The QAGOMA Store is an obvious choice for those who like their gifts with a splash of creativity. However, there's nothing obvious about the selection on display at Brisbane's major art gallery. Items linked with their previous and current exhibitions are just the start. Books — of both the picturesque coffee table and the quirky in prose and presentation variety — are probably the store's strongest drawcard, with something on the shelves to suit all tastes. There's more, of course, so expect silly stationery items, artistic umbrellas, the cutest children's toys and even hard-to-find DVDs.
Already in 2024, one huge Australian music festival that calls Byron Bay home has shut up shop, hopefully only temporarily. After Splendour in the Grass announced its dates for this year, then its lineup, only to swiftly cancel mere weeks later, another event that's synonymous with the coastal New South Wales spot is now also taking itself off the town's calendar. Bluesfest is bidding farewell — and its plans to say goodbye are definitely permanent — but it will host a final hurrah in 2025 on its way out. So, the sad news: once Thursday, April 17–Sunday, April 20, 2025 passes, Bluesfest will be no more. The silver lining is that last fest, a four-day event that'll mark the Easter long-weekend mainstay's 36th year. [caption id="attachment_969990" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joseph Mayers[/caption] "After more than 50 years in the music business, Bluesfest has been a labour of love, a celebration of music, community and the resilient spirit of our fans. But after the 2025 festival, as much as it pains me to say this, it's time to close this chapter," advised Festival Director Peter Noble in a statement. "As I said earlier this year at Bluesfest 2024, next year's festival will be happening and it definitely is, but it will be our last," Noble continued. "To my dear Bluesfest family, I want to make it the most unforgettable experience yet. If you've been thinking about it, now is your last chance to experience our beloved festival." [caption id="attachment_969986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] There's no word yet on who'll be gracing the stages at Bluesfest's swansong, following on from 2024 headliners Tom Jones and Elvis Costello. Since 1990, everyone from Bob Dylan, BB King, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, Paul Simon, Bonnie Rait and Santana to Kendrick Lamar, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Mary J Blige, Beck, Midnight Oil and Crowded House have played the fest. And even if you've only ever been to one Bluesfest, you've likely seen Jack Johnson and/or Ben Harper on the bill. The last few years have been tumultuous for the Byron Bay event. 2023's fest lost a number of acts, including King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Sampa the Great, after Sticky Fingers were added to the bill. Bluesfest ultimately dropped the controversial band. And while the fest went ahead in 2022 after two years of pandemic cancellations (and a thwarted temporary move to October for the same reason), it showcased a primarily Australian and New Zealand lineup. [caption id="attachment_969988" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roger Cotgreave[/caption] Bluesfest calling time follows Mona Foma doing the same after its 2024 event — plus a lengthy list of festivals beyond Splendour that've ditched their plans this year, sometimes also without announcing their intentions for the future. Just two years after debuting, Adelaide's Harvest Rock has scrapped its 2024 fest as well. Spilt Milk cancelled its 2024 festivals, while Groovin the Moo did the same after announcing its lineup. Summergrounds Music Festival, which was meant to debut at Sydney Festival 2024, also pulled the plug. As announced in 2023, Dark Mofo took a breather in 2024. Yours and Owls has postponed its next fest until 2025, too, but is hosting a pre-party in October this year. [caption id="attachment_969989" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969987" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_867504" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kurt Petersen[/caption] Bluesfest 2025 will run from Thursday, April 17–Sunday, April 20 at Byron Events Farm, Tyagarah. Early-bird tickets are on sale now — for further information, head to the Bluesfest website.
In 2023, Kylie Minogue was one of the headline acts at the first-ever Sydney WorldPride. In 2024, Australia's favourite homegrown pop star is leading the bill at another huge event: Splendour in the Grass. 'Padam Padam' will echo across North Byron Bay Parklands to warm up winter — and festivalgoers will be spinning around to the music megastar's three-plus decades of hits. Kylie tops a lineup that also boasts Future and Arcade Fire, with Minogue headlining the Friday night with an exclusive set, then Future doing the Saturday and Arcade Fire taking to the stage on the Sunday. The dates, in case you don't already have them in your diary: Friday, July 19–Sunday, July 21. And yes, 2024's biggest Splendour names have plenty of company. [caption id="attachment_870885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darenoted Ltd[/caption] You'll also be catching G Flip, Turnstile, The Presets doing a DJ set, Yeat, Hayden James, Girl in Red, Baby Gravy, Tash Sultana, DJ Seinfeld, Fontaines DC, Royel Otis, Tones and I and more. Of course the list goes on from there — it's Splendour. Omar Apollo, The Last Dinner Party, Lizzy McAlpine, The Kills, Thelma Plum, Partiboi69, Angie McMahon, Viagra Boys: add them all to your schedule for the three days, then a whole heap more. [caption id="attachment_945649" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leonardo Samrani via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Splendour 2024, which is the festival's 22nd birthday, will feature beats and projections at The Forest, LGBTQIA+ dance club Rainbow Bar, everything from immersive installations to giant sculptures as part of its arts program, and Little Splendour turning a trip to the fest into a family-friendly experience, too. Don't forget that there's also a lineup for the Thursday night as well, with Jimi the Kween, Krissy Jaman, Victoria Anthony and Summer Lover kicking off the proceedings. Splendour in the Grass 2024 Lineup: Friday: Kylie G Flip Turnstile Tash Sultana Omar Apollo Partiboi69 Angie McMahon Viagra Boys ISOxo Confidence Man Otoboke Beaver Allday A.B. Original Yard Act Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers JK-47 Leisure Kita Alexander Skeleten Radio Free Alice Becca Hatch Nick Ward Triple J Unearthed Mix Up DJs: Dameeeela Baschoe Reenie The Forest: Anthony Pappa Wongo Morgazmk Miles Jackson Arya Data Roaming K Dizzy Saturday: Future Yeat Hayden James Fontaines D.C. Lizzy McAlpine Tones and I The Last Dinner Party The Presets (DJ set) Pond Boywithuke Middle Kids Beddy Rays Swim Coco & Clair Clair Michael Marcagi Floodlights Rona. The Dreggs Teenage Joans Good Neighbours Rum Jungle Willo Miss Kaninna Logan. Mix Up DJs: Naynay Naycab The Forest: Grouch Marnie Megapixel Ish K Sophdexx Lucidream Justtim Camila Rosa. Sunday: Arcade Fire Girl in Red Baby Gravy (Yung Gravy X Bbno$) Royel Otis DJ Seinfeld The Kills TV Girl Thelma Plum Fletcher Polaris Eyedress Sofia Kourtesis Sam Alfred Pacific Avenue Erika De Casier Grentperez Danny Ocean Old Mervs Paris Paloma 6 Sense The Slingers Vv Pete Belair Lip Bombs Triple J Unearthed Mix Up DJs: Jhassic & Rakish Bria The Forest: Opiuo Godlands Käse Kochen Grouch in Dub (solo) April Kerry Surge Crooks Farfetchd Smish Wren Thursday night: Jimi the Kween Krissy Jaman Victoria Anthony Summer Lover Splendour in the Grass will take over North Byron Bay Parklands from Friday, July 19–Sunday, July 21, 2024, with ticket presales from 9am–9pm AEDT on Thursday, March 14 for Splendour members, 10am–4pm AEDT on Sunday, March 17 for locals, 9am–9pm AEDT on Monday, March 18 for PYP, 9am–12am AEDT on Tuesday, March 19 for Optus and 9am–9pm AEDT on Wednesday, March 20 via TikTok — and general sales from 9am AEDT on Thursday, March 21. For more information, head to the festival website. Images: Charlie Hardy, Bianca Holderness and Claudia Ciapocha.
School's back — and so is the escalating battle between humans and folks with superpowers, no shortage of chaos and gore, and nothing being quite what it seems at Godolkin University. Also returning at the centre of all of the above, as seen in the just-dropped full trailer for Gen V season two: the blood-bending Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair, Please Baby Please), her size-changing roomate Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway, Kinda Pregnant), gender-shifting Jordan Li (Never Have I Ever's London Thor and Shining Vale's Derek Luh), the persuasive Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips, Overcompensating), super-strong Sam Riordan (Asa Germann, Monsters) and superhero Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas, High Potential). This college-set spinoff from The Boys — which takes the latter's caped-crusader satirising to the next generation — first debuted in 2023 and was quickly renewed for a second run. Season four of The Boys arrived in 2024, and now it's time for Gen V's comeback from Wednesday, September 17, 2025, ahead of the Vought Cinematic Universe's OG series wrapping up with its upcoming fifth and final season. What if dealing with possessing superpowers turned higher learning into absolute mayhem? That's one of the concepts at the heart of Gen V — although the impact of part of the population having extraordinary abilities has always been at the core of the entire franchise. As the VCU's characters cope with the fallout from Homelander's (Antony Starr, G20) actions in The Boys, what if the Godolkin gang could rival him in strength? That's where Gen V is heading, too, the new sneak peek teases. As also seen in an earlier teaser for season two, there's a new uni head, Cipher (Hamish Linklater, Nickel Boys), on the scene with a far-from-trustworthy vibe. Indeed, he wants his pupils to be more powerful than ever. Marie's stint at the Elmira Adult Rehabilitation Centre, her home since the events of season one — and for some of her friends, too — comes to an end as well; however, going back to class isn't the same as it once was, including in a "Make America Super Again" world. Then there's the discovery of a secret program dating back to God U's founding. For those who missed Gen V 's initial season, Godolkin University is the college for superheroes that's meant to help prepare the best of the best for caped-crusader life — until exploding classmates, creepy secret facilities and unnerving professors complicate matters, that is. Season one spent its time with Marie, who knows that attending God U is a pivotal opportunity. After a traumatic experience when her powers kicked in, this is her chance to completely change her life, as well as achieve her dream of becoming the first Black woman in The Seven. Then, nothing turns out as planned. Also, things on campus (and underneath it) get shady, fast. The pair of glimpses at season two so far also dive into how the show is addressing an off-screen tragedy, after season-one talent Chance Perdomo (After Everything), who portrayed the magnetic Andre Anderson, passed away in 2024. Familiar faces from across the franchise feature in the new footage as well, alongside Ethan Slater (Wicked) joining the cast as Thomas Godolkin. Check out the full trailer for Gen V season two below: Gen V streams via Prime Video, with season two releasing from Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Read our review of season one.
With hundreds of events on its hefty annual lineup, Brisbane Festival is never short on highlights — but if it's dazzling colour that you're after, keep an eye out for Japanese Australian artist Hiromi Tango's regular contributions to the program. In 2018, she teamed up with Craig Walsh on A Force. In 2020, she brought both Rainbow Circles (Healing Circles) and Brainbow Magic the River City's way. In 2023, it's now time for Hiromi Hotel: YU KA 夢花 — and to get floral. Taking its cues from a poem by fourth-century BCE Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zi, and from the use of the peony in Buddhist imagery as well, Tango's new installation features giant flowers towering over South Bank in a rainbow of hues. You'll find the peonies at Bris Fest's festival garden, adding brightness to 186 Little Stanley Street — to see for free from Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 23, as open from 5–11pm Tuesday–Thursday, 4pm–12am Fridays, 12pm–12am Saturdays and 12–11pm on Sundays. That's just one part of the Hiromi Hotel experience, however. At Brisbane Quarter over in the CBD and at Brisbane Airport, pop-up installations are also part of the fun. The BQ event runs for an extra week, until Saturday, September 30, taking over the venue's podium 1. A number of Brisbane Quarter's bars and eateries are also getting in on the action via themed dishes. Fancy a Citrus Smile or Drink of Flower cocktail? Chinese doughnuts stuffed with prawns? Hiromi Hotel's vibrant palette and blooms, but edible and drinkable? Then head to W Brisbane's Living Room Bar, Brisbane Phoenix, Phat Boy, Tenya, Persone and more. Drink images: Claudia Baxter.
Before 2020 comes to an end, Queenslanders will be able to gather in bigger numbers, outdoor events will be permitted to expand their capacity and New South Wales residents will be welcomed back into the Sunshine State. They're all on the agenda as part of Queensland's new 'COVID Safe Future' roadmap, which was revealed today, Friday, October 2, by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. While the state has unveiled similar plans before, we all know that nothing in 2020 remains certain for long — and that the situation regarding COVID-19 is constantly changing. So, this new outline responds to the current circumstances, and is designed to make clear how the state will be changing between now and the end of the year, in an effort to provide more certainty to both businesses and the community. Already, as at 1am on Thursday, October 1, the first step of the new plan has come into effect — with northern NSW residents allowed into Queensland without quarantining as part of an expanded border zone, and density restrictions easing for outdoor venues, events and stadiums. There's one more newly annonced element to this phase, however, and it'll kick off at 4pm today, Friday, October 2, with Queenslanders once again allowed to eat and drink while standing at indoor and outdoor venues with a COVID-Safe plan or checklist in place. Next, when 1am on Sunday, November 1 rolls around, a new step will start — and it'll be of great interest to anyone eager to head further into NSW, or for NSW residents keen to come north to soak up the sunshine. At that point, no one from NSW will need to enter mandatory quarantine when they come to Queensland. Relaxing that rule is contingent on the southern state having community transmission under control but, just this week, NSW reported a seven-day stretch without any new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, so fingers crossed that continues. Also on November 1, Queenslanders will be able to gather in groups of 40 at home and in public spaces, which is an increase from the current limit of 30. Plus, up to 40 people at weddings will be able to dance, as long as there's a COVID-Safe plan in place. Finally, from 1am on Tuesday, December 1, gatherings at home and in public spaces will increase to 50 people, just in time for Christmas. Outdoor events with COVID-Safe checklists will be able to host 1500 attendees, up from 1000, while weddings will no longer resemble Footloose in any shape or form (unless, for some reason, Kevin Bacon is invited) — because unlimited dancing will be permitted. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1311817281438019584 For now, Queensland will remain closed to Victoria throughout this whole period, but the roadmap notes that the state will reassess the situation when community transmission is under control. And, while the present announcement is all about opening back up again, it does specify that limits may come back into place if there's community transmission in Queensland. It's likely this'll happen in impacted areas only, and could include capping gatherings at ten people again, requiring the wearing of masks, increased testing, only allowing seating rather than standing in venues and scrapping dancing at weddings once more. Announcing the changes, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young advised that it's thanks to the state's compliance with restrictions thus far that Queensland can reopen further. "The hard work of Queenslanders has helped us to the strong position our state is in today — it has been a fantastic result," Dr Young noted. That said, she also stressed the need to remain cautious regarding hygiene and social distancing. "So that we can keep easing restrictions, it is vital that we maintain physical distance, wear a face mask in public when physical distancing is not possible and wash your hands." For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 gathering restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Top image: Atlanta Bell.
Like your burgers tiny and your tipples with a fruity flavour? As the name suggests, The Osbourne's Sliders 'N' Ciders Fest has your back. When it comes to the former, prepare to tuck into pulled pork, chicken breast and mini cheeseburger varieties, as well as vegan and vegetarian options. And as for the latter, expect the taste of apple and cherry to tingle on your tongue. The one-day festival's cider lineup includes Young Henrys Cloudy Apple Cider, The Hills Cider Co's and Newstead Brewing's boozy apple concoctions, and Pagan Cherry Cider — so you can pick your favourite or enjoy them all. With the event taking place on Monday, January 28, whichever cider and slider you opt for will be surcharge-free. As anyone who's been caught out on a public holiday knows, that's a definite bonus. Anything else you order from the regular menu will attract an extra 15 percent price, however. Doors open at 10am, with sliders on offer from midday. Entry is free, but bring your wallet for those bite-sized burgs and cold beverages.
THE Rodriguez is coming back to Australia. Touring nationally this October and November, the 72-year-old enigmatic legend was last here in 1981 playing with Midnight Oil, after touring in the late '70s to small success. Now he's riding a wave of newfound support back to our biggest venues, thanks in part to two South African fans. Most people had no idea who Sixto Rodriguez was until the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man dropped in 2012, prompting longtime fans to shake a fist and spin a bitter "I told you so." A self-taught guitarist, Rodriguez played around the traps in Detroit during the '60s but saw no real success in the States with his two albums Cold Fact (1969) and Coming from Reality (1971). Different story in South Africa, where he was pretty much bigger than Elvis — inspiring South African anti-Apartheid activists and musicians alike (unbeknownst to Rodriguez himself). One of music's most mysterious heroes, Rodriguez was even thought to have died until two Cape Town fans in the late 1990s, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom went to find out if the rumours were true (cue Oscar-winning doco). The man also has a cheeky bachelor's degree in philosophy from Wayne State University, he ran for political office and he's had to work construction jobs to support his family. Undeniable and relatively unknown legend. Rodriguez will play Brisbane Convention Centre, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne's Palais Theatre, Adelaide's AEC Theatre and Perth's Kings Park and Botanic Garden. Tickets on sale on Thursday August 28 at 12pm local time. Members of the Niche mailing list and ticket agent mailing lists can purchase pre-sale tickets on Tuesday 26 August at 12pm until Wednesday 27 August at 5pm. For further details or to sign up to the mailing list please visitwww.nicheproductions.com.au. Rodriguez Australian Tour Dates: Sunday October 19 — Convention Centre, Brisbane. Tickets via Ticketek or 132 849. Tuesday October 21 and Thursday October 23 — Sydney Opera House. Tickets via Opera House Box Office or 02 9270 7111. Saturday October 25 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne. Tickets via Ticketmaster or 136 100. Wednesday October 29 — AEC Theatre, Adelaide. Tickets via Ticketek or 132 849. Friday November 7 — Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth. Tickets via Ticketmaster or 136 100. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qyE9vFGKogs
Another convenient trip from Brisbane is Moreton Island, just north of Stradbroke. The Tangalooma Wrecks campground is a short walk or drive (via 4WD) from the ferry landing and, as the name suggests, is within view of a series of shipwrecks. The difference between these and most others along Australia's east coast is they were deliberately sunk to create a break wall. Happily, they make for excellent snorkelling and diving, too. Moreton Island National Park is home to miles of pristine beaches, rocky headlands, creeks, lagoons and wildflowers. Facilities consist of cold showers, hybrid toilets and untreated running water. Book in advance. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Visiting a new city can be hard. Not only because you have to learn how to use their unique version of public transport, but most importantly because you need to maximise on eating only the most delicious food in the city. Stumble once and you've lost a valuable meal opportunity — a hurdle that is hard for an epicurious tourist to overcome. But take heart, we've compiled a list of ten eateries to visit when you come to Auckland so your mind will be consistently blown and all your worries of eating a subpar meal can be left in the overpriced taxi from the airport. AMANO, BRITOMART Amano is Pinterest personified. Bouquets of dried flowers dangle from exposed rafters, with the space huge and rustic and beautiful. And the menu is packed with bouquets of flavours that are mostly sourced from local growers or handmade onsite, so you can rest assured that anything you choose will have been made with a hearty dose of TLC. Whether you're a carnivore, herbivore or bonkers for a bit of pasta, your needs will be met and your expectations exceeded. Amano is cloud nine made of flowers, handkerchief pasta and happy bellies. COCO'S CANTINA, KARANGAHAPE ROAD If you're looking for a restaurant with personality and pizzaz, then look no further; charisma is in Coco's bones and bland isn't a word recognised in its vocabulary. Where owner-operators are celebrated and where community isn't a quaint concept but a way of life, Coco's is a restaurant with integrity. Your orders will be taken by waitstaff who feel like friends, and your food, sourced locally and very intentionally, will make you feel whole and perfectly full at the same time. Whether you're in the mood for a cheeky happy hour pomodoro or a romantic Italian meal, Coco's is the ticket. Don't forget to order a bowl of the legendary polenta chips, you won't regret it. GEMMAYZE ST, KARANGAHAPE ROAD Nestled in the back corner of the curious St Kevin's Arcade, Gemmayze St is a dining opportunity like no other. With all the finest Lebanese trimmings and traditional artefacts, Chef Samir Allen and his family aim to give everyone an authentic Lebanese dining experience. Ordering is simple, either you choose from the bursting menu or you simply say "bring" (in Arabic "jeeb") and the chef will provide you with a feast. Either way, you won't be disappointed. ORPHANS KITCHEN, PONSONBY Exploring national flavour and identity through offerings from the bush, ocean, orchards and fjords, Orphans Kitchen's food philosophy is beautifully holistic (they even have a rooftop hive where they collect honey). Beautiful on the inside too, its interior is warm and inviting. High tables surrounded by tall, sheepskin-covered chairs fill the main dining room, which hums with chatter that is occasionally lulled by a mouthful of food. The seasonal menu is homely and unpretentious, the flavours unique and unexpected. Hearty without being predictable, it's a culinary experience, unique to New Zealand, that you don't want to miss. PREGO, PONSONBY Before Ponsonby became the buzzy hive of restaurants and bars it is today, Prego was there. Since 1986, Prego has been serving up consistently great Italian eats with excellent service to match — not to mention a certain elegance and sophistication that has stood the ultimate test of time. Known as 'Ponsonby's Kitchen', Prego is known for its oven-baked loaf, amazing pasta and pizza that will hook you from the minute you take a bite (the bianco is a thing of dreams). The restaurant is an institution for a reason and a must-try for anyone who sets foot in Auckland. HAN, PARNELL Although it's tucked away on Parnell Road, Han should be at the forefront of your mind. Slick fit-out, slick service, slick food — the experience is one slick ride. Designed by Patterson Architects, the interior is a haven of industrial-chic, each table decorated with extractor fans that are as pleasing to the eye as they are practical. The modern Korean cuisine swaps traditional ingredients with finer, more exciting ones and introduces you to unexpected combinations — pork belly and kimchi in a pie, anyone? Han's authentic charcoal barbecue is a DIY experience not to pass up — the meat is prepared so perfectly by the chef, it's pretty much impossible for anyone to stuff up the barbecuing process. KISS KISS, BALMORAL If you've been hurt by undercooked pork belly and soggy bao before, Kiss Kiss will restore your faith in Asian-fusion. Found just off Auckland's busy Dominion Road, among some of the best Chinese eateries, Kiss Kiss can definitely stand on its own two feet. Its kitsch interior — dominated by neon lights, viewfinders and loud floral tablecloths — sets the tone for a fun evening. The pork ribs are insanely tender, the sauce worth licking every last finger for. The free-range lemongrass fried chicken bao is also a must-try, and it's small enough to allow you to fit more of the menu in. This bang-for-your-buck means you won't leave Kiss Kiss broke, but you will leave wanting more — after the food coma wears off, that is. FEDERAL DELICATESSEN, AUCKLAND CBD If you've ever wanted to experience a Manhattan deli from the 1950s, Fed Deli is just the ticket. From the mint green uniforms to the jars of pickles, cartons of cheesecake that line the walls to the kept promise of bottomless coffee — it's the attention to detail that makes the experience so effortlessly authentic. Sit in a cosy booth or take a seat at the counter where you can stare at the chefs and order off a menu stacked with New York deli-style food. Do not look past the poutine, it will be among the best you've ever had. The chicken salad sandwich doesn't go amiss either. Visit the 50s and one of Auckland's best eateries all in one night. CASSIA, AUCKLAND CBD Cassia was Auckland's first restaurants to introduce modern Indian dining, and we're sure glad they did. Owned and operated by Sid Sahrawat, one of New Zealand's most exciting chefs, Sid takes traditional Indian dishes and reworks them with modern, local ingredients. Located in the heart of the city, you'll find this south Asian gem off Fort Lane, down a set of stairs. Proving to the country that there is more to Indian food than just curry, the menu boasts mouthwatering flavour pairings you won't find many other places. There are only two mistakes you could make when visiting Cassia. One would be not ordering off the ever-changing G&T menu with its local offering of gins, and the other would be not leaving room for dessert. The apple sorbet with walnut, raspberry and white chocolate will be a welcome addition to your Auckland bucket list. IMA CUISINE, AUCKLAND CBD Ima means 'mother' in Hebrew. And if that doesn't prepare you for the onslaught of delicious food you will experience while visiting Ima, you can't say you weren't warned. Yael Shohat — owner of Ima, Israeli native and purveyor of all things delicious — wanted Auckland to experience the joy of a Middle Eastern family-style banquet, where plates and plenty of memories are shared. The interior is colourful, as is the feast, with every table bursting with displays of vivid generosity. The flavours are just as intense and wonderful, whether you're biting into the falafel or free-range chicken mesachan, your tastebuds won't be disappointed. Besides trying as much as you can, our only other advice is to wear pants with an elasticated waistband. LET'S DO THIS, HOW DO I GET THERE? Flights to Auckland from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are super short — around three-and-a-half hours on average — and Air New Zealand flies direct from all three cities and offers accessible fares. Once you arrive in Auckland, jump in a hire car and let your gustatory adventure begin. https://youtu.be/4kRccnc0F20 Book your flights to Auckland with Air New Zealand and start planning your next long weekend away. Looking for more Auckland food recommendations? Check out our Auckland restaurant directory here.
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ has been accumulating some serious buzz around the world and in Australia and New Zealand, we are set to host it for the very first time. Meaning, with Sydney hosting some exciting games, the city will be bustling with football fever. The event will run from July 20 to August 20, adding some much-needed winter excitement to our lives — especially with the FIFA Fan Festival™ at Tumbalong Park. So if you are planning a trip to Sydney, let's not forget a key ingredient in the making of an unforgettable holiday: range. Make sure you balance out all that sporting fun with some art and culture to create a perfectly rounded getaway and keep all your travel buddies happy. We've tracked down some excellent cultural activities that prove Sydney isn't just sunshine and beaches. While the footy will undoubtedly captivate your attention, this guide will ensure you make the most of your stay by immersing yourself in the city's vibrant cultural scene. So beyond your dose of World Cup action, Sydney offers an array of experiences to satisfy any culture vulture. [caption id="attachment_884303" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Hamish McIntosh[/caption] ALL ABOUT ART Sydney's art gallery scene is one to impress traveller and connoisseur alike. From iconic institutions to small, independent galleries, there is a lot to explore when you aren't in the stadium. Don't miss Australia's iconic Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes for this year, showing at the newly expanded Art Gallery of NSW from now until early September. While you're there, be sure to check out the Brett Whiteley Studio, a museum in the former home of the legendary avant-garde artist. If contemporary art is more up your alley, you can't go past the impressive works in the MCA, located right on Sydney's idyllic harbour. Or, explore a world-class collection of Chinese contemporary art at the White Rabbit Gallery. And after you finish browsing, you can enjoy tea and dumplings at their tranquil teahouse. [caption id="attachment_813468" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Daniel Boud[/caption] SPOTLIGHT ON THE STAGE With the Opera House and Sydney Theatre Company in its stable, Sydney is leading the way in global theatre. So once you are done with the international football stage, you can shift your focus to a different stage. Be sure to pay a visit to the harbourside icons and check out a classical music performance at the Opera House, or a production at Sydney Theatre Company's Roslyn Packer Theatre. Or roam the charming streets of Surry Hills and catch a play at the innovative Belvoir Street Theatre. For something further afield, you can check out Riverside Theatres and the Seymour Centre. There's no shortage of culture during your Sydney stay. [caption id="attachment_846614" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Destination NSW[/caption] THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC When it's time to take off the football boots and whack on your dancing shoes, head to a gig at one of Sydney's live music venues. Looking to hit the dance floor with a live DJ set? Then check out what's on at Oxford Art Factory. Or, if seeing local live talent and bands is more your thing, enjoy new music alongside beer and burgers at Mary's Underground or The Lansdowne Hotel. For something on a bigger scale, the Enmore Theatre is host to some of the top international acts in the game. Sydney is sure to provide you with plenty of options to dance the night away after a big football win. ON YOUR MARK(ETS), GET SET, GO You can't come to Sydney without doing a bit of shopping. So if you're in town for World Cup season, be sure to make time for some market and boutique-hopping when you aren't cheering in the stadium. The charming suburb of Paddington, lined with designer boutiques in Victorian terrace homes, is a must-visit destination. After enjoying a coffee at one of the leafy cafes in Five Ways, take a stroll up Glenmore Road, where you'll find a range of high-end boutiques from renowned Australian fashion houses such as Lee Mathews, Dion Lee, Venroy and more. Don't forget to explore Paddington Markets, held every Saturday on Oxford Street. Here you can immerse yourself in a wholesome community atmosphere with bustling stalls filled with artisanal goods from local businesses. Sydney boasts many more vibrant markets waiting for your perusal. For a unique and eclectic shopping experience, head to The Rocks, Bondi, or Glebe, where you'll discover a treasure trove of handmade goods, vintage clothing and gourmet food. Uncover hidden gems that reflect Sydney's creative spirit. [caption id="attachment_833493" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Sharon Hickey[/caption] DIVE DEEP INTO FIRST NATIONS CULTURES Sydney will be bursting with international visitors, both on the field and in the stands, this World Cup season. We have a lot to celebrate in terms of our multicultural landscape, but it is also important to discover and celebrate Sydney's Indigenous origins and continuing cultures. If you are the type to crave a bit of time out in nature, then be sure to include time to explore the Jibbon Loop Track in the Royal National Park. Embark on a journey through ancient landscapes and sacred sites, walk in the footsteps of the Dharawal people and discover some Aboriginal carvings. The track is about an hour's drive out of Sydney, and takes about an hour and 45 minutes to complete the circuit. It's a perfect interlude to your Sydney getaway when you need a break from city-slicking. For those who prefer to stay city-side, then embark on a compelling Dreamtime Southern X Rocks tour. Led by knowledgeable Indigenous guides, this 90-minute tour takes you around the historic Rocks area to uncover the history of the Aboriginal people's saltwater heritage in Sydney Harbour. After your tour, you can head to Leichardt and immerse yourself in contemporary Indigenous art at the Boomalli Aboriginal Art Co-op. This space showcases the works of talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in a diverse range of mediums. Curated exhibitions are held regularly. If visiting Sydney for the FIFA Women's World Cup, be sure to check out the FIFA Fan Festival™ Sydney, taking place from Thursday, July 20 till Sunday, August 20 at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. Check out the website for the full schedule of events.
Chamomile gin, quinoa vodka and moonshine are among the spirits now available for tasting just outside of Melbourne in Healesville, following the opening of brand new distillery Alchemy. The business has taken over a century-old bakery, which you'll find hidden away up a laneway, off the main street. And not only is there a cellar door, there's a cocktail bar and accommodation too. At the centre of Alchemy's operations is a hybrid pot still with a 100-litre capacity. This mighty machine enables founders Evan Kipping and Jannick Zester to experiment with a variety of left-of-field flavours and ideas. While the aforementioned chamomile gin, quinoa vodka and moonshine are Alchemy's core products, there's also a bunch of small-batch spirits on the go at all times. "Sinking our teeth into making multiple spirits has allowed us to collaborate with local producers," says Zester. "We've been overwhelmed with support and are currently playing with local strawberries, cumquats and grapes from the Yarra Valley." You're invited to taste Alchemy's offerings and/or settle in for a signature cocktail, craft beer or local wine — either indoors, at the bar, or out in the sunny beer garden splashed with greenery. If you want or need to sleep over, there's a two-bedroom apartment overlooking the main street that'll sort you out. To get more deeply involved, join Alchemy's barrel-ageing program. The crew is giving 100 people the opportunity to own their own 20-litre barrel. You'll start by going through the whiskey-making process, including mashing, distillation and fermentation, then, throughout maturation, make return visits to sample your creation. Two years down the track, choose to release the whiskey, stick with it as it continues to age or pop it in a bottle and take it home. Alchemy Distillers is now open at 242 Maroondah Highway, Healesville. For more info or to book a room, visit alchemydistillers.com.
Everyone remembers studying ancient Egyptian history in school. Pyramids, pharaohs, boy kings, mummification: they aren't easily forgotten. Your next chance to explore this chapter of the past will get you walking through works from centuries ago, covering the time of Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Nefertari, Khufu and even Alexander the Great, all as part of an impressive exhibition at Melbourne's NGV International called Pharaoh. Meet the venue's midyear blockbuster for 2024, which will fall into Victoria's annual Melbourne Winter Masterpieces season. Following on from 2023's Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, this middle-of-the-calendar spectacular will run from Friday, June 14–Sunday, October 6 and feature items from the British Museum. That loan is quite significant, too, with Pharaoh including the venue's biggest-ever borrowing of ancient Egyptian jewellery, as well as pieces that previously haven't been shown. In total, more than 500 works will be on display as the NGV peers back at Egypt from the 1st Dynasty to the Roman era — so, from around 3000 BCE to the 4th century CE. Expect to see plenty of gleaming artefacts given that focus on ancient Egyptian jewellery. The exhibition will also span coffins and other funerary items, as well as examples of architecture spanning tombs, temples, and also massive monuments and sculptures. [caption id="attachment_918945" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Plaque of Amenemhat IV, Probably Byblos, Lebanon, 12th Dynasty, reign of Amenemhat IV, about 1808- 1799 BC, Gold, H 2.9 cm, W 3.1 cm, D 0.1 cm, © The Trustees of the British Museum.[/caption] Among the specific highlights, a hefty wall from a 2.5-metre-high, three-metre-wide limestone wall from a mastaba tomb dating back to the Old Kingdom is one of them — complete with hieroglyphic texts carved into the surface. Also going big: a huge fist made of stone from a statue of Ramses II that hails from Memphis, in the temple of Ptah, and weighs in at almost 1.5 tonnes. Still on that particular ruler, Pharaoh will feature an enormous limestone statue of Ramses II that shows him as a high priest. Visitors will also be able to see a seated statue of Sety II, Ramses II's grandson, which is also notable for being one of the most complete sculptures that still exist from the time. Or, check out Pharaoh's oldest item, a five-centimetre-wide ivory label that shows the 1st Dynasty's King Den. Jumping forward, a green siltstone head of the 18th Dynasty's Tuthmose III wearing the cobra headdress will also feature. Among the gold, silver and gemstone-studded jewellery, everything from rings and necklaces to collars and girdles will be on display — and as sourced from tombs, so will amulets that were placed to protect the deceased, to examine the role that adorning bodies played in ancient Egyptians' beliefs about the afterlife. Pharaoh won't just focus on jewels used after death, however, with pieces from places such as Akhenaten's royal city Amarna also part of the exhibition as it examines everyday life. Still on royals, the showcase will boast objects from Deir el-Medina, where the craftspeople who were responsible for carving and decking out the Valley of the Kings' royal tombs resided. Here, attendees will see letters, notes, sketches and poems carved on limestone fragments. [caption id="attachment_918948" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Statue of Ramses II as a high-priest, Abydos, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramses II, about 1279-1213 BC, Limestone, H 171cm, W 71.5cm, D 98cm, © The Trustees of the British Museum.[/caption] Top image: Shabti of Pharaoh Sety I, Tomb of Sety I, Valley of the Kings, Thebes, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, reign of Sety I, about 1294-1279 BC, Blue faience, H 22.8 cm, W 9.6 cm, D 9.6 cm, © The Trustees of the British Museum.
There's no such thing as too many parties — although if there was one venue that almost puts that idea to the test, it's The Brightside. In fact, their lineup is so jam-packed with get-togethers that they've combined two into one for their annual Ekka eve celebration. If you're a Blink 182 fan, then prepare to feast your ears on everything that has made the Californian pop-punksters the mainstays that they are, with Granola Boy playing a best-of Blink set. And if you're single and looking to mingle, the evening doubles as the latest Brighty traffic light party. Just make sure the colour of your outfit reflects your relationship status.
Thirty days. A 100-minute drive out of Brisbane. Fifty-three community events and tours. A whopping 190,000 blooms. Over 350,000 attendees. That's some of the maths behind 2023's Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, which has just dropped its annual program for its whopping 74th year celebrating blossoms and colourful petals as far as the eye can see. Winter might not be here yet, and autumn hasn't even reached its final month, but it's never too early to start making spring plans. Once again, this bloom-filled festival will return for the entirety of September — and if its record-breaking popularity in 2022 is any guide, it just might top its attendance figures again. This excuse for Brisbanites to head west to frolic among the flowers didn't always run for 30 whole days, but it's been brightening up the Darling Downs city for as long as it can since 2021. For 2023's event, it'll also mark the 50th anniversary of the carnival's exhibition garden program, which sees folks around Toowoomba open up their own patch of turf to visitors. From Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30, garden lovers can look forward to blossoms and floral displays galore as the event takes over a variety of locations — including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park — to showcase all of the gorgeous florets and growths and gardens around town, kaleidoscopic arrays of tulips, petunias and poppies included. Among the 2023 highlights, the floral parade returns and there'll be an extra batch of twilight tours through Laurel Bank Park. Or, there's a succulent fest with plenty of plants to buy, a bonsai show, a heap of strolls across Toowoomba, a sideshow alley filled with games, the dog-friendly Petals and Pups program, and three nights of fireworks mid-month. The beloved ferris wheel is making a comeback, letting attendees scope out the flowers from great heights. For film buffs, so is the cinema under the stars. And, it wouldn't be the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers without the three-day Festival of Food and Wine, which celebrates regional produce and Australian music, with the onstage talent still to be revealed. Still on bites to eat, the #trEATS regional food trail showcases local eateries, and sees participating cafes, restaurants and bars serve up floral-inspired dishes. And, for those fond of a sip, there'll be a pubs tour as well. Beer-loving outfit 4 Brothers Brewing is whipping up a signature floral tipple for the fest, while Pechey Distilling Co is getting botanical — naturally — with its gin and vodka. Basically, there's no bad time to head along throughout September, so much so that you might want to make the trek more than once. Indeed, when it comes to scenic spring sights, there's no prettier place to be. And, given it takes less than two hours to head up the mountain from Brisbane, it's perfect for a weekend day trip. The 2023 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers will run Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30 across Toowoomba. For further information, head to the event's website. Top image: Tourism and Events Queensland.
Hungry? Thirsty? If you're not already, you will be soon. With everything from everyday deals to special sit-down dinners on offer, just perusing the program for Brisbane's annual Good Food Month is enough to inspire a healthy appetite. That's what happens when the city turns itself over to all things food and drink-related from July 1 to 31, after all. Prepare to rush to and from every restaurant and cafe you can think of (and a few you can't) while consuming all manner of delicious morsels. And if that sounds like you're being spoiled for choice, well, you are — but perhaps our ten top picks of events to attend can help you out.
UPDATE, August 8, 2023: Until the end of Monet in Paris' Brisbane run, with the exhibition wrapping up on Sunday, August 27, Concrete Playground readers can score 20-percent off tickets. When you've ushered the world into Vincent van Gogh's work — getting them not just peering at it but stepping through it thanks to an immersive 360-degree experience — what comes next? For the folks at Melbourne-based Grande Exhibitions, it's now Claude Monet and his impressionist peers' turn. Hot on the heels of Van Gogh Alive touring the country, and even hitting up some cities multiple times, Monet in Paris is set to dazzle from winter 2023. This exhibition will enjoy its world premiere in Brisbane, hitting Northshore Hamilton from Thursday, June 8–Sunday, August 27. The River City stint is being hailed as the showcase's global debut, after which it will tour Australia. Art lovers can look forward to wandering around the 2500-square-metre Grand Palais, a marquee custom-designed by Australian theatre designer Anna Cordingley, with the venue set to feature six breakout spaces, a cafe, multiple bars and a gift shop. Of course, it's Monet and his pals' creations that's the big drawcard. Featuring Monet's Water Lilies, getting attendees dancing with Edgar Degas' ballerinas and just whisking visitors into 19th-century Paris' bohemian vibe — with detours to the French countryside — there'll be plenty to see. Fans of Van Gogh Alive know how it works from there, with iconic paintings projected large — pieces not just by Monet and Degas, but also from Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt and more. Once again, that means using Grande Experiences' state-of-the-art technology, which is behind those beamed images. And, there'll also be a classical score soundtracking the experience. Images: Grande Experiences. Updated August 8.
We are all well acquainted with the fascinating leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. Shrouded in mystery, marvelously eccentric and either architecturally amazing or atrocious, leaning towers and buildings are simply fascinating structures, which arouse our amazement and curiosity. However, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is far from being the only leaning tower in the world; in fact, it doesn't even top the list for being the oldest, tallest or having the greatest lean. Here are ten of the most stunning, mystifying leaning buildings from around the world that will be sure to make you look at buildings from a new angle. Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi Granted the title of the world's furthest leaning man-made tower, the recently built Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi boasts of a whopping 35 stories, all leaning at an impressive 18-degree slant. This structural wonder is a 520-foot sleek and futuristic design which requires 49 piles drilled 100 feet into the Earth to maintain its integrity. Qianwei Leaning Tower, China In Huludao City in China's Liaoning Province lies the world's first leaning tower. Aside from it's rich historical background, the Qianwei leaning tower is believed by many to also have the largest lean in the world, yet it is not recognized by Guinness World Records. Leaning Tower of Barceloneta, Spain Situated on Barceloneta Beach in Spain, this iconic tower features four cubes stacked precariously on top of each other at varying angles. Scores of tourists and visitors flock to this beautiful part of the country, not only for the sun and sand, but also to take in the view of this unorthodox building. Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan, Malaysia The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan, formerly known as just the water tower, is one of the major attractions of this small Malaysian town. Shortly after the construction of the tower the building began to tilt due to the stream of water running through the ground below, which made the foundation soil weak. Neuer Zollhof, Germany Part of the redeveloped port in Dusseldorf, this unconventional building was created by renowned architect Frank Gehry. The three buildings curve and lean in varying directions and are made of different cladding, whether that be white plaster, red brick or reflective stainless steel. Leaning Temple of Huma, India The only leaning temple in the world, the Temple of Huma was built in 1670 on the banks of the Mahanadi at an angle of 17 degrees, and is dedicated to the Lord Shiva. It is said that the construction of the temple came about due to enquiries made because of a milkman's daily ritual of crossing the Mahanadi and offering his milk to the rock which cropped out on the bank, and the rock would miraculously consume the milk each time. Tilting Hypo Alpe-Adria Bank, Italy This eco-friendly building is an architectural feat in its own right as, rather than using shading devices to protect the south-facing walls, the solar passive design instead uses its own floors with the 14 degree tilt. The office also features a myriad of sustainable building strategies to provide comfort and save energy. Leaning Tower of Nevyansk, Russia The mysteries surrounding this Russian tower work to make this ethereal building all the more stunning. No-one knows exactly what the tower/prison/science lab for secret experiments is actually for, when in the 18th century it was constructed, by whom, or the origins of its tilt. Although there are bizarre speculations including crying walls or throwing architects off the balcony, this one is better shrouded in mystery. Gate of Europe, Madrid The twin towers that make up the Gate of Europe are named as such for good reason. These foreboding structures, known as Puerta de Europa, lay at the top of a stone staircase and appear to barricade the city of Madrid. The 114m towers have 26 floors of office space and have fittingly appeared in a number of movies, such as The Day of the Beast. Leaning Tower of Suurhusen, Germany Before the Capital Gate was built in Abu Dhabi, this medieval steeple held the title of the most tilted tower in the world. Located in a village in North Western Germany, the 14th century church was built with oak tree trunk foundations, which rotted in the surrounding marshy land.
Students about to graduate from the SAE Brisbane campus have put together an exhibition, guided by the theme Illumination, and they are opening the doors to the public to view their inspiring work. All six disciplines will be on display - Animation, Audio, Design, Film, Games, Web & Mobile - that make up the Graduate Exhibition, open from 6-8pm. For those students and relatives, there will be an awards ceremony soon after. Head along to this free event for live DJ sets, drinks, as well as the vast and impressive displays of creatives about to make their talents officially recognised. There are some surprises in store, making this an exciting event for students and attendees alike. All you need to do is register your interest on the official website.
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Brisbane is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you celebrate the little things that bring a sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Brisbane. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine. This week, pick some leaves from South Bank's free herb garden, enjoy ice cream from a slice of watermelon and spend a Sunday brunching and book shopping. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the new few weeks here. All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
He lived there. He spent his last moments there. In between, he recorded music, played small gigs, and based his studio and record label there, too. We're talking about Paisley Park, the house formerly known as Prince's private and creative sanctuary. Only a few hundred people have had the privilege of entering — but now, the compound that shares its name with one of his songs is open to the public. Six months after his tragic passing, the multi-talented musician's siblings have allowed the first tours of the massive mansion 30 minutes outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota; however not everything has gone according to plan. Until the local Chanhassen City Council meets in December to consider zoning issues and safety concerns, the midwest site is only open on a limited basis — currently on October 6 to 8, and 14. It is hoped that people will be able to celebrate his life, musical output and legacy at the 65,000-square-foot complex on a more regular basis after the council meeting. Fans that have stepped through the doors of the Prince-focused equivalent of Elvis Presley's Graceland so far have not only wandered through the main floor of the site (which was built in the mid '80s), or spied the recording and mixing studios where Prince recorded, produced and mixed many of the iconic tracks we all know and love. They also reportedly spotted an urn containing the late performer's ashes, plus his personal office, with his belongings untouched since he was last in the room. The rest of Paisley Park also boasts Prince's private NPG Music Club, as well as the massive soundstage and concert hall where he not only rehearsed for tours, but also held exclusive private events and concerts. Thousands of artifacts from Prince's personal archives are also display. If you've ever wanted to feast your eyes on his concert outfits, awards, musical instruments and artwork — or rare music and video recordings, concert memorabilia, automobiles and motorcycles — you'll find them here. According to Prince's sister Tyka Nelson, "opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do and was actively working on." While the lyrics of his 1985 song advised that "admission is easy, just say U believe and come 2 this place in your heart", ticketing — which is still on sale now — costs either US$38.50 for a 70-minute self-guided tour, or US$100 for a longer, more extensive VIP experience within what we're hoping are purple-coloured walls.
From the city's big stars to its everyday faces, everyone earns at place at the Brisbane Portrait Prize. A new initiative kicking off in 2019, it showcases the folks that make this town of ours great — and the talented Brisbane artists who've committed their likeness to canvas. Indeed, subject-wise, the 100 inaugural finalists read like a who's who of Brissie. Fashion icons like Pamela Easton sit alongside comedians such as Matt Okine — plus footballers Kevin Walters and Ally Anderson, and musicians such as David McCormack, Warren Ellis and Tyrone Noonan. Agro pops up, as does Toowong resident Ziggy. The list goes on, spanning names you'll recognise and people you won't. While the winner won't be announced until Thursday, October 10, the entire gallery of contenders is on display at Brisbane Powerhouse for a whole month. Drop by to check out the free exhibition between Monday, September 30 and Thursday, October 31. Image: Amy Sheppard - Ascension by Beth Mitchell. Photographic print on metallic pearl paper and acrylic. 100cm x 150cm.
If you've ever wished for your own personal sommelier, you're in some serious luck. The Wine Gallery is an Australian-based, online wine store that delivers wine curated by one of the best wine sommeliers in Australia right to your front door. And when The Wine Gallery say "one of the best wine sommeliers", they mean it — for this project, Australian entrepreneur Tom Walenkamp has teamed up with three-time Sommelier of the Year Banjo Harris Plane, whose resume also boasts former head sommelier at Attica and co-owner of Fitzroy's Bar Liberty. The idea originated when Walenkamp was studying abroad in France. "My European classmates already knew so much about wine from their culture and I thought the Australian market would really benefit from this type of knowledge," says Walenkamp. "I love drinking wine but always felt a bit on the outside — I call it playing wine roulette because you never know what you're going to get." Not so with The Wine Gallery. The deal is simple: subscribers take a palate quiz and receive three recommend bottles each month based on personal preferences. The bottles on offer are hand-selected by Plane's wine team and each bottle comes with tasting notes, detailed information on the grapes and stories behind the wine makers, along with recipes and food pairings. If you aren't happy with a bottle they'll replace it without a fuss and there's also no lock-in so you can pause, skip or cancel your membership whenever you like. "It's a fully interactive site, with ratings and feedback systems, so after two months no two people will have the same recommendations," says Walenkamp. "You don't have to go with our recommendations, either — you can always swap bottles, add more, or decide to go with all reds for colder months, for example." They've also just rolled out a new, 'state of the art' rewards program — thanks to third co-founder and expert coder Humberto Moreira — which keeps track of the different wine types, production methods and wine regions of each bottle you receive. This allows members to log in and track their wine journey in a visual way, with a few free bottles of plonk as you earn 'badges'. The three bottles are reasonably priced at a uniform $69 and The Wine Gallery will ship anywhere in Australia for a flat rate of $9 (they offer complimentary shipping for orders over $150). Morning orders will even be dispatched same day, so you don't have to wait long to crack one open. "The site is an access point for people that don't really know where to start exploring, and being an independent, online store mean can share our love and knowledge of wine with a much broader part of the Australian population," says Walenkamp. The Wine Gallery will ship anywhere in Australia. To sign up or for more info, visit thewinegallery.com.au.
Films about terminal illness can be a tricky proposition. There’s only so much drama that can be wrung from the mundane inevitability of death, a process that, by its very nature, is so horribly undramatic. Too often do filmmakers and actors make the mistake of overcompensating, wallowing in misery or resorting to cheap emotional manipulation. It’s for its avoidance of these pitfalls, as much as anything else, that Still Alice deserves your attention. Adapted from the novel by neuroscientist turned author Lisa Genova, Still Alice tells the story of Columbia linguistics professor Alice Howland (Julianne Moore). In one of the first scenes we see her, she’s giving a lecture in Los Angeles, when suddenly she finds herself unable to recall a specific word. At first she dismisses the lapse as one of those inevitable side-effects of turning 50. When she gets lost on her regular morning jog, however, she realises something more serious is amiss. A visit to her doctor brings a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer’s, a disease without a cure. In the film’s lead role, Moore is simply magnificent — she’s already taken home the Golden Globe, and seems a lock to win the Oscar. Alice deals with her condition proactively — at one point she even visits a nursing home, under the guise of finding a room for an elderly parent. Inevitably, however, the illness takes its toll. Slowly, we watch her go from an articulate, passionate, independent woman to a shell of her former self. It’s a heartbreaking transition, and Moore captures every moment — with honesty, nuance and whatever small measure of dignity she can muster. So too do we witness the effect the disease has on the afflicted person’s family. Alec Baldwin gives a terrifically understated performance as Alice’s husband, John, a New York intellectual suddenly confronted with a future he may not be able to accept. Even more impressive is Kristen Stewart as Lydia, the youngest of John and Alice’s adult children. Although she's (rightfully) bemoaned for her wooden performances in the Twilight movies — frankly, no one could make that dialogue sound good — it’s abundantly clear that Stewart has talent. Here, both the actress and her character exhibit a maturity far beyond their years. Credit must also go to the movie's married co-directors, Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer. They’re the perfect fit for the project, having experienced similar medical hardship themselves. Glatzer lives with ALS and is unable to speak, communicating with actors on set via an iPad. It’s their sensitive, compassionate storytelling — channeled by their cast — that ensures Still Alice sticks in your memory even after Alice forgets.
There's not a lot that can be said about Fortitude Valley indie mecca Ric's that isn't already known, but if you are in fact unfamiliar, we suggest you drop by for a guaranteed fun Saturday night — or any night of the week, really. There truly is something for everyone here. Okay, so lovers of Pink, Ed Sheeran or football may not find it their scene, but if you're a live music fan, Ric's hosts bands and solo musicians nearly every night of the week. If eclectic DJ sets are your thing, head to the dancefloor upstairs, or if you just want to chill, head out back to two large seating areas and join the ever hip, friendly clientele for a drink. Beer, wine and spirits are available at reasonable prices. While a change of ownership and large renovation a few years ago aroused fears Ric's would lose its unpretentious, grungy soul, we feel it only served to enhance the venue. There's now more room, a better sound system and beer on tap — and the decor is still just as delightfully divey as it ever was. If punters are peckish or craving a coffee during the day, head next door to Ric's equally iconic cafe Fatboys, which serves breakfast and lunch daily from 7am, as well as various themed dinner menus most nights (although at time of writing, pleased be advised Fatboys currently closes early afternoon due to the Brunswick Street Mall redevelopment). The legendary $4 brekkie (well, $4 with any drink purchase — heck, still brilliant) has withstood numerous interest rate rises over the years but the Fatrics Breakfast ($12.90) is worth shelling out for too, along with many lunch delights including burgers, sandwiches ($10.90) and pizza ($14.90). So forgo the unjust cover charge at that sterile, dubstep-peddling, dime-a-dozen club and travel to the real heart of Brisbane music. And if you're a student (or just stingy), do head in for some Thursday night discounts also.
Let's see what's behind door number one. Or how about door number 1000? After blowing our minds last year with the incredible House of Mirrors, Australian installation artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney are headed back to Brisbane Festival with the fittingly named 1000 Doors. Visitors will choose their own adventure, cutting a path through an endless labyrinth of doors, screens, portals and gateways in the Cultural Centre Forecourt. No two people will experience the work in quite the same way once they step across the threshold. While there's no word yet on what you'll encounter on the way — hopefully no deathly four-guard, two-door riddle, à la Labyrinth — the artists have hinted to ghosts, time-travelling and "past inhabitants". We suggest you have your wits about you. 1000 Doors runs from Friday, September 6 to Saturday, September 28, with sessions held from Tuesday–Sunday. Images: James Morgan
It was a sad day when Polaroid announced it was going to stop producing film. The iconic camera was used by artists Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, Helmut Newton and Robert Mapplethorpe and nothing quite matches the simplicity and beautiful graininess of Polaroids. But now, you don't have to feel glum whenever you look at your photo wall - it's not all over yet. The clever clogs at Polaroid have found a way to keep the camera alive without using the traditional film. Meet the Polaroid Z340. It is a 14MP camera with a 2.7-inch LCD display and an integrated printer that produces 3x4-inch color prints. The printer uses inkless printing technology from Zink Imaging where special print paper has embedded dye crystals which are activated by heat to form the image. It's not cheap at $299.99, and a pack of 30 photos costs $19.99. But hey, instant gratification is priceless. Fingers crossed that the images will still have that dreamy imperfection that makes them unique.
The murky world of web analytics is usually left to advertising types and businesses who want to know about you so they can sell stuff to you. But the newly launched browser extension and website, Voyurl, aims to enhance your browsing experience through infographics that break down your web habits with real-time recommendations. Founder Adam Leibsohn was one of these advertising types. Having had a successful career in advertising as Group Director of Digital Strategy at a NYC advertising agency, Anomaly, Leibsohn has channelled his expertise in consumer behaviour and developed Voyurl, or what he calls the "anti-social social network." He says while social networking sites bring your social circle to the fore, Voyurl is more concerned with how you browse the web. At this month's NY Tech Meetup, Leibsohn was applauded by the audience when he said: "unlike a lot of services, we [Voyurl] actually don't want you to authorise Facebook or Twitter." Instead, what Voyurl does is collect your browsing information and present it in a series of infographics that lets you see trends, recommendations and comparisons seamlessly. There is an option to share your information through social networking of course, but the focus remains on your browsing habits. A feature that lives up to Leibsohn's claim that the browser extention is the "anti-social social network" is the "anti-me" button that presents information based on your anti-self (in case you were curious about what sort of websites your anti-self would be looking at). Concrete Playground got in touch with Adam Leibsohn in New York and asked about the gap Voyurl fills in the user browsing experience and, yes, the usually murky world of web analytics. What did you have in mind when you thought of the concept for voyurl? So, for a long while, I worked as a digital strategist at an ad agency in New York. After being introduced to countless marketing technology firms and data auctioneers that use an ethical gray area to peddle in user data, I thought it was time for a platform that was open about its data use and put the user first. With that in mind, we sought out to build Voyurl. We want to disrupt the behavioural data marketplace that occurs without most peoples' awareness by putting the control of this behavioral data back into the hands of those who generate it: all of us who use the web. We want empower people through their data. So, we've begun to build a platform that puts all this data to work for anyone who generates it. The best part is that you don't have to do a thing. You just browse the web like you already do; and, we'll do the rest. How does it work? We analyse behaviour, not identity. So we try our best to determine where on the web your behaviour indicates positive preference. Then, we find other people who have behaved like you. And then, we figure out what stuff those folks have looked at and liked that you haven't seen yet... and we recommend those things to you. And since your browsing behaviour powers our content recommendation engine, we'll never recommend something to you if you've clicked on it before... ever. This way every recommendation we make to you is guaranteed to be genuinely new, each and every time. How will this benefit businesses? For us, this is mainly about how it can benefit our members. If our members are empowered through their data, then maybe businesses will be encouraged to figure out a better way to interact with them to get data they need. So really, we're trying to create a dynamic that fosters a positive experience through data for everyone. If both consumers and businesses can get what they want by leveraging data, we think we're taking a step in the right direction. What feedback have you gotten so far? The feedback has been incredible. People are really enjoying the data, the trends, the content recommendation, and the comparisons and fun features we offer. For instance, we allow users to invert our recommendations so that they can get content fed to them that's 180º away from who they are. It's our little way of allowing you to take yourself out of the filter bubble. Folks have been really great with feedback and input. They're already looking for some fun new features to help make things more social. If you want to try Voyurl for yourself, can can access the private beta via invitation at www.voyurl.com/concreteplayground
Since first opening its doors back in 2013, Sydney's Golden Age Cinema and Bar has proven a home for interesting and eclectic movies, screening new independent and arthouse fare alongside offbeat retro favourites. It's the kind of venue that shows flicks you won't see in multiplexes, all in boutique surroundings. And if you like its taste in films — or you're Melbourne or Brisbane-based cinephile who regularly wishes they could experience Golden Age's program, too — then you'll definitely like their latest venture as well. As plenty of other companies and cinemas have been doing during the COVID-19, Golden Age is getting into the streaming game. Now available online, Movie Night by Golden Age Cinema showcases movies that've graced the venue's screens over the years, as well as others chosen by the cinema's programmers. That includes a curated selection of recent and new releases, with extra films added to its lineup every week. At the time of launch, the service's range features The Trip to Greece, which was supposed to release in cinemas but has been fast-tracked to streaming instead; 2019 favourites Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Parasite; and thoughtful documentary For Sama, which hit the big screen earlier in 2020. Viewers can also revisit Bong Joon-ho's excellent monster movie The Host, see Nicolas Cage milk an alpaca in Color Out of Space, and enjoy Robert Pattinson's recent stellar work in High Life and Good Time. Spanning award-winners, cult favourites, fashion docos and collections of Asian, Aussie and European cinema, Movie Night's highlights also include 2018 Cannes Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters, adorable cat documentary Kedi and masterful German comedy Toni Erdmann — as well as Sydney Film Festival prize-winner Aquarius, Australian drama Judy & Punch, and docos about Yayoi Kusama, Roy Halston Frowick and Alexander McQueen. https://www.facebook.com/OurGoldenAge/photos/a.472586509492206/2993131060771059/?type=3&theater Films are available to watch on a pay-per-view basis, with prices varying per movie — from $4.99 for an older title to $19.99 to something brand new (such as The Trip to Greece). And, for Sydneysiders eager to physically return to Golden Age, it's also opening its doors for private screenings of up to ten people from June 1 — so you and your mates can pick a film to watch on the big screen, then get the whole place to yourselves for three hours. For more information about Movie Night by Golden Age Cinema — or to watch a movie — visit the streaming service's website. Top image: Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Madman.
A love of Woody Allen courses through Fading Gigolo, his influence evident in his inclusion amongst the film's cast but his distinctive footprint also felt in its themes and moods. Though John Turturro is the feature's guiding force as its lead actor, writer and director, the inspiration he has taken from his co-star is obvious. His fifth effort as a filmmaker offers a light homage to the type of easy and breezy New York comedies Allen is synonymous with. To saddle Turturro's protagonist with the waning prostitute descriptor of the film's title is to overstate his enthusiasm for his new-found line of work; for Fioravante — also known by his gigolo pseudonym of Virgil Howard — making money making love is a reluctant sideline to his floristry job. His friend, failed bookseller Murray (Allen), convinces him to test out the world's oldest profession with dermatologist Dr Parker (Sharon Stone). Positive reports from their first satisfied customer motivate Murray to start actively scouring for other clients, including Hasidic widow Avigal (Vanessa Paradis). The relaxed attitude that marks Fioravante's take-it-or-leave-it approach to benefiting from his bedroom skills also flavours the entire film. It's a movie that saunters with fondness rather than marches with purpose. Affection is its primary motivation — for its New York setting, for eclectic characters that careen through eccentric circumstances, for the brand of emotional sweetness and slapstick silliness too rarely offered with any intelligence, and for the continual mysteries of life and love. If it all seems familiar in that warm and witty way of Allen's directorial efforts, that's because it is, especially with the auteur in the thick of the amiable ensemble antics. In his best acting role in many years (and in a part obviously written for him), he relishes the expected affable neuroses of his accepted screen presence. And yet, his biggest feat and the feature's biggest surprise is his double act with Turturro. Where Allen provides the anticipated patter, Turturro is an engaging, alluring enigma. He sells the facade of Fioravante's sexual appeal and sensitive outlook but leaves audiences ever intrigued and always wanting more. The duo fit in perfectly in the caper-like creation that Fading Gigolo becomes, as do their well-cast supporting players; however, the hijinks-laden atmosphere stems as much from a persistent jazz score and a storyline that sees Murray tailed by a jealous neighbourhood watch cop (Liev Schreiber) and Fioravante pursued for a menage a trois with Dr Parker and her friend Selima (Sofia Vergara). Following such comic paths proves purposely frivolous and recognisable but also pointedly earnest. With a slightness of touch, Turturro whips his Allen-esque meanderings into a modest but melodious tapestry of offbeat observations and off-kilter charm. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_pdlbI4TuGY
When The Market Folk first brought a heap of stalls to Newstead's old gasometer a couple of years back, it was clearly a smart move. Browsing and buying beneath one of inner-city Brisbane's most striking sights — what's not to love? Because some ideas are too great to stop, this winning combination has made a comeback for 2024. On regular dates — Saturday, September 14 and Saturday, November 2 are the next — you'll be heading to Newstead and shopping for fashion, art, homewares, plants, pots and ceramics. [caption id="attachment_814294" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The September event is all about spring, taking place from 9am–1pm. To start November, you'll be shopping by twilight from 5–9pm. Either way, the Gasworks Plaza Markets will feature plenty of artisanal goodies to tempt your wallet. As always, Brisbane creatives will be in the spotlight, so you'll also be showing them some love as well. And, there'll be live music on the lawn, soundtracking your shopping. Plus, bringing your pooch is 100-percent encouraged. [caption id="attachment_747965" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Andrew S via Flickr[/caption] Top image: The Market Folk.
Brisbanites are set to fork out a bit extra for their public transport travels, with TransLink announcing it's upping the price of public transport fares by 1.8 percent, from Monday, January 7. Fares have been adjusted in line with inflation, impacting the cost of travelling on trains, buses, ferries and CityCats. The increase will see passengers shelling out between five and 50 cents extra per adult-priced journey across both peak and off-peak Go Card trips, as well as single paper tickets. That means that a one-zone journey will increase from $3.25 to $3.31 in peak times, from $2.60 to $2.65 between 8.30am–7.30pm and 7pm–6am on weekdays and all day on weekends, and from $4.70 to $4.80 whenever you buy a paper ticket. At the upper end of the scale, an eight-zone trip — which'll take you from the CBD to Noosa and Gympie — will jump from $19.61 to $19.96 in peak times, from $15.69 to $15.97 in off-peak, and from $28.40 to $28.90 for paper tickets. Most concession fares will also rise, jumping between two and 30 cents per trip — although, if you happen to be buying a one- or two-zone concession paper ticket, fares will remain at $2.40 and $2.90. Image: Philip Mallis.
Watch Red, White & Brass and you'll never see the pre-game or half-time entertainment at a big sporting match the same way again. Of course, if Rihanna, or Beyoncé with Destiny's Child, or a heap of hip hop and rap legends are taking to the stage at the Super Bowl, you won't question it — but if there's a community band on the turf, you might start wondering when they first picked up their instruments, why and if it was only four weeks ago to make it to this very gig. Are they just out there because they were that desperate to see their team play? And, because they missed out on expensive and instantly sold-out tickets? Were they so eager, in fact, that they bluffed their way into a gig by claiming to already be a musical group, then had to speedily do anything and everything to learn how to get melodic, and obviously not embarrass themselves, in a passion-fuelled whirlwind of pretence and practice? A band solely forming to score access to a rugby game sounds like pure screenwriting confection. Often enough, though, when tales like that make it to the silver screen, it's because they're so wild that they can only be true. Such is the case with Red, White & Brass' premise, as it notes at the outset. Back in 2011, New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup, which was a source of particular excitement to Aotearoa's Tongan population, and especially to avid aficionados at a Wellington church. The kind of fans that were showing their devotion by decking out their homes in the Tongan flag top to bottom, hitching the red-and-white cloth to every free space on their cars and carrying around the symbol on their phone cases, they were determined to see Tonga play France in their own home city, and willing to whatever it takes to do so — wholesomely, in the type of underdog story about fervour, ingenuity, self-belief and luck that engagingly makes for an easy and warm-hearted cinema crowd-pleaser. On-screen, the dynamic Maka (NZ Popstars personality and film debutant John-Paul Foliaki) first thinks that he'll simply raise enough in donations for his congregation to attend the big game, aided by his dancing while the choir sings. When it ends up taking too much money to make money that way, that plan hits a bum note. So does a too-good-to-be-true offer that's exactly that. But sports fandom and a love of one's country are just like life in frequently finding a way. Handily, Aroha (Hariata Moriarty, Cousins) from the city council is looking for a brass marching band to perform before the match, asking at Maka's father Pita's (Tevita Finau) church for local talent. They don't have what she's searching for, and have never been anywhere near even thinking about having a brass marching band; however, that doesn't stop their resident born entertainer from saying otherwise when he hears that free Rugby World Cup tickets are involved. It may spring from reality, with co-writer Halaifonua (Nua) Finau scripting the story with first-time feature director Damon Fepulea'i from his very own experiences — yes, this happened to Finau — but there's a touch of Brassed Off meets Pitch Perfect meets Cool Runnings to Red, White & Brass. Although some films bring others to mind because they're that generic, often lazily as well, that isn't what's occurring here. Whether or not you know the IRL outcome going in, you know the outcome. You know that there wouldn't be a movie unless exactly what you think will happen happens. Stepping through this real-life quest makes for infectious viewing because it does follow the expected narrative pattern so lovingly, with such heart and so satisfyingly, especially when it comes to celebrating NZ's Tongan community. Maka has plenty of convincing to do, including friends like Veni (Dimitrius Shuster- Koloamatangi, Upright), who has largely lost touch with his Tongan heritage; Irene (Ilaisaane Green, The Commons), who is sceptical about this new brass-playing scheme; and his disapproving father and wary mother Elisiva (Valeti Finau). In the process, with help from Samisoni (Michael Falesiu), the only person Maka knows with any brass marching band experience, the Tongan word "māfana" is mentioned more than once. It means an overwhelming feeling of warmth and emotion, so it happily fits his mission, and it's also what Red, White & Brass itself is revelling in. This is an affectionate and joyous film that doesn't just pay tribute to events that clearly begged for the big-screen treatment from the moment that they happened, or to the feeling and energy behind them, but to the community and culture goes all-in when it comes to national pride. Even when they're disagreeing, disparaging or doubting — and when the familiar sports-film training journey sees Maka and his pals start out with plastic bottles, then join a school band for lessons, and also become the unhappy stars of a viral fail video — Red, White & Brass' persistent group of Tongan rugby superfans don't waver in their māfana. Nor does the cast that Fepulea'i has assembled to portray them, as led by Foliaki bouncing around the movie with a larger-than-life vibe that plays as pure zeal. That the Finaus, Nua's parents and both first-time actors, basically step into their own shoes is a nice touch, as is including some original members of the Taulanga Ū Brass Band, who started it all. Red, White and Brass is directed with inescapable fondness as well, which flows through to its sunny frames (as shot by Andrew McGeorge, The Panthers), upbeat editing (including by Fepulea'i) and mix of marching-band tunes with tracks from Three Houses Down. In music, hitting every expected note is usually pivotal. When that skill is perfected, creativity and experimentation can echo, which Red, White & Brass acknowledges and embraces. In cinema, movies that stick to the sheet before them can be blandly cliched, and many do, but the best of them swell with reassurance and comfort. Everyone watching wants this film to turn out the way it does, which it does, sticking to reality and offering a soothing bit of solace in a hectic world. That's what loving a sport, your culture or anything that you're passionate about can be, too, and Fepulea'i, Finau and executive producer Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder) know it, feel it and let it resound.
Stanthorpe is known to celebrate its apples and grapes, hosting an entire festival that's all about the two kinds of fruit. But they aren't the only types of only fresh produce that the town, and the Granite Belt region, is famous for. So, that's where the Stanthorpe Berry Festival comes in. Returning for 2024 on Saturday, November 16 at Weeroona Park, this sure-to-be-colourful events adores berries in all their forms — but especially strawberries, raspberries and blueberries grown locally. Yes, you know what you'll be eating (and plenty of it), including strawberry ice cream. The festival also features berry food stalls, boutique markets, chefs hitting the stage, a competition to find the best strawberry or mixed berry jam, and a scones and jam eating food-eating contest. Or, you can get sipping thanks to the region's wineries and brewers, meet berry farmers, listen to live tunes and take part in a berry-themed dress up.
If you were to see a fridge standing in the middle of the Queen Street Mall, what would you do? And, perhaps more importantly, what would you hope to find inside? On Saturday, January 20, you can put this situation to the test IRL — and we can tell you now that gelato awaits, plus flavoured milks. Gelato Messina and Westinghouse are teaming up on a giveaway, so one of the latter's refrigerators will indeed be onsite. You'll need to head in front of Burberry between 10am–4.30pm, but getting in quick is recommended as the freebies are only available while stocks last (and any chance to grab some Messina for nothing is bound to be popular). On the menu: mini ice cream pops in choc jersey milk and coconut passionfruit varieties, as well as choc malt, dulce de leche and strawberry flavoured milks. One person will also win the fridge itself, so you might end up treating your kitchen as well as your tastebuds.
Thinking about UK cinema's biggest names brings a wealth of famous talents to mind. Odds are that they're on the 2023 British Film Festival program in one way or another. When the Australia-wide cinema celebration returns for its latest tour, it'll do so with Olivia Colman's latest movie, Ian McKellen's as well, what might be Michael Caine's final role and an Alfred Hitchcock documentary. Ken Loach, Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E Grant, Timothy Spall, Helena Bonham Carter, Gemma Arterton, Maggie Smith: they're all covered, too. In total, 28 films are on the British Film Festival's 2023 lineup, including both brand-new flicks and retrospective screenings. Audiences can see the results throughout November, with the festival kicking off on Thursday, November 2 in Brisbane — Palace Barracks and Palace James Street — and keeping its projectors whirring for four weeks until Wednesday, November 29. Opening night's One Life will begin the 2023 fest, with the Hopkins (The Son)-starring biopic coming to Australia after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. It tells the tale of Sir Nicholas Winton, whose World War II story includes assisting in the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children, earning him the label of the 'British Schindler'. Johnny Flynn (Operation Mincemeat) plays the humanitarian in his younger years, with Bonham Carter (Nolly) also co-starring. Still on BFF's big festival slots, the Colman- (Heartstopper) and Jessie Buckley (Women Talking)-led Wicked Little Letters will close out the 2023 event. The two actors reunite after both featuring in The Lost Daughter, although this time they aren't playing the same character. Instead, they're in a mystery-comedy that's based on a real-life scandal dating back 100 years And, playing as BFF's centrepiece is The Critic, which is where McKellan (Cats) and Arterton (Funny Woman) come in, and Mark Strong (Tár), Lesley Manville (The Crown) and Nikesh Patel (Starstruck) as well. As the name makes plain, it does involve a critic — a theatre specialist, in a whodunnit that's based on the novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. Also a huge inclusion: My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock, the new documentary from The Story of Film's Mark Cousins. This time, the filmmaker turns his meticulous attention to a director like no other, and to plenty of suspense, including featuring footage from the bulk of Hitchcock's classic films. Among the other highlights, war veteran tale The Great Escaper could be Caine's (Best Sellers) last performance; The Old Oak marks the latest from iconic filmmaker Loach (I, Daniel Blake, Sorry We Missed You); The Lesson features Grant (Persuasion), Julie Delpy (On the Verge) and Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters) in a literary thriller; and musical Greatest Days features Take That's songs. Or, there's Sweet Sue from Leo Leigh, son of Peterloo and Mr Turner director Mike Leigh; the Irish village-set In the Land of Saints and Sinners, which features Neeson (Retribution), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones, and also Sex Education); Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First, with Gabriel Byrne (War of the Worlds) as the playwright; Golda, starring Mirren (Barbie) as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir; Mad About the Boy, a doco about Noël Coward; and Pretty Red Dress, which is set to the songs of Tina Turner. Plus, fans of movies about music can add Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which hails from Control's Anton Corbijn and hones in on the titular photo-design company and its contribution to record cover art, to their BFF schedule. And, among the retrospective titles, the Mirren-starring Caligula, rock opera Tommy and drama Howard's End are all playing in 4K restorations — with Smith's (The Miracle Club) Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, plus The Remains of the Day, Women in Love and Morgan — A Suitable Case for Treatment also on the classics list.
He turned the world's most famous shipwreck into one of biggest movies in history and reinvented 3D filmmaking to make another box office behemoth — and now James Cameron is bringing the ocean's depths to Sydney. Making its world premiere at Sydney's Australian National Maritime Museum from May 29, 2018 until January 30, 2019, James Cameron – Challenging the Deep will dive deep into the Titanic and Avatar director's rather expensive hobby: deep-sea exploration. When you make a movie about a necklace called the Heart of the Ocean, becoming obsessed with the sea is understandable, and Cameron has quite the array of artefacts, specimens, underwater recordings, inventions, cinema-scale projections, and film props and costumes to prove it. They'll all be on display, in a showcase that examines the filmmaker's passion for understanding and wading through our oceans. According to the The Sydney Morning Herald, Cameron himself will be in attendance to open the exhibition — taking a break from making four (yes, four) Avatar sequels. And if you're wondering why he's launching his latest project here, it could have something to do with his custom-built Deepsea Challenger submersible, which was made in Sydney. Back in 2012, Cameron piloted the vessel to the Mariana Trench, a cool 10,994 metres below the sea and also the deepest part of the ocean, becoming the first person to venture there solo. You might've seen a documentary about his efforts, 2014's Deepsea Challenge 3D, which is just one of the many movies to chart his fascination with what lurks beneath. After kicking things off with 1989's The Abyss, he not only sent Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio running around the RMS Titanic, but made his own documentary about exploring its real-life ruins, aka 2003's Ghosts of the Abyss. Expect The Abyss and Titanic to feature heavily in the exhibition. James Cameron – Challenging the Deep will display at Sydney's Australian National Maritime Museum from May 29, 2018 until January 30, 2019. For more information, visit the exhibition website. Image:NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island via Wikimedia Commons.
As one of Brisbane's go-to spots for modern Chinese cuisine, Little Valley was always going to get into the Lunar New Year spirit. The Fortitude Valley restaurant isn't just throwing a party, though. It's throwing three — as part of a fortnight-long Chinese New Year Festival. You've been to a New Year's Eve shindig — now head along to a Chinese New Year's Eve shindig. That's what's on the agenda on Friday, January 24. Then, on Saturday, January 25, it's time for a New Year's Day party. Both events will feature colourful and lively lion dances at 8pm. It wouldn't be some Lunar New Year fun without them. Plus, on Saturday, February 1, the Warner Street spot will wrap things up with a Chinese New Year Closing Ceremony. Kicking off at 5pm, it'll involve DJs and live entertainment, too. As for the food and booze side of things, it's available for the whole festival period between Tuesday, January 21–Saturday, February 1. Eat your way through an $85 banquet, with potato and truffle spring rolls, lobster and chive har gow, xinjiang spiced pastrami and drunken chicken among the 11-dish menu. You'll want to head by on a Friday or Saturday, though, to add two hours of prosecco, selected tap beers and lychee spritzes for an extra $39. Top image: Little Valley.
Tim Minchin's theatrical hit Matilda the Musical is finally heading Brisbane's way, and will make its Queensland premiere at the QPAC Lyric Theatre in November 2015. Having earned critical acclaim and popular adoration on the West End and Broadway, as well as around the country, the show looks set to do the same here. But Matilda comes with more cred than your usual musical extravaganza. The staggeringly successful show (just seven Olivier Awards and five Tonys, whatevs) was adapted from the original Roald Dahl novel by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Australia's own Minchin wrote the music and lyrics, bringing the requisite level of devilishly dark humour. As the Guardian put it, "You'd be a nitwit to miss [it]". Those in the loop will probably already know that Minchin has now moved on to an adaptation of the 1993 classic Groundhog Day. The film's original writer, Danny Rubin, wrote the "book" and Matthew Warchus, who directed Matilda's London and Broadway runs, works his magic again. Sadly, no, Bill Murray doesn't star. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2ZsmXBBKvTk
You Won't Be Alone isn't just the name of Macedonian Australian writer/director Goran Stolevski's debut feature, which hit cinemas in 2022. It's also a phrase that applies now that his second film is here. Of an Age initially premiered in the same year as well, bowing in Melbourne International Film Festival's opening-night slot — and, while it tells of growing up queer in 90s Melbourne, falling in love for the first time, then sifting through the aftermath a decade later, it's a glorious companion piece to its predecessor. No one is chosen by a sorceress here. The place isn't Macedonia, the period isn't the 19th century and supernatural shapeshifting isn't part of the narrative. But even just a mere duo of movies into his helming career, Stolevski makes pictures that profoundly ruminate upon two of life's purest truths: that absolutely everything changes and, consequently, nothing completely lasts forever. Neither You Won't Be Alone nor Of an Age fly solo in their moods of yearning, either, or in piecing themselves together from familiar elements that still feel fresh — more than that, that feel immediate and hauntingly immersive — in Stolevski's hands. Where his last flick played like a sibling to Robert Eggers' The Witch by way of The Tree of Life and A Hidden Life's Terrence Malick, his latest rich and poetic effort earns the same sensation with 2011's Weekend and 2017's Call Me By Your Name. This too is a tender love story, as both of those recent greats of LGBTQIA+ cinema are. A clock ticks inescapably, this time a single day rather than the respite at the end of the working week or a whole summer. And, in a keenly felt romance that swells and swirls with lingering emotions, two men find their lives eternally altered, while also facing the unshakeable fact that their bliss will be fleeting. 1999 is inching towards becoming Y2K when Of an Age begins, and 17-year-old Nikola aka Kol (Elias Anton, Australia Day) is only hours from taking to the floor at a Melbourne dance championship. That's how his day is meant to pan out, at least, and what he's preparing for when the film meets him practising his smooth ballroom moves in his suburban garage — conjuring up visions of John Travolta in a flick made famous two decades prior, in fact. Kol's ordinary morning fever breaks, however, thanks to friend and dance partner Ebony (Hattie Hook, Savage River) and her bender of an evening. She's awoken on the beach in Altona with no idea where she is, scrounging up change for the payphone call to say she thinks she'll miss the recital unless Kol can pick her up. Stolevski hones in on Ebony early, not because this is primarily her story — it isn't — but to commence his coming-of-age and coming-out tale with compulsive urgency. Anything can happen in the whirlwind from adolescence to maturity when your entire adult future is ahead of you. Anything can occur when you've just finished high school, as Kol and Ebony have, and the days, months and years to come seem endless and brimming with possibility. Any day can be a shock and a surprise as well, as the jittery young woman conveys while scrambling to work out what's going on, where her belongings are, what happened last night and how she'll get home. With cinematographer Matthew Chuang (another You Won't Be Alone alum), and while editing himself, Stolevski's infuses the scene with a freneticism and nerviness that could've barrelled straight out of Good Time or Uncut Gems, adding the Safdies to the picture's influences. That frenzied energy thrums when Kol dons his dance attire, rushes through the streets and looks like a Serbian Elvis all shook up as the Victorian capital wakes up. To attempt to make his big performance, he has to convince Ebony's older brother Adam (Thom Green, Eden) to play taxi — and he's still all aflutter with anxiety, and just the inertia of being so keyed up from endeavouring to sort things out, when he slides into the twentysomething's brown car. They remain in that race against time, although the reality of missing the contest slowly sinks in. Cue the aforementioned other battle with the clock, as what starts as a panicked drive between virtual strangers becomes a leisurely on-the-road chat between kindred spirits warming up. When Ebony hops in the backseat, Adam and Kol only have eyes for each other (plus mentions of music, books and movies traded as tentatively flirtatious currency, all while listening to the soundtrack to Wong Kar-wai's 1997 queer romance Happy Together). An awakening is at the centre of Of an Age, which Stolevski brings to the screen with electrifying specificity and universality in tandem. He achieves an always-sought-after but never-assured feat, making Kol's discovery that he's attracted to Adam and their blossoming bond from there feel so sincere and lived in that it could've only happened for these two characters — as thoughtfully and compellingly performed by the charismatically matched Anton and Green, too — and yet ensuring that it also feels as if it has been ripped from everyone's formative experiences, or near enough. 90s teens of Australia, prepare for a time capsule in the movie's sounds, sights and slang, plus its costuming and vibe, across the feature's first section. This isn't quite a picture of two halves but, after Kol and Adam spend an intense 24 hours in each other's orbit (including at a 21st-birthday party that leads to the moment they've been building towards), it comes with a coda in 2010. Embracing its debt to Weekend and Call Me By Your Name, Of an Age could've stayed in 1999 for its entire duration and still proven a gorgeous, heartfelt and affecting film. It cuts deeper and hits harder courtesy of its final chapter, though — and the dreamy visual sheen of its sequences in 1999, which have the intimacy and glow of fond recollections even when they're at their most fraught (with help from boxed-in Academy framing, and reminiscent of Chuang's work on Blue Bayou), is all the more powerful due to what comes next. When Kol and Adam cross paths again, both returning to Melbourne from abroad, much has shifted and transformed. That spark between them still burns bright, but confronting what it now means and how it too has evolved is another stop in Kol's coming-of-age journey. How moving and entrancing it is to tag along for the ride, and for a Melbourne-set, distinctively Aussie tour through following your heart, trying not to be alone, and understanding that perfect memories and existence-shaping delights quiver and sway just like everything else.
Travelling to Paddington from West End isn't difficult or particularly time-consuming, even if it involves crossing the river, but it'll soon stop being on the cards for Hai Hai Ramen customers. One of Brisbane's top spots for a noodle-filled brothy bowl, this Japanese joint has been a beloved Latrobe Terrace mainstay since 2016, and worth heading across town for. Before April is out, it's gaining a sibling venue, setting up shop on Boundary Street. From Friday, April 25, 2025, Hai Hai Ramen West End will start welcoming in patrons. Its Paddington counterpart is remaining up and running; however, there'll be more than just the chance to get slurping in new digs on offer at chain's second venue. On Boundary Street, Hai Hai will enjoy a bigger 100-seat space, including a larger kitchen. It'll also serve up a heftier range of drinks and an expanded izakaya menu. The same signature ramen that has made the brand such a Brissie favourite will be the big drawcard, of course, whether you're keen on OG tonkotsu, spicy tonkotsu, chicken ramen or vegetable versions — but the ramen lineup will get an upgrade. The same applies to extending the sides options, with bao with fried chicken, pork belly and fried tofu popular in Paddington, plus karaage, miso sweet corn, edamame and renkon. With Executive Chef Benjamin Chow overseeing both locations but working onsite in West End, a few specials and experimental takes will pop up just at Hai Hai's second outpost — although you'll have to wait to see what that entails. Expect a bustling atmosphere, too, given the extra room to fit in more ramen obsessives. Bar seating will be a feature of the fitout, and so will communal tables to bring Hai Hai customers together. The decor is set to skew minimalist, with black and white hues aplenty — and with vintage Japanese movie posters made for Europe in the 60s, 70s, and 80s a highlight. Find Hai Hai Ramen West End at 185 Boundary Street, West End, from Friday, April 25, 2025 — and head to the venue's website for more details in the interim.
Ever wish you could teleport out of the office and into, say, the idyllic surrounds of the Versailles Palace? Well, that need no longer be the stuff of dreams. Using Street View technology, Google has launched the World Wonders Project, an initiative that aims to bring the world's most breathtaking heritage sites directly to you. In a virtual experience like no other, users will be able to access high resolution photographs, 3D imagery and YouTube videos of up to 132 landmarks and architectural sites from 18 countries around the globe. Partnering with Getty Images and UNESCO among others, the World Wonders Project is part of Google's mission to preserve ancient and modern heritage sites, and to make these cultural landmarks accessible for future generations in an ever-expanding digital archive. Whether you're an avid traveller or average procrastinator, Google's highly interactive application is designed to virtually transport you into new, exciting worlds from the convenience of your desk. The Project site has a range of user-friendly functions to navigate your chosen destination. To embark on your virtual globe-trotting experience, you can access information compiled about the site, flick through albums of stunning photos, or for the more adventurous - click on the 3D modelling option and experience the wonders of navigating your dream location in all its 360 degree, street-level glory. Visit Google World Wonders
When it comes to an island filled with dinosaurs, humanity just won't learn. Since Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park hit bookstores in 1990, spawning not only Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster film, but two direct sequels and the recent Jurassic World spin-off trilogy, people just keep clamouring to share the same landmass as re-animated prehistoric beasts. Now they're about to do so all over again in a just-announced animated Netflix series. Headed to the streaming platform in 2020, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous will hail back to the events of 2015's initial Jurassic World flick — and to the franchise's familiar setting, Isla Nublar. This time, six teenagers have been chosen to attend a new adventure camp on the other side of the remote deathtrap. If you've seen the movie, you already know that the dinos break loose (of course they do), which'll leave the plucky youths fighting to survive. Executive produced by Spielberg — as well as Jurassic World executive producer Frank Marshall, plus two-time series director Colin Trevorrow — the show will help fill the gap until the live-action Jurassic World 3 releases in 2021. It's being overseen by Scott Kreamer (Pinky Malinky) and Lane Lueras (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny), and forms part of Netflix's family slate, so you can probably expect less scares than usual (although the teaser below is a little creepy). Given that it's aimed at all ages, you can probably expect more (albeit friendlier) dinosaurs, however. Just who'll be voicing Camp Cretaceous' characters has yet to be revealed. The same remains true for everyone's two burning questions: whether a few familiar Jurassic World talents will pop up, and if any of the old-school Jurassic Park gang will lend their vocals. Our wish, and it's an obvious one, is for more Jeff Goldblum. If you're keen for the briefest of sneak peeks of Camp Cretaceous, check out the first teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkFrNm5M_Ck Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous doesn't have an exact release date as yet, but it's expected to hit Netflix in 2020. We'll keep you updated with specific timing when it comes to hand.
[Via Mashable]
'Do one thing and do it well' used to be a mantra of many successful businesses. Google did search. Car makers made cars. Hotels gave you a place to sleep. But now, following the diversification model others have set, Vibe Hotels are releasing music. Vibe: The Chillout Suite is the fourth in the series featuring local talents such as Angus & Julia Stone, Lior and Washington, as well as international acts like Florence + The Machine and Gomez. There's even room for a few classics like Mazzy Star's Fade Into You and Jeff Buckley's Last Goodbye. To celebrate the launch of the album, Vibe are offering one lucky Concrete Playground reader a chillout accommodation package valued at $490 including a one night stay for two people at any of their hotels in Sydney, Melbourne or the Gold Coast, including buffet breakfast, a copy of Chillout Suite, and a late check-out so you can really relax. To enter, just make sure you're a CP subscriber then email us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm on Friday, July 8.
Don't go saying that you don't have anything to watch between Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24. In cinemas around the Victorian capital, for 18 movie-filled days, 2025's Melbourne International Film Festival boasts a program more than 275 flicks deep. This year's MIFF is where The Chronology of Water, the feature directorial debut of Kristen Stewart (Love Lies Bleeding), will screen for the first time Down Under — and where Urchin, which notches up the same feat for Babygirl's Harris Dickinson, will as well. Both are heading to Melbourne fresh from their Cannes premieres. MIFF will also give the city its initial chance to see early pandemic-set western Eddington from Ari Aster (Beau Is Afraid), celebrate a music icon with the world premiere of Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man, enjoy the full Norwegian Sex trilogy that culminated with 2025 Berlinale Golden Bear-recipient Dreams (Sex Love), get unsettled by Daisy Ridley (Cleaner)-led Australian found-footage horror We Bury the Dead, take the family to animated sequel The Bad Guys 2 based on Aussie author Aaron Blabey's books, pay tribute to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and much, much more. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You starring Rose Byrne (Physical) is the fest's opening-night pick, Parasite composer Jung Jae-il is coming to Australia to conduct the movie's score live in an Aussie exclusive and Cannes Palme d'Or-winning It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi (No Bears) is on the lineup, too — and so is The Passion of Joan of Arc with a new score by Julia Holter performed live. Richard Linklater's (Hit Man) Blue Moon with Ethan Hawke (Leave the World Behind), Margaret Qualley (The Substance) and Andrew Scott (Ripley) is just one of two of the director's features on the bill. The other: Nouvelle Vague, with the American helmer bringing the French New Wave to life. Her Smell's Alex Ross Perry is another filmmaker with two titles on the lineup. With Videoheaven, a movie essay solely comprised from movie and TV clips, he pays tribute to the video-store era — and with Pavements, he focuses on the band Pavement via an experimental blend of documentary, narrative, musical and more. The director is among MIFF's 2025 guests as well, including as a juror for its Bright Horizons award, the fest's $140,000 official competition for filmmakers that was introduced back in 2022. After Aftersun screened in the comp's debut year, its filmmaker Charlotte Wells is this year's jury president. The aforementioned Urchin and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You are in the running for 2025's Bright Horizon prize, as are the likes of Cannes hit Sound of Falling, Un Certain Regard award-winner The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, the Bangkok-set A Useful Ghost, and Matthew McConaughey (Agent Elvis)- and Kurt Russell (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters)-starring crime-thriller The Rivals of Amziah King. It isn't hard to find more standouts across the complete MIFF program, such as dramedy Sorry, Baby, which has had the film festival circuit talking since Sundance; Left-Handed Girl, with first-time director Shih-Ching Tsou boasting Anora Oscar-winner Sean Baker as her co-writer and editor; legal drama Two Prosecutors; and Kelly Reichardt's (Showing Up) Josh O'Connor (Challengers)-led The Mastermind. Others include O'Connor again in the small town-set Rebuilding, coming-of-age story Enzo from BPM (Beats Per Minute)'s Robin Campillo, Wagner Moura's (Dope Thief) Cannes-winning performance in The Secret Agent, Bi Gan's (Long Day's Journey Into Night) Resurrection, the surveillance culture examination of documentary The Perfect Neighbor, 1000 Women in Horror's cinematic celebration, Aussie animation Lesbian Space Princess, the true crime-focused Zodiac Killer Project, Peter Dinklage (Wicked) as The Toxic Avenger and horror-comedy Zombucha! with Jackie van Beek (Audrey). The festival's retrospectives titles are always a highlight, and 2025's picks are no different — whether you're keen to mark 25 years since Looking for Alibrandi reached the screen via a 4K restoration; also see Sweetie, the debut feature from Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), get the same restored treatment; flash back to BMX Bandits; or work your way through MIFF's largest-ever tribute to a single director via the 27-film Chantal Akerman: Traces strand. From Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31, MIFF Online is also back so you can watch along from your couch.
