In a piece of news we're filing under 'how is this just happening now?', New York City is getting ready to host its first ever Donut Fest. Taking over Verboten, a music venue and bar in the heart of Williamsburg, the festival will see the finest bakers in the city gather for a day of deep-fried, sugar-glazed, sprinkle-coated goodness. It's all set to go down on Saturday January 23... giving you just over two weeks to sort out a plane ticket. Vendors in the lineup include The Doughnut Project, whose far out flavours include pineapple with habenero and salted chocolate with buttered pretzel; Erin McKenna's Bakery, whose doughnuts are egg, dairy and gluten free; and Dun-Well Doughnuts, who boast a range of more than 200 flavours including Peach Cobbler, Raspberry Pistachio and Pina Colada. A number of New York's specialty coffee outfits, including Cafe Grumpy and Brooklyn Coffee Roasters, will also be on hand for dunking purposes. Now that's all very well and good, but technically speaking Melbourne actually beat NYC to the punch with Day of the Donut in June last year. Classic New York... always two steps behind. Each vendor at Donut Fest 2016 will submit their favourite creation to compete for the title of New York's Best Donut. All entry fees will be donated to Food Bank for New York City, an organisation that helps combat food poverty in the five boroughs. Via The Gothamist. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Breakups are usually associated with loss (and copious amounts of wine and Meg Ryan). But they can be profitable, too. And we’re not talking about ‘whatever-doesn’t-kill-you-makes-you-stronger’, new age, Facebook-meme kind of profit. We’re talking about cold, hard cash. Well, that’s the idea behind a brand new service called Never Liked It Anyway, anyway. Dubbed ‘eBay for breakups’, it’s a platform that lets you sell everything that reminds you of your ex – without feeling bad, guilty or ashamed about it. The range of products on sale is mind-boggling, maybe even slightly unsettling. There are wedding dresses, engagement rings, mink shawls and even a bracelet with a coin from 35 B.C — all relics of past love ready for new owners. Because, out of sight, out of mind, right? It’s tough to forget your ex when your home is littered with his/her gifts. And, why burn them on a bonfire when you can turn them into your next shopping spree or dinner out or (depending on your ex’s generosity levels) holiday? Rather than just being any old online shopping platform, Never Liked It Anyway sees its job as bringing relief to the broken-hearted. “We started [it] to make moving on easier. It’s a place to shed the stories and the stuff,” founder Bella Acton told The Atlantic. Not only can you buy and sell on the site, you can tell your story, read the site's highly useful blog for tips on moving on, and read other tales of heartbreak. The site isn't just about making cash money out of closing a chapter, it's about looking forward to the next. The nicest bit of the whole site? The 'Break-Up Services' section, where you can procure a a 'Bounce Back Stack' (50 cards of warm fuzzies and advice to help mend your broken heart) or a 'Bounce Back Box' filled to the brim with things meant to 'get you back to fabulous': lip gloss, nail polish and a whole host of treat yourself goodies. Via Refinery29. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
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. When you have friends this summer, heed our advice and take it to the next level by implementing a killer theme. We've spoken to a few of our favourite chefs, musicians and artists, to get their insights on creating the perfect balmy afternoon. On this adventure we've spoken to Luke Lucas — uber talented, Sydney based typographer, creative director and co-creator of the now defunct Lifelounge magazine (may it rest in peace). Each issue of Lifelounge was themed, so we thought Luke was the perfect person to ask for some tips. Read these, and get creative the next time you have friends over. THEME COMES FIRST, IDEAS COME SECOND The first step in throwing a next-level summer party is choosing the theme. No exceptions. You'll probably have a million ideas, but they'll most likely be unrelated to each other. Having a theme is a great way to bring everything together in a cohesive format. You could be really into the idea of having a pinata in your backyard. Once you've decided that your party is going to be all about food, you can make it into the shape of a burger. "Coming up with the theme was the very first process we went through for each edition of the magazine," says Luke. "I think if you try to retrofit content to suit a theme then it can feel a little contrived or forced so for us the theme had to come first. For the most part curating content or designing within the bounds of a them gives you the ability to connect concepts and ideas that don't naturally go together but when presented within the theme are perfect partners. It can be lot of fun." IF YOU DON'T LIKE SOMETHING, CHANCES ARE OTHERS WON'T EITHER Everything in Lifelounge made it in because it was something Luke liked — not what he thought other people would like. "We were mostly creating the magazine for ourselves," he says. "It was a way of expressing thoughts and ideas about things we were passionate about. There wasn't a great deal of thought put into how appealing it might be to others." When you're thinking of a party theme, make sure it's something you're into. Don't go for a double denim theme just because you know your friends will like it. Pick something your passionated about — that could be a 90s theme. You're much more likely to get people hyped up. "I think if you are passionate about something then the way you present that passion is naturally infectious," Luke says wisely. DON'T COPY YOUR FRIENDS Trying to one-up your mates with a better 90s party than they threw last year isn't going to work. You won't be able to do anything new, and everyone's costumes or activities will most likely be the same as last year. Instead, use last year's raging party for inspiration. If they did 90s, shy away from decades and try for something else – a clothing related double denim theme for example. As Luke says, "there needs to be enough of a point of difference between themes so we can create unique content and design treatments for each edition." WHERE TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION "We're influenced by everything we see, hear, touch and experience. Inspiration can come from any combination of those sources but for me it rarely presents itself if I'm searching too hard for it. Ideas present themselves when my mind is clear or I'm doing some kind of activity that involves little thought — like taking a shower or waiting in between sets in the surf." In the words of Mad Men's Don Draper, "think about it deeply, then forget it. An idea will jump up in your face." Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 — we're helping you make the most of them. Images: Luke Lucas.
It's the news Australian film and television fans have been dreading ever since they signed for a geododging service and a Netflix account. The streaming media behemoth might've taken your cash and looked the other way for years — even when they launched here in 2015 — but now that they're operating in 190 countries around the globe, it seems like they're gearing up to stop users accessing overseas libraries. In a post that appeared on the Netflix blog overnight, Vice President of Content Delivery Architecture David Fullagar advised, "Those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are." Exactly how they'll shut out everyone using VPNs, proxy servers and smart DNS services hasn't been disclosed, though the statement does mention that "technology continues to evolve and we are evolving with it." So, if your account is almost permanently logged into the US service, your viewing options could be about to take a bit of hit. While Netflix-produced fare like House of Cards, Master of None, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, BoJack Horseman, Jessica Jones, Making a Murderer and A Very Murray Christmas are available everywhere, the American library currently has almost three times the number of titles than its Australian counterpart. Plus, plenty of content varies between the two; local comedy is quite popular on the Aussie version — or Netflix sure hopes it will be, seeing that their library is packed with it — for example. If you're a bit puzzled by this turn of events, particularly given that Netflix only recently trumpeted their plans to make sure everyone who subscribes to the service can access the same content regardless of the country they're in, that's understandable. They haven't really changed their tune — it's safe to assume that they're working towards that goal, which involves complex rights negotiations in each territory, by first locking down any loopholes that currently allow customers to circumvent geographic restrictions. Of course, just what will eventuate in the long- and short-term is anyone's guess, because Netflix has promised to stamp out geododgers before and then promptly done nothing about it. All Aussie customers can really do for now is watch this space — and maybe start thinking about signing up to Stan or Presto. Via The Sydney Morning Herald.
Variety might be the spice of life, as the saying goes, but we’re pretty certain that it’s a necessary seasoning for comedy, too. Being the diverse bunch that we all are, an eclectic array of things can make each and every one of us dissolve into fits of giggles. Like the range of options showcased at an event dedicated to tickling our funny bones, you’re probably thinking. For Brisbanites, that’d be the annual Brisbane Comedy Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse’s yearly showcase of humour and hilarity. In 2016, they’ve selected the best local and international talent for an amusing onslaught of more than 45 performers over 26 days. If you like those stats, we have one to add: expect the resulting laughter to cause thousands of sore stomachs, or so we're guessing. BCF has also had the smarts to put these ten performances on the bill, aka our picks of the entire fest. Because one good turn deserves another, we think you should return the favour by checking them out.
As if Melbourne's laneways weren't ace enough already, they're going green — well, four of them are anyway. Meyers Place, Katherine Place, Guildford Lane and Coromandel Place will be transformed into little sustainable metropolitan Gardens of Eden with new designs released by the City of Melbourne as part of their Green Your Laneway initiative last week. The City of Melbourne announced their plans to transform four laneway spots in the CBD back in October of last year, and opened up the nominations to Melburnians to help them choose which ones they would give the green treatment. With more than 200 laneways in the city centre, picking the spots was no easy feat. But after collating over 800 public nominations as well as advice from engineers, landscape architects and sustainability professionals, and taking environmental factors — such as the amount of sunlight the laneways receive and their exposure to wind — into account, the council has settled on the four laneways as the ones that would most benefit from the added greenery. The draft designs show the laneways filled with planter boxes, vertical gardens, climbing plants and trees. Among the proposed additions, there are plans to give Katherine Place a mini tree-lined boulevard and an ivy-covered archway, and Guilford Lane (which is largely residential) could score a community garden. All up, the City of Melbourne is investing $1.3 million in the project. "Melbourne's laneways are internationally renowned for their quirky and eclectic culture and feel," Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said. "We can add another layer to their attraction by enhancing the sustainability of our laneways and making them 'green' and therefore more efficient at cooling the city, intercepting and cleaning stormwater and improving air quality and ambience." If you'd like to check out the designs in more detail, they'll be on display in Meyers Place from November 3-14. There's also some pretty detailed info on their website. Plus, to further warm you to the idea, Meyers Place will also host gardening workshops and live music on Saturday, November 12 from 2pm. Green Your Laneway is on trial as one arm of the City's Love Your Laneway program. Meanwhile, the Urban Forest Strategy is striving to address climate change and reduce Melbourne's summer temperatures by four degrees Celsius. Green days ahead. By Lauren Vadnjal and Jasmine Crittenden.
This spring, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia will host an extensive retrospective by renowned South African photographer David Goldblatt, as part of the Sydney International Series. Running from October 19 until March 2019, David Goldblatt: Photographs 1948–2018 will dive deep into the life and work of one of recent history's most legendary photographers, covering a career of more than sixty years. Goldblatt is best known for his portrayal of South Africa's tumultuous history, especially surrounding apartheid. As the photographer's first major retrospective in the southern hemisphere, the exhibition will feature Goldblatt's most famous photo series, along with early vintage prints, never-before-seen footage from his personal collection and a new feature-length documentary. As MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE explained, "visitors will discover an extraordinary artist whose documentary eye has not strayed from the complexities of his country of birth, but resonates with other global histories (including Australia's own) through narratives of race and racism, and industry and the land." The Sydney-exclusive exhibition is the first major retrospective of Goldblatt's work in the southern hemisphere. The exhibition was also the Goldblatt's final project before his death earlier this year. Images: David Goldblatt, A plot-holder, his wife and their eldest son at lunch, Wheatlands, Randfontein. September 1962 (3_4907), 1962. Image courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg © the artist; David Goldblatt, Shop assistant, Orlando West, 1972. Image courtesy Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg and Cape Town © The David Goldblatt Legacy Trust.
Lost Paradise is back for the fourth year in a row, after selling out its past three incarnations. Returning to Glenworth Valley from December 28 to January 1, the event will host 76 local and international artists, including local electronic goalkickers RÜFÜS, Sweden's Little Dragon, Aussie folk favourites Matt Corby and Meg Mac, Sydney lads DMAs, dynamic Melburnian duo Client Liaison and more. There'll be two new stages this year, My Mum's Disco, where, in between retro beats and '80s kitsch, you'll be playing bingo and banging out karaoke, and K-Sub Beach Club, to be run by Kraken, a collective dedicated to all things Victorian. Main stage Arcadia will host what's been designated as 'indie', while techno and dance will settle into the Lost Disco stage. Meanwhile, the Paradise Club will take care of late night shape-throwers with DJs and surprise guests. If you've blissed your way through previous New Year's Eves at Lost Paradise's Shambala Fields, you'll be glad to know they're making a return, with their cornucopia of yoga classes, dance workshops and meditations. Teachers on the schedule include Ana Forrest, Jose Calarco, Mark Whitwell, Simon Borg Olivier, Nicole Walsh and Mark Breadner. In between dancing and getting mindful, you can fuel up in Lost Village, where a herd of food trucks will be dishing out all sorts of tasty morsels. Look out for Eat Art Truck's hot smoked pulled pork buns, Agape's organic goodies, The Dosa Deli's handmade samosas, Maverick Wings' crispy chicken and kimchi coleslaw, Harvest Life as Tsuru's poke bowls and Cuba Cantina's street food from Havana. Here's what you're in for this year: LOST PARADISE 2017 LINEUP: RÜFÜS Little Dragon Matt Corby Meg Mac DMA's Client Liason Cut Copy San Cisco Tourist Stephen Bodzin Cigarettes After Sex Patrick Topping Jon Hopkins (DJ Set) Jackmaster FKJ Middle Kids Âme (Live) Skeggs Palms Trax Apparat Nadia Rose Sampa The Great Koi Child Mall Grab Dean Lewis B.Traits Roland Tings My Nu Leng Cut Snake Human Movement Billy Davis & The Good Lords CC:Disco GL Tiny Little Houses Alex The Astronaut Nyxen Sloan Peterson Mammals The Ruminators Motorik Vibe Council Robongia Krankbrother Thunderfox Gypsys of Pangea Uncle Ru Ariane Ben Nott Brohn Dibby Dibby Soundsystem DJ Gonz Elijah Something Foreigndub Inner West Reggae Disco Machine Kali and more... Lost Paradise returns to Glenworth Valley from December 28 to January 1. Tickets are on sale now from the festival website. Image: Dave Anderson and Boaz Nothham.
The National Gallery of Victoria's Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei double bill is the exhibition to lock in this summer. A show dedicated to just one of these artists would be a blockbuster in its own right, but the two of them together side by side, will undoubtedly see this international exhibition reach epic proportions. Max Delany, senior curator of contemporary art at the NGV, sees the exhibition as a great opportunity to explore the work of two artists from two very different times. “It is an opportunity to present one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century — the century of modernity and what is often referred to as 'The American Century' — alongside one of the most significant artists living today, an artist from what is often said to be the 'Chinese Century' to come," Delany says. "It's actually a very interesting opportunity to consider the role of both artists and art of their time." The exhibition will draw out some of the untapped connections between these two artists. For instance, both artists have transformed the concept of the artist's studio, building highly interdisciplinary spaces. Both have radically reconsidered notions of artistic value, turning against the prevailing aesthetic trends of their time. And both are highly attuned to new modes of communication; Weiwei uses virtual networking and the internet to produce his work, while Warhol might be thought of as a social media artist working before his time. In the midst of a busy installation period, Delany took some time to speak about his five favourite works featured in the exhibition — five you should make no mistake to miss when the exhibition opens this Friday, December 11 in Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_551750" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Ai WeiweiChinese 1957–Forever Bicycles, 2011, installation view at Taipei Fine Arts MuseumImage courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio© Ai Weiwei[/caption] 1. AI WEIWEI — FOREVER BICYCLES (2011) "We are going to be installing a new version of Ai Weiwei's Forever Bicycles. This will be a major installation – it's made from almost 1500 bicycles. On the one hand, the bicycle wheel engages with Marcel Duchamp and the whole idea of the readymade. On the other hand, it's quite Warholian and is engaged with repetition. There is an intensely spectacular effect from the repetition of these objects. It also has an important biographical relevance to Ai Weiwei because Forever was the brand of a very popular mass-produced bicycle in China. It's something Weiwei would have desired as a child. The nice thing about these bicycles, which are all linked together, is that the bicycle is related to the individual, but there's also a connection to the multitude. It's very much about collective energy and social progress." [caption id="attachment_551761" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Steve SchapiroAndy Warhol Blowing Up Silver Cloud Pillow, Los Angeles 1966© Steve Schapiro[/caption] 2. ANDY WARHOL — SILVER CLOUDS AND COW WALLPAPER (1966) "Upon arrival to the exhibition, you will encounter Andy Warhol's Silver Clouds from 1966, which will be presented alongside his Cow Wallpaper. This is a fascinating work, which was first shown in 1966 at Leo Castelli Gallery in New York. Basically, these silver floating pillow forms float through space and are propelled by the bodies of viewers and air currents. It's an immersive experience, very much coinciding with the idea of 'the happening' during the '60s. It also introduced participation into artistic practice. Cow Wallpaper is significant because it is the very first or several designs Warhol did in wallpaper." [caption id="attachment_551740" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Ai WeiweiChinese 1957–Coloured Vases, 2006 Neolithic vases (5000-3000 BC) and industrial paintdimensions variable Image courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio© Ai Weiwei[/caption] 3. AI WEIWEI — COLOURED VASES (2006) "I'm excited to be showing Ai Weiwei's Coloured Vases, which is a newer work. These are painted Neolithic pots which really do enact an uneasy confrontation between cultural heritage and tradition on the one hand, and modernity on the other. One is mapped onto the other in quite a violent or iconoclastic way, kind of obliterating history. On the other hand, it also signals new beginnings and possibilities." [caption id="attachment_551739" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Andy WarholElectric Chair, 1967 synthetic polymer paint screenprinted onto canvas137.2 x 185.1 cm National Gallery of Australia, CanberraPurchased 1977© 2015 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./ARS, New York. Licensed by Viscopy, Sydney.[/caption] 4. ANDY WARHOL — ELECTRIC CHAIR (1963) "Quite often people think of Warhol as quite superficial. However, if you look at some of his depictions of violence and tragedy in American society, he's really quite an epic history painter. One of the most profound and striking works in the exhibition is Warhol's Electric Chair from 1963. It's an example of his innovations in silkscreen painting from that time., but it's also a very stark and austere image. It puts the relationship between the state and the individual into sharp relief. This is also an important subject for Ai Weiwei, whose work really does address some of the critical issues of our time, such as human rights and freedom of expression." 5. AI WEIWEI — STUDIES IN PERSPECTIVE (1994) "This is a very cheeky body of work, but it is also very considered. You're probably familiar with Studies in Perspective where he raises his middle finger to various buildings representing state authority, from the White House to Tiananmen Square. On the one hand, this is a playful work about measuring the distance between the artist and his subject. On the other hand, it sets up an interesting relationship between the individual and the state. These works were made from 1994 onward and they remind me very clearly of that extraordinary image from Tiananmen Square in 1989 — that lone demonstrator standing in front of a Tank and the asymmetrical relationship between the individual and an authoritative figure." Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei will run at the National Gallery of Victoria from December 11 until April 24. For more information, visit the NGV's website.
A 3D printed house? Ten years ago, we would have thought this a mere pipe dream. But since we're printing everything from office blocks to bikes tailored to your body these days, this shouldn't come as a shock. Chicago-based architecture firm WATG has unveiled solid plans to turn this lofty idea into reality, proposing the world's first freeform, 3D printed house. Winning first prize in the Freeform Home Design Challenge, a competition sponsored by Branch Technology, the WATG design, entitled 'Curve Appeal', consists of two structural components: an interior core and an exterior skin. The living spaces are all open and include a kitchen, bath, living area and one bedroom. Stunning 360-degree glass walls are meant to give the sense of being directly connected to the natural surroundings of the house — so you might want to keep some distance between you and your neighbours. The whole futuristic, spaceship-like envelope is connected with carefully calculated archways that are said to "establish an organic presence" — whatever that means. The design, while clearly pushing the envelope of possibility, also uses economical methods for building — as well as sustainable, with solar panels hidden within the design. This world-first house is not only unconventional, but has previously been wholly inconceivable. This type of work from WATG is no surprise — the firm is internationally renowned for their innovation, with previous designs including a few Four Seasons, a Saudi Arabian city called 'King Abdullah Economic City' and a SkyPark in the Gulf. All of their designs look like structures from an incredibly well-funded sci-fi film, not buildings that will, and do, actually exist. Construction on 'Curve Appeal' is expected to start as soon as 2017 and Bonnaroo Festival-goers will be happy to hear the first site is in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While the public has been given no indication of how much the house will cost to build, we can only imagine how epic this would be if future iterations are made affordable to the masses. With 3D printing becoming more accessible by the day, this future may not be too far from reality. Via Design Boom. Images: Daniel Caven, WATG.
The sun is staying out longer, and it's time to start utilising all our glorious parkland again — Moonlight Cinema is back for another year. From December until March, this local favourite is the place to be for the most explosive action-packed blockbusters, the latest comedy releases and even the odd sing-a-long. Going on sale today, the December–January portion of the program is basically a hit list of the summer's biggest flicks. Guardians of the Galaxy and Interstellar will make for perfect viewing under the vast night sky. Ladies will be taking a leading role for a fair portion of the action with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 1, Lucy, and the controversial Gone Girl. Then the latest comedy will be lightening the mood with Dumb and Dumber To, Horrible Bosses 2, and The Interview which sees Seth Rogen and James Franco basically going to war with North Korea. There are a few lesser known titles to watch out for too. The yet-to-be-released Birdman will see Michael Keaton poking fun at his days as the caped crusader alongside a stellar supporting cast, the heartbreaking Still Alice has Julienne Moore tipped for a Best Actress nomination, and The Gambler sees Mark Wahlberg front an adaptation of a '70s classic. Like every year, the gates open at 7pm and screenings kick off at 8.30pm when the sun goes down. Make sure to bring your own picnic blanket — and a full picnic while you're at it. While the cinema is totally BYO, there will also be an LA-style food truck on site boasting burgers with pulled pork brisket or Southern fried chicken. You can even go all out and get a New York-style chilli cheesedog. If that sounds too good to be true, check it out for yourself — in celebration of the launch, Moonlight Cinema are hosting a free pop-up picnic in Sydney's Martin Place right now. Run! Check out the full program at the Moonlight Cinema website. Tickets are $15-35 depending on whether you opt for the 'Gold Grass' option (where you are given the best spots and beanbags in the house).
One of New York's initially best and eventually worst kept secrets is coming to Melbourne for one of the most squealworthy pop-ups we've seen in an age. East Village's Please Don't Tell (or PDT) is locked in to take over Fitzroy's Black Pearl this August, with legendary PDT bar team Jim Meehan and Jeff Bell at the helm. Ever found your way to PDT? Hidden behind a secret wall in a vintage phone booth, inside Crif Dogs hotdog joint on St Marks Place in the East Village, PDT is one of NYC's most beloved speakeasies — and the cocktails are seriously next level. Bell, who was crowned 2013 Diageo World Class US Bartender of the Year, is one of the best in the game, with marvels like the Bulleit Bourbon Sweet Tea Smash. But you won't just be sampling Bell's world-famous cocktails, Bell and Meehan will join forces with Bluebonnet Barbecue chef Chris Terlikar for an Australian version of PDT's menu — featuring two hot-dog variations: 'The Spicy Redneck' (house dog, bacon wrapped, with chilli, coleslaw and jalapenos) and a yet to be announced local adaptation. Locked in for August 6 to 9 in The Attic at Black Pearl, PDT's trailblazing cocktail aficionados will have three sittings available at Black Pearl: 6-8pm, 8-10pm and the last at 10pm-12am — and it goes without saying, you're strongly advised to make reservations to avoid disappointment. PDT pops up at Black Pearl (304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) Thursday 6 – Sunday August 9. Sittings are 6-8pm, 8-10pm or 10pm-12am, Reservations through Eventbrite. Image: PDT.
Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei: both superstar artists, both groundbreaking Damn The Man-ers, both crazy cat ladies (really). And now, in one of the best team-ups we've seen in ages, they're both the focus of the National Gallery of Victoria's next epic summer exhibition, Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei. This is going to be quite the retrospective. Two of the most significant artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, Warhol and Weiwei have left their mark on global modernity, whether flipping the bird to American art or dropping a Han vase on Chinese tradition. The NGV will present over 200 of Warhol's most celebrated works — including the Campbell’s Soup Cans, Three Marilyns, Mao, Elvis, Flowers, Electric Chairs, Skulls and Myths series and sculptures like Brillo Boxes , Heinz Tomato Ketchup Boxes and Silver Clouds. If you've got a spare eight hours, kick back and watch Warhol's wildly influential films Empire, Blow job and Screen Tests and pore over early commercial drawings and '50s advertising illustrations. There's even going to be over 500 Polaroids documenting Warhol’s friends, colleagues, and artistic and social milieux. Now, Weiwei. The famously controversial Chinese artist has had his fair share of Warhol influence, having lived in the US from 1981 to 1993 — and taken a photographic self-portrait in front of Warhol's multiple self-portrait. The first book he bought in NYC? The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B & Back Again). “I believe this is a very interesting and important exhibition and an honour for me to have the opportunity to be exhibited alongside Andy Warhol," said Weiwei. "This is a great privilege for me as an artist.” For the NGV exhibition, Weiwei will premiere new major commissions, including an installation from the Forever Bicycles series and a monumental addition to Chandelier. Of course, glimpses of Weiwei's colossal catalogue will also be on display — from his early 1970s drawings to 1980s readymades, and provocative painting, photography, film and social media of the last four decades. If you're wondering why we called two of the greatest artists in history 'crazy cat ladies', it's because it's true. According to the NGV, Warhol apparently lived with a herd of Siamese cats in the '50s, all of whom, except for one, were named Sam. He photographed and ink blotted them often. Weiwei's studio is home to over 30 cats, who have free reign and constantly pop up in the artist's social media. There's going to be a special part of the exhibition dedicated to this shared feline love, a bit of trivia we won't get over for quite a while. Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei comes to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne from December 11 to April 24, in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. For info and tickets, head to the NGV website.
It's a sad day for Soulfest ticketholders, this year's festival has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Due to kick off for Australia/New Zealand dates with the likes of Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige and Miguel on Saturday, October 24, Soulfest 2015 will no longer be hitting Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne, or bringing sideshows to Brisbane, Mebourne and Sydney. Soulfest International posted this statement on their website and Facebook page this morning: "It is with a heavy heart and great regret that Soulfest International advises that it has become necessary to cancel Soulfest and the subsequent sideshows, due to poor ticket sales. Soulfest was scheduled to take place in Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney, with sideshows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and was due to commence on October 20th. "Soulfest was launched with the intention of promoting genres of music that are often overlooked commercially in this country, specifically Neo-Soul, RnB and Hip-Hop, and Soulfest 2014 successfully delivered some of the most exciting talent within these genres. Despite a stellar line-up of artists and the best promotional endeavours on Soulfest’s behalf, the event has simply not received the support via ticket sales, and the financial loss that would be incurred by the event if it were to go ahead as planned would be devastating. "There have been many people working behind the scenes, including media partners, artists, sponsors, sub-contracted promoters, communication managers, agents and suppliers who live, breathe and support this incredible genre of music and have worked tirelessly to try and make this event a success. The promoter sincerely apologises to all involved who have dedicated 7 months of their lives to work on this festival, and to the supporters of the event who purchased tickets." Soulfest has confirmed tickets will be refunded. For tickets booked online or by phone, credit cards used to book will automatically be refunded. Soulfest have said refunds could take up to 14 days. Bookings made at outlets will also be refunded, with ticketholders told to return to the box office where they bought the tickets with the credit card they used and photo ID. Soulfest's sideshows, sadly, are also cancelled. Via Music Feeds. Image: Soulfest.
It's been 11 years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Heading back to their collection of unconventional venues for another year, Laneway Festival has announced its 2016 lineup. Returning to Singapore, Auckland and the five established Australian Laneway go-to cities, Laneway will raise a plastic cup to the middle of summer with one heck of a killer lineup. Following the previously leaked Hudson Mohawke and Purity Ring headliner announces, Laneway will see one heck of a crew on their unconventional stages. Odd Future's super outfit The Internet will be here, alongside Ninja Tune's bass monarch Thundercat and the return of Grimes (start losing your collective shit). Epic Scottish electronic crew CHVRCHES are headed back to Australia, with a few fellow return trippers — Baltimore dreamboats Beach House, American math rockers Battles are back with their new album, as well as Brooklyn's atmospheric foursome DIIV. Plenty of love for the onstage return of Big Scary after Tom Isanek finished up with #1 Dads, and there's sure to be a big ol' ruckus for Sydney wonderkid Flume back on stage. You'll be hard pressed to find a spot at Las Vegas hypecard Shamir's set, watching young Washington rapper GoldLink or the pretty, pretty Beatles-y Tobias Jesso Jr. Odd Future's Vince Staples is headed here too, following his OFWGKTA bud Tyler the Creator's ban from Australia. With beloved local artists like Hermitude, Violent Soho, The Smith Street Band and DMA's, this year's lineup is more eclectic than a Jenny Kee jumper. Enough talk, here 'tis. LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2016 LINEUP: Ali Barter* Banoffee Battles Beach House Big Scary Blank Realm** Chvrhces DIIV DMA’s East India Youth FIDLAR Flume GoldLink Grimes Health Hermitude High Tension Hudson Mohawke Japanese Wallpaper Majical Cloudz Methyl Ethel METZ Purity Ring QT Shamir Silicon Slum Sociable** Sophie The Goon Sax*** The Internet The Smith Street Band Thundercat Tobias Jesso Jr. Vince Staples Violent Soho * Exclusive to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne only ** not playing Fremantle *** Exclusive to Brisbane only ST JEROME'S LANEWAY FESTIVAL DATES AND VENUES FOR 2016: Saturday, January 30 — SINGAPORE (THE MEADOW, GARDENS BY THE BAY) Monday, February 1 — AUCKLAND (SILO PARK) Friday, February 5 — ADELAIDE (HARTS MILL, PORT ADELAIDE, 16+) Saturday, February 6 — BRISBANE (BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS, BOWEN HILLS, 16+) Sunday, February 7 — SYDNEY (SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS, ROZELLE) Saturday, February 13 — MELBOURNE (FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE (FCAC) + THE RIVER’S EDGE) Sunday, February 14 — FREMANTLE (ESPLANADE RESERVE AND WEST END) Tickets on sale September 30 at 9am from Laneway Festival. Image: Andy Fraser. Here's one for getting psyched up.
Board rooms are so done. Stockholm-based artist duo Bigert and Bergström have built a modal, stainless golden steel, reflective, egg-shaped sauna with a heart-shaped wood burning stove, named the 'Solar Egg'. Why? Commissioned by Swedish economic and real estate association Riksbyggen, the egg is a "social sculpture" according to the artists, providing a communal space for the residents of Kiruna to discuss their town's problems. Kiruna is the northernmost town in Sweden with a population of just under 20,000. In 2003, they realised that due to adjacent iron ore mining activity (activity which provides thousands of jobs for locals), the ground beneath the town was becoming unstable. The solution? Move the whole town three kilometres away. The relocation has been underway ever since and will continue to trudge along, piece by piece, for many more decades supported by the government and the mining company responsible. So, the residents of Kiruna have a lot to talk about while enjoying a sauna together. And, like the town itself, the golden egg can be disassembled and relocated. As far as interactive art installations go, it's both acutely beautiful and functional, with stainless golden mirror sheeting reflecting the fragmented, changing scenery of the surround mountains and tundra. Inside, the sauna's interior is made of pine wood panelling and decks, and aspen benches, with an iron and stone stove in the centre. Temperature varies between 75 and 85 degrees Celsius in the egg. Images: Riksbyggen and Futurniture.
Think juice is just for cooling your body temperature on those stinking humid days that Queensland prides itself on? Think again. A good blend of citrus and ginger of can be quite useful to shoo away sniffles (yep, you can even get 'em in spring time). Presenting Brisbane's top five delicious, flu-fighting, body-rejuvenating juices, freshly squeezed at market stalls, juice bars and cafes around our health-kickin' city. THIRST BUSTER: QUEEN STREET MARKETS For those that drink with their eyes, feast on this bad boy blend of watermelon, pineapple and orange. But really, can you go past that elaborate display of fruit on top of your drink? We think not. This is an instant teleport to your favourite summer spot. Queen Street Mall, Brisbane (every Wednesday 10am-6pm). THE QUEENSLANDER: RAW JUICERY While the above green juice will help you detox, we're after something a little more adventurous: The Queenslander. For those that 'ick' at the though of beetroot, the pineapple and orange complement it so well, you won't be able to taste it (the bright red colour of the aftermath might be a dead giveaway though!). 4/280 Adelaide Street, Brisbane. THE CLASSIC FRESH OJ: JAMIE'S ESPRESSO If you feel a bit fancypants trying out all these liquid fruit salads, you can't go wrong with a classic OJ. Watching Jamie do his thing with that old school juicer is totally worth the trip out to New Farm. 49 James Street, New Farm. FLU BREAKER: QUENCH JUICE BAR Orange, pineapple and ginger. Goes without saying that this one is great for a sore throat. You can find Quench at the Valley's James Street Markets, the Ferry Road Markets in Southport and Gasworks. James Street Markets, 22 James Street, Fortitude Valley. THE TIGER BALM: FAT CARROT A West End institution. If you feel the flu coming on, give this one a try. Nothing like the pungent ointment you used to smother on toilet seats at school muck-up day, this cold-fighting juice is packed with papaya, orange, lemon, pineapple and mint. Yum! 179 Boundary Street, West End. Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
For the next twelve months, visitors to Uluru will get the chance to see the sacred rock in a whole new light, thanks to a massive installation transforming the surrounding desert into a spectacular ocean of colour. Incorporating 50,000 glass lights across an area of 49,000 square metres, it is the latest (and largest) incarnation of artist Bruce Munro's Field of Light, which has previously illuminated the grounds at the likes of London's Victoria & Albert Museum and the Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Run on solar power, the installation took 40 people six weeks to set up. The British-born Munro first came up with the idea for Field of Light while visiting Uluru back in 1992. "Field of Light was one idea that landed in my sketchbook and kept on nagging at me to be done," the artist told the ABC. "I now have the honour and privilege of returning to create an iteration of this artwork for the place that inspired it." The new incarnation is named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku, which translates to 'looking at lots of beautiful lights' in local Pitjantjatjara. It will remain in place until March 31, 2017. Via Traveller and ABC Online. Images: Bruce Munro.
Inventive Philadelphia-based company La Colombe Coffee Roasters has developed coffee on tap, pulling cold draught lattes from nitro kegs. They're claiming their new device as the world's first tap coffee, although it goes without saying this isn't your regular, purely extracted, traditional espresso. More "naturally sweet milkshake" than actual latte, La Colombe's draught is apparently like cold-press with frothed cold milk, according to Daily Coffee News. Company founder Todd Carmichael is pretty proud of the new taps, which took six months to invent with his rum distillery engineer buddy in his underground Philly coffee lab. Carmichael assures consumers that this is the first time tap coffee has made its way into your mouth. "The draught latte combines the simplest coffee beverage ingredients and creates a revolutionary drink," he said in a media announcement. "It’s the process we use to pull the drink from the keg that creates a textured milk that doesn’t exist anywhere else.” Wielding his iced invention, seems Carmichael has a pretty hardcore plan to destroy Starbucks, and he's not keeping it to tap coffee. The Philly coffee fiend also just announced the launch of La Colombe's low-calorie canned coffees — a product Starbucks has been doing pretty well with in American supermarkets for some horrific, god-forsaken reason. If you're keen to try draught coffee, you'll have to pop over to the US. La Colombe is planning to roll out the taps to its 12 venues in Philly, NYC, Chicago and Washington D.C. in July. Via Daily Coffee News.
Gone are the days when Australians were left to wonder about the precise genealogy of their toast. Following the trend set by the boutique coffee and chocolate industries, artisan bakers Brasserie Bread are upping their foodie street rep with the launch of their new single origin bread. Touted by the bakery as an Australian first, Brasserie's Single Origin Sourdough and Single Origin Sprouted Wheat will be made exclusively from wheat grown in the Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia, allowing consumers to track the journey of their bread from field to mill to sandwich. Brasserie co-founder Michael Klausen apparently spent five years searching for the perfect wheat, before finally forming a partnership with Flinders Ranges Premium Grain. "I wanted to buy flour straight from the farmer," says Klausen. "It took five years, but I finally found them and being part of the harvest this year was like a dream come true... This flour is an expression of the soil and climate it was grown in." Whether or not consumers can actually taste the difference, you've got to give Klausen credit for tapping into the zeitgeist. It's certainly not hard to imagine single source bread popping up on brunch menus around Sydney and Melbourne, probably with a little single source smashed avo on the side. Brasserie Bread is available in various restaurants around Sydney and Melbourne, as well as the Brasserie Bakery Cafe in Banksmeadow and the T2 Cafe in Sydney Airport. And if you're not yet sold on single origin bread, check out Brasserie's promotional video below. It’s inspiring stuff.
From naturally-occurring wonders to marvels of architecture and design, this great nation of ours has no shortage of photo-friendly locations. Year after year, tourists and locals alike flock to Australia's most famous destinations, looking to capture that picture-perfect shot. Now, with just a few weeks left in the year, Traveller have revealed a list of the most snapped places in Australia. And while none of the locations are particularly surprising, they do serve as a reminder of just how goddamn crazy beautiful this country is. 5. MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND (MCG) A photo posted by artinayar (@artinayar) on Aug 16, 2015 at 1:03am PDT The most iconic sporting ground in Australia, when you consider how many people are regularly packed into the MCG throughout the year, its inclusion on the list makes a lot of sense. That said, we can't help but wonder if it would have appeared even higher if Instagram had waited until after the Boxing Day Test to release their rankings. 4. BONDI BEACH A photo posted by Adam Bull (@bulladam) on Dec 3, 2015 at 3:12pm PST Synonymous with Australian beach culture, Bondi offers Instagrammers the perfect opportunity to casually show off their tans against a backdrop of crystal waters and sandy shores. With an oceanside cinema, food pop-ups and a brand new dining precinct on the way, we don't expect to see Bondi drop off this list anytime soon. 3. SURFERS PARADISE BEACH A photo posted by Sharon Lewin | Australia (@thenomadictraveller) on Dec 1, 2015 at 12:52pm PST Pipping their NSW rivals to the proverbial post, Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast beat out Bondi as Australia's most Instagrammed beach. And with photos like these, it's rather hard to argue. Paradise indeed. 2. DARLING HARBOUR, SYDNEY A photo posted by Nimesh Yadav (@nimeshnimze) on Dec 3, 2015 at 5:37pm PST A bustling harbourside hub smack bang in the centre of Sydney, Darling Harbour has long been one of the city's biggest tourist destinations – and that was before they opened up their giant new urban playground. Just make sure you don't get your eye taken out by an errant selfie-stick. 1. SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE A photo posted by Tom Rex Jessett | Australia (@trex.photography) on Dec 1, 2015 at 1:01pm PST What a shocker! To the surprise of absolutely no one, the top spot on the most Instagrammed list goes to the most famous landmark in the country. From the dazzling displays seen during Vivid Sydney to the sobering site of the sails lit up in the colours of the French flag, the Sydney Opera House remains the number one place in Australia that inspires visitors to whip out their camera phones. And frankly, it's hard to imagine that changing any time soon. Via Traveller. Top image: Alan Lam via Flickr
The cities of the future won't be built. They'll be printed. Or at least that seems to be the idea, after Dubai unveiled its first office building created using a 3D printer. Located near the Emirates Tower complex, the 250 square metre building, dubbed The Office of the Future, was printed in just 17 days at a cost of around US$140,000. Now they just need to convince people it won't collapse around their ears. The building was constructed out of special cement mixture, using a custom-made printer measuring 6m by 36m by 12m in size. Only a single supervisor was required to oversee the actual printing process, although seven installers and ten electricians were needed to fit-out the structure once it had been assembled. Even so, the process represents an enormous saving in terms of labour cost, with the Dubai government saying it cut the total bill in half. "We implement what we plan, and we pursue actions not theories," said UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the building's official opening. "The rapidly changing world requires us to accelerate our pace of development, for history does not recognize our plans but our achievements." Via PSFK.
Back in 1982, Melbourne played host to one of China's most important ancient artworks: a collection of statues known as The Terracotta Army. Crafted between 221–206 BCE and first discovered in the Shaanxi province in 1974, it made its international debut at the National Gallery of Victoria — and now, 37 years later, it's returning for the NGV's 2019 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Dubbed Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality, the five-month exhibition will feature eight warrior figures and two life-size horses from The Terracotta Army, alongside two half-size replica bronze chariots that are each drawn by four horses. They were created during the reign of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang and were buried near his tomb more than 2200 years ago. The pieces coming to Melbourne only represent a fraction of the entire work, which numbers more than 8000 figures in total. If you're wondering how big of a deal the statues are, the answer is very. The Terracotta Army is considered one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century and has also been described as the 'Eighth' Wonder of the World. Displaying at the NGV from May 24 to October 13, 2019, the selected pieces will be accompanied by more than 150 other ancient Chinese treasures sourced from museums and Shaanxi archaeological sites. Expect to rove your eyes over priceless gold, jade and bronze artefacts that date back more than 3000 years, charting China's artistry across the country's formative period. Looking to the present as well as the past, the NGV's winter season will also celebrate acclaimed Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang. His work is no stranger to Australia — in 2014, Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art hosted its own showcase — however, his Melbourne exhibition will feature all new pieces. With Cai known for his large-scale installations, The Transient Landscapewill include 10,000 porcelain birds suspended in a spiral formation, in an artwork that links to The Terracotta Army. Specifically, it'll create a 3D version of a calligraphic drawing that depicts Mount Li, which is where Qin Shi Huang and his terracotta warriors were buried. Another of Cai's new works will feature a porcelain sculpture of peonies placed in the middle of a 360-degree gunpowder, with his entire show taking inspiration from Chinese culture and philosophy. The world-renowned talent will also help design Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality, making the two concurrent exhibitions as immersive as possible. 'Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality' and 'Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape' will exhibit as part of the NGV International's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces presentation, running from May 24 to October 13, 2019. For further details or to buy tickets, visit the NGV website. Exhibition images: Sean Fennessy and Tobias Titz photography. Images: The terracotta army, Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE), Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum, Xi'an.
Many a poor traveller has ventured to Germany in hope of culinary enlightenment, only to binge on pretzels and bratwurst, thinking that was it. Don't be like those suckas. German cuisine is more than just carbs and cream — it's carbs and cream cooked and combined better than anywhere else in the world. Ignore the recent meat vs. health studies, forget about your fat RDI and jump on the nearest jumbo to Frankfurt and chow down. MAULTASCHEN Imagine a thick pasta skin that's filled with a smoked meat and then fried in butter — kind of ravioli on steroids — and you've got maultaschen. It's a German specialty that tends to be a menu staple in most southern restaurants. The only thing better than how tasty these pockets of flavour are, is the story behind them. The common folklore is that during Lent, when Catholics and other Christians were encouraged to refrain from eating meat, German monks would make the maultaschen. They figured the meat was concealed under the pasta dough and what they couldn't see, neither could God. Where to find it: Some of the best (and most famous) maultaschen in Germany can be found Zum Hasenwirt, a small restaurant in Stuttgart. [caption id="attachment_556573" align="alignnone" width="1280"] conticium via Flickr[/caption] DAMPFNUDEL Dampfnudel is a southern German specialty that you might be hard pressed finding in the big cities. That means your best chances of nabbing one of these fluffy, sweet buns is trekking to some of Germany's quaint little villages. Dampfnudel is a like a sweet unfilled Chinese bun, about the size of a fist, that's steamed in sugared milk and fried in butter to give it a crispy bottom. It's most often served with berries, vanilla sauce and jams. Where to find it: Dampfnudeln-Uli is a Bavarian restaurant in Regensburg that specialises in this sweet buns and have done so for over 70 years. [caption id="attachment_556577" align="alignnone" width="1280"] stu_spivack via Flickr[/caption] SPÄTZLE Spätzle is to the Germans what pasta is to the Italians. Made with eggs and flour and boiled till it firms up, the almost rubbery pasta-like pieces are eaten as is, or fried up in oil or butter. Its texture is similar to that of gnocchi, though its taste is rather bland — so it's best partnered with meat and gravy. It's one of those foods you'll have a little gag over eating the first time, then wake up in cold sweats craving a week later. Where to find it: You'll find the best spätzle in small, German villages as it one of those foods that Oma makes best. But if you're in Berlin, check out Repke Spätzlerei. They're pros at the stuff. [caption id="attachment_556580" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Benjamin Vander Steen via Flickr[/caption] SCHWARZWÄLDER KIRSCHTORTE That's black forest cake to you. We're not talking The Cheesecake Shop variety (no offence) or your lazy one-tiered Coles attempt either (offence intended). Germany pulls out all the stops to make the chocolate cake thick and dense, the cream is fresh from the cow and the cherries just-picked from tree (FYI: cherries grow in Germany like eucalyptus leaves grow in Australia). As such, this cake is quite seasonal, and is best purchased and eaten in the German summer, aka cherry season. Where to find it: If you're going to eat this cake, do it properly at at one of the few cafes that holds the original recipe. We recommend Cafe Schäefer in Triberg, a town in Baden-Württemberg, which is actually located in the literal Black Forest. [caption id="attachment_556612" align="alignnone" width="1280"] jay.tong via Flickr[/caption] SCHWEINSHAXE This is what German dreams are made of. Succulent, slow-roasted porn knuckle with a thick, crispy, drool-inducing layer of crackling around the lot. Done well, the meat should fall of the bone once its crackling cloak has been consumed, and it's best served with something simple like a bread roll to soak up the juices. This is a Bavarian specialty, and makes a popular appearance at Oktoberfest. Where to find it: Munich is home of the schweinshaxe, and is best eaten after consuming two litres of beer at Oktoberfest. For that reason, do yourself a favour and have your first schweinshaxe at one of the many beer tents at Munich's Oktoberfest. [caption id="attachment_550692" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jeremy Keith via Flickr[/caption] FLÄDLE SUPPE On paper, flädle suppe sounds like an absolute nightmare: chopped up pancakes in a beef broth. But somehow — for some absurd reason that only the Germans know — it works. The flädle are plain crepe-style pancakes, tightly wrapped and cut into thin ribbons, while the suppe is the soupy broth. This dish is traditionally served as the first course of a wedding, but as it's so tasty and has quite a German fan-base, it's moved past special occasions and onto mainstream menus. Where to find it: This soup is prevalent in both southern Germany and Austria, so if you're looking for the perfect taste, hover around the border. We suggest Weinstube zur Traube in Stuttgart. [caption id="attachment_552489" align="alignnone" width="1280"] cyclonebill via Flickr[/caption] FLEISCHKÄSE This is one of those nasty, kebab-equivalent foods that for some reason most Germans eat sober, but probably shouldn't. It doesn't take a fool to realise fleischkäse is processed to the nines, as it resembles something that makes spam look like a free-range chicken leg. And for that reason — and probably that reason alone — it's delicious (in a salty, fatty, indigestion-y kind of way). It tastes like hot dog meat, but is served as a thick slice on a bread roll with ketchup and mustard. Try it the day before you leave Germany so you have a geographical barrier between yourself and any more of them. Where to find it: In Germany, a carvery or snack bar is called an Imbiss. Most hot ones will serve fleischkäse mit brötchen (with a bread roll). [caption id="attachment_552488" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Oliver Hallmann via Flickr[/caption] WILDSCHWEIN Game in Germany tends to hit dinner plates towards the beginning of winter, when it's hunting season. Wild boar (a nice way of saying feral pigs), deer, rabbit and pheasant all become a staple for those who can both afford and stomach it. Wildschwein (the aforementioned wild boar) is probably the gateway meat into eating German game. While it tastes like normal pork meat, it's also a lot richer, leaner and has that earthy taste that's common with wild animals. It's the most free-range form of meat you can eat — so regardless of your squirms, give it a shot. Where to find it: Naturally, the culinary crux of Germany, Munich, homes many great traditional German restaurants that specialise in traditional hunting dishes. Restaurant Johannas at Hotel Neumayr is our hot pick. They serve wildschwein year-round, as well as deer, rabbit and pheasant seasonally. [caption id="attachment_550695" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Katrin Morenz via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] MARMORKUCHEN We know what you're thinking. That marmorkuchen is just a rainbow cake without the strawberry bit. Wrong. It's the softest, sweetest, most delicious cake this side of Europe — and lucky children all over Germany get to eat it everyday. Paired perfectly with a tea or coffee, marmorkuchen is kind of a like a butter-heavy tea cake that has the sweet tang of chocolate and, if you're lucky, an aftertaste of rum. It literally translates to marble cake, which every Aussie is probably already well familiar with. But it's different in Germany. It's better. But don't ask questions — just try for yourself. Where to find it: Naturally, Germany homes some of the best bakeries in the world, and it's in these you'll find the best marmorkuchen. If you're in Berlin, Konditorei Buchwald makes undoubtedly one of the best — and have done for over 160 years. [caption id="attachment_550693" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Oliver Hallmann via Flickr[/caption] RINDERROULADE Rinderroulade just screams German farming food. Normally served with potatoes and cabbage, the actual roulade is a thin piece of beef steak that's spread with hot mustard, bacon and pickles, then rolled up and cooked in a thick beef sauce. It's kind of like a really intense burger, minus the bread and cheese. The roulade is cooked in the sauce for a good hour or so to get that melt-in-your-mouth texture. Fillings for rinderroulade are endless, ranging from Asian to Mediterranean varieties, but if you're chasing the best, stick to the original German mustard filling. Where to find it: You'll find this meal at most traditional German restaurants. In Berlin, Kurhaus Korsakow is one of the most authentic, non-touristy German restaurants in trendy Friedrichshain, and happens do do a killer roulade. Top image: Dollar Photo Club
It's only been a couple of months since Doughnut Time brought their hand-dipped delights into our lives — and golly, what a few months it's been. The hole in the wall between Alfredo’s Pizzeria and Kwan Brothers on Alfred Street in Fortitude Valley still attracts lengthy lines in peak times, but as anyone who has devoured one of their artisan creations can attest, they're worth the wait. The days of standing in a queue to get your hands on these tasty morsels might be over though. In a reversal of the trend that is currently sweeping Brisbane and seeing everyone's favourite food trucks and market stalls opening permanent homes, Doughnut Time is going to take their deliciousness on the road. Within two weeks, you'll be able to greet the Doughnut Time Van as it traverses the city's streets in all its green glory. Where it will head is anyone's guess, but expect Brisbane's food truck events to start boasting a whole lot more sweet treats with names like Crème De La Crème, Ya Bacon Me Crazy, The Salty Dog and The Russell Crowe. If you're anything like us, your tummy is probably already rumbling at the thought of more iced, fried, doughy bliss. In the interim, you can keep an eye on the van's progress — and drool over some seriously top notch food porn — via Doughnut Time's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.
Often stereotyped as the beverage of choice of sleazy drunken pirates and pina colada-sculling schoolies (in its coconut-flavoured form), rum is enjoying a bit of a renaissance at the moment. Even Scottish post-rockers Mogwai have jumped on board, crafting their own limited edition single cask Demerara variety. Frankly, for a beverage literally made from distilled sugar, we’re surprised it’s taken this long to catch on. Now, a clever team of bartenders from Australia’s largest rum bar Substation No. 41 have announced the launch of their own craft blend. Named for its electricity substation origins, Substation No. 41 is an expansive paradise for aficionados of the golden spirit. Housed within the Breakfast Creek Hotel in Queensland, it carries over 400 varieties of the stuff. In a matter-of-fact, very Queensland fashion, its new golden dark masterpiece takes the name Substation No. 41 Rum, and is made from local sugarcane molasses. “We wanted to use natural Queensland ingredients to create a high-quality Australian rum with an exceptional taste,” says Stuart Griffith, one of the creators and senior bartenders. No one’s disputing the sunshine state’s rep as the rum capital of the country, so it all seems like a logical step for these subject matter experts. Aged for a minimum of two years in oak barrels, the Substation blend reportedly carries floral aromas, with a butterscotch-slash-oaky flavour and hints of spice, vanilla and caramel. You can pick up a bottle from your local Dan Murphy’s now. As far as consumption goes, you’ve got three options: shake it up in a cocktail, mix it with ginger beer, or make like Jack Sparrow and chug it from the bottle sip it neat.
Every year in May, the biggest names in cinema descend upon the French Riviera for the Festival de Cannes. The glitziest and most prestigious film festival on the face of the planet, the 12-day event is a maddening mix of art, commerce and fantasy, where auteurs rub shoulders with A-list celebrities and masterworks light up the screen. This year's Cannes Film Festival featured a number of notable titles, including new efforts by some of the most fascinating filmmakers working in the medium today. Below, we've assembled a list of five exciting features we hope to see in Australian cinemas before too long. It's an eclectic mix, ranging from social realist dramas to violent thrillers set in the world of high fashion. And no, there's not a single superhero in sight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLEPQ9FYU0U I, DANIEL BLAKE When making a list of must see movies out of Cannes, the winner of the Palm d'Or seems like a pretty good place to start. The award for the best film in competition this year went to I, Daniel Blake, an unaffected drama about working class people caught in the dysfunctional British welfare system that reportedly reduced much of Cannes to tears. Of course, even if it hadn't won, the fact that was directed by master filmmaker Ken Loach would be enough to earn it a spot on this list. The 79-year-old's movies are notoriously depressing, so consider yourself forewarned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH-srjX2H1c THE NEON DEMON Nobody shoots violence with quite the same lurid style as Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The man behind Drive and Only God Forgives, his latest film is being sold as a similarly bloody thriller about an aspiring model caught up in the cutthroat world of LA fashion. The cast is absolutely stupendous, with Elle Fanning supported by Jena Malone, Christina Hendricks, Bella Heathcote and Keanu Reeves. The trailers and promotional images, meanwhile, make the whole thing look utterly insane. Basically we're expecting either a work of genius or a hot mess. Either way, we can pretty much guarantee it won't be dull. IT'S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD Anyone who saw Mommy knows that a new movie from Xavier Dolan is definitely worth getting excited about. It's Only the End of the World follows a terminally ill young writer as attempts to reconnect his family before he dies. The reviews out of Cannes have not been particularly strong. Actually, they've been kind savage. Still, after a run of great films that also includes Laurence Anyways and Tom at the Farm, we're willing to give the 27-year-old director the benefit of the doubt. Plus with a cast that includes Vincent Cassel, Lea Seydoux and Marion Cotillard, how bad could it possibly be? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Rxj9-RfRs THE HANDMAIDEN The Handmaiden is the new film from South Korea's Park Chan-wook, the genre-bending genius behind Oldboy, Joint Security Area and Thirst. After making his English-language debut with Stoker, Park returns to his native tongue with this stylish sapphic thriller set in 1930s Korea, about a pickpocket posing as an heiress' maid in order to steal her fortune. As with Neon Demon, the film's trailer is both gorgeous and nuts, which of course just makes us want to see it more. Here's hoping we'll get the chance before too long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-o5I5UWBh0 THE SALESMAN The final film on our list shapes up as rather more subdued, but that doesn't mean we're looking forward to it any less. The Salesman is the latest effort from Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, who won an Oscar for A Separation before travelling to Paris to shoot the similarly exquisite The Past. His new film sees him return to Tehran, and follows a couple whose lives are thrown into chaos after a seemingly random assault. Capable of weaving unbearable suspense from the simplest and most relatable of domestic situations – while at the same time shining a critical eye on issues of social inequality in modern day Iran – Farhadi is for our money one of the most gifted directors alive. Keep your eyes peeled for an Australian release date.
Maya Newell has joined the Tropfest judging panel on the eve of the 2016 festival. The director of the critically acclaimed documentary Gayby Baby will join actors Mel Gibson, Simon Baker and Rebecca Gibney, The Dressmaker director Jocelyn Moorhouse and Moulin Rouge! cinematographer Don McAlpine. Together, they will help decide the winner of the world's largest short film festival, which will take place this Sunday in Sydney's Centennial Parklands. Newell is the second last minute inclusion to the judging panel, following the surprise addition of Gibson – who is of course best known for his career as an actor and director as well as this long list of horrible public statements. Newell and her film were in the spotlight last year when the NSW government banned schools from screening the movie during class time. Jerks. Gibson, meanwhile, said he was "thrilled" to be joining Tropfest. "I know what it’s like to be starting out in this industry, in Australia, and what a big difference a break can make to a career," he said. "Tropfest has been doing an incredible job over the last 23 years as a platform for young filmmakers, and I’m absolutely delighted to support the great work Tropfest is doing." The panel of local actors and filmmakers will decide which of 16 short filmmakers takes home the festival's top prize, which includes $10,000 cash, a trip to Hollywood to meet with industry executives, a Nikon D800 digital camera along with $2000 worth of accessories, and a Hyundai Tuscon for a year. The festival also revealed its live music slate, featuring rock duo Winterbourne, DJ and singer KLP and The Preatures' vocalist Gideon Bensen. The announcement comes following a period of uncertainty for the iconic festival, which had a brush with death late last year after founder and festival John Polson discovered what he called "a terrible and irresponsible mismanagement of Tropfest funds" by a third party agency. The festival was briefly cancelled before receiving a financial lifeline from CGU insurance, although there are still some questions over the event's long term future. Polson recently announced that he had started a Pozible campaign to help ensure the festival remains free, although it has so far only raised a fraction of its intended $100,000 target. Maybe Mel can help. Tropfest will take place on February 14 in Centennial Parklands, with gates opening from 3pm. It will be broadcast around the country from 9pm AEDT. For more information go here. Updated: Saturday February 13.
The best thing about being an adult is that your Guess Who, Trivial Pursuit and Jenga sessions now come with a side of booze. While board games may seem like a 'night-in' option, it's sometimes nice to get out of the living room and head out — where someone else can pour the beers and hand-deliver the snacks. So gather a crew and roll the dice on Brisbane's best bars that include board game action (if you have no shame about throwing Monopoly-induced tantrums in public). ESCOBAR BAR & KITCHEN Pablo Cafe's younger and boozier brother is a favourite for New Farm locals, who know its courtyard is the best place to settle in for some craft beer and gourmet jaffle appreciation. Escobar's game collection is as extensive as its beer list, with plenty of old favourites piled onto a barrel in the centre of the room. There are $5 drink specials and live music on Sunday afternoons — a good time to relax for a few hours and embarrass everyone around you with that particularly disgusting Cards Against Humanity combo. 154 Merthyr Road, New Farm; (07) 3254 0788; www.escobarkitchen.com.au DUTCH COURAGE OFFICERS' MESS Tuesdays are 'Beer and Board Games' nights at this super classy specialty gin bar. Gather a crew to enjoy beer specials and Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Jenga, Taboo and more. The menu features bite-sized dishes such as cheese arancini, pork belly bites and buttermilk fried chicken — easy to pick up with one hand while rolling the dice in the other. Stick to the maritime theme with a James Squire Stowaway IPA, or delve into the bar's famously extensive gin list. 51 Alfred Street, Fortitude Valley; (07) 3852 4838; www.dutchcourage.com.au THE FLYING COCK This relative newcomer to the Valley has cemented its place as somewhere you can pretty much guarantee a good time. Alongside its trivia nights and events, you'll find a decent selection of games to play on the pub's huge wooden dining tables. The Cock's food menu is an homage to the humble chicken in burger, parmy, wings and barbeque form, with a well-priced beer and cocktails list to match. 388 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley; (07) 3172 6109; www.theflyingcock.com.au SOUTHSIDE TEA ROOM One of Brisbane's best suburban secrets, Southside Tea Room has grown from its cake-and-coffee roots into a multi-venue venture that also includes Death Valley Bar and the Red Robin Supper Truck. A round of Pictionary in the homely kitsch of the tea room can become a Yahtzee match in the craft beer garden, with a BBQ dog or Buffalo wings to keep you going into the night. 639 Wynnum Road, Morningside; (07) 3899 5859; www.southsidetearoom.com THE SCRATCH Milton's self-proclaimed dive bar really does feel like a friend's living room with its comfy retro furniture and rugs, so it's no surprise that Brisbanites flock here for a relaxed board game fix. The local craft beers on tap change regularly, with plenty of specialty and international bottled brews as well. The winning part is their BYO food policy — so you can create your own spread or even order in pizzas to enjoy alongside rounds of Uno. 8/1 Park Road Milton; (07) 3107 9910; www.scratchbar.com
A members-only cafe? Really? You've got to be bloody joking. TRIPE. Nope, it's a Thing — London's opened its very first members-only cafe, SL28, a Holloway coffee shop at which you pay a monthly membership fee to hang out. But it's not as ridiculously shut-the-front-door as it sounds, it's actually a pretty great concept for co-working. Pioneered by and located inside the HQ of a British working environment specialist company called Net.Works., SL28 is indeed a members-only cafe. It's £10 (about $14) a month for full membership, with which you're both allowed in the space and able to order unlimited £5 batch brew coffees — they even give you three free cups a month (which kind of makes the membership fee a little less flabbergaster-inducing). There are baked goods from Aux Pains de Papy, as well as soups, sandwiches and teas, which you can take to fixed-desk spaces, couches and armchairs. If you're still scoffing and ready to whip up an angry social media storm, there's a pretty good intention behind the whole members-only schtick. Basically, the crew want to provide a space for freelancers and collaborative workers to be able to stay for hours on end, whittling away at their projects — without getting shamed for lingering too long. Freelancers, you feel this? If you've ever worked purely from your laptop, you've been shooed away from free wifi cafes after a few hours, death stared from the counter, asked to pay for more bevs or get out. So this is a pretty great alternative; it's almost like a hot desk set-up that happens to be a cafe. The best bit? You'll have company, like this genius Hoffice concept. Hooray for friends! Surrounded by co-freelancers, students, laptop-bound creatives and general coffee enthusiasts, SL28 members have the warm fuzzy advantage of having active minds around them — as opposed to your ever-tempting PS4, loudly mowing neighbours and indifferent axolotl. We'd pay cash money for that. Via Sprudge. Images: Net.Works.
Sleeping under the stars on holiday is a romantic notion of old, taking us back to the days of our ancestors and bringing us closer to nature — that is, until nature finds its way into your campsite and rummages through all of your Tim Tams. Hotels and resorts around the world are finding creative ways to bring the open-air to you in style, allowing guests to embrace their surroundings in pure luxury. If you love glamping, you're going to go nuts for these five-starry retreats. [caption id="attachment_582573" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Atelier für Sonderaufgaben.[/caption] THE ONLY STAR IS YOU WHERE IN THE WORLD: Swiss Alps, Switzerland WHAT IT WILL COST: $310AUD per night Making headlines for the last couple of weeks, this brand new hotel in the Swiss Alps lets travellers experience a roofless, door-less and even wall-less night's stay — the luxury double bed is all that makes up this hotel 'room'. Be prepared to really immerse yourself in your surroundings, since the great outdoors will act as your bathroom and shower. This project comes as the antithesis to Null Stern Hotels' 2008 project, Zero Star Hotel, which was built in a nuclear bunker. THE LOISABA STARBEDS WHERE IN THE WORLD: Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya WHAT IT WILL COST: $300AUD per night Among Loisaba Conservancy's 56,000 acres of wildlife lies their Starbeds — handcrafted, four-poster beds which are wheeled onto raised wooden platforms. These are built into the rock face and offer unrestricted views of the African night sky, as well as the illusion of being suspended in mid-air. The communal area includes brass-fitted bathrooms, wooden decks and dining rooms, all overlooking the Kiboko Waterhole which is frequented by hippos and other wildlife. AMANGIRI WHERE IN THE WORLD: Canyon Point, Utah WHAT IT WILL COST: $3000AUD per night Open-air hotels don't get more glamorous, or pricier, than Amangiri. The 600-acres of protected desert is approximately two hours from the Grand Canyon. The resort is built into the rock-face for maximum exclusivity, with each suite offering indoor and outdoor sleeping arrangements. Travelling with friends? The four-bedroom mesa home includes a 15-metre private pool, fireplace, underfloor heating and personal bar, and will cost you a cool $12K per night. CABRIOLET ROOM WHERE IN THE WORLD: L'Albereta Resort, Italy WHAT IT WILL COST: $550 AUD per night If you're looking for romantic star gazing, nothing beats the Cabriolet room at L'Albereta, where a push of a button reveals a retractable roof and the gorgeous Italian night sky beyond. The plush canopy bed is only out-luxed by the marble-clad bathroom, which includes a hydro-massage tub. The views aren't limited to the stars, either — the balcony faces the resort's vineyards, as well as Lake Iseo. VIEW WITH A ROOM WHERE IN THE WORLD: Bangkok, Thailand WHAT IT WILL COST: $285 per night Bangkok Tree House is an eco-conscious, 12-room boutique located on the island of Bang Krachao, just outside the smog of Bangkok. The hotel takes us back to the basics, allowing visitors to sleep in a seven-metre-high, bamboo floored treehouse which is open to both the sky and surrounding mangroves. The showers are heated by the sun, and free homemade fruit ice cream is available 24/7. In this case, living out your childhood will also do some good — the hotel removes one kilogram of rubbish from the nearby Chao Phraya River with every booking made, having removed over 3000 kilograms of trash to date.
We've all heard tales of scaling Mount Everest – of the resilience and fortitude it takes to reach the highest point on Earth. But like so many other epic stories of man versus nature, it turns out the truth is a little bit more complicated. For every climber to make it to the summit, a team of Sherpa guides haul gear, food and oxygen up and down the treacherous terrain, risking their lives to help foreign visitors tick an item off their bucket list. Australian documentarian Jennifer Peedom is no stranger to the mountain or the Sherpa community, having worked as a camera operator on numerous Everest documentaries including the Discovery Channel's critically acclaimed Everest: Beyond the Limit. But in 2014 she returned to make a different kind of Everest movie, one that explored the growing tensions between the Sherpas, their employers and their wealthy Western patrons. Of course, Peedom couldn't have foreseen was what took place that year on April 14. An avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall claimed the lives of 16 guides in a single day — and suddenly all that resentment boiled over. The footage Peedom captured makes for some of the most incredible and uncomfortable viewing you'll experience in cinemas this year: a tense, troubling doco about industrial action at more than 17,000 feet. After considerable attention on the international festival circuit, including a win for Best Documentary at the BFI London Film Festival, Sherpa is now screening in select cinemas around Australia. In the lead up to the release, we spoke to Peedom about her intentions in making the film, delved into the uncomfortable whitewashing of Everest narratives, and discussed what needs to change on the mountain going forward. SHERPA ISN'T A FILM ABOUT CLIMBING EVEREST "I had access to the Sherpa community, and when you're a filmmaker, access is everything," explains Peedom. "When you're looking at what stories you want to tell, you often look in your own backyard, and I was looking right under my nose at a story that I knew pretty well, and felt needed to be told. It wasn't about going back to Everest — that was the last thing I felt like doing. But I felt really motivated to tell this story." "Ultimately it's an industrial dispute film. I never set out to make a climbing film. It was always a film about a people, and a culture, and an inherent conflict within a relationship. Everest was the backdrop. The ascent of Everest formed the spine of the story through which we could explore those tensions. And then when the avalanche happened, that became a different vehicle to explore those tensions." DISRUPTING THE HERO NARRATIVE For all the movies made about Everest, it's rare to see the Sherpa depicted as anything other than bit players. "It doesn't suit our ego," says Peedom. "It doesn't suit that hero narrative to say that someone carried all my stuff through the icefall, my oxygen was carried all the way to camp three, and I only had to carry the one bottle I was using, and blah blah blah. So much of the work, and so many of the risks, are taken by somebody else." "I spoke to this American guy who said that on average, five or six people are employed to get one person to the summit. That's kind of embarrassing to admit. People don't want other people to know that. And maybe it's a female perspective, but I just got sick of all these men taking credit for what other people had done." WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE? "David Michôd — the guy who directed Animal Kingdom, who is a really good friend of mine — said that what he loved about the film is how morally complex it is, and that was something that we worked really hard to achieve," says Peedom. "It would have been much easier to make goodies and baddies, but it just didn't feel honest. It would be wrong for me to say that everyone who goes to climb Everest is an idiot, because it's not the truth. Not only that, but it would be irresponsible, because the Sherpa community rely on that income." "One of the Sherpas says at the beginning of the film that everyone used to do the work together, the foreigners and the Sherpas. But now the Sherpas do all the work, and I guess that's what needs to change. Foreigners need to go with their eyes open. Don't bury your head in the sand about the fact that you're asking other people to take risks on your behalf. Be cognisant of that, and put pressure on your expedition leader to make sure they have proper insurance, and to make sure they're not carrying triple loads. And if the worst does happen and a Sherpa is killed, you probably do have a responsibility for his children's future and his family." https://vimeo.com/139654857 Sherpa is in cinemas now. Read our full review here.
After last week dropping a couple of new tracks from his forthcoming album Starboy, The Weeknd again has fans hopping with excitement, announcing the locations for four new pop-up stores around the world. The Canadian musician took to Twitter to reveal the locations of four more Starboy merch pop-ups: Tokyo, Toronto, Berlin and our very own Melbourne. They follow a round of stores that popped up in Miami, LA, New York, and London earlier this month. SEE YOU IN TORONTO pic.twitter.com/kF42jdlQXn — The Weeknd (@theweeknd) November 21, 2016 The Australian outpost will pop up in Melbourne Central this weekend, from November 25-27. Of course, if this retail venture proves to be anywhere near as insanely popular as Kanye's Pablo pop-ups, you'd best start lining up now. Find The Weeknd's Australian pop-up shop from November 25-27 at shop 239, level 2, Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, 211 La Trobe Street, Melbourne. It will be open from 10am - 8pm on Friday, 10am - 6pm on Saturday and noon - 6pm on Sunday.
The sun is shining, your out of office is set and you've already spent a good amount of time curled up streaming tv shows. Now's the chance to catch up on your reading — so, find a shady spot on a beach, next to a pool or by a waterfall and start making your way through our favourite ten books of 2018. It's a mixed bag this year, we've been turning the pages of the latest brain-contorting Murakami novel, a chilling — real — look inside American prisons, a witty retelling of the Illiad and a homegrown memoir that's both moving and educational. Some of them are immersive, some of them knotty and uncomfortable, which makes them perfect for mulling over during the holidays, and provide flavourful fodder for otherwise bland Christmas dinner conversations. Take your pick. MILKMAN BY ANNA BURNS In search of a cerebral workout? Anna Burns' Milkman is just the ticket. The novel made her this year's Man Booker Laureate and continues the prize's trend of riving audiences into seemingly irreconcilable factions with its dense prose and no-easy-answers-given plot. There is its 18-year-old female protagonist, its undeclared always opaque setting (Belfast, in the 1970s), and its dearth of habitual interpretative signposts including paragraph breaks, dialogue and punctuation. But such a formalist echoing of the narrative's own syncopated and lacerated content (sexual harassment, the IRA, civil unrest and bombings) is meant to confound our ordinary ways of apprehending narratives, since these mechanisms fail or risk misconstruing tales of trauma. To truly enjoy the book, one must simply give oneself up to its paranoid, relentless cadence; its rules (or lack thereof). As Harriet Baker of the Times' Literary Supplement puts it, "Burns doesn't write about fear so much as create the experience of it." NORMAL PEOPLE BY SALLY ROONEY Sally Rooney's writing will make you feel lots of things. First, it will make you feel under-accomplished — she's just 27 and her new novel Normal People is not only her second, but is also so commended that it's been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Then, it will make you feel uncomfortable, empathetic, frustrated, hopeful and heartbroken. The Irish story follows Marianne and Connell's relationship from high school through to their mid-twenties, and, from each of their perspectives, explores the nuances of the power dynamics between them. From a literary point of view, it's easy to get through, but sometimes hard to digest — its relatability for anyone who's ever tried to navigate love and relationships can be, at times, exposing and confronting. Like her first novel Conversations with Friends, the book hinges on its excellent dialogue, which is fluid and effortless, and includes some of the most real and 'millennial' conversations in contemporary literature. Would recommend if you liked Girls but wished it was elevated to the standards of The New Yorker. KILLING COMMENDATORE BY HARUKI MURAKAMI You know you're reading a Murakami when a seemingly mundane situation — say, a recently divorced man painting a portrait — suddenly isn't so mundane anymore, and now you're asking an invisible man to help you save a young girl, probably a mental manifestation of your dead sister, who's lost in another dimension. And Killing Commendatore is a typical Murakami novel: the unnamed protagonist is a lonely young man and the book is filled with scenes that are both routine and brain contorting. While it can feel like a bit of a slog at 704 pages, there's enough Murakami mind-boggling to keep you interested — and a hilariously bad sex scene (which was shortlisted for a Bad Sex in Fiction Award) thrown in for good measure. And what better time to while a way a day with a lengthy novel than during the summer holidays. EGGSHELL SKULL BY BRI LEE The mark of a good book, in my opinion, is that it makes you either learn or feel something. This does both. Eggshell Skull is a memoir from Bri Lee tracking her year spent as a judges associate in the Queensland District Court, working mostly on sexual assault cases. Lee details the legal process and her experience within it, both professionally and personally, with brutal candour. In 370 pages, expect to feel a wide range of emotions — sadness, confusion, rage, shame — at how bafflingly unjust our legal system can be, particularly for women. ENIGMA VARIATIONS BY ANDRE ACIMAN If, like me, you only discovered André Aciman last year with the release of the film adaptation of his first novel Call Me By Your Name, you too may find yourself itching, or indeed aching, to read more of his work. Though its title appropriates the name of Edward Elgar's famed suite, Aciman's latest effort bears a rather 'enigmatic' relationship to those glorious pieces of music (they are never mentioned in the text, but without saying too much, there are a number of textured thematic coalescences). As was assuredly the case with Call Me By Your Name, the estival settings of a number of Enigma Variations' sections make it the perfect companion for a lazy sun-dappled afternoon beneath a tree, cider or other appropriate beverage in hand. CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN BY SAYAKA MURATA Best-selling Japanese author Sayaka Murata's English-language debut is a quietly brilliant critique of late-capitalist culture and society. In particular, it addresses the conformism that this system often demands and perpetuates. Her novel never moralises nor condemns the choices of those who do conform in order to get by, but it certainly penetrates its subject with fluorescent lighting of a convenience store. Told through the eyes of its 36-year-old protagonist Keiko Furukura who, realising at an early age that society has only disdain for figures of alterity, has pursued anonymity by working at the same convenience store for the last 18 years. And so Convenience Store Woman performs that rare literary art of de-familiarisation: what Keiko finds at the store, appositely named Smile Mart, are purpose and a place of belonging. Her boss furnishes her with a manual (more of a script, in the theatrical sense, actually) and a uniform. Keiko's humble hard-working existence then is neither to be transcended nor deified. Instead, it offers her a vantage point from which to call into question the arbitrary rules of society: she is the social misfit who aspires to, and in her perfection thereof, defamiliarises the coordinates of conformity. This de-familiarisation is also achieved through Murata's fabulous characterisation of Keiko as someone to whom society's mores seem impenetrable and amusing ("Good, I pulled off being a 'person,'" she says). At this time of the year, this novel invites us to recognise the ways in which convenience is almost always a chimera of ease made possible by the invisible labour of others. THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS BY PAT BARKER With a title that speaks volumes, Pat Barker's retelling of the Iliad is the summer must-read book for all of us out there who sat through Classical Studies wondering, and what about the women? (Not just the regal Helens, mind you, the other women). Barker (re)narrates The Trojan Wars from the perspective of a female slave, Briseis. (In Homer's original, Briseis is less a character than a plot point; a princess-turned-trophy). This is of course an 'impossible' history, since such a woman as Barker's protagonist would have been deprived of all means of inscribing her voice into history. She acknowledges this, saying: "We need a new song." In this the novel gets right to the heart of the matter that history's structure and shape often exclude women 'before the fact,' since 'feminine' expression is often understood to be subjective, unreliable, and the like. But why do we deem 'masculine' modes more objective? Barker has to imagine — and does so admirably well — what the idiom of a woman whose body is fought over by two Greek soldiers would have looked like. And so from the beginning of her narration, Briseis deconstructs masculinist history: "Great Achilles [...] Brilliant Achilles, shining Achilles, godlike Achilles…How the epithets pile up. We never called him any of those things; we called him 'the butcher.'" AMERICAN PRISON: A REPORTER'S UNDERCOVER JOURNEY INTO THE BUSINESS OF PUNISHMENT BY SHANE BAUER Like the collocation of the words 'business' and 'punishment' in its title, Shane Bauer's fascinating book-length work of investigative journalism should unsettle you. Yes, it's about American prisons, one if we're to be as objective as possible, but in case you should naively believe that we in Australia live in some antipodean paradise, let us remember that private for-profit prisons exist here too and continue to treat inmates appallingly. Bauer's perspective is all the more fascinating when we turn to his biography: he was imprisoned for two years in Iran, and wrote about this elsewhere (A Sliver of Light, 2014). Now, in American Prison, he writes about his four months tenure as a guard in a private prison (he infiltrated Louisiana's Winn Correctional Center). Understaffed, underpaid, with cut-throat budgets for inmates and prison guards alike, such institutions ensure anyone who wasn't a fully fledged criminal when they went in, will almost certainly be one when, or if, they get out (setting a prisoner is free is almost always detrimental to a prison corporation's bottom line). Bauer notes how insidious the late-capitalist mechanisms that wear down bodies are, writing that "to treat everyone as human takes too much energy. More and more I focus on proving I won't back down." This book will likely leave you feeling enraged — I for one believe that's a good thing. SMALL FRY BY LISA BRENNAN-JOBS Steve Jobs has been firmly deified by society, not least of all by predominantly young male techies. It seems we're always willing to excuse behaviours in a 'genius' that would be immediately recognisable elsewhere as rather sociopathic. Sometimes these behaviours even receive the euphemistic title of 'eccentricities'. In her controversial memoir Small Fry, Lisa Brennan-Jobs supplements the public persona of her father with that of the private one she knew (or hardly knew, he denied he only recognised her as his own daughter when sued by the government for failure to pay child support). It would be too forgiving, though, to say that this somehow humanises the godly Jobs. But nor is Small Fry a tell-all work of scandal or revelation. As one reviewer put its, "Brennan-Jobs's book seems more wounded than triumphant; it can feel like artfully sculpted scar tissue." To say more here would be to spoil this enthralling work of autobiography. NO FRIEND BUT THE MOUNTAINS: WRITING FROM MANUS PRISON BY BEHROUZ BOOCHANI Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani has been detained on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, which was, until last year, one of Australia's offshore refugee detention centres — or as Boochani calls it "a prison" — for five years. While he's been there, he's written damning articles for The Saturday Paper and The Guardian, among others, and a book: No Friend But the Mountains. He wrote it, not on paper or a computer, but "thumbed on a phone and smuggled out of Manus Island in the form of thousands of text messages". The book is blistering in its condemnation of Australia's treatment of asylum seekers and, at the same time, poetic. Boochani weaves together, and juxtaposes, lyrical verse describing another time and place with disturbing scenes from the present: attempted suicides, violence, hunger. Boochani gives a voice, and a face, to the refugees that Australia's government tries so hard to silence. Words by Leah Lynch, Lauren Vadnjal, Melanie Colwell and Samantha Teague.
The team at Doughnut Time have been absolutely killing it. In the year since cutting the ribbon on their first permanent store in Brisbane, the hand-dipped artisan doughnut chain has become one of our favourite spots to indulge our overdeveloped sweet tooth. They've opened a dozen additional locations across Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne, and in the past week alone have launched both a vegan variety and collaborated on a glazed doughnut burger (no, really) with Brisbane burger joint Ze Pickle. But that's nothing compared to their latest announcement. Brace yourself. Doughnut Time now offer home delivery. If you're anything like us, you probably just fell out of your chair, spent the next few minutes twitching and drooling on the ground, before finally regaining enough motor function to type the words "want doughnut time now" into Google. Assuming that's the case, you'll now know that, at the time of this writing, the Doughnut Time online delivery page is currently down due to an excess in demand. Which, let's be honest, isn't really all that surprising. Sorry to get your hopes up. This has been a real roller coaster of doughnut-related emotion, hasn't it? Once they've replenished their stocks, Doughnut Time will offer delivery in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and The Gold Coast via Sherpa Couriers. For more information and to order a batch of your own, head to this link and just keep hitting refresh.
Public transport could be about to get a whole lot more delightful thanks to pioneering auto company Local Motors. After last year unveiling the world's first fully functioning 3D-printed car, the US-based startup has continued to innovate, and this week introduced the world to a self-driving bus named Olli. Rolling out across Washington D.C., the electric shuttle can transport up to 12 passengers at one time, and is capable of travelling at speeds of around 20km/h. Also, it's ridiculously cute. The autonomous, 3D-printed vehicles can be summoned by D.C. commuters using a mobile app. Moreover, thanks to IBM's AI Watson technology, they're also capable of understanding voice commands. So basically it's like Uber, except your driver is a computer. If your first thought after reading that sentence was to freak out over an inevitable Terminator-style robot uprising, don't worry. Although Olli drives itself – and is capable of making decisions much faster than human drivers – all vehicles are monitored by real people at all times. Y'know, just in case. Assuming things go well in Washington, Local Motors are hoping to bring fleets to Las Vegas and Miami by the end of the year. They've also outlined a number of other potential uses for Olli...which you can hear about, below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymz4SYVr_EE Via Quartz.
Three and a half hours south of Perth, Margaret River can feel approximately a million miles from the grime and bustle of the city. It’s a famous wine region, with sandy, loamy soil and climactic conditions which have allowed it to rise from a completely unknown wine area to world renown in just a few decades. There are standouts to suit every mood and taste, though Cabernet Sauvignon is a particular specialty. Beyond the vineyards, it’s got plenty more to offer. You like sweeping coastlines and rugged natural beauty? There’s quite a bit of that. Cool cafes and relaxed yet modern outdoor dining? Not a problem. A sense that you’re somewhere quite special? Oh yeah, they’ve got that too. Can't wait to pack your bags? Enter WineMarket's West Coast Wine Adventure giveaway for the chance to win an indulgent trip for two to Perth and the WA wine country. FRIDAY 8am Breakfast at the Providore An organic hilltop cafe that grows much of its own ingredients and does a nice line in fresh, contemporary, seasonal fare, this is the ideal place to start your day. Pick up a couple of things (perhaps some olives from their own grove) for a picnic as well. 12pm Go vineyard hopping around Cowaramup You can barely throw a rock without hitting an outstanding vineyard here. Good options include Xanadu, which has some great reds and offers cellar door exclusives. McHenry Hohnen has won rave reviews for its cabernet blends and Voyager Estate is one of the region’s big names – you can’t go wrong with either a tour of their beautifully manicured site or an in-depth tasting featuring their Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot amongst others. 5pm Return to your accommodation for dinner Many of the best vineyards and restaurants in the region double as boutique accommodation, so you may as well make the most of it if you’ve snagged a spot at such a place. Leading lights include Windmills Break, a boutique B & B with on-site fine-dining, while the award-winning Forest Rise Eco Retreat offers not just airy chalets with sky ceilings in a stunning setting but a top-notch chef and gourmet hampers. If you want to save money for wining and dining, however, Margaret River YHA has everything you need and is centrally located. 8pm Wind down at the Muster Bar and Grill From the team behind popular Perth wine bar Must, the inspiration here is celebrating the region’s produce and championing local winemakers. It’s as good as that sounds, and you’ll find offerings from Margaret River vineyards like Lenton Brae and Fermoy Estate by the glass as well as everything from bar snacks to hearty dinner fare. SATURDAY 8am Margaret River Bakery Start your day at this small but buzzing cafe and bakery which boosts quirky decor. Grab something like a granola with fresh fruit or a pancake stack to fuel up for a trip to the spectacular south edge of the region. 10am Visit The Berry Farm In an area known for its beautiful produce, the Berry farm offers you the opportunity to taste some of the best. Enjoy brunch in a beautiful garden setting and stock up on the likes of boysenberry jam and whisky marmalade. 12pm Marvel at Caves Road This stretch of the Margaret River region is home to some of the most stunning limestone caves in the world. You can do self-guided tours at the aptly named Mammoth Cave and Lake Cave and then continue south to Jewel Cave. 3pm Climb the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse This is an absolute must. Climb the winding stairs and let the howling coastal winds ruffle your hair at the summit. It’s an interesting historical site and Australia’s most Westerly point, but above all else it’s just flat-out spectacular. 7pm Dinner at Leeuwin Estate After making your way back to the main strip, you can get dinner at this classy cellar door. Feast on tiger prawns, scallops, oysters and abalone, all locally sourced and delicious, and a perfect match for a bottle of their world-class Chardonnay. SUNDAY 8am Wander through the Margaret River Heritage Trail Get up close and personal with the area’s abundant natural beauty on a morning wander through this series of trails. You don’t need to be a seasoned hiker to tackle one of the paths. The River Walk, for instance, is a leisurely and scenic 2km stroll, while the slightly longer Bridge Walk offers the opportunity of a refreshing morning dip. 10am Brunch at Millers Ice Cream Farm Cafe Billing itself as a ‘cow to cone’ operation, this much-loved local offers sodas from Margaret River beverages, coffee from locals Yahava, breakfast toasties and two dozen flavours of ice cream that are literally produced from dairy down the road. An ideal, relaxed start to the day. 12.30pm Explore art and wine at Vasse Felix Head north to this award-winning Cowaramup hotspot. This was the region’s first commercial vineyard and it’s still going strong. There’s not only a cellar door and an art gallery here but an acclaimed fine diner (head chef Aaron Carr is the reigning chef of the year in the West Australian’s Good Food Guide) and a stunning location. Expect inventive and refined Modern Australian. 2pm Take in the vineyards of Yallingup and surrounds There’s another great cluster of vineyards in the pretty northwest corner of the region, many of which offer great Shirazes and cracking Semillon blends. Try Howling Wolves, red wine champions Windows Estate or the feted boutique Juniper Estate, where you can sample some of your purchases by the creek. For a change of pace, check out some of the area’s many small art galleries. 7pm Trust the chef at Knee Deep You’ve made enough gruelling decisions for one weekend with choosing wines to take home and whatnot, so why not put yourself in the hands of a two-hatted chef who takes the reign with a five-course tasting menu. The selections are constantly evolving to utilise the freshest produce but could include lamb breast or cured ocean trout. They're also a five star rated winery, so have one for the road. Then round out your weekend by making the quick trip down to the ocean, where you can watch the waves roll in and plot your return visit.
Western Australia is famous for its exports: gold, iron-ore, wheat and, of course, ‘I heart WA’ fridge magnets. Basically, what they've got we’ve gotta get it, and there’s no better example of that than West Australian wine. Because, let’s be honest: Australians love a good drop. Quite a few, actually, given the average consumer enjoys around 30 litres of wine each year. In all, that's 530 million litres the nation over, and while it’s an impressive number, it’s nothing compared to the 750 million litres we send off to the rest of the world. In fact, Australia is now the fourth largest exporter of wine globally, and while just 5% of that comes from West Australia, what those vineyards lack in volume they more than account for in quality, boasting 20% of the ultra-premium market. So how much do you know about WA wine? Here are all the facts you need to start 'researching' your new passion. WHERE IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA? West of the rest of Australia. This is called ‘easing you in’. HOW MANY WINERIES? WA is home to more than 150 wineries broken up into nine separate regions, almost all of which sit on the south-western tip due to its cooler climate and favourable growing conditions. The best known of these regions comprise: The Margaret River Perth Hills Swan Valley Coastal Pemberton and The Great Southern HOW OLD? One-hundred-and-eighty-six years. The oldest established winery in West Australia, the Olive Farm Winery, was established back in 1829 by Thomas Waters, an English botanist who kicked things off with an olive grove (hence the name) and then quickly moved to vines, because seriously, who drinks olive juice? WA’s PRETTY WARM, RIGHT? Damn you’re good. West Australia is indeed a ‘warm wine-growing region’, which in the simplest terms means the grapes are able to ripen more fully, allowing for a higher build up of sugars. The result is threefold: Lower acidity — the wines are sweeter, meaning less tongue tingling or the pulling of that ’sucked in / duckface selfie’ expression Heavier body — the sweeter the wine, the more viscous it’s likely to be Higher alcohol - you’re probably across this one, but just in case, the higher the alcohol, the warmer that feeling it enkindles all over the palate. ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE IS MAKING ME THIRSTY Okay okay, we’ll get into it now. We just didn’t want to jump right to the wine chat in case your emergence as a wine buff occurred a little too early, not unlike some early budding varieties of grape such as Chardonnay that can break bud prematurely during WA's warm winters on account of temperatures exceeding 10°C. SEE WHAT WE DID THERE? Your bluffing game just got stronger. But now, to the wines. MARGARET RIVER (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon) Where else but ‘Margarets’ to begin any discussion of West Australian wines? Located about three hours drive south of Perth, the first of these now 100 or so vineyards were established in 1967, although it’s really only in the last 20 years that the region has come into its own and forged a reputation as home to some of the finest wines in the world. The Margaret River’s climate places it in a vinicultural bracket not unlike Bordeaux, only more attractive courtesy of a drier ripening period and low risk of frost. No surprise, then, that it’s best known for its prize winning cabernets, and you won’t do much better than the 2012 Cape Mentelle Trinders Cab Merlot. As you sip away, why not show off some of your newly acquired knowledge with: “Mmm, well obviously because of the warmer climate this cab merlot is well rounded and richly textured, and given its ability to ripen more fully, it’s punctuated with... I want to say... blackcurrant, cherry and hints of sweet vanilla". Fun Wine Fact: knowing about good wine is impressive, but knowing about good wine when other people haven’t even heard of it is even better. To that end, why not get a little more adventurous and try the 2013 Miles from Nowhere Margaret River Shiraz, a solidly built, handsome wine distinguished by red berries and spicy highlights that — unlike the Cape Mentelle Trinders — is designed to be consumed in its youth rather than cellaring. But there’s more to Margarets than just reds. This region offers some of the best conditions in the world for Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends, and right now it’s hard to go past the dry, crisp and fruity 2013 Evans & Tate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, or — if you’re again keen to sample one of the newcomers, the almost-tropical 2014 Catching Thieves Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Another icon of this region is Leeuwin Estate with its famous 'Art Series Chardonnay'. Regarded by some as the best chardonnay in Australia, each Leeuwin Estate vintage comes complete with new paintings on the label from an Australian artist. The winery boasts a fantastic gallery to enjoy alongside the wine tastings, but if you can’t get there in person, then picking up a bottle and admiring the small-scale version is the next best thing. THE SWAN VALLEY (Fortified Wines, Verdelho and Chardonnay) The Swan Valley is a favourite of the locals, given its proximity to Perth (just a 25 minute drive, or 10 from the airport if you’re really in a rush). It's also the hottest and driest of all the Australian wine growing regions, making it an ideal location for fortified wines, Verdelho and Chardonnay. Last year the Swan Valley celebrated 180 years of winemaking, with many of the vineyards still owned by the same families that arrived as early European settlers (including the Olive Farm Winery from above). GREAT SOUTHERN REGION The Great Southern Wine region is the largest in Australia, and accordingly boasts the widest range of varietals from its 48 wineries, although the Rieslings are its most celebrated. This is also the coolest of WA’s wine regions, making it ideal for Chardonnays like the 2012 Byron & Harold Tandem WA Chardonnay. James Halliday just named Bryon & Harold one of his top ten wineries for 2015, and given the deliciously crisp lemon and peach flavours that burst from this particular drop, it’s not hard to see why. SO WHERE TO FROM HERE? Dive in, buy some WA wine and see what tickles your fancy. If you already have an inkling as to your preferred varietals, then keep an eye out for the regions from where they’re produced. Fancy a Merlot? Look for something from Perth Hills. Prefer a Pinot Noir? Hard to beat the ones coming out of Pemberton. You’ll also often see ‘best of’ bundles like this one around the traps, which can give you an excellent sampling across the board before you start to commit to the pricier individual bottles. If you’re lucky, they may even throw in an ‘I heart WA’ fridge magnet.
As if ringing in the new year isn't exciting enough, January, as always, will also bring with it the dazzling, vibrant carnival that is Sydney Festival. Turning the city into a creative playground for a full three weeks, the Festival brings a (very generous) dose of culture to the sizzling days and balmy nights of Sydney summer. The festival has unveiled its 2018 program — and it's an absolute cracker, packed with hundreds of events ranging from mind-boggling circus to cutting-edge theatre and awe-inspiring musical performances. Whatever art experience you're after, you'll find it in Sydney between January 6–28. While this year doesn't have an installation quite as interactive as Snarkitecture's giant ball pit or the House of Mirrors (which is currently on display in Melbourne), Sydney Town Hall will become a shrine to 50,000 of Japan's unwanted plastic toys with Hiroshi Fuji's large-scale work Jurassic Plastic. It looks like a kid's paradise but there will be adults-only nights too. Four Thousand Fish will be an immersive work where participants will help create ice sculptures of fish and then return them to the harbour to commemorate Barangaroo and the Warrane women. On stage, we ecstatic to hear that Tree of Codes will be coming to Sydney after performances at Melbourne Festival; the visually stunning ballet — which we really, really hoped would come to Australia — combines the talents of choreographer Wayne McGregor, visual artist Olafur Eliasson, musician Jamie xx and the Paris Opera Ballet. On the musical side of things, not only are Opera in the Domain and Symphony Under The Stars back for another year of dreamy music performed under the open night skies, there are also a host of gigs, most notably from NZ's Aldous Harding and Argentinian three-piece Fémina plus a tribute to The Go-Betweens' 16 Lovers Lane album and an otherworldly concert performed entirely underwater called Aquasonic. Five iconic Harry Siedler buildings will also host a series of talks and concerts, blending architecture and music on the program. Theatre buffs, meanwhile, should nab tickets for Barber Shop Chronicles. Offering a juicy peek into the vibrant life of barbershops across the world, this delightful show took British audiences by storm. Burlesque aficionado? Don't miss iconic Aussie boylesque troupe — and Syd Fest regulars — Briefs in all its glamorous, saucy glory in sci-fi spectacle Close Encounters. Don't miss My Name Is Jimi, where, Jimi Bani will call up four generations of his family to take you on an evening of music, dance and comedy at Belvoir. Head over to Parramatta's Circus City to catch the always-impressive Circus Oz in top form with Model Citizens, a satire that lampoons the suburban Aussie dream with impressive physicality and a foot-tapping soundtrack. Also in the environs is Highly Sprung, a soaring performance by Legs on the Wall, which tells the story of inner-city residents through the media of trampolines and other physical art forms. Punters will get a chance to have a go on the trampolines and even take part in an aerial workshop in-between shows — all for gratis. You can also sign up for a flying trapeze workshop for $49. In addition to the many ticketed events, there is also a panoply of free offerings, from art exhibitions and thought-provoking talks to interactive installations. As always the Meriton Festival Village will have heaps to offer between shows — dance to your fave song in a transparent, glitter-filled cube, swim in a shipping container pool, go for a spin on a karaoke carousel or join a 10-minute dance party in a shipping container. Whether you're in it for the inspiration, a shock, or just a whole lot of fun, this year's festival is sure to delight. Sydney, you're in for a summer treat. By Yelena Bidé and Lauren Vadnjal. Image: Jamie Williams.
'The Voice' is coming to Bluesfest. Not the Delta kind, the only kind. Bluesfest have announced their second artist lineup for the 2016 festival. Living legend and eternal Sexbomb Tom Jones sits at the top of the bill, alongside Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Memories will be flooding (along with Bluesfest, if it rains again) with the appearance of Jackson Browne, alongside the The Decemberists. Things are going to get real Byron when The Wailers perform all four of Bob Marley’s albums Exodus, Survival, Uprising and Legend in their entirety. Returning Bluesfester Steve Earle is back with The Dukes, alongside Tweedy, Jason Isbell and Grace Potter. Add this motley crew to the first Bluesfest cornucopia of The National, City and Colour and UB40? You've got yourself a humdinger of a muddy, muddy weekend. Enough chatskies, here's who's playing. BLUESFEST 2016 SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT: Tom Jones Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds The Decemberists Jason Isbell Sturgill Simpson Tweedy Steve Earle and The Dukes The Wailers Grace Potter Lord Huron Nahko and Medicine For The People Vintage Trouble Lucky Peterson Emdee Blackberry Smoke BLUESFEST 2016 FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT: The National City and Colour UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue Joe Bonamassa Tedeschi Trucks Band The Cat Empire Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real The Word Rhiannon Giddens Janiva Magness St. Paul & The Broken Bones Allen Stone The Selecter Shakey Graves Songhoy Blues + more Bluesfest runs Thursday, March 24 – Monday, March 28 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay. Tickets from Byron Bay Bluesfest. Image: Andy Fraser.
New York's champions of the age-old art of storytelling, The Moth, are headed our way. The podcasters, event organisers and general tale-weavers will appear at Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas and the Melbourne Writers Festival and, following on from that, will be bringing regular, more intimate storytelling nights to both cities. In Melbourne, the beloved weekly podcasters are telling onstage tales around the theme of ‘Between Worlds’ at MWF. In Sydney, they'll be joined on stage by some seriously big brains for FODI. Creator of Bad Kid, Moth StorySLAM host and three-time Moth SLAM winner David Crabb will host a panel of mad chats with Korean-American author of the award-winning novel The Interpreter Suki Kim (also appearing at FODI), one half of The Wau Wau Sisters and brains behind international festival smash Asking For It Adrienne Truscott, and Sydney satirist and A Rational Fear nucleus Dan Ilic. But FODI and MWF isn't the last you'll hear from The Moth — the crew have confirmed they'll be creating an ongoing presence in Sydney and Melbourne. Expect monthly StorySLAM events, so you'll have plenty of Moth outside your daily commute. The first StorySLAM in Australia is happening on August 24 at Melbourne’s Howler and then in Sydney on September 1 at Oxford Art Factory. They're looking for storytellers — so you could be telling your tales as one of The Moth team. GET ON IT. “We already have a strong listener following in Australia for our podcast," says The Moth's artistic director Catherine Burns. "Having a permanent home in Australia is a ‘bucket list’ moment for everyone at The Moth, and we look forward to hearing all the true stories, told live from the amazing people in this part of the world.” SO MANY DATES, JUST TELL ME HOW I TRACK DOWN THE MOTH? Alright, let's break this down. The Moth: True Stories Told Live at Melbourne Writers Festival is happening at Athenaeum Theatre on August 27 at 7.30pm. Tickets from MWF. The Razor's Edge: The Moth is happening Sunday, September 6, at 6.30pm at Sydney Opera House. Tickets from FODI. The first StorySLAM is happening on August 24 at Melbourne’s Howler and then in Sydney on September 1 at Oxford Art Factory. Tickets via Eventbrite and Moshtix. Want more FODI and MWF? Get your nose in a few tomes with our reading lists over here and here. Image: David Crabb, by Christian Leonard.
We seriously hope you manage to sneak in a holiday in 2017, because boutique hotel curator Mr & Mrs Smith has compiled the votes from over 25,000 of its luxury-loving users and decided on the world's best accommodation options. These sensational hotels are not only in our most famous cities, but also in areas of remote paradise across the world. In partnership with Mr & Mrs Smith, here are 12 truly incredible, highly individual accommodation options. You'll find treehouses, old relics-turned-hotels and two boutique hotels on Aussie turf (oi, oi, oi!). BEST SMITH HOTEL: HALCYON HOUSE, AUSTRALIA Australia's very own Halcyon House has taken out the top spot in the awards, ushering visitors in with its coastal charm. Luxuriously sited on New South Wales' Cabarita Beach, the hotel opened in 2015 and has already made a name for itself simply by having rooms with stunning decor. Each is decked out in vibrant patterns, often featuring flashes of blue to honour the ocean. Restored vintage bicycles are available to hire, or guests can enjoy a calm afternoon playing croquet, unwinding on candy-striped day beds by the pool, or heading to the hotel's acclaimed restaurant and bar, Paper Daisy, for some "Australian coastal cooking". COOLEST CREATIVE HUB: FOGO ISLAND INN, CANADA Spectacularly perched on a cliff edge (we wouldn't expect anything less from a hotel in Canada), Fogo Island Inn is turning heads. If a wood-fired sauna, rooftop hot tub, art gallery and pastries delivered to your door every morning sounds enticing, then this inn is for you. Managing to pull off grandeur while exercising sustainability, there are rainwater catchment systems and renewable solar and wood-burning energy sources embedded in the inn. The 29 suites are classically and calmingly minimalistic, consisting of white walls, floors and bathrooms that are livened with colourful homewares and furniture made by local designers. BEST DRESSED HOTEL: PALAZZO MARGHERITA, ITALY Dense with soul, grace and opulence, Palazzo Margherita sits in the Italian town of Bernalda, at the arch of Italy's foot. It's fit for a king, and coincidentally restored by film royalty. Director of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, sought to refurbish what was a decaying 19th century relic and turn it into a hotel. All nine suites in the palazzo are individually characterised, some with peachy walls and gold framing, others looking onto roof murals reminiscent of Catholic churches. Guests have the option to unwind at the warmly hued family bar, or the cinecitta bar where the walls are lined with glossy photos of Italian celebrities. For explorers, this accommodation could not be more perfectly placed. The Basilicata region is flush with ruins, including those of Metaponto and Policoro, as well as the cave dwellings of Matera. The deserted town of Craco is within reach, too. WORLD'S SEXIEST BEDROOM: KEEMALA, THAILAND You may find it hard to put your phone down and resist the urge to post on Instagram seventeen times a day at Keemala. It's Avatar meets a five-star resort. The pool villas, harnessed in generous, luscious rainforest, may send your followers into an envious spiral. Rooms are encased in woven wood cocoons and beds are gloriously draped with lavish curtains that you can close and shut off from the world. The resort offers an hourly shuttle to Kamala beach, a spa and fitness centre holding yoga and Muay Thai boxing classes, as well as tai chi on the beach. The pool bar whips up innovative cocktails such as a lemongrass-infused Tom Yum cocktail and bittersweet Martinis paired with raw cacao. Intimate dining options can also be arranged, in the resort's plentiful gardens, or on a rocky outcrop. BEST DATE-NIGHT BAR: THE LONDON EDITION, ENGLAND Behind a neoclassical, royal exterior lies the splendour of The London Edition. It's part of the larger group of boutique 'Edition' hotels headed by the Marriott International, which are also opening locations in Abu Dhabi, Reykjavik and Barcelona. At the masterfully designed London Edition though, guests are welcomed by an extravagant lobby made up of ceiling motifs and classic green velour couches, while the rooms mix old and new to create an aesthetically wonderful atmosphere. The rooms are made of entirely timber walls, with refreshingly white bathrooms to contrast. Visitors often flock to the hotel's dining room, Berners Tavern, which is superbly and absolutely packed with 19th Century gilt-framed paintings. Serving high-end comfort food, the tavern is not only popular among guests, but those outside of The London Edition, too. BEST GOURMET GETAWAY: THE OLD CLARE HOTEL, AUSTRALIA The Old Clare occupies the previous headquarters of the old Carlton & United Breweries in Chippendale. It's made up of 62 rooms, which still have their heritage ceilings and panelling. Modern in some places and retro in others, the hotel exudes personality in every crevice. The Old Clare also plays the proud host to two of Sydney's coolest dining institutions — Kensington Street Social, which has a menu that gives a contemporary tip of the to British cuisine, and the refined and brilliantly designed Automata. Both are gloriously sophisticated in their own right. Head to the other end of the hotel (the top) and you'll find a rooftop pool that coolly overlooks Chippendale. MOST SPOILING SPA: AMANEMU, JAPAN You may fall over looking at the entrance pavilion at Amanemu — it's a beautiful, Japanese building enhanced by stunning backdrop of Ago Bay. Fortunately, this spa hotel is built around natural hot springs that are incorporated into treatments and the suites themselves. The rooms are perfectly geometric, drawing on Japanese minimalism to calm patrons even further. Blonde timber is lit by generous rays of sunshine that arrive through the many windows of each room every morning. Step outside and you're treated to an incredible scene of trees and the hotel's spa terrace. If you seek healing and a pure escape, put Amanemu on your list. POOL WITH A VIEW: GRAND HOTEL TREMEZZO, ITALY This place is the epitome of la dolce vita. The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is one of the monstrosities gracing Italy's even grander Lake Como. The exterior of the hotel features what we call 'lakeception' — a pool situated on an actual lake. Behind that you'll find guests rejuvenating on sun lounges shielded by white umbrellas, before trickling back through the hotel, through regal red painted walls and embellished columns. Rooms are furnished with gold, paint-framed mirrors and plush furniture resembling that of Italian royalty. Imaginably, the rooms host ridiculous window views of Lake Como's emerald waters and the mesmerisingly large mountains that protect them. Waterside bars and in-house Italian dining top off the stay — anything more you want to ask for? ABOVE AND BEYOND: AWASI, CHILE Among pristine, untouched Patagonia are 14 luxury cabins unlike anything else out there. The Awasi resort champions its surroundings, fitting into vistas of lakes, snow-tipped mountains and forests as seamlessly as a Patagonian puma hiding in the hills. Each cabin is topped off with a hot tub, where guests can admire their unbelievable surroundings. Visitors are also well attended to, with a private guide assigned to customise their experience. That could involve running away to off-the-beat hiking trails that lead to the best wildlife viewing spots the area has to offer. Seclusion and serenity unite at Awasi to deliver an unforgettable Chilean experience. BEST FAMILY HOTEL: TREEHOTEL, SWEDEN If Tarzan opened a luxury group of treehouses, it would translate to Sweden's Treehotel complex. There's something addictively adventurous about hanging among the trees, even when you're an adult. And before you think you'll be doing it tough, know that the cleverly designed pods that clutch the forest trees are filled with stunning Scandinavian-styled interiors. You'll have to monkey down the trees to cook though. There's a restaurant, bar and shared kitchen area, as well as shared bathrooms with a sauna and whirlpool plunge bath. Alongside that is an open-air hot tub, ziplines and an abundance of forest to look at. Each room is accessible by either a ladder or stairs. HOTTEST HOTEL SOUNDTRACK: FAZENDA NOVA, PORTUGAL Fazenda Nova is the love child of London born Hallie and Tim Robinson, who holidayed in Portugal for three years before opening their own accommodation. The pair renovated a 19th-century farmhouse to create a stunning retreat, surrounded by almond, pomegranate and olive orchards. Fazenda Nova encompasses the exuberance Portugal is renowned for, but the Robinsons have slotted in international influences into the grounds including Balinese teak furniture and Moroccan doors that the pair collected during their travels. The restaurant, A Cozihna, preaches the glory of Portuguese cuisine, which is often shadowed by Spanish cuisine (note — the two are exceedingly different). Menu options rotate daily, but often honour local seafood, and dishes are made from the hotel's own produce. LOCAL HOTEL HERO: 11 HOWARD, NEW YORK The romantic 11 Howard hotel proudly resides in Lower Manhattan. You may recognise the 150-foot mural that graces the side of the building from Instagram, where it is shared endlessly. Made up of minimally beautiful rooms, it's not hard to assume that guests struggle to check out of here. Danish design rules the decor; rooms are made up of light oak floors, blush pinks and soft greys to create a calm ambiance. Le Coucou (the hotel's restaurant) is something out of a fairytale, partly evoked by the forest painted walls that surround diners. It's a NYC hotspot, not that we'd expect anything less from acclaimed chef Daniel Rose, who set up La Bourse et La Vie in Paris. After indulging there, trickle over to the hotel's bar, The Blond. By 9pm, the sensual space transforms into a nightclub. There's a strict guest list from Thursday to Saturday, but as a hotel patron you don't need to fret. You'll get in easily.
Whether you're on a date, catching up with your friends, or just looking for a way to kill a few hours on a Tuesday night, there are few modern indulgences that beat settling into a dark cinema and letting your worries escape you as you slip into another world. Spies, superheroes, lovers, musicians, presidents, dictators, robbers and cops: you'll encounter them all as the lights go down and the projector begins to whir. There's plenty afoot a the pictures this month, so we're here to give you a little bit of help with choosing tonight's movie. See you at the candy bar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA6hldpSTF8 AVENGERS: ENDGAME What our critic said: Where Infinity War wrought intergalactic devastation and destruction, Endgame delivers intimacy and an examination of grief, loss and very private regret. Read the full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ5X75F1YJw LONG SHOT What our critic said: Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen make a relatable pair in this heartfelt and hilarious political rom-com. Read the full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k38zjD2QVSg GLORIA BELL What our critic said: While the plot is straightforward — a woman and a man meet, connect and try to work out if their messy lives fit together — every character, scene and moment is gloriously layered, ensuring that nothing about the picture is simplistic. Read the full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI9UYcEwUYA BURNING What our critic said: This South Korean drama is a ruminative mystery, a fine-tuned character study and an intricately observed examination of human relationships all in one. Read the full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw5LfaKTKoI 1985 What our critic said: 1985's black-and-white visuals overflow not only with visible texture, but with meaning and emotion — as seen in its loaded shadows, inky contrasts and jittery flecks. Read the full review.
We don't know if you've noticed this, but Australians seem to really enjoy their cooking shows. Whether we're having an anxiety attack over a stubborn souffle on MasterChef, or scoffing about menu use of Comic Sans on The Hotplate, we're a nation who likes their telly cooked to perfection, ideally served by a photogenic or crazy, crazy chef. Luckily for us, the cordon bleu team at SBS have taken note of our gluttonous viewing habits, and are gearing up to launch Australia's first ever free-to-air food channel. We're already drooling. "The channel will take one of our strongest and well-known genres to new heights," said SBS managing director Michael Ebeid. "We know how much audiences love to be taken on a journey of culinary and cultural discovery with our food shows every Thursday night. This new channel is an opportunity to extend that offering with a world of food programming available all day, every day, for free." The new channel will launch in November on SBS 3, and will become the network's fourth free-to-air channel behind SBS, SBS 2 and NITV. According to their website, the lineup will include a mix of "food, cooking and travel programs inspired by food handpicked from around the world, alongside some of the networks much-loved, locally made shows." Key to the new channel's success is a licensing deal SBS has inked with American company Scripps Networks Interactive, whose portfolio includes high profile media and lifestyle brands such as Food Network, Cooking Channel, Asian Food Channel, HGTV, DIY Network, Fine Living Network, Travel Channel and Great American Country. The current lineup of culinary programming on SBS includes Nigella Express, Luke Nguyen's France and Kriol Kitchen. More information about SBS's new food channel, including a name, launch date and programming schedule, is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Image: Luke Nguyen. UPDATE OCTOBER 22, 2015: SBS's new 24-hour food channel is called Food Network and will launch on November 17. Programming will include Destination Flavour, Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook, the Luke Nguyen series, several of celebrity chef Curtis Stone's shows like Kitchen Inferno and Surfing the Menu, Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals, Giada at Home, Reza: Spice Prince of Vietnam, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Diners, Drive Ins & Dives, Chopped by Ted Allen and more. The channel will air 24 hours a day and also through SBS On Demand. For more info, head to SBS's website.
The world is still reeling from unexpected the death of the Thin White Duke. Many beers have been raised, many toasts have been spoken and many impromptu karaoke sessions have been belted out in cars, bedrooms and showers around the world all in celebration of The Man Who Fell to Earth and graced us with his magic sance for 69 awesome years. Over the next few weeks, official tribute events are happening around the country in droves. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best. SYDNEY Care?-E?-Okay! Six Decades of Bowie It’s exactly what it… sort of sounds like. A free karaoke event celebrating Bowie’s discography in Newtown, starting at 10pm and running til 6am the next morning. Rock on. Where: Tokyo Sing Song, basement 145 King Street, Newtown. When: Thursday, January 14 Vale to our hero: A tribute to David Bowie A free musical and visual event showcasing Bowie’s life and career in the Gallery Bar, kicking off at 10pm. Where: Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford Street When: Friday, January 15 A Special David Bowie Tribute Event The details of the event are still to be announced but in Bearded Tit tradition the event will be free and feature DJ Sveta and surprise guests. Where: The Bearded Tit, 183 Regent St, Redfern When: Sunday, January 17 MELBOURNE Let’s Dance and celebrate the life of Bowie Blasting Bowie classics from 10pm-1am. Entry is $5 or free if you come in dress-up. Where: Ding Dong Lounge When: Thursday, January 14 The Speed of Life: A night of Bowie at The Curtin An all-Bowie DJ set from 10.30pm til late. Free entry. Where: The Curtin, 29 Lygon Street When: Friday, January 15 David Bowie Tribute Screening A screening of Bowie’s 1986 class Labrinyth. The rooftop session sold out but an extra session has been added so get in quick if the Goblin King is your jam. Where: Lido Cinemas, 675 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn When: Thursday, January 28 BRISBANE David Bowie Video Tribute Night From 6.30pm, the New Globe Theatre will be screening a recording of Bowie’s final concert as Ziggy Stardust in 1973 followed by a 90-minute compilation of music vids, performance footage and doco bits and pieces. Free entry. Where: New Globe Theatre, 220 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley When: Thursday, January 14 REBEL REBEL David Bowie Celebration An all-vinyl dance party tribute to the “fallen alien rock god with a red mullet haircut”. The event starts at 8pm and features film and music, with all proceeds from the $10 tickets going to charity. Where: Beetle Bar, 350 Upper Roma Street When: Friday, January 15 Ziggy Played Guitar – David Bowie Tribute Night for Cancer Charity The lineup for this gig hasn’t been announced yet but will be a tribute to the life of David Bowie and feature a solid local crew. Tickets are $12 + booking fee or $15 on the door with proceeds donated to cancer charities. Where: The Foundry, 228 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley When: Sunday, February 21
Not content with knocking out Brisbane diners with their Street Fighter-themed burgers, one of the masterminds behind Super Combo is cooking up another addition to King Street. From early May, Michael Nham will bring Banoi north, opening the first Queensland venture for his Melbourne-based Vietnamese restaurant. Banoi will take over the space next door to their burger joint, so if you've grabbed a Hadoken, Sonic Boom or Yoga Flame in Bowen Hills and noticed the adjacent construction zone, now you know why. With the eatery's name meaning "grandma" and its dishes based on Nham's grandmother's recipes, modern homestyle Vietnamese will be on the menu at the 85-seat venue, and plenty of it. Banoi will serve lunch and dinner for both dining in and taking away. As for the specific meals on offer, Nham and his Banoi collaborator Viet Nguyen will replicate their Melbourne lineup, so prepare for a tasty feast. Four types of spring rolls, six kinds of rice paper rolls with seven dipping sauces, six different banh mi and two phos covers the basics, but that's just the beginning. Banoi tacos feature steamed Vietnamese taco buns filled with pork belly, garlic and soy chicken, tempura soft shell crab, and barbecue pork patties, while the cold Cao Lầu noodles are infused with the flavours of Hoi An. Speciality dishes include pancakes of the steamed rice and crispy variety, with banana fritters and coconut tapioca on the dessert list. Find Banoi at King Street, Bowen Hills from early May. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for more information.
Debauched banquets from Bompas and Parr, immersive art sleepovers at Cradle Mountain and all the demon purging and ceremonial death dances you could want in a festival. Now in its third year, Dark Mofo continues to evolve to be darker, weirder and wilder than before. Aligned with the winter solstice and running June 12-22, MONA's annual June festival celebrates the Neolithic tradition over ten hedonistic days of eclectic and unpredictable art, performance, music and happenings around Hobart, concluding with the annual nude solstice swim at dawn after the longest night in Australia. Last year's festival attracted more than 130,000 Mofos over ten days, with about a third coming from interstate. Ever the supporter of bizarre extravaganzas, Hendrick’s Gin, an official partner of MONA, will bring its weird and wonderful flavour to Dark Mofo this year with the installation of its legendary Parlour of Curiosities in Dark Park. Here, festivalgoers will discover a treasury of tipples, daring and intimate performances, as well as an eccentric revelry of otherworldly wonders and delightfully dark surprises (we're not giving much away). Picture an abandoned circus situated in the depths of a forbidden forest, full of dark and mysterious wonders. Then find yourself a crispy beverage and lose yourself, off you go. Thanks to Hendrick's Gin, we are giving one CP subscriber the chance to attend Dark Mofo with a friend as VIP guests of Hendrick's. The prize includes: 2x tickets to Dark Mofo 2x return flights (departing Saturday, June 20, and returning Sunday, June 21) 1 night's accommodation at the 4 star Best Western in Hobart. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and phone number. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au The giveaway will be drawn at 10am on June 19, 2015, and the winner will be notified by phone.
By now you've probably heard the news that this morning we awoke to a world a little less wondrous. After a long battle with a form of Alzheimer’s disease, beloved fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett has passed away at the age of 66. Best known for his ever-popular Discworld series, Pratchett published more than 70 books over the course of his lifetime, and won countless fans with his irreverent writing style and limitless imagination. With so much writing under his belt, there's a Pratchett line for seemingly any situation. In tribute to the well-lived author, we’ve collected some of our favourite Pratchett advice. ON OPTIMISM "There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" – The Truth ON SEX “He'd noticed that sex bore some resemblance to cookery: it fascinated people, they sometimes bought books full of complicated recipes and interesting pictures, and sometimes when they were really hungry they created vast banquets in their imagination - but at the end of the day they'd settle quite happily for egg and chips.” – The Fifth Elephant. ON GENDER RELATIONS ON MARRIAGE “A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.” – The Fifth Elephant ON AMERICANS “A European says: ‘I can't understand this, what's wrong with me?’ An American says: ‘I can't understand this, what's wrong with him?’” ON DRINKING “Death: "THERE ARE BETTER THINGS IN THE WORLD THAN ALCOHOL, ALBERT." Albert: "Oh, yes, sir. But alcohol sort of compensates for not getting them.” – Death’s Domain ON FOOD “Sham Harga had run a successful eatery for many years by always smiling, never extending credit, and realizing that most of his customers wanted meals properly balanced between the four food groups: sugar, starch, grease and burnt crunchy bits.” – Men at Arms ON STYLE ON EDUCATION “Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.” – The Hogfather ON EXAMS “It is very important to be sober when you take an exam. Many worthwhile careers in the street- cleansing, fruit-picking and subway-guitar-playing industries have been founded on a lack of understanding of this simple fact.” – Moving Pictures ON HARD WORK “If you trust in yourself…. and believe in your dreams…. and follow your star… you’ll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren’t so lazy.” — The Wee Free Men ON GOD “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of his own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.” – Good Omens ON EVIL “Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” – I Shall Wear Midnight ON DIFFERENCE ON LOVE “‘And what would humans be without love?’ ‘RARE’, said Death.” – Sourcery ON CREATIVITY "Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one." ON GETTING OLD “Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.” – Moving Pictures ON DEATH “It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living.” Image: Dementia Friends.
Forget stale chips and overpriced packets of lollies. Two Australian companies are looking to change the way you think about vending machines, with new, healthy options coming to Melbourne and Brisbane (Sydney, fingers crossed). First up, Melbourne's FüD vending machine, is officially up and running. Built out of recycled timber, the new automatic outlets dispense a variety of gourmet meals made using healthy, organic produce, including salads, falafel and even freshly-chopped celery and carrots. Best of all, unsold salads are donated to Homeless of Melbourne, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Total legends. Jars of salad will cost you $10 a pop, and come in a number of different varieties including the ‘Pump It Up’ (pumpkin, roast shallots, beetroot chips and white bean mousse), the ‘Super Soba’ (green tea soba noodles, zucchini and carrot) and ‘Overnight Oats’ (organic oats soaked in coconut milk, with banana, hazelnut and rice malt syrup). Got dietary requirements? The FüD vending machine is stocked with a number of choices for people on paleo, vegan, sugar-free or gluten-free diets. All meals are made fresh and delivered daily, and the machine is refrigerated to ensure nothing spoils. Brisbane's taking the healthy vending machine thing one step further — to a 'self-service cafe'. That's not just marketing jargon, that's what health food merchants All Real Food are calling their automated eateries, and it's a name that fits. With no junk food in sight, what you'll find instead are delicious, healthy snacks and meals, all freshly packaged and stocked each and every day. Think ready-to-go breakfasts and sweets, and soups down the track. Their touchscreen machines also feature a vertical herb garden to bring you back in touch with nature, and a gratitude board filled with health tips and inspiring messages that change daily. Just where and when they'll start popping up all over Brisbane is yet to be determined, but one thing is certain: eating on the run has never been so appetising (or so good for you). For more information, visit The Fud Revolution or All Real Food's websites. Via Good Food. Words by Sarah Ward and Tom Clift.
UPDATE: MAY 24, 2018 — Brisbane City Council has officially approved plans for BrewDog's proposed development, meaning that construction will start on a the $30 brewery in July this year. If all goes to plan, construction should be finished by the end of the year, and the first Brissie-brewed beers will be pouring within the first few months of 2019. Watch this space for more information as we get closer to the opening. Brisbane's craft beer scene just scored itself a very high-profile new addition, with legendary Scottish brewer BrewDog announcing it'll build a state-of-the-art $30 million brewery in Murarrie. The city nudged out Newcastle to be chosen as BrewDog's first Australian home, following six months of public submissions, location scouting trips and feasibility studies. And the plans for these new riverside digs are nothing short of grand, incorporating a 3000-square-metre brewing and canning facility, as well as a visitor centre, taproom and restaurant. The brand's first brewery outside of the USA and the UK, the Brisbane operation will be crafting all of BrewDog's core beers — like the Dead Pony Club pale ale, the Jet Black Heart and the Punk IPA — alongside a selection of small-batch creations designed especially for local beer drinkers. It'll also showcase plenty of locally grown hops, from across Australia and New Zealand. "Australians are some of the most passionate and informed beer drinkers on the planet," said BrewDog co-founder James Watt. "I'm glad our Australian fans at home and in the diaspora were relentless in pushing for a brewery, and I look forward to sharing my first can of Aussie brewed Punk IPA with them." Construction on BrewDog Brisbane set to kick off in July 2018, with the first of the label's locally brewed beers slated to hit shelves in early 2019. For updates, visit brewdog.com.
