What's better than a horror film about a taunted teenager who unleashes her telekinetic powers upon her classmates? All that, but transported to the stage and set to music. Yes, another movie has been given the musical treatment — and it's not one you might expect. Say hello to the singing and dancing version of Carrie. Even if you've read Stephen King's book, viewed the original 1976 feature directed by Brian De Palma or sat through the 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore, you haven't seen the iconic story told like this. In fact, when Carrie the Musical first debuted on Broadway back in 1988, audiences and critics didn't quite know what to make of it. In the production's Brisbane debut, expect a tale of terror and revenge, a flurry of teen angst, and a prom to remember. Also expect to have a bloody good time, with emphasis on the buckets of red, oozing substance.
The end of Game of Thrones is coming, with the show's eighth and final season kicking off this month. Not ready to say goodbye? Try claiming the Iron Throne for yourself instead. Joining the huge list of GoT-themed bits and pieces — including spinoff series, official tours, boozy banquets and ice hotels — is Game of Thrones Winter Is Coming, a new multiplayer browser game that puts players in the thick of the action. It might have the most obvious title possible, but Game of Thrones Winter Is Coming gives fans an important role and a huge task: becoming either a lord or lady in Westeros, scheming against and slaying your enemies, and seizing the Seven Kingdoms' coveted metal chair. So, basically, stepping into the standard GoT world and doing what all of your favourite characters have been doing for years. Unlike Jon Snow, you'll know that much at least. Now available to play, it all kicks off after the death of Eddard Stark, aka the moment that had every TV fan hooked. Your character will take his place among Westeros' upper echelons, train an army, recruit followers and endeavour to remain victorious (and keep your head, obviously). And, because the game is a collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment under license from HBO, expect plenty of other iconic GoT figures to pop up. Expect to virtually roam around the Seven Kingdoms as well, which has been recreated complete with major landmarks and castles from the show. You'll also be able to relive some of the series' iconic moments, just in computer game form. Played online in your browser, it's really your latest excuse to never leave the world created by George RR Martin, even if the hugely successful TV show based on his books is about to leave our lives. Or, think of it another way — it's a way to pass the time until Martin finally finishes the sixth instalment in the printed franchise, the long-awaited The Winds of Winter. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gon69yQTx9M Game of Thrones Winter Is Coming is available to play online now. Image: Game of Thrones season 8. Helen Sloan/HBO.
Keen on all things innovative when it comes to technology and culture? Suffer from pangs of envy when SXSW kicks off on the other side of the planet each March? Jetting around the world to get your fix mightn't be realistic; however, thanks to Brisbane's newest festival, it's no longer necessary. Say hello to Myriad. Coming to Brisbane Powerhouse from March 29 to 31, Myriad might be in its first year, but that hasn't stopped the fest from going big. More than 100 speakers from over 20 different countries will ponder the future of culture, health, money, cities, and work and play — aka the event's five key themes — with more than 2000 people expected to head along to listen. Still playing the numbers game, more than 100 startups and 75 investors will be represented at the kind of gathering that aims to bring technology's best and brightest together in the one place. As for what everyone will be chatting about, topics include the intersection of fashion, robotics and technology; future business trends such as shaking hands with robots (yes, expect to hear robots come up quite often); tech advancements everywhere from Estonia to Chile; 3D-printed body organs; things that you can learn from Spotify and Tinder; drones; and the future of sex (you know that robots will get a mention here too). In addition to the discussion component of the program, Myriad also features a variety of interactive experiences, such as an art exhibition that explores sexual violence and women's rights through augmented reality, an exclusive V8 racing installation, and a series of collaborations with fellow Brissie fest BIGSOUND. That might sound like a massive amount of interesting pieces all jammed into two and a half bustling days; however consider organisers and Myriad cofounders Murray Galbraith and Martin Talvari up to the task. Galbraith was behind Melbourne's Pause Fest in 2015, while Talvari was formerly one of the guiding hands at Slush, the Helsinki startup event with more than 17,500 attendees. A word of warning, though: because Myriad is a conference-style event, tickets aren't cheap.
You've got your whole life to spend night's lazing at home, having a quiet one – why not, for once, watch someone else do the exact same thing in a non-creepy way. In the latest intimate performance by QUT graduate and and PhD candidate Belinda Locke , audiences are willingly asked to indulge in a peek behind one woman's closed doors – no strings attached. This already highly credited performance, Maureen O'Hara Spends a Quite Night at Home, is inspired by the 1946 photograph by the same name, taken by Peter Stackpole. Returning home from a glamorous social event, the character of O'Hara unwravels her vulnerabilities exposing the everyday strains and pains of celebrity and femininity. A strikingly beautiful devised performance set to a soundtrack of 1940s big band, jazz and French electro-pop, this solo performance shares the intimacy of O'Hara's private moments, seductive nature and deepest anxieties.
Brunch isn't just something you eat after you've enjoyed a weekend sleep in. And it's not just an excuse to gorge on breakfast, lunch and a few cheeky mid-morning beverages all at once. It's both, as well as an occasion that's always worth celebrating. That's why, after throwing a series of brunch-themed shindigs in November, Cloudland is doing it all over again on December 18. It's a concept that has been happening in New York and London for a while now, and now it's Brisbane's turn. The Brunch Club really does combining everyone's favourite meal with a party vibe; think live entertainment, garden games and a 3.5 hour food and beverage package. That's what you'll find from 11.30am Sunday — and yes, if it kicks off before midday, it still counts as brunch. Tickets cost $75 per person for the most indulgent before-noon boozy spread you're likely to ever enjoy. And it's certain to be popular, so we'd recommend booking in advance.
As lovers of burgers and doughnuts already know, when Brisbane embraces a particular type of food, it doesn't hold back. Anyone who can't get enough juicy fried chicken should know that too, with the city's chook-slinging ranks only growing. Hot on the heels of Lucky Egg's new West End digs and 4Fingers announcing its arrival with not one, but two outlets, comes Flippin' the Bird — and it's serving up a container-load of poultry goodness. Making a James Street shipping container its home from mid-August, Flippin' the Bird is the latest venture boasting chef Shaun Hyland's cooking, which Brisbanites might recognise from The Defiant Duck. Keeping the feathered theme going, his new kitchen will focus on deep-fried, air-fried and pulled chicken in pieces, on burgers, in salads and with sides. The full menu isn't set to launch until the chook joint opens its doors, however one thing will feature: chicken tacos. The signature item is filled with pulled or crispy chicken layered with house-made slaw and chimichurri. As obvious joke fan Hyland puts it, "this is fast-paced food you'd cross the road for." Actually, some lucky folks already have. If this all sounds a bit familiar, that's probably because this year's Teneriffe Festival attendees were treated to a pop-up sneak peek. In just one day of fest trading, Flippin' the Bird sold over 217 kilograms of chicken. That's something to crow about — and expect those numbers to keep flying higher once they officially set up shop. Find Flippin' the Bird at 49 James Street, New Farm from mid-August, or head to their Facebook page for further details.
As one of Brisbane's go-to spots for modern Chinese cuisine, Little Valley was always going to get into the Lunar New Year spirit. The Fortitude Valley restaurant isn't just throwing a party, though. It's throwing three — as part of a fortnight-long Chinese New Year Festival. You've been to a New Year's Eve shindig — now head along to a Chinese New Year's Eve shindig. That's what's on the agenda on Friday, January 24. Then, on Saturday, January 25, it's time for a New Year's Day party. Both events will feature colourful and lively lion dances at 8pm. It wouldn't be some Lunar New Year fun without them. Plus, on Saturday, February 1, the Warner Street spot will wrap things up with a Chinese New Year Closing Ceremony. Kicking off at 5pm, it'll involve DJs and live entertainment, too. As for the food and booze side of things, it's available for the whole festival period between Tuesday, January 21–Saturday, February 1. Eat your way through an $85 banquet, with potato and truffle spring rolls, lobster and chive har gow, xinjiang spiced pastrami and drunken chicken among the 11-dish menu. You'll want to head by on a Friday or Saturday, though, to add two hours of prosecco, selected tap beers and lychee spritzes for an extra $39. Top image: Little Valley.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, Groovin the Moo has unveiled their 2017 lineup. Taking the large-scale music festival out of the city and into regional centres for another year, GTM will kick things off on Friday, April 28 in South Australia and travel through Maitland, Townsville, Bendigo and Canberra before finishing up in Bunbury on May 13. This year's lineup sees local talent front and centre with triple j Hottest 100 list-toppers Tash Sultana and Amy Shark (#3 and #2, respectively) taking the stage, along with The Smith Street Band, Montaigne, Hayden James and Methyl Ethel. Most of the international talent comes from the UK this year, with The Darkness, 21-year-old Loyle Carner and The Wombats making their way to the Moo, along with Germans Milky Chance. Here's the full lineup. GROOVIN THE MOO 2017 LINEUP Against Me! (USA) Allday Amy Shark Architects (UK) The Darkness (UK) Dillon Francis (USA) George Maple Hayden James The Jungle Giants K-Flay (USA) L-FRESH The LION Loyle Carner (UK) Methyl Ethel Milky Chance (GER) Montaigne Northeast Party House Slumberjack The Smith Street Band Snakehips (UK) Tash Sultana Thundamentals Violent Soho The Wombats (UK) GROOVIN THE MOO 2017 DATES & VENUES Friday, April 28 — Wayville (SA) Saturday, April 29 – Maitland (NSW) Sunday, April 30 — Townsville (QLD) Saturday, May 6 — Bendigo (VIC) Sunday, May 7 – Canberra (ACT) Saturday, May 13 — Bunbury (WA) Pre-sale tickets for GTM will go on sale at 9am local time on Wednesday, February 1. All other tickets for Wayville, Maitland and Townsville will go on sale at 9am on Tuesday, February 7, and Bendigo, Bunbury and Canberra will be released the day after at 9am on Wednesday, February 8. For more info, go to gtm.net.au. Image: Tao Jones.
Brisbanites, it's time for a night at the museum — but you won't find Ben Stiller roaming the halls here. That said, given what'll be on display at Queensland Museum on Friday, January 14, the revelry will still feel rather adventurous. Walking, talking and drinking while taking a tour of QM's Brickman Wonders of the World exhibition is on the agenda at the venue's latest adults-only Museum After Dark shindig. You'll check out more than 50 Lego displays, and watch expert Lego builders do their thing, too — and you'll be able to sip your way through the night over a bite as well, and while listening to DJs, meeting live animals such as wombats and just generally checking out QM's exhibits. A word of warning: these shindigs often sell out, and this one will be COVID-19 safe, which means it'll have a limited capacity. In other words, you'll want to nab a $35 ticket quickly (and note that that price doesn't include food and drinks). Image: Queensland Museum. Updated December 13.
Maybe you've already eliminated all animal products from your diet. Maybe you're curious about changing your eating habits. Either way, you'll want to make an appearance at BrisVeganFest on September 4. Not only is the day-long Davies Park shindig the city's first event of its kind — it's a place where vegan-centric market stalls, food and drink vendors, and cooking demonstrations and workshops come together. When you're not learning about the art of vegan baking or shopping for vegan-friendly jewellery, you could be discovering the benefits of yoga, cuddling a rescued cat or hearing about nutrition and fitness. Live music, informative speakers, fashion shows and open mic sessions are also on the agenda, with Love Like Hate, Sophia Fletcher, Infinite Harmony and Gem Stone among the performers. That's right — while you're celebrating ethical choices and a cruelty-free lifestyle, you'll also be entertained.
The BrisStyle Indie Twilight Markets is a haven for lovers of everything handmade and unique. You are sure to find something you love at these quirky markets as there will be a plethora of stylish and gorgeous jewellery, trinkets, art and accessories amongst other goodies. What sets these markets apart from others is their successful fusion of the hustle and bustle of city life with the relaxed vibe of South-East Queensland. Christmas parade performers will be wandering throughout the markets, sprinkling a little bit of magic in King George Square. These gorgeous markets are held from 5-9pm, under twinkling stars and close to the magnificent Christmas tree. Support local artists by purchasing a few Christmas presents and soak up the festive atmosphere at the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Markets.
Give your Monday blues the boot with a dose of razzmatazz at the Queensland Ballet — and we don't mean watching Swan Lake while sipping champagne (though that isn't without its merits). We're talking about getting your body moving. Ham it up with a Broadway jazz class, get your swing on with a lesson in jazz dance or find your groove in a contemporary session. The school offers casual classes, so you're welcome to pick and mix as you see fit. Whichever style you choose, you'll be under the guidance of a cracking dancer and choreographer, be it award-winning Nerida Matthaei, or another dexterous member of the Queensland Ballet Company.
Brisbane's streets are about to look a whole lot brighter — and sport a lot more paint, feature giant murals aplenty and showcase a heap more art in general. The reason: the returning Brisbane Street Art Festival, which'll take over the city from Saturday, May 7–Sunday, May 22 for its sixth and largest physical event. When it comes to splashing art across the streets, spraying some paint around and stencilling up a storm, this festival offers a firm reminder: no, Banksy isn't the only artist worth celebrating and never has been. Indeed, the street art scene has been thriving in Brisbane for years, which is why this fest even exists. 2022's BSAF will also feature international artists for the first time since 2019, helping put 50 new large-scale murals around the place — even if only temporarily. That includes Miss Birdy, Iñigo Sesma and Fivust, with the talent lineup spanning folks from the USA, Spain, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia and New Zealand. They'll be painting up a storm alongside Australian artists such as Sofles, Lisa King and Rachael Sarra. [caption id="attachment_848396" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aleja Hine by @mellumae[/caption] Also on the list: everyone from 23rd Key, Bronik, Drapl and GERM to Gus Eagleton, Katherine Viney, MAUY and Yin Lu. Over the festival's 16-day run, their efforts will be complemented by a range of art events — including Scribble Slam, a Brisbane-themed photography exhibit and a big party at Felons Brewing Co — and workshops. One place you'll want to head to is Northshore, where BSAF is taking over an entire warehouse and using it as its headquarters. Dubbed Superordinary Northshore, it'll host 12 mural activations, plus plenty of events — including the fest's opening party. Yes, that means there'll be impressive large-scale artworks by the river — and at Howard Smith Wharves and South Bank as well. Also getting a new coat of paint: the Queen Street Mall, RNA Showgrounds and the Valley mall, and that's just a glimpse of the venue list. [caption id="attachment_715977" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Drapl and Treazy by Aimee Catt[/caption] BSAF is bringing Tools of the Trade, an exhibition from Hong Kong, our way as well. It steps through the history of street art and graffiti, but views it through the tools that artists use to create their work. And if you're keen to learn a new skill, the aforementioned workshop lineup has doubled since last year, and now features everything from yarn bombing to tufting. The 2022 Brisbane Street Art Festival runs from Saturday, May 7–Sunday, May 22. For more information, head to the event's website. Top images: Cam Scale; Gus Eagleton and Jordache by Lincoln-Savage; Sheep Chen and Adnate by Joshua Taten.
It's the movie that was always going to be made, the re-enacted version of one of the most heartbreaking small-town murder mysteries and biggest miscarriages of justice the United States has seen. It's also the movie that never should have been made, for the devastating true tale as told in four documentaries now — the Paradise Lost trilogy, and West of Memphis — can't be embellished, fictionalised or bested. Yet exist Devil's Knot does, a cinematic facsimile of the originals, albeit with an ample dose of star power. Though the potency of the facts remains, the sensationalist and the sentimental combine in an attempt to craft a cautionary case of tragedy crippling a community not just in its initial appearance but in the way it is then handled. Two trios drive the story: eight-year-old schoolboys who meet a gruesome fate, and teen outsiders marked for their difference. In the wake of the crime that rocked Arkansas, panicked locals start braying for the blood of Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether) and Jessie Misskelley Jr (Kristopher Higgins). For private investigator Ron Lax (Colin Firth), discrepancies complicate the reported information. As grief-stricken mother Pamela Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon) watches on, the untimely demise of her son becomes a circus fuelled by a determination to convict and a disregard for competing theories. Alas, though dead children, blamed adolescents and bureaucratic bungling make for strong material, Devil's Knot places its emphasis on Lax and Hobbs, unconvincing figures of focus rendered as observers, not participants. Their sympathetic access point isn't needed given the strength of what lies beneath, nor are Firth and Witherspoon's overplayed performances. Another issue plagues the adaptation of Mara Leveritt's 2002 text of the same name: only relating part of the puzzle. Many real-life developments occurred after the book's publication; that the outcome is relegated to the film's endnotes robs it of its conclusion. With a wealth of data to draw upon, something had to give, and the problem of recreating oft-seen scenes was always going to be difficult to overcome. Director Atom Egoyan and his writers — Deliver Us From Evil duo Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson — just can't strike the right balance, indulgent in what they include and troubled by what remains absent. What emerges in Devil's Knot is an unfortunate example of the right pedigree and intentions making the wrong moves, on a subject so scrutinised that any missteps would always stand out. With an auteur's eye on an inflammatory case, and with well-known actors wringing importance from the situation, the film wants to exemplify the kind of haunting deliberation of complexity the story demands, but its lingering gaze — narratively, emotionally and aesthetically — remains superfluously tied to its surface. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ofkn4zYrF5U
Wynnum Fringe lives up to its name, giving Brisbane's bayside its own fringe festival. The fest is upon us for another year, and it just keeps getting bigger. First staged in 2020 as a three day event, then returning in 2021 for six days, the festival is back for a third go in the seaside suburb — this time, with almost three weeks of arts and culture on the lineup, running from Wednesday, November 16–Sunday, December 4. At Wynnum Fringe 2022, you'll find everything from cabaret and comedy to music and dance on the bill, and even a ferris wheel. The event is aiming to entice 35,000 folks along across its 19-day run, so you'll also find ample company at a range of venues. Highlights include the first-ever Wynnum Fringe Comedy Gala, with Mel Buttle, Damien Power, Luke Heggie and Chris Ryan taking to the microphone; more laughs from Dave Hughes, Akmal Saleh and Cal Wilson; and Marcia Hines getting her disco on in Velvet Rewired. There's also opening ceremony yana marumba (Walk Good) as part of the First Nations programming, Dolly Diamond's variety show High T and a one-night-only gig by Diesel, as well as an all-ages amateur dance eisteddfod led by Common People Dance Project, Head First Acrobats' circus performances GODZ and Crème de la crème, Dane Simpson's Didgeridoozy and a local Battle of the Bands. The 2022 festival also boasts a new garden hub at George Clayton Park, which is where Wynnum Fringe's spiegeltent will sit — and a ferris wheel, food trucks, pop-up daily gigs and roving entertainment. For drinks, the new fest base includes a cocktail-slinging container bar, too, complete with rooftop seating. Throw in a fancy dress parade for dogs — and program themes that change weekly, starting with an Indigenous focus, then taking on Euro vibes, then going all in on local talent — and there's no shortage of things to see and do.
Why just go to a regular rave when you can party like one of your favourite pop-culture characters? It worked for Shrek, so now it's Hello Kitty's turn. Expect ample pink, plus fans of a certain fictional cat-like Japanese figure everywhere. Yuko Shimizu mightn't have had this in mind when she designed Sanrio's most-famous creation, but it's happening in Brisbane on Friday, December 15 anyway. This Hello Kitty celebration includes Hello Kitty-themed drinks, a Hello Kitty DJ set, a Hello Kitty meet and greet with said DJ, plus a free Hello Kitty-themed glitter station. Fancy taking snaps against a Hello Kitty balloon wall? Scoring Hello Kitty plushies as souvenirs? That's all also on offer at Wonderland Brisbane from 8pm. Your ticket also covers free Chupa Chups and glow sticks — but you will pay for your sips, which come with names like 'Wet Kitty Shots', 'Sanrio Slushies' and 'Hello Kitty Juice'. Cosplay is heartily encouraged, obviously, and that means more than just wearing a bow.
When you need an on-point get-up stat, there's one place in Brisbane you know can serve the goods — Sunday Social. This laneway boutique has been dressing the style savvy for years, and to celebrate their fourth birthday, they're throwing a little bash. The celebrations kicks of this Thursday at 6pm, and you can expect to pick up some outrageous bargains as well as a slice of cake if you say some pleases and thank yous. Sunday Social will also be launching their winter season stock, so expect jackets and turtlenecks galore among the streamers and balloons. There's no entry free — because what kind of party would that be — and you can get away without bringing a present. All you need is some cash for bargains, a couple of pals to ooh and aah at your outfit suggestions, and some birthday cheer.
Do you like scary movies? Do you think you know everything there is to know about them? If you answered yes to both questions, then consider your Wednesday evening sorted — you'll be heading along to Southside Tea Room's Halloween trivia night. Prepare to test your knowledge of all the frightening films you can think of, both of the thrilling and funny variety. The list quizmaster Zoe B will be drawing upon is rather epic, and while it remains mainstream-oriented, it ranges beyond the obvious (yes, we're talking about the Halloween franchise). Expect questions about everything from teen-oriented '90s efforts I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream to unnerving classics Rosemary's Baby and Nosferatu, plus the likes of the family-friendly Casper and The Addams Family, and zombie-focused Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of The Dead too. Basically, expect to be grilled all the creepy stuff you grew up watching, with bragging rights and prizes on offer for putting all those hours spent in front of a screen to good use.
These days, barely a week passes by without a new Mexican eatery joining Brisbane's restaurant scene. But don't dismiss the city's next addition as 'just another taco joint'. If you've been to Chingon Cantina y Taqueria in Melbourne, you'll know what we're talking about. Originally slated for a July opening, Chingon opened earlier this month in Brisbane's Eagle Lane. Their focus is on Mexican street food, including six different types of tacos, three kinds of salsa and fire-roasted corn on the cob. The taco lineup features pork and pineapple, chargrilled steak, orange and honey charcoal chicken, fish, garlic prawn and a vego option of roasted corn and capsicum. If you're already salivating at that lineup, you'll pleased to know that everything is available for both lunch and dinner every day except Sundays. Drinks-wise, expect plenty of citrus-focused cocktails to wash it all down with — and, yes, plenty of tequila as well. No, it's not a coincidence that the cantina is nestled in next door to US-themed dive bar Brooklyn Standard. Sharing the same owners (Adam Barton and Emmanuel Sakellarakis), it's actually the next step in their plan to turn the laneway into an American-focused food and drink haven. A Cuban-oriented joint is also in the works further down the track. Chingon Cantina y Taqueria Brisbane is now open in Eagle Lane, Brisbane for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday. For more info, visit chingonbrisbane.com.au.
If winter has left you unimpressed by the current state of your wardrobe — or if, y'know, you just like some fancy new clothes now and then — you'll be pretty pleased to know that the Big Fashion Sale is back. Usually, it's a physical affair that takes place in Sydney and Melbourne; however like plenty of other events at the moment, the shopping extravaganza has hopped online — and gone national — for its current outing. The name pretty much says it all. Happening from Monday, August 31, this thing is big. You'll find a hefty array of lush items from past collections, samples and one-offs from a huge lineup of cult Australian and international designers, both well-known and emerging — including Romance Was Born, Alexander McQueen, Isabel Marant, Max Mara, Kenzo, Ellery and more. With discounts of up to 80 percent off, and more than 700 items on offer, this is one way to up your count of designer threads while leaving your bank balance sitting pretty, too — whether you're keen on clothes, shoes, swimwear or accessories. The Big Fashion Sale's latest online sale kicks off on Monday, August 31 on the event's website.
When it comes to spotting the show's 80s movie references, watching an episode of Stranger Things is like taking a quiz. Which poster will we spy on someone's wall? Which films will get a nod? Which flicks will you feel a need to watch immediately afterwards? How much do the Duffer brothers, aka the folks behind the series, love Steven Spielberg and Stephen King? As well as proving a rather fun viewing experience for movie buffs, all of Stranger Things' nodding and winking also serves another purpose. If you've been paying close attention while you binged and re-binged on the first two seasons, you probably know the program back-to-front. And, as a result, you're ready to enter the upside down of the trivia world — aka The Defiant Duck's latest evening dedicated to the show. Head along from 6pm on Wednesday, February 6 to slay the demogorgons — i.e. your fellow competitors — with your knowledge of Hawkins' geography, the recipe for Eggos and #justiceforbarb. Here's hoping that you'll be able to communicate your answers via Christmas lights.
There's never been a better reason to drink. Order a Negroni from participating bars during Negroni Week, coming up June 1–7, and you’ll earn $1 for charity. Yep, it’s as simple as that. Negroni Week, an international event, was initiated by Imbibe magazine two years ago. In 2013, 300 bars participated, but by 2014, that number had more than quadrupled, to 1,300. And this year, Imbibe has teamed up with Campari to take Negroni Week global. Consequently, it’s arriving in Australia for the first time. The Negroni was invented in 1919 in Florence, Italy. It came about when a Count named Camillo Negroni ordered an Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth and soda) in a local bar, but decided to add an extra kick. He asked the bar tender to replace the soda with gin, and lo, the Negroni was born. While other cocktails have gone in and out of fashion, the world has been sipping this delicately balanced and beautifully bitter concoction ever since. To find your nearest participating venue, visit the Negroni Week website, or if you just want to see the shortlist, check out our picks of the top five Negroni bars in Brisbane.
Don’t let The Zoo’s no steel-capped boots policy break your dancing stride, because this Fortitude Valley hub is playing host to one of this decade’s grooviest music group. The John Steel Singers have come a hell of a long way since their musical – and probably spiritual – “unearthing” in 2007, with numerous albums, EPs and kicking gigs under their belts. They represent everything we’ve come to expect from anything Triple J lays their hands on, be it gigs or performers – they’re tight, groovy, have guitars and are fun to look at and listen to. Regardless of they fact they’ve had a hard time finding a bass player, or are just terrible Gumtree'rs, The Singers are one of those bands that are actually taking bold musical steps, rather than sitting in the performed shadows of ‘genre’. And in terms of musical steps, these guys are running a marathon, and all the more reason to sprint over and check them out. Put on your grooviest outfit, pay some people some money, and get reading on how to make friends with the dancefloor to the sweet sounds of The John Steel Singers.
Come April, the eyes of the sporting world will turn towards the Gold Coast, with the Queensland city hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games. That's great news if you're a fan of athletes and nations vying for glory — and, while it might not initially seem like it, it's great news for arts and culture lovers too. As well as the expected competitive endeavours, the event will also feature a huge multi-arts festival, called Festival 2018. First announced last year, Festival 2018 mightn't boast the most exciting name, but it does promise a plethora of exciting programming across 12 days. Taking place from April 4 to 15, the fest will feature more than 1000 arts and cultural experiences, complete with 1440 artists from 50 countries, and including 35 world premieres and 15 Australian premieres. From the just-revealed full program, highlights include the inflatable labyrinth that is Arboria, which will take over Broadbeach's Kurrawa Park; plus Circa's world-first take on The Rite of Spring, but in circus form; and Dancenorth's 360-degree dance performance Surge. Elsewhere, Yothu Yindi and The Treaty Project will kick off the music offerings, while an evening of African tunes will mark what would've been Nelson Mandela's 100th year, and Courtney Act will host a celebration of LGBTQI pride. Also on the bill is the Gold Coast's own Amy Shark; the all-female Electric Lady, bringing together Aussie female-fronted acts; Hot Dub Time Machine 's latest stint; the seven-metre-wide, floating moon sculpture that is Museum of the Moon; and Holoscenes, the performance artwork which comes to Australia for the first time after wowing crowds in New York City's Times Square. Or, attendees can take part in a participatory dance performance featuring hundreds of people; and sing karaoke as they've never experienced it before — via a field of microphones on Surfers Paradise beach. Other standouts include a Champagne party, an extensive food program at Helensvale's NightQuarter, a silent disco tour, a seaside meditation zone and open-air short film screenings showcasing talent from across the Commonwealth. As previously announced, Kate Miller-Heidke, The Jungle Giants and Mau Power will also feature, as part of a lineup of art, music, theatre, dance and more spanning from from Coomera to Coolangatta. To deliver the massive event, The Festival has joined forces with the existing Bleach* Festival — and will also include satellite events held across the state. For Brisbanites not heading to the Goldie, that includes free music from Regurgitator, The Preatures, Bob Evans, Kev Carmody, Cheap Fakes, Airling, Major Leagues and more at South Bank's Cultural Centre Forecourt, a screening of Warwick Thornton's Aussie flag-focused doco We Don't Need a Map and the return of La Boite's refugee production The Village. Festival 2018 takes place from April 4 to 15 across the Gold Coast and other parts of Queensland. Visit the festival website for further details. Image: Dancenorth, Amber Haines
Since we last heard from Jonathan Boulet, he's shaved off his beard, parted ways with Modular Recordings and swapped his electronica-dashed folk for rock. The Sydneysider also spent a year living in Berlin, where he recorded new studio album Gubba, released on July 18. "The new music will be described as post-pop, punk rock, chocolate-chip sludge, crust pop, rock pop, pop cock and cock stop in the rock blot bop," he explains in the promo video, "but it is neither of those things. For our children's sake, we shall henceforth categorise this music as rock." Gubba is Boulet's third release, following 2009's self-titled debut and 2012's We Keep the Beat, Found the Sound, See the Need, Start the Heart. For those familiar with his bass contributions to power violence band Snakeface, the album's driving guitars and distorted vocals might not come as too much of a surprise, but they're certainly a dramatic deviation from previous solo work. "I've always been a fan of trying to surprise people or get a reaction out of them," Boulet told the SMH. "I don't feel that my musical ventures are unpredictable, but there are lots of roads you can take and sometimes it's easier to take one road over another and sometimes you're presented with a new road you haven't had access to, and that's definitely more inviting." In August, he'll be hitting Melbourne's Northcote Social Club on Friday 15, Adelaide's Pirie and Co. on Saturday 16, Sydney's Goodgod Small Club on Thursday 21 and Brisbane's Black Bear Lodge on Thursday 28. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FOcziciUnr0
It’s hard to get excited about shapes when their name isn’t preceded with chicken, pizza or BBQ. But artist Simon Degroot has gone ahead and proved that while Arnott's had it right, there’s a hell of a lot more to shapes (not biccies) than meets the eye. Degroot proves in his major body of work, Select Reshape, the root of truly wonderful art comes from reimaging, mutilating and exploring the re-appropriation of the everyday. Using photoshop, layers, a fair chunk of talent, a lot of shapes (biccies) and a lot of shapes (not biccies) Degroot has produced a selection of work that almost as perplexing as it is beautiful. This exhibition, held at Spiro Grace Art Rooms in Spring Hill, is the fist major body of Degroot’s work since embarking on his PhD at the Queensland College of Art (good luck Simo, PhDs are hard). Exploring all things shapes (not biccies) and their construction, layering and relationship to everyday architecture, Degroot overlaps, obscures and creates spatial arrangements of peculiar illusion. Check out Simon Degroot’s Select Reshape from the 12th to the 28th of June.
It's been almost twenty years since the aliens of Independence Day came down and made a global nuisance of themselves. Fair to say a lot's happened since then, mostly to do with iPhones and TV shows about 'real housewives'. But in the world of Roland Emmerich's movie, things have advanced even further. We're talking flying cars, moon bases and even above ground monorails! Hybrid alien/earth technology has led to giant leaps forward in almost every facet of life, not to mention ushering in an unprecedented era of global peace. But then, wouldn't you know it, the aliens return, and – surprise surprise – they are pissed. Independence Day: Resurgence reunites pretty much the entire cast of the original film save for Will Smith – who has been unceremoniously killed off – while also introducing some newer, younger and more marketable faces in the form of Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Jessie Usher and Chinese superstar Angelababy. Then it does EXACTLY THE SAME THING AS LAST TIME. First, aliens invade and park a giant ship where there was clearly a no parking sign, ruining several perfectly lovely cities like London and Hong Kong in the process. Next, Earth launches a counter-attack with an impressive aerial armada, only to be completely scuttled and sent packing with our tails between our legs. Then the aliens reveal their true purpose (literally to do again what they came to do last time, exactly the same way), before Bill Pullman gets into a fighter plane and brings down the invaders with not a second to spare because – and we can't stress this point enough – 'that's what worked last time'. The result is an altogether dull blockbuster, assuming that's not an oxymoron. There's zero chemistry between any two members of the cast, while the battle scenes feel disappointingly familiar. It's also one of those frustrating films where giant plot holes are constantly pulling you out of the story, as you find yourself wanting to yell questions at the screen. These may include: "Why are we still baffled by the alien shields if we knew they had them twenty years ago?" or: "Why are we surprised by the speed of the alien ships when they've not changed since the last time?" and of course: "Why do we have countdowns on our earth-defending weapons, when all they do is give the aliens more time to blow them up?" Big, dumb and fun is an established genre in Hollywood these days, and one that's not entirely without its merits. Silly blockbusters are great for whiling away a rainy afternoon or getting you to the end of a long-haul flight. But when the 'dumb' is so overbearing that it drowns out the 'fun', and the 'big' being made 'bigger' represents the only substantive change, then you're left with a massively expensive yet spectacularly hollow sequel that quite simply fails to entertain. Rest in peace, Will Smith's character. Yours is the only one whose memory hasn't been soiled. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbduDRH2m2M
Wine enthusiasts listen up! The Rosé Revolution is about to hit Brisbane, starting Wednesday. Winemakers Australia-wide have gotten together to celebrate the lesser-acknowledged but beautifully coloured sibling of red and white wine. Determined to put rosé at the forefront of wine drinkers’ minds, there are a series of events being held that are set out to showcase some of the finest rosés on the market. The revolution kicks off this Wednesday with free tasting events at Customs House (from 4pm) and Cove Bar and Dining (from 6pm) and wine tasting plus a three course dinner at Kettle and Tin hosted by The Wine Punter, Michael Ellis. Follow this way for more information on these events and how to RSVP.
It's television's greatest tragedy, and one that's been more than a decade in the making. Watching Better Call Saul, it's impossible not to think about the route its protagonist takes through Breaking Bad. We already know how Saul Goodman's (Bob Odenkirk) story ends, so as we explore his pre-Walter White life — when he was known by his birth name of Jimmy McGill and genuinely wanted to be a legitimate lawyer — the feeling is bittersweet, to say the least. The same sensation applies to former cop Mike Ehrmantrout (Jonathan Banks), whose Breaking Bad fate is also already known. Before getting caught up with Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), he first crossed Jimmy's path as a car park attendant at the Albuquerque court house — and Better Call Saul tells his tale as much as its namesake's For four seasons since 2015, the Breaking Bad prequel has stepped through the earlier existence of these two characters, as well as others in their orbit — such as Jimmy's successful older brother Chuck (Michael McKean), his girlfriend and fellow lawyer Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), and Mike's widowed daughter-in-law Stacey (Kerry Condon) and granddaughter Kaylee (Abigail Zoe Lewis). As the episodes pass, the two central figures slowly start inching towards their Breaking Bad lives. Familiar faces, such as Fring and Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) also pop up. The result: a series that's as excellent as its predecessor, and one that provides another excuse to spend more time in Breaking Bad's world. After last airing episodes in 2018, it's returning for a fifth season this year — and if you can't wait until February 24 to see what comes next, a pair of sneak peeks have dropped. The teasers are incredibly brief, as proved the case when glimpses of 2019's El Camino — A Breaking Bad Movie first started releasing. Still, they show what we all knew was coming: that Jimmy McGill is slipping further away — and Saul Goodman is emerging. Check out the teasers below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULZVGONrfuw&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqopNXmg3x0 Better Call Saul's fifth season starts streaming on Stan from Monday, February 24.
There's a reason that ramen is one of Japan's most famous culinary creations. With its steaming, flavoursome broth, slender noodles and servings of thinly sliced pork — if you're keeping things traditional — it's a tasty, hearty dish that aficionados could easily eat each and every day. While slurping down a bowl like you're under doctor's orders may seem like a foodie fantasy, one one particular restaurant wants to make that all-ramen, all-the-time dream a reality. Behold, the ramen subscription service. At Tokyo's Yaro Ramen from November 1, patrons can fork out a flat monthly fee, visit a store daily and get their fix. Yes, it's really that simple — and, it's also ridiculously affordable. Launched as part of the brand's new app, the subscription feature costs 8,600 yen, or less than AU$100. A bowl of regular tonkotsu ramen usually costs 780 yen, or around AU$9, so signing up for a daily bowl pays off pretty quickly. Ramen lovers can choose between three different types, including one that comes sans broth if you're just in the mood for meat, veggies and noodles, from 15 different locations around the city. Other than needing to be in Tokyo to take advantage of the service, you do have to be fall between the ages of 18 and 38 to quality, in a deal targeted towards students and singles. Coming hot on the heels of the country's new unlimited road trip pass for visiting travellers, you now have yet another reason to head to Japan — and, if you're jet-setting on a budget, your next holiday just got a whole lot cheaper. Via Japan Today.
The mysteries of Hawkins, Indiana have taken Stranger Things' fans down a few snaky pathways — demogorgons, the upside down and the plight of Barb included. There's more still to come, with the Netflix sci-fi series slated to return for its third season in 2019; however, as far as twists and turns are concerned, a new attraction in Lafayette, Indiana might just have the show beat. We mean twists and turns in the most literal sense, because if you're trying to make your way through an enormous corn maze, you're going to come across plenty of both. That's what visitors to Exploration Acres will find between September 14 and October 28. This year, their corn maze isn't any old corn maze, either — it's Stranger Things-themed. The series' logo, a giant Eleven and the rest of the gang riding their bikes away from a demogorgon are all part of the huge patch of greenery, which spans 20 acres and features more than 16 kilometres of pathways. There are four mazes within the massive site, with entry costing between US$9.50–11.50 (AU$12.84–15.84). It might sound like the kind of promotion that Netflix would cook up — the streaming platform did create an online game based on its most popular titles, after all — but it's actually just a labour of love. Exploration Acres CEO and President Tim Fitzgerald coming up with the idea after binging the series, and demonstrated his fandom in a much, much bigger way than most of us. Via Lonely Planet. Image: Exploration Acres.
Thirsty? If you're not now, you will be once you've read this. That's the only appropriate reaction to a festival of beer, after all. Just think of all the amber liquids and foamy goodness. Okay, enough drooling; here are the important details that every ale-lover needs. When Beer Fest On The Grass returns on Saturday, February 15, 2020, more than 130 beers and ciders will be on offer from over 50 different brewers — including Aether, Catchment, Gage Roads, Green Beacon, Hop Nation, Jetty Road, Moon Dog Young Henrys and Your Mates Brewing. To line your stomach, there'll also be a range of international food trucks. Basically, if there's a beer heaven, this is it. It's the seventh year that Eatons Hill Hotel has hosted the tipple-fuelled shindig, once again celebrating drinking, eating and enjoying a day in Brisbane's glorious outdoors. If you're serious about your beverages, you'll want to taste, sip, sample and chat to folks from a huge selection of breweries. And if you're serious about fun, you'll want to gather some mates and take part in the event's other fun activities — in previous years, there's been an inflatable beer obstacle course, a keg-stacking comp and a life-sized game of foosball. Tickets are on sale now, with entry costing $10. Image: Brisbane Beer Fest.
When Welcome to Bowen Hills gifted Brisbane a new permanent food truck hangout, it borrowed its successful concept from Melbourne's Welcome to Thornbury — and that's not the only Victorian culinary wonder it's bringing up north. If you're a fan not only of chicken, but of "really fucking hot" chicken, then start rejoicing, because Belles Hot Chicken is finally coming to town. It's handy the chain has its own food truck, which is a regular at Welcome to Thornbury. In its meals-on-wheels guise, the east coast favourite will make its first Brissie appearance at Welcome to Bowen Hills across May 25 to 27. Yes, that includes serving up tasty nuggs at the Gregory Terrace precinct's latest niche food fest, aka the upcoming Chicken Nugget Festival. For those new to Belles, the chain operates three spots in Melbourne and three in Sydney, serving up Nashville-style poultry and natural wine. Menu highlights include chicken sandwiches, chicken sliders, chicken and waffles, and chicken pieces served at five different levels of spiciness.
Fans of Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winning war drama The Hurt Locker will recall that one of the film's most tense and thrilling sequences involved a lone enemy sniper laying waste to a group of US troops and UK mercenaries deep in the Iraqi desert. Pinned down in the blazing heat with little more than rubble for cover, the fear, confusion and discomfort of the men coming under fire was made all the more nail-biting courtesy of a near-silent soundtrack interrupted only by the 'hiss' and 'thwack' of bullets either missing or finding their mark. If that sequence felt somehow rushed or underplayed to you, however, then Doug Liman's latest film The Wall is every bit the fix you're looking for, since it's a movie that stretches that scenario to feature length. The setup is fantastic: six bodies – contractors, engineers and security personnel – all lie dead and scattered around an oil pipeline construction site, whilst way up in the hills a two-man American sniper team (John Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) scans for any sign of the enemy. After 20-something hours of incident-free observation, they declare the site clear and march on down to make the final call in person, whereupon the enemy sniper reveals he's very much still in the picture and cripples both men with a series of sudden and devastating body-shots. As one of the soldiers lies exposed and bleeding, the other scrambles to find cover behind the tiniest, flimsiest shale wall. It's here that the remainder of the movie takes place. Without giving too much away, this is very much Taylor-Johnson's film, for it's he who occupies the vast majority of screen time, turning in an impressively physical and committed performance. You can't help but grit your teeth and squint in sympathy as he endures excruciating pain and the non-stop swirling of dust. Indeed, the immersive nature of the desert setting is one of the film's greatest strengths, evoking such a dry, overbearing heat that you feel compelled to rehydrate throughout. Where The Wall goes awry is when the enemy sniper begins taunting Taylor-Johnson's character over his radio, at which point some hackneyed horror-style lines ("We're not so different, you and I") begin to rear their head. Quoting Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe, and pontificating on the hypocrisies of American militarism, the unnamed gunman's dialogue feels like an attempt to bring an unnecessary extra layer of menace to what's already a fine and gripping story. It'd be like taking the shark from The Shallows and having it lecture Blake Lively on the inequities of big game fishing. The threat is already there, you don't need anything more. Even so, like The Shallows, The Wall achieves a lot with very little. Full credit to Liman and company, who have crafted a single-setting, single-actor showcase that proves you don't need a $200 million budget to tell a powerful and engaging war story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyCuUr2_hmA
Vampires can be slain by staking them in the heart. Werewolves aren't fond of silver bullets. But Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's addition to the undead world can't and won't be killed — not that anyone would want that outcome. First What We Do in the Shadows jumped from a short film to a hilarious feature-length comedy. Then it inspired a US television remake, which is still in the works, as well as New Zealand television spinoff Wellington Paranormal. Now, after an exceptionally amusing six-episode first season, the latter is set to return in 2019 with 13 episodes. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: trust a mockumentary about the undead to keep coming back in new guises. The Cops-style spinoff follows police officers Karen O'Leary and Mike Minogue, who WWDITS fans might remember came knocking at the vampire share house's door. With the help of Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu), the cop duo keep trying to keep the city safe from supernatural happenings — including not only bloodsuckers and lycanthropes, but ghosts, aliens and more. Wellington Paranormal's second season will once again explore the spate of paranormal phenomena happening in the city, with a 2019 airdate on TVNZ 2 yet to be set. In Australia, the first season screened on SBS Viceland and was available to stream on SBS On Demand, so fingers crossed that'll remain the same next year. Announcing the funding of Wellington Paranormal's new run, NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson noted that "it is really pleasing to see people respond positively to content that has such a unique New Zealand flavour". Of course, for those following What We Do in the Shadows' continued evolution, Wellington Paranormal's success shouldn't come as a surprise. When the show was first revealed, Waititi described it as "Mulder & Scully but in a country where nothing happens" on Twitter, after all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=WRO2QfESbEI
If pastel wasn't already part of your gig-going wardrobe, it will be at Australia's newest music festival, with Client Liaison launching their own curated touring event. Called Expo Liaison, the seven-hour fest will tour Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane across the last two weekends in August, with the yet-to-be-announced lineup selected by the band. There's no word yet on whether they'll be performing themselves, but you'd think that's a highly likely possibility. Just what else is in store is also yet to be revealed too, although the festival bas been badged "a multimedia, multi-city, multiversal experience" in its promotional material, as well as a "once-in-a-lifetime event". They're the kind of descriptions that plenty of gigs and fests throw around, but Client Liaison have a track record of delivering more than just the usual shows — or fashion lines or music videos, for that matter. First release tickets are currently on sale across all four cities, and if you're keen to hear the duo's own thoughts on the festival, check out the Expo Liaison trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgSsrdVHnh0&feature=youtu.be Expo Liaison heads to Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse on August 18, Sydney's Parramatta Park on August 25 and Brisbane's Victoria Park on August 26. Head to Client Liaison's website for further details and to buy tickets.
The already staggeringly-large BIGSOUND lineup just got slightly more colossal. Adding another 40 or so artists to the already 80-strong list, Brisbane's answer to SXSW announced this afternoon that the likes of Seekae, Voyager, Nicholas Albrook, The Funkoars, Pierce Brothers, Hayden James, Art of Sleeping and Canada’s July will be joining the September festivities. The new batch join the existing cohort of already announced names like Gold Fields, DMA’s, Holy Holy, BAD//DREEMS, Client Liaison, KINGSWOOD and REMI. "It's no exaggeration to say that over two nights we'll be showcasing some of the most exciting rock, hip hop, punk, metal, dance, pop, folk, roots and country music in the world, said executive programmer Nick O'Byrne. "We reckon the quality of music and the incredible festival environment will firmly establish BIGSOUND as one of the most dynamic tastemaking events in the international calendar. What makes it even more exciting is the unprecedented influx of music industry leaders who can't wait to see and hear what we have to offer." BIGSOUND attendees will have to change up their highlighter colours to self-schedule the three-day conference program, with the recent announcement of speakers causing a significant amount of squealidge — think Neil Finn, the church, Bluesfest's Peter Noble, James Minor from SXSW, Tom Windish from The Windish Agency, Ben Marshall from the Sydney Opera House, and Jerome Borazio and Danny Rogers from St Jerome's Laneway Festival, all divulging all their long-lived industry secrets. Running September 10 - 11, BIGSOUND brings panels, keynotes, showcases and live gigs to Fortitude Valley for another year. This local love-in will run over 12 locations including Brissy staples like The Zoo, Ric's and Alhambra new sites such as The Underdog, The New Globe, The Elephant, Crowbar, and a new outdoor venue by Brightside and Magic City. You'll have your work cut out for you to see everything, but luckily you can start planning now. Tickets are on sale via Oztix with a two-day pass only setting you back $69+bf. BIGSOUND Live 2014 newly announced artists: the church Seekae Voyager Nicholas Albrook The Funkoars Pierce Brothers July Talk (CAN) Hayden James Art Of Sleeping SAFIA Life Pilot Meniscus Toehider THIEF Felicity Groom Jeremy Neale Harmony James DARKC3LL Mr. Hill & Rahjconkers A Million Dead Birds Laughing Kathryn Rollins Mammals Daily Meds Like Thieves Marlon Williams KU?KA Mise en Scene (CAN) Coin Banks Eden Mulholland Males (NZ) Mosman Alder Jesse Sheehan (NZ) REPTILES Bound For Ruin Mathas My Friend The Betrayer All Our Exes Live In Texas Usurper Of Modern Medicine Dozzi Peter Bibby Rolls Bayce Shellfin Sparkspitter Check out the BIGSOUND website for more info. Words by Shannon Connellan and Meg Watson.
The single greatest cult film this side of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is coming back to Brisbane for a timely Friday night engagement. With The Disaster Artist taking audiences behind the scenes not that long ago, and Greg Sestero hitting up our fair town a couple of years back, The Room never gets old — and it's back once again. Described by critics as "the Citizen Kane of bad movies", with one critic comparing the film to "being stabbed in the head", Tommy Wiseau's The Room is an indescribable mess of plot holes, non-sequiturs, blurry camerawork and soft-core sex scenes, topped off by some of worst performances ever put to film. So naturally, we're recommending you go and see it. Of course, the truth is that no one really sees this movie. Rather, they experience it. Screenings of The Room are fully interactive, with audience members screaming lines of dialogue, dressing up like their favourite characters and hurling plastic spoons at the screen. This behaviour is actively encouraged by venues — although, at New Farm Cinemas's next session, you will need to bring your own cutlery with you. The cinema bar will be open ahead of the screening, something you should probably take full advantage of. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRAUPqK9Y7I The Room screens at New Farm Cinemas Friday, July 31 at 9pm, with tickets costing $12–17.
The folks over at Gelato Messina know how to whip lovers of all things sweet and frozen into a frenzy, and they've done it again, announcing that their Sydney degustation bar will be venturing north to Brisbane. The Messina Creative Department will be setting up shop for the first time at the South Brisbane store for two weeks only, from August 31 until September 9. An offshoot of the famed gelato parlour, the Messina Creative Department offers an epic seven-course degustation, complete with non-alcoholic drink pairing. Since opening next door to their OG Darlinghurst venue last year to rapturous response, the tiny dessert table space has proved to be immensely popular, with places booking out almost as soon as they're released. Their recent sold-out truffle degustations in Sydney and Melbourne have been similarly received. With two to three sittings per night and just 12 seats available per sitting, Brisbanites had best book these $130-per-head spots at the ice cream sorcery table as soon as possible. The menu should have you doing just that. It will be a combo of the best dishes from Sydney and Melbourne (along with a few brand new Brissie creations) — previous dessert dinners have seen the likes of garlic gelato, a sugar egg filled with delights and an amazing matcha and pistachio cake concoction. A recent dish matched a vanilla and black truffle oil with vanilla and parsnip puree, a parsnip crisp and a vanilla 'fern' matched with a chai latte. It's dessert meets art meets one helluva tastebud adventure.
In 2013, 300 people danced to Kate Bush's' 'Wuthering Heights' in a field — and now in 2018, the idea is back and bigger than ever. Yes, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is happening in Brisbane on Saturday, July 14. Yes, everyone should be dressed as Kate Bush, complete with a red dress, red stockings and black belt (men, that means you as well). On the day, a clowder (that's the collective noun for Kate Bushes, just FYI) will descend upon the park and copy Bush's swaying, kicky dance in unison just for the pure joy of it. Support for this weird and wonderful outing has been widespread, and Kate Bush fans from around the world have been inspired to create events in their home cities. So get your gear together (dressmakers are being flooded with orders for the day, check it out here) and ready yourself to roll and fall in green, out on the wily, windy moors of Bedford Park. If you need an incentive — other than the event itself, of course — this year marks Bush's 60th birthday and 40 years since the song was first released.
Maybe you're an expert at putting pencil to paper. Perhaps you need some liquid encouragement. Either way, Work-Shop's latest class has the artistic and the beverage-swilling firmly in mind. At Botanical Drawing with Drinks, you'll develop your skills with a glass of vino in hand. You bring your creative self — they'll supply the rest. Taking place at Work-Shop's Brisbane headquarters from 6.30pm on July 6, the two-hour class will help you turn plant-life into painted or sketched pictures, and ensure that you enjoy the process. If grape-made booze isn't your thing, there'll also be beer — and nibbles as well. With ceramic artist Vanessa Wallace leading the charge, you'll learn, sip and add some liveliness to your Thursday evening. Plus, if you like what you come up with, you'll get a botanic beauty for your wall at home.
A man born to make music, Ewan Mackenzie comes to Brisbane’s Black Bear Lodge. As a child, Ewan, like many others like him, was inspired by The Beatles and Johnny Cash, and doing so changed his life, leading him away from the bagpipes of his own heritage and towards his own separate musical future. By nineteen Mackenzie was earning a living supporting bands like Daddy Cool and Santana around the country, but one afternoon his life changed again when he heard the manouche guitarist, Tchavob Schmitt in the movie Swing. Soon, he began to devote himself to mastering Schmitt’s craft and, in time, became one of Australia’s foremost players in the genre, blending together his customary delicate melodicism and inventiveness with good ol’ fashion gypsy fire.
Ryan Matthew Smith doesn't just cook and eat food - he spills its, throws it, sets it on fire and then shoots it with a sniper rifle to make sure. He's also a photographer, and has documented these sick culinary experiments in a 2,400 page tome on the subject, Modernist Cuisine: the Art and Science of Cooking. From collating several individual exposures for one delectable cutaway shot of hamburgers on a grill to shooting a lineup of eggs with a sniper rifle at 6200 frames per second, Smith shot 1,400 images for the cookbook/artwork. Despite little experience in studio work, Smith explains in an interview with Feature Shoot that his extensive portfolio of nature and architecture photography helped prepare him for the task. "Having a strong artistic sense towards photography in general can easily transfer through any of the disciplines from advertising all the way to fine art," he says. [via Coolhunting]
Brothers, we have something special to show you and no, it's not kitty cat man. US comedy duo Tim and Eric are bringing their bizarre sense of humor to Australia and New Zealand for a national tour. The Tim and Eric – 'Stralia – Zealand Experience will be making stops at Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland. Since meeting at uni in 1994, the pair have gone on to create an animated series, a hilarious sketch series for Adult Swim, a feature film and even a book. You might not have heard of them, but you've definitely seen their kooky comedic genius before; how about the Vodka movie with Zach Galifianakis for Absolut or their Old Spice commercials with Terry Crews? Grab yourself a ticket and bear witness to the pair's crazy directing style, unique sketches and DJ Douggpound. Celebrate getting tickets by dancing like celery man (you won't be the only ones). Shiny suit and bolo tie optional. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maAFcEU6atk[/embed]
"Your nose like a delicious slope of cream / And your ears like cream flaps / And your teeth like hard shiny pegs of cream." Diner en Blanc — like Howard Moon's poem — will have you in all white. But sorry, Booshers: the fifth edition of this Brisbane event is just for the sophisticated. Now on five continents, the Diner en Blanc began in Paris 28 years ago thanks to François Pasquier and friends. This year, 2000+ of Brisbane's creme de la creme will once again dress in all white on Saturday, October 22 for the event held at a predictably stunning location that remains secret until the very last moment (over the last few years, the beautiful banks of the Brisbane River at Portside and Roma St. Parklands proved welcoming venues). Following an evening of elegance, fine dining and live music, the foodies then pack up their crystal, dinnerware, tables and litter. Like ghosts (white 'n' all), they leave behind no sign of their rendezvous (but don't get any ideas, a white sheet thrown over your figure will not do for an outfit). Diner en Blanc guests must either be invited by a member from the previous year, or get on the waiting list for a ticket. Here's what happened in 2014:
By this stage, most of us have come to terms with the fact that jetting off to USA or Europe is a seriously long slog, made worse by unavoidable (sometimes long, always painful) stopovers. But Qantas has been pondering making those trips a whole lot more bearable via direct flights from the east coast to both London and New York — even running two trial journeys over the last two months. The aim is to get the routes up and running from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane by the beginning of 2023 — as long as the proposed non-stop plan, which is called Project Sunrise, is given the go-ahead by Qantas' top brass. The airline was due to make the call this month, but it's now giving itself a few extra months to weigh up all the necessary details. March 2020 is the new decision deadline. A third trial flight from New York to Sydney was always planned before the future of Project Sunrise was finalised, and will take place on Tuesday, December 17; however the three-month decision delay will also give Qantas extra time to continue their industrial negotiations with pilots. Otherwise, the company looks to be powering forward. Based on current data, the airline has been provisionally told by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority "that it sees no regulatory obstacles to the Sunrise flights," it advised in a statement. Just as crucially, Qantas has chosen its preferred aircraft. If the direct flights do become a reality, they'll take place on Airbus A350-1000 planes, which have been in use in the industry for more than two years. Airbus will add an additional fuel tank to the aircraft, and slightly increase the maximum takeoff weight. Qantas hasn't placed an order yet, but if the non-stop routes go ahead, it'll purchase 12. Back in 2017, Qantas first revealed that it was exploring non-stop routes from Sydney — routes that would eclipse those direct flights between Perth and London, which launched in March 2018. Since then, the airline has been pursuing the idea enthusiastically, putting out a call for aircraft that can handle the trip and widening their plan to include departures to and from Brisbane as well. In numbers, the A350-1000s will need to be able to handle more than 19 hours in the air (around 20 hours and 20 minutes between Sydney and London, and 18 hours and seven minutes from Sydney to New York). Before its current test flights, the airline had done its homework, analysing a decade's worth of wind and weather data to confirm the lengthy routes were actually possible. Right now, the world's longest direct flight clocks in at over 19 hours, with Singapore Airlines flying 15,322-kilometres along its Singapore-to-New York route. Previously, the journey from Doha and Auckland earned that honour, taking around 18 hours to travel 14,529 kilometres. Image: Qantas/Airbus
Is the type of film festival that dedicates an afternoon and evening to a killer clown your type of film festival? If so, you should be excited about Monster Fest's return. In just a few short years, the Terrifier movies have become horror must-sees if you can't get enough of slashers splashing about gore aplenty. With the latest flick in the franchise on the way, Monster Fest is screening all three Terrifier titles, old and new — so, giving audiences an extended date with Art the Clown — as a key part of its 2024 program. The Australian premiere of Terrifier 3 will follow the OG Terrifier and first sequel Terrifier 2 on Saturday, October 5 in Brisbane. The festival kicks off on Friday, October 4, running until Sunday, October 6 at Event Cinemas Uptown (in the old Myer Centre). While getting creeped out by cinema's most-sadistic clown is a big Monster Fest 2024 drawcard, it's The Rule of Jenny Pen from Coming Home in the Dark filmmaker James Ashcroft that's the event's opening-night pick. At the other end of the festival, horror-comedy Frankie Freako by Psycho Goreman's Steven Kostanski is in the closing slot. Both pictures embrace puppets, the first with help from John Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon) and the second featuring a dancing goblin. Other highlights include the latest Hellboy movie, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which heads back to the 1950s; Azrael, as led by Australian actor Samara Weaving (Scream VI), and telling of a woman's attempt to escape from mute zealots; New Zealand body-horror film Grafted; and documentary Generation Terror, which focuses on the horror genre from the late-90s to mid-00s.
When Stephen King's Doctor Sleep released in 2013, it didn't just return readers to the world of his 1977 hit The Shining — it also meant that a film adaptation became inevitable. Hollywood loves a sequel after all, so it should come as no surprise that the book is indeed headed to the big screen, with the movie's director just announced. Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil) will helm the follow-up, which explores the adult life of Danny Torrance, aka the tricycle-riding tyke at the centre of the first story. And while it might seem like the filmmaker has pretty big shoes to fill — particularly given Stanley Kubrick directed the 1980 classic that became one of the greatest horror movies of all time — Flanagan is no stranger to King's work. In fact, the last credit on his resume is last year's Gerald's Game, as based on the famous author's 1992 novel. A bestseller when it was released in print, Doctor Sleep checks back in on Danny — now going by Dan — who is unsurprisingly bearing emotional and psychological scars from his experiences at the Overlook Hotel. Variety reports that Flanagan will also rewrite the script, which was originally adapted by A Beautiful Mind Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman. Goldsman was also among the writers of last year's awful King-based effort The Dark Tower, as well as Transformers: The Last Knight and Rings. Via Variety.
UPDATE, Thursday, February 27, 2025: Drake was also scheduled to play Brisbane on Tuesday, March 4, but that gig has been postponed to a yet-to-be-confirmed future date. Here's the headlines: Drake is coming to Australia in 2025; it's his first trip this way since 2017; and you're now going to have 'Hotline Bling', 'Too Good', 'Passionfruit', 'Nice for What', 'In My Feelings', 'One Dance' and 'Laugh Now Cry Later' stuck in your head again. The Canadian artist is bringing his Anita Max Win tour Down Under, including to Brisbane in February and March. The five-time Grammy-winner is hitting the Sunshine State capital for two shows. Drake will play Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Monday, February 24–Tuesday, February 25. The Degrassi: The Next Generation star last took to the stage in this neck of the woods on his Boy Meets World tour, which means that eight years have passed between those gigs and his 2025 visit. The platinum-selling singer is fresh off his 2023–24 It's All A Blur Tour, which saw him chalk up over 80 soldout shows in North America. On that prior trip, Drake had four studio albums to his name: 2010's Thank Me Later, 2011's Take Care, 2013's Nothing Was the Same and 2016's Views. He's doubled that since, so expect tunes from 2018's Scorpion, 2021's Certified Lover Boy, 2022's Honestly, Nevermind and 2023's For All the Dogs, too. Images: The Come Up Show via Flickr.
Books and good lighting have never seemed to go together. As a child I was always encouraged to read less, because "you'll ruin your eyes!" Clearly my parents never anticipated that glasses would become cool. Regardless, I spent most of my childhood reading in bad light, and I am now quietly smug that I have reached my early twenties and have never had a cavity despite refusing to drink milk, have curly hair without eating my crusts, and have perfect vision, unaided by optometrists, despite having spent most of my life with my head in a book. Now Swiss designer Boris Dennler, in his 2007 series of lamps entitled Livresse, is bringing books and good lighting together in one lovely, yet contradictory, invention. Dennler has chosen to re-purpose books, an item frequently overlooked when it comes to the world of interior lighting, and transform them into eco-friendly lamps. The books are turned into fully functional soft-lighting lamps without causing damage to the pages, and can be easily changed if you need to swap your Mills and Boon lamps for early French philosophers. The lamps are also portable, so you could easily freak people out by hanging them from the trees. Recycling at it's best. [Via Designboom]
