The COVID-19 situation in Australia is changing every day, with the federal government first implementing a ban on non-essential events with more than 500 people and then mandating that everyone arriving from overseas self-isolate for 14 days. In response to the first restriction, events and venues around the country are cancelling and postponing their 2020 plans, as well as temporarily closing — including Brisbane's popular Eat Street Northshore. In a statement, the riverside spot announced that the Prime Minister's ban on gatherings of more than 500 people meant that "Eat Street Northshore will be closing temporarily". This is an indefinite shuttering, with no end date set as yet. The venue will reopen "when we have the all clear to do so," it continued. Eat Street Northshore's last day of operation was Saturday, March 14, with the site closed from Sunday, March 15 onwards. Usually, it runs between Friday–Sunday weekly, attracting large crowds to peruse its more than 70 food and drink vendors. https://www.facebook.com/EATSTREETNorthshore/photos/a.185572034962469/1454338751419118/?type=3&theater Eat Street Northshore joins a growing list of cancelled events and closed venues, with large swathes of cinemas shutting across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and theme parks doing the same in Asia, Europe and the US as well. We've also seen the cancellation of Texan music and film festival South by Southwest and postponement of Coachella. More locally, the Melbourne Grand Prix, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Tasmania's Dark Mofo, the Sydney Royal Easter Show and Vivid Sydney have all been cancelled. Eat Street Northshore's site at 221D Macarthur Avenue, Hamilton is closed until further notice. For more information, visit the venue's website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Tales of paranoia, blame, scapegoats, shouting forceful opinions and enforcing religious standards aren't hard to come by these days. Nor are stories where women bear the brunt of all of the above — and that's just in the news. But, before world affairs played out on social media, and even before The Handmaid's Tale had everyone exploring the consequences of female oppression, The Crucible waded into this very territory. In his now-classic play, Arthur Miller examined American history, as well the 1950s climate of McCarthyism, while also crafting a story of a divisive society that still rings true 65 years later. You won't hear about emails and fake news here, but you will see a fictionalised account of a community scrambling to point fingers. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Of course, this one is set during the Salem witch trials. No stranger to the city's stages, the latest production of The Crucible plays Brisbane Arts Theatre until May 19. Performances run on Friday and Saturday nights, with extra shows on April 26, 29 and May 6.
At this point, Maybe Sammy not appearing on The World's 50 Best Bars' prestigious annual rankings would be a shock. The personality-packed retro cocktail lounge in Sydney's CBD has earned a spot on the coveted list six years in a row. However, while its previous rankings have earned it the laurel of the nation's best bar, that honour has this year been given to a different watering hole — Caretaker's Cottage in Melbourne. The Little Lonsdale Street bar ranked 21st on this year's list, moving up two spots from its 2023 position of 23rd place. It was also awarded the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award — a gong also previously won by Maybe Sammy — which recognises the bar with the most outstanding service in the world. [caption id="attachment_922565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caretaker's Cottage[/caption] Maybe Sammy dropped in the rankings this year from 15th to 26th position, breaking its five-year streak as not only Australia's best bar but also Australasia's. One other Australian bar, Byrdi, also earned a spot on the list, in 35th position, breaking into the top 50 for the first time after only making the 100-strong longlist last year, ranking 61st. The judging panel praised Caretaker's Cottage's owners, veteran bartenders Rob Libecans, Ryan Noreiks and Matt Stirling, for not only opening the bar but also working there too. "They don't shout the pedigree of Caretaker's Cottage to the world, preferring to call it a simple, local pub, and in vibe and design it's very much a neighbourhood joint," the judging notes said. [caption id="attachment_743915" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maybe Sammy, Trent van der Jagt[/caption] The judging panel said Maybe Sammy "has remained [Sydney's] most talked-about bar since it opened in early 2019, lighting up a dreary stretch of street in Sydney's sandstone district, The Rocks," also spotlighting the bar's signature combination of "theatrics and attentive, fun service". Byrdi was praised for its hyper-local focus, with the judging panel noting that the La Trobe Street venue "might very well be the most Australian bar in existence". The judges also highlighted the bar's technical prowess: "There is foraging and fermenting and vacuum distilling – and the drinks are high-concept creations. As for the service, there is a loquaciousness here, a laid back, casual sensibility that, despite all the hard work, experience and knowledge, is determined to show their guests a good time." [caption id="attachment_921792" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Byrdi, Haydn Cattach[/caption] The bar crowned the world's best, announced at a ceremony in Madrid on Tuesday, October 22, was Mexico City's Handshake Speakeasy, with the judges hailing the subtle complexity of the menu: "At first glance, the drinks list is minimalist, but given that head bartender Eric Van Beek uses advanced culinary techniques in prep, each drink is more complex than meets the eye." To see the full list of this year's rankings, head to The World's 50 Best Bars website.
A shadowy old house. A strange little boy. An unexplained object that won't go away. There's nothing particularly revolutionary about The Babadook; it's simply a matter of execution. Taking time-honoured plot points that in lesser hands would seem cliched, Queensland director Jennifer Kent has managed to craft a film that feels both entirely original and utterly terrifying. Featuring both a gripping lead performance by Essie Davis and one of the most creepifying monsters to ever stalk your dreams, The Babadook sets a bar by which future local horror films will be measured. Davis plays Amelia, the overwhelmed, widowed mother of a seven-year-old problem child named Samuel (newcomer Noah Wiseman). A maladjusted and volatile lad with a penchant for producing homemade weapons, Sammy is quite the handful for his mum, who's still haunted by the trauma of losing her husband in a car-wreck while driving to the hospital on the night of her Samuel's birth. One evening, while putting Samuel to bed, Amelia finds a mysterious new book on the boy's bookshelf. Written in Dr Seuss-style rhymes, the story it tells is of a strange, spindly-fingered creature named Mr Babadook. Although innocent at first, the stanzas grow steadily more menacing. Of course, by the time Amelia clues on to the fact that this might not be suitable bedtime reading, the damage has already been done. In an age when 'scary' is so often mistaken for 'bloody', Kent gives us a reminder of the power of anticipation. With next to zero onscreen violence, The Babadook is the kind of slow-burn horror movie that gets under your skin and raises the hairs on your neck; the kind of horror movie that has you bracing yourself for the next scare yet still catches you off guard when the monster finally rears its ugly head. A stop-frame creation that lurks in the shadows, the eponymous Babadook moves with a slithering unreality that seems to freeze the blood vessels in your brain. You know he can't exist. And yet he does. The terror comes also from our empathy with Amelia and Sam. Present in just about every scene, Davis is phenomenally good as Amelia, a worn-down figure who becomes increasingly erratic, and then monstrous herself, as the Babadook's presence grows stronger. More than once, the film implies that the creature may just be a product of Amelia's frazzled mind, pushed to the brink by the death of her husband and the constant demands of her son. In truth, that might be the most frightening suggestion of all. Kent doesn't quite stick the landing, unfortunately. Ambiguity is one thing, but the ending here is just plain unclear. Even so, an unsatisfying coda doesn't undo what came before. To anyone who can handle their heart in their throat, consider The Babadook highly recommended. To anyone who can handle their heart in their throat, consider The Babadook highly recommended. https://youtube.com/watch?v=IuQELNFtr-g
Brisbane likes to laugh. In 2024, when Brisbane Comedy Festival hosted 400 shows, more than 82,000 tickets were sold. The annual chucklefest broke records as a result, a feat that it'll be hoping to repeat when 2025's event gets the city giggling. Set to be on hand to help: Rhys Darby, Ross Noble, Nazeem Hussain, Melanie Bracewell, Jimeoin, Ray O'Leary, Luke Heggie, Becky Lucas, Bron Lewis and Sh!t-faced Shakespeare doing A Midsummer Night's Dream. 2025's BCF will mark the festival's 16th edition, taking place across Wednesday, April 23–Sunday, May 25 at Brisbane Powerhouse, The Tivoli, Fortitude Music Hall and The Princess Theatre. The event drops its lineup in stages, so the just-announced names will have plenty of company — but the program is already off to a cracking start. Chris Parker, Guy Montgomery, Guy Williams, Laurence Mooney and Schalk Bezuidenhout are also on the bill so far, as is the annual Brisbane Comedy Festival Opening Gala. The latter will head to Fortitude Music Hall to kick off the fest will a bunch of comedians, featuring both Australian and international talents — with who'll be taking to the stage yet to be revealed. If you're new to Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, its name is as descriptive as it sounds, with one member of the troupe completely sloshed at each performance. "Our 2025 Festival is set to delight Brisbane comedy fans; this first announcement is just a taste of what's to come. Following 2024 being so well-attended, we've got a long list of amazing international, Australian and local artists and shows on the cards," said Brisbane Comedy Festival Director Phoebe Meredith, unveiling the initial lineup details. In past years, BCF has added more acts around a month after its first announcement, so watch this space to find out who else will be tickling your funny bone in 2025. The 2025 Brisbane Comedy Festival will take place across Wednesday, April 23–Sunday, May 25. For further details and tickets — with the first shows on sale from 10am AEST on Thursday, November 14 — head to the festival's website.
Authentic Nordic cuisine isn't easy to come by in Brisbane, but the city's first Norwegian-inspired eatery wants to put an end to that. In fact, Lokal + Co has the market cornered. No, Ikea's Swedish cafeteria food doesn't count as competition. Of course, a sunny spot in West End probably isn't the kind of location you'd expect to serve up gingerbread waffles with chocolate hazelnut sauce, house-cured gravlax with rye soldiers, or Danish open rye sandwiches with sardines. Closing your eyes, biting into anything on the menu, and pretending you're on the other side of the globe is completely acceptable. So is soaking up the minimalist vibe, which brings a Scandinavian look to an airy split Queenslander. Well, that's what the inside looks like, at least. If you're pulling up a chair outdoors on the deck, expect the next best thing to the traditional Aussie backyard (yep, we're talking about astroturf aplenty). The mix of Norwegian and Australian elements stems from the venue's owners, with Helge Olsen hailing from the former, Corey Thom calling the latter home. The chef duo boast seven years cooking up a storm at Cicada before branching out on their own. And when their liquor license is approved, the cafe intends to extend that blend to their booze lineup too. Nordic beer, anyone?
The most magical place in Brisbane right now is the Gallery of Modern Art, where the venue's massive Fairy Tales exhibition is filling the walls and halls until late April. Fancy wandering through an indoor woodland? Saying "dance magic dance" to a costume that David Bowie wore in Labyrinth? Stepping inside huts, peeking into mirrors, spying otherworldly creatures and peering at gorgeous gowns, too? It's all on offer here all day, every day — and, on two dates only in March, for two nights. Falling down the rabbit hole that is GOMA's exhibitions usually means not only scoping out its pieces while the sun is shining, but getting a couple of chances to party inside the gallery — and surrounded by stunning art — after dark. That's the Up Late format, and it's back for Fairy Tales, taking place on Friday, March 15–Saturday, March 16. Accordingly, when you get a glimpse of chariots, glass slippers, pieces by Yayoi Kusama and Patricia Piccinini, and more — including wandering through the site-specific installation by Henrique Oliveira, with the Brazilian artist has transformed the exhibition's first room into a stunning gnarled and twisted forest that you won't want to leave — you can do so by evening and with a drink in your hand. Your ticket includes access to the exhibition, live tunes and other entertainment. You will need to pay extra for anything you're keen to eat or sip, however. On the Friday, ZZADE, Elizabeth, Maple Glider and DJ Hol Hibbo are on the bill. Come Saturday, attendees can enjoy Auslan-interpreted performances by Methyl Ethyl and Tjaka, as well as DJ Aunty Stan on the decks. Both nights will feature Once Upon a Chime, aka Patience Hodgson, Joel Woods and Lake Kelly, singing fairy tale-inspired tunes — plus A Villain's Tale, which is told by a misunderstood villain; a drop-in workshop where you'll create a self-portrait while giving yourself animal attributes; and a photobooth with whimsical props. In addition to all of the above, there'll be multiple spots to grab a bite and drink around the place, including at the GOMA Bistro and Bacchus Wine Room. Fairy Tales also includes a film program called Fairy Tales Cinema: Truth, Power and Enchantment, which is weaving its screening of Spanish silent film Blancanieves into the Up Late lineup as well. Images: Sarah Ward // Henrique Oliveira, Brazil b.1973 / Corupira 2023, commissioned for 'Fairy Tales', installation (detail), Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Brisbane 2023 / Plywood, tapumes veneer and tree branches / Courtesy: Henrique Oliveira / © Henrique Oliveira / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA.
If your mental manilla folder marked 'Yoko Ono' only has that old Simpsons episode in it, read on. For a woman who once inspired so much hate, Yoko Ono has a lot of love to give. Today the 80-year-old is cherished as an artist, musician and peace activist with global influence, but she was, when most first heard of her, Beatles fan enemy number one. She spiked John Lennon's morning English Breakfast with her boho voodoo, they said, and changed the band forever. That's how she was portrayed in that Simpsons ep, too, as the kooky banshee who seduced Barney Rubble away from the barbershop quartet. It's a testament to Yoko's talent, energy and batshit crazy charisma that her legacy transcends that nonpareil historical record. An exhibition of her work is opening next month at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. She's an enigmatic figure, containing multitudes, so here are some facts and figures that might help order your Ono thoughts. She Survived World War II In 1933 Yoko was born into a prosperous family descended from a Japanese emperor. She shuttled between San Francisco and New York as her banker father was transferred, but lived mainly in Tokyo. She was 12 when the city was fired-bombed by the Americans. As many as 130,000 people were killed in two days. I suspect this might be why she doesn't like war so much. She Studied at Sarah Lawrence Like that other eminent feminist Kat from Ten Things I Hate About You, Yoko enrolled at the east coast liberal arts college Sarah Lawrence, studying music. She'd transferred from Tokyo's Gakushuin University, where she was the first woman to enter the philosophy department. It seems she didn't attend many classes though; she was busy writing radical poetry and lying on top of John Cage's piano during his performances in New York. Some of Her Early Artworks Sound Really Cool And some of it sounds crap, but who cares? It was New York in the '60s, what's not to like? John Lennon first met Yoko at a preview of her exhibition in London in 1966. He was taken in by one particular work, in which a ladder leads up to a black canvas on the ceiling; up there was a spyglass on a chain, which revealed the word 'yes' written on the roof, which is great. More recently, she's been installing Wish Trees around the world and inviting visitors to hang wishes, written on little cards, on the trees' branches. It's a bit naff, as evidenced by this note left by Pharrell on the New York installation: "Wishing 4 all who seek to experience the shift of widespread illumination will have the inner stillness to share in the most momentous aspect of the ether." What? Her Honeymoon Was Spent in Bed, Away from War That earnest positivity pulses through most of her pieces, and perhaps none more so than the infamous honeymoon 'Bed-In for Peace'. After they married in Gibraltar, Spain, in 1969, Yoko and Lennon curled up on white fluffy sheets in an airy Amsterdam hotel room and smiled for the cameras. The couple were protesting against the Vietnam War, they told the assembled media, and they thought they could change the world ("start a revolution from [their] bed," is how Oasis put it). The image probably had more artistic impact than political, but that, of course, counts for something. She's still campaigning for peace, on the macro and micro levels; at the MCA exhibition you're invited to write your most honest love letter to your mum. She's a Really, Really Nice Lady, It Seems Asked which artists inspired her today, Yoko gave a big shout out to, well, all artists working today. "I just love anybody that does anything in the art world and the artistic world," she said in an interview. "We just have to keep working and I want everyone in the field to know that we support them." That said, she does single out Lady Gaga for some love. "She has a very lovely bottom," Yoko said of Gaga, after it graced the stage with her. "I think she's wonderful. John would have loved her, because she's an artist, she's fearless and she pushes every limit, which we both always adored. She has played on John's white piano and I think that's wonderful. Life moves on and you embrace it." Yes She Did Design These Pants See you at the merch table at the MCA, boys. Bonus! Just this week Yoko released her hypnotically bizarre and instantly viral music video, 'Bad Dancer', starring her pals the Beastie Boys, Questlove, Ira Glass, Roberta Flack, Cibo Matto and more. One more life achievement down. https://youtube.com/watch?v=d3mvEfON2CI War Is Over! (If you want it), an exhibition of Yoko's work across multiple disciplines, will be on at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art Australia from November 15, 2013, to February 23, 2014. The artist herself will also be present.
Oh Hi-Fi, you had me at hello! You bring the best live music, have the sharpest venue in town, the coolest spot to stop for a drink and are now serving me delicious, amazing, mouth watering food. Is there anything you can’t do!? The Hi-Fi’s newest addition, Vinyl, is scratching in all the right places. The concept tapas restaurant/bar is cleverly designed to allow patrons to enjoy a leisurely beer or meal and still bare witness to the on-sight performances via live projection and audio feeds. But much more than that, Vinyl serves amazing food. Plain and simple. Catering for carnivores, omnivores, vegetarians or vegans, Vinyl’s menu stars an array of delicious cuisine from bruschetta to pumpkin pie, ocean trout to Wagyu cheeseburgers, miso eggplant and sirloin steak. All of this alongside friendly and attractive staff (now offering table service), vibrant print wall paper, and a bar with all the bells and whistles, it really is hard to deny Vinyl’s fun, exciting persona.
We all know that solid dose of 'the good feels' you get after you've done something nice for yourself/your body (like exercise). And from Monday, September 4–Thursday, November 30, you can expect those feelings to increase two-fold. Thanks to the return of Brisbane's Feel Good Program for spring, the city will welcome a series of outdoor fitness classes — and, unlike that fancy new yoga studio in your neighbourhood that smells like acai berries and only serves charcoal tea, these classes are all entirely free. Ranging from sessions to get your blood pumping (Zumba, sh'bam) to classes to get your zen flowing freely (yoga, pilates), the Feel Good Program is an initiative designed to suit any and all fitness levels. Also, most classes will bathe you in neon. Sessions are held around South Bank Parklands, at either Flowstate (for most classes), the Boat Pool (for aqua classes from Saturday, September 9–Saturday, September 23) or Streets Beach (for aqua classes from Saturday, September 30–Saturday, November 25). BYO water bottle, towel and, where required, a yoga mat. Classes happen every day except Fridays and Sundays, and they all run for45 minutes. Times vary depending on the day, but your options include getting started early on a weekend with an 8am pilates session, hitting the pool mid-morning on a Saturday, or finishing up your working day with body combat at 5.30pm or a body balance class at 6.30pm. Whichever you choose, it'll have you embracing the warm outdoors and feeling good — check out the timetable online.
In 2020, for only the third time in the event's history — and the first time since the Second World War — Brisbane's annual Ekka isn't going ahead in-person. But, that doesn't mean that it isn't going ahead at all. While the physical Ekka was cancelled for this year back when the city was going into COVID-19 lockdowns, and the annual public holiday has even been moved, the show will live on as an online event. So, your August plans can still involve showbags, baby animals, Bertie Beetles and strawberry sundaes. Ekka Online runs from Friday, August 7–Sunday, August 16 — and, in its virtual format, that means ten days of fun via digital means. Courtesy of ten online channels, you'll be able to watch streamed live music, peer at cute critters in the baby animal nursery, get to know Queensland's dog and cat community, and check out a heap of baking and cooking demonstrations. There'll also be fireworks on Thursday, August 6, to get things started, because it wouldn't be the Ekka without them. Of course, there's more going on than that — including when it comes to two Ekka staples. Sure, you can't crash dodgems and throw a ball in a clown's mouth for a prize this year; however you will be able to stock up on showbags and feast on ice cream. First, the showbags. Around 400 different types will be available during the first-ever virtual Ekka marketplace. The online buying frenzy will also include award-winning medal winners from the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show (RQFWS) competitions, retailers who've been a part of the show for years, and local makers and creators. Now, the tasty part of proceedings: the strawberry sundaes. They'll be available physically, thanks to a number of drive-thru pop-ups at the Showgrounds, on King Street, and everywhere from Morayfield, Milton, Loganholme and Springfield to Skygate near the airport, Albany Creek and Chermside too. Check out the full list of venues and times online —and, as well as sundaes, the pop-ups will be selling dagwood dogs as well. Plus, if you're keen on more than a few of the iconic desserts — 20 or 100 of them, that you whip up yourself at home — you can buy DIY sundae-making kits, too. You'll receive all the ingredients that are used to assemble the sundaes at the Ekka, and you'll also be doing a good deed by supporting medical research via The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation for The Common Good. Ekka Online runs from Friday, August 7–Sunday, August 16. Updated August 7.
The phrase 'sleeper hit' was coined for movies like Silver Linings Playbook. It looks like your run-of-the-mill wacky family holiday movie, but it's an important film and a great one that deserves to sweep the Academy, SAG and copious other awards it's nominated for. Because while Silver Linings Playbook obeys the conventions of a crazy family comedy — hilarity, personalities clashing under one roof, people yelling over the top of each other, the gradual acceptance of family legacies — it really hones in on the 'crazy' part. In films, craziness usually peaks at extreme quirkiness. But in our real-life households we know the source of irrational behaviour often lies with mental illness, and that's much more complex. Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, Silver Linings Playbook acknowledges and honours this common human experience with its story of Pat (Bradley Cooper), a bipolar former history teacher returning to the house of his mother (Australia's inimitable Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert De Niro) after a court-mandated nine months in a mental health facility. He remains fixated on his estranged wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), even though she has a restraining order against him, and he feels his new positive philosophy is the way to win her back. What he's not sure is help or hindrance, however, is the appearance in his life of recent widow Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), whose existing depression has been wildly exacerbated by her husband's death. These are not characters we've seen on screen before, and they're extraordinarily well drawn. The film positions you in Pat's corner, to the point where you can fully understand his not-always-logical way of thinking and not only sympathise but make the leap with him. To outsiders, he's unreliable, tactless, and even violent, but to viewers, he's just Pat. Silver Linings Playbook is technically excellent, with charming performances and firm plotting, but there are a lot of technically excellent movies. It's rare to see one that will mean so much to so many people. Director David O. Russell has spoken about how important making the film was to him as the parent of a child with mental illness. He didn't want his film to be all doom and gloom; he wanted it to be full of hope, humour, and compassion, as even burdened lives are. His connection to the subject shines through to create a special and authentic-feeling film. Perhaps most vitally, Silver Linings Playbook isn't about sectioning off people's experiences via a medical label; it incorporates the full spectrum of what Pat calls the "craziness within myself and everybody else", and nearly everyone is likely to see something within it that resonates. It may be January, but this is certainly one of my films of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2MP7A1k8Jr0
Cross-dressing spitfire MC Mykki Blanco is in the country for Dark Mofo, heading north afterward to blow Brisbane minds at Ellement Lounge. One seriously multitalented artist, NYC-based Blanco is a rapper, performance artist and poet who grew up listening to riot grrrl music. The significantly internet-hyped New Yorker's setlist will inevitably include writhing party jam 'Wavvy' and heavier tracks like the recently released 'Initiation' — both as likely to intrigue audiences as attract them to the dance floor. Think bass heavy, post-trap anthems with a killer MC at the helm. While Blanco certainly stands out and makes her presence felt, she doesn't aim to make a 'statement' as such; rather fluidly transcending many identities. https://youtube.com/watch?v=w39Fxx10CEI
Back in the ‘90s, Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross may have told us that the best things in life are free, but is the best comedy? You be the judge at The Pineapple Club, Brisbane Comedy Festival’s ode to improvisation and all-round place to hang out on Friday and Saturday evenings. Every weekend, the quick thinkers of ImproMafia come together for a retro-style show — and yes, it won’t cost you a cent to attend. Games, songs, quizzes and more will be on offer, including cans of pineapple. That’s the prize for being a good sport, joining in the fun and embracing that essential part of improv shows: audience participation. Fridays and Saturdays at 7.45pm at the Comedy Channel Laughter Lounge.
Break out the cake, candles, streamers, party hats and lolly bags, because someone's having a birthday. Well, not just someone, but somewhere. And not just anywhere, but one of Fortitude Valley's favourite hangouts. Yes, that slice of music heaven on Brunswick Street that is Black Bear Lodge has now been part of the inner city scene for ten years. If that's not cause for celebration across Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5, then we don't know what is. Trust the BBL crew to throw its own shindig (and cry if it wants to) to mark the occasion. And trust it to rope in a whole lot of other folks to make the two evenings something extra special, too. From the DJ lineup, A Love Supreme's Ben Chiu, The QUIVR's Hol Hibbo, Liliana Michell and Luke Brazier will all hit the decks on Friday, while Saturday will see Jimmy Ellis, Ethan Greaves, Emily Leach, Grace Green and Todd O'Rourke do their thing. They'll all be joined by a heap of bands across the two evenings — with the party running from 6pm–3am on Friday and 6pm–dawn on Saturday. Tickets for each night costs $20 on the door.
They're words every hungry stomach likes to hear: all you can eat. And, they're words that echo a little bit louder when dumplings are involved. Who hasn't sat down to a plate of the tasty morsels, finished it quicker than they thought they would and wished someone would keep magically refilling it? We all have, and that's just what'll happen at Jade Buddha on Tuesdays. It's all rather simple: you venture in between midday and 1pm for lunch or between 6pm and 7pm for dinner, and you eat as much as you can handle. The best part? No, it's not the riverside views. It's the fact that it'll only cost you $10. Now, you will have to be fond of pork gyoza to truly enjoy this all-you-can-eat feast, as that's what's on offer. If you'd prefer a variety of different flavours and styles, Dumpling Republic has you covered on the last Saturday of each month.
Sparked by the pandemic, lockdown films aren't just an exercise in adapting to stay-at-home conditions — or a way to keep actors, directors and other industry professionals busy and working at a challenging time. The genre also provides a window into how the creatives behind its flicks view everyday life and ordinary people. Arising from a global event that's placed many of the planet's inhabitants in similar circumstances, these features tell us which stories filmmakers deem worth telling, which visions of normality they choose to focus on and who they think is living an average life. With Malcolm & Marie, a hotshot young director and an ex-addict were the only options offered. In Language Lessons, which premiered at this year's virtual Berlin Film Festival, a wealthy widower and a Spanish teacher were the movie's two choices. Now Locked Down directs its attention towards a CEO and a courier, the latter of which stresses that he's only in the gig because his criminal record has robbed him of other opportunities. Yes, these movies and their characters speak volumes about how Hollywood perceives its paying customers. That's not the only thing that Locked Down says. Verbose to a farcical degree — awkwardly rather than purposefully — this romantic comedy-meets-heist flick is primarily comprised of monologues, Zoom calls and bickering between its central couple. Well-off Londoners Linda (Anne Hathaway, The Witches) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Old Guard) are weeks into 2020's first lockdown, and their ten-year relationship has become a casualty. Whether chatting to each other or virtually with others, both commit a torrent of words to the subject. Linda has decided they're done, which Paxton has trouble accepting. She's also unhappy with her high-flying job, especially after she's forced to fire an entire team online, but gets scolded by her boss (Ben Stiller, Brad's Status) for not telling her now-sacked colleagues they're still like family. Tired of driving a van, Paxton is willing to do whatever his employer (Ben Kingsley, Life) needs to climb his way up the ladder. That said, he's still tied to the road, with the ex-rebel's decision to sell his beloved motorbike — a symbol of his wilder youth, and its fun, freedom and risks — hitting hard. As Linda and Paxton argue about their past together and future potentially apart, vent frustrations about their locked-down present, and chat with co-workers (including Late Night's Mindy Kaling, The Father's Mark Gatiss, Jojo Rabbit's Stephen Merchant and The Last Vermeer's Claes Bang) and family members (Ballers co-stars and real-life couple Dulé Hill and Jazmyn Simon), at no point do they resemble real people. Rarely does anything that comes out of their mouths sound like something that someone might actually say, either. And, while the stresses of working remotely, being unable to leave the house and having normality put on hold should be relatable — we've all been through it — every aspect of Locked Down's script feels forced. That includes its relationship insights, which are hardly romantic, comedic or wise, even when showing that the most devoted of couples can find their patience tested when the days never seem to end. When Linda and Paxton's professional worlds collide, tasking her with removing a £3 million diamond from Harrods, him with ferrying it to safety and the pair with possibly stealing it for themselves, the plot development smacks of screenwriting laziness and convenience. Steven Knight does the scripting — and although Locked Down arose in a hurry, this isn't the first time that the screenwriter has penned something dull, grating, contrived and often ridiculous. When he's at his best, TV series Peaky Blinders, the Ejiofor-starring Dirty Pretty Things, David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises and Tom Hardy one-man-show Locke are the end results. At his worst, he pumps out the abysmal Hathaway-starring Serenity — a movie so awful that it almost defies belief — and now this. Locked Down's missteps are many, and plenty stem from the script. It repeatedly mistakes more dialogue for more drama, for instance. When it isn't insulting everyone who isn't a CEO, it's whining about pandemic restrictions, with its complaints outdated a year ago and ancient now. But director Doug Liman can't escape responsibility for Locked Down's many struggles. Fresh off of the long-delayed, also-terrible Chaos Walking, the filmmaker who shot banter so engagingly in Swingers, Go and even Mr and Mrs Smith just seems happy to let the camera keep rolling here. The man who made Edge of Tomorrow also treats his big Harrods heist as if he was Richard Linklater filming a walk-and-talk for a Before Midnight sequel called During Lockdown. Perhaps Liman expected his two leads to shine so brightly that they'd carry the two-hour film. They're asked to, but no one could sparkle with this material. Hathaway yells into pillows, swans around in colourful pyjama pants and dances to Adam and the Ants' 'Stand and Deliver' like she's on a stage trying to emote to people in the street outside the theatre. While Ejiofor fares slightly better — when he's not waxing lyrical about a hedgehog he's named Sonic (of course), licking opium from the couple's townhouse garden or airing stale stay-at-home grievances — the existential angst that's baked into his performance gets swallowed by the movie's overall listlessness. You could generously read Locked Down's tedium and monotony as intentionally reflecting the malaise of the last 15 months, but every choice that Liman and Knight makes refutes that idea. There's smugness and pompousness to this never-funny film instead, and it screams of its key creatives thinking they know what COVID-19-era life is like, and that they can turn the situation into something witty and thrilling. They don't and they can't, at least in this feature. Visually, the movie brightens at Harrods, but its third-act wander through the famed department store really just shows what could've been. A far shorter picture with less repetitive griping and more of absolutely anything else mightn't have made viewers feel as if they too are stuck home with someone they hate, for example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TG-Mxzl88Q&feature=youtu.be
If a mid-year holiday is on your upcoming agenda, you might want to make a date with one of the regions of Australia that usually depend heavily on overseas tourists. To encourage Aussies to enjoy a getaway at home, and to support areas of the country that have taken a huge tourism hit while the nation's international border is closed, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has today, Thursday, March 11, announced that the Federal Government is halving the cost of 800,000 flights to 13 spots over the next few months as part of a $1.2 billion package. Australians will be able to nab discounted fares to a range of scenic places. In Queensland, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Whitsundays and Cairns are all on the list; in the Northern Territory, the package focuses on the Lasseter region which includes Uluru, and Alice Springs; and in Tasmania, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie all feature. You can also head off to Broome in Western Australia, Avalon in Victoria, Merimbula in southern New South Wales and Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Exactly which routes will be included is still being decided, as is the number of tickets on each, but they'll be available from Thursday, April 1 through until July. It's expected that around 46,000 half-price flights will be on offer each week during that period, and that you'll be travelling with Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar. The tickets will go on sale via the respective airline websites and, if the demand is there, the Federal Government may add to the scheme later in the year — in terms of locations and routes. "I think we'll see more opportunities for this program," said the Prime Minister in today's press conference, when asked about future plans. As well as helping support the tourism industry in regions that usually rely upon international visitors — not just by getting folks there at a discounted price, but by leaving them more money in their budgets to spend on tours, attractions, venues, places to stay and hospitality, too — the plan will also provide an incentivised excuse for Aussies to take a local getaway while international travel is still off the cards. The cut in price will be delivered via a subsidy to the participating airlines, which'll receive government funds to cover the difference in fare. That's just one part of the overall package, with funding to keep 8600 of Qantas and Virgin's international flight employees in their jobs, extended financial support for zoos and aquariums, and loans for small- and medium-sized businesses also included. The 800,000 half-price flights will be available in weekly batches from Thursday, April 1. For further details, keep an eye on the Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar websites.
At the beginning of 2012, when the world discovered that Channing Tatum was starring in a movie about male strippers — and that it was based on his own experiences working in the field — everyone was a little sceptical. Which was understandable. Magic Mike boasts a great director in Steven Soderbergh, and a cast that also includes Matthew Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Olivia Munn, Riley Keough and peak McConnaissance-era Matthew McConaughey, but, on paper, it was hardly a sure thing. Of course, once the film hit the screens, it was a hit. More than that — it was a smart and sensitive look at men chasing the American Dream by taking off their clothes. Sequel Magic Mike XXL, which released in 2015, not only repeated the feat but added more depth, and Tatum successfully turned what could've been a forgettable chapter of his pre-fame life into a successful big-screen franchise. Actually, he's turned it into a stage and screen franchise. Yes, Magic Mike was always going to go back to where it all began. In Las Vegas and London (and soon Berlin), Magic Mike Live has been steaming up venues and letting real-life male dancers strip up a storm for eager audiences. Not to be confused with Magic Mike the Musical — because that's something that's also happening — the "immersive" dance show is coming to Australia in 2020. Hitting Birrarung Marr in Melbourne from Tuesday, May 26 — then heading to Sydney, Brisbane and Perth — Magic Mike Live will unleash its stuff in a 600-seat spiegeltent called The Arcadia. It's the world's largest spiegeltent, because clearly this kind of show has plenty of fans. This is the first time that the performance will be held in the pop-up two-storey spot, which comes with 360-degree views of the stage, a glass lobby, custom bars, a mini food hall, and a lounge area both inside and out. And while it's blazing a trail venue-wise, on the stage, the Aussie show will combine elements of the Magic Mike Live's three other international productions. While Tatum came up with the idea for Magic Mike Live and co-directs the show, the Step Up, 21 Jump Street, Logan Lucky and Kingsman: The Golden Circle star isn't actually one of the performers. Instead, a cast of 20 — including 15 male dancers — will showcase a combination of, dance, comedy and acrobatics. Continuing her role from the films, stage show co-director and choreographer Alison Faulk is behind the sultry moves, drawing upon a career spent working with Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Missy Elliott, P!NK, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. It probably goes without saying, but if you're already thinking about buying Magic Mike Live tickets, expect to have plenty of hens parties for company. [caption id="attachment_753643" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jerry Metellus[/caption] MAGIC MIKE LIVE AUSTRALIAN TOUR Melbourne — Birrarung Mar, from Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Sydney — Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, from Thursday, November 19, 2020 Brisbane — TBC Perth — TBC Magic Mike Live tours Australia from Tuesday, May 26, 2020, when it kicks off its shows in Melbourne. For more information — or to buy tickets for the Melbourne and Sydney legs, or sign up for the Brisbane and Perth waitlists — visit the website.
Sometimes, celebrating a big occasion means gathering the gang. This Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Snake, Brisbane isn't short on spots to party — and eat and drink — in a crowd. But if you're after a tasty two-person feast to usher in the new lunar calendar, Luke Nguyen's Fat Noodle has you covered, . The Queen's Wharf eatery is serving up banquets for couples — whether you're dining with a date or a mate — starting with wok-tossed lemongrass beef salad. You'll also tuck into Vietnamese spring rolls, chargrilled turmeric spatchcock and braised pork belly with quail eggs, plus prawn, calamari, mussels, diamond clams with tamarind soup. And for dessert? Mango trifle. Running from Sunday, January 12–Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Fat Noodle's Lunar New Year banquets cost $168, and also come with a glass of wine each. While you're onsite at The Star, the full Lunar New Year festivities include a wishing tree, so you can place your hopes and dreams for the year ahead; specials at other eateries around the precinct; and lion dances on select dates.
If you're on the hunt for something a bit different this gift-giving season, the MCA Store is an excellent place to start. Here, you'll not only find an impressive selection of items from Australian artists, designers and makers but also everything from coffee-table books to homewares and games — perfect for gifting all your favourite budding creatives, art enthusiasts, design buffs, fashion mavens and hard-to-buy-for friends. And, every purchase from the MCA Store supports Australian artists and the work of the world-class art institution. So in a way, it's a gift that'll keep on giving. We've gone through the extensive catalogue to hand select our favourite gift ideas for this festive season. [caption id="attachment_880360" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MCA Store, 2022, Katje Ford[/caption] IKUNTJI TEXTILES, $69 Ikuntji Artists, the first arts centre established by and for women in the Western Desert art movement, invites design lovers to take a closer look at the stories behind the works with this self-published, full-colour book. The volume is centred around 14 artists who paint wearable textiles, delving into their design process, personal stories and collaborations via artist interviews in Luritja and English and writings from expert voices in the field of textile design. The lovingly assembled tome makes a perfect coffee-table book — the ideal read to either leisurely flip through or take in some of the remarkable stories from First Nations women. BACKGAMMON SET, $195 The MoMA team has given this classic game a vibrant makeover. The colourful design, inside and out, makes this beechwood backgammon board a style-heavy travel accessory, ideal for groups or just two. The game is fun, practical and easy to learn — even if you've got no idea how to play. Gift this to your modern boardgame-loving pal who could do with something a little simpler and nostalgic. Then next time you're over at theirs, you can suggest a chill game of backgammon instead of Settlers of Catan. Looking for a stocking stuffer for your games-obsessed mate? This Ken Done edition of Uno ($19.95) is just the ticket. [caption id="attachment_834248" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacquie Manning, MCA Members. Featured: Noa Eshkol, installation view, 20th Biennale of Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2016, Image courtesy and © the Noa Eshkol Foundation for Movement Notation, Holon.[/caption] 12-MONTH MCA MEMBERSHIP, $75 If you're buying for someone who really appreciates the arts, an MCA Membership is a sure-fire win. It will give them access to exclusive behind-the-scenes programs, discounts on a range of art experiences, unlimited free entry to ticketed exhibitions — like Do Ho Suh, which is part of the 2022/ 2023 Sydney International Art Series — and plenty more. Any and every art lover will be thanking their lucky stars (or just you) with a gift as good as this. FLENSTED MOBILE, $125 Mobiles aren't just for kids, they're also a fun and funky way to add some colour and movement to your home. And at the MCA Store, you can find no less than ten artistic mobiles by Danish design house Flensted. Our pick: the minimalist Life and Thread, which is made up of colourful wings dancing around a small green sphere. You can find more literal pieces too — hot air balloons, birds, planes, elephants and more, all made to hang and swing from the ceiling. They're simple yet striking pieces of art. [caption id="attachment_880357" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MCA Store, 2021, Anna Kucera[/caption] FINK WATER JUG, From $395 If you're buying for someone who loves to entertain or is always on the hunt for unique homewares, these FINK water jugs might just be perfect. Designed in 1993 by celebrated Australian silversmith Robert Foster, these elegant vessels come in eight striking colours and can be found in contemporary collections at institutions (including MoMA), as well as in design-forward homes and restaurants around the globe. It's a great gift for those who like to make a statement, even when they're simply pouring a glass of water. [caption id="attachment_880353" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MCA Store, 2022, Katje Ford[/caption] 3D-PRINTED SUPERVASE, From $50 These brightly coloured vases by The Daily Rabbit are reminiscent of the Hub series and Staircase-III (2010) by Do Ho Suh. Like the South Korean artist's large-scale installation pieces, as you move around these vases, they appear to change in shape. The SuperVase, which comes in two sizes, is 3D-printed using eco-friendly, degradable PLA bioplastic derived from cornstarch, making it ideal for sustainably-minded friends and family members. It's watertight, so you can gift it with fresh flowers if you'd like, too. [caption id="attachment_881162" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MCA Store, 2022, Katje Ford[/caption] DO HO SUH MCA CATALOGUE, $45 Here's yet another great addition to a curated coffee table. This softcover MCA catalogue (exclusively sold at the MCA Store) surveys Do Ho Suh's creative practice, focusing on his large-scale sculptures and architectural installations with commissioned texts by curators Rachel Kent and Megan Robson and architectural historian AnnMarie Brennan. Take a deeper dive into the artist's process and the meaning behind his colourful, thought-provoking installations that have a strong connection to our shared understanding of 'home'. MID-CENTURY MODERN COASTERS, $38 This pack of four cork coasters features works from Tony Albert's Mid-Century Modern series, depicting used ashtrays with First Nations people and designs on them. For Albert, "there was something quite metaphoric about the ashtray and the Australian condition attached to Aboriginal people. What does it actually mean to butt out a cigarette on someone's face and someone's culture?" And, we ask, what does it mean to rest your drink on a coaster of that artwork? Who knew a humble coaster could be such a conversation starter? Got an art lover in your life? Gifting someone with an eye for design? Make sure you're their fave this year with a gift from MCA Store. Head to the website for the full range. Top image: MCA Store, 2022, Katje Ford
A visit to Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art until Monday, October 7, 2024 means peering at Beyoncé-, Björk- and Cate Blanchett-approved haute couture, all thanks to the venue's spectacular Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses exhibition. A range of the Dutch fashion designer's stunning pieces are on display — works that could only hail from a truly unique figure in an industry where genuinely earning that label is all too rare. Whichever day of the week that you head by, the results are dazzling. Go along on a Friday night, however, and you'll also be in for a party. Sashaying through GOMA's exhibitions usually means not only scoping out its pieces while the sun is shining, but getting a couple of chances to hit up the gallery after dark — and for this showcase, that's the case every Friday night until Friday, October 4. Entry runs from 5.30–8.30pm, with DJs spinning tunes and drop-in drawing classes on offer during the extended opening hours. In the River Room, the GOMA Bar is pouring drinks and serving up bites, with the menu spanning green apple and ginger old fashioneds, strawberry Aperol spritzes, a small list of wine options, beers from Aether and Felons, cheese-filled and panko-crumbed olives, black truffle chips, a choice of antipasto or cheese plates, and more. If you're keen to take some stylish wares home with you, the foyer shop is also up and running during GOMA Friday Nights, complete with a number of exclusive Iris van Herpen belts and scarves to purchase. You can catch free films, too, courtesy of the Transcendence: A Cinema of Awe program that features The Boy and the Heron and Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), among other highlights. Images: Installation view of 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses' Photograph: C Callistemon and J Ruckli © QAGOMA.
Indonesian cuisine fans (and Chinese, Hakkanese and Timorese, too), there's a new go-to place in town. Setting up shop on Clayfield's Sandgate Road, Mamaku Kitchen likes its meals traditional and multicultural. Oh, and delicious, of course. There's a reason that the hole-in-the-wall BYO eatery and takeaway joint takes its name from the phrase 'my mother', with home-style cooking inspired by owner and chef Mie Mie's family heritage on offer in abundance. Sure, you've probably had rendang ayam, mie goreng, nasi goreng and laksa before. But, we're betting that you haven't had them this jam-packed with the kind of flavour that can only come from a certain clichéd secret ingredient. Yes, we're talking about love — and given that everything is made on-site and in-house, Mamaku clearly oozes affection. As you sit within its bright, white walls and consume its spicy, slow-cooked dishes, that's the same emotion the restaurant is bound to inspire. Well that, and making Indonesian-style fare one of your new favourite foods. Images: Hennessytrill
It's called hump day for a reason. This September, spend Wednesday night curled up at home with three sexy little audio stories pinged directly to your phone. Writers Benjamin Law, Krissy Kneen and Mandy Beaumont have penned steamy, tongue-in-cheek stories for The Good Room. On Wednesday, September 9, listen to the story of a call girl working in West End who receives a call from a young gent looking to dominate; on Wednesday, September 16, a retirement home resident plans a covert reunion with her swarthy husband; and on Wednesday, September 23, enter the world of after-hours hairdressing and erotic queer fantasy. You can book into three timed sessions (8pm, 9pm and 10pm) every week. It's strictly adults-only, and each 'call' is $15. Image: Joel Devereux
SBS2 has poached Vive Cool City from the clutches of its internet following to give them a stab at a late-night TV viewership. The show takes a look at some of humanity's beautiful freaks through the winning presence of judgement-free, committed reporters. If you are suspicious about the 'committed' bit of that sentence, let me refer you to Ryder Susman's brush with a golden shower, and by brush I mean this. "(Our) aim is to embed, to understand, to attempt to get an uncensored take on the story," explains host and former Hungry Beast reporter Kirk Docker. "What we want our audience to do is see the topics we deal with, with new eyes — get them thinking, talking, questioning. What people get up to in real life is so much more compelling than what you can make up." Tonight at 11.30pm, Kirk, along with Ryder Susman, will announce the arrival of Vive Cool City to SBS2 by dropping into the Collingwood housing projects to interview heroin users, taking an in-depth look at a nudist Melbourne gym and introducing us to homemade tunnels, equine psychotherapy and Swedish bridge jumpers. Not to mention the You Report segment, where some UK viewers will show us the intricacies of turning breast milk into ice cream. The show claimed 10 million views on YouTube and has some serious TV pedigree behind it in producer Andy Nehl (Hungry Beast and The Chaser), so Vive Cool City could well be your next 30 (uncomfortable) minutes of choice. Check out some of their online stuff at their website.
Don't sweat it. Just don't. That's a great sentiment, but putting it into action isn't always so easy. Humanity has long wanted to care less about all of the things that really don't matter, including since before self-help was a book genre — and since before there were books. Nothing else has quite summed up that concept quite like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, though, even just in its title. It sits among a seemingly endless array of texts about living your best life and forgetting pointless strife, but Mark Manson's 2016 hit perfectly captured the idea that we should all devote less attention to matters that simply aren't worth it. First came the book. Then came the film version of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. Since Manson's famous tome hit shelves, he's also popped up to chat about it and offer his brutally honest self-help advice — and he's returning Down Under in November 2024 to do exactly that again. Consider heading along to this The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck live tour as the next step in pursuing the ultimate goal: giving less fucks. More than 20-million copies of the book have been sold, so you're probably familiar with Manson's take on living more contented and grounded lives already, but there's something to be said about hearing about it in person. Couldn't be arsed reading the text? Then this is another way to soak in its contents. Of course, Manson's spin isn't about never giving a fuck. Rather, he knows that it's wise to choose where to direct our fucks, what to give a crap about and what genuinely bloody matters. The book's chapter titles are as telling as its overall moniker, boasting names such as 'Don't Try', 'Happiness is a problem', 'You are not special', 'You are wrong about everything (But so am I)', 'The importance of saying no' and 'And then you die'. Also the author of Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope, Manson will be onstage exploring this train of thought at the Brisbane's QPAC Concert Hall on Thursday, November 7. Attendees can expect a deeper dive into the principles stepped through in his book, plus practical tips and stories from real life. This is an event to give a fuck about, clearly.
The crushing news that Fortitude Valley icon The Zoo is closing permanently isn't something that Brisbane's music scene will get over quickly, or necessarily at all. But the best way forward for fans of live tunes is to keep showing up to gigs around town, supporting the events filled with and venues hosting them. Brunswick Street Live is one such shindig. Since 1997, the Valley has put itself in the spotlight with a huge street party, with Valley Fiesta taking a variety of forms over its quarter-century-plus run so far. It's a celebration of hearing live tunes, checking out art and shopping your way around markets — and hitting up the inner-city suburb's bars and eateries, too — that turns the Valley's regular haunts and activities into a festival. But because it's only a once-a-year happening, Brunswick Street Live was born in 2023 to help tide everyone over between Fiestas. [caption id="attachment_902929" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] After a successful first year, the day-long Brunswick Street Live is making a comeback in 2024. The date for your diary: Saturday, May 11. At a time when it is definitely needed, Brisbane gets another excuse to revel in the Valley's live music scene. The name gives away the main place where it's occurring, and the lineup spans not just tunes but also street artists and performers. From midday, a roster of talents headlined by Eliza & The Delusionals will hit the stage in the middle of the Brunswick Street Mall stage. Also on the bill: Odarka, DJ Jaguar.B, Juno, Curbside Carnies, Neish, Dizzy Days, ixaras and Bean Magazine. John Smith Gumbula, Shaun Clarkson and Stewart Shuker will be roving around, as will the Curbside Carnies cohort with bubble art and aerial feats. And at The Royal George, Ric's Backyard, Retro's, Blute's Bar and California Lane, music will also echo. [caption id="attachment_902925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brisbane City Council via Flickr[/caption] When Brunswick Street Live debuted last year, the aim wasn't just to showcase the Valley, its venues and the city's musicians, but to add another annual festival to Brisbane's cultural calendar. Returning for 2024 is the next step in that direction. Also happening in this part of the city in May: Art on Brunswick, where local artists will get painting on easels built for the occasion, giving the Valley temporary art installations in the process. It will run on Thursdays and Fridays from Thursday, May 9–Friday, May 24. Plus, at Eats, Beats and Treats, spending $12 or more at eateries in the MyValley Precinct — spots such as The Ripped Baker, Bare Beanz Cafée, Galactic Donuts and Honey & Yolko — will get you a free treat from Wednesday–Friday between Wednesday, May 1–Friday, May 10. [caption id="attachment_902926" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brisbane City Council via Flickr[/caption] Brunswick Street Live takes place on Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley — head to the Brisbane City Council website for further information.
The New South Wales north coast is alluring, to say the least. It boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, along with lush rainforests and enviable freshwater swimming holes. But, it isn't just the natural wonders that keep people flocking to this wondrous patch of coast — it's the culinary offerings, too. New and exciting breweries continue to pop up in the region while quaint wineries and farm-to-table lunches remain popular with locals and travellers seeking relaxing weekends away. Want to know which food and drink venues to visit on your next trip to the region? We've uncovered our favourite venues to hit up for a weekend of excellent eating and drinking. And, if you're looking for an excuse to visit the region, look no further than the inaugural North Coast Festival of Flavour which is taking place across multiple venues from Friday, June 3 till Sunday, June 5.
There's never a bad time to watch and rewatch Studio Ghibli's gorgeous movies, because there's no such thing as a bad Studio Ghibli film. But if you've spent plenty of hours doing just that — especially in the five years since the acclaimed Japanese animation house unveiled its most recent release, the moving French co-production The Red Turtle — then you're probably hankering for a glimpse at the studio's latest work. Called Earwig and the Witch, Studio Ghibli's newest movie is set to screen in Australian cinemas early this year, although an exact release date hasn't yet been announced. That's clearly excellent news, especially given that seven years have passed since the animation company's last solo production, aka 2014's When Marnie Was There; however, if you're as keen as a catbus to get a peek at its latest effort as soon as you can, an English-language trailer for the film dropped over the Christmas period. Also previously known as Aya and the Witch, the movie marks the first Studio Ghibli feature completely made using computer-generated animation. Director-wise, it's helmed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro Miyazaki, who previously directed Tales from Earthsea and From Up On Poppy Hill. It's also based on a novel written by British author Diana Wynne Jones, who penned the book that Howl's Moving Castle was adapted from, too. In terms of story, Earwig and the Witch focuses on a girl at an orphanage in the British countryside. She enjoys living there, but her world changes when she's chosen to live with a couple — including, as the title makes plain, a witch. Earwig doesn't know that her own mother also had magical powers, so she's thrust into a strange new world, all while trying to do what she's always wanted: belong to a family. Also, she has a cat — and as the trailer shows, it's rather chatty. In its English-language version, the film will feature voice work by Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Dan Stevens (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) and singer Kacey Musgraves, plus newcomer Taylor Paige Henderson as Earwig. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk5YWIbwzRE Earwig and the Witch will release in Australian cinemas on Thursday, February 4. Images: Madman Entertainment.
At Concrete Playground, we love The Brisbane Festival. With endless things to see and do, September really is the most exciting month for our town. The Courier Mail Spiegeltent is one of the hotspots of the festival and hosts a wide variety of performances, including indie rock band, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks. These guys have been playing for over a decade and have perfected their unique sound that drips with catchy melodies and bursts with intricate guitar riffs. With five successful albums up their sleeves, it's safe to say that they are onto a good thing. The band formed in the hiatus of indie rock royalty, Pavement and is fronted by Stephen Malkmus, who was the main singer and songwriter of the successful 90's band. NME has called Malkmus a “blessing from the indie gods”, so you know you'll be in for a treat on Tuesday and Wednesday nights as they grace the Spiegeltent for a 70 minute set.
When the Emporium said goodbye to its old Fortitude Valley digs and relocated across the river at South Bank, it took its luxe look and feel with it. The relocated hotel is staycation central — but even if you can't book a room and make an indulgent night of it, you can still drop by the venue's glitzy new Piano Bar every day of the week. A cascading gold and crystal chandelier, plenty of shiny black mirrored surfaces and — of course — a piano are just the beginning at this cosy but lush spot, which is located on the hotel's ground floor. Naturally, live music is a highlight. Hear a pianist tickle the ivories from 5pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and from 2pm on Sundays. On Thursdays from 6pm, and Friday and Saturday nights from 8pm, live jazz also echoes through the space. While you're enjoying the decor and the soundtrack, make your way through the Piano Bar's hefty 14-page drinks list. Classic cocktails (all $19), including four types of martini, take pride of place, but wine, beer and spirits lovers won't leave disappointed. If you're fond of whisky — Japanese, American and single malt — there's much to tempt your tastebuds. Piano Bar also offers a small food menu, starting with a cheese and finocchiona salami toasted sandwich ($12), as well as smashed avocado with poached eggs and smoked salmon ($16), all for brunch from 10am. All-day options include a whole baked camembert wheel ($20), poached king prawns ($20), a steak sandwich made with black angus beef sirloin ($28) and Clyde River rock oysters in half-dozen ($27) and full-dozen ($54) serves. Or, choose from one of five desserts — such as the signature zebra eclair with pineapple compote and liquorice curd ($9), and the 'Ferrero vs Tiramisu' ($18).
Shopping isn't always simple when you want to purchase goods that align with your ethics. However, the Handmade + Plant-Based Market focuses on designers and customers who prioritise treading lightly. Held from 10am–3pm on Sunday, August 24, this one-day event will transform the Old Museum in Bowen Hills. Teeming with quality pieces guided by sustainable and ethical practices, it's a stellar opportunity to support small local businesses. Spanning 60 independent makers and producers, expect mindfully made products, unique gifts and delicious handmade goodies. Crafted with intention, buying a few choice pieces might just enhance your slow living philosophy. The event will be spread across two studios — one filled with 100 percent plant-based and vegan products, and another with handmade products shaped by values just as much as aesthetics. Entry is $5, with kids under 12 free.
When social distancing became our new way of life, the good folk at Audible released a stack of audiobooks for free, all to help keep everyone entertained while we were spending more time (read: all our time) at home and indoors. Now that things are slowly starting to return to normal, summer is on the horizon and prime road trip season is upon us, the online retailer is doing the same — so you have something ace to listen to while you're heading away for a getaway. The free audiobooks are on offer in collaboration with the tourism-focused initiative Empty Esky, which aims to support small businesses, including those affected by the Australian bushfires. So, the idea is that you'll hop behind the wheel, mosey out beyond the city limits, see the country, and patronise local retailers and hospitality venues — and that you'll listen to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Hess along the way. Almost 60 hours of audiobooks are available for free, and they all tie into seven set itineraries, covering Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, and both New South Wales' south coast and northern regions. Follow your chosen route, keep an eye out for Audible posters at participating small businesses, and download a free audiobook at each stop. You'll need to follow the whole process, because you'll have to scan the QR code on the poster at each place to get access to the relevant text. If you knew you wanted to hit the road this summer, but you weren't sure where to venture to, Audible and Empty Esky have basically taken care of that decision for you. The itineraries also include Audible podcasts, if you're in the mood for something other than literature. Among both the books and podcasts, you'll also find JM Barrie's Peter Pan, the Beatrix Potter Collection and Jojo Moyes' Me Before You — as well as Heist with Michael Caine, Australia's Funniest Stand-Up, and Nakkiah Lui and Miranda Tapsell's Debutante: Race, Resistance and Girl Power. They'll all stream on your phone, tablet or laptop, although you will need to either sign into your existing Audible account or create a new one to start listening. To check out the Empty Esky itineraries — and the Audible books available — head to the Empty Esky website.
Charismatic little brother to Gerard's Bistro, Gerard's Bar is no stranger to pairing crisp, tasty brews with seasonal nosh. Hidden behind its sibling in the James Street precinct, Gerard's Bar is home to insanely talented Brisbane chef Ben Williamson, curating quite the culinary experience from the charcuterie cabinet to the magnificent kitchen. For an opportunity to experience Williamson's produce first hand, James Squire and Concrete Playground served a special Winter Banquet at Gerard's Bistro and gave a group of lucky people a seat at the table. They sat down to a five-course meal custom-made by Ben, exploring fresh winter produce with some of Australia's favourite craft beers. Each dish was paired with a specific James Squire tipple, and guests heard from Ben and James Squire brand ambassadors on the night. By Kelly Pigram, Jasmine Crittenden and Shannon Connellan. Photography: Emily Jane Davies.
The program of the Brisbane Fringe Festival is absolutely chock-full of amazing events, big and small. Although trawling through festival programs is a fun pastime, it sometimes takes a long time. To make the job a little bit easier (but not the final choice of what to see, that decision is still hard) we have narrowed the program down to six events that are really worth checking out. Have a look, and then we will see you on the fringe. Deep Sleep Taking place at THE BOX, Deep Sleep is a multimedia art exhibition curated specifically for the BFF. On display is the work of Zoe Porter, Pirrin Francis and Dord Burrough. Each piece explores the mysterious and complex makings of our subconscious and how examining our own mind can be self-revealing. Each night of the exhibition is accompanied by a musical component. Check out the event page for more information. Mere Noise Records: 10th Anniversary Party Mere Noise is a record label that has prided itself on releasing some of the brashest, noisiest and infectious rock music around. After a decade of releases, Mere Noise is holding a celebration at the BFF and they are bringing along their roster of outrageous bands. On the bill for the Brisbane show are Vegas Kings, Hits, Tiny Migrants and Death Rides a Horse. Great names, great bands. 3. Dizzy’s Comedy Hypnosis Show Brisbane stage hypnotist Dizzy is no stranger to getting what he wants. He can make you do anything just by snapping his fingers. There’s nothing malicious or dangerous about his show, of course. In fact, Dizzy’s shows are usually outrageously funny extremely unforgettable. He is setting up shop at the Spring Hill Hotel for a few nights. Why not pop in and catch all the mischief? Junk in the Trunk Touted as "the most fun you can have in a park — a car park that is", is the unique market experience, Junk in the Trunk. Get this; it’s a car boot market, with all goods crammed into the back of your car or arranged on your bonnet. Register your space online and cruise on over to West End to sell your junk, or simply drive by and see if there is anything that takes your fancy. Thoughts on Humans and other Animals Taking place at Blake House Gallery and supported by Little Creatures Brewing is the art exhibition Thoughts on Humans and other Animals. This display consists of works by two local artists, Duncan Mattocks and Ryan Coffey. They differ in style but not in impact, offering hyperrealistic depictions of humans and animals. Would: an Exhibition Ugees Espresso is usually a hub for dynamite coffee and conversation, but for BFF it has turned into a gallery space to showcase the artwork of Megan Starr-Thomas and Jeff Patton. Presented and organised by local art connoisseurs The Brisbane Collective, this is likely to be an A-Grade display of local artistic talent.
Whether beloved bands are reuniting, old lineups are reforming or still-touring groups who hit the charts decades ago are simply heading our way again, we're living in a golden age of musical blasts from the past. On a stage near you at any given time, one of your old-school favourites is likely taking to the microphone, spanning across a huge range of genres. The latest to join the trend: Sugababes. The British girl group is hitting up Australia's east coast this summer, with shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in February. If you're a fan, you likely now have 'Push the Button' or 'Overload' stuck in your head — or a medley that includes 'Freak Like Me', 'Round Round', 'Hole in the Head', 'Walk This Way' and 'About You Now' as well. This isn't just any old throwback tour, however. It will also see Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy — aka Sugababes' OG members — bust out the group's hits. Each of the trio left individually in the 00s, with Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen taking their places, but they've been back together with the initial lineup since 2012. This'll be the first time in more than two decades that Buena, Buchanan and Donaghy have hit Australia together, which is massive news for fans. And, given that Sugababes were one of the British girl groups of the early 21st century — and are one of the biggest-selling British girl groups of all time — there's plenty of those around. SUGABABES AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2023: Thursday, February 23 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney Friday, February 24 — Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Monday, February 27 — Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane Sugababes are touring Australia in February 2023, with pre-sale tickets available from 9am local time on Tuesday, December 20 and general sales from 9am local time on on Wednesday, December 21. Head to the tour website for further details.
Laure Calamy doesn't star in everything that's hitting screens big and small from France right now, but from Call My Agent! and Only the Animals to Full Time and The Origin of Evil, audiences can be forgiven for feeling otherwise. Calamy isn't new to acting, either, with a resume dating back to 2001; however, her in-demand status at present keeps showering viewers with stellar performances. Indeed, The Origin of Evil is a magnificent Calamy masterclass. She's playing a part while playing a part, and she makes both look effortless. The Antoinette in the Cévennes César Best Actress-winner is also a picture of unnerving determination and yearning, and resourcefulness and anxiety, too, as a seafood-factory worker usually tinning anchovies, then packing herself into a mix of Knives Out, Succession, The Talented Mr Ripley and Triangle of Sadness. Unleashing in-fighting upon a wealthy family residing on Côte d'Azur island Porquerolles, this instantly twisty and gripping thriller from Faultless and School's Out writer/director Sébastien Marnier (who collaborates on the screenplay with Amore mio scribe Fanny Burdino) takes a setting that'd do The White Lotus proud as well, then wreaks havoc. On the agenda in such lavish and scenic surroundings, which come filled with an unsettling menagerie of taxidermied animals: witnessing savage squabbling over who'll inherit a business empire, bathing in the kind of bitterness that only the bonds of blood among the affluent and entitled can bring, more than one person wishing that patriarch Serge Dumontet (Jacques Weber, The World of Yesterday) would shuffle off this mortal coil and, just as crucially, not everything being what it seems. First, The Origin of Evil sees the mundanity of Stéphane's (Calamy) life on the mainland, as she works the tinning assembly line, is stood up during a visit to her incarcerated girlfriend (Suzanne Clément, STAT) and gets kicked out when her landlady decides to reconcile with her estranged daughter. It's after the latter news that she picks up the phone, makes a call and locks in a date for her own reunion. Soon, Stéphane and Serge are getting acquainted — but when the restaurateur takes his long-lost daughter from a fling decades ago back home to his palatial abode, the welcome is hardly warm. His shopaholic wife Louise (Dominique Blanc, Syndrome E) is largely obliging enough, but his daughter George (Doria Tillier, Smoking Causes Coughing) couldn't be icier, her daughter Jeanne (Céleste Brunnquell, Fifi) can't understand why anyone would want in on a clan she can't wait to get out of and light-fingered maid Agnès (Véronique Ruggia, Loving Memories) is also far from friendly. Stéphane isn't the only reason that affection among the Dumontets is as dead as the stuffed critters filling their airy, stately but jam-packed abode. His health may be ailing, but Serge still has a bite regarding work, ruling the roost and being threatened as the head of the family. George says that she's been running the company since her father's stroke, and is taking him to court to gain full control — which he'll do anything to stop. Accordingly, the joy that Serge splashes around over Stéphane's sudden appearance and the misgivings that are directed her way by George are both saddled with ample history. Whether she's claiming to own the fish factory, advising that all she wants is to get to know the dad that she's grown up without, or ignoring George's cold demand that she go away and never come back, Stéphane's time with this battling brood also has its own knotty backstory. With his School's Out cinematographer Romain Carcanade, Marnier makes The Origin of Evil a visually exacting and foreboding film, even as its vibe is laced with black comedy. Nudging viewers to spot firearms and knives isn't by accident. Ramping up the tension by having the audience primed for a body count isn't as well. Playfully clever use of split screens when everyone in front of the lens is in the same room helps reinforce the Dumontets' divisions, with and without Stéphane — and stresses her outsider status among them, alongside a heavy everyone's-a-future-suspect air. In its imagery, The Origin of Evil is as busy as the central villa that Louise has stacked with everything that she can possibly collect (one notable instance: a wall of VHS tapes of recorded TV shows). The switch of hues from grim to bright whenever Porquerolles beckons is telling, too. Watching along is like playing detective, then, scouring the sights, scenes and details for tell-tale tidbits. It might sport a title that could grace an entry in the Evil Dead, The Conjuring or IT franchises (most scary-movie sagas, really), but The Origin of Evil isn't a horror movie — traditionally, at least. As told via savvily suspenseful scripting, where constantly waiting for new revelations doesn't mean being ready for everything that spills, it's scathing about the ghastliness of money, privilege and expectation, and also misogyny. Snaky doesn't only sum up the plot, though. Where allegiances and sympathies land at any given moment is equally as zigzagging. And, as the story keeps spinning, Calamy's bobbing and weaving efforts as Stéphane are nothing short of phenomenal. Marnier and Carcanade regularly catch reactions from the newcomer in the Dumontets' midst that her hosts cannot see, each one adding new layers to this star performance. As riveting as she proves at every moment, Calamy also has excellent company, including the rest of the female-heavy cast. Blanc, Tillier, Brunnquell and Ruggia's characters mightn't receive as much time on-screen to demonstrate as much depth, but the quartet still ensures that they each make a sharp impression. Blanc is a barbed yet smiling gem, in particular. Together, around Weber segueing from affable to monstrous, the four women unpack the many imperfections of a life that glitters only on the surface — aka the flaws in the gleaming prize that Stéphane is so eagerly chasing. Again, however, Calamy is The Origin of Evil's jewel. If France's film and TV output wants to keep pushing her to the fore again and again, its movies and television shows will only be better for it.
When October hits Brisbane, almost every venue in town busts out the Oompah bands, sauerkraut, wursts and pretzels, with Oktoberfest shindigs happening all around the city. The biggest of them all: Oktoberfest Brisbane, which has been filling steins and serving schnitzels since 2008. In 2023, however, it won't be returning. The always-hefty, always-boozy, always-merry German-themed celebration has experienced a difficult few years, as all events have, including a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. But after making a comeback in 2022, Festival Directors Kim and Boris Zoulek have announced that the big six-day event is saying auf wiedersehen. "All our pretzels were crossed that this message would never need to be written, but the time has come to announce the toughest decision of all — to say auf wiedersehen to The Only Oktoberfest Brisbane," the Zouleks said in a statement. "They talk about decisions not being made lightly, but this one takes the cake. The past few years have brought about the biggest challenges our industry has ever faced. But just last October the team were as excited as they'd ever been to bring back Australia's most traditional Bavarian experience to the people of Brisbane, no less than three years in the making!" "However, over the past few months it has become clear that if the festival were to take place in 2023 we would not be able to deliver the same authentic German experience you have come to expect and love. And if there's one thing we won't do, it's compromise on your experience. So, it's with a very heavy gingerbread heart that we say auf wiedersehen for now (but with one very carefully trained German eye on the future)." Thankfully, the door isn't completely closed on future occasions for Brisbanites to dust off their lederhosen or dirndl at Brisbane Showgrounds — or for the sizeable German culture festival's traditional live music tents, Munich-style biergartens and carnival rides, including yodelling and dance — but there's no immediate plans for another Oktoberfest Brisbane yet. In the past, the event has taken place across two weekends, pairing its entertainment with the opportunity to eat, drink and celebrate all things Bavaria, and attracted more than 35,000 people per year in the process. "When The Only Oktoberfest Brisbane was birthed back in 2008, we had no concept of the authentic, all-yodelling, all-dancing, bratwurst-eating, magnificent teenager it would become." the Zouleks added. "Over the past 15 years, we've welcomed nearly half a million honorary Germans into our family, downed around two million bratwursts, munched on over 1.5 million pretzels, danced to nearly 800 hours of Oompah music and sipped on over a million traditionally brewed biers. While Oktober 2023 will be tough, we say farewell knowing Brisbane was privy to the most authentic celebration of German culture outside of Bavaria." For more information about Oktoberfest Brisbane coming to an end, head to the event's website.
UPDATE: MARCH 19, 2020 — Organisers have announced that So Pop 2020 will no longer go ahead "due to policies and measures put in place by the Australian and New Zealand Government regarding COVID-19 and the inability for large gathering events to proceed". Ticket holders will receive a full refund. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Pull out that old Discman, break out the cargo pants and start practising your smoothest early noughties dance moves — the pop tour of your wildest teenage dreams is hitting our shores this summer and it's got more stars than a TV Hits sticker collection. Next April and May, the second So Pop festival is set to deliver a huge serve of nostalgia to stadiums across Australia and New Zealand, pulling together an extra juicy lineup of old-school icons, headlined by some of the biggest teenage obsessions from the late 90s and early 2000s. Stages in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Auckland and Christchurch will be transported back to the 90s and 00s for one glorious night each, playing host to the pop-drenched soundtrack of your youth. Heading up the show are female five-piece The Pussycat Dolls, who will come out of a hiatus to take you right back to dancing in your living room in front of the TV on a Saturday morning with pop hits 'Don't Cha', 'Buttons' and 'What I Grow Up'. It'll be the group's first visit Down Under since touring with Lady Gaga back in 2009. Joining them is British band Steps — so you'll need to start re-learning the line dancing moves to '5, 6, 7, 8' again — and the object of many a teenage girl's crush back in the day: Jesse McCartney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWq_E17pTHY Relive more So Fresh-era bangers with Smash Mouth — who gifted us with 1999 hit 'All Star' — and the lady that gave us 'Murder on the Dancefloor', Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Irish pop star Samantha Mumba ('Baby Come on Over'), Dutch dance group Alice DJ 'Better Off Alone') and Reel 2 Reel ('I Like to Move It') round out the throwback showdown. SO POP 2020 DATES Perth — RAC Arena on Wednesday, April 22 Brisbane — Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Friday, April 24 Sydney — Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday, April 25 Adelaide — Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday, April 28 Melbourne — Melbourne Arena on Thursday, April 30 Auckland — Spark Arena on Saturday, May 2 Christchurch — Horncastle Arena on Sunday, May 3 So Pop pre-sale tickets are up for grabs or 24 hours this Wednesday, December 4 on the Frontier Touring website. The rest will go on sale on Monday, December 9.
December might be nine months away, but it's beginning to look a lot like an ice cream-lover's version of Christmas in Brisbane. The city's first festival dedicated to the sweet treat is only days away from descending upon West End, and they're bringing in the big guns: Gelato Messina. With Messina's permanent Brisbane digs finally expected to open its doors by the end of the month, it really is a great time to like all things creamy and frosty — and, for those who can't wait, their Brisbane Ice Cream Festival menu delivers quite the mouth-watering appetiser. Topping the bill is a custom-made dessert made just for the fest, the Crack Monster. Made from cereal milk gelato, coco pop clusters, warm crack pie and salted golden syrup, it's certain to get your tastebuds tingling. And if you're wondering what crack pie is, think dense, both salty and sweet, made with ample cream and sugar on an oat cookie base, and (as the name suggests) utterly addictive. Rolling out some old favourites, Messina will also be serving up their popular Cremino choc tops, aka chocolate-lined waffle cones filled with Italian meringue, chocolate hazelnut ganache and salted caramel gelato, then dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in amaretti biscuits. And, for those just after a few scoops of the good stuff, Robert Brownie Jnr (milk chocolate gelato, chocolate brownies and chocolate fudge sauce), salted caramel and white chocolate, and salted coconut sorbet and mango salsa flavours will also be on offer. Wear something stretchy. The Brisbane Ice Cream Festival takes place on March 11 at West Village, 97 Boundary Street, West End. For more information, visit the festival website.
Ask any brewer, winemaker or distiller just what makes a great beer, vino or spirit — or sangria or premix — and they'll likely give you a variation of the same answer. They might mention standout ingredients, an enticing taste or a big flavour, but they're all really talking about that sensation when a drink passes your lips and instantly becomes one of your favourite tipples. Another key quality behind every excellent beverage? Resilience. That's a trait few people might've thought about prior to 2020, though. But it takes hardiness and adaptability to turn a drinks-making dream into a reality — including initially deciding to jump into the industry yourself, doing the hard yards, getting your product in people's glasses, and weathering the ups and downs. Named the most-loved New South Wales-made tipples in the BWS Local Luvvas initiative, Audrey Wilkinson, Akasha Brewing Company, Lust Liquor and Nueva Sangria have all clearly crafted tastebud-tempting beverages. That's why the bottle shop retailer is now giving these four chosen companies an extra helping hand with getting their products stocked in more BWS stores. As we found out by chatting to the folks behind each brand, these drinks-making outfits have all proven resilient as well. You need to be in these testing times — and they've all told us about their experiences. INNOVATIVE DROPS FROM ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S OLDEST VINEYARDS The importance of durability, and of being able to evolve as times change, isn't lost on the team at Audrey Wilkinson. Indeed, when the vino brand's marketing manager Renee Raper notes that "it has been a tough year for everyone", she not only explains how it has hit home, but also how winemakers are doing everything they can to navigate this tough period. "The wine industry hasn't been immune to this, with the drought, bushfires and pandemic — but the wine industry is resilient," she says. Of course, you could say that's been a hallmark of Audrey Wilkinson — or the patch of land in the Hunter Valley that its vineyard calls home, to be specific — for some time. It has been more than 150 years since the Wilkinson family first acquired the spot, and almost 120 years since it started winning awards for its tipples. The winery has been owned by the Agnew family since 2004, who've continued on with a small and dedicated staff that's devoted to the task at hand. "We have an innovative, young and passionate team behind the brand, and this really resonates through the wines we produce," says Raper. The fact that those tipples are resonating with local drinkers, too, is a source of pride as well — and a much-needed boost in this difficult year. "We are really overwhelmed… winning the Local Luvvas means more people can buy Audrey Wilkinson wines throughout NSW, which is a real silver lining for small local brand like ours". HOP-FORWARD IPAS IN SYDNEY'S INNER WEST If Akasha Brewing Company's founder and CEO Dave Padden wasn't so adaptable, his Canada Bay brewery wouldn't exist. He fell in love with craft beer on trips to America, watched the scene explode in the early 2000s, then decided he wanted to do more than just drink his favourites. "It became readily apparent that the Australian market was lacking the hop-forward beers that were becoming so abundant in the US," he explains. "I threw in the corporate towel and embarked on my professional brewing career… this success led to the birth of Akasha Brewing Company in 2015 and the launch of many beers." Padden's motivation: hops. Noting that there are "literally hundreds of different hop varieties available around the world", he describes them as "a real focus for me and the beers that we brew and drink". But he's aware that, for any of Akasha's IPAs to stand the test of time, they need to do more than experiment with his favourite ingredient. "My passion is discovering that next awesome hop combination that creates a beautifully flavoured IPA, whilst maintaining balance and drinkability," he says. "Every single beer we brew must exhibit these qualities." In 2020, Akasha itself has needed to be adaptable. "It's been a strange old year, and we've had our ups and downs like everyone else," Padden notes. As well as hops, naturally, Akasha has been inspired by the love directed its way this year. "We've been really fortunate to have such an amazing following of local supporters who have continued to buy our beers, and visit our taproom for a feed or a refill," he says. "I think everyone could use a drink after these last few months." MEETING THE DEMAND FOR SUGAR-FREE AND LOW-CALORIE TIPPLES Attending university and enjoying a few drinks have long gone hand in hand. But not every tertiary student turns their fondness for a tipple into a business. "We were at university when we noticed an increasing demand for sugar-free and low-calorie alcoholic beverages," Lust Liquor co-creator Nick Rowell says. "So we decided to stop studying and create our own. Nine months later, Lust was born." If Rowell's decision back in 2018 sounds like a brave move, that's because it was. Making that big leap — noticing a particular trend, then abandoning his current plans to help fill that gap — also required quite a display of versatility. That shouldn't come as a surprise, though, given the beverages that Lust serves up. When you're giving drinkers an alternative that doesn't otherwise exist, you're letting them be flexible, after all. Perhaps that's why Lust has amassed an avid fanbase — and why those local supporters have helped the company continue on in this difficult year. Describing everything that 2020 has thrown the world's way, Rowell is frank. "COVID-19 has been a horrible experience for businesses and individuals all over the world," he says. "When we went into lockdown in March, things got really tough for us," he continues. "We had to lean on our loyal fans and customers to make sure that we were ticking over. The support from our community has been amazing — more and more Australians went out of their way to support local and Australian-made products." [caption id="attachment_790538" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] MAKING AN AUSSIE-STYLE SANGRIA There are many ways to show resilience, agility and flexibility, of course — including discovering a niche just screaming to be filled, working out how to do exactly that in a creative and accessible way, and making something that people respond to in the process. That's Nueva Sangria's story. It specialises in bottled sangria that isn't just created in Australia using Aussie-grown pinot grigio grapes, but is designed to taste and feel uniquely Australian. "This is our interpretation of sangria made in Australia for Australia," says managing director Tegan Kynaston. The company initially sprang to life in response to a straightforward problem. "Sangria is the perfect celebratory drink, but we could never find a decent bottle of it anywhere in Australia," Kynaston explains. Resolving that issue wasn't easy, however. "Sangria has a pretty bad reputation here, because most of it is crap. We persisted, and it became a bit of a challenge: how to make a sangria for wine snobs?" Nueva Sangria's tipples aren't just the product of a sturdy and tenacious team, though — they're also drunk by locals who show the same traits, as Kynaston has observed this year. "Nueva Sangria is designed to be enjoyed with your mates. Obviously self-isolation is not conducive to that," she says. "But it's amazing how resilient and adaptable people are. We've been tagged in all sorts of ways that people have been sharing their sangria, from Zoom parties to employers sending it as gifts to cheer up their staff." That's something she hopes will continue now that life in much of Australia is returning to normal, too. To find these or other NSW drinks as part of the BWS Local Luvva initiative, head to your nearest BWS store.
For the third time in the 2020s, Fatboy Slim is heading to Australia to break out 'Right Here, Right Now', 'The Rockafeller Skank', 'Praise You' and plenty more dance-floor fillers. After touring the country in 2020 and 2023, the dance music legend is returning in March 2025 on a five-stop trip, four of which will get him spinning tunes in wineries. Trying to dance like Christopher Walken, pretending you're in Cruel Intentions, being transported back to the late 90s and early 00s: that's all on the agenda again. So is making shapes to DJ Seinfeld, CC:DISCO! and Jennifer Loveless, who'll be supporting the British legend at all five gigs — including at Sirromet Wines in Mount Cotton on Sunday, March 23. [caption id="attachment_975624" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Selbymay via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Cook has been making music since the 80s, but took on the name Fatboy Slim in the mid-90s, starting with 1996 record Better Living Through Chemistry. His 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby was the club soundtrack to end the 20th century — a staple of every 90s teen's CD collection, too. As for 2000's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, it gave the world 'Weapon of Choice' and its iconic Walken-starring (and Spike Jonze-directed) video. Fatboy Slim's discography also spans 2004 album Palookaville and 2013 single 'Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat'. [caption id="attachment_897289" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Carlos Luna/ Secretaría de Cultura CDMX via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Top images: neal whitehouse piper via Wikimedia Commons / Carlos Luna/ Secretaría de Cultura CDMX via Wikimedia Commons.
Since 1888, a pub has stood on the stretch of Fortitude Valley's Wickham Street approaching Brunswick Street, albeit under different names over the years. By the time October 2020 comes to an end, the space will be home to The Prince Consort — an eight-venue collective that's taking over the heritage-listed hotel currently known as The Elephant, and reinstating the site's 132-year-old original moniker in the process. Sparking the change is the pub's new owners, Tilley & Wills Hotels, which already boasts Sydney's Greenwood Hotel and Oxford Art Factory among its venues. It's giving the premises a thorough revamp, including the creation of different new spaces with varying themes and focuses. As incoming manager Jason Hirt explains, the result will allow Brisbanites "to choose between a heritage-style classic English pub, a luxe supper club, a Los Cabos-inspired taco and tequila adventure, a music-driven underground edge, a chilled garden bar and more". As live music venue The Foundry announced last week, it will no longer be part of the space, moving to a yet-to-be-revealed new Valley location by November instead. But The Prince Consort will remain home to Greaser, which was already part of The Elephant, as well as newcomers La La Land, The Garden Bar, 400 Rabbits Cantina, The Bowie Rooms, The Yorke Suites and The Naughty Corner. The Prince Consort itself will reside on the ground floor, in the parlour, and operate as a gastropub. La La Land, which will be located upstairs, will give venue a luxurious supper club-style bar with booth seating, VIP private rooms, a tapas-heavy menu and the ability to live-stream events from around the world — plus a dance floor beneath a crystal chandelier. Downstairs, The Garden Bar will claim the site's openair space, this time with plants, pastel hues and a stadium screen. [caption id="attachment_783851" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] JLL[/caption] As the name suggests, 400 Rabbits Cantina will be all about food, especially tacos, while The Bowie Rooms will live up to their theme and The Yorke Suites are designed for musicians and creatives. And, as for The Naughty Corner, few details have been revealed — but, among all of these venues-within-a-venue, fans of The Elephant's woodfired pizzas can rest assured that they'll still be on offer. Drinks-wise, folks can expect 89 beers on tap across the site, as well as sizeable cocktail list. And if you're wondering how the revamped space will look, the aim is to take The Prince Consort back to its roots, while also giving it a new feel. Find The Prince Consort at 230 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley from late October 2020 — we'll update you with an exact opening date when one is announced. Top image: David Kelly.
After heading our way for Laneway Festival earlier in 2023, Japanese Australian singer-songwriter Joji is finally giving his Aussie fans the chance to catch a glimpse of him at his own headline gigs when he returns for a run of arena shows. The viral hitmaker is making his way Down Under fresh from a US run of gigs, including bringing the Pandemonium tour to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday, November 18. Joji's debut headline Australian shows have been a long time coming. After fostering a cult following on YouTube, he pivoted his talents to music in 2017, releasing three studio albums across the following six years. The entire trio of albums has spawned Top 40 hits in Australia, New Zealand and the US, and Joji is one of only a handful of artists that can claim to have multiple songs with over a billion streams on Spotify — with 'Glimpse of Us' and 'Slow Dancing in the Dark' both passing this impressive milestone. Concertgoers can expect the heartfelt emotions of Joji's ballads alongside a sprinkling of humour, with his live shows receiving online notoriety for the performer's onstage hijinx between and during songs. Scottish dance producer and singer Sam Gellaitry is on supporting duties alongside rapper SavageRealm, who also opened for Joji on his North American tour.
One of the many 80s comedies on Tom Hanks' resume, Turner & Hooch has already been remade in 2021 as a low-stakes streaming series with nothing worth wagging one's tail about to show for it. Still, it gains a big-screen spiritual successor in Dog, Channing Tatum's return to cinemas after a five-year absence (other than a brief cameo in Free Guy, plus voice-acting work in Smallfoot and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part). Sub out a police investigator saddled with a canine witness for an Army Ranger transporting a dead colleague's ex-working dog; swap Hanks' uptight everyman for Tatum's usual goofy meathead persona, obviously; and shoehorn in a portrait of America today that aims to appeal to absolutely everyone. The result: a good boy of a movie that Tatum co-directs, isn't without its likeable and affecting moments, but is also a dog's breakfast tonally. Like pouring kibble into a bowl for a hungry pooch each morning, Dog is dutiful with the basics: a man, a mutt, an odd-couple arrangement between seeming opposites with more in common than the human among them first thinks, and an emotional journey. Comedic hijinks ensue along the way, naturally, although Turner & Hooch didn't involve anyone getting cock-blocked from having a threesome with two tantric sex gurus by its four-legged scamp. Given that Tatum's Jackson Briggs needs to take Belgian Malinois Lulu 1500 miles from Montana to Arizona by car — she won't fly — Dog is also a road-trip film, complete with episodic antics involving weed farmers and fancy hotels at its pitstops. That's all so standard that it may as well be cinema's best friend, but this flick also reckons with combat-induced post-traumatic stress disorder of both the human and animal kind, and ideas of masculinity and strength attached to military service. When Dog introduces Briggs, he's working in fast food by necessity — think Breaking Bad's fate for Saul Goodman, with Tatum even channelling the same stoic demeanour — as he waits to get redeployed. All he wants is to head back on active duty, but his higher-ups need convincing after the brain injury he received on his last tour. But his direct superior (Luke Forbes, SWAT) throws him a bone: if Briggs escorts Lulu to their former squad member's funeral, after he drove himself into a tree at 120 miles per hour, he'll sign off on his re-enlistment. Lulu has also been changed by her service, so much so that this'll be her last hurrah; afterwards, Briggs is to return her to the nearest base where she'll be euthanised. Given that Dog is exactly the movie it seems to be, its ending is never in doubt. Accordingly, fretting about Lulu is pointless. The journey is the story, of course, so Tatum and co-director/screenwriter Reid Carolin — also making his helming debut, and reteaming with the former after penning Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL (and the upcoming Magic Mike's Last Dance) — endeavour to make the small moments matter. That's a line of thinking on par with Briggs' readjustment to civilian life, and similarly howling through his burgeoning bond with Lulu past simply playing chauffeur. Yes, Dog is that obvious. An emotional throughline doesn't need to be novel to strike a chord, though, and this film yaps the message loud and clear. That said, it also trades more in concepts than in fleshed-out characters, making an already-broad story even broader. Some films see the universal in the specific (see: 2008's also pooch-centric masterpiece Wendy and Lucy starring Michelle Williams), but Dog isn't one of them — it's too eager to please, and widely. So, when it attempts to rove beyond a feel-good person-and-pupper road-trip heartwarmer, it still goes broad and blatant. Here, caricatures of Portland women sneer at Briggs for his service, military camaraderie and purpose is his be all and end all, and dialogue riffs about "getting our murder on" on deployment. The armed forces are adamant about checking the boxes required for Briggs' return, but care little about his post-war life otherwise — and see Lulu as expendable. And, this is a feature where a gag involving Briggs pretending to be a person who is blind segues into an attack on a Middle Eastern man, as Lulu was once trained to do, which sparks congrats from a racist cop and Briggs' horror. Dog presents rather than significantly interrogates most of the above, however, proving jumbled in both mood and meaning. Tatum, Carolin and co-screenwriter — and former soldier — Brett Rodriguez are far more careful with depicting the effects of war on Briggs and Lulu. Sharing a 14-year history with the subject dating back to 2008's Stop-Loss, which Tatum acted in, Carolin helped produce and Rodriguez worked on as a military consultant, the trio have been building to Dog; they also collaborated on 2017 documentary War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend, too. Perhaps that's why, even playing a character with plenty of complications but little texture, Tatum still makes Briggs feel lived-in. He's long been great at unpacking and softening engrained notions of machismo — the Magic Mike films dazzle for exactly that reason — and he's as charismatic and graceful at it here as he's ever been. Tatum also conveys the simmering desperation driving Briggs, who only knows how to fight, and the leap it takes to see open himself up to his new barking bestie. Affable, thoughtful, sometimes muddled, a bit adrift: they all describe Dog, and apply to Briggs and Lulu as well. Indeed, it'd be half the movie it is without Tatum, and benefits from a fine supporting turn by Ethan Suplee (The Hunt) as another veteran and dog handler — plus the always-welcome Jane Adams (She Dies Tomorrow) and ex-wrestler Kevin Nash (a fellow Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL alum) as the aforementioned pot-growing duo — as well as never-overplayed canine acting. A familiar but still poignant score from Thomas Newman (The Little Things) also does its part, and the expectedly scenic yet nonetheless vivid cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel (Da 5 Bloods) with it. Dog mightn't convincingly teach its underlying formula new tricks, doesn't always have much bite and rarely knows what to stop shaking its tail at; however, even just for its 101 minutes, it's an easy-enough movie to sit and stay with.
Towards the river end of Bulimba's Oxford Street (past the main cluster of restaurants and cafes) stands local favourite Thai Legend. Not a fine dining or even a family dining establishment, Thai Legend is strictly a takeaway affair, and their prices reflect this. The most expensive dish on the menu is $18, and there is also a page-long list of budget items ranging from $6.70 to $12.50. When it comes to the food itself, do not underestimate this modest suburban takeaway shop. Staples like pad Thai, tom yum goong, red duck curry, jungle curry and coconut rice are first rate but the entrees are in a different league altogether. All of the entrees at Thai Legend (curry puffs, steamed sago balls, tod mun pla and more) are excellent, but the stuffed eggplant (eggplant stuffed with minced chicken and herbs, crumbed and fried) must be tasted to be believed. Though this dish takes a little longer to prepare, it is very generously portioned and exceptionally delicious. A restaurant with no dine-in option may discourage those who live far away, but if you find the time to stop by, it's unlikely you'll be disappointed.
