Planning on heading away over the Easter break? You better get your skates on, because the best places are filling up fast. Luckily Airbnb have got plenty of cool and quirky listings for people in need of a holiday. Whether you're organising a group getaway or want something a little more intimate, here are ten awesome spots we reckon are worth a look. DRIVABLE FROM SYDNEY BYRON'S BRAE, POSSUM CREEK Located roughly twenty minutes inland from Byron Bay, this massive property boasts spectacular views, a pool and pool house, five bedrooms, two kitchens and a firepit. It's not cheap, but damn is it pretty. RIVER SHACK, BAR POINT A great spot for an adventurous couple, this luxurious cabin on the Hawkesbury River can only be accessed by boat! Once you're on solid ground you'll find comfortable accommodation including a bedroom, kitchen and indoor/outdoor living space, complete with outdoor fire and two-person hammock. BUSH PARADISE, MT TOMAH Gaze through enormous floor to ceiling windows at the breathtaking beauty of the Blue Mountains. This stylish cabin on the edge of the national park includes a spacious living area, fully equipped kitchen, and even has its own resident peacock, named George. DRIVEABLE FROM MELBOURNE W-CLASS TRAM, LAURISTON An hour drive from Melbourne, this rustic cottage backs onto Lauriston forest and comes complete with its own tiki bar, undercover BBQ area and W-Class tram. That's right, a tram, one that has been carefully converted into its own separate two-bedroom unit. Between that, the main house and a vintage caravan, there's room here for up to nine people. BINAH GUESTHOUSE, GLENBURN This charming two bedroom guesthouse in Glenburn, Victoria sells itself as the perfect bush retreat. The private deck provides you with uninhibited views of the natural landscape, before you venture out to explore the neighbouring Yarra Valley. YARINGA, KENNETT RIVER Why choose between visiting the beach and the bush when you can do both? This three bedroom holiday house on the Great Ocean Road sits on stilts on the edge of a eucalyptus forest, with views overlooking the ocean. DRIVEABLE FROM BRISBANE ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY, FERNVALE With 360 degree views of the secluded Brisbane Valley, this five bedroom property in Fernvale seems like the ultimate place to relax. Laze about in either one of the two sun lounges, or go for a paddle in the heated outdoor pool. If you're in a more recreational mood, you can also go fishing in the nearby Brisbane River. COUNTRY CREEK RETREAT, COOROY This one bedroom house surrounded by rainforest and rolling hills looks absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy a cookout under the stars, or go hang with platypus and turtles at the nearby billabong. BRIGHTON KITE SHED, BRIGHTON Spacious and modern, this studio apartment in Brighton is located right by the seaside, and just twenty minutes from the centre of Brisbane. It's also only a quick walk to Sandgate village, replete with shops, restaurants and cafes. NEEDS A FLIGHT PRIVATE RIVER VALLEY SUITE, UBUD For those of you with a bit more disposable income, why not try jetting off to Bali. Located around thirty minutes out of Denpasar, this luxury retreat is 200m from the beach and includes a plunge pool, private outdoor bathtub, four post queen bed and an in-house chef. Don't act like you're not tempted. NZ ARCHITECT'S HOLIDAY HOME, WAIHEKE ISLAND This ultra-modern lodging on Waiheke Island near Auckland was recently shortlisted for the NZ Home of the Year Award. After snooping around the Airbnb listing, it's certainly not hard to see why. If it weren't for all the surrounding foliage, you'd think you were holidaying in the not too distant future. THE BOOT, TASMAN, NEW ZEALAND Why bother visiting the Lord of the Rings set when you can spend your entire holiday living in a fairy tale? Describing this one bedroom lodging seems a little bit redundant. You're not blind. It's a boot. You shouldn't need us to tell you why that's awesome.
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.
It's been a big few months for gadgets. In September Apple released the iPhone 7 and, just last week, Google released their first ever fully-Google phone, the Pixel. The new MacBook Pro went on sale today after an early morning our-time launch by Apple in California — and devotees are very, very excited. Thinner, shinier and way more powerful than previous iterations, the computer will retail for between $2199 and $2999 depending on which of the three models you're after (more on that in a second). It's probably not the sort of cash you blow willy-nilly, so before you make any impulse buys — and, yes, we realise the temptation is strong and the online store is right there — we've taken a gander at the specs and broken down Apple's new laptop into five key talking points. IT'S WAY THINNER 17 percent thinner, to be precise. The new MacBook Pro is available in two screen sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch. They come in at 14.9 and 15.5 millimetres, respectively. Thinner also means lighter, with a weight of 1.37 and 1.8 kilograms (also respectively). The accepted wisdom is that these bad boys will replace the MacBook Air, may it rest in peace. THE KEYBOARD HAS A NEW LED TOUCHSCREEN BAR The coolest addition to the new MacBook Pro is the organic LED function bar that replaces the standard keys for controlling volume, brightness and so on. The so-called Touch Bar (proper noun) can do all those things, but can also be customised depending on what you're doing at the time. So for example, if you're using the internet, the Touch Bar can display your favourites or open tabs. It can even be used as an emoji keyboard — what a brave new world this is. The Touch Bar is available on both 13-inch and 15-inch models, although there is also a cheaper 13-inch variant without it. YOU CAN LOG IN USING YOUR FINGERPRINT One of the additional upsides of the Touch Bar is that it enables Touch ID. Located on the power button (makes sense), the sensor lets users log into their MacBook using their fingerprint, just as the they can with their iPhone. The sensor also works with Apple Pay, making it that much easier to splurge on more Apple products in the future. THE TRACKPAD IS ENORMOUS AND USES ELECTROMAGNETIC TECHNOLOGY The new MacBook Pro trackpad seems the same as ever, but don't let yourself be deceived. Rather than actually depressing when a user pushes down, electromagnets within the track pad shift to create that clicking sensation, meaning the pad itself doesn't physically give at all. Sorcery! It's also nearly twice as large as one previous MacBook Pros. THE USB AND CHARGE PORTS HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED The downside of making your laptop so much thinner is that you don't have room for all the fancy holes. Gone is the standard USB and MagSafe charging ports, replaced by four identical Thunderbolt 3 powered USB-C ports. The ports are incredibly versatile, and can be used for power, USB, HDMI and more. Good idea, but it promises to be a bit of a pain in the short term, with adapters required for all your current devices, including your brand spanking new iPhone 7. Typical. The new MacBook Pro is available from today, Friday, October 28. For more info, visit apple.com/macbook-pro.
If you can picture an indoor rollercoaster fused with a 3D film, that’s 9D Action Cinemas — a mix of an amusement park and a trip to the movies. Intrigued? Now you can try it for yourself in Brisbane, with the brand new 9D Action Cinemas open in Garden City. If you're familiar with both rides and 3D films, you'll know what you’re in for, kind of. The idea is to completely immerse audience in the world of the short film, both visually and physically. So what's showing in 9D? The 'Now Playing' listing above the ticket counter boasts eight different selections all with very, very loose 'storylines'. However, all up there’s around 60 short films on offer, with more added every few months. All tastes are catered for, and all ages, too. Racing rides coast around canyons and glide over snow. More mysterious segments crawl through tombs and fly over lost islands. Horror-themed clips run away from zombies, and speed through haunted houses. So let's get amongst it. You select your film, buy a ticket, enter the six-seat theatre (yep, only six), and put on your 3D glasses. You’re helped into your chair by a staff member, buckle your seat belt, and master a good grip on your arm rests. Now, it's showtime. Once the animated movie begins, electronics beneath your seat start humming. In the action ride simulator, everything is synchronised on-screen and off. Depending on what’s on screen, you might be squirted with air or water, or have bubbles and snow rain down on you from above. You might find yourself amongst fog, smoke or lightning, or feel something nipping at your feet from below. Those weak of stomach or just not feeling so adventurous can watch their friends courtesy of the live camera feed playing in the lobby. Arcade games keep waiting punters occupied. But given that each ride lasts for five to ten minutes, no one is likely to be waiting long. Though Garden City’s new renovations were unveiled late last year, 9D Action Cinemas can be found in the older part of the shopping centre — but that will soon change. In the near future, a new entertainment mall is slated to surround everyone’s new favourite simulation ride with more fun things to do. With bars and restaurants right outside the cinema, this might just be the new suburban place to be. Check out the cheesy, cheesy trailer: Find 9D Action Cinemas at Westfield Garden City Shopping Centre, on the corner of Logan and Kessels roads, Upper Mount Gravatt. Visit the website for more information.
When Australian audiences embrace our own films, we tend to do it in a very big way. Last year, Lion had viewers everywhere in tears. In the years prior, we were turning out in droves for The Dressmaker and Mad Max: Fury Road. And, even when local efforts aren't setting the box office alight, our homegrown flicks are still tearing up cinema screens with a showcase of Aussie talent. The Babadook, Snowtown, Mystery Road, Goldstone, Tracks, These Final Hours, 52 Tuesdays, Holding the Man, Sherpa, Hounds of Love, Jasper Jones, Ali's Wedding — they're just some of the ace Australian films that've reached theatres in recent years. In 2018, they'll be joined by these ten movies you need to put on your viewing list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYKBG1znk4A SWEET COUNTRY An Australian western set during the late 1920s in the Northern Territory, Sweet Country boasts plenty of well-known talent, including Bryan Brown, Sam Neill, Matt Day and Ewen Leslie. It's the director behind the movie that should grab your attention, however, with his long-awaited second fictional feature absolutely essential viewing. In an impassioned race-relations drama that finds the struggles of the past painfully still relevant to Australia in the present, Samson & Delilah's Warwick Thornton crafts a searing piece of cinema about an Aboriginal stockman, a cruel station owner and the fallout when they cross paths. Make no mistake, it'll be gathering a heap of shiny trophies when Aussie awards season rolls around at the end of 2018. In cinemas January 25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMrhANU1-X4 CARGO He's already played Tim from The Office, Bilbo Baggins and John Watson — and now, Martin Freeman takes on the guise of a father trying to save his baby during the apocalypse. Based on Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke's Tropfest short of the same name, the South Australian-made film plunges into dystopian sci-fi territory amidst Australia's sparse landscape, and takes locals such as Susie Porter, Anthony Hayes and David Gulpilil along for the ride. Oh, and for added thrills in what proves an involving, gorgeously shot, environmentally and Indigenously-minded addition to a well-worn genre, there's zombies as well. A hit at last year's Adelaide Film Festival, it's destined for Aussie cinemas and Netflix. Release date TBC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNndmppBgwM HAVE YOU SEEN THE LISTERS? There's only one way to respond to the question posed by the title of Aussie documentary Have You Seen the Listers? The answer, of course, is yes. If you've walked along a city street in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, you've seen Anthony Lister's work at least once, even if you didn't realise it. Directed by All This Mayhem's Eddie Martin — with the same flair for an engaging story told with insight and authenticity — the film charts his graffiti and art career, and the about-face he faced in Brissie when the council that once paid him to paint decided to take him to court for vandalism. Compelling and moving in equal measure, and candidly personal too, it's a portrait of chasing a dream, finding success and then coming down the other side. In cinemas April 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY8KFlOm7qo BREATH Returning to Australia's film industry after nearly two decades, Simon Baker doesn't just feature in Breath, the adaptation of Tim Winton's best-seller of the same name. He also ventures behind the camera, making his directorial debut. In both guises, he impresses — particularly, as the feature's guiding force, in coaxing illuminating performances out of standout young stars Samson Coulter and Ben Spence. In a visually, emotionally and tonally assured effort, the pair play surf-obsessed teens who come to idolise Baker's ageing ex-professional wave-rider, and grow close to his retired skier wife (Elizabeth Debicki). In cinemas May 3. [caption id="attachment_653802" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jennifer Kent's The Babadook[/caption] THE NIGHTINGALE Don't worry, Jennifer Kent's second feature won't have you peering under beds, being scared to look in cupboards and thinking twice about pop-up books. Instead, The Babadook director is trading one kind of thrills for another, this time telling the tale of a young woman in Tasmania in the early 19th century. A quest for revenge drives the narrative, with Game of Thrones actress Aisling Franciosi, Their Finest's Sam Claflin, and Aussies Ewen Leslie and Damon Herriman helping to bring it to life. When Franciosi's 21-year-old convict witnesses the death of her family by soldiers, her vengeance begins, as does her journey through the wilderness with an Aboriginal tracker. Release date TBC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u4P4Isv6Zk 1% If Sons of Anarchy was made in Perth, it might look like 1%. Diving into the depths of warring motorcycle gangs, and exploring both internal and external turf wars, it has all of the familiar elements: gritty aesthetics, violent altercations, power struggles, a clash of generations and the club's second-in-charge facing off against his veteran leader all included. And yet, with Ryan Corr and Matt Nable both putting in memorable performances, and Abbey Lee and Aaron Pedersen also among the cast, the debut feature from Stephen McCallum rides its own trail through the brutal bikie genre. Nable also wrote the script, while the film itself started doing the rounds of international festivals late last year. In cinemas August 30. HOTEL MUMBAI In 2008, Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was attacked by terrorists. At least 167 people killed. Making his first feature, Australian writer/director Anthony Maras recreates the horrific incident, which understandably proved harrowing for locals and tourists alike. And, he's doing so with a familiar face to Aussie cinemagoers, with Dev Patel helping lead a noteworthy international cast after doing such a stellar job in 2017 hit Lion. Also on screen: Red Dog: True Blue's Jason Isaacs, 52 Tuesdays' Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Call Me By Your Name's Armie Hammer. In cinemas November 22. [caption id="attachment_585206" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Filmmaker Abe Forsythe[/caption] LITTLE MONSTERS After attacking the Cronulla riots with a sense of humour that made clear the stupidity of racist thinking and hateful actions, Abe Forsythe has a zombie comedy in his sights for his next film. Yes, Aussie filmmakers really are loving the undead this year. Called Little Monsters, it follows a musician who agrees to chaperone his nephew's school excursion, the kindergarten teacher he falls for in the process, a kid's TV entertainer who forms the third part of their love triangle, and the shuffling, brain-eating masses trying to munch on the children. Down Under's Alexander England stars opposite 12 Years a Slave Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o and Beauty and the Beast's Josh Gad. Release date TBC. [caption id="attachment_653812" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Undertow[/caption] UNDERTOW Slated to debut at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival as part of the fest's Premiere Fund, Undertow tussles with grief and obsession as a mourning woman begins to stress about her husband's connection with a pregnant teenager. Namechecking Black Swan and Wish You Were Here as influences on its crowdfunding page, the film is clearly stepping into the psychological thriller realm. Actress-turned-debut feature filmmaker Miranda Nation both writes and directs, and Laura Gordon (Joe Cinque's Consolation), Josh Helman (Wayward Pines) and Olivia de Jonge (Better Watch Out) star. Release date TBC. [caption id="attachment_653809" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Slam[/caption] SLAM An Australian-made and -set effort by Indian-born filmmaker Partho Sen-Gupta (Sunrise), Slam wades into complex — and all-too-topical — territory. When Ameena (Danielle Horvat), a young hijab-wearing Aussie of Palestinian origin, disappears after attending a slam poetry night, the media is quick to paint her as something more than a missing person. For her brother Ricky (Adam Bakri) and mother Rana (Darina Al Joundi), it's an expectedly tense time filled with easy labels and suspicions. Complicating matters is the personal struggle of the police inspector assigned to the case (Rachel Blake), who has just returned to work after losing her soldier son. Release date TBC.
Australian musicians, wish you could play for more people, more often? People with houses — or rooms or sheds or backyards — wish you could see more music, more often, and closer to home? Bingo. A new online start-up platform by the name of Parlour Gigs is making your wishes come true. That’s the both of you. And indie acts like Thelma Plum, Grand Salvo and Caitlin Harnett are already taking advantage of it. Here’s how it works. (Hint, if you use Airbnb already, you’ll have some idea). Musicians, jump on the site, hit the 'I want to play' button and fill out the form. People with houses, jump on the site, hit the 'I want to host' button and fill out a form. If the Parlour folks are happy with your superior form-filling skills (i.e. you sound pretty talented or your place looks music-friendly), they’ll hook the two of you up. Tickets are then sold to the general public via the Parlour website. The man behind the initiative is Matt Walters, a singer-songwriter from Melbourne. "[Parlour's] not dissimilar to the Airbnb model; cutting out the middlemen and allowing people to negotiate and stage gigs where they like,” he told Tone Deaf. "From being signed to a major label, to touring with some incredible international artists, I've certainly experienced all the ups and downs the music business has to offer. "But for some time now, I’ve felt a change coming on. Of course, with the traditional music model well and truly behind us, there is more emphasis than ever on playing live... For most musicians — especially those up and coming — it's hardly worth it. The experience of playing a great show can be a reward unto itself, but at the end of the day artists, like all working people, need to get paid for their work." Get started on Parlour over here. Via Tone Deaf. Images: Parlour.
That Banksy. Who knows what he’s going to do next, or where she’s going to pop up, or how they stay so tricksy? In the latest unofficial edition of 'where in the world is Banksy?', the answer is Gaza. Yes, the art world’s chief enigma has visited the conflict-ravaged strip of coastline — and he’s made a video to prove it. Exit Through the Gift Shop this isn’t, though it does share the same sense of humour. Banksy’s Gaza clip might just be the darkest tourism video you’ve ever seen. With the plight of the 1.8 million Palestinians who call Gaza home clearly on his mind, Banksy walks through the streets — unseen by the camera, of course — to show the daily reality of its miles upon miles of rubble. “Make this the year YOU discover a new destination,” he tells us, before surveying the dismal sights well off the beaten track. Typical advertising catch-phrases — such as “nestled in an exclusive setting” and “plenty of scope for refurbishment” — pop up over footage of crumbling buildings. The sad facts follow, telling in no uncertain terms what life is like for Gaza residents. It’s a bleak picture. The video also features other evidence of his time there, or what may be his gloomiest residency in history. New Banksy artworks litter the bomb-damaged strip, as first seen on his Instagram account two days ago, followed by his website this morning. Yes, he’s been spray-painting up a storm all over the place, making a statement with street art. His murals call attention not only to the situation but to the disinterest displayed by most of the world in response. One, an image of a cute cat, perhaps says it all. Or maybe the accompanying text on his website does: “A local man came up and said 'Please — what does this mean?' I explained I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website — but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens.”
It's difficult to find a place that is classy and not pretentious, where the food is consistent and not pompous yet still oozes Italian pride. While they do offer dishes such as seafood and pasta, coming to Beccofino and not ordering one of their famous wood-fired pizzas would be like going to the Ekka and not indulging in a strawberry ice-cream. Criminal. The décor is simple, and the verandah set-up makes excellent use of Teneriffe's tree-lined Vernon Terrace. The bar walls are lined with nothing but Campari bottles, which urges one to salivate at the thought of a Negroni. Ordered. Done. Delicious. While devouring a Stracchino pizza featuring lonza (cured pork loin), you would be entirely forgiven if you mistook your current location to a pizza bar somewhere in Rome. The suave staff are efficient and speedy, but good luck trying to keep your bib on waiting for your pizza with the smoky scent of the wood-fired oven firing up. Beccofino is best suited for a perfect lazy Sunday lunch, however their dinner menu is certain to impress as well.
No cruise ship festival fun for you, Australia. Sea N Beats, the event set to be Australia’s first ever music festival at sea, was supposed to set sail March 5-8, 2016. But this morning, the crew announced the cancellation of the event, due to "challenges that could not be overcome". Posted on their website and Facebook this morning, the organisers said: "Australia’s first cruise ship Festival, Sea ‘N Beats, announces with regret the cancellation of their March 5-8, 2016 event. Whilst every possibility in the hope of proceeding with Australia’s first cruise ship festival has been looked at, ultimately all parties involved concluded that conducting a music festival at sea comes with challenges that could not be overcome." "The risk factors surrounding the event were ultimately assessed by all parties involved as too great to continue. Whilst every potential avenue to save Sea N Beats was exhausted, ultimately we have been left with no option but to cancel." All ticket buyers have been individually contacted via email and full refunds will be issued. At this stage, Sea N Beats will not be looking at another departure date for the cruise. Set to boast seven stages and a huge pool deck, Sea N Beats was set to be one huge enterprise, with the likes of Alison Wonderland, Peking Duk, Allday, SAFIA, Wave Racer, Cyril Hahn, Tkay Maidza, Hayden James and more on the lineup. Tickets also included entry to an exclusive mystery island festival on an exclusive mystery island, somewhere off the exclusive mystery Queensland coast. Looks like the anchor will stay put on Australia's first answer to S.S. Coachella. By Shannon Connellan and Jessica Surman. Image: Sea N Beats.
With polished concrete walls, soft ambient lighting and elegantly minimal furniture, Brisbane's Snack Man gives off the kind of vibe you might hope to find in a retro-fitted New York warehouse — with someone playing sax in the corner and room full of movers and shakers. The atmosphere is slick, very slick, and with an enormous back bar with hundreds of bottles of wine staring at you, you know you're going to get a good drop. The wine list focuses on bottles from small producers across relatively unknown regions of Europe, while all the big names also get a look at. Snack Man changes it up daily if you're after a glass, so be sure to ask the staff what they're pouring that particular day. Beyond wine, it's got a good range of beer, and the bartenders can whip up all our classic cocktails. For food, the menu takes its inspiration from China, with dishes showcasing all the major regions. Think pork and chive pan-fried dumplings from Hong Kong, prawn wontons with soy and chilli oil from Shanghai or pan-fried pie with pork floss and green onion from Beijing. There are chicken ribs from Taiwan and a mint and tofu salad from Yunnan, while larger dishes include a delicious crispy chicken with Sichuan sauce — prepare for a big hit of spice with this one. If you're after a dessert, try the custard tart with flaky pastry from Macau, while Australia gets a look in on the menu with deep-fried vanilla ice cream with salted caramel sauce. The helpful staff will pair whatever you order with the perfect glass or bottle of wine, so don't worry if you don't know what you're doing on that front. Give yourself the whole night if visiting Snack Man in Brisbane —there's too much good stuff on the cards not to try it all.
The Brisbane International Film Festival has a new home for the next three years, with the Gallery of Modern Art named as the fest's new host. The South Brisbane gallery will present the event from 2018 to 2020 — and the festival will not only move locations, but also move to a new October time slot. It's huge news for the city's cinephiles, pairing the city's major film festival with its major year-round home of curated and retrospective cinema programming. Funded by Screen Queensland and Screen Australia, the state and the country's respective film bodies, the shift also marks the latest development in BIFF's ever-evolving history — which is much, much more convoluted than it really should be. Here's the short version: first run from 1992 to 2013, the festival was initially cancelled in favour of the short-lived Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, which ran from 2014 to 2016. Then BAPFF was axed after a three-year stint, so BIFF was brought back in 2017 via Palace Cinemas, who received funding from SQ to resurrect the fest. That decision received criticism, both for awarding the festival exclusively to one commercial operator, and for doing so without calling for tenders from other interested parties. In December, SQ opened the event to submissions, with GOMA emerging victorious. It's not actually the first time that BIFF will grace GOMA's Australian Cinémathèque. In fact, the festival held parts of its program at the gallery at various points between GOMA's opening in 2006 and the fest's initial scrapping after the 2013 event. It is, however, the first time that the galley has overseen the festival itself, with Amanda Slack-Smith — QAGOMA's acting curatorial manager of the Australian Cinémathèque — named BIFF's 2018 artistic director. Further, while GOMA will be running the show, BIFF won't only screen at the gallery's two-cinema on-site facilities. GOMA intends to work with external cinema partners, though just who they'll be is yet to be revealed. Programming-wise, cinephiles should expect "new release titles and film retrospectives, alongside screenings with live music, conversations, panel discussions, gala events and more," says QAGOMA director Chris Saines. GOMA is also the only facility in Brisbane with the ability to screen rare archival prints — something that often forms part of its regular cinema seasons — so that's an area BIFF will likely benefit from. Alongside the main festival, Screen Queensland will present industry workshops, events and panel discussions focused towards the state's film industry. Exact dates for the 2018 festival are yet to be announced, but its new timeslot brings BIFF back to the latter part of the year — with initial BIFFs mostly running in July and August, the festival moving to November from 2010 to 2013, BAPFF occurring across November and December, and BIFF 2017 taking place in August. For information, visit the GOMA website. Image: Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. Photograph: John Gollings.
A supermarket in Germany is cutting through the supply chain and giving a whole new meaning to the concept of farm-to-table. Located in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin, a store in the METRO Cash & Carry chain is now home to the first in-store farm in Europe. The Kräuter Garten (herb garden) is a walk-in vertical farm built by Berlin-based startup INFARM. Resembling a small greenhouse, it utilises hydroponic technology to grow herbs and vegetables in a compact space. Shoppers are then able to pick the best looking greens straight from the growing plants. Good luck finding produce fresher than that. "This type of cultivation, which is termed hydroponics, enables customers to receive the freshest possible goods without any use of pesticides. In addition, METRO's carbon footprint benefits because of the absence of a transportation route," reads a statement on the METRO website. "The vertical cultivation saves space in terms of floor area. In METRO's Berlin-Friedrichshain store, various types of herbs and vegetables thrive on around five square metres of space. The high-tech facility supplies each individual plant with the optimum amount of nutrients and light." Given the high economic and environmental cost associated with transporting food, it seems like METRO could really be onto something with this idea. Hopefully someone at Woolies is paying attention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldJ66k2MPdQ Via Vice.
When Three Blue Ducks announced that it was closing its first-ever River City outpost, which has sat inside the W Brisbane hotel since 2018, the inner-city space it has called home for five years was never going to be empty for long. The site's original tenant will shut up shop at the end of May, leaving room for The Lex to get cosy. And get cosy it will — and fast — with the new New York City-inspired restaurant set to open its doors on Thursday, June 15. Pairing the space's spectacular water views with nods to both the Big Apple and Queensland — aka the chain's starting point and its Sunshine State berth — W Brisbane is keeping things in-house with The Lex, which boasts the venue's Chef de Cuisine Pawel Klodowski overseeing the menu. "Having been lucky enough to be a part of The Lex since its very inception, this has felt like more than just a project for me," says Klodowski. "I put all my heart into carefully crafting every step of the dining journey along with the team and it's been an incredible feeling to see this coming to life. I can't wait to reveal the experience to Brisbanites and guests to the city and showcase the unique culinary experience we've curated here." The NYC vibes will flow through in a grill-heavy eatery, and in the style of dishes served; however, southeast Queensland produce will be the star of every plate. Think: oyster brine martinis, dry-aged beef using local cuts and tableside caesar salads. The full culinary lineup hasn't yet been unveiled, but hyper-locality will be a big feature. So too will familiar comfort-food dishes given a playful twist, dashes of the old and the new, and natural cooking techniques. And while you're tucking in, you'll sit in an airy terrace-style setup that's designed to bring the outside in, complete with that vantage over the river. "We are excited to be unveiling this new restaurant concept and adding to our diverse beverage and food programming at W Brisbane. We are continually innovating to enhance our guests' experiences, and The Lex will really elevate the hotel's culinary offering with a refined menu and sophisticated dining experience from start to finish," adds Haldon Philp, W Brisbane's General Manager. "Inspired by the birthplace of W Hotels in New York City, The Lex builds strongly on the W origin story and not only brings a highly sought-after dining experience to Brisbane, but one that connects us with our brand globally." [caption id="attachment_891335" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Three Blue Ducks, W Brisbane, Marriott International Hotel[/caption] Find The Lex at W Brisbane, 81 North Quay, Brisbane, from Thursday, June 15. For more information about the hotel, visit the website. The Lex images: Markus Ravik.
The Australian ridesharing economy is set to go the way of Asia and Europe, with new company Scooti launching its fleet of scooter taxis on Melbourne today, Monday, March 25. CEO Brett Balsters boasts the service — which is, yes, government compliant — as a cheaper, faster and more eco-conscious mode of transport. It may sound odd for Australia, but scooter taxis are by no means a novel idea. Motorbikes and scooters already act as taxis all across Asia, as well as in European cities like Amsterdam and Florence — though this is the first time the concept has been implemented in Australia. So how does it work? Riders can request a pickup using the Scooti app, much like how you request a ride through Uber. The scooters will be available between 5am and 10pm and, for the moment, will only operate within a ten-kilometre radius of Melbourne Town Hall in the CBD. That means you'll be able to travel as far as Coburg, Footscray, Elwood, Hawthorn and Thornbury. Price-wise, you can expect it to be pretty on par with other ridesharing services per kilometre and minute — but, as you'll be on a scooter and able to move through traffic, your fare will presumably be lower. Also, as you'll only be able to ride solo, it could be a good option when you don't have anyone to split a cab with. Bikes will have a luggage box for small handbags and items, but you'll need to wear a backpack if you're travelling with more stuff. Drivers are also required to have an extra helmet for you, and they'll have hair nets on hand if you're grossed out by the idea of sharing headgear. As with any ridesharing company, drivers can use their own scooters as long as they meet Scooti's mechanical, safety, comfort and hygiene standards. All drivers are accredited by Commercial Passenger Vehicle Victoria and will have passed criminal, driving and medical history checks. Scooti is also offering up benchmark pay rates and rewards in the transport services/delivery category, which should mean the pay will sit fairly within Australian salary standards. If true-to-word, this could set them apart, as pay continues to be a major issue within the ridesharing and delivering industries. And while it's just tackling Melbourne for now, Scooti plans to launch in Sydney and Queensland soon. Stay tuned. You can now request a ride from Scooti in Melbourne, so keep an eye out for the scooters around town. For more information or to download the app, head to their scooti.com.au.
For everyone who can't make a trip to IKEA to buy furniture and homewares without eating meatballs, but also doesn't eat meat, the Swedish retailer has added both vegetarian and plant-based versions to its range in recent years, including Down Under. But what if you feel the same about the chain's hot dogs? Enter IKEA's plant dogs, which have just hit Australian stores. Let's be honest — getting through a visit to the brand's warehouse-sized outlets doesn't just involve shopping, and also deciding that everything in your house could use a facelift, but also working up an appetite while browsing and buying. Accordingly, it usually entails tucking into one of IKEA's famed bites, whether you're sitting down for those meatballs mid-shop or nabbing a hot dog on the way to the car. Obviously, the original meaty hot dogs that've been on offer for more than four decades aren't going anywhere; however, these new plant dogs expand the range. They're made from rice protein, plus carrot, onion and apple — and they'll set you back $2 a dog. IKEA is working to make 50 percent of the meals in its restaurant meals plant-based by 2025, with offering plant dogs the next step in that direction. In Sydney only, on four individual dates, the brand is also busting out a plant dog truck to hand out freebies. You'll find it at IKEA Marsden Park from 2–6pm on Tuesday, May 28 and at IKEA Tempe from 11am–3pm on Wednesday, May 29. After that, it's popping up at Centenary Square in Parramatta from 12–4pm on Thursday, May 30 and at Dolphin Court at Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach, from 11am–3pm on Saturday, June 1. To nab a free taste — your choice of a plant dog or plant balls — from the yellow-hued truck at its Sydney stops, you will need to show your IKEA Family membership (and if you're not already a member, you can sign up for free online). IKEA's plant dogs are now available at its Australian stores — head to the chain's website for further details. The IKEA plant dog truck is popping up across Sydney from Tuesday, May 28–Thursday, May 30 and on Saturday, June 1.
First it was cupcakes, then it was brownies, and now it's doughnuts; Brisbane sure loves a sweet treat. It can't have escaped anyone's attention that purveyors of tasty pastries are popping up all over the city, and now two more are about to join the fold. Say hello to The Doughnut Bar and Donut Boyz. It's kind of a second greeting for the Doughnut Bar, given that they've been calling the CBD their temporary home since April — and that's when they're not doing the rounds at markets in their brightly painted van. Their short stays around the city have been so successful that they're now opening a permanent Wintergarden base. Come late June, you'll find their cafe trading all day to service your doughnut needs. Over in West End, Donut Boyz opens its doors on June 12, bringing iced delights to the other side of the river. Anyone in the vicinity of Boundary Street will have a new place to get their sugar fix from. Their full menu is yet to be revealed, but their salted caramel popcorn donuts sound like bliss. It all sounds like dessert heaven, actually, and a good reason to wear stretchy pants more often. More doughnuts — or donuts, if we're being democratic — is never a bad thing, whichever way you prefer to spell it. Find the Doughnut Bar in the Wintergarden, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane, from late June, and visit their Facebook page for details of the market stalls. Find Donut Boyz at 93 Boundary Street, West End from June 12, and visit their Facebook page for more information. Image: Donut Boyz.
When the Queen's Wharf precinct opens in Brisbane's inner city, the Treasury will say farewell, with The Star Brisbane becoming the CBD's new casino. The change will also have an impact on the venue's restaurants and bars. Fat Noodle is moving as well, as is LiveWire, with the latter changing its focus to late-night entertainment and live music. The next place that's announced its new digs: Black Hide by Gambaro, which will become Black Hide Steak and Seafood. It was back in 2018 that Black Hide set up shop at the Treasury, expanding from Caxton Street in Petrie Terrace, where Gambaros has long been synonymous. The upmarket steak brand made the Queen Street side of the casino its home, serving up river views, a bar overlooking Reddacliff Place, and a six-room setup that makes the most of the heritage building's features — including a ten-person private dining space filled with timber, brass and marble. Black Hide Steak and Seafood is shifting by necessity, of course, but it's taking the opportunity to scale up. Cue bigger digs, with the venue able to seat 240 people as part of The Terrace at Queen's Wharf. And yes, there'll be river views — that part of the precinct will sit on the same level as the landing for the new Neville Bonner Bridge, and Black Hide will be its largest restaurant. Diners can look forward to the same team on staff, with new additions given that the eatery will be bigger. The restaurant is also expanding its trading hours and giving its lineup of dishes a tweak. Obviously, as the name makes plain, seafood will be another focus. "We have made significant enhancements to our menu with the addition of a variety of delicious seafood dishes, featuring fresh Queensland catches to perfectly complement our renowned steak offerings, as well introducing a stylish cocktail lounge bar, where guests can indulge in small plates from our menu while enjoying panoramic views of the river," said The Gambaro Group Director John Gambaro. "At the heart of our restaurant will be an open kitchen, inviting guests to witness firsthand the meticulous preparation and cooking of our dishes." "Our innovative cooking systems include wood-fired charcoal burners, which will infuse each dish with delightful flavour and our time-tested montague broiler, which we have been using at our other Black Hide venues for ten years." Exactly when Black Hide Steak and Seafood will open hasn't yet been revealed, but Queen's Wharf is slated to launch from August 2024. At the Treasury, Black Hide by Gambaro will keep trading until then. Across The Star Brisbane, the restaurant will also be joined by the debut Brisbane outpost for Japanese fine-diner Sokyo and Italian restaurant Cucina Regina — and upstairs at the Sky Deck, also Aloria, Cicada Blu and Babblers, all forming part of the new years-in-the-making precinct. Find Black Hide Steak and Seafood at The Star Brisbane, Queen's Wharf, Brisbane CBD sometime from August 2024 onwards. Head to the venue's website for more information in the interim.
With summer glimmering on the horizon — bringing with it the promise of gloriously warm, long nights — it's the perfect time to start thinking about your first dinner party of the season. But if the thought of hosting yet another classic evening meal around your dining table fills you with something close to dread, why not make this summer one of experimentation instead? To help make this social season more exciting, we've collaborated with KitchenAid (to celebrate the launch of the KitchenAid Mini in Australia) and come up with five simple ways to take your next dinner party from conventional to creative. Pick your favourite idea, send out the invitations, and get ready to become your friends' favourite host. TAKE IT OUTSIDE There's something about dining al fresco that always feels so luxurious. So why not take advantage of the warm weather and host your party in the backyard? Decorate a table with a bright cloth, a few fresh flowers, heaps of candles, and artfully mismatched crockery and your guests will feel like they're dining in a romantic European café. For additional charm, hang fairy-lights from the trees and use lanterns to illuminate the walkway between your house and the garden. If you've got a pool, make sure to set your table near it — while it's not exactly oceanfront dining, it comes pretty damn close. You could also switch things up by taking a page out of the pop-up restaurant playbook and having dinner in the front yard – the enhanced opportunity for people-watching is an added bonus. PARTY FOR A GOOD CAUSE Take inspiration from initiatives like the Big Aussie Barbie and turn your dinner party into a mini fundraiser for your favourite charity. Simply ask guests to pay a small entry fee to attend (set up a simple webpage to streamline the process and avoid having to hassle your mates for cash on the day) and then donate the funds to the charity of your choice. Make sure to tell your guests a little bit about the organisation so they understand where their contributions will be going. As for the party itself, your options are endless. You could, for example, host a BBQ, a cocktail party, or a games night. You could also theme your event in a way that aligns with the charity, like having guests dress up in the colour associated with the cause (pink for breast cancer, for example). UP YOUR ALCOHOL GAME Instead of the predictable bottles of wine and beer, treat your guests to an alcoholic summer punch. Serve your concoction in a pretty glass bowl, with a medley of colourful fruits at the bottom, and you've also got yourself a sweet centrepiece. Another idea is to try your hand at homemade frosé—we promise it's easier than it sounds and is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. If you're feeling especially creative, why not set up a little cocktail station with a few easy classics? Gin & Tonics, Dark & Stormies, and Caipirinhas are perennial favourites that can all be made with just three ingredients. Pre-garnish the glasses (ant-rimmed Aussie South Side, anyone?) for a lavish finishing touch. HOST A GIG IN YOUR HOUSE So you've hosted a brunch party, are an old-hand at whipping up delicious homemade cocktails, and have mastered the art of al fresco dining? Then it's time to take your party to the next level with Parlour Gigs. This ingenious initiative lets you bring live music into your living room. We know, it sounds almost too good to be true. Hosting a gig is insanely easy: simply sign up on the website, invite a local artist to play, and, once they've accepted, share a private invite with your mates. Then, set up your space with a few comfy chairs, plush pillows, and some mood lighting for a unique evening that is guaranteed to have your friends talking all summer long. BRUNCH PARTY? Yes, we know, "dinner party" connotes an evening meal but why not switch things up and host a brunch party instead? Not only is brunch arguably the best meal of the day, having people over in the late morning or early afternoon let's you make the most of the summer sunshine, while also being cheaper and easier to put together than dinner. What's not to love? To pull off a successful brunch party, make a few easy main dishes with your KitchenAid Mini (meals you can prep in advance, like french toast or quiche, are ideal), pick up some pastries from your favourite bakery (here are our picks), cut up some seasonal fruits, throw everything onto a pretty tablecloth and you're good to go. For an extra touch, set up a simple mimosa bar with a few pitchers of orange or grapefruit juice and a couple of bottles of bubbly.
Amateur home brewers have a brand new toy. Arriving in Australia earlier this month, the WilliamsWarn Brewmaster is an in-home brewery that produces a high quality beer in just seven short days. Dubbed "the Nespresso of beer," the Brewmaster is the creation of Ian Williams and Anders Warn, and was originally launched in New Zealand back in 2011. Since then the device has generated a whopping $4.5 million in sales, and helped two home brewers take home gold medals at international beer competitions. According to their website, the WilliamsWarn Brewmaster "has six main technical features that, when combined together, create the world's first all-in-one brewing appliance." The brewery is capable of producing up to 23 litres at a given time, which can be consumed directly out of the draft beer tap, or transferred into bottles or kegs. Starting at more than $6,800, the home brewery isn't exactly cheap (although depending on how much beer you normally drink it could actually end up saving you money in the long run). WilliamsWarn also sell ingredient kits, with everything you need to produce a variety of different brews from Pilsners to Apple Cider. The WilliamsWarn Brewmaster is currently available online and at select Australian retail outlets. Via Executive Style.
What's better than a city with one Donut Boyz store? A city with two, obviously. Queensland's very own bakers of glazed and jam-filled goodness clearly think so. Barely more than a month after setting up shop in West End — and inspiring lines snaking down Mollison Street on a daily basis — they've decided to share the donuty love with Paddington residents as well. That means lemon meringue pie, salted caramel popcorn, chocolate and peanut butter, and mocha flavoured treats available for those who don't want to journey over the river, plus another place to get your donut fix if you're out and about in the inner-city suburbs. If "we were just in the neighbourhood" is your go-to pig-out excuse, now you have twice as many opportunities to use it. All the other handmade parcels of delicious pastry the Boyz are known for are also on the menu, including the trusty, ever-tasty cronut. Their latest concoction combines roasted fig-infused cream cheese, dark chocolate and walnuts, in case your taste buds needed any more tempting. The new Latrobe Terrace set-up is actually Donut Boyz's fourth Queensland digs, with the chain getting their start up at Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, then branching out to nearby Mooloolaba before heading to Brisbane. Next stop: the rest of the city. With artisan donuts retaining their position as the state's current favourite food trend, you can assume more will be popping up soon. Find Donut Boyz Paddington at 78 Latrobe Terrace, or visit their Facebook page for more information.
Get ready to pick your jaw back up off the floor, because the World Press Photo Contest have just released their winning images for 2016. Back for its 59th edition, the yearly photographic collection regularly leaves us gaping at the mouth — and this year is no exception. Right at the top with 2015 Photo of the Year is Australia's own Warren Richardson, with his poignant picture of a man passing his baby through a fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border. He beat 82,951 submissions by 5775 photographers from 128 countries for the top prize, while also taking out first prize in the Spot News category. After almost six decades of beautiful and devastating photojournalism, the WPP contest continues to be one of the world’s most important platforms for art, journalism and humanising the headlines. The exhibition travels the world each year, although sadly it won't be making a stop in Australia in 2016. Take a look through some of the landmark images that caught the eye of the WPP judges; from a Tibetan Bhuddist ceremony in rural China to a 16-year-old Islamic State fighter being treated for burns in Syria, to one of those epics #sydneystorms rolling over Bondi. With many of the photographs documenting the more saddening news headlines, they’re often not easy images to look at, but it’s the work of these photojournalists that wakes up an otherwise ignorant world. Hope for a New Life, Warren Richardson (Röszke, Hungary) 2015 Photo of the Year + First Prize Spot News, singles "I camped with the refugees for five days on the border. A group of about 200 people arrived, and they moved under the trees along the fence line. They sent women and children, then fathers and elderly men first. I must have been with this crew for about five hours and we played cat and mouse with the police the whole night. I was exhausted by the time I took the picture. It was around three o’clock in the morning and you can’t use a flash while the police are trying to find these people, because I would just give them away. So I had to use the moonlight alone." The Forgotten Mountains of Sudan, Adriane Ohanesian (Sudan) Second Prize Contemporary Issues, singles "Adam Abdel, 7, was severely burned after a bomb was dropped by a Sudanese government Antonov plane next to his family home in Burgu, Central Darfur, Sudan." Bliss Dharma Assembly, Kevin Frayer (Sichuan, China) Second Prize Daily Life, stories "A Tibetan Buddhist nomad boy in Sertar county. Tibetan Buddhists take part in the annual Bliss Dharma Assembly. The last of four annual assemblies, the week-long annual gathering takes place in the ninth month of the Tibetan calendar and marks Buddha's descent from the heavens." IS Fighter Treated at Kurdish Hospital, Mauricio Lima (Hasaka, Syria) First Prize General News, singles "A doctor rubs ointment on the burns of Jacob, a 16-year-old Islamic State fighter, in front of a poster of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, at a Y.P.G. hospital compound on the outskirts of Hasaka, Syria." Storm Front on Bondi Beach, Rohan Kelly (Sydney, Australia) First Prize Nature, singles "A massive 'cloud tsunami' looms over Sydney as a sunbather reads, oblivious to the approaching cloud on Bondi Beach." La Maya Tradition, Daniel Ochoa de Olza (Colmenar Viejo, Spain) Second Prize People, stories "Young girls between the age of 7 and 11 are chosen every year as 'Maya' for the 'Las Mayas', a festival derived from pagan rites celebrating the arrival of spring, in the town of Colmenar Viejo, Spain. The girls are required to sit still for a couple of hours in a decorated altar." Neptun Synchro, Jonas Lindkvist (Stockholm, Sweden) Third Prize Sports, singles "Members of the Neptun Synchro synchronized swimming team perform during a Christmas show in Stockholm, Sweden." See all the 2016 World Press Photo Contest winners and finalists here.
A great meal or classic dish isn't just the sum of its ingredients. How it's cooked can make all the difference — take a piece of poultry coated in flour, salt, herbs and spices, for instance. Yes, we're talking about fried chicken, the ultimate Southern food, a mighty fine companion to an ice cold beer, and something they call finger lickin' good for a reason. So where can you find Brisbane's best? Check out these local fried chicken joints, but be warned — you won't find a certain fast food brand on this list. LEFTY'S OLD TIME MUSIC HALL Without a souped-up Delorean at your disposal, you're unlikely to experience 19th century American life. Lefty's Old Time Music Hall is the next best thing, and it's had two years to show Brisbane why. As its name suggests, the music is a major drawcard (think bluegrass and toe-tapping country-style tunes), as is the honky-tonk vibe. The drinks list is a beer and whiskey lover's dream, and there's plenty of Southern-style bites to line the stomach with. Our pick: deep-fried chicken wings, of course. Just don't fill up on the free popcorn on the way in, because that crispy chook is going to need some room. 15 Caxton Street, Brisbane; www.leftysmusichall.com SHADY PALMS Good things really can come out of reality television, and Shady Palms is proof. Owners Mal and Bec went from braving the competitive restaurant TV scene to running two off-screen cafes. Shady Palms is the kind of place people head to Stones Corner especially for. Their Southern fried chicken is more than partly responsible, served with equally delicious smoked chipotle gravy and apple currant slaw. After taking a look at that thick coat crusted over sizeable servings, you won't be able to resist. And don't forget the James Squire to wash it down with. 427 Logan Road, Stones Corner; (07) 3324 2917; www.shadypalmscafe.com SOUTHERN ATTITUDE Another Brisbane eatery, and another place on the American-style bandwagon, but don't overlook Southern Attitude for staying on trend. They love all things from the US south — including a dish that combines fried goodness with succulent chicken breast. Pick your choice of honey and hickory barbecue or mushroom sauce to slather it in, and two sides (including bourbon glazed carrots and pale ale onion rings) to go with it. And the best part? It's also available on their takeaway menu, so you can enjoy fry fry chicky chick at home without going down the fast food route. Shop 2, 189 Oxford Street, Bulimba; (07) 3217 9600; www.southernattitude.net.au KING OF THE WINGS What's better than going to a fried chicken place? Finding a fried chicken place that roams all over town. That'd be King of the Wings, one of Brisbane's favourite food trucks, and the home to quite the range of tasty poultry. Non-fried morsels are also on their menu, but who can resist the spicy Southern stuff? Not us. Their sweet potato fries are also a treat for those wanting to rock the old school chicken and chips combo — but the wings really are a satisfying and scrumptious meal all by themselves. Around Brisbane; 0433 177 478; www.facebook.com/kingofthewingsbrisbane GREASER This Fortitude Valley dive bar might be greasy by name, but thankfully it's not by nature. When it comes to food — and chicken pieces marinated in buttermilk in particular — the place is downright delectable. Note the pieces part of the menu listing — you're getting much more than wings here, much to your stomach's delight. The bird comes with red eye gravy and smoked chipotle mayo too, all served in a basket. Wednesdays have become their default chicken evening, but of course this yummy fried dish is available on other nights as well. 259 Brunswick Street, The Valley; (07) 3648 9036; www.greaser.com.au BIRD'S NEST YAKITORI & BAR Want your fried chicken Japanese style? You're not alone. West End's Bird's Nest is a yakitori (which means grilled bird), so that kind of poultry is their bread and butter. Don't worry though — they've still left room for some karaage (deep fried) morsels as well. You'll find them among their side dishes, made from free-range thigh meat, turned crispy and golden with the restaurant's traditional seasoning, and complemented by wasabi mayonnaise. They're worth dropping in for all by themselves — and if you don't want to pair them with a full dinner, smaller set menu or some of their famed skewers, the tori karaage are cheap enough to order several servings. Shop 5, 220 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane; (07) 3844 4306; www.birdsnestrestaurant.com.au THE FLYING COCK Trust a bar with a cheeky reference to chicken in its name (yes, that's how we're choosing to take it) to boast plenty of tasty fried dishes. Wings are their thing, both of the crumbed and wet variety, and they sell them by the kilo to let you know that they're serious. Burgers also rank as one of The Flying Cock's go-to meals, including the CBC — that's chicken, bacon and coleslaw — made with fried chicken breast crusted in Doritos. Yeah. Doritos. Run, don't walk, and enjoy a James Squire Nine Tales Amber Ale fresh off the tap with it. 388 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley; (07) 3172 6109; www.facebook.com/theflyingcock HOT STAR Okay, okay, so we said that we weren't going to include one particular chain of chicken joints that everyone's been to. We didn't say we wouldn't include a Taiwanese chain that everyone should go to, though, because we just couldn't keep that promise. Head out to Sunnybank for a place that promises 'large fried chicken' in its tagline. And with face-sized pieces of both original and crispy style chicken breast fried to order, they really do mean large. Smaller chicken bites are also on the menu, but we say go big or go home. 19D Market Square, Sunnybank; (07) 3423 8008; www.hotstarchicken.com.au LUCKY EGG They're the new kids on the chicken block, but they're fast becoming a Brisbane favourite. They're also another reason to visit the Brightside — in addition to the venue's packed roster of events, that is. Whether you prefer yours on a bun or in a basket, you'll find crispy fried chicken in various guises, including Dorito popcorn chicken and a cup of karaage. Those on the very hungry side (or with friends to share with) won't want to go past the Waxman's whole bird, which comes with 12 pieces of buttermilk-coated deliciousness, plus a large slaw and fries. 27 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley; www.luckyeggfc.com
With the end of the year come lists in which we can wrap up 12 months into a neat little package, and 2014 thankfully has been an uncommonly good year for publishing. Some of the most interesting and articulate books published in recent memory emerged in the last 12 months. What follows is our selection of some of the some of the best. Read them deeply, and furiously, with all the extra sunlight the summer affords. A GIRL IS A HALF-FORMED THING BY EIMEAR MCBRIDE A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing follows an insistently insurrectionary young girl from childhood in rural Ireland through to her mid-twenties. The book has acquired the beginnings of its own literary mythology: it took Eimear McBride six months to write and nine years to find a publisher. In short, it’s a book that does what it does with complete indifference to the needs of the book market. And that makes it utterly unique, and a heretically, dangerously beautiful book. The story loosely follows the young woman’s relationship with her brother, and the long shadow cast by his childhood brain tumour. But the plot is not as important as the mode of expression. The language, while difficult to compare to anything else, is forceful, jagged, bearing close resemblances to the writing of Samuel Beckett and James Joyce. The result is a book that tears you apart, which feels completely and overwhelmingly necessary. Get A Girl Is a Half Formed Thing from Booktopia. THE EMPATHY EXAMS BY LESLIE JAMISON The Empathy Exams is arguably the best and most culturally pivotal collection of essays published in recent memory. Beginning with the author’s experience as a medical actor, paid to perform symptoms for medical students and then grade their responses, Jamison’s essays focus on how we understand the pain of others: how, and if we should, care about one another, the ways that empathy can be tested, how we confront pain both real and imagined. In writing which is both precise and vulnerable, Jamison’s essays in The Empathy Exams cover poverty tourism, bewildering marathons, reality television and incarceration, the fundamental thesis of which is that we are experiencing a very specific cultural moment: an urgency compelling us to feel. Get The Empathy Exams from Booktopia DEPT. OF SPECULATION BY JENNY OFFILL Jenny Offill’s second novel, Dept. of Speculation charts the course of a steady and then gradually precarious marriage through curious fragments of prose. The narrator, like the writer, lives in Brooklyn, falls in love, marries, has a child (it being Brooklyn there is both yoga and bedbugs). Over the course of the marriage there are jobs and dinners and sleepless nights; the plot is not really the point here. What makes Dept. of Speculation important is the language — gorgeous, enthralling, moving quickly while it commands your attention. I read Dept. Of Speculation in one sitting, over three hypnotised hours. When I got to the end of it I crept into the bedroom, nuzzled against my boyfriend who had been quietly checking his email, and wept — to his immense confusion – for a solid 20 minutes. Get Dept. of Speculation from Booktopia AN ELEGANT YOUNG MAN BY LUKE CARMAN An Elegant Young Man was published at the end of 2013 by Giramondo — arguably the most interesting Australian publishing house at the moment — with a particular interest in supporting literary culture in western Sydney. An Elegant Young Man does precisely that, imbuing the streets of Liverpool and Penrith with the poetry of Dylan Thomas and the dark ennui of Dostoevsky, but going further than that, making something uniquely his own, a distinctive literature to reflect contemporary Sydney. The book comprises eight interlinked stories, all narrated by 'Luke', who hails, like Carman himself, from the suburb of Mt Pritchard. Luke is adrift, unsure whom he represents, shifting between bluster and hesitation in a place where the lights from police helicopters wake children from their sleep, where kids in gang wars crush the roses on the front lawn. An Elegant Young Man deserves to get Carman much more attention than he has so far been afforded. Get An Elegant Young Man from Booktopia THIS HOUSE OF GRIEF BY HELEN GARNER On Father’s Day 2005, near the town of Winchelsea in rural Victoria, a car ran off the road and plunged into a dam. Robert Farquharson, the man driving the car, escaped unharmed. His three sons — who he was in the process of returning to their mother, from whom he had recently separated — they all drowned. The ensuing court trial spanned the best part of the decade, resulting in three life sentences for murder. This House of Grief presents the theatre of the courtroom: how we grapple with truth, what justice looks like, what a person means by their words and by their actions. Helen Garner is without question one of Australia’s greatest living writers, and arguably our best writer of nonfiction. And this book is some kind of masterpiece. Get This House of Grief from Booktopia THE BLAZING WORLD BY SIRI HUSTVEDT The Blazing World is Siri Hustvedt’s sixth and newest novel, returning her to the territory of New York’s art world. The story is set in the years before and after 9/11, and follows an ageing, brilliant, occasionally unruly artist named Harriet Burden, who orchestrates an elaborate hoax on the art world she entitles ‘Maskings’. Over a period of five years she holds exhibitions of work using the 'masks' of different practising male artists to expose the art market’s gender bias. The hoax is eventually revealed. Mayhem ensues. The Blazing World is pieced together from multiple sources; there are critical essays by art scholars, interviews with art dealers, reviews of exhibitions, diary entries and written testimonials. It is without doubt one of the most innovative and unsettling books published in the last year. If you are interested in art, in women, in New York, then, please, read this book. Get The Blazing World at Booktopia THOSE WHO LEAVE AND THOSE WHO STAY BY ELENA FERRANTE In September the third book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series was published: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay. For those who are new to Ferrante, it’s best to begin at the beginning, with My Brilliant Friend. The Neapolitan books (of which there are an uncertain number, although so far three have been published) follow the story of a life-long friendship between two women, Lilia and Elena, growing up in an impoverished neighbourhood in 1950s Naples. Their lives converge and diverge, and in doing so they encompass personal truths about family, friendship between women, desire, and the political and economic realities of Italy and the rest of the world as it stumbled through the mid-20th century. Ferrante’s writing is sinewy, scaldingly direct. Her books ransack you. If you aren’t reading Elena Ferrante you are missing out. Get Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay at Booktopia WHAT WE SEE WHEN WE READ BY PETER MENDELSUND Peter Mendelsund’s What We See When We Read is a friendly and shyly philosophical, fully illustrated exploration into the phenomenology of reading — precisely how we visualise stories from reading words on a page — from one of America’s very best book designers. It explores a simple but confounding question, one the author wrests from literary theorists and transforms through beautiful imagery redolent of X-Acto knives, drawing tables and the very best design books you can find. It’s fascinating, beautiful and filled with news you can almost use. Get What We See When We Read at Booktopia READ HARDER: FIVE YEARS OF GREAT WRITING FROM THE BELIEVER EDITED BY ED PARK AND HEIDI JULAVITS Read Harder collects some of the finest essays from the last five years of The Believer magazine, which, it’s reasonable to argue, is one of the best magazines anywhere. Read Harder features articles by Nick Hornby on his first job explaining England to Korean businessmen, Kent Russell on self-immunisers in Wisconsin, Molly Young on the Hollister experience, Rebecca Taylor on her time acting in no-budget horror movies and Francisco Goldman on the failings of memoir to deal with personal tragedy. “If you sincerely investigate it, every detail hides reason, and any environment is far more sophisticated than our senses can appreciate,” former Washington Post reporter Monte Reel writes in a survey of Victorian explorer manuals. This is the sentiment that unites the pieces in Read Harder, in what amounts to a primer for the best contemporary non-fiction writing being written. Get Read Harder at Booktopia 10.04 BY BEN LERNER 10.04 was arguably the most ‘hyped’ book of the last year. Lerner, ordinarily a poet, published his first novel, Leaving The Atocha Station, in 2011, and 10.04 takes off where that book leaves off. 10.04 inhabits a weird liminal zone between maybe-true and maybe-not-quite-as-true. The narrator bears every resemblance to a writer who has published the same short stories and poetry in the same magazines as Lerner. 10.04 isn’t strictly a work of fiction; it’s much more interested in the changes in cell metabolism or air pressure or whatever it is that turns life into art. Sometimes it can feel a little like a big practical joke at the reader’s expense. But if you want to know where the English language was at in 2014, 10.04 is the book to read. Get 10:04 from Booktopia
No longer need we flock south to find a rooftop bar. While our southern sister Melbourne turned rooftops into hotspots, Brisbane just twiddled her thumbs — building anticipation, we'll argue. Just a few years ago, we couldn't have made a list of them. But the time has come, and the time is now that people in the grand city of Brisvegas can take it to the top for a night on the town. With an average of 263 days of sunshine per year, it seems silly that we hadn't thrown the tops off them all earlier —here's our list of the best rooftop bars in Brisbane. SAZERAC This sky-high watering hole can be found above Four Points by Sheraton Hotel at 99 Mary Street — 30 storeys above street level. In this swish rooftop bar, you can enjoy a cold beer or sip on a cocktail, including the New Orleans-originated combination of cognac, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters and sugar it's named for. Both will go down nicely with panoramic city skyline views, and with the share plate-heavy food menu by executive chef Ambrose Andrews. LENNONS POOL BAR One minute you're shopping down Queen Street Mall, the next you're having beers and people-watching from level four at Lennons Pool Bar. Overlooking the mall, this open-air rooftop is the perfect place to catch the last rays of sun disappear beyond South Bank. Order a snack, grab a drink and pretend to talk on the phone as though you're an exotic businessperson staying at the hotel to do important business things. EAGLES NEST Located atop The Point Hotel, Eagles Nest boasts incredible sunset views. Incredible views before and after that glowing ball in the sky disappears over the horizon, too. Head to the bar and fetch yourself a schooner or two, then you and your friends can enjoy one of the city's favourite Sunday sessions. Yes, you've seen plenty of 'Grams of this picture-perfect view. UP ON CONSTANCE When it rains, it pours. You don't want it to rain when you're at a rooftop bar, of course, but this one came during a flurry of sky-high openings. Up On Constance sits at the top of the Tryp Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Just make your way down the street art-covered alleyway and up the lift for some topless drinking — strictly in the roof sense. SIXTEEN ANTLERS Peer out over King George Square and the City Hall clock tower at CBD rooftop hangout Sixteen Antlers. It's perched 16 stories above the ground on the top level at Pullman and Mercure Brisbane on the corner of Ann and Roma streets — and it might just boast one of the best inner city views in Brissie. While you'll find eye-popping views aplenty, don't go expecting Sixteen Antlers to match its vast vistas with big crowds — instead, it's a relatively intimate 120-person bar. SOLEIL POOL BAR A few years back, the area once known as Bacchus pool bar underwent a makeover and relaunched as Soleil Pool Bar, a summer spot in South Bank to be enjoyed by Brisbanites from sunrise to sunset. Tan on the pool deck or lounge around the main bar while DJs spin the soundtracks of summer and a team of bartenders serve, stir and shake a brilliant array of beers and cocktails. Soleil invites you to enjoy a poolside party vibe with a little bit of glamour. ELIXIR ROOFTOP BAR Despite being one of the first rooftop bars, it seems many locals are still unaware of dear old Elixir. Climb the sterile staircase to find an inner-city urban oasis. Decor is a mix of sleek and natural, with the heavy marble-topped bar and cement tables contrasting with wooden benches and lush foliage. The perfect place to watch the sunset over Fortitude Valley, the open yet intimate venue is a sophisticated bar for beers cocktails and and fine wines. DANDY'S ROOFTOP I remember lining up between singlet-clad, fake-tanned men on a Sunday for a ticket to reach The Fox Hotel's rooftop — only to never make it to the top. Luckily things have progressed, I'm no longer a student and The Fox has grown up too. A renovation saw the top floor become Dandy's Rooftop — a fun, colourful, tennis-themed space that says summer all year long. Head along for city views, tasty drinks and enticing bar food. THE STOCK EXCHANGE ROOFTOP A great secret marketing campaign and sneaky renovation turned the Stock Exchange from drab to fab. In the city centre, the rooftop now attracts a more corporate crowd and the makeover puts the whole venue a league above where it was previously. The large, square space is filled with wooden tables, hanging plants and fairy lights, giving it a casual beer garden atmosphere perfect for after-work drinks.
One of Australia's most redeeming qualities is its ability to give good afternoon sun. There's something about its familiar glow that almost demands casual drinks – whether it's cracking open a cold beer after a day out, heading to the pub after a long day of work, or deciding on a whim that your backyard is perfect for having friends over. We love summer afternoons, so we've spoken to a few of our favourite chefs, musicians and artists, to get their insights on creating the perfect balmy afternoon. And what's better than a barbecue? For advice, we asked the boys from Three Blue Ducks. Mark LaBrooy specifically — he's one of the co-founders of the restaurant-cafe hybrid that was born in Bronte but ended up being so popular it expanded to Byron Bay and, most recently, Rosebery. He and the team at Three Blue Ducks have made working with barbecue flames and smoke a priority at their venues. At their Rosebery location, there's a barbecue, a wood-fired oven and an outdoor charcoal pit. They're experts in barbecue. And more than that, they're experts in taking the standard barbecue fare you usually whip up to the next level, and LaBrooy has shared some tips so you can do the same. He's also given us some recipes, for a burrata salad, a seafood prawns main, and a charred pineapple dessert. "They're all about spring and summer flavours," he says. "Inspired by warm weather and catching up with friends." The burrata salad is a green (but hearty) vegetarian option for your barbecue friends who don't eat meat, while the prawn dish is "light, and great for entertaining because it's not rocket science to prepare". The pineapple recipe is LaBrooy wanting you to try something a little different by charring your fruit. "People should experiment more with fruit on the barbecue, vegetables too," he says. He says the first thing to think about when you're cooking is that produce is key to a good barbecue. He suggests going elsewhere than the supermarket to grab your ingredients. "Go to a real butcher, not a supermarket. Go to the fish markets to get your prawns, and a local organic growers market for your fruits and vegetables." Let the ingredients lead you — if the produce is good, just put it on the barbie and see what happens. "Like a whole bunch of Dutch carrots or something, just give them a wash, put on some good quality olive oil, salt and pepper and char it up. Don't be shy — the hotter the better." "Barbecuing is the cooking technique that fits in best with us," he says. "It's connected to the environment and there's something really intimate about using the fire — it's inconsistent, there's a real element of maintenance and care in the cooking process." When finished, all three dishes will look incredible, but don't get too caught up with perfection when you're hosting a barbecue. Part of the fun is that barbecue-ing isn't always pretty. "It's a bit ugly and charred," he says. "You can get those really aggressive, black tones in the appearance and colouration of your cooking." Follow these three recipes and transform your afternoon barbecue into one that's worthy of being on the menu at Three Blue Ducks. BURRATA WITH CHARRED ZUCCHINI AND SPRING ONIONS Ingredients: 4 pieces of burrata (about 100 grams each) ¼ bunch parsley ¼ bunch basil 1 clove garlic 100ml virgin olive oil 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 lemon zest and juice salt and pepper 1 bunch spring onion 3 zucchini cut in ¼ 100g toasted hazelnuts roughly chopped Method: Make a nice coal fire on the grill side of your barbecue. Char off the zucchini and the spring onions after giving them a good season and a splash of olive oil. When the zucchini and spring onions get some good colour, take them off the heat and start plating up. Take a food processor and place the herbs, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, zest and Dijon inside. Give it a good whizz until a bright green paste forms. Season well and set aside. Take a plate or bowl and arrange the zucchini and spring onions around the outside, making a well for your burrata to sit in. Flick in a few teaspoons of the herb puree, place the burrata in the centre and sprinkle over some hazelnuts. Season the burrata and drizzle a bit of olive oil if you feel you need it. Squeeze a bit of extra lemon juice over everything to finish off. CONFIT GARLIC AND CHILLI BBQ PRAWNS WITH BUTTERMILK AVOCADO AND RADICCHIO Ingredients: 1 bulb garlic peeled 3 long red chillies deseeded 1 cup olive oil 16 large king prawns cleaned and butterflied 3 avocados 1 lemon juice and zest 2 tablespoons olive oil 100ml buttermilk 1 large radicchio with the outer leaves pulled off and cut in ¼ Salt and pepper Method: Take the chillies and garlic and place in a small saucepan. Add the cup of olive oil and cover with foil. Bake at 160-degrees for 1-30 mins, then place in a food processor and give it a whizz. Using a pastry brush baste the prawns just before grilling on the barbecue. Take your food processor and add the avocado, olive oil, lemon juice and zest and the buttermilk, give it a whizz and set aside for when your plating up. Grill your prawns and radicchio on super high heat, season well and brush with olive oil. This should only take a few minutes. Give a good whack of buttermilk avo purée. CHARRED PINEAPPLE WITH CASHEWS, THAI BASIL AND LEMONGRASS GRANITA Ingredients: 1 pineapple skinned and cut into quarters 1 tablespoon brown sugar For the granita: 350ml water 180g sugar 3 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped 2 chillies roughly chopped 80g ginger roughly chopped 100ml lemon juice 100g yogurt 1 vanilla bean scraped and deseeded ¼ bunch Thai basil 80g toasted and salted cashews Method: The granita needs to be made the day before and set in the freezer over night. To serve all you have to do is scrape it with a fork or give it a quick whizz in a food processor. Make sure you put the bowl in the freezer first so you don't melt the granita too much. Take a medium sized pot and add the sugar, lemongrass, chilli, and water. Bring to the boil and then set aside and let it cool down on the bench, then strain and add the lemon juice, and put in the freezer to set overnight. Sprinkle the pineapple with brown sugar and place on the grill on high heat. You're looking to get some good colour and charring on the pineapple, cooking it at the same time. Cut into chunks and set aside. Take a small bowl and add the yogurt and the vanilla give it a good mix. To plate up, arrange the pineapple on the base of the plate and a few dollops of the vanilla yogurt. Take a large spoon of granita and place in the centre, then sprinkle with cashews and Thai basil. Images: Kimberley Low.
Whether by chance or the greatest promotional tie-in for a movie release in recent history, a glorious full moon shone over the First Man premiere in Sydney. An impressive enough sight going in to the cinema, it held a near-magical allure on the way back out. Even now, some 50 years since the first manned lunar landing and a lifetime of technological advancements beyond, to look up and consider the deed still feels unreal; an impossibility requiring far too much luck, daring and genius for anyone to even consider it. And yet…the Eagle did land. Directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land), First Man is at once the story of mankind's greatest ever technological accomplishment and the enormous sacrifices required to achieve it. Set against the backdrop of extreme US/Soviet tensions, First Man chronicles the NASA side of the infamous space race and highlights the extraordinary challenges precipitated by such a Herculean task. How, for example, do you come up with a list of requirements for something that's never been done before? Who is the right person for the job when your greatest understanding of what that job is is little more than a guess? This was precisely the challenge facing the newly established space agency in 1958 as it set out to find seven willing, qualified and extraordinarily capable candidates to undertake the first ever manned flights into space. One of those individuals was, of course, Neil Armstrong, whose portrayal in First Man by Ryan Gosling conveys an introverted and emotionally repressed family man possessed of unyielding skill and determination. Inevitably, films based on real world events at once benefit from, and are challenged by, an audience's knowledge of what ultimately happens. The inevitability of catastrophe in disaster films, for example, contributes to a powerful and compounding tension that can become almost unbearable. The key to maintaining drama in these films is to focus on the human stories at their core and shine a light on the details lesser known. How, though, do you find an unknown detail in perhaps the best-known story of the last century? That humans landed on the moon is far from a surprise twist, and that the first man to do it was Armstrong is such a given it's used as the title of the film. And so First Man, penned by Josh Singer (Spotlight), spans the eight physically and emotionally gruelling years of Armstrong's life prior to his iconic small step, beginning with an excruciatingly tense and near-fatal solo test flight into the earth's upper atmosphere. Singer's screenplay is tantalisingly layered, offering little by way of dialogue yet enormous scope for nuanced performances in the hands of an accomplished ensemble. Chazelle's direction is likewise sublime, especially during the film's more kinetic scenes where you feel just as drained and challenged as those on screen. The claustrophobia of the tiny capsules, the relentless g-forces of an out-of-control gyroscope, and the deafening silence of space, combine to assault the senses in the best possible way, aided by a level of sound design that will surely prove the frontrunner come awards season. On the performance front, The Crown's Claire Foy grounds the tale (as much literally as symbolically) as Armstrong's wife Janet, reminding us of the significant sacrifices made on all sides of this story. Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll and Ciarán Hinds round out the impressive troupe, with Stoll's performance in particular painting Armstrong's eventual co-pilot Buzz Aldrin in a surprisingly blunt and unlikeable light. Gosling's scenes with Clarke, too, prove some of the film's best; a meaningful friendship borne of fierce competition, and a closeness that permitted acknowledgements of extreme grief, fear and uncertainty without ever giving voice to the words. In the end First Man is, despite its scale and subject matter, an intimate character portrait rather than a history lesson. It eschews the traditional pomp and grandeur of NASA control room scenes for dimly lit kitchens and moonlit walks, yet remains every bit the space odyssey such a tale commands. Filmed for IMAX, it should be seen the same way – an honest, tense and compelling picture that reminds us exactly why we love going to the movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSoRx87OO6k
Burger Force sounds like the kind of place you'd find on any corner in Brisbane, slinging everyone's favourite combos of meat and bread. Actually, it's somewhere that could lurk beneath any one of the city's many greasy spoons — or it could in the independent comic written, directed, photographed, and designed by Jackie Ryan. To be specific, Burger Force is the name of a fictional spy squad underneath a fast food restaurant, the comic that tells its tale, and the Brisbane Powerhouse exhibition dedicated to its artwork. Each image features real people and locations that have been 'comified' via a blend of software and hand retouching, with many of the series' stars hailing from theatre, film, circus, dance, and burlesque. In fact, you might recognise some of them. Intrigued? Of course you are. Hungry? That'd be understandable, too. Why not check out the free showcase until December 11, and grab a burger before or after? Who knows, you might just stumble upon a real pop culture detective agency while you're having your meal.
Overcoming systemic discrimination, both in the music industry and society more broadly, Indigenous hip hop artists are the vanguard of an exciting new era of Aussie hip hop. In the words of politically-conscious rapper Briggs, star of the ABC's Cleverman and Black Comedy: They're growing up fast, they're growing up tough, They're giving back everything they never got as a pup, And if they want something, you're giving it up, If they want something, you're giving it up. It's tempting to say that Indigenous hip hop is undergoing a renaissance of late, but it wouldn't be entirely accurate — the scene has been strong for years, it's just that now it's finally starting to get the attention it deserves. One initiative responsible for this greater recognition is Klub Koori, a regular showcase of emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians produced by Koori Radio. So, before they storm the stage on Thursday, July 7 at Carriageworks and with NAIDOC Week in full swing, we thought we'd introduce you to some Indigenous artists who are coming up fast and coming up tough. Oh, and they do want something: the throne. JIMBLAH Hailing from the Larrakia Nation in the Northern Territory, Jimblah sums up the paradox of 'traditional' (read: predominantly white) Aussie hip hop when he raps: "I see your fans, they're a bunch of racist kids, so who's to blame?" While there are few examples of overt racism in the local scene there is a definite racist undertone — so much so that those paragons of Aussie hip hop Hilltop Hoods felt compelled to write a whole song about it. Jimblah's fiery pull no punches lyricism — highlights include: "Australia just look what we made here/From slave ships to Great Britain's blood on their hands/Understand the royal fam, flying the flag/Unlawfully stands a generation unlawfully here" — has seen him garner significant critical acclaim. LADY LASH A Kokatha/Greek woman from far western South Australia, Lady Lash is a generic anomaly. Combing equal parts jazz, hip hop and soul interwoven with powerful storytelling, her music pushes sonic boundaries in profoundly beautiful ways. Having taken out the Victorian Indigenous Performing Arts Award for Most Promising Act and The Age Music Victoria Award for Best Indigenous Act with her debut album Crystal Mercy: The Fisherman's Daughter, Lady Lash is set to release her third album Therapy Tapes later this year. NOOKY 2016 has been an exciting year for Yuin Nation rapper and @IndigenousX host Nooky. Taking out the Australia Council Dreaming Award at the National Indigenous Arts Awards not only came with prestige but also a very tangible $20,000 grant towards developing his debut album. Signed to Briggs' label Bad Apples Music and having collaborated with Taboo from The Black Eyed Peas (after a chance encounter and cypher at The Block in Redfern), it's safe to say that his debut album is being hotly anticipated. It seems as though it's only a matter of time before Nooky blows up, so get on board early. TASMAN KEITH Splitting his formative years between inner city Sydney and Bowraville in the bucolic Nambucca Valley, Tasman Keith's music reflects these contrasting locales, combining sun-kissed beats with an effortless flow and lyrical dexterity reminiscent of early '90s East Coast hip hop. Having burst onto the scene in 2015 with his debut single 'B You', Tasman, the son of legendary Australian hip hop pioneer Wire MC, pays homage to his Gumbaynggirr heritage while epitomising the thoughtful, soulful sound that seems to be emerging in the local scene. At just 18 years old, Tasman Keith is definitely one to watch out for. Klub Koori is happening at Carriageworks on Thursday, July 7 at 7pm. Tickets are just $10 +BF.
Australia's love affair with the meat pie has reached extravagantly unfathomable new heights, with today's unveiling of a pie worth a whopping $12,000. Billed as the world's most expensive pie, the gold-encrusted pastry is the result of a partnership between the Lord Dudley Hotel in Paddington and Groupon Australia; celebrating the sale of the website's two-millionth food and drink voucher. Baked by Lord Dudley's executive chef Paul Medcalf, the so-called posh pie is made with David Blackmore's Wagyu beef eye fillet, rock lobster from Western Australia, Italian porcini mushrooms, 500g of black truffles and a selection of organically-grown vegetables, as well as two bottles of Penfolds Grange Reserve. The top of the pie consists of puff pastry covered in shaved truffles and — wait for it — 23 carat gold leaf from Germany. Yes, it sounds delicious and opulent and outrageous. But $12,000? To put that price into perspective, this pie costs roughly the same amount as 2500 Four 'N' Twenty Pies from 7-Eleven, or fifty-two thousand frozen party pies from Coles. But their gravy ain't made of the Grange. Groupon have released a video of the baking process, complete with inspiring MasterChef-style music, viewable below. Drooling is permitted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnjpc_9auDA Anyone with a casual 12K lying around can make a purchase offer here. The rest of us plebs can also win a free taste, through a competition on the Groupon website.
Throw on your robes, whip out your wand and fly your pet Hippogriff down to the BrisCentre in Paddington, where Pastel Palace will be hosting an enormous Harry Potter themed market. On Saturday March 26, Brisbane will be bustling with all manner of magical folk, selling everything local witches and wizards could possibly need. Even your Muggle mates will be welcome. Just nobody bring any trolls. The entrance to this pop-up Diagon Alley will be open from 1:30pm. Vendors will include Pastel Pixie, Kareki Art, Bonnie's Bathhouse, Enchanted Light and Ruby Kawaii, who'll be selling Potter inspired art, candles, soaps and accessories, as well as merch and memorabilia from the movies. There'll also be magical trivia and a costume competition, to help separate the wizards from the squibs. We just hope someone is stocking Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. Most vendors on site will have credit card facilities, but maybe bring a sack of galleons just in case. And if you're busy on the day, don't worry – unsold items will be made available for purchase online after the event. For more information about Pastel Palace's Evening at Hogwarts, go here. Via AWOL.
Thanks to The Talisman Group, getting a bite to eat or a drink at Woolloongabba's South City Square comes with options, including the hospitality company's neighbourhood-style Italian joint Sasso and its Chinese Peruvian bar and eatery Casa Chow. Since late October, Brisbanites can add another choice to the list, as themed around a different part of the world: California-inspired gin-pouring garden bar Purple Palm. As its name makes plain, this 60-seater on Logan Road takes its cues from Palm Springs, complete with an openair oasis setup — and, yes, palm trees providing some greenery. The look and mood is relaxed but glam, and also glowing thanks to lights in the bar's eponymous colour illuminating its palms at night. That said, seating spans both indoor and outdoor spaces, with skylights letting in some brightness inside. Patrons can kick back on cushion-covered couches and get comfy beside a gazebo of plants, and ideally feel like they're on the other side of the planet. Perfecting the vibe is clearly a big part of this new watering hole — and, naturally, so is the drinks menu. Expect to see plenty of its beverage choices while you're deciding what to sip, all thanks to Purple Palm's eye-catching ten-foot wall of gin by South Australia's 78 Degrees Distillery. Whether you choose a cocktail on tap, one made fresh to order or the bar's shared option for four-to-six people, we hope you like downing Australian spirits and pairing them with homegrown produce, because that's exclusively on Purple Palm's lineup. That includes a bespoke Sunshine State Gin, as well as an exclusive tonic from StrangeLove. Cocktail highlights span The Palm Sour, as made with blueberries, aquafaba and matcha; the Qld Red Snapper, which features tomato juice, house-made chilli, garlic and olive brine, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and more; six types of gin and tonics, including one made with green ant gin with extra green ants; and six kinds of martinis, complete with a jaffa and coffee number. Three non-boozy concoctions also sit on the drinks list, alongside beers from locals such as Slipstream, Aether and Ballistic, and a small wine selection. Purple Palm doesn't do food in-house; however, you can order share plates from Casa Chow or fellow newcomer South City Wine — another fresh venture from The Talisman Group.
This winter, Falls Creek welcomes a slick, well-panelled new(ish) resident, as the just-renovated Astra Lodge opens its doors to the public. Having taken out the title of Australia's Best Boutique Ski Lodge at the 2016 World Ski Awards in Austria, the ski-in ski-out lodge is now ready to impress the locals with a new fitout, kicking off the season on June 10. Sporting downright dapper interiors by Grant Amon Architects, the Astra Lodge's aesthetic resembles a 1970s European alpine hideaway. Owned by locals Rosy and Seumas Seaton and run by general managers Tom and Sally Simpson, the lodge contains every last wintry comfort — starting with its own integrated day spa, where guests can unwind with a whisky and a moustache grooming session after a long day on the slopes. There's a heated magnesium mineral pool for soothing those muscles, a state-of-the-art ski drying room, a panoramic library, a Chesterfield-filled lounge bar, a generous wine cellar and a seasonally-focused Italian fine diner, headed up by hatted chef, Emma Handley (Villa Gusto). After dinner, roasting of marshmallows in the common fireplace is highly encouraged. Perhaps the biggest drawcard for serious ski bunnies is that Astra Lodge will host Skimetrics founder Adalbert Leibetseder, who'll be offering his tailored ski program and boot fittings, helping to ensure you've got all the right gear for a top-notch ski trip experience. Rooms come in five styles, from deluxe to two-bedroom apartment. Suffice to say, rates aren't cheap, with the lowest off-peak nightly rate at the deluxe room at $346 per night (sleeps two, minimum two-night stay) — the highest being the apartment at $1630 per night (sleeps four, minimum two-night stay). Astra Lodge is currently taking bookings for the 2017 ski season and is set to open on June 10. Find it at 5 Sitzmark Street, Falls Creek.
Time to brush the cobwebs off your novelty gumboots and gear up for some serious footstomping, Red Deer Music and Arts festival have announced their 2015 lineup. The annual overnight BYO (couches and booze) and camping festival is set to return to the Ed Hope and Mucho Bravado Ampitheatre stages for another solid marathon of national, emerging and local bands — and legendary festival favourites Frenzal Rhomb are at the top. Locked in for October 3 beneath the pretty, pretty D’agular ranges of Mt Samson, Red Deer has invited Australia's punk ratbags Frenzal to headline one humdinger of a lineup, from synth-pop goalkicker Andy Bull to NZ dub legends Salmonella Dub Soundsystem. Queensland's best local bands have pride of place on the bill too, with the likes of Hey Geronimo, Ayla, Mosman Alder, WAAX and Cheap Fakes set burst a few eardrums. True to BYO form, Red Deer allows you to BYO booze (no glass), couches and camping gear. And of course, the festival's not just about music. They'll be selling jungle-themed cocktails at the Stolen Rum Jungle Bar, Northside arts company Party Artworks will be hosting art workshops, there'll be food and market stalls, and there's going to be a Flight or Flop frisbee tournament, because FUN. RED DEER FESTIVAL 2015 LINEUP: FRENZAL RHOMB ANDY BULL SALMONELLA DUB SOUNDSYSTEM HEY GERONIMO AYLA MOSMAN ALDER WAAX CHEAP FAKES WE ALL WANT TO ROLLS BAYCE DJS BAD PONY ISAAC CAVALLARO MACHINE AGE SUNDOWN JURY ERIN JANE + RESIDENT ACTS THE LYRICAL THE DASHOUNDS BLAKE THOMPSON [DJ SET] Red Deer Festival 2015 is happening on October 3 beneath the D’agular ranges of Mt Samson, northwest of Brisbane, approximately 35 kms from the CBD. Tickets on sale now. For more info and tickets, head to the website.
"Beer and pies are a match made in heaven," says Goat Pie Guy owner and chef Mick Hobson. "The bite and flavour of hops or wheat or barley is perfect to cut through the buttery pastry and rich fillings that I make for my winter pie range." Brisbane-based bakery maestro Hobson is no stranger to mixing beer and baked goods. Rather than enjoying the two separately, Mick uses beer in his pies — there are no less than five pies on the Goat Pie Guy menu made with beer (and they're all Great Aussie Pie Competition gold medal winners). If he's using a brew in a pie recipe, Mick always matches his drinking beer too. "If it's a curry pie, I like to drink a pale ale or if it's one of my seafood pies, I always pair it with an amber ale." Mick actually uses beer in a lot of his recipes, not just pies. "Beer's an awesome base to build lively broths for seafood, rich sauces for grilled meat and lovely sweet and savoury layers in a slow braise." Certain beers with a more crisp edge, like a Little Creatures Original Pilsner, can cut through heavier, more buttery dishes, refreshing and reviving the palate, while more hoppy beers, like a Kosciuszko Pale Ale, can help you soldier on through spicy food. Let's get back to those award-winning beery pies. We're keen to test this secret ingredient for ourselves, so we asked Mick for a cheeky recipe. So what's Mick cooked up for Concrete Playground? One heck of a hearty wagyu beef and porter pie. "This one came about when I was experimenting for a meeting of brewers and meat merchants. It was important that both parties had their produce showcased in the best possible way so I decided to highlight the chocolatey flavours in the porter by caramelising it with the onions and adding the figs for extra sweetness. The beef flavour was intensified with allspice, black pepper and rosemary. Then I tossed them in a pot together, filled it with porter and crossed my fingers for six hours! And man, was it worth the wait." Let's do this. MICK HOBSON'S WAGYU BEEF AND PORTER PIE Ingredients: 2 medium brown onions sliced 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 50g raw sugar 1kg diced wagyu brisket 3 litres beef stock 60ml olive oil 4 sprigs rosemary chopped 2 bay leaves 10g cracked black pepper 15g allspice 150g dried figs 3.5 bottles James Squire Jack of Spades Porter 150g corn flour 1 egg whisked for brushing 4 sheets of shop bought shortcrust pastry (Borgs is a good brand) 2 sheets of shop bought puff pastry (Borgs is good for puff too) *(If you want to make your own shortcrust my recipe is below) Heat half olive oil in a heavy base pot. Brown onions in oil, add half a 330ml bottle of James Squire Jack of Spades Porter, balsamic vinegar, diced figs and sugar and reduce until sticky, then remove from pot and set aside. Heat remaining oil in the same pot and brown beef in small batches adding more oil as needed. Add all beef back into pot along with black pepper, allspice and chopped rosemary. Stir on low heat to completely coat beef. Add caramelised onion mixture, bay leaves, stock and porter. Bring to the boil then let simmer on low for three to four hours until beef can be cut with a fork. Combine corn flour with enough water to dissolve, and pour in slowly as you stir to thicken. You might like to add more or less corn flour depending on how thick you like your gravy. Grease pie tins with butter and line with shortcrust pastry, leaving a little overhang. Fill with thickened pie mixture and brush pastry edge with egg mixture. Cut puff pastry lids to suit base size and place on top, crimp base and top together with fingertips or a fork. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a cold James Squire Jack of Spades Porter. *Shortcrust Pastry 1 250g plain flour 125g unsalted butter, chilled, finely chopped 1 egg, chilled Process flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Whisk egg and one tablespoon chilled water in a bowl until combined, then with food processor motor running, add to flour mixture. Process until mixture begins to form large clumps, stopping machine before mixture forms a ball. Turn pastry out on to a work surface and knead gently to bring together. Form into a disc for a round tart or into a log shape for a rectangular tart. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours. Roll out to 3-4mm thickness and cut out required size. If you love discovering more things you can do with beer (and some surprising facts, like beer being 99.9 percent sugar free), visit www.beerthebeautifultruth.com. You'll find information on fusing beer and food, matching different styles of beer with your meals, and how particular foods can enhance the distinct flavours of a well-brewed beer. You can even learn a few nutritional myths around beer, and bust 'em while you're at it.
And now for something completely impractical. Artist Victor Solomon has created our dream basketball hoop, one we're encouraged to miss and be too short to slam dunk. For his newest series Literally Balling (heh), Solomon has crafted three beautiful backboards of stained, Tiffany-style glass. The whole thing's kind of Meret Oppenheim for basketball. Solomon has made unusable the tools of million-dollar paycheck earners — the Le Brons and Durants of the globe's top basketball stars. Fascinated by the obvious link between the players and their affluent lifestyles, Solomon has cheekily rendered their main moneymaker useless — but pretty as hell. The artist spend hundreds of hours cutting and shaping the stained glass backboards, and used gold chains and crystals to replace the net. Pretty sure no one should try a Jordan on one of these. Via Vice.
Just four kilometres long and three kilometres wide, Hayman Island might be small, but it be fierce. In one day, you can snorkel with swirling schools of tropical fish, play Robinson Crusoe on very own private beach and trek through lush rainforest to Baraka-worthy sunsets. When you're ready to leave shore, there are uninhabited islands to explore, outer reef coral kingdoms to dive among and luxury yachts to climb aboard. Want to enjoy all this without spending a cent? Mastercard is giving away an all-expenses-paid Hayman Island adventure worth $6000 to one lucky, lucky Nemo. Jump over here to go in the running. This highly opulent prize includes flights, accommodation in a luxe suite in Hayman Island's only resort and a VIP dining experience with Neil Perry. In the meantime, start planning your itinerary with these ten tips. SNORKEL THE GREAT BARRIER REEF Hayman Island's busiest aquatic community is on its north-western side, at Blue Pearl Bay. Prepare to meet local resident Priscilla, an enormous Māori wrasse, among rainbow-coloured parrot fish and striped angel fish. For an off-shore escapade, catch a private boat to pocket-sized Langford Island, where you'll come across magical underwater gardens. Afterwards, you can kick back on the long, sandy spit, picnicking, swimming and lazing about. Another option is the outer reef — at the legendary giant Stepping Stones, which drop away to 40 metres. You'll be gliding among magnificent rays and scary-looking-yet-utterly-harmless reef sharks. TAKE A HIKE To get your bearings, start with a short climb to Cook Lookout, Hayman Island's highest point. At 250 metres above sea level, it gives you a bird's perspective on surrounding reef formations and the rugged shores of neighbouring Hook Island. Come late afternoon, set off for Whitsunday Lookout, from where you can see the sun setting over the Whitsunday Passage, or to Dolphin Point, Hayman Island's northernmost tip. Alternatively, for a d0-nothing day on perfect white sand, take a stroll to Blue Pearl Bay. Don't forget your swimmers and snorkelling gear. STAY IN AN ULTRA-LUXE SUITE Hayman Island is privately owned and there's but one accommodation option, appropriately named One&Only Hayman Island Resort. Fortunately for you, it's a bloody masterpiece. An array of room types are available and they're all ultra-luxe. We're talking Royal Family-level linen draped across four-poster beds, massive ensuites with separate showers and baths, dressing rooms fit for Marilyn Monroe and private balconies overlooking the resort's tropical gardens or the ocean — depending on where you are. Facilities include two pools, seven bars and restaurants, a spa and a fitness centre, for those who, inexplicably, can be bothered moving. GET PADDLING To see Hayman Island from the water, at human-powered speed, jump in a kayak or man a paddleboard. If you're a newbie — or not very brave — there's no need to travel far for beautiful views and, thanks to the island's crystalline waters, flashes of aquatic life. Meanwhile, Bear Grylls types can venture further afield, perhaps even attempting a circumnavigation. Along the way, be sure to stop by Coconut Beach, where you can regain your energy by sinking into a sun lounge, and Blue Pearl Bay. SWIM IN A 'LAGOON' SEVEN TIMES THE SIZE OF AN OLYMPIC POOL The likelihood of bumping into another guest in the One&Only Hayman Island Resort's behemoth of a pool is next to nix. It's seven times the size of your average Olympic Pool. So, whether you're lapping, synchronised swimming or simply bobbing about in between cocktails, no one's going to get in your way. There are day beds aplenty and four private cabanas. Super-keen swimmers can book a suite in the Hayman Pool wing, where the rooms open directly onto the water. Should you find yourself working up an appetite, swing by the nearby On The Rocks Restaurant and Bar. EAT DINNER WITH NEIL PERRY Even a multi-hat winning chef's gotta go troppo every now and again. So, why not join him for the ride? In July, Neil Perry AM (of Rockpool and $10 burger fame) will be cooking up a feast on Hayman Island and then hosting you while you munch your way through it. He hasn't given away any of the culinary details yet, but we imagine there'll be no shortage of seafood inspiration, as well a handpicked selection of fancy wines to match. The only catch is, the only way you can experience this hedonistic evening is by entering the comp mentioned above or by laying your card down — it's one of Mastercard's Priceless Dinners and spots are strictly limited. GET A MASSAGE FLOATING IN THE SEA No tropical holiday is complete without a massage. And, on Hayman Island, you can take yours next level by ordering it outdoors. For water babies, there's the 90-minute 'Ocean Dreaming' experience, which involves pretty much what you see in the pic above: lying on a bed, floating on still water and surrounded by clear sky. If you're more Jungle Book, book into a 'Rainforest Massage'. You'll be ushered into a private, canopy-sheltered cabana and given a massage according to your specific bodily needs. Yogis might also be interested in the 'Sun Salutation', inspired by Oriental techniques and involving acupuncture, stretching and rocking motions. LEARN TO SCUBA Yet to scuba? There's no more classic place to learn than the Great Barrier Reef. Except, of course, that it might make dives closer to home seem somewhat anti-climactic. On Hayman Island, you'll kick off with a basic coaching session, before starting your underwater explorations in the safe, shallow waters of Blue Pearl Bay. Next up is a guided tour of nearby The Maze, so named because wandering through it feels a bit like twisting and turning through a coral labyrinth. You'll then be taken to The Fish Bowl, which is absolutely teeming with diverse fish species. RIDE A SEAPLANE Many a traveller has seen the Great Barrier Reef through a snorkelling mask or from the deck of a boat, but, there's no more startling way to get your head around its extraordinary proportions than from the window of sea plane. So, if you can scrape some dosh together, make it happen. You'll soar high above the Great Barrier's 350,000 square kilometres (which is divided into 2800 separate reefs altogether) swoop down for a closer look, and even take a break for a spot of snorkelling in Hardy Lagoon. CLIMB ABOARD A LUXURY YACHT Go James Bond-style and travel to and from Hayman Island via luxury yacht. Or, while you're there, charter one and design your own Great Barrier Reef cruise. You can loll about on the deck doing not much, cruise on the bow pretending to be Kate Winslet or watch the crew in action. Needless to say, fine dining and premium beverages will be at your disposal. You're the boss, after all. Want to enjoy all this without spending a cent? Mastercard is giving away an all-expenses-paid Hayman Island adventure worth $6000 to one lucky, lucky Nemo. Jump over here to go in the running. Images: One&Only Hayman Island/Mastercard.
The Noosa Eat & Drink Festival is returning in 2024 and further cementing its status as one of the most coveted culinary tickets on the annual calendar of events. The 2024 program runs across four days and nights, promising a blockbuster lineup of 75-plus events. This covers everything from sessions with superstar chefs, a series of long leisurely lunches, and a Beach Club with Italian-style grazing and cocktails right by the waves on beautiful Noosa Main Beach to make the most of Queensland's winter sunshine. Some specific highlights include the Festival Village that runs throughout the Saturday and Sunday. The Village is the vibrant heart of Noosa Eat & Drink where ticket-holders can meander between cooking and cocktail masterclasses, competitions and chef demos featuring big ticket foodie personalities like Hayden Quinn, Khanh Ong, Gary Mehigan and Anna Polyviou. You'll also find pop-up restaurants and a VIP Lounge co-hosted by Chandon Garden Spritz for the requisite refreshments. The lineup of long lunches is always a major drawcard where you can really take advantage of the gorgeous coastal location. This year, Hasting Street favourite Locale is hosting The Locale Long Italian Lunch in collaboration with Will Cowper of Otto Brisbane for a generous Italian feast to be paired with Cloudy Bay wines. The Peregian Beach Hotel is throwing the Local Love Lunch to celebrate the best local and native produce from the region. And if Mexican food and booze are your favourite things, the Bandita Late Lunch will find Bandita in Noosaville bring big fiesta energy with a five-course lunch with matching cocktails and tequila tasters courtesy of Australia's top distributor of Mexican spirits, Mextrade. And that's just the tip of the delicious iceberg. Noosa Food & Drink is well and truly worthy of a long weekend sojourn to the Sunshine Coast. But get in quick on the tickets — they don't stick around for long.
It's time to dig the gumboots out of the back of your closet — Splendour in the Grass is finally returning to North Byron Parklands for another year after a two-year hiatus that felt like an eternity. In 2022, Splendour celebrates its 20th year with what's set to be a memorable comeback after a string of postponements. The festival was originally announced with a mammoth lineup back in February 2020; however, that didn't come to fruition for obvious reasons. The rescheduled event will now land in across the weekend of Friday, July 22–Sunday, July 24 . At the top of the bill sits Damon Albarn's animated supergroup Gorillaz, chart-topping rapper Tyler, the Creator and New York indie legends The Strokes. And, they have plenty of company. The Avalanches and Liam Gallagher help lead the complete roster of acts for 2022, alongside Glass Animals, Kacey Musgraves, Violent Soho, DMA's, Tim Minchin and The Jungle Giants. As usual, it's a stacked and eclectic list. If you'd already purchased a ticket for SITG 2020 or 2021, you'll be happy to know that they're still valid for the 2022 edition. And if you don't have a ticket yet, you can head to the festival's website to nab a pre-loved ticket now. SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2022 LINEUP Gorillaz The Strokes Tyler, The Creator The Avalanches Glass Animals Liam Gallagher Kacey Musgraves Duke Dumont Live Violent Soho DMA's Yungblud Jack Harlow Dillon Francis Tim Minchin The Jungle Giants Mura Masa Amyl & The Sniffers Aitch G Flip Ruel Oliver Tree Jungle Tom Misch Grinspoon Orville Peck Parquet Courts Tierra Whack Cub Sport Jpegmafia Ruby Fields Sofi Tukker Methyl Ethel Julia Stone Baker Boy Stella Donnelly Genesis Owusu Hooligan Hefs The Chats Confidence Man Biig Piig Holly Humberstone Chillinit Alex The Astronaut Maxo Kream Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Triple One Still Woozy Bad//Dreems Myd Northeast Party House Joy Crookes Wet Leg Mo'ju Pup Miiesha Mildlife Jarreau Vandal Brame & Hamo Shannon & The Clams Babe Rainbow Tai Verdes The Snuts Sycco Tom Cardy Sly Withers Hinds Dayglow Starcrawler Alice Ivy Budjerah JK-47 Jeff The Brotherhood Fazerdaze King Stingray Renforshort May-A The Lazy Eyes Banoffee Flowerkid The Buoys Moktar Stevan The Soul Movers George Alice 1300 Mickey Kojak Dro Carey & DJ Scorpion Pricie Mylee Grace Andy Golledge Charlie Collins Pink Matter Memphis Lk (DJ) Triple J Unearthed winners Mix-Up DJ's Dena Amy Jordan Brando Shantan Wantan Ichiban Luen Honey Point AK Sports Aywy Carolina Gasolina Munasib Pond Tasman Keith Top image: Dave Kan. Updated July 18, 2022.
Goodbye Three Blue Ducks, hello bagel bars and cocktail trolleys — and tableside caesar service and octopus hot dogs, too. When the former revealed that it was closing its first-ever River City outpost, which sat inside the W Brisbane hotel since 2018, the inner-city space that the acclaimed restaurant called home for five years was never going to stay empty for long. And it hasn't, with the site's original tenant shutting up shop at the end of May and newcomer The Lex opening its doors on Thursday, June 15. First announced last month, The Lex takes inspiration from New York City, but it also celebrates being in Queensland. That means pairing the spectacular water views that come with the eatery's location with nods to both the Big Apple and the Sunshine State, aka the W Hotels chain's starting point and its Brisbane berth. Keeping things in-house staff-wise, it also means enlisting the venue's Chef de Cuisine Pawel Klodowski to oversee the menu. "We are lucky to have such an abundance of seasonal produce at our doorstep here in Queensland, from North Queensland champagne lobster to native citrus. We work closely with our producers to ensure that our ingredients are fresh and sourced locally," says Klodowski. "We work with the best local suppliers as it benefits the environment, supports the local economy and individual farmers, grocers and communities. And, of course, it reflects on the quality of our dishes which have a fuller and more distinct taste as a result." The NYC vibes flow through in a grill-heavy eatery, and in the style of dishes served; however, southeast Queensland produce is the star of almost every plate. From a seasonal menu, think: oyster brine martinis, dry-aged beef using local cuts and those tableside caesar salads, as well as charcoal éclairs with grilled Mooloolaba prawns — and the aforementioned Fremantle octopus hot dogs with gochujang, spring onion and apple. The bagel bar is a breakfast highlight, letting guests personalise their meal with toppings such as smoked salmon, chicken, grilled halloumi, cream cheese, baby spinach, capers and salsa verde. Across the rest of the day, anyone after a caesar salad will get it tossed on demand at their table on a roving trolley. Other standout options include smoked maple and bourbon pork belly, the grilled champagne lobster with ayruga and lemon beurre blanc, plus the dry-aged MB3 tomahawk steak with a mac 'n' cheese snack plate. As for the drinks, The Powerhouse cocktail isn't the kind of sip you'd find anywhere else, making the utmost of an entire avocado by infusing and straining the husk and fruit, popping the liquid left into the drink, making an avo cracker for a garnish and using the pit for bitters. It sits on a boozy lineup that'll change twice a year alongside tipples from Queensland spirits and craft breweries, plus Aussie wine labels. Also, for groups, tableside cocktail service is available, with a focus on champagne concoctions. The Lex firmly has gathering the gang in mind, too, boasting two semi-private dining spaces for groups of between 25–70 people. If you're in soirée mode, you'll be able to feast on curated two-, three- or four-course menus, focusing on a chef's selection. The whole restaurant can also be booked as a private space, which is when live chef stations doing grilled meats and dedicated desserts stations will be busted out. While tucking in, The Lex's patrons will enjoy an airy terrace-style layout that's all about bringing the outside in, complete with that vantage over the river. Nic Graham, who also designed W Brisbane, has taken cues from Queenslanders in the restaurant's panelled walls, while the use of burgundy and olive hues reflects the eatery's favourite ingredients and fondness for the open fire. Fancy watching your meal get made? The large open kitchen allows exactly that, including at separate entrée, dessert and cooking setups. Find The Lex at W Brisbane, 81 North Quay, Brisbane — open from 6.30am–10.30am Monday–Friday and 7am–10.30am Saturday–Sunday for breakfast, from 12–3pm Friday–Saturday for lunch, and from 5.30–9pm Tuesday–Thursday and 5.30–10pm Friday–Saturday for dinner. Images: Markus Ravik.
Once is never enough. For fans of ARIA-winning musician Megan Washington, this is certainly the case. Back by popular demand after a huge 2014 national tour, Washington's marching her There There album tour into the New Year — with a string of 2015 dates to satisfy bigtime Washo fans. Backed by rave reviews, Washington's #5 ARIA album There There will be amplified through venues nationwide by the beloved singer/songwriter. And the Melburnian's newest offering doesn't disappoint; There There teams with tracks so personal and raw you'll feel like you've snuck a glimpse at Washington's post break-up journal. But these aren't any old love-lost ballads. Washington's buttery vocals share some of her most candid experiences, paired with haunting harmonies that are hard to forget. And she doesn’t hold back, throwing in high energy, bare-all pop hits like 'Limitless' and 'My Heart is a Wheel' alongside stripped-back piano melodies. If you missed Washo last year, you're in serious luck. But get in quick, tickets to these shows are set to be tough to get your hands on.
Sydney has Mardi Gras, Melbourne has Midsumma, and now Brisbane finally has its own celebration of queer arts and culture to add a bit of dazzle to the warmer months. Come February 5, the Brisbane Powerhouse will stage the first-ever MELT festival, focusing on LGBTIQ performance, art, music and film. After kicking off with what promises to be a huge — and free — opening night party, MELT will combine comedy, cabaret, circus and more over 11 days of fun. It may be the event’s inaugural year, but there are plenty of things to see — starting with our top picks. Read our picks of the best events at MELT Festival.
Asylum seekers, detained boats and detention centres are frequent news fodder; however, amid all the headlines, one thing is often missing: the views of refugees themselves. What pushes people to leave home? What do they leave behind? What do they fear? Why did they choose this path? And what does it take to turn someone into a 'boat person'? They're just some of the questions filmmakers Jessie Taylor and Ali Reza Sadiqi asked when they decided to delve into the issue. In 2009, they travelled across Indonesia to meet with 250 people looking for a better life, with Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea the end result of their interviews. They're also the questions you can find answers to at Meaningful Movies, Amnesty International's free monthly evening of cinema and conversation. Watching the documentary is just the beginning, with Rebecca Lim from Brisbane-based asylum seeker support agency the Romero Centre also on hand to chat through the topic. This isn't just a night of film watching — this is movie-going that matters.
Australia Day isn't just about the beers and beats at Southside Tea Room — though there will be plenty of those. In a huge celebration, kicking off at 10am, they'll be firing up their famous Red Robbin Supper Club food truck and feeding people with some good ol' Aussie grub. In the words of van chef Rory Doyle, "The plan is to fire up the rotisserie and roast some chickens over hot coals, then smash that sweet meat onto white rolls with some rich gravy to complete an Aussie classic, Roast Chicken Roll. You can't have a chicken roll without hot chips and we'll be serving them with our version of "chicken salt"!" Cue uncontrollable salivation.
Word nerds, you'd best put aside September 2 to 6 and prepare to indulge your love of letters. For five days, the annual Brisbane Writers Festival will turn the city — and the State Library, specifically — into a literary wonderland. Headlining the event is Jon Ronson, Welsh journalist, humourist and documentary maker. If you haven't already devoured his examination of abhorrent social media behaviour, So, You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, you've probably seen the two films based on his earlier work, The Men Who Stare at Goats and Frank. Elsewhere, expect your penchant for prose to be well and truly pampered, no matter what type of text or breed of book you fancy. Whodunnit fans can revel in all things monocles, moustaches and Agatha Christie in the grand manor that is Newstead House, while YA aficionados can talk about life, love and literature with some of the genre's top authors — including Tomorrow When the War Began's John Marsden — at a seven-hour celebration-slash-cosplay party. Walkley Award-winning cartoonist First Dog on the Moon is also set to get in on the BWF, whether theatre or whiskey tasting is your thing. In the former event, he scampers through an apocalyptic scenario offering advice on how not to be terrible. In the latter, he recounts the joys of Tasmania's finest blends. That's just a glimpse of the incredibly long and eclectic list of events, talks, panels, Q&As and other sessions on offer, touching upon everything from thrillers and supernatural storytelling to the biology of desire and our right to offend. With such a diverse array of content on offer, it feels fitting that the festival is pushing a "minds wide open" theme this year. They're not only encouraging audiences to abandon their addiction to screens and take the time to immerse themselves in writing in all its forms — they're also warning of you to make plenty of mental space for such a stimulating program. The Brisbane Writers Festival runs from September 2 to 6. To check out the full program — and to purchase tickets — visit the festival's website.
Whatever lunch plans you had for Saturday, March 12, you'd better cancel them. Instead, we'd suggest heading to South Brisbane to welcome The Yiros Shop to the neighbourhood. If you do, they'll return the favour. Not only will you get to tuck in to one of the new store's grilled pita and meat combinations — think fresh, fluffy and filled with pork, chicken or lamb, then topped with tomato, onion, parsley and tzatziki — but you'll get to do so without opening your wallet. Just drop by 189 Grey Street between 12pm and 4pm to brighten your day with a free yiros. Now that's something to say "opa!" to. Anyone who has already checked out The Yiros Shop's existing Cannon Hill or James Street outlets will know the tasty meal that they're in for — and for everyone else, there's never been a better time to get acquainted with their gourmet Greek fare. Free Yiros Day might be the main attraction this weekend, and rightfully so, but don't forget desserts such as sweet rice pudding, baklava, galaktoboureko (semolina custard in filo pastry) and loukoumades (Greek doughnuts) are also on the menu. If you can't change your plans for a free feed, then you can mosey along and fork out some cash any time from March 10, with the new addition to South Bank open from 10.30am seven days a week. Yes, that means that you can't get your brekkie yiros fix there as yet; however keep an eye on their Facebook page, because early morning deliciousness will launch in the coming months. Free Yiros Day takes place between 12pm and 4pm at The Yiros Shop at 189 Grey Street, South Brisbane. For more information, visit their website.
Feel a hankering for some chortles but don't have the funds to fork out for international tours? Check the Powerhouse website for the night's Knockoff Comedy lineup. This free Friday night comedy show runs from 6pm, and plays host to some of the biggest up-and-comers in Brisbane comedy. Plus, at the end of each month, Knockoff is home to Brisbane's premier impro night thanks to the comedy stylings of ImproMafia.
It was one of Brisbane's best 2016 events, as well as the kind of shindig someone really should've thought of earlier. Now, after a killer kick off in its first year, the Mountain Goat Valley Crawl returns for 2017. Once again, it's the stuff live music fans' dreams of made of, and it's getting even bigger. Five gigs will happen at five of Brisbane's best hangouts, all within two blocks of each other, and all on the same day. Oh, and did we mention that they're all free? No, we're not making this up. The simultaneous sonic fun takes place on February 11, and other than upping the number of places you'll have to sprint between — and the number of bands belting out tunes, of course — it's business as usual. Music and beer-loving Brisbanites are invited to trek between The Zoo, The Brightside, The Foundry, Black Bear Lodge and Woolly Mammoth, take in a jam-packed lineup of local bands (and a couple of Sydneysiders and Melburnians too), plus devour plenty of frosty, refreshing beverages. The epic day of entertainment is sponsored by a brewery, after all. Details of the who plays at which venue variety are available from the event's Facebook page, with the whole shindig will kick off at 5pm. Given we know the what, where and when of it all, the only thing left for you to do is clear your calendar for an ace day of tunes, brews and hopping around the Valley. Oh, and to get excited about the below lineup: Alice Ivy Angharad Drake Average Art Club BUTTERFINGERS Clea Dreamtime Evan Klar Future Haunts GILL BATES I Know Leopard Luke Daniel Peacock Mallrat Max Chillen + the Kerbside Collective Miss Blanks Moses Gunn Collective Pearls Polish Club San Mei Stevie sweater curse The Ocean Party These New South Whales Top Dollar WAAX WHALEHOUSE
When the Mountain Goat Valley Crawl kicked off in 2016, it did so in simple but great style. Recognising that the key to many a good night out is a multi-venue itinerary, it made hopping between Fortitude Valley's finest hangouts a streamlined, well-organised yet still laidback experience — with brews aplenty and an ace live music soundtrack. That was then. Now, the same idea and aim remain; however everyone's favourite multi-venue mini music and beer festival is even bigger and better in its third year. After expanding from four venues in its initial outing to five the second time around, 2018's event will see attendees jump between seven spots to see 35 interstate and local artists. The simultaneous sonic fun takes place on February 17, at returning spaces The Zoo, The Brightside, The Foundry and Black Bear Lodge, plus new additions Barbara, The Flying Cock and Crowbar. 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. Details of the who plays at which venue variety are yet to be announced; however the whole shindig will kick off at 5pm. Given that we know the what, where and when of it all in a general sense, the only thing left for you to do is clear your calendar for an ace day of tunes, brews and hopping around the Valley. Oh, and to get excited about the below lineup: Philadelphia Grand Jury Gooch Palms Hatchie Hollow Coves Carmouflage Rose Midas.Gold Ninajirachi Jess Locke Bugs BOAT SHOW Nice Biscuit Emerson Snowe Holiday Party Ayla King IV Austen Jesswar Fritz Jouk Mistrow The Gametes Orlando Furious FeelsClub Port Royal First Beige Eat Your Heart Out Chakra Efendi Stranger Land JEFFE Hey Baby Pink Matter Keelan Mak Earthlings Twinfolds Hope D Zapéd
