One of Australia's biggest beats-loving festivals has been canned. Mushroom Group have announced the discontinuation of Future Music Festival today, after reporting low ticket sales for the last two years. Despite attracted huge crowds to this year's March festival nationwide, Future apparently underperformed with ticket sales. This means Future isn't returning for 2016, with Mushroom looking to steer away from large-scale travelling festivals and put more focus on its touring adventures with Frontier Touring, A Day On the Green, Melbourne's Sugar Mountain and under-18s event Good Life. "The decision to discontinue Future Music Festival was not made lightly," says Mushroom Group Chairman Michael Gudinski. "A point came though where it simply no longer made sense to continue. We believe in the festival industry in Australia and plan to announce an exciting new festival concept in the coming months." Mushroom Group are developing a new festival concept, planned for the same time period previously held by Future and set to be announced later this year. Image: Future Music Festival.
In concurrence with the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, The National Gallery of Australia hosted its 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial last year. This major exhibition, titled Defying Empire, now makes the jump to Brisbane's UQ Art Museum from July 28 to November 11 — bringing together both established and emerging Indigenous artists from across Australia in a showcase that focuses on themes of identity, racism, displacement and country. Among the 30 participating artists are Brenda L. Croft, whose art looks at themes of home; Fiona Foley, who focuses on race relations; Tony Albert, who examines war and its aftermath; and Brook Andrew, who explores themes of ancestry. Other artists delve into heavy issues of nuclear testing, sovereignty and the stolen generations, using a mix of media from canvas painting, video and photography to weaving, sculpture, metalwork and glasswork. The exhibition reinforces the significance of Indigenous art in Australia's cultural identity and the ongoing struggle for equality. Image: Daniel Boyd by Nikki To, Megan Cope by Pat Scala/Fairfax Media.
You know that drinking coffee is addictive, right? Well, in Amber and Cynamon Norris' case, so is selling it. After making sure that Mount Gravatt's residents can get their caffeine fix since 2011, the Hallowed Grounds Espresso owners are about to bring their favourite hot brews to Daisy Hill. Don't expect the duo's latest coffee spot to simply replicate their past successes, though, with St Coco Cafe a brand new venture. Here, they'll be shining a spotlight on specialty beans, blends and more, including nitrogen-infused cold brews from Cold Wolff on tap. The full coffee range is yet to be revealed, but that's not all customers will find on Cupania Street come August, with St Coco offering up two types of food that are certain to excite anyone who's not so fond of a hot cuppa. For anyone after a sweet treat that's also wholesome, nutritious and vegan-friendly, Cloverly Cupcakes' baked delights will take pride of place on the menu. And, so will all-day brekkie options, much to the delight of those who like eating bacon and eggs whenever they feel like it (yeah, everyone). Find St Coco Cafe at 3 Cupania Street, Daisy Hill from August. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for further details. Image: Hallowed Grounds.
Spring produce and paired craft beers made Concrete Playground readers particularly happy this month, as James Squire and Concrete Playground teamed up to put on a special Spring Banquet at The Charming Squire — and we gave a group of lucky CP readers a seat at the table. Competition winners sat down to a five-course meal custom-made by executive chef Deniz Coskun, each dish paired with a specific James Squire tipple, and guests heard from Deniz and James Squire brand ambassadors on the night. Have a peruse through the gallery to see what went down (and here's an idea of the deliciousness that was served up). SPRING BANQUET MENU Green pea soup, Noosa spanner crab and fennel pollen with The Swindler Summer Ale Mooloolaba king prawns, scampi caviar, avocado mousse, Pullenvale citrus and nasturtium with 150 Lashes Pale Ale Free range pork belly, Jerusalem artichoke, spiced stone fruit and morcilla crumble with Golden Ale Slow cooked spring lamb shoulder, burnt eggplant, mixed asparagus, broad beans and pickles with Hop Thief American Pale Ale Dark chocolate fondant, new season mango, crumble, Jack of Spades porter ice cream with Jack of Spades Porter To stay up to date with future events at The Charming Squire, sign up to James Squire or head to The Charming Squire's website. Photography: Emily Jane Davies.
First, Brent Farrell wowed Brisbane with his fine dining establishment. Then, he revamped the acclaimed inner-west restaurant, turning it into a casual eatery. Come January 2016, he's heading over to the south side of town to launch a brand new venture: Slack's Track Cafe. If you've ever enjoyed a meal at Toowong's 85 Miskin Street (or Brent's – The Dining Experience before it) — or tucked into their famed brekkie degustation — you'll know that this is good news. Think the same culinary mastery Farrell has been showcasing for more than a decade, largely focused on an a la carte breakfast and lunch menu, and served up in an even more relaxed environment on Logan Road. Yes, daytime delights will be the main attraction, though that's not all that'll be on offer. To the glee of sugar fiends in the vicinity of Mt Gravatt, Brent's winning ways with homemade sweets and desserts will also feature. Plus, once the eatery obtains a liquor license, there's talk of opening on Friday and/or Saturday evenings with a focus on a fixed-price, multi-course selection. Slack's Track Cafe won't just follow in 85 Miskin Street's footsteps when it comes to food, with its name also keeping on trend. You might not recognise the reference; however Logan Road was originally known as Slack's Track, with farmer William Slack moving his cattle through the area. Now, its namesake dining spot will move its mouthwatering morsels into your mouth. Find Slack's Track Cafe at 1293 Logan Road, Mt Gravatt from January 2016. For more information, check out their Facebook page and Instagram feed.
Sure, you've had a Mexican meal before — but have you had a Mexican 'gastronomy experience'? We're not just talking about the usual nachos, burritos and enchiladas, as tasty as they are. We're talking about Moreton Bay Bug tostadas with avocado and avruga, wagyu beef tacos with grilled onion, horseradish salsa verde, and truffled chicken quesadillas with queso and jalapeno. They're just some of the meals set to take over South Bank's latest Mexican restaurant, Mucho Mexicano. Along with the dish they're calling 'The Mother of All Tacos' — a build-your-own brisket, pork belly and/or am shoulder concoction — everything is designed to be enjoyed communally. That certainly suits the two-level restaurant's other big drawcard: Brisbane's first-ever dedicated margarita bar (apparently), with a drinks list appropriately stacked with tequila and multiple varieties of the signature beverage. Yep, it's definitely fiesta time, whether you're after lunch, dinner or drinks every day of the week, or a brekkie fix on weekends (with Mucho Mexicano's early morning menu joining the fold in the coming months). Plus, the new eatery's name doesn't just describe its menu focus, but reflects the growing number of Mexican places making their home in this particular stretch of the city. In fact, when it opens its doors in Che Asado's former digs on June 13, Mucho Mexicano will be right across the road from both Guzman y Gomez and The Burrito Bar. Ñam ñam. Find Mucho Mexicano at from June 13. For more information, check out their Facebook page.
For years, going to Bulimba for a meal, drink or just to hang with your mates has meant heading to Oxford Street, however the inner-eastern suburb is about to get another must-visit destination. That'd be Apollo Road, current home of the Bulimba Barracks, and future riverfront community hub. Revamping the 23-hectare space (the one most people just drive past and barely give a second glance to) has been mooted for some time, but now locals can have a sneak peek of what's to come. Alongside homes and apartments, draft plans include 2.1 hectares of parkland along the river's edge, complete with a riverwalk with pedestrian and cycle connectivity. A strip of shops and restaurants, plus approximately three hectares dedicated to sport and recreation facilities, are also mooted. Nothing is yet set in stone, with the community consultation period open until November 1. If you have a great idea, now's your chance to have your say. The blueprint for the space is expected to be finalised by the end of the year. In addition, in keeping with the area's rich history, heritage buildings already in the area's vicinity will be repurposed — including turning a military fabrications shed into a neighbourhood centre with a plaza for special events. It might stay the same from the outside, but once the transformation from army land to bustling precinct has been completed, that's the only part of this patch of Bulimba inhabitants will likely recognise. For more information about the Bulimba Barracks Master Plan, visit the Brisbane City Council website.
They send coffee beans into space, shoot fireworks you can taste into the sky and make cocktails tailored to your individual DNA in Dubai. With their fantastical fusion of art and food, UK-based 'jellymongers' Bompas & Parr are basically our patron saints around the Concrete Playground office. Who wouldn't want to attend one of their playful and painstakingly constructed events? For the happy campers at Dark Mofo, that's what's set to happen in a big way. As part of the Unconscious Collective's art sleepover Wild at Heart, the duo will create a feast that nods to Pagan traditions through hunting, gathering, sacrifice, ritual and some intensely primal dishes. With our eyes wide and mouths properly drooling, we got Sam Bompas on the line for a lowdown on what to expect at his Feed the Beast feast. And even more than that, we wanted to know what a person so used to thinking laterally about the potential of food has to say about current dining trends and the Australian culinary scene. His answers may surprise you. You and Harry [Parr, the other half of Bompas & Parr] started working together as jellymongers, but I see increasingly more stories about non-jelly-related experiences you've created these days. How did that evolution happen? I think quite naturally. When we started out we just wanted to do something fun on the weekend, and jelly held the key. We set up the jelly company but within a month we were moving on to full catering, doing a 12-course Victorian breakfast in Warwick castle, coordinating a thousand calories arriving on people's plates from three separate kitchens. So we moved quite quickly from jelly into doing everything. And I think really the reasoning behind that was wanting to give people really engaging, emotionally compelling experiences and in order to do that we were looking at controlling everything, from venue and set design to uniform design to choreography, rituals, scripting, staff, right through the plates and everything else. So I guess it was pretty ambitious. Obviously it takes a much bigger team of creatives to make all of this happen. Is your workplace basically Wonka's Chocolate Factory? Like that, but perhaps a little more adult. A lot of the projects we work on, some of them are very, very child-friendly — so we just did something that Willy Wonka would be proud of, a flavour-changing chewing gum factory — but some of the projects are a lot more adult, so things like the installation we've got up at the Museum of Sex in New York at the moment, which is looking at fairgrounds and eroticism, the pleasures and perils of the erotic fairground. You've been to Australia a few times now with your work. What did you find out about Australian food while you were here? I've got to say, when the Australian chefs I know come over to London, I'm always very, very interested because I think that in certain sectors Australia leads the world by about six months or so, in things like juicing culture, coffee culture, a lot of their F&D, and I'm obviously interested in some of the more unusual ingredients as well which are just totally native to Australia ... I was amazed last time I came across, I went to Africola, the restaurant in Adelaide, and I was served up a whole cow's head with brains still in, and of course, coming from England that's about the most taboo food you could ever imagine, in the aftermath of BSE [mad cow disease], so that was a pretty feral dining experience for me and absolutely blew me away. That's great for us Aussies to hear, because we have this cultural cringe, where we presume everything we do is a bit backwards. Did your visit give you any ideas you wanted to pursue? Seeing the cow's head sparked us to push even further what was totally acceptable for us to put on the table. Everyone here is obsessed with what is called the 'unholy union' of Cadbury chocolate and Vegemite. Have you heard about this? Oh wow. Not at all. Who claims to have discovered this? Cadbury's produced it. It's on the shelves. Really? They're very innovative. I guess so. We're just discovering how deep their imagination can stretch. So would you eat Vegemite chocolate? I'm never shy to try something once. Most people's reaction is 'yuck'. So is that yuck impulse something you like to trust, or interrogate? Well I think it's always culturally constructed. I've read a lot of research that says you can grow to like anything after you become acclimatised, and actually grow to love it. So once you know that, then you're kind of up for eating anything. Quite often when I travel my host will try to put the most harrowing things on the table just to test me, but I always quite like that challenge. So whether it's live, squirming tentacles that if you don't chew them stick to the back of your throat in South Korea or strange and rare fruits in Hawaii, I love pushing what I feel are my own limits. Insects are starting to become a thing here. You've probably eaten a few insects in your time? Yeah. There's a lot of chat about it. We did a whole insect banquet as part of something around Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, god, four or five years ago now. I'm not convinced insects are the future for our diets but I do think that they might help with animal feed and animal protein. I'm much more interested in the creative potential of genetic manipulation. I did imagine that you would be more excited than worried about GM. Well of course there are ethical concerns but as long as you navigate them in a sensible and conscientious manner I think there's some good work to be done. Back to the present. There's also this rise at the moment in food that's a challenge. You know, it's either impossible to make, or it's some kind of monstrous hybrid, or it looks like it could give you a heart attack. What is that about do you think? And do you see that kind of instinct in people as fuelling interest in your own work? I think for me, it's feeding into how across the board people are using food to define their personal sense of identity and to perform identity in front of others as well. So whether that's you're eating your glucose-free, lactose-free light salads and you're telling the story to people of you as a yoga babe, or savage dude food — all of it, of course, going up on Instagram to tell people what an interesting, amazing life you have. And I think it's exciting too. What it has meant is, given that people are using food in this way, as a signifier of status and signifier of identity, there's been an increasing amount of resources put into food and concern about food and what people are eating, and generally an overall lift up in food knowledge, which I think can only be a good thing. Absolutely. Australia certainly has a big foodie culture. Probably safe to say it eclipses our interest in stuff like art and art appreciation. Your work obviously combines both food and art. So what is the connection you see between the two areas? Basically no one eats our food because they're in need of more calories — in actual fact, they're often avoiding calories. They tend to eat our food for entertainment, and personally I consider both arts and food offshoots of the entertainment industry. So if you come to one of our events rather than going to the opera, going for a nice swim, making love, sitting at the pub talking about mermaids or whatever you like to talk about, it has to be really rather compelling. I guess one of the good things about food is it's a wonderful arena to give people an interesting and emotive experience and I think that's what the best art seeks to do. Foodie culture obviously has a lot of benefits — the increased knowledge, as you were saying. But do you think there are any downsides from being too narrowly focused on food? I think you've got to look at the word 'foodie' itself, is a pejorative term. It was invented in the 1970s by Paul Levy as a descriptive of someone who's too concerned about food to the point of missing other things in life. I think it is important to have balance, but if you look at a lot of our installations, while the food is important, we address a lot of the attention to other elements as well, just to give people a total experience, one that's very legible and understandable. I find sometimes very cheffy food becomes difficult to read; it becomes something that only the food elite can possibly understand. But what I'm interested in is a much more inclusive approach to food. Your banquet in Tasmania, Wild at Heart, is based around pagan themes. It seems pretty perfect for Dark Mofo, which also includes a nude solstice swim. Is that where the inspiration came from? With the banquet we've been collaborating with the Unconscious Collective, and they set the theme, but it's a theme we've been very delighted to explore, expand on and run with. It's so hairy and muscular you can really gorge on it, as we hope that participants will be gorging on the feast as well. There are two components. On the first night, it's more of a gentle, campfire-type scenario, spiced up with flamethrowers, bombfires and roadkill jerky and drinking from actual skull cups hollowed out of a whole variety of animal skulls. And that will actually be up and remain up way beyond the original launch to ensure that everyone can pop down. Then we move on to the Feed the Beast banquet, which is exploring all the many different facets of the beast and the animals we all contain within ourselves. Sounds primal. It should be pretty savage. And it's something that I'm quite excited to explore, because when you start feeding people, you become quite aware of just how thin that line of civility is that divides us from the animal kingdom ... So what we want to do with this event and meal is give people the opportunity, the excuse and legitimacy to explore the beast within them, with things [from] blood and beating hearts to epic steaming hunks of spit roast wild deer that's actually just been hunted by [Tasmanian chef] Ross O'Meara to the more amorous side, so exploring tales of aphrodisiacs. There'll definitely be a lot of nudity. And not all of it probably our performers. One of the things we're looking at is creating an actual beating pig's heart that materialises as part of the starter, and it's literally there pumping fluids around, so it feels very visceral, very alive. We then take this live heart, slice it up and sautee it so it comes back served up for the first course. I don't know that anyone's done that before, so there should be a few world firsts. Can you tell us anything else you've got planned for the 'rituals' in the event? We've got lots of rituals around blood. Almost like a whole meditative cleanse around hand washing as well. I'm also very inspired by a chap called Grimod de La Reynière, who was kind of the first proper restaurant critic and if you ask me a far better gourmet and food writer than his contemporary Brillat-Savarin, who everyone normally refers to. And he hosted a very decadent banquet in which all the guests arrived, they had their hands washed, and then they dried their hands on the hair of all the waitstaff, which I think is really, particularly creepy. So we'll try to channel some of those energies as well. Delightful. I want to ask you about some of your past works that we've covered on the site. You recently held an anatomical whiskey tasting. So I want to know, were people more excited to drink from a 20-year-old or a 50-year-old? Well we went from 25 to 39, and I think the thing that was wonderful was as the age went up, so the whiskey got more and more elaborate. We actually had a 63-year-old volunteer to be the vessel for one of them, although the only 63-year-old whiskey we could find was going to cost us a hundred and twenty thousand pounds, which got pretty full on ... The thing that I liked was how people interacted with one another. You started off with what was originally a sort of awkward situation, twenty strangers in a room on Valentine's Day, all licking whiskey from the naked, supine body of someone who they've never met and who's just told them the story of their life in fifteen minutes, and even with that, very rapidly, galvanized by some of the world's finest whiskies, they very quickly formed bonds. What about the lava barbecue? People had to get 500 friends together to make that happen. So did anyone get 500 friends together? We're still working on that. We're speaking to a couple of people at the moment. That would be my ultimate, ultimate project. That was far and away the best week I've ever had, and far and away the quickest cook as well, given that it is blazing at one thousand three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius. So you just need to find someone who can gather 500 people? Five hundred people and quite a hefty budget. 500 people and much money. We'll work on it. And with regards to jelly, have you come across a building you couldn't make into jelly, or are there buildings that work better than others? Modern architecture doesn't work; anything with a steel core doesn't work particularly well. Towers don't work very well at all. They obviously look phallic as buildings, but even more so when rendered in jelly. We made the Empire State Building and it had to get pulled from American morning television because it was just way too threatening ... But actually the buildings that tend to work best are historic stone architecture. And the reason for that is that as it gets higher then it goes in at the top, and that gives jelly just the right amount of stability. So some of the really good jellies we've made are actually Flinders Street Station and the Melbourne War Memorial, which was a really good one. But the Sydney Opera House might be harder? It sort of tapers in at the top; it works quite well. That's a firm favourite and regularly made as jelly. You already sell 'space beans' [coffee beans that have travelled to space] on the site. Are there any plans to expand the products people can buy? We often have plans we're not totally good at realising. To do products you have to have a firm focus and keep on rolling on it for a good long while. The inception and the creative frenzy of the first bit is soon replaced by actually having to go out and sell the product. The bit we like doing is all the creative bits, which is why I guess we stick with events and things. That's reasonable. But we'll keep our fingers crossed for some kind of amazing chocolate bar. It would be fun to do. I guess we've just got way too short attention spans so far. Wild at Heart is part of the festival Dark Mofo, which is on from June 12 – 22 in Hobart. The event is sold out, so if you don't have a ticket, you'll just have to watch your friends go savage from afar.
Before it became a film, playwright Kate Mulvany adapted Craig Silvey's 2009 Indie Book of the Year, Jasper Jones, for the stage — and scored a 2015 Nick Enright Prize nomination and four Helpmann nominations in the process. It was one of the hardest tickets in Sydney and Melbourne when it graced those state's stages, and now it's coming to Brisbane for a limited run. It's Western Australia in the 1960s. Charlie Bucktin is a clever 14-year-old whose ambition is writing The Great Australian Novel. But he's faced with a moral dilemma when Jasper Jones, an Indigenous boy who serves as the town's scapegoat, turns up at the window asking for help. Jasper has unwittingly come across a crime scene. But he's too scared to tell anyone, because he knows he'll cop the blame, without question or fair trial. So he asks Charlie for help in solving the mystery. In the suspenseful story that develops, Jasper Jones explores race relations, the Vietnam War and small-town Australian culture, alongside teenage friendships, word play and the complexities of growing up. Mulvany deftly adapts Silvey's words for the stage, keeping the right balance of tension and humour. The Queensland Theatre production is directed by Sam Strong, with Shaka Cook playing Jasper Jones and Nicholas Denton in the role of Charles Bucktin.
For decades, the smell of beer has lingered over Milton. Thanks to the XXXX Brewery, that scent isn't about to fade any time soon. In fact, with two more breweries about to pop up in the inner-city suburb, the aroma of yeast and hops is only going to get stronger. The first new addition is Aether Brewing, who've been planning their custom designed and built brewhouse for quite some time (as their Facebook page attests). Come October, they'll be showcasing their craft tipples on Railway Terrace, making and bottling drinks like their Event Horizon Oatmeal Stout and serving it in the restaurant and bar attached to the premises. Then, when December rolls around, Newstead Brewing Co. will also be moving into the neighbourhood. You'll find them on Castlemaine Street opposite Suncorp Stadium, complete with an on-site bistro. Once the new location is completely up and running, it'll become Newstead's main base, with their current Doggett Street digs focusing on small-batch brews instead. More details about both are bound to flood in as the year progresses. Point is, whatever kind of ale or lager you like, there's a pretty good chance you'll soon find it in Milton. Indeed, if hopping between bars sounds like your ideal way to while away an evening, you'll be able to cobble together quite the sizeable pub crawl itinerary while staying in just one suburb. Via The Courier-Mail.
Musicians dream of many things: playing packed-out gigs, releasing a hit album that rockets up the charts, and attaining Kanye-levels of fame and fortune, just to name a few. Getting your own beer has to be on the list as well — and that's a rockstar achievement DZ Deathrays now has covered. No, bandmates Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley haven't cooked up a batch of homemade ale (well, that's not what they're unleashing upon the world right now, at least). And no, there's no rum involved, even though the duo both hail from Bundaberg. Instead, the ARIA-award winning Brisbane outfit has teamed up with the fine folks from Sydney brewery Young Henrys to make their very own brew. If Queen and Pearl Jam can have their own tipple, why can't they? Called Pils 'n' Thrills (Wellington's Garage Project will be raising a few eyebrows, they've already released a beer called Pils 'n' Thrills), DZ Deathrays' beverage of choice is a Czech-style pilsner complete with a stripped-back, classic, compact malt bill and a surprisingly hoppy palm to the nose. If you don't speak beer speak, that means that it's flavoursome, tasty and refreshing, i.e. all the things you want in a pint. Of course, Pils 'n' Thrills is a limited-edition affair, so you'd best head to your local stockist to get your fix quick smart. Then, next time you indulge in one of life's simple pleasures — aka enjoying an ice-cold beer while listening to your favourite band — you can do it with DZ Deathrays' very own drinks in your mitts. For more information about Pils 'n' Thrills, check out the Young Henrys website. Image: Luke Henery.
What are you doing right now? No, stop. Whatever it is, it most likely doesn’t compare to what you could be doing at this exact time next year. Sea N Beats, Australia’s first ever music festival at sea, is on March 5-8, 2016 — and if you’re into electronic dance beats and/or super chilled-in-a-chilla-way cruises through aquamarine waters (and isolated island paradises to boot), it's probably going to float your boat. The Sea N Beats ship will boast seven stages (so we know this is ain’t no dinghy), and a huge pool deck, where you’ll dance till the wee hours in the middle of the deep blue sea sea sea (hey, there’ll be no noise complaints here). Plus, included in your ticket is entry to an exclusive mystery island festival on an exclusive mystery island, somewhere off the exclusive mystery Queensland coast. After the seafaring shenanigans that went down at It’s the Ship — Singapore’s inaugural festival on a boat — last November, plus the fact that SS Coachella and the Weezer cruise are actual things that exist, it was high time we got one of these boat-fests of our own. Those festivals attracted sailors like Basement Jaxx, Lil John, Toro y Moi, Pulp and Hot Chip. No word on who’s going to be (literally) onboard for ours yet — but it’s safe to say this is going to be one hull of a party. Now's probably a good time to start training yourself out of your sea sickness. But it sounds well worth stocking up on those ginger tablets for; Sea N Beats reckon there's no other experience like this in the southern hemisphere. The ship sets sail from Brisbane on March 5 next year, and the festival runs till March 8. You know your psych-up music, crank it. Via Pedestrian. Image: Falls Festival.
For three days every September, Brisbane becomes the centre of the music industry. At least that’s how it feels when BIGSOUND, the annual music conference to end all music conferences, comes to town. In 2015, Australia's answer to South by Southwest sees Fortitude Valley pumping with events, including keynotes, panels, discussions, seminars and live gigs showcasing 150 bands across 15 venues. Everyone from former Federal Arts minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett and rapper and activist Brother Ali to Katy Steele, Major Leagues, Muscles and Stonefield will be there — and that really is only the beginning. Of course, the official program is just part of the fun, with events happening around the main attraction always proving equally as exciting. To help you plan for what's certain to be a big few days, here are our picks of the five BIGSOUND events you should schedule into your diary.
Melburnians rejoice! Our time has come to put on our red shoes and dance the blues. David Bowie Is, the most talked about exhibition all year, has graced us with its almighty presence. Now you can all stop complaining that you only just missed it when it was in London, and get to ACMI ASAP. The exhibition features a whole heap of Bowie-related items, including costumes, sets, lyrics, album artwork, rare footage and obviously, music. Really, you had us at 'Bowie Exhibition'. You could charge $20 to come and view just one sequinned shoulder pad, and we’d still be running one-another down to get to the entrance. But before you rush too quickly out the door, you might want to prepare yourself for the onslaught of aggressively competitive Bowie fanatics who'll be lining up and no doubt loudly exclaiming various facts and quotes to out-Bowie each other. You know, the kind who will be all, "That’s not even David’s correct blood type..." So to help you stand your ground, we've put together this list of pointers. Consider this your David Bowie homework. WATCH (OR REWATCH) LABYRINTH First and foremost, rewatch Labyrinth. Or, at the very least, get your fix through one of the greatest, most terrifying moments from everyone’s childhood that is the clip above. Bask in the glory of Bowie as he dances around with a large swarm of tiny alcoholic goblin puppets. It truly is something to behold. Extra fun fact: Toby Frouder, the actor who, as a baby, quite convincingly played the baby in Labyrinth, is now a puppeteer himself. A goblin puppeteer, in fact. It's true and it's amazing. HAVE SOME BOWIE MERCHANDISE TO FLASH Drunkenly purchase yourself some Bowie merchandise in the wee hours of the morning. Not speaking from experience at all, but when your new Aladdin Sane queen-size bed set arrives in the mail, you'll thank your past boozed-out self. Take a snap on your phone and set it as your background so when you waltz around the exhibit, you can be like "lol, I’m sleeping with Bowie tonight lol lol." Everyone will love you for it and think you are hilarious and original. They will. BRUSH UP ON YOUR BOWIE CAMEOS Remember that time Bowie starred as Pontius Pilate alongside Willem Dafoe’s Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ? Yeah. That happened. Well, just in case someone quizzes you on that, you can memorise the full scene from here (but don’t, because it’s not great.) In fact, Bowie has a habit of popping up in unexpected places, everywhere from Zoolander to Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwdORJVw3-o[/embed] GET THE LIVE(ISH) EXPERIENCE There’s a million videos of Davey B killing it on stage, but our personal favourite is this performance of ‘Under Pressure’ featuring Annie Lennox at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992. Unfortunately Bowie and Mercury never performed the song together live (can you actually imagine how incredible that performance would have been?), but it’s fair to say Lennox did a pretty phenomenal job. The dress, the three-piece green suit, the long loving embrace. It’s all too much. MEMORISE AT LEAST ONE BIT OF OBSCURE BOWIE TRIVIA When he was 13, Bowie was punched by his mate George Underwood over some mix-up with a girl (cuuute), and was left with a permanently dilated pupil. This story is relatively well-known and won’t earn you any Bow-n-ie points amongst aficionados. But what you may not know is that Underwood continued being one of Bowie’s best mates. Not only that, he's responsible for two of Bowie’s album covers, in Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars. This proves that Bowie's a forgiving gentleman and all-round top bloke, just like we always knew he was. David Bowie Is will be at ACMI until November 1. See the full program of exhibition-related events at www.acmi.net.au/bowie. Top image: Masayoshi Sukita, The David Bowie Archive.
Called it. When more and more breweries started popping up in Milton, we were pretty sure that a brewery crawl was going to be in order. Trust Brewsvegas to make the idea a reality — and to keep it coming back year after year. There's no prizes for guessing what happens on The Milton Good Beer Trail, but there is plenty of beer. Yes indeed. Take a 1.4 kilometre stroll between The Scratch, Milton Common, Newstead Brewing, Brewski and Mongrel, snaffle a different Brewsvegas schooner at each venue, and just generally be merry. Who's thirsty? Even better — your $30 ticket also gets you a stubby cooler to commemorate your trek. And, you can make the stroll whenever you feel like between Friday, March 13 and Sunday, March 22 from 12–11pm. Top image: Newstead Brewing Co.
George Miller has done the near-impossible and made car chases interesting again. Not just interesting, mind you. Sensational. Mad Max: Fury Road is electrifying, breathtaking, white-knuckle cinema at its masterful best, and — given the entire film is a car chase — that’s no mean feat. Consider the problem. Chase sequences become interminably dull as soon as you recognise they are restricted by just two possible outcomes: ‘pursuer catches’ or ‘pursued evades’. Subject to a few notable exceptions (French Connection and Ronin being the standouts), these scenes merely interrupt the narrative and contribute little or nothing to the character arcs or overall plot. The difference is the road movie. Miller, who practically invented the genre 35 years ago, understands that everything changes when the chase is the story. It's cinematic inverted spectrum, where action is transformed from interruption to character defining narrative — an extension of the their very lives and personalities. Traditional distinctions like age and gender become irrelevant, and how a person drives, fights, shoots and stares becomes more important than what they say. Demonstrating an astonishing paucity of dialogue, the action of Mad Max: Fury Road doesn’t just speak more loudly than words — it positively deafens. In a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, earth’s survivors now exist in a collection of militarised tribes fighting over the remaining reserves of gasoline and subject to the tyrannical rule of self-appointed demigods like ‘Immortan Joe’ (Hugh Keays-Byrne). The chase begins almost immediately when a one-armed big-rig driver named Furiosa (Charlize Theron), attempts to liberate Joe's young wives from their servitude as ‘breeders’ and Joe goes all out to recover them. Caught up in the action is Max (Tom Hardy), a wasteland loner captured by Joe’s minions and being used as a living blood bank for one of Furiosa’s pursuers, Nux (an almost unrecognisable Nicholas Hoult). Plot wise, it’s far from innovative; effectively Waterworld on sand with the design aesthetic of Fallout. Cinematically, however, Mad Max: Fury Road is unparalleled. The action is choreographed to mesmerising perfection, offering a balletic pageant of destruction with a refreshing absence of CGI. The sound, too, is staggering, with the menacing roar of V8 engines mirroring the Inception-like ‘BRAMMM’ that seems an almost constant fixture throughout. The combined effect is ferocious and irresistible, encapsulating all that makes cinema a uniquely immersive and transportive experience. Miller has crafted something extraordinary here, a modern masterpiece that could very well redefine the action standard. Don't wait for DVD on this one. See it where it's meant to be seen, and see it now.
Get into the festive spirit, Brisbane: Wonderland is a-coming. No, not the white kind, even if Christmas is just around the corner. With the city’s current scorching, stormy heat, winter isn’t part of the equation. Instead, for the next two weeks, Brisbane Powerhouse plays host to all things odd and amazing. A new festival making its maiden outing, Wonderland celebrates the sultry, seductive, anarchic and entertaining, in an event tailor-made for late summer evenings spent by the river. We’re talking carny folk, circus performers, burlesque, barely clad men, comedy stars and singing sirens as the iconic New Farm venue transforms into a nighttime playground. The inaugural program is bustling with shows to see, so we’re here to help. What weird and wonderful offerings should you rush to? Here's five to start with. BRIEFS: The Second Coming! The boys of burlesque are back — in their hometown, and with their new show. The internationally renowned all-male troupe described as an Aussie Cirque du Soleil meets RuPaul’s Drag Race returns for another round of outrageous entertainment in the aptly titled BRIEFS: The Second Coming. Expect their unique brand of circus acrobatics crossed with drag artistry, with ample lashings of satire, silliness and too-close-for-comfort talk and tricks thrown in for extra fun. On Friday nights, make a whole evening out of their adventurous antics with the show-stopping, sequin-clad Club BRIEFS as well, complete with a selection of guest appearances. December 3-14 Icarus Falling Even if you think that spoken word isn’t your thing, Scott Wings’ latest offering, Icarus Falling, just might prove otherwise. A one-man aural assault, his raw and personal hour of performance poetry rumbles like rap but resonates like only the best, blistering stories can, delivered with poignancy and stunning physicality. As the clearly title intimates, the famed ancient Grecian myth provides his starting point, and is intertwined with an account of the impact of mental illness through the contemplation of flight. Humour and lyricism combine in a mesmerising effort that comes back to Brisbane for the first time after proving a standout of the Edinburgh Fringe. December 5-7 Public Toilets, Private Words We’ve all been there: in a nightclub bathroom in the darkest hours of the evening, and suddenly privy to the innermost secrets uttered by those in neighbouring stalls, or scrawled on filthy walls. Slurred words turn into whispered confessions, just as scribbled notes turn into offbeat reading. In this cheeky show, they also turn into song. Public Toilets, Private Worlds turns the drunken rants, earnest musings and crude invitations from graffiti into hilarious stories and surprisingly catchy tunes. Who knows, your own experiences might even form a part of this journey into the hidden recesses of human behaviour, coming to Wonderland fresh from its hit season at the 2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. December 11 and 14. Grimm Reimagining fairy tales: in film and on television, everybody’s doing it. You can be excused for thinking every conceivable variation has been done before; however, ImproMafia is set to prove you wrong. Combining the art of improvisation with the bedtime stories you know and love, Grimm twists familiar tales in directions even the players on stage can’t anticipate. Every show and every night, anything can happen — and as an audience member, your suggestions could be incorporated into the performance. After wowing audiences at the Brisbane Fringe Festival, Grimm returns to swing once more from the grisly to the absurd. December 12 and 13 Pretending Things Are a Cock Look, we’re not above this kind of humour — and, let’s be honest, neither are you. Comedian Jon Bennett isn’t either, and he’s beginning to make a blossoming career out of it, collecting awards on the international comedy circuit from San Diego to Perth. The show’s title may say it all, and his more than 15,000 Facebook fans already know and love it; however, there’s more to Pretending Things Are a Cock than photos of phallic shapes made prominent for puerile amusement. Expect a slew of heartwarming stories, and a healthy slice of insight into looking at the world differently. Still, mostly dicks though. December 12-14 Wonderland runs from December 3 to 14. View the full program at the Brisbane Powerhouse website.
The Spiegeltent is a Brisbane Festival favourite for a reason. Inside its doors, all manner of performers take to the stage — and whether you're discovering new talent or witnessing an icon in action, no night is ever the same. Where else can you see Kim Gordon one evening, Kilo Kish the next, and everyone from Montaigne to Rhys Nicholson on others? And, this year Bris Fest is doubling the Spiegeltent fun with a second structure. Add the rest of the entertaining antics in the surrounding Arcadia area to the mix, and you've got yourself a festival hub, hangout, haven and all-round highlight. Image: Meow Meow's Little Mermaid.
Every event at Brisbane Writers Festival is special, but some are truly one of a kind. Okay, so Twilight in the Red Box takes place on both Friday and Saturday, however it's still something you won't see elsewhere (even if you can see it at BWF twice). Think of this as a conceptual event, an intersection of words and sounds in a filmic atmosphere in an electronic/contemporary classical music kind of way. We tried. Local composers Ben Heim and Connor D'Netto (AKA contemporary classical/electric duo Argo) have composed the music. Best-selling sci-fi book Illuminae provides the inspiration. When the two combine, expect an explosion of sound — and if that's not exciting enough, this type of session is actually a festival first. This event is one of our five picks for Brisbane Writers Festival. Check out the whole list.
Park City, Utah is getting a hit of Australian coffee culture, with the tourist hotspot set to become home to the first international cafe by home-grown coffee roasters Campos Coffee. The Sydney-born coffee shop has announced that it will open its first US store in Park City in mid-December, ensuring locals can finally enjoy a halfway decent flat white. Sorry not sorry, Starbucks. "We've considered the US market for more than ten years, but never found the right fit for us," said Campos founder and president Will Young in announcing the brand's stateside expansion. "As soon as we visited Park City, we knew it would be a perfect extension of the Campos Coffee brand." Park City is known for its tourist economy, driven by multiple ski resorts as well as the annual Sundance Film Festival. "Walking around, you can see the whole town has an active, inclusive and diverse community that cares about the environment," said Young. "Add to this a significant dedication to the arts, such as the Sundance Film Festival, and the decision was made." Campos, which currently has seven stores across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, is following in the footsteps a number of Australian coffee brands who have set up shop in the United States. Most recently Paramount Coffee Project opened up a base in Los Angeles. Look for Campos Coffee in Park City, Utah from mid-December.
The Smith Street Band have an incredibly endearing habit of looking out for the underdog. Following their November release of their third album, Throw Me in the River, the Melbourne four-piece found themselves in the news as a result of their sold-out EP titled Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face, which features a portrait of Tony Abbott and protests the Australian government's current treatment of refugees. Throw in a fundraising gig for refugee advocacy groups in Melbourne on Australia Day and you've got one seriously outspoken Aussie band. On their upcoming tour around Australia they're keeping up their determination not to forget anyone, with the aptly titled 'Get High, See Everyone Tour', featuring an impressive 24 dates across Australia, including regional stops like Bendigo and Maroochydore and a whole heap of all-ages gigs for younger fans. The pairing of desperate energy and youthful, emotional frenzy with surprisingly thoughtful and touching lyrics have earned The Smith Street Band a loyal fan base. And, bless them, the band is going to do their best to see every one of you. Supported by PUP (Canada), Great Cynics (UK) + Apart From This.
In 2015, the Queensland Film Festival brightened up Brisbane's movie scene with a specially curated array of international cinema. It wasn't just another feast of films, it was a showcase of the kind of shorts, features and documentaries unlikely to make their way to the city's big screens otherwise. That was then — and, now, after a successful first year, QFF returns for their sophomore run with a program that's even bigger and better than ever. Doubling in size to screen 20 features and 20 shorts from July 15 to 24, the festival kicks off with Pedro Almodovar's 20th feature Julieta — however that's not the only must-see flick in the lineup. Here's seven others we think you won't want to miss. THE LOVE WITCH Films steeped in the supernatural are rarely as vibrant and dynamic as The Love Witch — and we don't just mean that in the eye-popping sense. Bright colours abound in the second feature by multi-talented writer, director, producer, editor and production designer Anna Biller, and so does a playful, comic take on what initially seems an all-too-common storyline. The feature's central witch might be looking for love, but she's also sashaying through a subversive, feminist-infused ode to '60s and '70s camp exploitation horror. THE RED TURTLE The Red Turtle is latest effort from acclaimed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, however, it's also much more than that. Telling an island-based tale of a marooned man who crosses paths with the titular creature, it's a wordless exploration of the connection between humanity and the natural world, as well as an examination of humanity's need to connect. Gorgeously brought to life by first-time feature director Michael Dudok de Wit, the end result is as visually delightful and emotionally insightful as lovers of Ghibli's films have come to expect. HEART OF A DOG If you've ever bonded with a beloved pet, reflected upon your childhood or just pondered your place in the world, then expect Laurie Anderson's Heart of a Dog to speak to you. The artist and filmmaker's first feature in three decades combines hand-drawn animation, home movies, visuals filmed from a pooch's perspective and more to pay tribute to her dearly departed rat terrier Lolabelle while still contemplating broader issues of life and loss. Fans of Anderson's husband, the legendary Lou Reed, will also find the knowledge of his passing in 2013 hard to shake in this personal and poignant cine-essay. KAILI BLUES Bi Gan's Kaili Blues is an act of transformation on several levels. Within the film, a doctor embarks upon a journey that takes him to a town where the past, present and future combine. Off screen, the Chinese poet turns acclaimed filmmaker with his debut feature, evoking the likes of Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky and Cemetery of Splendour's Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and even earning the praise of Guillermo del Toro. CHEVALIER The usual male posturing, ego-driven arguing and appendage measuring — both literal and metaphorical — takes to the sea in the latest feature to spring from Greece's new weird wave of filmmaking, Chevalier. Athina Rachel Tsangari's follow-up to Attenberg serves up yet another deadpan, offbeat delight, with its yacht-bound setting heightening the tension between its competing characters as well as the absurdity that results from their actions. And even with all that in mind, don't be surprised when the movie veers into unexpected territory. EVOLUTION The term 'dream-like' gets thrown around quite frequently when it comes to films that try to evoke a certain mood, however with Evolution, it's a description that definitely fits. Cult French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilovic creates a mysterious on-screen world solely populated by women and young boys, then charts the bristling dynamic that springs when secrets spring up between a mother and son. Favouring visual storytelling over dialogue, and emphasising a distinctive soundtrack, really is just the beginning. NAKED LUNCH When body horror master David Cronenberg takes on subversive postmodernist novelist William Burroughs, the results can only be both hallucinatory and unsettling. Seething with bugs and secret government plots, Naked Lunch was a mind-trip of an adaptation upon its initial release in 1991, and still proves so today. Plus, attending QFF's session of the film acts as a tribute to the now-lost and much-loved Brisbane International Film Festival, which would've celebrated its 25th fest this year. Queensland Film Festival runs from July 15 to 24 at New Farm Cinemas. To view the full program or buy tickets, head to the festival website.
Calling all late-night Tour watchers, cycling enthusiasts and anyone who wants to know what a 'peloton' is. The NSW Government has today announced the first ever Tour de France event to be held in Australia, locked in for 2016. Dubbed L’Etape Australia and locked in for the next three years, the upcoming race is an official offshoot of the Tour de France — the oldest and most prestigious road cycling event to rival all road cycling events. It's not the first Tour side quest, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile and Argentina have all seen their own stages. Destination NSW and the NSW Government have recruited SBS to broadcast the race, who've been your late night Tour broadcaster pal for 25 years. So where's the race going to be held? (Read: where can we place a huge CP logo on someone's rural property for sick helicopter coverage?) Designed to replicate the infamous Tour mountain stages, L’Etape Australia will weave through Jindabyne, Perisher and Thredbo. Rather than Alps and Pyrenees, riders will pump those legs through the beautifully formidable Snowy Mountains, where the Ultimate Snowy Challenge breaks people. These pretty, pretty NSW locations will inevitably boost the tourist dollar for the state; Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said he anticipated the race to deliver in excess of $4 million in visitor expenditure across the three years. So you're a bit of a mad cyclist? Get up every morning at sparrow's fart just to beat the tradies to the tar? Want to see how you'd fare in the Tour? An expected 10,000 riders of varying levels are up to compete for the legendary Tour de France yellow, green, polka dot and white jerseys, and the waitlist is now open at the official L’Etape Australia website. Riders can register for updates, pick their level of difficulty (The Race is the big one, The Ride is slightly shorter for seasoned riders, and The Ramble is the fun, easier course) and reserve their place on the start line. L’Etape Australia by Tour de France is happening in December 2016. To register or for more info, visit the website. Images: Dollar Photo Club and NSW National Parks.
Ever had a hankering for a burger, but couldn't decide which joint to visit? Thanks to Brisbane's hefty array of burg-slinging places, we've been there, and often. Trust The Triffid to come up with a solution, courtesy of a day-long dedicated celebration. On October 21, the Newstead music venue is joining forces with Stone & Wood, shutting down Stratton Street and serving up Brisbane's most delayed trend festival: the Brisbane Burger Fest. That's a big call in a year that has seen ice cream, mussels, Japanese culture, espresso martinis and specialty coffee all get their own shindigs. For those wondering about the festival's burger credentials, Ze Pickle, Miss Kay's, Ben's Burgers, Mr Burger, 5 Boroughs, Red Hook, Lucky Egg and The Triffid's own burgers will all be on offer, with each eatery whipping up their usual favourites and coming up with a special Burger Fest creation as well. There'll also be an official burger-eating competition as part of the festivities (of course there will be). If you don't think you can handle taking part, that's okay — everyone at Burger Fest will be seeing how many burgs they can eat in their own way, after all. Making a free burger street party even better, The Triffid's beer garden will be showcasing live music all day, and Stone & Wood will be taking care of the brews. Image: Lucky Egg.
Plan those half-hearted New Years Resolutions, the 2015 Falls Music and Arts Festival lineup is here, announced by triple j this morning. Returning to Lorne, Marion Bay and Byron for another bout of end-of-year scullduggery, Falls is back with the likes of Foals and Disclosure at the top of the bill (both with shiny new albums to boot). Expect those beloved Brits Bloc Party on the bill as well, alongside a killer collection of international gems — we're talking Gary Clark Jr, Mac DeMarco, Kurt Vile and The Violaters, Toro Y Moi, Django Django, Young Fathers and The Maccabees to start with. Even Weird Al' Yankovic will headline the opening Boogie Nights party. Random. Australia's contingent deserves two thumbs way up, from international goakicker Courtney Barnett to dancefloor dominators RUFUS and the likes of the legendary Paul Kelly (with his Merri Soul Sessions), Hilltop Hoods, Meg Mac, Gang of Youths, Hiatus Kaiyote, Little May, Alpine, Birds of Tokyo, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Seth Sentry, Halsey, BØRNS and more. Enough chatskies, here's that lineup you're after: FALLS FESTIVAL 2015 LINEUP: Alpine The Avener Birds of Tokyo Bloc Party BØRNS Courtney Barnett Disclosure Django Django Foals Gang of Youths Gary Clark Jr Halsey Hiatus Kaiyote Hilltop Hoods King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Kurt Vile & The Violators Little May The Maccabees Mac DeMarco Meg Mac Oh Wonder Paul Kelly & Merri Soul Sessions feat. Clairy Browne, Dan Sultan, Kira Puru, Vika & Linda Bull RÜFÜS Seth Sentry Toro Y Moi Young Fathers and more BOOGIE NIGHTS LINEUP Art vs Science El Vez Fleetmac Wood 'Weird Al' Yankovic and more Lorne, Victoria (18+) December 28, 2015 – January 1, 2016 Marion Bay, Tasmania (all ages) December 29, 2015 – January 1, 2016 Byron Bay, New South Wales December 31, 2015 – January 3, 2016 Via triple j. Image: Falls Festival.
Cinephiles of Brisbane, prepare to starting spend a whole heap of time at Palace Centro. If you've dropped by recently, you would've noticed that the New Farm venue is in the midst of a massive makeover — and given that they're adding three more screens, and increasing their movie lineup as a result, we really do mean massive. Come December when the renovations open to eager film-goers — and when the cinema celebrates its 16th birthday — the James Street mainstay will boast seven theatres. Two existing screens have been torn down to make way for five new darkened rooms, which will seat between 40 to 80 patrons, and allow Centro to boost their selection of content. That includes their range of Centro exclusives, which have included Swiss Army Man and High-Rise in recent months. The venue will still house a 35mm projector, too, for retrospectives and festivals. Across town in Petrie Terrace, Centro's sibling cinema at Barracks hasn't escaped the revamping bug either. Courtesy of new couches and carpet, the cinema's lobby has undergone a soft refurbishment, making having a pre-film drink even comfier. At Centro in particular, the renovations come at a time when the area around the venue is changing rapidly, with the under-construction space immediately across the road about to become The Calile, a new resort-like haunt. Palace is expanding rapidly interstate — announcing new cinemas in Sydney's Double Bay and Chippendale just this year — so future Brisbane Palace expansions aren't out of the question. Palace Centro's renovations will be completed by December 2016. It's partially open now at 39 James Street, Fortitude Valley.
Three years ago, Brisbane welcomed a new film festival. While cinematic celebrations have never been far from the city's screens, Queensland Film Festival arrived with a condensed, curated program and a specific mission. Sure, every fest promises to champion movies you won't see elsewhere; however QFF's efforts were immediately evident in every film choice. In this year's lineup, for example, cinephiles can catch a candy-coloured exploration of sexuality from a Japanese provocateur, a retrospective dedicated to an influential Czech auteur and a pioneering '80s Aussie musical from one of the country's greatest female filmmakers — and, as always, that's just the beginning. Running from July 13 to 23, and primarily based at New Farm Cinemas, QFF 2017 spans teen icons, Korean masters, incisive polemics on race and brightly lit fireworks displays, with room to spare for terrorist thrillers, home-grown dramas and psychedelic reflections as well. Every film only screens once, so picking wisely is recommended — we've compiled a list of must-sees to help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KthpVP0Ppng CLAIRE'S CAMERA Another year, another film from Korean director Hong Sang-soo. Or two, actually. QFF 2017 kicks off with one of his latest, Claire's Camera and also features the filmmaker's On the Beach at Night Alone — and lest you go thinking the latter is old news, it premiered at this year's Berlinale just months before the former made its debut at Cannes. Yep, Hong is certainly prolific, however his naturalistic, breezy, observational style works well with his fondness for making as many movies as he can. And, when pumping out several features in 12 months involves enlisting Isabelle Huppert to play a teacher visiting the world's biggest film fest, well, Hong proves that he can do anything really. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MghEoBMl3E THE ENDLESS In 2014, as film festival time came round, Spring had genre buffs talking. Come for the seemingly familiar premise, stay for the twists, turns and insights that filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead offered up. Three years later, the duo returns with their next title to do the same all over again. The Endless starts as a cult drama, but, as it shifts through both horror and science fiction, it earns comparisons to the efforts of Upstream Color's Shane Carruth for a reason. Cult flicks about cults might have become somewhat common, but sometimes that status couldn't be more appropriate. BRIMSTONE & GLORY It's human nature to stare at the sky whenever fireworks ascend to the heavens. We hear the popping sound, spy the bright flashes of light and simply can't help ourselves. Set in the tiny town at the heart of Mexico's fireworks industry, Brimstone & Glory captures that feeling more effectively than anyone could've expected. Indeed, the gorgeous and immersive documentary commits the vibrance of watching colourful explosions twinkling above to film as it charts the locale's National Pyrotechnic Festival, and proves as spellbinding as the substance at its centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7Rf9rLaLg JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC One of the greatest silent films ever made took on the tale of Joan of Arc. In the nearly a century since, the historical figure has been played by Ingrid Bergman twice, popped up in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and formed the basis of Milla Jovovich and Luc Besson's post-The Fifth Element effort. Still, it's safe to say that none of the many movie depictions of the French heroine have proven quite like Bruno Dumont's musical Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc. Featuring non-professional actors, the film that results is both silly and serious, and light and philosophical — and likely to be polarising, just like plenty of the Slack Bay director's other works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J122E5Ygz5s NOCTURAMA We've already noted that QFF features movies that you won't see anywhere else, and that many of the flicks on its slate don't neatly fall into easy categories, even when it appears as though they might at first glance. Add terrorist thriller Nocturama to both piles. Moody and magnetic, Bertrand Bonello's latest effort charts Parisian youths making a statement, in a film that also aims to do just that. It also plays with the narrative and visual treatment of its tale, while proving pertinent to our times — and mesmerising. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVyGCxHZ_Ko GOOD TIME Folks, thank the film gods for Twilight. Do it. Without it, we wouldn't have two of today's most talented actors making such interesting — and excellent — projects. Take the Robert Pattinson-starring Good Time, for example. The fast-paced flick mightn't offer a good time for his character, a low-level crim running around New York trying to rustle up some cash to get his brother out of jail after a bank robbery, but it's a mighty good time for audiences. Directing duo Josh and Ben Safdie (the latter of which also stars as Pattinson's brother) ramp up the energy and tension, shoot with gritty vividness, and bring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Captain Phillips Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi along for the ride. And then there's the pulsating score — trust us, Oneohtrix Point Never won the soundtrack award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for a damn good reason. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO In I Am Not Your Negro, Samuel L. Jackson lends his voice to the words of American essayist James Baldwin. He does an outstanding job at capturing the tone and passion required, but it's the text itself, rather than the star uttering it, that's truly remarkable. Stepping through the state of race relations in the U.S. by focusing on the lives and deaths of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., every syllable spoken couldn't be more perceptive — or, even though they were written decades ago, still relevant today. It's little wonder that the film was nominated for best documentary at this year's Oscars, with director Raoul Peck matching the verbal content with an illuminating compilation of footage from the '50s and '60s. Need more QFF recommendations? Here you go. We also loved Certain Women when it released in Sydney and Melbourne cinemas, were keen on The Lure at last year's Sundance, and got excited about The Untamed at this year's Sydney Film Festival. Queensland Film Festival runs from July 13 to 23 at New Farm Cinemas. To view the full program or buy tickets, head to the festival website.
Jameson, the legendary distillers of one of Ireland's most famous whiskeys, are calling on eager filmmakers from around the world to pick up a pen and finally write out that short film script they've been thinking about. Now in its sixth year, Jameson First Shot is fostering the creative endeavours of young filmmakers — giving those who may find it difficult to break into the film industry a shot at the big time. It's a stepping stone for filmmakers who don't quite have their foot in the door yet — for those who want to break into the industry, but haven't had the chance to. It's a platform that gives talented individuals an opportunity to realise their ambition and potential, and a way for them to tell their stories. If you're an aspiring filmmaker, head to the First Shot website and submit a seven-page short film script. If your script is chosen as the winner, your film will be produced by a team of professionals that includes Dana Brunetti — he's the man responsible for Captain Phillips and The Social Network, and the brains behind getting House of Cards onto Netflix, something the world should be endlessly grateful for. Dominic West (best known for his role as Detective McNulty in The Wire) will also be the star of your film, taking the lead acting role. Winning First Shot gives filmmakers an opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in show business. Last year's winner, Jason Perini, had the opportunity to direct and work with Maggie Gyllenhaal. "The most exciting part of the filmmaking process was just watching Maggie act — her face was a special effect," he says. "What had the biggest impact on me was the result of really creative and collaborative people working together. All the crew and cast were so dedicated to making the film I had envisioned in my head. I don't think I will ever experience such ease and dedication again." Since filming wrapped, Perini has gone on to direct his debut feature film, Chasing Comets. "I never anticipated that within less than a year of winning, I'd be directing my own feature film," he says. [caption id="attachment_568922" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Trigger productions.[/caption] To enter the competition, write an original piece of work, with the final draft being no more than seven pages in length. Base your script around the great, unexpected things that can happen when you get rid of your fear and invite life in. For a complete set of guidelines and a script template, head here. It isn't everyday you get the chance to have your passion project turned into a reality, so sit yourself down with a delicious whiskey and get writing. Entries close at 5pm on Monday, June 1.
We're calling it: for Brisbanites, the summer of 2016-17 is going to be the summer of Gelato Messina. Yes, we know that this year is just kicking into gear — but if there's anything that's going to get us eagerly awaiting the next annual calendar, it's the news that everyone's favourite dessert artisans are finally setting up shop in our fair city. Actually, eager lovers of cold, creamy sweets only need count down the days until October, because that's when Messina's first-ever Brisbane store will open its doors, confirmed by Messina director and co-founder Declan Lee. We predict a whole lot of hanging around South Brisbane in our futures — at 109 Melbourne Street, to be exact. It's Messina's second Queensland store after opening their first northern venture in Coolangatta. At the Brisbane store, gelato fiends will find Messina's largest site in the country, stretching out over a 200-square-metre space. If you think that sounds like more room than even these culinary wizards need to sell their scrumptious, low-fat, high-flavour wares, you'd be right. Serving up their macadamia crunch, and salted caramel and white chocolate concoctions — and blood orange and chocolate sorbets, too — isn't all that's on the menu here. Yep, the good news keeps on coming, with Messina also bringing their ever-popular classes to their new digs. Not only can you feast on icy treats whenever you like, but you can take a three-hour class on gelato appreciation and the hands-on details of dessert making in their very own classroom. They don't call these seminars a combination of info session, science lesson and degustation without good reason. Sure, Brisbane has been waiting for its own permanent Messina hangout for years, but with all this to look forward to, it seems that good things really do come to those who wait. Find Gelato Messina at 109 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane from October 2016. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for more information.
Can you believe it's that time of the year again? It seems like only last week that we were prowling the South Bank Forecourt for the best eats, then angling for the best vantage point of the river at the Night Noodle Markets. And yet, here we are again. Poised at the precipice of all things delicious, Good Food Month's Night Noodle Markets are back for 12 glorious days, where you can taste your way around the best Asian treats Brisbane has to offer. Going cashless this year, the markets let you PayPass your way to a full belly. Plus, puppers are welcome — as long as they're on a leash — which means that in addition to amazing food, there's also some great dogspotting in store. Win. The markets are open every weekday evening from 5pm and weekends from 4pm, and just in case you're starting to get palpitations remembering the huge array of choice from last year, fear not. We're serving up our pick of the top eats — in addition to suggested drink pairings from Beer The Beautiful Truth — to make your Night Noodle Markets trip simply spectacular. BAO STOP'S BAO TRIFECTA WITH XXXX SUMMER BRIGHT LAGER Bao comes in pretty high at the top of our list of the best things that can be eaten with one hand. This fluffy, sticky bun is the perfect steamed companion for whatever savoury filling happens to be tucked inside. In Bao Stop's case, they've gone all out and provided not one but three flavours — a veritable bao trifecta, if you will. You can nom on a veggie version with their triad of tofu bao, or sample the carnivore's trinity with chicken, pork and duck. Grab a seat and watch the night unfold as you drink a Summer Bright Lager from XXXX, a crisp match for those tasty baos. POKE BEAR'S ALPINE KING SALMON WITH KIRIN MEGUMI Poké bowls have been sitting for a long, well-deserved while in the spotlight recently, so it's no surprise they've turned up at the markets. With roots in Hawaiian cuisine, the culinary trend involves taking bite-sized bits of quality fish, marinating them and mixing them into a salad of sorts — think of it as a cross between sashimi and ceviche. You can put whatever you want with the fish really, so Poké Bear have opted to pair their alpine king salmon with yuzu miso, sesame dressing, wakami, sesame seeds, daikon, radish, wasabi and diced avocado. Enjoy the delicate, toothsome flavours of your poké bowl without overwhelming them, and pair it with a light, smooth Kirin Megumi. POKLOL'S KOREAN BBQ TACOS WITH LITTLE CREATURES ORIGINAL PILSNER Life is good when you have a warm taco clamped in your little hand and a refreshing brew in the other. Poklol has got this figured out to a T, serving up a Korean-influenced trio of the palm-sized Mexican treats, paired with a cold one. Enjoy bulgogi beef, chilli chicken and chilli pork tacos all served with pickled carrots, kimchi slaw, cucumber, shallots, and finished off with a slathering of Poklol's secret pokky sauce. Dig into the big flavours, and grab yourself an Original Pilsner from Little Creatures for maximum deliciousness. LET'S DO YUM CHA'S HANDMADE YUM CHA WITH LITTLE CREATURES ORIGINAL PILSNER It's rare the person who can walk past a yum cha stand and not stop for at least a look at what delights are on offer. Yum cha is ideal if you just want to try a little bit of everything, and with Let's Do Yum Cha's handmade yum cha offering, you get a delectable sample of all the goodies. Up for grabs is everyone's favourite, the BBQ pork bun, along with a chicken dim sim, vegetarian dumpling and vegetarian spring roll. It's the perfect platter if you want to dip a toe into the world of yum cha, or if you're a seasoned pro and just want to revisit your old favourites. Pair it with a Little Creatures Original Pilsner for out of this world tastiness. JUNK'S CRISPY PORK BELLY WITH XXXX GOLD If you haven't been drooling over Junk's Instagram or been down to visit them at their store in South Bank, Maroochydore or Toowoomba, be prepared to join the obsession at the markets. While Junk has a couple of dishes on offer, we can't go past the pork belly, especially when it's drenched in kaffir lime and dark palm sugar caramel, and paired with creamy laksa and crunchy green papaya and cashew nut salad. Beer-wise, you'll want something to balance these rich, intense flavours. Look to a light, crisp, mid-strength beer like XXXX GOLD to give you a nice refresh between bites. NOM NOM KOREAN EATERY'S KIMCHI FRIES WITH JAMES SQUIRE ORCHARD CRUSH APPLE CIDER If you're looking for some eats you can easily stroll around with, Nom Nom Korean Eatery's kimchi fries are it (and let's be honest, they should have called them kimchips). This simple combination of hot chips laced with cream cheese and the piquant kick of kimchi are just what you need to keep warm and fueled as you wander around and pick what you'll snack on next. If you're looking for another reason to order kimchi fries (as if you need one), then saddle up your high horse, because kimchi is fermented, and as you may or may not know, fermented foods are really good for you. So this dish is pretty much a wholesome snack, and when you pair it with a James Squire Orchard Crush Apple Cider, you're only compounding the goodness. LITTLE KYOTO'S PHORRITO WITH HAHN PREMIUM LIGHT The time for innovative food portmanteaus is now, and we are all things excited to wrap our eager little paws around a phorrito from Little Kyoto. You can tell your grandchildren that you were alive to see the glorious union of Vietnamese pho and the beloved burrito come to be. There's not much we need to tell you about the mashup, short of the fact that it's bound to be slightly messy to eat and entirely delicious. If you're looking for the right kind of beverage to enjoy with it, we recommend going for a Hahn Premium Light. It's crisp, light and won't overpower that phorrito flavour. VINTAGED BAR & GRILL'S ROAST PUMPKIN NOODLES WITH ONE FIFTY LASHES If you're a flat noodle fan, you're going to love the soft and tender chewiness of Vintaged Bar & Grill's roast pumpkin version. Partnered with Korean-style braised beef with pear and ginger, the dish has an earthy kick from mixed mushrooms, along with the oh-so-excellent combination of green olives and toasted pepitas for a kick of crunch. Pair the dish with a James Squire One Fifty Lashes; the fruity, cloudy pale ale is the perfect buddy for the warmth of the noodles. SAMBAL KAMPUNG'S ROTI CANAI WITH HAHN SUPERDRY Malaysia is known for many wonderful things, especially its incredible food, like the ever-popular roti canai. An Indian-influenced flaky, fried flatbread, roti canai is served crunchy yet chewy, hot and ready to tear apart to mop up a tasty curry. At the markets, Sambal Kampung is pairing their delectable roti canai with a chicken curry — you'll be keen to find a proper seat so you can pay full attention to eating this delicious combination. Make sure you also get your hands on a Hahn SuperDry to sip as you eat, the richness of the curry and the freshness of the beer are a match made in gustatory heaven. HARAJUKU GYOZA'S DESSERT RAMEN WITH WHITE RABBIT DARK ALE If you're one of those clever people who saves room for dessert, we salute you. And if you're like us and merely assume that your stomach will always have room for dessert no matter how full you are, we salute you too. Either way, you must give Harajuku Gyoza's dessert ramen a spin. We aren't going to give the game away, suffice to say your dessert ramen will be creamy, delicious and most certainly worthy of your Instagram. If you're looking for the right brew to match with your dessert ramen, you really can't go past the delicious flavours of White Rabbit Dark Ale. With a wash of malt driven ale and a backbone of toffee and chocolate, the beer is a great accompaniment for sweeter eats. Hungry for more? Feed all your cravings at the Brisbane Night Noodle Markets with expert beer pairings presented by Beer The Beautiful Truth from July 19 to 30. See the full menu here. Images: Bec Taylor.
Every day, worldwide, McDonald's feeds approximately 1% of the earth's population. Like a partially-digested chicken nugget entering your bloodstream, we'll just let that sink in for a moment. The Founder, by writer Robert D. Siegel (The Wrestler) and director John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks) tells the true story of Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman from Illinois who in 1954 stumbled across an innovative hamburger joint run by the McDonald brothers (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) and convinced them to franchise it into the 92nd largest economy in the world. Again, just let it siiiiink on in. Played magnificently by Michael Keaton, Kroc presents as a ruthless and relentless businessman for whom 'no' is just a soft yes waiting to be solidified. "Contracts are like hearts" he explains at one stage to the brothers, "…they're meant to be broken". And so it was that the McDonalds empire began to form, with or without the support of the two men to which everything was owed. It's a fascinating, heartbreaking story to behold. Offerman and Carroll Lynch are perfectly cast as a pair of brothers whose steadfast belief in the importance of authenticity and quality seems at once admirable and naive - not to mention antithetical to the very ideas that would eventually turn each of them into multi-millionaires. Of course, the fact that they only make millions, and not billions, is what forms the bulk of the film's story, as it catalogues the means by which Kroc manoeuvred himself into a position of unmatchable power over the pair via manipulative and underhanded yet entirely legal means. By the time "gentleman's handshakes" are being proposed, you already know how things are going to end, just as you lament the feeling that there's nothing else the brothers could have done to stop it. This is a slick production from top to bottom, beginning with Siegel's superb script and its equal measure of laughs and wince-inducing severity. The direction, too, is impressively restrained, allowing the performers and script to shine without embellishment. As in the recent Birdman, Keaton is the standout in a field of outstanding actors, bringing similar levels of narcissism to the role. His serpentine smile and darting eyes betray much of the Kroc personality before he ever opens his mouth. Do not be surprised to see Keaton's name appear on the nomination roll for next year's awards season. In all, The Founder is an admirable piece of cinema that's at once a character study and a history lesson, just as its lead offers an uncomfortable mix of bastardy and astounding foresight. You won't like much about Ray Kroc by the end of this film, but you'll be hard-pressed to deny his determination, business acumen or impact upon a world in which 62 million customers eat at McDonalds every day. 62 million customers. That's more than the population of Great Britain. So yeah…just let that sink in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX2uz2XYkbo
The show must go on for the folks at the Moulin Rouge. 15 years after the release of Baz Luhrmann's smash-hit movie musical, the story of doomed lovers Christian and Satine is coming to the stage. The lavish adaptation is currently in its early stages, and will be directed by two-time Tony nominee Alex Timbers. "I first encountered Alex Timbers through the remarkable and inventive production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and the brilliance of Here Lies Love," said Luhrmann in a statement. "I immediately recognised the young director's creative spirit and felt we shared similar sensibilities and instincts." Writing duties will be handled by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter John Logan, whose resume includes the recent James Bond outing Skyfall as well as the Tony Award-winning play Red. "It's immensely gratifying to know that a new wave of artists will be leading Moulin Rouge! into its rightful theatrical realm," said Luhrmann. The show is being developed by entertainment group Global Creatures, who previously worked on the theatrical adaptation of King Kong and helped bring Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom to the stage. A premiere date and location for Moulin Rouge! has yet to be announced.
While we suspect he'll always be remembered best as the world's most famous boy wizard, you certainly couldn't accuse Daniel Radcliffe of always playing in the same sandbox. Since wrapping up the Harry Potter series, the actor has played Alan Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings, taken the stage in Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishman, and most recently appeared as a flatulent corpse in the surprisingly heartwarming indie film Swiss Army Man. His latest project is an Off-Broadway play, one that is noteworthy not just for Radcliffe's part, but for its unusual policy when it comes to mobile phones. While whipping out your cell is generally considered sacrilege in the theatre, Privacy takes the opposite approach — actively encouraging audience members to take selfies during the show in order to explore questions of privacy and accountability in an increasingly connected world. As Radcliffe dives into the open world of social media, audience members are able to post their photos to the theatre website, at which point they're projected onto a giant screen behind the actors. Further chances for crowd participation come when a character types "is it wrong…" into Google, with viewers prompted to shout out possible autofill possibilities. Of course Privacy isn't the first time theatres have allowed or even encouraged the use of mobile phones. Theatres in Melbourne such as Malthouse and La Mama have experimented with special 'tweet seats' in the past, sparking furious debate as to whether the practice should be allowed. What's interesting in this case is how the play actually incorporates phone users into the performance. This could very well be the beginning of a brave new world. Via PSFK.
Step back in time to 1965, and attend the Delamere family's annual dinner party. Two years earlier, the event was terrorised by an antiquities salesman experimenting with a set of dolls — and, as an urban legend tells, no one was ever the same again. If you have your wits about you, you can join twelve others to recreate the fateful evening; however, a word of warning: this isn't an experience for those easily spooked. Take your cues from the interactive show's setting, because there's no better space to see a ghost story take place than West End's Ecclectica: Esoteric Books & Curiosities.
Less is traditionally more in the tiny homes that have boomed in popularity over the last few years. This is not the case with Stella the Stargazer, an exceptional pop-up that will tour regional Victoria over the next six months. Stella's unique approach to luxury is considered and environmentally sensitive. The distinct interior design headed up by Port Fairy-based Ample champions upcycled and repurposed materials, including the use of corrugated iron and Victorian hardwood in the construction process. An indulgent, annular shower is surrounded by adjustable glass louvres designed to envelop you in the natural surroundings. Plus, there's an outdoor fire pit that doubles as a barbecue. Glass sliding doors open onto the modular deck with openair seating, and you'll find plenty of local wares featured throughout; from Dindi Naturals toiletries, to threads from Weave Home Australia, Society of Wanderers and Grampians Goods Co. [caption id="attachment_879299" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Ample, Brook James[/caption] But the crowning jewel of this enchanting tiny palace is a roll-out, queen-bed-sized sleeping platform that's primed for stargazing on calm evenings. Provisions boast a local lean, with guests enjoying a curated welcome hamper of cheese and charcuterie, a bottle of wine and breakfast provisions — showcasing regional bread, bacon, eggs and granola. Famed chef Alejandro Saravia (Farmer's Daughters, Victoria by Farmer's Daughters) can also ensure you don't have to venture far, with a DIY dinner experience available to add to your stay. The evening's menu runs to the likes of Farmer's Daughters pork terrine served with Snowy River black garlic chutney; a warm roasted pumpkin on a bed of creamy stracciatella; and Cherry Tree Organics roasted lamb shoulder served with roasted carrot and marjoram. Currently, the limited-time tiny stay by Visit Victoria is situated at the idyllic Blue Gables vineyard in Maffra, but she'll move on from Thursday, December 15, and head to the Great Ocean Road for the end of summer. [caption id="attachment_879298" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Ample, Brook James[/caption] Stella the Stargazer will make her home in Maffra, Gippsland, from October 14–December 15, 2022. She'll then stop in a new location along the Great Ocean Road from February 3–April 6, 2023, before moving to the Grampians from April 17–June 18, 2023. Rates are $330 per night Monday–Thursday, and $390 per night Friday–Sunday.
Once, Brisbane was just the home of XXXX. Now, this beer-loving town has a brewery on every corner, or so it seems. It's no wonder, then, that Brewsvegas sprung up to celebrate the city's plethora of places for a yeasty pint — and it's back in 2019 for its sixth massive year. From Friday, March 15 through until Sunday, March 24, you'd best prepare to quench your hard earnest thirst with an ice cold brew. Plenty of beverages will be sunk across the ten-day period; however there's more to Brewsvegas than just knocking back beer. Fancy pairing your boozing with doughnuts? A scavenger hunt? A riverside food truck party? A parkside meet-up for doggos and their drink-sipping owners? Several other pooch-friendly events? That's all on the agenda. The list goes on, so prepare to say 'cheers' a whole heap. From the huge lineup, here's our six top picks — let's call it our Brewsvegas six-pack. Top image: Catchment Brewing Co.
It might be hard to imagine how Australia's contentious immigration and asylum seeker policies could be fodder for comedy, but Tom Ballard has somehow managed to produce a 'comedy lecture' that is at once moving, thought-provoking, and piss-your-pants funny. The award-winning comedian's latest show Boundless Plains to Share (which takes its title from that oft-forgotten line in our national anthem) tackles the history, inhumanity, and hypocrisy of Australia's immigration policies. It's that rare kind of performance that will leave you both furious and introspective, and also belly-sore from all the laughter. This is one Brisbane Comedy Festival event you definitely don't want to miss. This is one of our top picks for this year's Brisbane Comedy Festival. Read the whole list.
Staying ahead of the curve in Sydney's constantly evolving food scene is difficult. New restaurants, bars and cafes pop up every week, and in Sydney, a city already saturated with food and drink options, it's incredibly easy for hospitality businesses to fall behind. In partnership with William Blue at Torrens University, we're asking the hospitality graduates who run our favourite Sydney restaurants to talk about how they got started in the industry. In 2015, Adelene Stahnke helped to open Bang Street Food in Surry Hills with her partner Tapos Singha and designer Nicholas Gurney. In 2016, the same team opened Bang Street Food spin-off Trunk Road in Darlinghurst. Stahnke is only 23 years old, so helping to start up two successful Sydney restaurants is no small feat. We asked her how it all happened, and if she has any tips to share. FIND A GAP IN THE MARKET (AND STICK TO IT) "Tapos kept talking about wanting to open a Bangladeshi restaurant in Sydney. I thought it was a great idea, and really inspiring because nobody had brought great, traditional Bangladeshi food to the city yet. I encouraged him to stick to his dream because I could see that there was a gap in the market, and I had a really strong feeling that a space would open up in Sydney. Tapos pitched the idea to his business partner, and once a space appeared in Surry Hills everything took off from there." LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT THE CUISINE YOU'RE COOKING "Tapos went back home to Bangladesh for a few months to get some ideas flowing for the menu, and I went to Melbourne to cook at Tonka [an Indian-fusion restaurant] with Adam D'Sylva. I wanted to get some experience in sub-continent food because I didn't know much about it beforehand, and I think it's important to learn everything you can about a style of food before you start a business with it. I worked at Tonka with the goal to learn as much as I could and it was a really great experience. When Tapos and I both arrived back to Sydney, he showed me the menu and I understood the dishes in a way that I wouldn't have, had I not worked at Tonka. The menu was great, but it needed some refining, which is where I came in. I made sure that the menu would appeal to Surry Hills, while making sure that the Bangladeshi soul was still there." KNOW WHEN YOU'RE ON TO A GOOD THING — AND RUN WITH IT "At Bang we have a dish that people really love called 'Bang Boti Kebab', which is a roti kebab with steak filling. That dish really blew up so we thought we would take the opportunity and run with it. We said, 'let's do a restaurant based on that dish but in a smaller space, something cheap where we can do take-away as well'. That's how Trunk Road, our second restaurant, came about. We waited until we found the perfect space — a little terrace house in Darlinghurst — and the boys built the whole restaurant while my dad tiled it. I moved over to run the kitchen at Trunk once it was up and running. It's just a one-person, solo kind of thing in a really small kitchen, very different from Bang. We only serve four types of the 'roadie' kebab, a curry and some snacks." SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT SHARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS "In order to establish a really good business you need to have a concept and stick with that concept. It's also very important to have people around you that can compliment you and share your aspirations. Stay focused, and as long as it's still your hobby, you can make money from it because you love it. Having your own business is a lot of work, there are long hours right from the start. It's very different when it's your own project as opposed to working for someone else. Work everywhere you can and get experience in everything. I've studied hospitality and worked in hotels as well as fine dining, breakfast spots in Darlinghurst and Indian restaurants. You never know what will come in handy." William Blue at Torrens University offers courses in Culinary Management, Event Management, Tourism and Hospitality. Find out more about the diverse career options in hospitality, and kick-start your career via the website. Images: Kimberley Low.
Bingo. Rave. Two ends of the spectrum of fine holiday fun finally came together in Australia last year. If you didn't make it along, Bongo's Bingo is a games night like you've never seen before. Part club, part rave, and, of course, part bingo night, this unlikely fusion event has been wildly popular in the UK since 2015. It's hardly surprising that taking the show on the road — that is, launching Bongo's Bingo Down Under — went well. And now, it's hardly surprising that is's coming back for yet another round either. What you mightn't expect is the event's new special guests: British boy band royalty, aka Westlife's Brian McFadden and Boyzone's Keith Duffy. Under the name Boyzlife, they'll perform their respective groups' biggest hits while all of the debauchery of the original British version of Bongo's Bingo gets underway. That includes rave intervals, dancing on tables and a loose kind of bingo that you definitely never played with your nan (well, maybe you have). The victorious players can win everything from big cash prizes to some absolutely ridiculous surprises, which is all part of the fun. Australia is the second international location for Bongo's Bingo, which recently launched in Dubai as well and, based on popularity, we imagine the event will continue to expand around the globe. BONGO'S BINGO DATES: Brisbane — Saturday, March 24 at The Tivoli Sydney — Saturday, March 31 at Big Top Melbourne — Thursday, April 5 at St Kilda Hall Doors from 6pm and shows kick off 7.30pm. Tickets are $40 per person and go on sale on Monday February 5 — the Brisbane show at 4pm AEST via Ticketmaster, and the Sydney and Melbourne shows at 6pm AEDT via Moshtix.
National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity for all people of Australia to learn and acknowledge the nation's shared history, to celebrate the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and reflect on how we can each contribute to reconciliation. Reconciliation requires more than listening, learning and reflecting, which is powerfully summarised in this year's theme: More than a word. Reconciliation takes action. As always, hundreds of events are occurring around the nation in schools, community centres, workplaces, cultural institutions and sporting clubs. All these events embrace the theme and recognise that for reconciliation to occur in Australia, more impactful action is required. Reconciliation also requires the active participation and involvement of wider Australia. So this year, you can also host an event as well as attending a suite of unique educational discussions and workshops. National Reconciliation Week is convened annually by Reconciliation Australia, the national body on reconciliation. Significantly, this year marks twenty years since Reconciliation Australia was established in 2001. The start and end dates of Reconciliation Week are the same each year— May 27 and June 3. These dates celebrate two significant achievements in the reconciliation journey: the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision which saw the rightful recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of the land. [caption id="attachment_813142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: City of Greater Geelong, City Hall[/caption]
There aren't a whole bunch of things that can beat a day in the sun with a drink in your hand. Recognising the need to slake that thirst, Canadian Club is bringing their Racquet Club back for the summer, dosing out refreshing Canadian Club, dry and lime beverages by the water with a screen showing the tennis. The Racquet Club celebrates Australia's biggest annual summer sporting fixture, the Australian Open. After keeping punters hydrated in Melbourne last year, the pop-up will this year extend to Sydney and Brisbane as well. The club will set up at Brisbane's waterside Sandstone Point Hotel from December 27 - January 30. The pop-up bar will carry Canadian Club on tap, as well as a whole slew of Canadian Club cocktails (the grapefruit Summer Spritz is our pick), and will be decked out in all the tennis memorabilia that they can find. Plus, when the Open starts on January 16, there'll be a big screen showing every game, loud and live. We're giving away 25 bar tabs worth $100 for the opening night of Racquet Club at Sandstone Point Hotel. Tell us which location you'd like to head to and enter your details below for your chance to enjoy the summer vibes. [competition]603069[/competition]
Eight venues, nine stages, 41 bands, zero entry fee. That's the maths behind the Mountain Goat Valley Crawl, which has been gracing Fortitude Valley's finest hangouts since 2016 — with pairing brews aplenty with an ace live soundtrack. For its 2023 edition, the sprawling music and beer festival has another packed day of tunes and brews in store. That date: Saturday, February 11, when attendees can jump between eight Valley spots to see a huge heap of bands take over nine different stages. Also pivotal: yes, entry is free yet again, meaning that you'll only need your wallet for brews. [caption id="attachment_878321" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Mick[/caption] On the bill: The Terrys, The Buoys and VOIID, headlining a roster of top-notch Aussie acts, plus Aaron Gocs as the festival's host. Among the other artists hitting the stage, Moon Saloon will serve up melodies aplenty, A.D.K.O.B is bringing its indie-rock sounds to town, Horror My Friend will deliver a dose of shoegaze and LOUNGE is all about power pop. The simultaneous sonic fun takes place at Black Bear Lodge, The Brightside indoors, The Brightside outdoors, Greaser (where there'll be two stages), O'Skulligans, Ric's Backyard, The Zoo and Suzie Wongs Good Time Bar. As always, the agenda includes running between each to sip frosty beverages and catch crackin' sets, with the entertainment once again sponsored by a brewery. The whole shindig kicks off at 6pm, so the only thing left for you to do is clear your calendar for an ace evening of tunes, brews and hopping around the Valley. Well, that and check out the full impressive 41-act lineup below: [caption id="attachment_878320" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darcy Goss[/caption] MOUNTAIN GOAT VALLEY CRAWL 2023 LINEUP: ACTS: The Terrys The Buoys VOIID Bakers Eddy Bella Amor Dopamine Big Wett Carla Wehbe Horror My Friend Kitschen Boy Secret Act Sputnik Sweetheart Suzi ZHR 90IVY A.D.K.O.B Dizzy Days Dog God Doggie Heaven Dust Dusty Enclave Jem Cassar-Daley Joe Mungovan LOUNGE Miranda vs Arizona Moon Saloon Mozza Oil! Placement Rutherford Jazz Trio S.A.B Safety Club Stage Presence Supathick The Dandys The Love Inn The Pb's Twine Walta Wissalea & the Walnuts Hosted by Aaron Gocs VENUES: Black Bear Lodge The Brightside The Brightside — Outdoors Greaser (two stages) O'Skulligans Ric's Backyard Suzie Wongs The Zoo Images: katexjean / Jared Hinz Photography.
As far as great words go, fromagerie has to be up there with the best of them. Trust the French term for cheese shop to just roll off the tongue — which is a good thing, because no one in Brisbane's about to say it a whole lot more. Indeed, stores dedicated to sometimes sharp, sometimes gooey deliciousness are Brisbane's latest trend, with Emile and Solange lining up to join the fold. The second fromagerie announced in as many months, following Milton's Fromage [The Cow], will bring its dairy-focused magic to Albion from July. Yep, there'll be cheese havens on both sides of the city. Nestled inside Vielle Branche's Fox Street concept shop, Emile and Solange will trade in all things fine, fancy and gourmet. The decision to launch in winter provides a clue about their wares, too. If you guessed that products from snowy places — think the French Alps, as well as Switzerland — will feature heavily, then you'd be right. As for the name, well, that's a story as sweet the shop's main morsels are certain to be creamy (and no, it has nothing to do with the Knowles family). Emile was a farmer, Solange owned a crémerie fromagerie in the small Normandy city of Coutances, and together they were grandparents to Emile and Solange's owner. If the combination of tasty cheese and a tender tale like that doesn't make you rush in the door, then nothing will. Find Emile and Solange at 10 Fox Street, Albion from July, and keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for more information.
It won't be the liquor that's making your head spin at Mexico's Biré Bitori. Designed by architectural firm Tall Arquitectos on behalf of chef Maria Andrea Payne, the proposed two-story bar and restaurant would stick out over the edge of a cliff near the Basaseachic Falls, the second highest waterfall in the country. And if that weren't enough to kick your vertigo into gear, the bar and dining area will feature a transparent glass floor, offering breathtaking/terrifying views of the canyon below. The bar and restaurant (and nausea-inducing glass floor) would be located on the first level, while upstairs patrons would find a panoramic observation platform and pool. No word on what the menu might look like, although given the incredible surroundings we can't imagine it would be all that cheap. The falls themselves are located in the Basaseachic Waterfalls National Park, around three and half hours drive west of Chihuahua in the country's north. Via Traveller.
After blazing through the end of 2014 with sold-out shows in Sydney and Melbourne, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders are back. And this time, they're taking on the nation. New album Playmates, released in November, inspired many a rave review from the critics and featured on Double J, FBi, 3RRR and 2SER. It's also been released in the big ol' U.S. of A. by Fat Possum (Black Keys, Spiritualized), which meant that March took Jack to gigs New York, Los Angeles and SXSW, Austin. NPR even named him one of the 'Musicians You'll Tell Your Friends About In 2015'. Plus, he casually recorded a killer duet with Sharon Van Etten, so extra kudos. Catch Jack Ladder and The Dreamlanders at Melbourne's Howler on May 8, Perth's Amplifier on May 9, Brisbane's Brightside May 15 and Sydney's Oxford Art Factory May 16. They'll be supported at every show by Sydney-based singer-songwriter Alex Cameron, who first became known as the percussionist in Seekae but has since been getting attention for his solo adventures.
On Sunday, September 10, Sydney staged for a huge public rally through the city streets, flying rainbow flags (and dogs) to demand marriage equality and campaign for a 'Yes' vote. Support group Community Action Against Homophobia, who ran the rally, urged Australians to campaign for a 'Yes' postal vote. With the majority of Australians (a whopping two-thirds) supporting marriage equality, the rally was expectedly stacked — in all, organisers have estimated that a massive 30-40,000 people rocked up to show their support for all LGBTI+ Australians. The rally marked the first weekend after the High Court decided to uphold the government's (unnecessary, expensive and undeniably hurtful) postal plebiscite. Postal ballots will be sent out this week.
Since launching in the US in January, female friend-matching app hey! VINA has been the talk of BFF-seeking ladies everywhere. For anyone that's tried to boost their girl gang with people they meet at parties, work, cafes and the like, but found the process a little awkward (i.e. everyone), it's the gift that keeps on giving. Now, the popular service is finally going global — albeit with some surprising assistance. Where does the app that's been called "Tinder for girlfriends" get support to expand its remit? From Tinder, it seems. The two entities have teamed up to help more gals look for more pals in more places. With more than 17,000 cities on hey! VINA's waitlist, the demand is certainly there. In fact, the service tallied up over 100,000 users in its first two weeks of operation alone. That's the good news: Aussies, you can now get paired up with fabulous potential friends based on your preferences, location and existing networks of mutual connections (via Facebook), then swipe your way to the perfect pal. Whether you've recently moved away from your besties, or have just found life taking you in different directions, hey! VINA is here to help you make some new mates. Of course, with the app endeavouring to help ladies forge long-lasting platonic bonds, it's okay to raise your eyebrows at their new partnership with a company known for facilitating romantic hook-ups of the much, much, much briefer kind. VINA is adamant that, while they both share a mission to connect people around the world, the two organisation's services remain separate, and that hey! VINA will remain a women-only non-dating social connection platform. Their updated FAQs spell this out, and are clearly designed to assuage any fears that the app will become Tinder 2.0. As for Tinder themselves, their investment and mentorship falls in line with other recent developments aimed to expand their remit — and their status as a go-to app for meeting others. Though trialled in Australia first, Tinder Social launched worldwide in July as a way for different groups of friends to cross paths. And just this month, they joined forces with Spotify to bring music tastes into the matching and swiping process. Image via Dollar Photo Club.
It's inevitable that once crowdsourcing platforms like Uber, Airbnb and Foodora began to take off, everyone would try to get on the source. Introducing the latest likeminded business, WelcomeOver, a platform for crowdsourcing dinner parties. This may sound a little strange, but think of it as a friend-food-fun-finding website that turns your dining room into a super exclusive restaurant. Co-founder Johan Schberg got the idea for WelcomeOver while travelling in Indonesia. "I saw a similar platform while travelling in Indonesia and thought that it would resonate perfectly with an Australian audience with our love of food and openness to new experiences. Trust is a core ingredient to the success of the product and if you look at how Australians have embraced platforms like Uber and AirbnB, where trust is also fundamental to success, we thought this would be a perfect market." At present WelcomeOver is focusing on Sydney, with ambitions to expand to Melbourne and Canberra before long. It's a pretty simple premise: the host (generally amateur chefs or hardcore foodies) will put together a menu, then set a time and a price per head and other users can opt into the event. Like most crowdsourcing ideas, the user rates their experience after the fact. The system runs on the joint pillars of trust and reputation, however, still faces the same questions about user safety that plague platforms like Uber and Airbnb — everything from online financial protection to physically putting yourself in the hands of someone you don't know. Home events have been a pretty top socialising choice for Sydneysiders since the introduction of the controversial lockout laws that have been hampering the city's nightlife. Schberg says the project isn't a direct response to the lockouts, but they don't agree with the laws either. "We believe a desperate measure like the lockout laws should only be the very last resort after all other options to provide adequate safety have been tried and proven unsuccessful," he says. "Besides, just a few months prior to the lockout laws, the very same government announced Sydney to be the safest city in the world, so how dangerous was it, really? Looking on the bright side, we are happy that you are still allowed to throw a dinner party at your home in Sydney, and through the WelcomeOver platform there is always a dinner party nearby where you and your friends are invited." There's no doubt though that the restrictive laws have forced party-goers to seek out other ways to have fun and allowed platforms like WelcomeOver to find their niche. And if that means more dinner parties options every weekend, we're so down. Check out WelcomeOver's website for more info. Top image: Krzysztof Puszczyński.
Sometimes it can feel like making solid female friends is tougher than getting a Tinder date. Much tougher. Women often feel the pressure of social conditioning that encourages them to compete for male attention and view other women as threats. In this sort of landscape, it can be pretty intimidating to approach a fly girly at a party and say “I dig your vibe, let’s get a coffee sometime and validate the living shit out of each other”. Enter hey! VINA, an app created by developers VINA out of California, which is being touted as Tinder for girlfriends. The app matches you up with likely friends based on your preferences, location and existing networks of mutual connections (via Facebook), letting you swipe your way to the perfect pal. It’s a genius idea and women all over the world have been psyched for hey! VINA to kick off in their city. In fact, the VINA team can barely keep up with demand and have had a crazy few weeks trying to roll it out to all the women who want it. There’s a waitlist! And of course, the app is available for use by all women and everybody who identifies as female. But why is the app necessary and so incredibly popular? Olivia Poole, VINA co-founder and CEO alongside CTO Jen Aprahamian, says that strong female friendships are everything. Literally, everything. "Studies show that relationships are more successful when women have a strong circle of female friends, and we're in an era professionally where it's important for women to think like the "boys club" and support one another and push each other forward in our careers. There's the old saying that you're the sum of the five people you spend the most time with, so it's important to surround yourself with women that you admire and inspire you to be the best version of yourself." Poole says the overwhelming response may have something to do with the rise of the girl gang over the last few years and the prominence of non-competitive female friendships and #squadgoals, as demonstrated by girl-gang queen herself, Taylor Swift. Or it may be that more woman are finding themselves isolated from their friendship groups as life changes, such as moving cities and having babies start, to take a toll. "Our social circles are always in flux, and it's important to invest time in building new relationships with new friends on consistent basis," says Poole "Everything great that's ever happened in my life has generally come through my network of friends." Poole adds that Australia is definitely on their radar for hey! VINA. The best way to get the app out here faster is to sign up and get on the waitlist, which you can do over here. In the meantime, check out the VINA's air-punchy girl-power app Ladybrag, where women celebrate the little victories. Image via Dollar Photo Club.
