The South Melbourne Night Market is back for its seventh year, with art, craft, fashion, food and live entertainment to brighten up your summer nights. The iconic market will return to Cecil and Coventry Streets every Thursday night through to March 10, with dozens of stalls by local designers and creatives, along with food vendors ready to satisfy your every gastronomic desire. Bargain hunters can peruse the market's huge collection of stalls, where they'll find bags, shoes, clothing, jewellery, homeware, stationery and more. Those looking for deals of the edible variety will be similarly pleased, with the likes of C'est Chick, Crepes for Change, Miss Molly's Cakes and The Snag Society all on-hand to help you fill your stomach. Organisers have also put together an impressive lineup of musicians, including Mighty Duke and the Lords, Kim Salmon, Mangelwurzel and the Sugar Fed Leopards. So hightail it south this Thursday.
Not even lockdown can suppress the sparkly disco vibes of Evie's. Nor, for that matter, its bottomless brunch, which has been reborn and is now yours to enjoy in the comfort of your own home every Saturday from August 22–September 12. From 11am–4pm each week, Fitzroy's 80s-themed eatery is boxing up its popular boozy weekend offering and delivering it to homes (and bathrobe-wearing Melburnians) across the city. The brunch packs include a bottle of bubbles and one-litre of orange juice — for DIY mimosas, of course — and a breakfast dish of choice. You can choose from the likes of fried chicken and waffles, a BLT with fries, pancakes with berries and french toast teamed with bacon and loads of maple syrup. All dishes can be made vegan, too. And you'll part with just $45 for both food and drinks. If you live within five kilometres of the diner, you can opt to pick up the brunch. Otherwise, local delivery is available through Evie's for $5 — or you can order via UberEats, DoorDash, Menulog and Deliveroo.
For most of us, the uncomfortable feeling that creeps in when you share a social justice status (linking a petition or an article, or writing a strongly-worded open letter, as is the fashion) is accompanied by the thought: is this enough? Am I keyboard warrior? How can I effect real change? The couple behind the newest Richmond cafe might be able to help you out with that. Jane and Francois Marx are the husband and wife team from Long Street Coffee and their aim is to bring you coffee and bring jobs to refugees. But making the transition from social justice keyboard warrior to real-life warrior is not an easy feat, nor is it cheap. Long Street Coffee has been the product of a three-year long journey. They've been the worthy recipients of an Australian Women’s Weekly grant, successful Pozible campaign and generous community donations from everyone from photographers to stonemasons to get them on their feet. The community response to the enterprise, which trains refugees over a six-month period and helps them find ongoing work, has been overwhelmingly positive — and a breath of fresh air in the face of the Abbott government’s draconian refugee laws. "I think that we’re seeing the backlash against the hostility towards refugees." says Jane. "We are part of a larger movement that opposes the overwhelming hostility from the media and punitive measures from the government. In the face of all that, there’s a movement of people saying you are not representing us as a nation; we want to be a place that welcomes refugees." While the kitchen isn’t yet in action, the trainees are pumping out coffee and the interior is looking sharp as hell. Jane says that while there’s a big risk in setting up any small business, and particularly in employing untrained staff, Long Street Coffee is not a charity. Jane and Francois have 20 years combined experience in the industry and understand what it means to be a competitive small business. The cafe is a hybrid: part social justice enterprise and part booming small business with its finger on the pulse. “Part of the mission with Long Street was to be able to employ people with a refugee background who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get jobs. And part of the scaremongering that comes from the government and the media is coming from ignorance. People don’t actually know refugees but if they were able to see the people in the boats as oppose to the boat itself… If you could go to place that and be served coffee by a refugee and hear their stories, you would see that they are people. We want to break down the stigma. We didn’t see that ‘fair go’ being extended to the refugee community. It is only a fair if it applies to everyone. Everyone who lives here should be able to fulfill their potential and realise their dreams.” Get down to Long Street Coffee and do your part in showing these total legends some hard-earned support. Find Long Street Coffee at 45 Little Hoddle Street, Richmond. Open Tuesday–Sunday 8am–4pm. www.longstreetcoffee.com.
Some of the biggest names in jazz are blowing into town as part of the latest edition of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. This year’s lineup is stacked with unmissable performances, as well as film screenings, walking tours and more. Jazz pioneers Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock kick off the festival on May 28 before an encore performance on June 2. Also from the US, the Glenn Miller Orchestra will play a medley of songs made famous during WWII, while the Tord Gustavsen Quartet from Norway will explore the limits of improvisation. The Harry James Angus Band and Monash University Jazz Ensemble head a strong contingent of local musicians, before the festival is wrapped up on Sunday June 7 by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Supplemental events include free evening 'soundwalks', forums and artist workshops, as well as the Jazz on Film sessions at ACMI. For the full MIJF program, visit www.melbournejazz.com Image: Pharoah Sanders by Jamie Williams
The wheels are in motion at Melbourne’s latest Mexican food joint. Inspired by early skateboarding culture and the enterprising skaters who would practice their moves in empty swimming pools, Beach Burrito Fitzroy will feature its very own carved-out indoor pool, where visiting pro skaters will have the chance to show off their skills. Taking up a good deal of the restaurant’s floor space, the Pistonhead x Burrito Bowl was the idea of Beach Burrito Company founder Blake Read, who used to be something of a skate rat himself. "I wanted to recreate the feeling I had in the '80s: engrossed, in love," he told Good Food. "I think when people walk in and see the pool, it will trigger the same excitement." Food-wise, Beach Burrito Fitzroy will serve all your typical Mexican and Tex-Mex staples, including nachos, quesadillas, burritos and chimichangas. The drinks menu will be equally well-stocked, with a selection of beers and Mexican cocktails — frozen or otherwise. The restaurant will seat around 70 people, most of them seated on a mezzanine overlooking the pool. Read launched the first Beach Burrito restaurant in Bondi in 2006, and has since opened ten other locations around New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. The Fitzroy location will be his first foray into Victoria, and is set to open at 230 Gertrude Street in the next couple of weeks. Via Good Food.
The truth is out there, and this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival is on a mission to hunt it down. The annual boundary-pushing arts fiesta's 2019 program embraces the hard-hitting theme 'in search of the truth'. Descending on the city from September 12–29, Melbourne Fringe is set to deliver its signature diverse spread of talent, this time cramming over 455 eye-opening events into the calendar. It's also debuting its brand-new home at Trades Hall, one of a huge 140 venues playing host to this year's Fringe festivities. You'd best start plotting your festival experience now, because there's a whole lot here to tickle one's fancy. The USA's Cause Collective will be doing some digging with its pop-up photobooth confessional, a live art piece that has visitors responding on camera to the prompt "the truth is…". The oft-revealing answers will then be featured in a public exhibition at Chapel off Chapel. A jam-packed comedic lineup promises to throw down some hard truths of its own, from the hilarious tale of self-discovery that is Mormon Girl, to a stand-up show packed full of fresh material from legendary funnyman Jimeoin. Meanwhile, homegrown burlesque star Moira Finucane stars as an apocalyptic snow queen in internationally-acclaimed show The Rapture Chapter II: Art Vs Extinction. Elsewhere, you can get a little more hands on. Unearth hidden gems as part of roving outdoor audio experience Shrines and Half Truths, or perhaps embark on a smartphone-guided tour of Werribee lead by performance alchemists Binge Culture. Expect party vibes aplenty from heady circus cabaret piece Society, as well as a show-stopping riot of drag, music, circus and burlesque when Yummy Deluxe takes over the Fringe Hub at Trades Hall. The new digs will also play host to a program of lively fiestas, including a fittingly boisterous Janet Jackson tribute night, the city's best choirs singing 1999's best hits and a Fringe-style Grand Final do with the riotous Betty Grumble as host.
The most excellent folk behind The Social Studio, Northside Records and Three Thousand are joining forces for one of Melbourne’s best free block parties. The Social Studio, a social enterprise that combines a fashion school, designer label, cafe and community space, has a significant bucketload to celebrate. The block party is the perfect opportunity to check out the latest in Melbourne fashion and music; so if you want to know what's up, get down to Collingwood. And what’s a block party without seriously good music? Melbourne darling Banoffee will be leading the charge, with performances by Baro, Queen Magic, High Tea/The Outside Inn, Wantu The One, and DJ sets by MzRizk and Cazeux O.S.L.O. Alongside the aural delights, there will be a fashion show featuring five local and emerging designers, as part of Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF). Finally, there will also be a market with food stalls for you to peruse, and we highly recommend you drop by the Mamma Van to top up your tank. Image: The Social Studio/Liberation.
They streaked in their Birkenstocks, now they're headed our way. Portlandians Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks are touring Australia this March, hitting Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide and Wollongong, with guest appearances at Perth International Arts Festival and Melbourne Zoo Twilights and Golden Plains. The band describes their 2015 tour plans to be "a rambunctious and raucous bunch of shows", so gear up for one humdinger of a shindig. Fresh off the back of their most recent (and wonderfully-named) album, Wig Out at Jagbags, the Oregon-based crew are bringing their playful, intelligent rock-pop to your town. Jeff Rosenstock from Alternative Press rated the Wig Out album four stars, stating "this album is full of so much life and melody that it stands as a refreshing alternative to the increasingly homogeneous state of indie rock." Letterman thought they were "lovely" after their debut performance. Fresh from living the range life at the Melbourne Zoo on the weekend, the crew have announced two intimate shows in Melbourne this week — The Gasometer on Thursday, March 6, and the following night at Toff In Town on Friday, March 7 March before the band jettison off to the Supernatural Amphitheatre at Golden Plains. The legendary Dan Kelly will join his idol as the support for the Gasometer, with The Ocean Party setting the vibes at Toff In Town.
The balmy season's about to kick off on a ridiculously blissful foot, with Tame Impala announcing a huge national tour this morning, hitting some of Australia's biggest outdoor venues this November. Following one widely celebrated comeback set at this year's Splendour in the Grass, Perth's favourite psychedelic outfit are doing an epic tour through Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and back to their Perth hometown. Tame brain and frontman Kevin Parker will be teaming up with Dom Simper, Cam Avery, Jay Watson and Julien Barbagello to bring the insanely successful new album Currents to venues like the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Melbourne's epic Sidney Myer Music Bowl and the Brisbane Riverstage. Such big outdoor shows deserve one heck of a support, and you'll get it in Mini Mansions (Queens of the Stone Age bass player Michael Shuman's side project). Tame Impala will also be joined by Fremantle's seven-piece hip hop outfit Koi Child for the Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth shows. TAME IMPALA 2015 NATIONAL TOUR DATES: Saturday, November 7 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Tuesday, November 10 — Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney Wednesday, November 11 — Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney Saturday, November 14 — Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth Wednesday. November 18 — Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide Saturday. November 21 — Riverstage, Brisbane Tickets on sale Monday 31 August, 9am local time, from tameimpala.com. Image: Matt Sav.
Road to Refuge's summer fundraiser is bringing top-notch musical and comedic talent to the Shadow Electric for a very worthwhile cause. Musical delights for the evening will include The Drones' Gareth Liddiard, Ben Abraham, The Harpoons DJs, Nhatty Man, Arthur Penn & The Funky Ten and Cable Ties. There will also be comedic and spoken poetry performances as part of Gimme Shelter!, with Tom Ballard and duo Isabel and Rachel working their hilarious magic. Road to Refuge is an interactive website that allows visitors to virtually go on the journey of a person seeking asylum to Australia. All of the proceeds for the event will go towards the organisation's 2016 projects and workshops. If you're unable to attend the event but would still like to contribute, you also have the option to purchase a ticket for a refugee or person seeking asylum to attend the event, which is a wonderful gift indeed. To learn more about Road to Refuge, we highly recommend checking out their great work.
There's a brand new festival coming to New South Wales, sporting a mini-Meredith lineup, an outdoor cinema and an independent record market. Plus, it's in one of Australia's prettiest coastal towns. Fairgrounds is Australia's newest boutique music festival, coming to the NSW town of Berry this December. It's just two hours out of Sydney on the south coast, so one easy peasy road trip. Pioneered by Handsome Tours, the shiny new festival fuses local food, boutique beverages, markets, movies and music in one sweet-sounding event. Taking cues from the recently-announced Meredith lineup, Fairgrounds' folk, pop and garage-focused lineup will see LA-based crooner Father John Misty headline, with Brooklyn glitchy duo RATATAT and dream pop legends Mercury Rev at the top. San Francisco's quirky characters Unknown Mortal Orchestra will be there, alongside folk-rocker Jessica Pratt, Sydney's immortal Royal Headache and the gospel dancehall blues of C.W. Stoneking. While music is your main drawcard to most festivals, Fairgrounds has given more weight to the in-between elements than many festivals do. Foodies will find a gastronomical paradise at the event, with wines and local nibbles sourced from neighbouring estates. There'll be markets and field games — sounds like someone enjoyed Secret Garden Festival — and the best bit? There'll be an outdoor cinema: Fairgrounds' Cinema Under the Stars, presented by Madman Films. FAIRGROUNDS 2015 LINE-UP (SO FAR): C.W. Stoneking Father John Misty Jessica Pratt Mercury Rev RATATAT Royal Headache Unknown Mortal Orchestra Fairgrounds Festival is happening on Saturday, December 5 in Berry, NSW. Earlybird 'Fairgrounds Founder' tickets are $110 and go on sale on Thursday 20 August at fairgrounds.com.au and moshtix.com.au. Kids under 12 enter the festival for free. You can choose to stay offsite in a B&B, or Fairgrounds offers in-site camping. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
If you're always looking for new opportunities to learn new recipes, mingle with makers or just stuff your face with food, the week-long Darebin Homemade Food and Wine Festival should be on your agenda. Kicking off on Monday, May 29, this year's festival lineup features dozens of events organised by local restaurants, chefs, brewers, winemakers and producers from across the northern suburbs. Free to Feed will host a pop-up Sri Lankan dinner, while Lentil as Anything is launching a new food rescue enterprise Food Without Borders. There'll also be classes where you can learn how to make everything from roti to salami to kombucha. Other standout events include the Meet the Makers showcase, which will feature complimentary wine tastings and cooking demonstrations, and the Darebin Community Welcome Dinner, which connects newly arrived migrants, asylum seekers and international students with established Australians over a meal.
Have you found yourself standing in the Australian breeze lately and thought, "Do I feel in this breeze a touch of whimsy; whimsy and the slight lilt of literary references spoken in Glaswegian accents?" You have? Sure sign that Belle and Sebastian are on their way. After four years the ever-enduring Glaswegian collective, who have long held the title of indie-pop royalty, have released their ninth studio album just in time for an Australian tour. Belle and Sebastian are never a band to ignore their roots, so longtime fans can look forward to performances that celebrate everything from indie-pop classics from early albums Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister to their newest dance-y ventures 'The Party Line' and 'Enter Sylvia Plath' off the new album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. We caught up with Stuart Murdoch for a chat about B&S's stylistic changes, having cocktails created in one’s honour and putting politics in pop. Check out the interview right here.
If you’ve ever wanted quality restaurant cuisine at 3am because McDonalds and kebabs won’t cut it, your prayers have been answered. With five levels and three outdoor areas, two restaurants, a rooftop bar, a street level food stall, coffee windows and an impressive 42 taps, 127 Brunswick Street combines everything you need into one central Fitzroy location. Formerly the Old Colonial Inn, The space caters for the early birds with breakfast and the night owls with a 3am licence and full menu on selected nights. Yes, you read that correctly — a full menu until 3am. Developed over three years by Vince Sofo and Paul Adamo (brain children of The Espy Hotel, Ichi Ni and Ichi Ichi Ku), the space was designed with artist and interior designer Christo Gillard. The only problem will be deciding which space you’d like to occupy. “We hope people will come and find their own place within the building,” says Sofo, who wants the place to become an institution. That might mean meandering from private booths to sunlit courtyards, or grabbing a coffee to enjoy on the run. One key option if is Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya restaurant, which spans the basement, the pub’s old keg room, the ground floor and the courtyard. It offers dishes with an Australian-Japanese fusion flavour. On the first floor is Village People Hawker Foodhall, a hawker market/beer hall hybrid delivering your fix of Laotian, Cambodian, Indian, Malay, Burmese and Thai. From the street you can find Ichi Ni Nana Street Food Stall and Coffee Stop Window. The focus is Asian brekkies and lunches for busy Fitzroy folk. Beers, sake and soft drinks also available from the bottle shop. The Upside Rooftop Bar is bound to be a popular summer drinking hole, with views across the city. 127 Brunswick Street is (surprise) at 127 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. It's open now.
Let out your belt buckle a notch for this one. The mastermind pastry chef behind Agathe Patisserie — whose buttery, inventive croissants and pastries have been filtering into cafes around the city in recent times and popped up at Prahran Market last year — is opening a permanent stall at South Melbourne Market on Friday 31 July. Parisian expatriate Agathe Kerr will make all her pastries fresh in an exposed pastry kitchen behind the market counter, so you can eat with your eyes before you eat them with your mouth. “In France, pastries are always fresh because they are baked throughout the day, and we wanted Melbournians to have that experience, too,” says Kerr. “Our customers will be able to see us preparing the pastries, baking them and adding the finishing touches.” Kerr does danishes, creme brulee, millefeuille and peanut-salted caramel Paris-Brest choux. But she makes her best magic with croissants — infusing them with matcha, pandan or cafe au lait; adding brie and sour cherry for a decadent, uber instagrammable sandwich; or filling each one with salted caramel, nutella or peanut caramel custard and baking them in muffin trays. The resulting tower of gooey croissanty goodness from that last one is called the ‘cruffin’. “What makes our cruffins different is that we fill them on demand, in front of the customer, or ‘a la minute’ as it is known in France,” Kerr says. The Agathe menu will change continuously. Kerr, who has a professional pastry chef qualification from the prestigious Ecole de Boulangerie et Patisserie de Paris, seems to have a thing for experimentation. “The chemistry of baking is a revelation,” she says. “I love seeing the transformation from the raw product to the final product.” So do we, Agathe. So do we. And then we love that other transformation as we pick it up, sink in our teeth, and melt. Agathe Patisserie will be housed in stalls 63 and 64 at South Melbourne Market, which is open every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Sexy pop-inspired sculpture. Sub-sea level photography. Work by the mother of American Modernism. Whether you're looking to escape the heat or simply looking for something to look at, Melbourne's galleries have something to make them open wide. Swing by Spenceroni's first ever solo show after work one night or block out a day to head to Heide to see the work of Georgia O'Keeffe before the exhibition finishes up — and if you're not into those, one of the other shows on this list should pique your interest. Top image: Who's Afraid of Colour at NGV Australia, photographed by Wayne Taylor.
Looking for a decent lunch in Williamstown? Pier Farm have just launched a midweek 'Pasta & Pinot' winter warmer deal that fits the bill nicely. If you haven't checked out Pier Farm yet, it's one of the best restaurants in the west, with incredible seafood and show-stopping views out over the bay. It opened back in 2017 and locals have been quietly digging it ever since. Now, onto the special. $39 gets you a choice of three handmade pastas, plus a matching wine. You can pick from slow-cooked Bolognese and house-made tagliatelle (paired with a Rockford Rod & Spur Shiraz Cabernet), creamy rigatoni carbonara (matched with Vigna Stefani Chardonnay) or Gnocchi ala Sorrentina (washed down with a fruity Pasque Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie). Views and great service are included in the price. Pretty good value all round, really. Pier Farm's Pasta & Pinot special runs Tuesday to Friday for lunch seatings only throughout winter. You can take advantage of this delicious deal between 12pm and 2:30pm. Bookings are encouraged for this one: they tend to pack out at lunchtime. Images: Supplied
Anita Sarkeesian is one of the world’s bravest women. One of the key players taking aim at misogyny in the world of video games, Sarkeesian has been both applauded and attacked worldwide for her outspokenness about the gaming industry — she even explained #Gamergate to Stephen Colbert. Her blog Feminist Frequency and video series' Tropes vs. Women and Tropes vs. Women in Video Games have seen anti-feminist trolls sending serious threats her way — Sarkeesian even had to cancel a speaking appearance at Utah State University after terrorist threats. But haters be damned, the feminist critic at the forefront of gaming debates is finally coming to Melbourne. Presented off the back of her appearance at Sydney Opera House's All About Women festival, Sarkeesian will discuss the Gamergate firestorm, Feminist Frequency and her award-winning work within technology, art and pop culture. In conversation at RMIT Storey Hall Auditorium with Private Media editor in chief Sophie Black, Sarkeesian will speak at the Wheeler Centre's new series, The F Word. The new series of talks and events looks at where feminism is at right now, focusing on changing perceptions and speaking directly to the people in the centre of these developments. Needless to say, Sarkeesian is a perfect billing. Anita Sarkeesian will appear for The F Word at RMIT Storey Hall Auditorium, The Wheeler Centre, on Tuesday, March 10 at 8pm. Tickets $20/$12 concession from wheelercentre.com. Image: Alex Lazara.
There's only a handful of sleeps until Splendour in the Grass once again blows our wee minds, and we've been whiling away the hours by bingeing on live clips in anticipation. And who better to YouTube stalk than one of our favourite artists, English bedroom producer (with pipes to back it all up) James Blake. Blake's music is made to be performed live — all the better to feel shivers up your spine. He's performing at Splendour over the weekend and a string of official sideshows — Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday, July 26 and Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday, July 27 — thereafter so no doubt we can expect to add a few more classics to this list. Have your phone camera (and tissues) at the ready. 'I NEED A FOREST FIRE' - GLASTONBURY 2016 It's not news to anyone that Justin Vernon (better known as Bon Iver) and James Blake are good mates. Of course they are — they probably bonded over their soaring, soulful singing voices and create music that generates All The Feels. So when Vernon made a surprise appearance at Glastonbury last month, jumping up on stage to perform 'I Need a Forest Fire' from Blake's most recent album The Colour in Anything, it was pure, ethereal magic. The pair collaborated closely on the album and their chemistry shows on stage when those two unmistakable voices harmonise perfectly. GLASTONBURY 2016 'TIMELESS' During the same performance at this year's Glastonbury, Blake was joined on stage by rapper Vince Staples during his rendition of 'Timeless', also from The Colour In Anything. Staples raps, Blake plays the piano, tension builds and together they bring a whole new flavour to the song and FOMO to the streaming townspeople. It's like 'Timeless' was made for a collaboration that never materialised, but during this performance it's made whole. And it's only the start of a beautiful (and musically fertile) friendship, as Staples has enlisted Blake to produce his upcoming album. 'RETROGRADE' - DAVID LETTERMAN 2013 'Retrograde', off Blake's second album Overgrown, has to be the pinnacle of 'Blake-ism' — the otherworldly, richly melancholic style for which he's become renown — and his performance on Letterman in 2013 is still one of the most captivating renditions of it to this day. So many bedroom producers struggle to translate well to the stage, but Blake nails this performance without dropping a single note. It's no wonder America sat up and paid attention after this slam dunk. 'CMYK' — MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL 2011 'CMYK' is the title track from one of Blake's earlier EPs, the 2010 release of the same name. It's an album that's categorised as soft dubstep and samples heavily from '90s R&B staples (like Aliyah's 'Are You That Somebody'), so while it's not exactly the James Blake you know and love today, damn is it good. He performed it at the 2011 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and even watching the video makes us want to get up to get down. As a side note, the video editing is on point, turning what could have been a static video of the stage into a visual feast that captures the feeling of being at an electric gig. Snaps all round for this one. 'LIMIT TO YOUR LOVE — MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL 2013 Here's another from the Montreux Jazz Festival, where Blake performed again in 2013. The set is more intimate, more demure, but fizzling with emotion and his performance of 'Limit to Your Love' is arguably the crown jewel. While he hits every note perfectly, there's a rough quality to 'Limit to your Love' (so different from his normally silky songs) that, in tandem with the sparse but elegant production, makes for a fascinating performance. It's also great to see the whole band enjoying themselves. You can catch the whole performance here. Geared up for a live set IRL from James Blake? He'll be here for the very sold-out Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay, as well as two official sideshows before the festival — Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday, July 26 and Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday, July 27. Tickets here.
The Ryan vs Seth debate incited gang wars (it's all Seth, all the time people, come on). Marissa made our eye twitch with stiff acting and then tore our hearts out in season three (no spoilers hey). Summer retrospectively became our life and style guru. And still, no true O.C. fan can hear Imogen Heap's 'Hide and Seek' without tearing up just a little bit. For everyone whose teenage expectations of life and love were shaped by the O.C. and Peter Gallagher's eyebrows, listen up: The Bait Shop (aka Supersmall at Good Things in South Yarra) is throwing a huge O.C. themed party this weekend. Cue Youth Group, Death Cab for Cutie, Eels, Jem, The Futureheads, Spoon et al playing on repeat. They're offering a bar tab for the winner of 'Most Early 2000s Inspired Outfit' (a complex but honourable title) and a range of O.C. themed cocktails including 'White Wasps' as a tribute to Kristen's subtle alcoholism. Entry is free, there'll be life sized cutouts and an O.C.-themed photobooth, so cancel all existing plans and start fashioning an outfit with maximum spaghetti straps and low-waist, slightly jeans that are neither skinny nor flared.
Hungry musicians doing it tough on tour, prepare to satisfy your appetites. All it takes is a stopover in Brisbane for a gig, and a trip to a certain Fortitude Valley café. That'd be LostBoys, the new saviour of starving artists visiting sunny climates. The Ann Street establishment isn't just largely staffed by those handy with a guitar, drum kit or microphone, but wants to support them too. That's why they've taken it upon themselves to offer a solution to the scourge of musos everywhere: barely making enough money to eat while they're away from home. Travelling around the country playing live shows might seem like a fun life, but the thrill of taking to the stage is tempered by the not-so-glamorous, not-so-financially-lucrative reality. At LostBoys, musical talent dropping by Brisbane can treat themselves to whatever takes their fancy from the cafe's lineup of 100 percent natural, locally-sourced options. Vegetarians, vegans, dairy free foodies and gluten intolerants, there's something on the menu for you, too. The initiative is a brand new addition to what has fast become one of the area's favourite hangouts — which is no mean feat given that LostBoys only opened in October 2014. Of course, their magic all stems from their name. Trust a Peter Pan-inspired eatery to come up with a wondrous way to help creatives' dreams come true. Via The Music. Visit LostBoys at 694 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, or check out their website.
If jungle vibes inside an inner-north warehouse sounds like your perfect outing, head along to Rumble in the Jungle on Saturday, October 28. It's the latest indoor plant sale from The Jungle Collective, an Abbotsford nursery that stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. Whether you're after a hanging pot plant, some palms for the garden or a giant Bird of Paradise, chances are you'll find it here. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the day to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. Be inspired by the gorgeous green warehouse and learn to incorporate plants into your home and living spaces while soaking up some tunes. There's even a special deal for those who are brave enough to dress up, with a generous 15 percent discount given to all onesie-clad shoppers. Best get in quick though — the last sale sold out. RSVP via the Facebook event and get there early.
Melbourne has scored itself another bottomless brunch, this time sporting a modern Japanese twist. Kicking off on August 5, Tokosan's new Sunday series will have diners rounding out their weekends in style, with a booze-optional bento box feast. The kitchen's designed both a vegetarian and a teriyaki chicken bento, filled with treats like gyoza, rice and sushi, each clocking in at $24 per person. On top of that, there's a beverage option for every mood, starting with a simple glass of wine or beer, which you can tack on for an extra $5. For a longer, lazier lunch, enjoy your bento matched to a bottle of wine for a total of $49. Otherwise, go the bottomless booze route — $59 will get you food, plus two hours of unlimited beer, wine, mimosas, bloody marys and spritzes, between 12-2pm. Catch Tokosan's new brunch offering between 11am and 4pm every Sunday.
Ain't no party like a MMW Opening Night Party, and anyone who went along to last year's Total Giovanni and Architecture in Helsinki affair last year can back us up on this one. In exciting musical news, Gypsy & The Cat have abandoned their hiatus for this auspicious occasion, and will be joined by sparkling alt-pop band Dorsal Fins and the joyous R'n'B and pop stylings of The Harpoons. It's also the first night the flagship venue will be open —and while the idea of partying in an old hospital basement may seem a little creepy at first, we can't deny we're aching to check it out.
Admit it. When you hear the words 'long weekend' you immediately picture yourself jumping on a plane for a tiny slice of adventure, reclining on the beach, or sipping a cocktail. Long weekends usually involve going somewhere different. The feeling of shucking the constraints of routine are invaluable, but hear us out on this one: you should stay in Melbourne for the Grand Final long weekend. We know it sounds crazy, but there are untold adventures right on your doorstep that will make you see your city a little differently. We've teamed up with Mastercard, and we're asking you to stay home. YOU CAN ACTUALLY WATCH THE GRAND FINAL Get a ticket to the game and enjoy the atmosphere. If you can't be there, watching from a packed and buzzing pub is the next best thing. The Rose in Fitzroy is the best of the best. Book a table and surround yourself with vintage memorabilia and décor and footy themed food and drink specials. YOU CAN FLOAT THROUGH THE CITY We did promise that you would see your city in a whole new way, so here it is. Glide over Melbourne and the Yarra Valley in a Global Ballooning hot air balloon at dawn and take in a new view of the city from the air. A balloon ride at this hour will stop you from sleeping away your precious long weekend, and you'll definitely have the coolest story to share in the pub that night. IT'S PRIME HOT SPRING TEMPERATURE While everyone else is nursing (or creating) their hangovers, take a day to get out of the city and pop down to the peninsula. This is the perfect time of year (before it gets too hot and while it's not arctic) to take a dip in the famous Mornington Peninsula hot springs. While you're in that neck of the woods, take a stroll along the beach or slog out a coast walk – we recommend the Millionaire's Walk, a cliff top walk with views across Port Phillip Bay and the Bellarine Peninsula (and take a sticky beak at some truly insane mansions along the way). PERFECT AMOUNT OF TIME FOR A ROAD TRIP The Great Ocean Road is one of those experiences that we all intend to do but sometimes postpone because of, you know, general life chaos. But the Grand Final weekend is the best time to get out there and make good on your promise. Check out the famous twelve Apostles, quaint seaside villages and the rugged beauty of the Victorian coastline while everyone else is glued to their TVs. If you don't have a car, jump on a tour and feel like you're overseas for the weekend. YOU CAN MINI GOLF, THEN YOU CAN PICNIC Nestled away in the rambling Yarra Bend park is the perfect long weekend activity: a mini golf course. Take on the full 36 holes course, complete with the perfect blend of ridiculous shots, moving parts and novelty sculptures. Make a day of it. Once you've battled it out, grab a couple of beers and have yourself a picnic in the park. Visit priceless.com to see a Melbourne long weekend itinerary from @emmakateco, and more priceless experiences in your city exclusive to Mastercard cardholders.
UPDATE Tuesday, August 3: Tickets are currently sold out for NGV's Friday Nights due to the current government restrictions, however, the NGV has stated that more tickets will become available to purchase as restrictions begin to ease over the coming weeks. The NGV has your winter culture fix sorted, with its much-hyped exhibition French Impressionism now showing. And, as has become custom with a seasonal blockbuster descending on the gallery, so comes a brand new season of NGV Friday Nights. The gig series is now a quintessential way to end a chilly winter week in Melbourne. And, thanks to a slew of pop-up bars, you'll get to enjoy this after-dark art excursion with a cocktail in hand. Having returned July 30, the series will now run all the way through to October 1, delivering a different curation of live bands and DJs from 6pm each Friday. Eilish Gilligan, Ali Barter, Solomon Sisay and Husky are just some of the acts set to make an appearance. As always, you'll get after-hours access to the gallery as well as the gigs, roving between the current exhibitions and out in the garden as you soak up the live soundtrack. Meanwhile, some great eats and drinks will come courtesy of three different pop-ups — think, fizzy delights from the Pommery Champagne Bar; cheese platters, charcuterie and crisp brews at the Asahi Bar; and Yarra Valley vino from the Yering Station Wine Bar. NGV FRIDAY NIGHTS WINTER 2021 LINEUP August 6 — Eilish Gilligan August 13 — Eternal Crush August 20 — Akosia August 27 — Ali Barter September 3 — Bananagun September 10 — Solomon Sisay September 17 — Akosia September 24 — Ali Barter October 1 — Olympia [caption id="attachment_821537" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Thandi Phoenix performing at NGV, by Tim Carrafa[/caption] NGV Friday Nights run from 6–10pm.
Traditional Japanese nosh meets on-trend superfoods at Armadale's newest cafe, Walk Don't Run. Opened by Vincent Conti and Mario Minichilli — the duo responsible for both The Merchants Guild and Prana Chai — the eatery is serving up what's been dubbed 'mindful gourmet' food according to Good Food. In other words, you get all the goodness of superfoods, but without sacrificing taste. The man making this happen is head chef and co-owner Ryo Doyama, who's previously worked at St Edmonds. Drawing on his Japanese background, he's come up with innovative dishes, like green tea noodles with poached chicken, green beans, nuts and tahini-ponzu dressing. All ingredients are organic, locally-sourced where possible, and put together to make sure that diners leave feeling well-nourished. "The focus is on ensuring customers feel nourished and energised when they leave, like they have been good to themselves," Minichilli said in a media statement. "We want a health conscious person to pick anything from the menu and not have to worry about what is in the dish — as it is all super good for you because if the fresh produce isn’t organic, it doesn’t make it onto the plate." Walk Don't Run's interior has been designed to complement the menu — simple, clean, beautiful and features one-off pieces from Please Please Please. It's the work of designer Wendy Bergman of Bergman & Co., who's lengthy resume includes Kong, Hello Sailor, Taxi Kitchen, Mr Miyagi, The Meatball & Wine Bar and Green Park. Find Walk Don't Run at 17 Morey St, Armadale. Open Wednesday to Sunday, between 7am and 3pm. Via Good Food. Images: WDR Instagram.
One of Broadway's hottest and most prohibitively priced tickets of the last five years, The Book of Mormon, is finally getting an Australian staging, making its Australian premiere at Melbourne's Princess Theatre this year. Written by South Park and Team America's notoriously puerile creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, together with Robert Lopez of genius grown-up muppet show Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon is probably one of the most lauded comedies ever to have centred on the Church of Latter Day Saints, African missions, AIDS, bum jokes and super ironic racism. If it wasn't so smart and so funny, few would forgive it. But since it is, The Book of Morman has picked up nine Tonys, four Olivier Awards and a Grammy since it debuted in 2011, and has been called "one of the most joyously acidic bundles Broadway has unwrapped in years". Directed by Parker with choreographer Casey Nicholaw, the show has a new local cast. If you've been among the throngs to see the musical in New York, Chicago or London, then you'll be plenty excited that your Melbourne friends will now get the chance to go learn all the idiosyncratic details of Mormonism, meet war criminal General Butt-Fucking Naked and know the true meaning of the hakuna matata-like saying 'Hasa Diga Eebowai'. If you're still deciding whether or buy tickets or simply waiting patiently for the day to come, get in the mood by watching this clip of Girls star and original Mormon cast member Andrew Rannells singing the ballad of religious faith 'I Believe' at the Tony Awards. UPDATE, JANUARY 6, 2017: The Book of Mormon has announced an additional preview show on Tuesday, January 17, a day before performances officially start. The best part? Tickets are only $20. But to get your hands on them, you'll have to physically get yourself to the Princess Theatre box office from 10am on Monday, January 9. We're betting you'll have to get there real early. All the details are here.
There is nothing quite like saluting the sun from a Melbourne rooftop. Taking full advantage their own high-flying, inner city location, Rooftop Yoga is hosting a series of Saturday yoga sessions, to be held in their studio in the sky. Beginners and well-practised yogis alike are invited to get bendy with a mix of Vinyasa and Ashtanga, under the expert guidance of two experienced instructors. As you stretch and relax, you'll look out over the city's sweeping skyline. If that's not motivation, then we don't know what is. Running from 8.30am to 10am on January 6, 13 and 27, classes cost $20, with attendees advised to bring a mat, towel and water.
Last year, Jungle’s unique brand of modern soul exploded worldwide, landing them prime positions at international music festivals and a Mercury Prize-nominated debut album to boot. Earworms such as 'Time', 'The Heat', and the triple j Hottest 100 shoe-in 'Busy Earnin' (it reached number #67) made everyone wake up and pay attention. But they're no mere studio cats — Jungle's live set is one of the best excuses to bust out your dancing shoes we've seen in a while. Not content with playing around with their laptops on stage, Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson — more commonly known as J and T — will be joined by Jungle's live band, recreating their music in all its harmonic splendour. Opening the show will be Melbourne’s golden boy Oscar Key Sung, so arriving early to this gig has more advantages than just a prime position. If you're not content seeing Jungle in their set at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, get along to their sideshow while they're in town.
Things are getting animated at ACMI in Federation Square, as Melbourne’s largest celebration of local and international animation comes rolling into town. For eight straight days, the Melbourne International Animation Festival will showcase hundreds of shorts from more than 35 countries, giving audiences the chance to get up close and personal with some of the brightest stars of the medium today. The festival begins on Sunday, June 21, with a special Australian Showcase on opening night. There’s more local content in the Australian Panorama and Australian Student Showcase sections, as well as a six-part symposium on the centenary of Australian animation. There are also a number of international streams, including specialised looks at Irish and Slovakian animation, plus the always bizarre late night program that is definitely not suitable for kids. This year’s festival will also see the return of the RENDER Animation Conference, a two-day event featuring an array of presentations from leading local and international animation experts. MIAF 2015 runs June 21 to 28. For the full program, visit www.miaf.net.
Get ready to chow down on mouthwatering Neil Perry hamburgers. Since opening in Sydney's World Square last October, the celebrity chef's high-end fast food joint Burger Project has become a favourite with local foodies, serving up a variation of his iconic Rockpool wagyu beef burger at a fraction of the price. Now, less than two weeks after announcing a second Burger Project location in Parramatta, Perry has revealed the details for not one, not two, but five additional restaurants, including three across the border in Melbourne. According to Good Food, Perry will open the first Melbourne Burger Project in March next year in the St Collins Lane development (formerly Australia on Collins), near the corners of Collins and Elizabeth Streets in the CBD. The licensed restaurant will operate between 11am and 10pm, and will seat around 100 people. Two additional locations will follow — one at Chadstone shopping centre in August, and another at Crown Casino at the end of 2016. He's also reportedly considering spots in the inner suburbs, including Richmond and Carlton. In Sydney, meanwhile, Perry is hoping to open a store in the MLC Centre in Martin Place by November, along with a Chatswood location in mid-2016. That's in addition to the Parramatta restaurant, although still no word on when we can expect that site to start cooking. He's previously expressed his desire to have as many as 50 stores nationwide, and told Good Food that he's also looking overseas — earmarking New Zealand, Singapore and the United States as possible areas for expansion. So, what exactly do they serve at The Burger Project, anyway? Well, assuming Perry sticks closely to the winning World Square formula, you can expect a variety of tasty burger including the Magic Mushroom burger, the Spicy Fried Chicken burger and of course the classic American cheeseburger. You can also get a bun-free burger served in a lettuce bowl, at no additional cost. Side options include chips with salt or chipotle chilli, and crispy hot wings with Sichuan pepper. And for dessert, dive into one of their decadent ice cream creations such as the Marsh-Cara-Mallow (salted caramel ice cream with hazelnut praline, burnt marshmallow and chocolate sauce) or The Bounty Hunter (vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate sauce, toasted coconut and crushed meringue). Don't act like you're not impressed. Via Good Food.
Already one of the best streets to eat on in Melbourne, Flinders Lane is adding another culinary notch to its belt. Opening next month just a few doors down from Chin Chin, Woody P. will serve up simple, tasty Mediterranean cuisine in a relaxed and sophisticated setting from May. So what Mediterranean nosh can we expect to be nibbling this autumn? Highlights on the Woody P. menu will include kingfish crudo with beetroot, fennel and horseradish, pork cheek croquettes with apple aioli and chorizo crumb, corn-fed duck with blood plum, and 48-hour beef ribs with roast onions and gremolata. If you’re wondering what some of those dishes might look like, have a bit of a perve on the delicious-looking Woody P. trailer: [embed]https://vimeo.com/123688387[/embed] The menu is the brainchild of Head Chef Clinton Camilleri, who has spent the better part of a decade working in kitchens across rural Victoria. His tenure as Head Chef at the Healesville Hotel helped earn the venue the 2014 Age Good Food Guide Regional Restaurant of the Year award. At Woody P. he’ll be assisted by Venue Manager Brent Scales, previously of Stokehouse Cafe and the Stokehouse City Bar. The interior of the restaurant was designed by Eades and Bergman, who can already lay claim to a number of Melbourne eating institutions including Kong, Mr. Miyagi and Flinders Lane’s own Meatball and Wine Bar. Expect exposed brick walls, textured glass and contemporary pendant lighting, as well as a large outdoor dining area with lanterns and bluestone floors. It'll be like summer never left. Woody P. is currently expected to open in May at 121 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. You can stay up to date via their Facebook. Image by Simon Shiff.
Sydney electronica virtuoso Rainbow Chan's long-awaited debut album Spacings is kind of like listening to pop through an infinity mirror — you can hear it stretching away forever, but you can't touch it, no matter how you turn your head. Give it a try. Staple pop lyrics like "I don't blame you/for treating me so cruel" find new, uneasy galactic life on this album, the very first full-length from one of the city's most inventive, classically-trained producers. Chan's debut album launch tour will see her hit several states in the next few weeks, and she won't be alone. As well as showcasing tracks from Spacings, Chan will be performing as a three-piece with up-and-coming Aussie musicians/producers/buddies Moon Holiday and CORIN. Haven't listened to the album yet? Get on it. Since winning FBi Radio's Northern Lights Competition in 2011, Chan's come a long way from her bubblegum beginnings. She's described Spacings as a pop record that tries to incorporate influences, recordings and samples that are 100 percent not pop. So if your bag is contemplating lost love as your consciousness floats dangerously close to the ceiling fan, this is definitely one for you.
It's time to make the pilgrimage to the Supernatural Amphitheatre once again — it's Golden Plains time. Taking place over the Labour Day long weekend, Meredith's other beloved festival returns for three days. As always, the lineup will appear on one stage in the Supernatural Amphitheatre, fronted by The Avalanches, Grizzly Bear and Big Boi. Also on the The Sup's agenda is King Krule, Perfume Genius, The Preatures and Kamasi Washington. Meanwhile, Golden Plains is set to be the same festival you know and love: no dickheads, no need to hide your goon sacks, no commercial sponsors. GOLDEN PLAINS 2018 LINEUP The Avalanches Grizzly Bear Big Boi Kamasi Washington The Preatures King Krule The Black Angels Jen Cloher Floating Points (Solo Live) Waterfall Person Lee Fields & The Expressions Batpiss Objekt Perfume Genius Kaiit Rocket Science Thundercat Wet Lips Adrian Sherwood Toni Yotzi Tropical Fuck Storm Images: Theresa Harrison.
The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is on the verge of a massive expansion, with founder David Walsh announcing his vision for an epic five-star hotel — among other things — on the site of the iconic Hobart gallery. The Hotel at MONA — or HOMO for short — has been described as the next phase of growth for the museum, which, since opening in 2011, has become one of Tasmania's biggest draws. "It's very simple really. We like building stuff," said Walsh. "So far it has gone pretty well for us." Pretty well is a bit of an understatement, with the gallery's citywide winter festival, Dark MOFO, having just wrapped up quite possibly its most successful and most talked about instalment so far. Walsh's HOMO announcement is well-timed — and, it must be noted, these plans are by no means approved, as they haven't yet been submitted to MONA's local city council — but what exactly can visitors (and locals) expect from the proposed addition to the Berridale site? And what other changes do Walsh and co. have up their sleeves? Well, a lot. We've broken in down so you can begin to understand what is going on in Walsh's brain. [caption id="attachment_628671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fender Katsalidis Architects.[/caption] A HUGE NEW HOTEL The hotel will be built on the museum's current site in Berridale. With rooms elevated over the Derwent River, the design has been based on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge flipped upside down.HOMO will consist of 172 rooms, including a number of special 'experience' rooms developed by a selection of internationally renowned artists. Rooms facing the northeast will enjoy a view of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington, while rooms facing southeast will look up the river towards Claremont and Otago Bay. It looks nuts. [caption id="attachment_628672" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fender Katsalidis Architects[/caption] AN AMPHITHEATRE The hotel will also house a three-storey library to house Walsh's collection of rare books and manuscripts and an indoor theatre with seating for over 1000 people. Most notably, there will also be an outdoor stage and amphitheatre complete with playground designed by textile artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. A restaurant, conference centre and spa will also be on-site. [caption id="attachment_628674" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rémi Chauvin.[/caption] A MOVE FOR MONA FOMA In related news, MONA is also planning to move the Festival of Music and Art (FOMA) from Hobart to Launceston. "The festival's original ten-year plan — to change the culture in Hobart — has come to fruition ahead of schedule," said FOMA creative director Brian Richie. "We'd like to embark upon a new creative journey - to relocate to Launceston in search of new challenges, new collaborations, fresh partnerships and novel creative models." MONA has requested funding from the State Government to do this. [caption id="attachment_628675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fender Katsalidis Architects.[/caption] AN ART 'ANTI-CASINO' Perhaps the most intriguing element is 'Monaco', a private, high-limit, pokies-free 'anti-casino' that will double as an outlet for art and design. We're really not sure what this means, but that's probably the point. [caption id="attachment_628676" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fender Katsalidis Architects.[/caption] WHEN WILL IT ALL HAPPEN? Construction is expected to take approximately three years — although the start date could still a while away as the hotel's development plans are yet to be submitted to Glenorchy City Council. A "comprehensive consultation process" with the public will also be held. MONA hopes to start building in 2019 for an opening in early 2022. For what it's worth though, State Premier Will Hodgman seems keen on the project, telling reporters that "I think whatever comes out via Mona and David Walsh is always worth listening to." We'll keep an eye on this one. Top image: Fender Katsalidis Architects.
If you love surrounding yourself completely in Zara, you'll now be able to extend the Zara-love to your bedroom. Zara Home has opened its first Australian store at Melbourne's Highpoint Shopping Centre, with a flagship store set to open in Sydney in just a few months. The home decor arm of the Zara-owning Inditex Group, the Australian stores is home to Zara's gorgeous printed bedding lines, table and bath linens, decorative furniture (we're talking seriously cute lamps and rugs), tablewear worth investing in, cutlery and ornamental items, all based on seasonal fashion trends — so you might be able to match your handbag to your bedspread for an undeniably strong look. The brand new 310-sqm Melbourne store embodies the Zara brand in interior design — think elegant chestnut wood and marble floors, neutral paints and mother-of-pearl details, not to forget that epic gold logo. Coinciding with international Zara Home stores (now operating in 60 countries with 437 stores), the Australian stores will unveil two collections per year, with new items delivered every week. Along with the slick furnishings and oaky utensils you'll be visualising in your rich mahogany-smelling apartments, you can pick up the Zara loungewear/pyjama line and bath and body collection instore. With 13 Zara stores currently operating across Australia, it's safe to say we're pretty dedicated Zarans. The stores mark some of the first international brand openings this year, following hugely hyped openings H&M and Uniqlo last year. Zara Home opens in Melbourne's Highpoint Shopping Centre on February 12, head for 120 - 200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong. Sydney flagship date still to be confirmed.
Cooking with beer: it's a tradition as ancient as the Egyptians. Yet for many modern beer drinkers, beer's potential ends at the bottom of the bottle. It’s no great secret that beer and food go hand-in-hand, whether paired with an arvo barbecue or late-night munchies. But beer can — nay should — be so much more than just an accompaniment to the food you eat; it adds rich flavours, tenderises meat and makes for all-round juicier dishes. And its helping hand can reach all the way down to dessert. Here are five key you'll want to try wielding your beer in the kitchen. GRILLING WITH BEER Aussies are known for their barbecues, which more often than not involve booze. To baste any grill food with beer, simply pour your favourite beer over the top and close the lid. The beer has a caramelising effect and adds to the juiciness of the meat. Possibly the most epic way to cook beer is the beer butt chicken — achieved by sitting a whole chicken on top of a can of beer. (You know when a recipe instructs you to take a swig it’s going to be a winner.) For beer grilling, VB really comes in handy, but if you’re looking to go craft, a James Squire Sundown Australian Lager will also do the trick. Image: Manners. BATTERING WITH BEER Beer-battered food is probably the most widely known form of cooking with beer. For beer battered fish, make sure the beer is cold and freshly opened so it’s still fizzy — the bubbles add body and lightness to the batter. The beer also makes the batter appear thicker while keeping it airy and also imparts aroma and flavour. Most recipes will call for a simple lager, but we like the added flavour of easy drinking ales like Riverside Brewing Company 69 summer ale. Image: Kimchi Chronicles. STEWING WITH BEER The classic beef and Guinness stew is pretty self explanatory; simply add and simmer, burning off the alcohol but not the caramel or nutty flavours. You aren’t limited by beer choice, though, and can use any stout/porter or even dark ale you like. Jamie Oliver's recipe does just that. A few easy pairings for a stew are Mornington English brown ale and Holgate Temptress chocolate porter. This recipe is perfect for those chilly nights in. Image: Redbrick. SAUCING WITH BEER Beer doesn’t have to be boiled or heated down to be useful in cooking. It is great for a variety of sauces, from vinaigrettes to barbecued sauced ribs. Beer also works really well as a marinade, since its enzymes help break down tough fibres and really tenderise meat. Beer’s role as a marinade is so versatile, the best rule here is to use a beer you enjoy drinking. If you like the taste, you’ll like it in your food too. Image: Droolworthy Daily. BAKING WITH BEER The parallel history of beer and baking goes back to the Egyptians — a topic dear to beer geek/historianJohnathan Hepner of Batch Brewing. This is true especially in the case of bread, the ingredients of which make it a close cousin to beer. A few Australian bakeries have beer and barley sourdough, but there’s nothing more satisfying than baking your own. The malted syrup used in this recipe mimics the malt in the beer, giving a well-balanced and complex flavour. Beer brownies? Absolutely. Stouts and porters add a richness and nutty sweetness to desserts. Try The Butcher Porter from The Rocks Brewing Co or James Squire Jack of Spades in your next chocolatey dessert. Image: Community Table. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Underground Cinema — Melburnian innovators of secret immersive film experiences — have announced their latest instalment: Money. These are the people who take cinema out of the cinema and into boatyards, beaches and after-hours schools, creating a world in sync with the evening's film through real-life actors, evocative food, intricate sets and costumes. It's all themed to set the scene and get guests guessing, because the film, of course, is a secret. So what do we know? We know that UGC Money will transport guests back to the pre-market crash 1980s for a cinema event that's more like walking onto a film set than anything else. Think fast cars, shoulder pads, yuppies and stock brokers. Dress is "'80s power", and you're required to "bring your A game". The dates confirmed for Melbourne are Thursday, July 2; Friday, July 3; Saturday, July 4; and Sunday, July 5. Whatever the film is, viewers can expect immersion bordering on camp. In the past they've taken toga-clad cinema-goers to ancient Rome (for Life of Brian) and given out white jumpsuits, student cards and medical examinations before filing people into a snow-covered Swedish academy (Let the Right One In). As distinct from World Movies Secret Cinema with its ambitious locations, the focus here is really on interactivity, immersion and theatricality, quite like the UK institution Secret Cinema. Tickets are on sale on Tuesday, May 19, at 1pm sharp. There's a cash bar and hot food on site, and all ticketholders will be sent details of the location via SMS on the day. Keep an eye on the UGC Facebook page for more details.
The One Day crew is hitting the road, bringing their famous daytime block parties to live music venues around Australia. Between the end of October and the week before Christmas, DJs from the beloved Sydney hip hop collective will bounce from coast to coast, stopping by a dozen capital cities and country towns along the way. Taking its cue from the group's massive monthly blowouts in Sydney, the One Day Block Party National Tour will see the One Day crew team up with local DJs and artists as they roll through pub, beer gardens, courtyards and car parks. Expect food and booze, live graffiti and a whole bunch of hip hop. The tour will start on October 29 in Adelaide before rolling through WA, Queensland, NSW and Victoria, finally wrapping up in the nation's capital on December 18. ONE DAY BLOCK PARTY NATIONAL TOUR Saturday 29th October – The Ed Castle, Adelaide Sunday 30th October – The Rosemount, Perth Saturday 12th November – Kirwan Tavern, Townsville Sunday 13th November – Magnum's, Airlie Beach Saturday 19th November – Miami Tavern, Gold Coast Sunday 20th November – Ric's Backyard, Brisbane Saturday 26th November – The Rosemount, Perth Sunday 27th November – Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough Saturday 10th December – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Sunday 11th December – Beer Deluxe, Albury Saturday 17th December – Proud Mary's, Erina Sunday 18th December – Westside Village, Canberra To book tickets, visit www.onedayblockparty.com.
For those who haven’t heard, Feast of Merit is a social enterprise restaurant that combines an entrepreneurial spirit with an ethical goal. Operated by non-profit organisation YGAP, all profits from the Middle Eastern restaurant go towards supporting local entrepreneurs in Australia, East Africa, South Africa and the Pacific. Basically, the venue is dead-set awesome. And the Feast of Merit ethos is obviously resonating with the community because they’re expanding their territory, and moving skywards. Yes, the Richmond cafe and restaurant has a new addition: a rooftop bar. Set to open tonight, Tuesday, March 1, the rooftop has been decked out by Richmond and Melbourne locals for an authentic and sustainable fit-out — and with it's laid back vibe and killer menu, it'll top your list of places to visit this weekend. The purpose of the rooftop is clear. With a dedicated snack-sized menu and extensive wine and beer list, the space will cater for the in-betweeners. Groups looking for pre-dinner drinks, colleagues searching for post-work snacks, and those in need of emergency cocktails will fit right in here; the FoM rooftop is good for any occasion too casual for a sit down meal. On the menu you’ll find bites such as cured Tasmanian ocean trout with ras el hanout, spiced organic almonds with chickpeas and merguez sausages with labneh, as well as a strong selection of Australian wineries and craft brewers. The FoM rooftop joins others on the Swan Street strip, including the one above the Corner, the Public House rooftop, and the terrace at Union Dining. And in case you were wondering, the name Feast of Merit comes from a ritual endemic to Nagaland in northeastern India. When a person comes into a position of wealth, the noblest thing they can do is share the fruits of their wealth with their whole community by throwing a huge feast. The feast lasts until all their assets are depleted, then they’re given the highest form of recognition and leave with nothing but the respect and gratitude of the whole village. As the Feast of Merit website says: “We come into this world with nothing. Like the people of Nagaland, we believe merit lies with those that choose to give it away." The Feast of Merit rooftop bar will open on Tuesday, March 1 at 5pm. It will then be open 5pm – late Tuesday to Thursday, and 3pm – late Friday to Sunday. For more info, visit feastofmerit.com. Images: Renee Stamatis
UPDATE, January 22, 2021: Get Out is available to stream via Binge, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. When a movie starts with a character walking nervously along a dark street, we all know what's going to happen next. Decades of horror films have taught us that nothing good can occur here. And, in Get Out, the situation plays out exactly as we've been conditioned to expect. The scared person is abducted by a masked attacker and dragged into a car. Crucially though, the victim isn't an attractive young woman, but rather a black man (Lakeith Stanfield) getting snatched up in the kind of picket-fenced suburbia most white folks could stroll through without fear. If you've ever seen his work with Keegan-Michael Key across the five seasons of their sketch comedy show Key and Peele, writer-director Jordan Peele's fondness for dissecting matters of race won't come as much of a surprise. While his first stint as a filmmaker doesn't feature white zombies refusing to eat people of colour, the underlying idea that African Americans are treated differently still sticks. Here, as in his comedy, he presents a scenario that quickly goes from amusing to uncomfortable to downright unnerving. Following Get Out's sinister opening scene, the film's focus switches to Brooklyn photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), who's about to head to his girlfriend Rose's (Allison Williams) family home in the country. He's meeting her parents for the first time, and he's understandably anxious. When he asks "do they know I'm black?", she assures him that it doesn't matter because her dad would've voted for Obama a third time if he could've. Chris has clearly heard similar sentiments before, and knows it's going to be awkward anyway. "I don't wanna get chased off the lawn with a shotgun," he jokes. After they arrive, Rose's father (Bradley Whitford) keeps dropping "my man" into daggy attempts at conversation. Her mother (Catherine Keener) is polite to Chris, but noticeably stern with their black servants (Betty Gabriel and Marcus Henderson). Then there's Rose's younger brother Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones) who makes uncomfortable comments about Chris' physique. To say that things don't feel quite right is a horror movie understatement right up there with Rosemary finding her new neighbours a bit odd in Rosemary's Baby. But again, Chris has seen this type of behaviour before. He's not thrilled, but he's not astonished either. Like all sinister storylines, the events that unfold are best discovered with as little prior knowledge as possible. It's not hard to pick up on the cleverly deployed horror tropes as they appear: the isolated location, hitting a deer on the way there, and the vocal warnings from Chris' pal Rod (LilRel Howery) back home. Likewise, you won't be able to miss the way that race keeps seeping into every conversation, shaping the way the movie unfolds. Peele's mastery of his spook-inducing genre is evident from the outset, but it's how he uses his classic setup to subvert the expected cliches and unleash a barrage of scathing social commentary that proves downright genius. What's so great about Get Out is how it defies easy categorisation. It's smart and oh-so-timely in the way that it highlights what it's like to be black in "post-racial" America. It's also genuinely unsettling and tense in an edge-of-your-seat manner, and never stops making viewers question what it is they're seeing. Last but not least, it's frequently hilarious, which given the director's background shouldn't come as a surprise. Add all of that together, and you're gifted one of the most assured, astute, entertaining and intelligent horror movies to creep out cinemas in years.
Since the ambitious NGV Triennial opened just before Christmas, the National Gallery of Victoria has been absolutely buzzing. And it's set to take this vibe to the next level with Triennial EXTRA, a one-off festival that will see the gallery open late for ten days this January. The NGV will turn things up a notch and and remain open from 6pm till midnight run every day between January 19 and 28. Like the exhibition the festival is free to attend, and its program covers immersive and experiential events across art, music, dance, live performance, design and ideas. You can grab a drink and take a tour led by dance company Chunky Move, attend a talk of the intersection of gender and race in art or dance along to one of the DJs-in-residence. Chef Andrew McConnell will also take over the gallery's Garden Restaurant for the ten days and transform it into Supernormal Natsu, a spin-off of his modern Japanese restaurant in Flinders Lane. Image: Eugene Hyland.
Getting down to your local for a nice cold beer is now as easy as pushing a button. As part of a new marketing campaign, Czech beer company Kozel has devised the Tap Out button, which when pressed will summon a taxi to ferry you to the nearest pub. Could this be the greatest scientific innovation of the modern age? Until Dominoes rolls out that pizza robot of theirs, we reckon it might just be. The buttons, of which there are three, will be made available via twitter. All beer lovers need to do is mention a mate and use the hashtag #PushforPub, and they could soon be on their way to the closest establishment that serves Kozel. What's more, there'll be two pints waiting for them on arrival. Pretty crafty. The button is good for three uses, at which point it presumably self-destructs, Mission: Impossible-style. Now the bad news: for the time being at least, the Tap Out buttons are only available in the UK, although according to PSFK, there's a chance more will be made available if the initial campaign is successful. And frankly, how could it not be. Rest assured, we'll let you know if they make it down to our part of the world. Until then, it looks like you're stuck with walking. https://vimeo.com/175340774 Via PSFK.
Yeah, yeah, so Meghan Trainor spent X weeks at the top of the charts with her multiplatinum mega-single and No 1. album at only 22 years old. Yeah, good. We're pretty set to continue burling 'ROBBED!' for a good few hours after Australia's Courtney Barnett just missed out on her first Grammy award for Best New Artist, with the 'All About That Bass' artist nabbing the gong. But the Melburnian/Hobartian won the live blogging for the event, taking over Tumblr's music page for the day. Apart from Kendrick Lamar rightly dominating errrrthing, Lady Gaga's Bowie tribute and Pharrell's quaint Chanel jacket, Barnett's quiet blogging stole the show for us. Takin' mad selfie GIFs before the show: http://music.tumblr.com/post/139381160531/just-me-and-then-dave-and-then-bones Rockin' the outfit we'd want to wear to the Grammys: http://music.tumblr.com/post/139388982451/me-on-the-red-carpet Waiting for Swifty and Selena to wrap up: http://music.tumblr.com/post/139390159691/taylor-and-selena-in-front-of-me-nbd Before and after-ing on the red carpet. http://music.tumblr.com/post/139390666806/pre-red-carpet-post-red-carpet-we-did-it Scoping out after-Grammy tacos: http://music.tumblr.com/post/139405254176/hanging-with-my-awesome-tour-manager-hook-waiting Go check it out here. What a boss.
Australia's most sinister festival, Dark Mofo, is back for its seventh year — and it's set to be as boundary-pushing as ever. As always, the festival will take place in the lead up to the winter solstice, exploring connections between old and contemporary mythology through art installations, performance, talks and music — all taking place in the darkness of Tasmanian winter. Hosted by the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Dark Mofo will takeover most of Hobart between June 6–23, showcasing a melting pot of artists, creatives and thinkers who dwell in the shadows of mainstream culture. Just-announced musicians include FKA Twigs — who's also bringing her experimental dream pop to Vivid Sydney this year — New York-based composer Nicolás Jaar, American singer John Grant and multi-instrumentalist Roger Eno. Other highlights of the music program include an audiovisual 'soundbath' by Sigur Rós; an international metal program, featuring Brazil's Mystifier; and the return of Night Mass, a ritualistic series of multi-venue late-night parties featuring Sampa the Great, FAKA and Empress Of. These musicians and creatives join those announced in the first lineup drop last week, which included boundary-pushing speakers in the Dark + Dangerous Thoughts program, artists Ai Weiwei and Mike Parr, and singer and actor Sharon Van Etten. The festival's dark and quirky arts lineup has grown, too, with the addition of a latex-filled installation and performance by Japan's Saeborg and an immersive group exhibition — of ten international artists, including Canada's Cassils, USA's Paul McCarthy and India's Shilpa Gupta — inside the former Forestry Tasmania Building. The award-winning building — which once housed its own forest — is just one of many new venues to join this year's program. Come June, revellers will also be able to party inside the Old Hobart Blood Bank, the Avalon and Odeon theatres, the Old Davey St Congregational Church and aboard a floating natural wine bar, dubbed Natty Waves. Of course, all the festival favourites are set to make a triumphant return, too. You'll be able to drink and eat amongst inverted crosses and candles at the Winter Feast, try not to freeze during the very cold Nude Solstice Swim and absolve your sins at Night Mass. Images: Rémi Chauvin and Rosie Hastie.
The humble dimmy will make its glorious and heroic return to Welcome to Thornbury this July, as part of the fifth annual Dimmy and Dumpling festival at the inner-north food truck park. Whether you're partial to a fried wonton or crispy gyoza, piping hot pierogi or spicy mandu, you'll find them at Welcome to Thornbury on Saturday, July 29. From 12–10pm, this inner north favourite is welcoming a lineup of D&D-serving eateries. You can expect classic fish-and-chip shop dimmys, Japanese gyozas, Nepalese and Polish dumplings, as well as a range of vegan and gluten-free options. The food truck lineup includes favourites such as South Melbourne Dim Sims, The Lil Dumpling Van, Woking Amazing and Chef Calamari. Entry is free. And although we don't recommend giving human food to dogs, your pet pupper is welcome to come along while you scoff down all of the dim sims and dumplings you can handle. Top image: Unsplash.
Can you feel a tingling in your toes as your feet start to defrost? That's the feeling of winter slipping away (or maybe you've been sitting cross-legged for too long) and with its demise comes the return of Australia's beloved Moonlight Cinema. Ahhh balmy nights on the grass, we have missed you. Heralding the coming of the warmer months, Moonlight Cinema is a summertime tradition and it always nails the balance between new releases and cult classics. The film program is yet to be announced, but we'll keep you updated as soon as it is. Nosh-wise, Moonlight Cinema will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks, but the unorganised can also chow down on a plethora of US style food trucks — the perfect, messy treat made for reclining on bean beds. Bean beds and snack trucks, is there anything better? This season includes screens in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, running from November through to March. Get your pens out and jot down these dates. MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2018 DATES: Sydney: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park) Melbourne: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Central Lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens) Brisbane: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Roma Street Parkland) Perth: Dec 1–Mar 31 (May Drive Parkland, Kings Park & Botanic Garden) Adelaide: Dec 8–Feb 17 (Botanic Park) The Moonlight Cinema kicks off on November 29. For more information and bookings here.
English composer Clint Mansell has produced some of the most memorable film scores of the past 15 years. Best known for his collaboration with director Darren Aronofsky, and in particular his work on Requiem for a Dream, Mansell's distinctively eerie and grandiose sound helps elevate him above the competition, and has seen him team up with the likes of Trent Reznor, Patti Smith and the Kronos Quartet. As part of this year's Melbourne Festival, Mansell will present a selection of his most iconic film compositions backed by a nine-piece band. This event is one of our top ten picks of the Melbourne Festival. Check out the other nine.
