classier, opt for a standout piece of art instead. Check out Cream Town, an online art shop that was started by photographer Isaebella Doherty to support Aussie artists that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. The range of prints, from photographs to collage and illustrations, start from just $100 each, and they all have a limited run, so Dad can brag about having a rare artwork adorning his bar wall. A BOTTLE OF HIS FAVOURITE WHISKY And, of course, no home bar is complete without your dad's favourite tipple. Whichever item from this list you choose to spoil your dad with, be sure to add on a bottle of Maker's Mark. This smooth Kentucky-style bourbon whisky has woody oak aromas with sweet caramel and vanilla notes making it an excellent all-rounder for a home bar. It can be enjoyed both on the rocks or in a cocktail. If he decides to try the latter, shoot him a link to this recipe guide, which has four super-easy bourbon-based cocktails to try out. Learn more about Maker's Mark by visiting the website here.
Broadcasting out of a tiny shopfront on New York City's First Avenue, the legendary East Village Radio has been a solid citizen of the Big Apple for the past 11 years. But heavy licensing fees will see the independent online station forced to shut down, broadcasting its last show on May 23. Covering every genre from experimental, brash Brooklyn garage rock to phonograph recordings of old-timey pre-war singalongs, EVR has had some serious talent behind the wheel over the years. With presenters such as Mark Ronson, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce (The Smiths), members of Das Racist, Elliot Wilson (Rap Radar) Hannah Rad (Diddy's Revolt TV), Bobby Friction (BBC) and many, many more, EVR has been responsible for both breaking green new artists and reminding listeners of legends they might have missed. Inviting countless big and small name guests into the tiny mirror-walled, glass-fronted studio wedged between a tattoo parlour and a local Italian eatery Frankie's (and sitting just around the corner from the former site of rock Mecca CBGB), EVR has formed an integral part of the New York music landscape over the years, with Lou Reed, Johnny Marr and Richard Hell popping in on occasion. And Drake. Popularity isn't the problem for EVR, with listenership rising daily for the online broadcaster since opening as a 10-watt FM radio station in 2003. But with each new pair of ears comes a price tag, one the station can't afford to front forever. According to the Congressional Digital Music Copyright Act of 1998, online broadcasters must pay a digital performance royalty for each listener. With EVR achieving over a million listeners a month, it seems popularity would bankrupt the beloved station. "Every time we get a new listener, it costs us more money with licensing fees and Internet costs," East Village Radio CEO Frank Prisinzano told East Village blog EV Grieve. "After doing some projections, we see that it is going to be very, very difficult for us to continue to break even." General manager and head of programming Peter Ferraro explained to the blog that the station was paying an unfair price for its own popularity. "It's almost like we are being penalized for our growth... We pay a higher rate for royalties and licensing than Pandora pays," he said. "We live in a world where these behemouth music-streaming services keep going in for more capital. It's very difficult for an independent medium music company to survive in a world where Apple is paying $3.2 billion for Beats by Dre." New Yorkers aren't the only ones who'll miss EVR. Broadcasting in an online capacity and through the EVR app, the radio station found most of its fanbase worldwide — particularly in the UK. Countless Australians have featured on the station, with drop-ins from locals The Presets, Flume, Courtney Barnett, The Preatures (pictured above), Kevin Parker, Jagwar Ma, Hiatus Kaiyote, Art vs. Science, Anna Lunoe, The Laurels, San Cisco, The Griswolds and many more. With just a few weeks of broadcast left, EVR presenters will have the chance to sign off in their own signature fashion. In a gesture of professional decency, the station will also release every last archived show to each DJ so they can hunt around for syndication elsewhere or land themselves another presenting spot. So crank up EVR while you still can and join the team for their last hurrah on May 23. Listen to EVR online here. Via EV Grieve and New York Observer.
If the name doesn't clue you in (a moniker shared with a Rod Stewart single from five decades back, in fact), then the heaving splashes of mustard, brown and teal should: Newstead newcomer Maggie May sure does love the 70s. That it's badging itself as a supper club gives that away, too — plus the prawn rolls, s'mores and chocolate fondue on the menu — however, this fresh addition to Longland Street is welcoming in punters all day. First announced back in September, and now swinging open its doors on Friday, October 21, Gasworks Plaza's latest spot does indeed have something to say to Brisbanites: when it comes to worshipping the 70s, this is your place. It seems to be a thriving time for new venues inspired by blasts from the past, with the supper club following in the footsteps of freshly opened Fortitude Valley nightclub Superfly Disco. Hit up one, then head to the other: there, that's your next night out planned. At Maggie May, the menu spans share plates, including both small and large bites; wine and cocktails, with a particularly hefty vino list; and a casual vibe that's playful and retro. Standout food options include baked bruschetta topped with whipped feta, duck shanks with chilli caramel, gin-cured salmon, roasted cauliflower gnocchi, South Australian black mussels and stacked charcuterie boards. Or, from the breakfast menu, there's also a baked stone fruit bruschetta and peanut butter pancakes. Among the cocktail selection, drinks come with names like 'Saturday Night Fever', 'Disco Daddies Ice Tea' and 'Soul Sister Spritz' — bringing the 70s to your sips. Serving up coffee and breakfast, long lunches, both quick and leisurely dinners, and cocktail-hour beverages, Maggie May joins Hallmark Hospitality's list of southeast Queensland sites, and settles into The Defiant Duck's old stomping ground adjacent to the Newstead Gasometer. It sits alongside Retro's Cocktail Lounge and Finn McCool's Irish Bar in both Fortitude Valley and Surfers Paradise, plus Asylum Nightclub, Lefty's Music Hall, Lost Kingdom Nightclub, The Cavill Hotel, The Spotted Cow, The Lord Alfred Hotel and Hey Chica! in company's growing portfolio. "Playful and energetic, the venue boats seventies nostalgia with a modern twist," said Hallmark Hospitality Director Joe Heanen, describing Maggie May ahead of its launch. "Maggie May is a place where patrons can feel at home and ultimately know they're in for a good time — a place that brings friends, colleagues and loved ones together to enjoy great company, good food and even better wine." Find Maggie May at 3/84 Longland Street, Newstead, from Friday, October 21.
If escaping into Australia's great outdoors, putting one foot in front of the other, and combining a leisurely walk — or an energetic hike — with soaking in the scenery is your idea of bliss, the past few weeks keep delivering welcome news. Firstly, the Snowy Mountains became home to a new nine-kilometre section of its Snowies Alpine Walk, complete with Australia's highest suspension bridge. Then, the New South Wales Government announced a massive 91-kilometre waterfront walking track from the Sydney Opera House to Parramatta. Now, still in NSW, the Gondwana Rainforests have been earmarked for a new excuse to get moseying, too. As part of NSW's 2022-23 budget, Treasurer Matt Kean has added the new Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk to the list of upcoming projects that the state's residents and travellers alike can look forward to. Scoring $56.4-million in budget funding, it'll span 46 kilometres, all through stunning rainforest surroundings on the state's mid-north coast. And, there'll be two- and four-day route options. Your starting point: a new Arc Rainforest Centre, which'll come complete with a stunning-looking hanging boardwalk that'll overlook the World Heritage spot. From there, as you roam along the trail, you'll wander over three suspension bridges. There'll also be four low-impact walkers' hut precincts, as well as new camping areas — because if you're committing to taking the full multi-day trek, you'll need somewhere to slumber along the route. That budget cash will also go towards the Arc Rainforest Centre, which is designed to be an attraction in itself thanks to its viewing platform. It'll also include a new treetop skywalk, which'll feature an upper and lower deck so you can still make the most of it when it's raining — and spiralling walkways that'll take you down into the rainforest, to the existing six-kilometre Wonga Walk as well as the new Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk. Back on the Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk itself, it'll meander through the Dorrigo and Bindarri National Parks, with about half of the 46-kilometre stretch charting existing tracks and trails. Hikers won't be short on spectacular sights; expect to see waterfalls, giant old growth trees and wild rivers along the way. If you're excited about the huts and camping sites, they'll be operated, run and booked through NSW's National Parks and Wildlife Services. And, the walk will have another big aim: becoming a place for folks to learn about and connect with the culture of the Gumbaynggirr people, the area's Traditional Custodians. Exactly when the centre and walk will welcome in visitors hasn't been revealed as yet, however — so add this one to your future must-visit list, rather than packing your bags and popping on your comfiest walking shoes now. "Through the NSW Budget, we're investing $56.4 million to offer a new way for people to enjoy the ancient World Heritage environment," said Kean. "This project will drive increased nature-based tourism in NSW, further bolstering the contribution that national parks make to the state economy. For more information about the Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk, head to the NSW Government website.
