The annual festival of lights, art and music has revealed the first three installations in its 2021 program. The three installations include an immersive sound and light display in Cockle Bay, a 3D projection encompassing Circular Quay's Customs House and the projection of an artist's creative process in The Rocks. The announcement came 100 days before Vivid 2021 is set to begin, coinciding with the launch of two luminous clocks counting down to the festival's 'lights on' moment on Friday, August 6. You can visit the clocks which are ticking away at First Fleet Park in The Rocks and Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo. Following a breakout year of immersive walkthrough experiences, Sydneysiders will be able to head to Cockle Bay and wander across a floating walkway surrounded by 200 bubble-like spheres and towering structures scattered across the bay. The installation, titled Ephemeral, is the work of Sydney design studio Atelier Sisu and will be the first time Cockle Bay's waters have been incorporated into Vivid. [caption id="attachment_809931" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ephemeral, Destination NSW[/caption] Hong Kong's Treacle Media are responsible for Circular Quay's VORAX, a three-dimensional projection that will tell the story of a mischievous thief's rise to greatness in front of Customs House. Down the road in The Rocks, local artist Brad Robson and Esem Projects will project Robson's spellbinding portraits, as well as his process of creating them for the installation Point of View. "Vivid Sydney is a bright star on Sydney's events calendar supporting the entire ecosystem of the state's visitor economy," NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney said. "It brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and inspires locals to get out and enjoy Sydney and support our CBD businesses during winter which is typically a quieter period." Vivid will activate a little later than usual this year with the event tipped to run from Friday, August 6 until Saturday, August 28. It follows the cancellation of the 2020 event due to coronavirus. This year's full program is set to be announced in late May. Vivid Sydney 2021 will take place from August 6–28, 2021. We'll update you when the full program is released closer to the event date. For more information in the interim, visit the event's website. Top images: Destination NSW
It's happened to all of us. Your favourite band is in town and tickets are $50. Easy. Done deal. You see the tour announcement, log onto Ticketmaster or Ticketek and begin the transaction. But then, they start casually bringing up other fees. Oh, you want to book the ticket, that'll be an extra $5. Pay with a credit card? $2. Mail it, print it or pick it up at the venue? Each will cost you. By the end of the process your bargain price can end up looking pretty awful. Now, following an investigation led by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), these two ticketing companies will be forced to stop being so sneaky. This process, known as 'drip pricing', will be stopped and all compulsory fees will now be included in the up-front price. Both Ticketek and Ticketmaster will include the payment processing fee in the advertised cost, and Ticketek will also add the service/delivery fee as soon as you select the number of tickets. Admittedly, it's not a huge win for music fans. You're still paying these ridiculous arbitrary fees, but at least you'll know about it upfront. There's nothing worse than grabbing tickets to an event that's selling out and being gouged by mounting fees. Just look at this year's Splendour ticketing hack: even when the price climbed into the thousands people felt pressured to buy. "Although the law does not prevent traders from charging fees, it does require that they are disclosed clearly to avoid consumers being misled," said ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard. "The steps taken by these ticketing companies should give consumers more clarity upfront about the total cost of buying tickets for entertainment events." Two enthusiastic thumbs up. Next on the agenda: airlines. The ACCC have also launched a similar investigation into Jetstar and Virgin that will hopefully put an end to their extra booking and servicing fees. We can deal with buying our own sandwiches on board, but when you try to sneakily charge us $10 for picking a special seat, you've gone too far.
Every Easter long weekend for 29 years, Bluesfest has descended on Byron Bay for five days of blues and roots. But this year, the acclaimed festival's 30th anniversary, may be its last in the Northern Rivers location. In a scathing letter addressed to the NSW Government, Festival Director Peter Noble has revealed that Bluesfest might leave the state because of the government's strict new policies on music festivals. "I am saying now, Bluesfest will leave NSW. We have no choice it's a matter of survival," the letter, originally published on The Industry Observer, said. "Will the last festival to leave NSW please turn out the light of culture in this soon to be barren state?" You can read the full open letter, which was shared with Concrete Playground, below. Noble described the new policies — which include a strict new licensing regime — as "poorly thought-out", "unbalanced" and "the Lockout Laws Version Two for festivals", highlighting that the State Government had neglected to fully consult those in the industry. He also revealed that the 30-year-old festival is having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with recently implemented policies. Bluesfest, if relocated, will be just the latest casualty of the NSW Government's new policies, with both the Mountain Sounds and Psyfari teams cancelling their 2019 festivals in the last seven days, stating "the government's war on festivals", particularly "newly imposed safety, licensing and security costs", as reasons. Both said they were also required to spend thousands of dollars to comply with the new policies, but were unable to do so at such short notice. The new music festival licensing regime follows advice from the government's expert panel on music festival safety, which was assembled in September after two young people died of suspected drug overdoses at Defqon 1. Since then, three more young people have died from suspected drug overdoses at NSW festivals. The NSW Government is continuing to ignore increased calls for pill-testing as a harm-minimisation technique at festivals. Read Peter Noble's full letter below. Letter from Peter Noble OAM, Bluesfest Festival Director re NSW Government's policy changes to festivals in the State: Bluesfest may well be celebrating our last festival in NSW, should the sitting NSW Government proceed with its plans for its policies. Even though we are Australia's most highly-awarded festival both nationally and internationally – having won Best Major Event at the NSW Tourism Awards three years in a row; and in representing NSW we came in second in the Australian Tourism Awards (beating Victoria's F1 Grand Prix) – we have been designated a 'high risk event'. This will cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with a policy where we and every other event in this State have had zero opportunity to have any consultation or input into a policy where we will need to spend significantly more money to put on the event this year with zero notice. The policy will see our full-strength liquor approval denied, while a myriad of other costs may be levied costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars. The NSW police regularly state that our policies are those of an industry leader in the supply of alcohol, field hospital, and crowd security and care. But, due to headlines in the media, our 30-year-old professional business is to be seriously damaged in a new policy imposed regarding festival presentation by a government who has rushed the judgement of our industry without full consultation of stake holders, or meetings with entertainment industry professionals. I charge the Government with a systemic failure in fairness here and implore all politicians from all parties to quickly become involved with what is a serious injustice. We, like most events in this State, supply a significant level of culture – we don't receive a cent from government even though we cause thousands of people to be employed – and bring tens of millions of dollars into NSW through Tourism. In the recent study done by the NSW government into the arts, it was found NSW is significantly behind Victoria and Queensland. I ask the Premier, the Minister for the Arts, Tourism and Major Events and EVERY sitting politician: WHY? Why do you seem to be hell-bent on destroying our industry? We provide culture to the people of this state, and Australia, through our good works. Most festivals haven't had drug deaths and contribute greatly to our society through presenting well-run, professional, world-class events. Why have we been given zero recognition in this government's actions? It seems the new policies are poorly thought-out and through their implementation will decimate our industry, should our government not see good sense. Will the last festival to leave NSW please turn out the light of culture in this soon to be barren state? I have in my 50 years in presenting music NEVER EXPERIENCED such poorly thought out, unbalanced legislation. Surely a professional governing body could do better. It's the Lockout Laws Version two for festivals. This is NOT a vote winner in the upcoming election. Thank you, Peter Noble OAM Presenter, Bluesfest and the Boomerang Indigenous Festival Bluesfest 2019 is scheduled to run from April 18 to April 22 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay. More details and ticket info here. Image: Joseph Mayers.
What's better, the smell of fresh popcorn or the scent of fresh air? Now that starlight screenings have returned to Lido's Rooftop Cinema in Hawthorn, you can enjoy both at once. Perched atop the Glenferrie Road picture house, the outdoor screen is once again lighting up with a selection of new release and retro movies in the open air for the rest of spring and throughout summer. Highlights on the 2023–24 Lido on the Roof season include the biggest movie of the year, aka Barbie; big suits and brilliant tunes in the remastered Stop Making Sense; fresh titles such as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Napoleon; and Christmas flicks when the time comes. Also on the bill: everything from Grease, 24 Hour Party People, The Parent Trap and Spice World, to take care of the classics, through to Past Lives, Wonka, Priscilla and Ferrari. Always a hot ticket, sessions sell out quickly here — if you need any more motivation to get booking. Also, don't forget that the bar opens an hour before session start times for rooftop — and sunset — drinks.
No need to dig for pocket change at this chocolate shop. All you need to surrender is a little piece of your generosity. Danish chocolatier Anthon Berg created his one-day pop-up sweet shop 'Generous Store' because he believes that "there is not enough generosity in people's lives". Adorned with numberless 'price tags' that specified good deeds, the store's chocolate boxes could be taken home for the cost of a promise. Shoppers had to promise to complete the good deed, sanctifying their pledge by sharing it on Facebook via the store's iPad. If they failed to hold up their end of the bargain, their Facebook friends would be aware to hold them accountable. Chocolates were exchanged for the promise to serve a loved one breakfast in bed, to speak nicely to one's mother, and to complete a variety of other deeds, proving that chocolates aren't the only thing that makes life sweet. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_cNfX3tJonw [via GOOD]
Their first joint venture Bar Liberty is a widely-acclaimed Fitzroy wine bar. Now, owners Banjo Harris Plane, Michael Bascetta, Manu Potoi and Casey Wall are joining forces again, this time to open a modern Italian bar and restaurant in Carlton. Taking over The Beaufort's former digs on Rathdowne Street, the team has swapped the red neon and divey feel for a space that's warm and fresh. Here, terrazzo tile floors and Art Deco fixtures prove a fitting backdrop for a largely Italian offering, that's spiked with influence from Australia and the USA. Set to open its doors on August 15, Capitano will be serving up Chef Wall's modern take on Italian fare, centred around top local ingredients. Expect rotating selections of pasta and pizzas, a range of dry-aged steaks, a share-friendly lasagne dish and a fun lineup of desserts, headlined by a classic tiramisu. Enjoy your feed alongside a beer at the bar, book a table to really settle in, or fly by to grab something from the take-away menu. Head Chef Blake Giblet will be heading up the kitchen and bringing co-owner Wall's menu to life, while Sam Rogers takes the reins front-of-house also lending his international DJ experience to the soundtrack of new wave Italo-disco. And the bar itself has plenty to offer, from revamped classic Italian cocktails and a sprawling collection of amari, to Harris Plane's expert wine list, packed with fun Italian varietals from overseas and closer to home, as well as a few of those harder-to-find drops. Find Capitano at 421 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, from Wednesday, August 15.
Even if politics isn't your favourite topic, there's been no avoiding a certain name since the mid 2010s, ever since Donald Trump announced that he was running for US President. Over that time, he's been voted into America's top office, then voted out. Saying that he didn't take the latter well is an understatement. He got kicked off Twitter, too, and announced another bid for the gig in 2024. Much, much, much more has happened, of course — and much, much, much more again — but everyone has seen the constant stream of headlines already. One person who's been forced to observe all of the above from a unique position is Mary Trump, the former US President's only niece, as well as an outspoken critic of him and their family. You might've heard of or read the trained clinical psychologist's 2020 book Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, which explores the obvious. Now, in winter 2023, you can see Mary chat about her thoughts and clearly chaotic life live onstage in Australia. That tome sold almost a million copies in a single day. Plus, with the next US elections two years away, that T word — Trump — isn't fading from view anytime soon. Accordingly, Mary will head to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to talk about it with Ray Martin, dishing the details from her firsthand experiences. [caption id="attachment_880176" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Wade Photography via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Attendees can expect to hear about her uncle's impact upon the world's health and economic security, plus society in general. And, about the ideas and American history — the American Civil War, slavery and the Founding Fathers all included — that've helped lead to his position of influence. Mary will also give an insider's view into how the US works, the rise of the MAGA movement and what a future with Donald Trump in power, or even out of it, could hold. Taking to the stage at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne's Hamer Hall and Sydney's State Theatre, she'll add insights into her childhood and family dynamic in detail as well. Clearly, this won't be the kind of in-conversation session that anyone gets to see everyday. And, if you're a US politics junkie, it'd make quite the double — albeit spaced out by a few months — with Barack Obama's 2023 Aussie speaking tour. MARY TRUMP: LIVE ON STAGE — AUSTRALIAN 2023 TOUR: Saturday, June 17: Great Hall, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Tuesday, June 20: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Thursday, June 22: State Theatre, Sydney Mary Trump's Australian speaking tour will take place in June 2023. To join the waitlist for tickets — which will go on sale in February — head to the tour's website.
Singaporean-inspired Hawker Hall is getting into the Lunar New Year spirit just as you'd expect: with program of delicious fun. Not only is it hosting a special yum cha offering, complete with booze specials, but also a series of lavish Chinese banquets. Available for lunch right up until Monday, January 27, the limited-edition yum cha menu clocks in at just $33 per person. That'll see you feasting your way through six shared dishes, with creations like crispy chicken wontons matched with green chilli soy, curry duck bao, and steamed pork and water chestnut dumplings teamed with oyster sauce. Add on extras like crispy coconut prawns, or fried rice with crab and wood ear mushroom, for an easy $9.50 each. What's more, you'll find five different brews from Wolf of the Willows on tap, available to match for just $3 each. Things step up a notch across Chinese New Year weekend, with a special celebratory banquet on offer each night from Saturday, January 25 until Monday, January 27. This one features four shared courses, heroing the classics. Think Peking duck noodle soup loaded with wontons, a signature riff on sesame prawn toasts done with house made sweet and sour caramel soy sauce, and Xinjian-style lamb ribs teamed with pickled cucumber and smoked yogurt. And you can end it all on a sweet note with some Chinese doughnuts and toasted coconut sorbet. This one's $68 each and can only be booked from 6pm for dinner.
Back in 2020, which now seems a lifetime ago, St Jerome's Laneway Festival celebrated 15 years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio first decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes. The beloved fest marked that milestone with a characteristically jam-packed lineup that made its way to Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Fremantle, as well as Auckland — but since then, it's been quiet thanks to the pandemic. After two Laneway-less years, the festival has finally locked in dates for its 2023 return — plus new venues for four of its five Australian stops. The festival will kick off in Auckland, returning to Albert Park for the long weekend of Auckland Anniversary Day on Monday, January 30. From there it will arrive in Brisbane on Saturday, February 4, Sydney on Sunday, February 5, Adelaide on Friday, February 10, Melbourne on Saturday, February 11 and Perth on Sunday, February 12. Across these five Australian dates, the Brisbane venue is the only one that has remained consistent from the festival's 2020 run of shows, taking to Brisbane Showgrounds again. The Melbourne leg of the festival has been forced to move away from its previous home at Footscray Park and will now pop up at the newly opened Epsom Road venue The Park in Flemington. The Park has an on-site train station and is located just 15 minutes from the CBD. [caption id="attachment_655626" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anthony Smith[/caption] In Sydney, after 10 years at Sydney College of the Arts and Callan Park, Laneway 2020's Sydney date shifted to The Domain. Now for 2023, it's moved again and will be making its home at the Sydney Showground. Sydneysiders will associate the Showground with the Sydney Royal Easter Show, but this won't be its first time hosting a major touring music festival, as it was once the regular home for the now-defunct Big Day Out. The South Australian leg has moved from Port Adelaide's Hart's Mill to the Adelaide CBD's Bonython Park, and, in the biggest move, the Western Australia leg will be going down at the recently revamped Wellington Square. "The Laneway Festival team is constantly looking for ways to improve and enhance the patron and artist experience and each of the sites will allow us to bring in A+ production and facilities. We are absolutely pumped to host music fans and our favourite ever line-up on these new sites," Laneway Festival co-Founder Danny Rogers said. If you're hanging out to know who will be gracing the stage next year, you'll have to wait a couple more days. The lineup is set to drop at 7.40am this Wednesday, September 21. In 2020, the lineup was headed up by the likes of The 1975, Charli XCX and Earl Sweatshirt, as well as a host of local favourites like Ruel, DMA's and Ocean Alley. View this post on Instagram A post shared by St. Jerome's Laneway Festival (@lanewayfest) St Jerome's Laneway Festival will return to Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth between Monday, January 30 and Sunday, February 12. Head to the festival's social pages for all the info on its 2023 edition and for next year's lineup when it drops this Wednesday, September 21.
Playing Hawkins, Indiana's chief of police Jim Hopper, David Harbour has faced everything from monsters, grief and missing kids to frozen waffles, mall battles and a Russian prison camp. Across the rest of his non-Stranger Things resume, he's gone red in Hellboy, joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Widow and played a not-so-jolly Santa in Violent Night, as well as showing up in three different versions of Law & Order — some more than once — and the American remake of Rake. Next on his agenda: a trip to Australia to revel in his fandom. For famous faces, that's what joining the bill at a big pop-culture convention is all about. A new excuse to show your love for your movie, TV, comic book and game favourites is popping up in Melbourne, with Metro Comic Con making its debut in July. That's news worth busting out your cosplay best for, but Harbour's involvement might have you donning Hawaiian shirts from Saturday, July 8–Sunday, July 9 at Melbourne Showgrounds. The convention's biggest name will make an appearance ahead of his next flick Gran Turismo, which reaches cinemas in August. And, he isn't the only Stranger Things cast member on the lineup. Also swapping the Upside Down for a stint Down Under is Jamie Campbell Bower, aka Vecna, in news that'll make you go running up that hill — any hill. Netflix's huge hit sci-fi series isn't the only title in the spotlight at the two-day event, of course. More than four decades since E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became a classic, Henry Thomas and Dee Wallace want to get you phoning home about the beloved film. Sons of Anarchy aficionados can look forward to Kim Coates and Tommy Flanagan, while Lucifer's Tom Ellis, The Walking Dead's Khary Payton, and Shadow and Bone's Danielle Galligan and Dean Lennox Kelly will also be in attendance — plus Our Flag Means Death's Vico Ortiz, Roswell's Brendan Fehr and The Mandalorian's Katy O'Brian. The full list of guests also spans voice talents, writers, illustrators and comic artists, with Metro Comic Con's talents appearing across panels, and photo and autograph opportunities — and alongside stalls filled with merchandise, plus oh-so-many ticketholders in costume. Metro Comic Con hits Melbourne Showgrounds, Epsom Road, Ascot Vale across Saturday, July 8–Sunday, July 9 — head to the event's website for further details and tickets. Stranger Things images: Netflix.
Across one big weekend, Werribee Park's Victoria State Rose Garden is set to bloom bright for the annual State Rose & Garden Show. But this is a whole lot more than just a festival of flowers. From Saturday, November 9–Sunday, November 10, the six sprawling acres of rose gardens will come alive with a riot of colour and more than 5000 roses, alongside pop-up nursery stalls selling a wide range of plants, pots and homewares. You can even hone your green thumb with a program of guided tours, expert talks and plant care demonstrations, led by names like Vasili Kanidiadis, Chloe Thomson, Charlotte Harrison, Ivan Blacket and Kat Lavers. Elsewhere, try a free workshop like creating your own insect hotel, making miniature garden ornaments and learning how to make Middle Eastern pickles. In between exploring the blooms, you'll be treated to live tunes, eats and drinks — including sparkling treats from the Prosecco Van. The Country Women's Association will also be on-site, serving their famous scones with jam and cream, rose-flavoured cupcakes, rose-coloured lamingtons and Persian love biscuits made with rose petals. Entry is free to the rose show, though if you'd like to drop a gold coin donation, it'll go to supporting the garden's hard-working volunteers. State Rose & Garden Show is open from 10am–4pm both days.
On Sunday, January 20, Sydney staged a huge march through the city streets, with thousands waving witty (and moving) signs to protest violence against women around the globe. Australia was just one of 30 countries taking part in the third annual #WomensWave march — protests were also held in in France, Zimbabwe, New Zealand and across the USA. According to Destroy the Joint, an Australian group that researches and records the number of women killed by violence, 69 women died due to violence in Australia in 2018. This year's march was, unfortunately, timely, following the murder of exchange student Aiia Maasarwe in Melbourne just last week, and Maasarwe was the focus of many of the event's speeches and signs. Speakers at the event included Yumi Stynes, host of SBS documentary Is Australia Sexist? and ABC Radio podcast Ladies, We Need to Talk; Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull; Bhenji Ra, indigenous queer artist and activist; Jane Brock of Immigrant Women's Speakout and 1 Billion Rising; and Aunty Norma, a Wiradjuri woman and activist. It's estimated 3000 Sydneysiders marched from Hyde Park to Belmore Park, calling on the Australian government to address gender-based violence and to continue working towards equality for women. Words by Jasmine Crittenden.
As a generation, we've watched the internet emerge from its fledgling beginnings to its modern state, where nearly a third of Earth's population is logged on. In mere decades, the internet has gone from nonexistent to a necessity. We are a population obsessed. And then came Facebook. The ever-expanding social network debuted in 2004, turning us all into Facebook-stalkers and using up any free time we had left. It's hard to remember the internet before Facebook, let alone any of the computer technology of yesteryear. Squirrel Monkey's video tutorial, which imagines Facebook if it had been designed in the 1990s, will bring you right back to the horrendous colour graphics and primitive Windows versions of the technology's start. The video, a humourous how-to, takes a new user through the nuances of "the Facebook". The concept of Facebook, set against the simplistic '90s graphics, suddenly seems very ridiculous. And perhaps that is just the point. The subsequent videos, which imagine Twitter in the '80s and Draw Something as an old PC game, similarly put social media into perspective, reminding us not to take our status updates and tweets all too seriously. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xrYRH3PYYT0 [via Flavorwire]
Following on from the success of his Collingwood debut, acclaimed French boulanger Gontran Cherrier has opened a second Melbourne bakery in Hawthorn. Focusing on take-away bites — with a small sit-down space for those eager to eat in-store — it's the latest addition to the fourth-generation baker's growing pastry empire. For those new to Cherrier's tasty wares, he was sent to the prestigious Ferrandi Culinary School when he was 16, and then went on to study in Paris at the Les Grandis Moulin de Paris bakery and patisserie school. It's no surprise then that, after opening his first boulangerie in Paris in 2010, he has since swiftly expanded into Singapore, Japan, Korea and now two spots in Australia. Filled with light and featuring a stripped-back look, the new Glenferrie Road store boasts a hefty array of flaky, buttery deliciousness — including his classic offerings, as well as three new savoury danishes of the chorizo, tomato, smoked paprika and fetta; zuccini and fetta; and, egg, ham and gruyere varieties. With everything else staying the same, this means that the flour is still Gontran's favourite Label Rouge, which he sources from the french region of Auvergne, and the croissants are still small, dense and chewy. Maintaining the quality of the traditional product, Cherrier is known to then add unique and unexpected flavours into the mix, so if you want to try something a little out of the norm, the miso rye bread or lemon yuzu tart are good places to start. In Cherrier's mind, "freshly baked bread, made from French flour is one of life's greatest pleasures." This is something you're probably already well aware. What you mightn't know is that French flour is much more digestible than other alternatives, which means that it won't leave you bloated or uncomfortable. Recognising Glenferrie Road's community feel, the new boulangerie also hopes to collaborate with local businesses further down the line. Find Gontran Cherrier at 696 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn. Head to their website for further details.
You have to hear Noisy Jelly to believe it. This science project-esque game, imagined by Raphaël Pluvinage and Marianne Cauvard, allows you to create your own musical instrument out of jelly. Using water, agar agar powder and a set series of molds (contained in Noisy Jelly's mini chemistry lab) players can create their own set of jellies. The jellies are then placed on the included game board, where they may be touched and manipulated to create sound. If you don't quite get the jelly-to-music correlation either, Noisy Jelly includes a scientific diagram to explain what is actually happening. The game board functions as a capacitative sensor, and the final sound it produces all depends upon the shape and salt concentration of the jelly. The distance and strength of the finger-to-jelly contact can create different sounds, as well.
Twinkling fairy lights, hot melty cheese, mulled wine — and your own private igloo to cosy up in while you enjoy it all. If that sounds like the kind of winter scenario you'd like to snuggle into, then here's a pop-up you'll definitely want to make a date with. Off the back of its 2022 debut in Canberra, the Raclette Igloo Experience is set to descend on the rooftop of Fed Square from Friday, May 19–Sunday, June 11, serving up a healthy dose of charming Euro winter vibes. Available to book for groups of six or eight guests, a total of fourteen igloos will grace the space, each named after a different French ski resort. The set-up is designed to transport you straight to some wintery wonderland in the heart of Europe, complete with French-speaking waitstaff to greet you as faux snow tumbles softly from above. As the name suggests, the cheesy hero of this experience is the raclette, which'll be served up family-style at your table, ready to be spilled over traditional accompaniments like cured meats, boiled potatoes and pickles. A huge amount of cheese is being brought over from France for the occasion, with up to two kilos of the stuff to be set aside for each group. You'll even get your own raclette guide to show you the ropes and have you dining like a proper French foodie. Guests will enjoy a glass of mulled wine paired with their raclette feast, although each igloo is also kitted out with its own mini bar full of French wines and soft drinks available to add on for an extra cost. You'll wrap things up in very toasty style, too — huddled around a roaring fire pit roasting marshmallows with your mates for dessert. The Raclette Igloo Experience clocks in at $99 per person, with various day and night bookings available. Catch the Raclette Igloo Experience on the Fed Square rooftop from May 19–June 11. Bookings can be made over on the website.
Many local hospitality venues excel at one thing in particular. Whether they pour the best wine or serve a cold brew that'll have you buzzing for a week, most of these venues focus on one specialty during a particular part of the day. For the Japanese café Kahii, located on Kent Street in Sydney, however, flexibility and variety are what keep the spark alive. "Adding a night offering gave the venue a whole new life," says Kahii's director, Matthew Wong. Open from 8am until 3:30pm Monday to Friday, and re-opening from 5pm 'til 12am Tuesday to Saturday, Kahii serves freshly brewed coffee by day and cocktails by renowned mixologist Fumiaki (with a curated bar snack menu from Kuro's Executive Chef, Taka Teramoto) by night. "Flexibility isn't just a survival tactic — it's a growth mindset," Wong tells Concrete Playground. When Kahii opened in 2016, it was purely a day-trade cafe inspired by the Japanese tea room, kissaten. "Quiet, minimal, refined". After the venue survived the pandemic (and subsequent lockdowns and venue regulations that gutted the city as a whole), Kahii wanted to do something "exciting" again. "Licensing conditions had relaxed, and we saw the opportunity to introduce a tea and coffee-inspired cocktail program that reflected our identity while giving people something unique in the city," Wong adds. "It was both strategic and personal — a natural extension of who we are and what we enjoy." Pros of Flexibility According to Wong, the advantages of running a business that opens at different times of the day are plentiful. "It creates diversity—not just in revenue, but in the types of experiences we offer and the people we attract." "During the day, we serve office workers, creatives, and locals grabbing their daily coffee or matcha. At night, the crowd shifts to people seeking somewhere intimate to unwind with a drink and a bite." Wong also notes that increasingly, regulars are starting and ending their day at the cafe. "There's crossover, too." In addition to attracting a diverse range of patrons, from a business standpoint, Kahii is maximising the value of a "sunk cost"—rent. "Activating the space in the evening was a strategic way to make full use of it." Being open throughout the day also creates a buffer from trade volatility. "Things like school holidays, transport disruptions, and weather don't hit quite as hard when we have more than one audience," Wong adds. How to Adapt Your Business to Two Offerings If you want to expand your hospitality business beyond its current offerings, Wong recommends starting with what you love. Then, build systems that support flexibility. "If you're transitioning from day to night, make sure the space is designed to shift moods—lighting, music, staff training, and menus all need to adapt seamlessly." He also suggests thinking about operational flow. From bookings, orders, payments, and prep change, how will you widen your service? "The clearer your identity and the smoother your systems, the more your guests will feel like it's all part of one cohesive experience—not two separate businesses," Wong explains. Tools like Square can help build upon this flow. Kahii uses Square for POS during the day and Square for Restaurants at night. The platform handles everything from payments to open orders and integrates with booking platforms. As he explains, "[Square] makes a huge difference to our workflow, especially as we transition between different trade periods and customer expectations." Kill Your Darlings Running a hospitality business comes with a lot of decision-making. Part of this means making calls that impact your day-to-day. "There were offerings we loved but had to let go of—sometimes because they didn't resonate with guests, other times because they were operationally clunky," says Wong. One of the biggest lessons for Kahii has been knowing when to separate personal attachment from business performance, which Wong notes is never easy, but often necessary. "Looking back, every time we've made that call, it's created room for something better. Something that fits the brand, the customer, and the moment we're in." If Wong could give any advice to other adventurous business owners in the same position, it would be to be honest about what's not working. Be open to new formats, offerings, or even the times of day you operate. And most importantly, don't be afraid to pivot with purpose. "Talk to your team. Listen to your customers. Look at the data. Sometimes the smallest insights, like consistent feedback on a menu item or noticing a dip in trade at a certain time, can spark the biggest changes." Square empowers local businesses to thrive by making it easier to run, manage, and grow their operations. Find out how Square can help your business grow. Images: Kahii
If Polly were a real lady, this is what her home would look like: washed concrete floors, deep burgundy walls, and gold framed-paintings of long lost elders, royal velvet armchairs and a schmick bar fit out with a box of sneaky cigars for later use. Oh, and of course, her front garden would be a green paradise, with mythical Greek statues and the odd water feature or two. Except Polly isn't a real lady. She's a bar, and a damn fine one at that, too. Located right in the heart of Brunswick, Polly is a drinking hole with air of dark elegance. Think the eerie feeling of a haunted house crossed with a grand dame's estate, and you've got a quirky little place, perfect for pre-drinks or a night out in itself, right within the reaches of Melbourne's best bohemian suburb. Polly boasts an extensive drink list, and if you can't find what you want off the menu, the friendly, efficient staff will happily improvise to make something delicious. Cocktails are a premium here, and many top shelf liquors are also available upon request. Why not down a decadent Nutella cocktail? (Nutella, Drambuie, chocolate vodka, chestnut liqueur coconut syrup) Or, if you really want to channel your own inner Polly, a mature sip of 'Lusty Busty Maiden' (Frangelico, berry puree, raspberry liquor) or a classic mojito flow down the neck with ease. (All from $18) If you're looking for a drink that is a little more modest, Polly's extensive wine list will leave you spoilt for choice, with even selections of white, red and sparkling wines available. (Glass, from $8) A wide range of tap and boutique beers keep the lads happy, while the designated driver can even have a bit of fun with a mocktail or two (from $8). Polly also offers a range of bar snacks and nibbles. The 'Perfect P' pizza (sweet potato, caramelised onion, olives and feta cheese) ($7) makes for a delicious little supper. Don't come here if you are in a hurry, as the shirt and tie clad staff take the time to cut, blend, mix, shake and pour your drink to perfect. Besides, you wouldn't want to rush such a fine experience as this one. Be sure to get to Polly early on Friday and Saturday, because as the night goes on, patrons fill the place wall-to-wall, and on occasion is sometimes known to flow out into the plant covered foyer with locals and their friends.
For most of us, hitting the gym and hitting the club are two very different propositions. But at Ascot Vale's newest workout destination, F*IT, they've been thrown together into one very unique, high-energy hybrid. A multi-sensory space where fitness meets clubbing, the Mt Alexander Road newbie offers 'high intensity group workouts in a nightclub-inspired environment'. There are five different sweat-inducing classes to get involved in, each session thumping to the kind of tunes you'd usually hear from the DJ booth at 1am on a Sunday morning. But strangely enough, the soundtrack's not the only thing at F*IT reminiscent of a weekend dance floor session. In an Aussie first, this fitness club also boasts its own fully-stocked, onsite bar, licensed and ready to booze. By day (6am-8.30pm, Monday to Saturday), you can charge up with a protein-packed signature smoothie, in flavours like Pina Covado and Gettin' Wheysted, or an espresso coffee (available in the coming weeks). Then from 7-10.30pm Fridays, members can opt for something a little stronger, when the bar starts slinging the hard stuff. On the menu is a range of cocktails, a weekly changing beer special and a tight selection of wine and spirits, plus there's a sleek, low-lit nightclub space in which to enjoy them. Just don't get too indulgent, or you'll undo all the hard work you put away in that strength training class. Find F*IT at 544 Mt Alexander Rd, Ascot Vale. Prefer to head outside for both your workout and that recovery tipple? Here's where to train for a marathon and have cool-down brew after.
2023 was the year of the Matildas. Here's hoping that 2024 will be as well. Australia's national women's soccer team made history on the pitch and on TV screens at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and inspired the word 'Matilda' to be chosen as the Australian National Dictionary Centre's 2023 Word of the Year. The squad's current aim: making it to this year's Paris Olympics, with two matches standing between them and playing at the games. The Tillies competed in three qualifiers in Perth in October and November 2023, winning all three. The next step is a two-match fixture against Uzbekistan, which will determine whether the Aussies score one of the Asian Football Confederation's two places in Paris. First up, on Saturday, February 24, the Steph Catley-led squad will play at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent. Then, they're coming home to take to the pitch at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Wednesday, February 28. If you'll be in Melbourne on the second date and you don't already have tickets, you've missed your chance to head along live. But, as always, 10Play and Paramount+ are your destinations — plus Network 10 on regular TV — to watch from home. As for the squad, Sam Kerr won't be playing after injuring her ACL at a training camp for Women's Super League team Chelsea, which is why Catley will wear the captain's armband. Familiar names abound from there, including Mackenzie Arnold, Mary Fowler, Alanna Kennedy, Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Katrina Gorry, Hayley Raso, Emily van Egmond and Tameka Yallop. Cortnee Vine will sit out the games for personal reasons, while Michelle Heyman rejoins the squad for the first time in six years. The Matildas are hoping not only to get through to the Olympics, but to best the 2020 games' fourth placing, which is the team's best result yet. In the qualifiers, Japan will play North Korea in two matches on the same February dates, with the winner securing the other Asian Football Confederation spot. Whatever happens against Uzbekistan, the Tillies will hit the turf again in April, thanks to a friendly against Mexico in San Antonio in the US. Matildas Final Paris Olympics Qualifying Matches vs Uzbekistan: Saturday, February 24 — kickoff at 8pm AEDT / 7pm AEST / 5pm AWST Wednesday, February 28 — kickoff at 8pm AEDT / 7pm AEST / 5pm AWST The Matildas' final Olympic qualifiers take place on Saturday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 28 — and you can watch via 10Play and Paramount+. Images: Tiff Williams.
It's hot, it's sizzling, and it's happening in East Brunswick Village. That's right, it's a Great Aussie BBQ – and it'll be bringing a whole lot more than the humble sausage to the table this Sunday, March 30. In fact, you'll be feasting on all kinds of grilled, smoked and tomato-sauced dishes with an array of international influences. We're talking lamb shawarma from Rumi, cooked a rotisserie and couched in a Lebanese pita alongside pickled onions and garlic sauce, as well as Bellboy Cafe's barbecued prawn roll, stacked with king prawns, coleslaw, chilli and lemon. But if for you a barbecue isn't a barbecue without sausage, you won't be disappointed. Hagen's will be sizzling up organic pork sausages lathered in its house tomato sauce and topped with organic grilled onions from Day's Walk Farm — and it'll be encased inside Dench white bread smeared with Schultz organic butter. The butcher will also be serving up its next-level pork rissoles, which are given a lift with butternut pumpkin, grana padano, sourdough crumb and bacon trimmings. If that's not enough to knock your grill-loving socks off, you can also treat your good self to an afternoon wine tasting at Blackhearts and Sparrows (that showcases local winemakers as well as no-alc pours), before hitting the chocolate-themed makers market where you'll be able to sample the handmade goods of 30 local artisans. Want in on the action? It's happening between 11am and 4pm this Sunday — and right by the 96 tram stop, too.
Kuwaii is well-known and much-loved for producing impeccably constructed garments, as well as nailing the near impossible balance between shoes that are more comfortable than slippers and totally appropriate for grown-up occasions. Designer Kristy Barber's ability to find a harmonious balance between intricate details and beautiful form is undoubtedly thanks in large part to Kuwaii's strong local base. Once holed up in their beautiful East Brunswick boutique, this local gem has now expanded into the city taking over the space in Cathedral Arcade that once belonged to Alice Euphemia. Kuwaii is also located at 37-39 Glenlyon Road, Brunswick.
For the first time in the award's 98-year history, a portrait of an Asian Australian has taken out the coveted Archibald Prize. The winner of the 2019 prize, announced today, is a painting of contemporary artist Lindy Lee by Sydney painter Tony Costa. Costa's oil painting, titled Lindy Lee, was chosen from 51 finalists, which include Tessa MacKay's Packing Room Prize-winning hyperreal portrait of actor David Wenham. In the portrait, Costa attempts to capture the energy of Lee — a practising Zen Buddhist and Taoist, who explores her Chinese ancestry and spirituality through her paintings and sculptures — through his use of minimal colour. "I have kept the colour minimal to avoid any visual noise," said Costa in a statement. "The challenge for me was to capture the energy of Lindy — the emotional over and above the physical. Costa said it was this energy — as well as her "wisdom, humility, courage, humour" — which attracted him to Lee, who was herself a Archibald finalist in 2002, and sat for portraits in 06 and 12. Costa's works are known for their distortion of form and colour, which he employs in this most-recent work. [caption id="attachment_721079" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lindy Lee by Tony Costa.[/caption] In more good news, the winners of the Wynne and Sir John Sulman prizes were also revealed today. Sylvia Ken took out the former — which awards the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or figure sculpture — for her depiction of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands (Ken's homeland) and skies where the Seven Sisters story takes place. This is the fourth year in a row that an Indigenous Australian artist has been awarded the prize. [caption id="attachment_721082" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Seven Sisters by Sylvia a Ken. Photo by Jenni Carter.[/caption] The Sir John Sulman Prize goes to the best mural, subject or genre painting, and was this year awarded to McLean Edwards' work entitled The first girl that knocked on his door, depicting a young man looking for love. [caption id="attachment_721081" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The first girl that knocked on his door by McLean Edwards. Photo by Mim Stirling.[/caption] The winning portraits and finalists will be on display at Sydney's Art Gallery of NSW from tomorrow — Saturday, May 11 — up until September 9. If you do't agree with the judges, you can cast your own vote for People's Choice. ARCHIBALD PRIZE 2019 DATES Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney — May 11–September 9 TarraWarra Museum of Art, Victoria — September 14–November 5 Gosford Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, NSW — November 15–January 12, 2020 Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, NSW — January 24, 2020–March 8 Bank Art Museum Moree, NSW — March 20, 2020–May 3 Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, NSW — May 15, 2020–June 28 Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, NSW — July 3, 2020–August 16 If you can't make it to any of the above dates, you can check out the award winners and finalists of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes on the Art Gallery of NSW website.
You would think that for a country girt by sea, comprising a shitload of bewilderingly great beaches and a population who love a good bevvy, we'd have more opportunities to drink by the ocean (you know, outside of a sneaky goon sack stroll down the shore on NYE). But we haven't, legally, until now. Fremantle's Bathers Beach House has been granted Australia's first liquor license for alfresco beach dining (and drinking). The WA establishment is currently the only place in Australia where you can (legally) drink on the beach. Of course, they've arranged sun lounges in their newly licensed sand and will be serving a range of food and drinks from their beachside menu, delivered straight to your sunbathing face. General erosion, gradual ecosystem destruction and environmental impact aside, generally speaking, it could be the impetus the rest of Australia needs to start amending the laws that forbid the pairing of our nation's two strongest assets: a hot beach and cold beers. The Gold Coast toyed with the idea in 2015 but to no avail. Come on local Australian councils, legalise beach beers. Think of the boom in sales of those fold-out chairs with in-built drink holders. We can't afford not to follow suit on this one. Via Hospitality Magazine.
In a week already brimming with restaurant closures, yet another famed Melbourne eatery has called it a day, only this one's got nothing to do with wage theft. According to The Age, much-loved Chinatown restaurant Shark Fin House has been forced to shut its doors after fears surrounding coronavirus saw a huge dip in customer numbers. Despite the restaurant's 30-year history, co-owner and co-founder Gabriel Chan revealed they'd had no choice but to shut last Sunday, with diners seemingly too afraid to eat there. He told The Age that an 80 percent drop in customer numbers meant more than 50 Shark Fin House employees had been laid off and that it's highly unlikely the restaurant will be able to reopen. The restaurant's sibling venue Shark Fin Inn is also under threat of closure due to dwindling numbers, with Chan calling for support from locals to help it survive the coming weeks. Food writers Gemima Cody and Sofia Levin are rallying diners in an effort to fill the Bourke Street restaurant's dinner service on Monday, February 24, though dropping by any time for a feed will help make a difference. Of course, the Shark Fin restaurants aren't alone in their troubles, with plummeting patron numbers across the board prompting calls for diners to wise up and steer clear of misinformation surrounding coronavirus. As the ABC explained, "there are no reports of human-to-human coronavirus transmission in Australia: There's no sign anyone is catching it from anyone else." Politicians are also encouraging Melburnians to support their local Chinese restaurants, with Federal Parliament's first Chinese-born MP Gladys Liu telling The Age, "I will be going out this weekend in Box Hill and Glen Waverley to make sure that people know that it is safe." Victorian Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos also took to social media to remind everyone that Chinese restaurants across the state are open for business and safe to attend, saying, "the fact is that all Victorians that have been affected by the new coronavirus have recovered and are no longer contagious." And City of Melbourne councillors enjoyed a lunch in Chinatown earlier this week, with a Facebook post from Lord Mayor Sally Capp saying: "All the expert advice shows there's no increased risk from coronavirus in Melbourne. Keep coming to the city to support all the amazing businesses we have here." https://twitter.com/JennyMikakos/status/1227461526589788163 Within the industry, restaurateurs are also rallying support for each other with David Zhou from Oriental Teahouse and David's Restaurant telling Concrete Playground: "We all need to support each other where we can to minimise the impact of the challenges we face.The facts are out there, so if you have a favourite Chinese restaurant, the time to go visit them is now." To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Image: Chinatown by Josie Withers for Visit Victoria
At age 30, Michelle Ryan, one of Australia's most celebrated dancers, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Intimacy is a reflection, of sorts, on Ryan's life since diagnosis. It offers a fictional stage for her experiences and delves into her most private thoughts and feelings. The show is a collaborative work between Torque Show, Michelle Ryan herself and Lavender Vs Rose, who play their original score live. Performers Michelle Ryan, Vincent Crowley, Emma Bathgate and Simon Eszeky explore real-life experiences with a sense of humour, dignity and sensitivity. Fans of Ryan's work as a choreographer, dancer, artistic director and advocate should definitely check this intimate dance piece out, and newcomers should prepare to get intimately acquainted. Intimacy plays as part of the Helium season of independent works, risk-taking stuff that is given a stage and resources through Malthouse. You can also catch the YouTube Comment Orchestra, Applespiel Make a Band and Take on the Recording Industry and META, a multisensory nightmare riffing on Kafka's Metamorphosis.
Summer means sunny days, escaping to your closest body of water whenever you can, openair drinks aplenty and treating yo'self to all the tastebud-cooling ice cream you like. This summer, it also means making sure that your home also smells like sweet treats — like Bubble O'Bills, Paddle Pops, Golden Gaytimes and Splices, to be exact. Some scents will always stay with you — and for anyone who grew up eating as many rainbow Paddle Pops as they could manage whenever the weather was warm, that sweet treat's caramel-meets-vanilla aroma is 100-percent the scent of summer. Now, it can be the fragrance that wafts through your home when the weather is warm (and during every other season, too), with Dusk bringing back its range ice cream-flavoured candles. The company first launched these enticingly scented, dessert craving-sparking goods back in winter and they promptly sold out, but now's clearly an ideal time for them. In a collaboration with Streets, the two-wick candles are hitting the shelves in-store again — and online — from Thursday, November 24. Obviously, one candle is scented like rainbow Paddle Pops, the go-to gem of supermarket freezers. Yes, each one smells like vanilla bean, strawberry and caramel. Yes, you'll feel hungry. Among the candles scented like fellow classic sweet treats, the Golden Gaytime version emits the aroma of toffee, vanilla and chocolate, while the Bubble O'Bill number smells like strawberries and raspberries — not bubblegum. As for the Splice, the scent of pine lime and vanilla will be floating through your home. Each two-wick candle costs $54.99, and drops not only in time for summer, but also for Christmas. Yes, buying one/some for yourself as a gift is perfectly acceptable. Constantly being hungry for ice cream is about to become your new reality, clearly — and if you also decked out your abode with Gelato Messina candles a few years back, and Tim Tam candles as well, consider this your latest sweet-smelling must-have. Dusk's range of Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime, Splice and Bubble O'Bill candles hit stores and online again from 9am AEST on Thursday, November 24. Head to the company's website for further information.
First, hobbits tuck into breakfast. Then, they enjoy second breakfast. In fact, in both JRR Tolkien's books and the movie adaptations that've brought them to the screen so far, they like their meals frequently and with the smallest of gaps between them. That seems to be an approach that Prime Video is taking to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, its upcoming Middle-earth series, too — at least when it comes to dropping sneak peeks at the long-awaited show. The Rings of Power seems like it has been in the works forever, because it's now been 21 years since the first of The Lord of the Rings movies had everyone rushing to cinemas, obsessing over hobbits and elves, and saying "precious" too many times — and, it's also been five years since it was initially revealed that a TV series was in the works. The show will drop in September, starting on Friday, September 2, but early glimpses have been as rare as a pacifist orc until this month. Now, in the space of just a fortnight, Prime Video has dropped not just one, not two, but three new trailers. The latest arrived during San Diego Comic-Con, aka the reason that other big fantasy titles such as Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon and game-to-screen adaptation Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves have also released trailers this week — and it's the longest look at The Rings of Power yet. It also provides the most complete overview of the show's storyline, which jumps back into Middle-earth's Second Age, bringing that era from the LOTR realm to the screen for the first time. In past trailers — including the initial sneak peek back in February — gorgeous settings, elves, dwarves, harfoots (aka hobbit ancestors), stormy seas, strange skies, cave trolls, raging fires and orc battles have all popped up. This new trailer pieces together more of the plot around them. The focus: the rise of Sauron, how that gave rise to the rings and the impact across Middle-earth. Also seen in the new sneak peek: more orcs, and even a balrog. The Rings of Power features a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud) and a young Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The King's Man), too — and, this time, New Zealand's natural splendours stand in for the Elven realms of Lindon and Eregion, the Dwarven realm Khazad-dûm, the Southlands, the Northernmost Wastes, the Sundering Seas and the island kingdom of Númenór. Amazon first announced the show back in 2017, gave it the official go-ahead in mid-2018 and set its premiere date back in 2021. In-between, it confirmed that it wouldn't just remake Peter Jackson's movies. Rather, as per the show's official synopsis, it follows "the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history," with the action set thousands of years before the novels and movies we've all read and watched. If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial rise and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. The series will "take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness," the synopsis continues. "Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," it also advises. That's a hefty tale to tell, and The Rings of Power has amassed a hefty cast to tell it — and some impressive talent behind the scenes. Among the other actors traversing Middle-earth are Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Undoing) as Arondir, Nazanin Boniadi (Bombshell) as Bronwyn, Owain Arthur (A Confession) as Prince Durin IV, Charlie Vickers (Palm Beach) as Halbrand and Sophia Nomvete (The Tempest) as Princess Disa. There's also Tom Budge (Judy & Punch), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant), Maxim Baldry (Years and Years), Peter Mullan (Westworld), Benjamin Walker (The Underground Railroad) and comedian Lenny Henry. And, the series is being overseen by showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, while filmmaker JA Bayona (A Monster Calls, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) directs the first two episodes. Check out the latest The Rings of Power trailer below: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be available to stream via Prime Video from Friday, September 2, 2022. Images: Matt Grace / Ben Rothstein.
Forget about packing up the car and organising a designated driver for that weekend trek out to wine country – one of the Mornington Peninsula's best-loved wineries is heading to the city. On Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8, the award-winning Crittenden Estate is bringing a taste of its regional cellar door to the big smoke, popping up at Collingwood's Project Forty Nine. Winemaking sibling duo Rollo and Zoe Crittenden will be hosting guided tastings, wine sipping and charcuterie snacking... all right here on your doorstep. Pop in and sit down for an expert-led tasting session, showcasing a selection of the label's renowned cool-climate drops, including its chardonnay and Cri de Cœur pinot noir. For $20, you'll get to sample up to 12 different Crittenden wines, while enjoying some expert guidance from the winemakers themselves and an antipasto plate courtesy of the Project 49 kitchen. While you can just walk in, bookings are recommended. Crittenden Estate Cellar Door Pop-Up will be open from midday–5pm.
Do you love curry so much that you just need to sing about it? Do you like the spicy dish a regular amount, but love eating, drinking and belting out a song? Whichever category you fall into, Curryoke is your new once-a-month go-to, combining warm dishes, karaoke and booze. What's not to love? Happening on the last Sunday of each month — with sessions slated for May 26, June 30 and July 28 — Curryoake takes place at Heroes. Yep, you and your mates really can be heroes here, just for one evening, as the mic will be open from 6–10pm. You won't be singing for your supper, however. That'll cost $25, which gets you your choice of meat or vegan curry, a braised dish, stir-fried veggies, some pickles and that important staple: rice. Pay an extra $20, and you'll also nab a cocktail on arrival, plus two more drinks during the night. Just remember to book in advance as spots are limited.
We've made it to the end of the year, and to celebrate Falls Festival has just gifted us with one helluva lineup. Helping to ring in the art and music festival's 26th year is a pretty buzzworthy gang of musical mates headlined by American rapper Anderson .Paak. He'll be taking the stage with his band The Free Nationals, and performing hits off his Grammy Award-nominated album Malibu and maybe a tune or two off his highly anticipated third album, Oxnard Ventura. He's joined on the bill by big names like UK foursome Catfish and The Bottlemen, who'll be debuting some fresh new material at their only Aussie show; Australia's own Vance Joy; Scottish synth-pop trio Chvrches, who'll also be here for NYD celebration Field Day; Interpol, fresh off the back of their new album release, Marauder; and Toto. Toto. Yes, the American rock band behind the masterpiece that is 'Africa' is heading to Falls. While you're feeling nostalgic, you'll also be able to hit up Hilltop Hoods — call dad. True to form, the Falls 2018 local lineup is equally exciting, and every bit as broad. Homegrown acts hitting the stage include the dance-ready Flight Facilities, Melbourne's psychedelic King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Sydney producer Touch Sensitive, Gold Coast native Amy Shark and Heaps Gay DJs & Friends back for another year. This year, too, an impressive 48 percent of acts performing have female artists and, while it's not quite half — and there are still lots of other minority groups that are underrepresented — it's a start. As always, the tunes are backed by a colourful curation of art events, performances, pop-ups, markets, wellness sessions and gourmet eats. It's all happening over New Years at the usual spots in Tassie's Marion Bay, Lorne in Victoria, the North Byron Parklands and the Fremantle Oval Precinct, WA. FALLS FESTIVAL 2018 LINEUP Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals Catfish and The Bottlemen (no sideshows) Vance Joy Chvrches Hilltop Hoods Toto Interpol 88Rising Feat. Rich Brian, Joji, Niki & August 08 (no sideshows) Flight Facilities Amy Shark DMA's Kind Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Golden Features First Aid Kit (no sideshows) Ocean Alley Hockey Dad Cashmere Cat (no sideshows) The Vaccines Cub Sport Ruel Jack River Bishop Briggs Mallrat Briggs Touch Sensitive Tkay Maidza Dermot Kennedy Tired Lion Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers Soccer Mommy Banks Triple One Alice Skye Heaps Gay DJs & Friends + More to be announced
Step into the neon-signed, mural-adorned Mama Manoush and let Mama herself feed you a week's worth of authentic Lebanese food in one sitting. At the insistence of her kids, Elizabeth Kairouz opened her restaurant in Fitzroy in 2014, before moving to a bigger space in Brunswick East in 2017 — now everyone can try her perfectly smooth hummus, baba ganoush and labneh, skewers of charcoal-grilled meats, bowls of tabouli and fattoush, and crispy falafel and sambousik. Mama's banquet is $45 a head for a generous selection of her best dishes, including dips with traditional pickles and bread, salads, rice pilaf, charcoaled meats and more, plus Lebanese coffee and baclava to cap it all off. If you're really hungry, the mega banquet is $60 per person for an extra couple of dishes from the mezza and grill menus. Out the back in Mama's Garden, there's a smaller selection of wraps, snack packs and sides, where you can fill up for 20 bucks. There is also a full menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and desserts. Try the Mama Bell with Zubrowka bison grass vodka, peach liqueur, clowdy apple, passionfruit and lime juice ($18), a white chocolate, cookie and brandy dessert cocktail served with a baclava finger ($18), or a ginger beer, cinnamon and lime mocktail ($9). Desserts run from the traditional cheese-filled baked pie kanafeh ($18) and mouhalabieh (a custard-like pudding, $10) to choc-hazelnut ice cream served with popcorn and chocolate sauce ($12).
Living up to its splendid first date with audiences has never been a problem for Starstruck. When the Rose Matafeo (Baby Done)-starring BBC and HBO series first strode into streaming queues in 2021, its initial episode was an all-timer in the charming stakes, as was the show's entire six-instalment debut season. When Starstruck returned for a second run in 2022, its next go-around instantly proved as much of a smart, savvy and charismatic delight. Streaming via ABC iView from 9.30pm on Wednesday, September 6 and in New Zealand via TVNZ+ since 8.30pm on Saturday, September 2, season three continues the trend — and keeps demonstrating that no romantic rendezvous, no matter how idyllic, can just keep repeating itself. Plot-wise, Starstruck has always had one couple at its centre: New Zealander-in-London Jessie (Matafeo) and British actor Tom (Nikesh Patel, Four Weddings and a Funeral). Frequently, however, they're not actually together, with the show charting the ins and outs of a complicated relationship that started with a New Year's Eve meet-cute and one-night stand. The hook from the get-go: that Tom is an A-list star, which Jessie doesn't know until after they've hooked up. So, Starstruck asks what it's like to live the Notting Hill life. In season three, more accurately, it ponders what comes after that's been and gone. Season two might've finished with a scene right out of The Notebook, and with echoes of Bridget Jones' Diary as well, but its follow-up quickly establishes that Jessie and Tom didn't get their happy-ever-after ending — they're no longer together, and haven't been for some time. Starstruck season three starts with a bold move, spending a few minutes zipping through Jessie and Tom's romance since season two via a heartbreaking montage. That choice is also deeply fitting for a show that's exceptional at endings. One of the best newcomers of its debut year and best returning series of its second, Starstruck's excellence is like a perfect bouquet, with vibrancy blooming everywhere — in Matafeo's lead performance, the show's ability to unpack a genre it clearly loves, its glorious nods to rom-coms past, and its astute insights into 2020s-era dating and life, to name a mere few. How its star, creator and co-writer wrapped up both season one and two was equally as sublime, though. So, season three goes all in on something cherished and blissful approaching its conclusion. If that train of thought has you wondering if this is it for Starstruck itself, a fourth season hasn't yet been locked in. The green light for season three came four months after season two dropped, so not having a future confirmed so far isn't an ominous sign for fans. Matafeo and co-scribes Alice Snedden and Nic Sampson have always treated their series as something to treasure there and then, too; it's the epitome of revelling in the here and now, as anyone in love should. No one knows where life will take them, including Starstruck's guiding hands. So, every season could put a bow on the tale and say farewell — but unboxing more after each finale, whether it involves a The Graduate-style stint on a bus or frolicking in a pond, wouldn't destroy the storytelling, either. Thanks its rush through Jessie and Tom's attempts to make their relationship work, then its huge leap forward afterwards, as much time has passed in Starstruck's world as it has for viewers. Two weddings now loom over the narrative: Jessie's now-pregnant best friend Kate's (Emma Sidi, Black Ops) to Ian (Al Roberts, What We Do in the Shadows), and Tom's to his fellow-actor fiancée Clem (Constance Labbé, Balthazar). It's at the first set of nuptials that Jessie and Tom cross paths again, sparking a torrent of emotions that neither has worked past (some knowingly, some not). While awkwardly trying to avoid her ex and endeavouring to make it appear that she has powered on happily without him, Jessie also connects with kindly Scottish electrician Liam (Lorne MacFadyen, Operation Mincemeat). Chronicling Jessie's blossoming bond with someone other than Tom might seem like another of Starstruck's bold season-three moves, but it's a vintage choice for a series that's obsessed with tearing into rom-com tropes. The idea that there's only one big, sweeping, heart-aflutter, existence-defining affair in anyone's life is foundational in the romantic-comedy genre, and yet that's rarely a guaranteed outcome. In a six-episode batch that's as bingeable as ever, Starstruck grapples with grappling with that fact. Jessie and Tom keep tumbling back into each other's orbits, finding themselves caught between yearning for yesterday, wishing today was different and forging a fresh tomorrow — and tossing and turning over which outcome they want. Deepening their dilemma is Starstruck's focus on reaching that late-20s, early-30s stage where committing and picking a way forward is the norm. Indeed, instead of the tension between the celebrity realm and everyday existence, this season's main clash arises from the contrast between getting settled and still feeling like you'll never have it together. There Starstruck goes, interrogating rom-com conventions again, including the notion that falling in love immediately solves or smooths life's other messes. It's no wonder that the sitcom has become one of the most-relatable romantic comedies there is — and best all round. In the show's writing, performances and directing alike, Matafeo and company understand why their chosen genre spins the fantasies it does. They're well-aware why audiences swoon over such tales as well. And, they're eager to face the reality, but with warmth, humour and empathy. Starstruck's version of laying the truth bare: a sidesplittingly frank chat directed Jessie's way, where she's told that her life mightn't be living up to her wildest dreams but, given that she has a house and a job — and she's "not even that bad of a person" — it's actually not awful. There goes Starstruck's main season-three takeaway again, as given voice: "just appreciate what you have while you have it". Being grateful for this wonderful sitcom as a whole, and for Matafeo's luminous turn at its centre, isn't just easy — it's automatic. Season after season, Starstruck keeps painting a portrait of love, life, friendship and chaos that's both clear-eyed and rosily affectionate, complete with fleshed-out and lived-in performances that embrace the fact that every person and every romance has flaws and joys in tandem. This far in, Jessie, Tom, Kate, their pals and partners are as rich and resonant as any group of long-term friends and acquaintances on-screen and -off. Matafeo, Patel, Sidi and their co-stars' efforts are also that emotionally honest. Everything about Starstruck keeps evolving, too, other than how stellar it has always been. Check out the trailer for Starstruck season three below: Starstruck season three streams in Australia via ABC iView from 9.30pm on Wednesday, September 6, and in New Zealand via TVNZ+ from 8.30pm on Saturday, September 2. Starstruck's first and second seasons are also available to stream in Australia via ABC iView and in New Zealand via TVNZ+. Read our full review of Starstruck's first season — and our full review of its second season, too. Images: Mark Johnson/HBO Max.
In recent times, this fine country has seen Harry Potter-inspired rooftops, brunches and train rides. And that's not to mention the Cursed Child mania that's been going down in Melbourne. But are you sick of it? No chance. If there's one thing we know, it's that the demand for Harry Potter will never die — and this latest pop-up, along with the fact that there is a seemingly endless stream of Harry Potter events to come, proves that. The next piece of mainstream Harry Potter fandom to hit Melbourne this summer will be the Wizard's Cauldron. Inspired by the experiences that the gang had in potions class — and hopefully avoiding the botched polyjuice potion episode — the pop-up bar will mix magic and mixology. That's to say, there will be cocktails. Probably with some dry ice and bubbling substances. It'll be sort of like a science class, except you'll wear robes and mix your drinks with a wand. And drink what you mix, of course. The 'experience' will take 90 minutes and will cost you $55. For that, you'll get a hot mug o' mead and help from a (probably) greasy-haired Potions Master to mix a potion or two for yourself. You may or may not have to take your O.W.L exam after. Either way, there'll be a cash bar so you can celebrate or commiserate your results for further drinks and snacks. The Wizard's Cauldron will run evening sessions Wednesday to Sunday (as well as daytime classes on weekends) between January 9 and April 12, 2020.
The next dancefloor filler from 'Love Tonight' favourites SHOUSE is on its way, but it needs your help in the best possible fashion: by taking part in a huge music party that'll fill Melbourne's St Paul's Cathedral for RISING 2024. The Victorian capital's major annual arts festival has announced its first commission for next year, with Ed Service and Jack Madin overseeing Communitas — where hundreds of people will make tunes, then a single will be released. Free to attend, Communitas wants its participants to form a choir; however, not only using their voices but dancing and making sound vibrations will be on the agenda. Think of it as a huge gathering that's also a jam and a ritual, composing collectively and spontaneously as everyone parties and communes. There's no audience here, just folks joining in, connecting and chasing shared joy. The date to pop in your diary: Saturday, June 15, for what's certain to be a standout event on the full RISING lineup. Nothing else has been announced for the fest so far, but the entire program of art, music, installations and performances for its third year will run from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 16. Jon Madin is creating handmade instruments for participants to use, while Deep Soulful Sweats is in charge of the choreography. While the end result is something to experience, the single that springs will give everyone who is there a songwriting credit as it aims to share the fun beyond Communitas' one massive night. "Communitas is more than a musical event; it's a collective celebration of the human spirit, a symphony of shared joy that transcends boundaries," said Service. "We're thrilled to collaborate with RISING, and invite hundreds into the heart of St Paul's Cathedral to join us in forging connections through the language of music. Join us in the beat of drums, a chorus of voices, a mass of humanity, finally together in space and time." Getting its audience participating en masse, and not just passively watching, is one of RISING's focuses, including at 2023's fest when 11,000 people formed a kazoo orchestra. RISING 2024 runs from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 16 across Melbourne, with Communitas taking place on Saturday, June 15 at St Paul's Cathedral, Flinders Street. Head to the festival's website for further information and to register to take part in Communitas.
Shocking. Controversial. Bleurgh. These are just some words you will need to describe the films you'll watch during World Movies presentation of Films That Shocked The World. This week of outrageous cinema features five of the most contentious films of all time that have been banned globally, resulted in arrests or court cases, or caused an uproar defending morality (or all of the above). For five nights from Monday, 19 August, you can watch them from the sanctuary of your own home free from judgement thanks to World Movies, the only channel in Australia sanctioned to show R18+ films on national television. So if you've been warned against these films, it is time to take a bold step into the unknown and be amazed and horrified. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0piFZXT8Zxo The Human Centipede (2009) Tom Six's disturbing modern horror classic is a perfect film to commence this confronting week, somehow being both repulsive and beautiful. Despite the centipede technically being a few legs short, the film was claimed to be "100 percent medically accurate", which makes it considerably more terrifying given its scientific merits. The genre-redefining story of a demented German surgeon who kidnaps three tourists before joining their gastric systems to form a 'human centipede' more than deserves to be on this list — but be warned: it is not for the faint hearted and will cause countless viewers to watch from behind the safety of their fingers. Monday, 19 August, 9.30pm https://youtube.com/watch?v=Myzec1dgSqc Kids (1995) It is no surprise that Larry Clark's first feature film was deemed shocking in 1995 given it details the unrestrained behaviour of adolescents towards sex and substances. Written by Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers), its controversial subject material is matched by its directing of teenage sex, explicit dialogue and physical and sexual violence that makes anyone watching feel at least uncomfortable. Be prepared for a confronting tale of modern immorality that was released without classification in the US. Tuesday, 20 August, 9.30pm https://youtube.com/watch?v=cZ-Xp6VC7RQ Cannibal Holocaust (1980) Cannibal Holocaust would be shocking purely for its depiction of graphic murders and execution of live animals during filming. However, the added mystery of whether it was a snuff film in which the actors had been allegedly murdered on screen for authenticity caused the film to be almost immediately banned internationally and its director Ruggero Deodato to be arrested for murder — of which he was later acquitted after the actors were proved alive. This is controversial with a capital C. Wednesday, 21 August, 9.30pm Deep Throat (1972) Whilst the film gained notoriety for being one of the premier pornographic films featuring a (ridiculous) plot of obscenity and relatively high production values, its true shock value derives from the later claims of sexual abuse that linger over the film. Leading lady Linda Boreman (also known as Linda Lovelace) initially claimed the film was sexually liberating but later revealed her lack of consent to many of the sexual acts in the film, only being coerced into them by her abusive then-husband Chuck Traynor. If you decide to watch knowing this information, then apparently you can see the bruises on Boreman's body throughout the film. Thursday, 22 August, 9.30pm https://youtube.com/watch?v=hRubuJki4Mk Baise-moi (2000) Concluding the week of controversial cinema is perhaps the most shocking film of all, Baise-moi. The French favourite about two female prostitutes on a road trip towards retribution for their raping still cannot be shown here in its entirety today given the original features a close-up shot of penetration during rape and a scene showing a gun being pressed into a man's anus before being fired. However, World Movies will still be showing the R18+ cut, which is still many adjective levels above shocking that I would get fired for writing here. Friday, 23 August, 9.30pm
If you're a fan of musical theatre, then you know the name Jonathan Larson, the creator and composer behind smash-hit production Rent. And, you likely know his story, too, with the playwright and lyricist passing away at the age of 35 on the day that that now-huge show premiered its first off-Broadway preview performance, and never seeing the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon that it would become. Before that, Larson also created another musical called tick, tick…BOOM!; however, it didn't chart the same path. Instead, the semi-autobiographical piece was performed as a solo work before his death, following a character called Jon who worried that he'd made the wrong decision by chasing his dream of becoming a composer. After Larson died, tick, tick…BOOM! was reimagined as a three-actor show, then made its way from off-Broadway to off-West End, as well as West End itself. And, in 2021, it took the leap to the screen, too, courtesy of Netflix — in a film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield, the latter turning in an Oscar-nominated performance as Larson. That's a whole lot of history behind the latest big musical announcement Down Under: that tick, tick…BOOM! will make its Australian mainstage debut in 2023. It'll run two seasons, kicking off at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre from Wednesday, February 1–Sunday, February 5, 2023, then hitting Brisbane's QPAC Playhouse on Saturday, March 4–Sunday, March 5. If you're wondering about tick, tick…BOOM!'s narrative, the rock musical is set in 1990, with promising young composer Jon as its focus. He's almost 30, living in New York City, and life as an artist isn't turning out as he planned — so he has to decide what to do next. The production is an ode to theatre and a tribute to New York, too, and has kept proving popular since it premiered in its current format off-Broadway in 2001. While exactly who'll take to the stage in Australia is yet to be revealed, tick, tick…BOOM!'s upcoming Aussie seasons will be produced by Adrian Storey from StoreyBoard Entertainment (Chess the Musical, Barnum, Follies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and directed by Tyran Parke (Chess the Musical, Barnum, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George). The Australian production doesn't yet have any footage, either, but you can check out the trailer for the Netflix film below: tick, tick…BOOM! will play Melbourne's Comedy Theatre in February 2023, then Brisbane's QPAC Playhouse in March. For further details and tickets, head to the musical's Australian website. Top image: Macall Polay / Netflix.
A new festival is coming to The Arts Centre with the aim of taking audiences on a hypersensory adventure. Supersense explores heightened experiences from the euphoric to the ecstatic, through mediums including music, dance, film and light. The festival was curated by the endlessly talented Sophia Brous, who worked with the Asian Performing Arts Program to put together an unforgettable weekend full of transcendental experiences. Some of the highlights among the lineup include John Cale, Gurrumul: The Gospel Songs, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Ariel Pink, Discreet + Oblique: The Music of Brian Eno Feat. The Necks, Lydia Lunch, and an intriguing collaboration between HTRK and Chunky Move. Each performance will be conducted in separate spaces throughout The Arts Centre, including some in corners you wouldn’t typically expect to visit. You can either grab a full weekend pass or individual tickets, but be sure to check out their program to create a choose-your-own-adventure experience.
Towards the end of Tokyo Vice's gripping eight-episode first-season run, its lanky American-in-Japan protagonist struts down an ordinary Tokyo street donning a suit and shades while smoking a cigarette. Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort, West Side Story) sports a post-coital glow, too, and looks as if he feels on top of the world. He also stands out awkwardly, no matter how cool he thinks he is, even before a high-school pal from home in Missouri spots him and bursts his bubble. This stride-of-pride scene sums up Tokyo Vice perfectly, because what's going on around Jake, and simply the complex city he's in, is always far more intriguing than he is. Don't go thinking that this HBO series doesn't know that, though. Available to stream in full in Australia via Paramount+ — and already renewed for a second season by HBO Max, the US network's streaming service — Tokyo Vice's first season uses an outsider as its entry point into the Japanese capital's neon-lit hustle, bustle and underworld. It uses two, in fact. Also making the city her base is fellow American expat Samantha Porter (Rachel Keller, Legion), a club hostess who spends her nights charming men who'll pay for her glamorous barside company, and also just generally being as far away from the USA as she can manage. But this series is about Tokyo happening around Jake and Sam, as it would regardless of whether they were there or not, as much as it's about the pair in Tokyo. It's a noir series about the bucket-list travel spot's shadows, and it knows that they'd linger no matter who was playing tourist. A smart and sleek crime-thriller? Tokyo Vice easily checks that box. A fish-out-of-water swim through yakuza territory? Yes, that one, too. A mostly after-dark trip through streets and spots that've largely been off limits to travellers for more than two years now? Naturally, the series ticks that one as well. It's also a 90s throwback, taking place in 1999 with Faithless and ATB bangers helping to rick gleaming nightclub dance floors, featuring references to The Matrix, and offering one of pop culture's great 'I Want It That Way' sing-alongs (and discussions about its true meaning). And, Tokyo Vice is the latest release from one of America's best directors, who is finally back behind the lens seven years after making his most recent movie. Indeed, this must-see series is many things — and the fact that it's Michael Mann project is among the reasons that it's essential. The filmmaker's last stint in the director's chair, the Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder)-starring 2015 film Blackhat, also followed a determined and ambitious American, and used every visual and audio trick it had to immerse its audiences in his mindset and his world. That's not the only parallel from the Thief, Heat, The Insider and Collateral helmer's resume that makes its presence known here, either. Mann only directs Tokyo Vice's pilot, but what a tone-setting debut episode it is — as stylish and gritty a piece of television as you're likely to stream any time soon, and one brimming with the filmmaker's usual look and mood. He also serves as the book-to-screen series' executive producer, which explains why its slice of Japanese-set thrills always feels like it bears his fingerprints. Of course, Tokyo Vice isn't shy about its links to Mann, who also executive produced the original 1980s TV series Miami Vice, and wrote and directed the 2006 big-screen remake. Attaching any other filmmaker's name would've simply felt incongruous. That said, the show's moniker actually stems from the IRL Jake Adelstein's memoir Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, about his years writing for Yomiuri Shimbun as a non-Japanese journalist. Adapted for the screen by playwright JT Rogers (Oslo), what a twisty, gritty, fast-paced narrative it spins, too. Still, everything about the HBO-backed program feels as if it was always fated to end up in Mann's hands. Adelstein was Yomiuri Shimbun's first foreign staff writer, with Tokyo Vice exploring his quest to cement himself inside the publication from the bottom up. Just like in that aforementioned stroll down the street, the on-screen version of Jake always sticks out, as does his dogged enthusiasm to chase the stories he's explicitly instructed to ignore. He aces the strict and gruelling Japanese-language test needed to even get his job. He makes history by earning his post. But murders don't happen in Japan, he's told. He's advised of plenty more, sometimes yelled at him insultingly by his boss Baku (Kosuke Toyohara, Deliver Us From Evil), sometimes offered as cautious words of wisdom by his immediate supervisor Emi Maruyama (Rinko Kikuchi, Pacific Rim: Uprising). The deaths he's witnessing on Tokyo's streets scream otherwise, though. So, Jake starts spending his own time investigating, befriending two Tokyo detectives for guidance and tips: the vice squad's Jin Miyamoto (Hideaki Itô, Memoirs of a Murderer), plus organised crime division veteran Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe, Godzilla: King of the Monsters). Both know that their new pal is desperate to make a name for himself, and that he's potentially playing a dangerous game; both are just as involved in charting the yakuza's actions, including the war between faction heads Hitoshi Ishida (Shun Sugata, Tomorrow's Dinner Table) and Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida, Killing for the Prosecution), in their own ways. Jake's pursuit of the truth also involves getting close to Sam, who knows the lay of the land and has dreams of starting her own club. And, it sees him cross paths with jaded yakuza enforcer Sato (Shô Kasamatsu, Love You as the World Ends), an underling to Ishida and Sam's best-paying customer. Noting that Elgort is the weakest part of the series isn't quite the criticism it would be in any other show. The Baby Driver and The Goldfinch actor is well cast for precisely that reason, because making Jake the least interesting aspect of Tokyo Vice wholeheartedly suits the overall narrative, its focus on the city's underworld, and its embrace of the layers of complication that thrive and thrum beneath its must-visit exterior. Also, everything around Elgort, especially the performances by Watanabe, Kasamatsu, Kikuchi and Itô, proves stellar — both demanding and deserving attention. Getting drawn into this supremely well-made turn-of-the-millennium-set jaunt through Tokyo's underbelly is easy; instantly wanting more, especially from its exceptional Japanese talent, is as well. Check out the trailer for Tokyo Vice below: Tokyo Vice is available to stream via Paramount+.
When Taika Waititi received an Oscar in 2020 for Jojo Rabbit, he became the first person of Maori descent to achieve that feat, as well as the first Indigenous person to be both nominated in and win the Best Adapted Screenplay category. When Meyne Wyatt won the 2020 Archibald Packing Room Prize for his self-portrait, he became the first Indigenous Australian to win any Archibald award across the competition's 99 years. Both Waititi and Wyatt deserve the acclaim and awards that have come their respective ways. But the fact their recent wins made history — more than nine decades after both the Oscars and the Archibalds were first created, too — demonstrates the ongoing lack of diversity in the arts. So, when NITV and Sydney Theatre Company decided to team up to make a three-part series exploring the topic, as well as other Indigenous issues in creative fields, the two must've been at the top of the guest list. The resulting show is called The Whole Table, and its first episode is available to stream now via SBS On Demand. The following two episodes will air at 8.30pm on Wednesday, January 27 and Wednesday, February 3 on NITV, and then stream online afterwards — and Waititi and Wyatt are in great company. The Sapphires, Top End Wedding and Redfern Now's Shari Sebbens is on hosting duties, while Sydney Festival artistic director Wesley Enoch, Black Comedy's Nakkiah Lui and Sydney Opera House's head of First Nations programming Rhoda Roberts sit on the show's panel. Joining them at the table each week is a lineup of guests, not only including Waititi and Wyatt, but also The Dry's Miranda Tapsell and musician Adam Briggs — all chatting about their experiences. Expect to hear spirited discussions that not only touch upon the arts in Australia and New Zealand, but also explore Indigenous involvement and representation worldwide — in the past, now and the possible future. The series forms part of SBS and NITV's 'Always Ways, Always Will Be' programming leading up to January 26 — such as its Australian Made TV collection, curated by Enoch, that's streaming on SBS On Demand as well. Check out the very brief trailer for The Whole Table below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FabOIRhNC0 The first episode of The Whole Table is available to stream now via SBS On Demand, with future episodes airing on Wednesdays at 8.30pm — and streaming online afterwards.
Fed Square has been a whole lot of things to a whole lot of people during its two decades of life — in fact, it's welcomed over 100 million visitors in that time. So it's only fitting that the CBD icon is celebrating its 20th birthday (October 26, if you're wondering) with a huge program of festivities featuring something for everyone. Cue, one entire month of anniversary celebrations, running from Saturday, October 1–Monday, October 31. On October 22, the precinct fires up for Garage Band — a new production from Always Live and renowned artist Joseph O'Farrell that'll see dozens of young aspiring garage bands hit the stage for a rollicking live show. Meanwhile, October 26 marks the world-premiere of A Score for Fed Square — a new orchestral work by groundbreaking artist and composer Mia Salsjö, featuring a musical composition shaped entirely by architectural drawings of buildings from across Melbourne. Also in the lineup, explore the Koorie Heritage Trust's futurism exhibition dedicated to queer First Nations artists' works, A Rainbow of Tomorrows (October 9–November 20); and catch a powerful art series by Joanna Dudley challenging history's portrayal of young women, dubbed We Will Slam You With Our Wings. You can also unleash your inner kid at the interactive musical playground installation that is Melbourne Fringe's HEXADECA (October 14–23). Throw in a bunch of giveaways and a hefty program of digital happenings, and you've got yourself one very busy October. You can check out the full program online. [caption id="attachment_866711" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Liam Neal[/caption] Top Image: Tanderum at Fed Square
March will see Melbourne Town Hall host Hermès at Work, an itinerant celebration of the artisans that make Hermès what it is. Creators from nine different métiers of the luxury brand will meet, greet, and demonstrate their individual areas of expertise. You'll be able to wander through the display areas and discover how exactly how Hermès' famous bags, saddles, gloves and silk squares are made. There will also be round-table discussions held throughout the festival for those who have even more questions. Admission is free, but make sure you book your ticket online in advance.
The world's most-famous enigmatic smile is beaming down on Australia in 2024, all thanks to the team at Grande Experiences. The Melbourne-based company is the mastermind behind the immersive walkthrough art experiences that've been sweeping the country, both touring them and opening the nation's first permanent digital-only art gallery The Lume — and Leonardo da Vinci and the Mona Lisa are its latest point of focus. The Lume in the Victorian capital is all-in on the artist and inventor. The site's major 2024 exhibition is Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius, with the gallery is calling its "most ambitious, immersive and breathtaking yet". That's quite the claim for a collection that follows a van Gogh celebration, a focus on Monet and his contemporaries and the current First Nations-centric Connection. Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius displays to art lovers from Saturday, March 16. The Last Supper also enjoys the spotlight in a big way, because Grande Experiences' whole setup is making iconic, important and stunning works larger than life, surrounding attendees like never before. The Mona Lisa links in with the segment of the exhibition that's all about French optical engineer Pascal Cotte, who invented a multispectral camera and has peeled back the artwork's layers using his research. So, get excited about Mona Lisa Revealed, which will include an exact 360-degree replica — the only one in the world — as created thanks to Cotte's 240,000,000-pixel multispectral camera. That said, Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius isn't just about its namesake's well-known works, with the 3000-square-metre multi-sensory gallery also exploring his inspirations and contemporaries. So, you can also scope out Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling and works by Caravaggio. Melbourne is home to an experience that steps through da Vinci's journey, too, including Florence's streets, Venice's canals and Milan — as brought to life via sight, sound, scent, touch and taste. Also among Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius' highlights: 50 of da Vinci's "machine inventions", which are on loan the Museo Leonardo da Vinci in Rome. Alongside the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and his anatomical drawings — and more — da Vinci is well-known for his flying machine concepts, with his 15th-century vision of human flight set to score The Lume's attention. This part of the exhibition heroes recreations made in Italy from the artist and inventor's sketches, and also using the materials and techniques he would've at the time. Updated Friday, October 25, 2024.
We're guessing Jerome Borazio has a bit of a soft spot for Melbourne's inner west. His famed St Jerome's Laneway Festival has called Footscray home for close to a decade, and the nearby warehouse that holds his bar Back Alley Sally's and his pizza joint Slice Girls West has become one of the area's favourite destinations. And in almost the same week as announcing plans to transform the Melbourne Central rooftop into a pool and leisure club, Borazio has lifted the lid on yet another Footscray venture, with the opening of new-school general store Harry and Larry's. Also making its home in the aforementioned well-loved warehouse on Yewers Street, this little charmer is a one-stop pantry shop for the discerning westsider, showcasing local produce and ingredients beneath a glittering, oversized disco ball. It's rocking a cosy fitout of reclaimed timber, similar to its neighbours, the shelves stocked with goodies either sourced from the west or from down on the Mornington Peninsula. The selection features the likes of local fruit and veggies, Meredith Cheese, Remedy kombucha, milk from St David Dairy (inner Melbourne's only micro-dairy), fresh pasta, vegan Jonny condoms and even toilet paper supplies from Who Gives A Crap. Plastic has been given the boot in favour of complimentary brown paper bags, and there are plans in the works to team up with Boomerang Bags — a group that makes reusable bags out of recycled, donated fabric. While you're at Harry & Larry's, you can also grab an Allpress coffee and one of the toasted focaccias and sandwiches named in honour of legendary Footscray folk — maybe the Franco Cozzo, the Captain Katie (named after the Western Bulldogs' captain) or the Julia Gillard. Find Harry and Larry's General Store at 4 Yewers Street, Footscray. It's open daily from 11am–9.30pm. Images: Brendan Coghlan
The first of Harvest's headline shows has now been announced, following the festival's cancellation last week. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will tour in November, playing Billboard in Melbourne, The Hi-Fi in Brisbane and Sydney and the Metro Fremantle. After weeks of speculation, AJ Maddah announced the official cancellation of Harvest 2013 on September 16. "I am very sad to confirm that Harvest 2013 is cancelled. All tickets will be 100% refunded (incl. all charges) by Oztix in the next week," the promoter tweeted. Later he mentioned that his partner, Jo Ward, had had "a nervous breakdown" over it. The event was scheduled to happen in mid-November in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. With Massive Attack and Franz Ferdinand already established as headliners, the festival announced the addition of Volcano Choir just a fortnight ago. Maddah did manage to offer some relief to devastated ticket holders when he stated that most of the (now ex-) Harvest artists would perform their own headline shows. "Will be announcing headline shows by most of the Harvest artists in the next 10 days," he tweeted. "Those who have purchased Harvest tickets will be given priority access to these headline shows. Please stay tuned for details." According to theMusic.com.au, "industry sources have confirmed" that the outspoken promoter, who was named the most powerful person in the music industry earlier this year, has purchased Ken West's sizeable share of the Big Day Out (the rest of which is owned by US promoters C3 Presents). Watch this space for more news of Harvest artists' headline shows. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Wednesday, November 13 – Metro Fremantle, Perth Friday, November 15 – Billboard, Melbourne Saturday, November 16 – The Hi-Fi, Sydney Sunday, November 17 – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
First it was toilet paper. Next up was flour. Then, Australian panic-buyers found a new object of affection: seedlings. With restrictions starting to ease and new COVID-19 cases dropping, the country's hoarding days are hopefully behind us — but, that doesn't mean you should give up on your new veggie patch. To help with this endeavour is a new stall at the Queen Vic Market. Robbo & Sons Seedlings is selling fresh veggie seedlings — including broccoli, cauliflower, celery, silver beet and boy — for a bargain: five seedlings for just $10. Whether you want to start a small edible garden on your balcony or fill every inch of your backyard with fruit, vegetables and herbs, Robbo will be able to help you out. It's, conveniently, located in the I Shed opposite The Eggporium and American Doughnut Van — incase you want to grab something to eat right now while you're there. Shopping for food and other essentials is a valid reason to leave your home under Victoria's stay-at-home restrictions, but if you'd like to avoid as much interaction as possible, the Queen Vic Market is also offering a preorder and pick up service from over 40 different traders. Just head over to the website, order your cheeses, croissants and cookbooks, pay and then choose what time you'd like to pick it all up. Pickup is available from 8am-2pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and from 8am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. The Queen Vic Market is open from Tuesday–Sunday. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria and the current restrictions, head to the Victorian Government website.
Oysters and gin are both high up there on the list of Aussie food and drink faves, especially at this time of year — on the cusp of what's set to be a huge silly season. And now, the two ingredients are joining forces in a very special way: the brand-new Oyster Shell Gin from South Australia's Never Never Distilling Co and Chris Lucas' (Chin Chin, Hawker Hall, Baby) new Melbourne restaurant Society. The collaborative concoction is made using oyster shells from Kangaroo Island, as well as a host of seaside botanicals including saltbush, Tasmanian wakame and native coastal daisy. You'll also find some salted citrus, mint, pine, waxflower and coriander spice in the mix. All the ingredients fuse to create a mineral-forward spirit with subtle saline notes, representing a big, fresh taste of the Aussie coastline. Spritely citrus aromas and a lengthy finish mean it's just as well-suited to a dry martini as a refreshing G&T. The sip's also primed to be paired with a seafood feast, whether that involves more local oysters, or some other kind of ocean-fresh goodies. Which makes it a festive season winner, of course. This particular match-up of distillery and restaurant is a fitting one, given the sophisticated seafood dishes peppered through Society's menus and Never Never's own penchant for innovation. You can find the adventurous drop pouring exclusively at Society once it reopens on November 5, as well as at the distillery's McLaren Vale cellar door. It's also selling over on Never Never's online store. The Never Never Dark Series Oyster Shell Gin is available from the distillery's website, for RRP $75. You can also get your hands on it at Society, 80 Collins Street, Melbourne (from November 5), and at Never Never Distilling Co, 56 Field St, McLaren Vale, South Australia.
