For its first-ever festival away from Austin, SXSW will paint Sydney red, blue, purple and yellow. It'll also throw hot potatoes into the mix. And, it'll celebrate an Australian act like no other: the Hottest 100-topping, Mardi Gras-attending, Falls Festival-playing, Little Nas X-adored skivvy fans that are The Wiggles. Two of past big announcements in Australia's screen industry are set to combine in the Harbour City from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21: documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles and SXSW Sydney's Screen Festival. Both were first revealed in 2022, and now they'll join forces this year, with the fest hosting the world premiere of the film. Wake up, SXSW Sydney attendees: the event's first big local movie debut will get you feeling nostalgic before it heads to Prime Video. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles tells exactly the tale you think it will, following the group's career over more than three decades, including the new levels of fame and popularity that 2022 threw their way. Sure, Dorothy the Dinosaur mightn't need an origin story, but OG Wiggles Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt are getting one, with Sally Aitken (Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks, David Stratton: A Cinematic Life) directing. The feature-length film promises never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, too — and the SXSW Sydney screening will feature The Wiggles in attendance, including for Q&As and performances. The film joins a lineup that already includes nine previously announced titles, covering everything from flicks starring Indonesian rappers and documentaries about Tokyo Uber Eats rider to movies featuring viral Chinese dance crazes. Can't wait to watch your way through the fest? SXSW Sydney has also announced that Screen Festival wristbands go on sale on Friday, August 25, starting at an early-bird price of $240 and getting people wearing one into unlimited screenings. The SXSW 2023 Sydney Screen Festival also includes an array of speakers, with Queer Eye star Tan France set to hit Australia to get chatting. Indigenous filmmakers Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road: Origin) and Jub Clerc (Sweet As) will also take to the stage; Osher Günsberg is on the SXSW Sydney bill recording an episode of his podcast Better Than Yesterday with a yet-to-be-announced special guest; and Gone Girl, The Nightingale, The Dry, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers producer Bruna Papandrea and Binge's Executive Director Alison Hurbert-Burns will also appear. As well as showering viewers with movies and TV shows, with more titles to come — including First Nations Screen Festival programming by Winda Film Festival founder Pauline Clague — SXSW Sydney's film- and TV-focused strand will feature red-carpet premieres; digital and social content; an XR showcase; Q&As and panel discussions; parties and mentoring; and a screen market for industry deals. Free outdoor screenings are also slated, alongside indoor sessions at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and other yet-to-be-revealed venues. All of the above falls into the broader SXSW Sydney festival, which has been dropping lineup announcements for six months now, including in its first batch of speakers and musicians back in February, more music highlights and must-attend parties in May, details of its gaming strand in June, then two more rounds of speakers in July. SXSW Sydney will run from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues, with the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival running from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21 at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and more venues to be announced. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
By day, Footscray Markets is famous as a buzzing, multicultural food shopping destination. But for the next two Fridays, the fun will be kicking on after dark, too, as the precinct's forecourt plays host to the return of its weekly night market series, running until May 7. From 5pm each Friday, head on in to the Footscray Night Market to take your tastebuds on a border-hopping adventure, as you make your way through a tasty array of hawker-style food stalls. The theme for the May 7 event is simply 'closing night', though you can expect to find plenty of other culinary delights also on offer. If previous years are anything to go by, we're anticipating oodles of noodles, stacks of smoky charred skewers, mountains of paella and dumplings in abundance. There'll also be liquid offerings from local favourites like Footscray's own Hop Nation brewery. [caption id="attachment_810186" align="alignnone" width="1920"] By Rod Ceballos[/caption] In between all the noshing, you'll be kept well entertained with a program of live music, traditional dances and DJ's spinning tunes until 10pm. Images: Rod Ceballos
How do you capture the essence of a pub in a drink? How do you make sipping a cocktail conjure up the feeling of hanging out in a hotel's front bar, with your feet almost glued to the carpet and the unmistakable smell of beer in the air? How do you whip up a spirit that pays tribute to an iconic Australian watering hole that's closing in on a century and a half of pouring beverages, too? These are the questions that Four Pillars is answering with its Sticky Carpet Gin. This tipple dates back to 2018, when it arrived as a boozy ode to the legendary haunt that is The Espy in St Kilda in Melbourne. First, you could only try it in cocktails at the pub it was inspired by. Then, it became available by the bottle in 2019, but only as a limited release. Now, Four Pillars has brought it back — and also given it some tinkering. The Healesville distillery had one aim from the outset with its Sticky Carpet Gin: capturing the spirit of a venue that's meant many different things to different people for many, many years. Four Pillars co-founder and distiller Cameron Mackenzie's first effort was such a success that it's become the gin that more folks request to be brought back than any other of the brand's gin. Start saying cheers to Sticky Carpet Gin again, then, given that it's back in Four Pillars' online store now. The new version of the tipple still wants to give everyone that's sipping it an unmistakable pub feel. This time, however, Mackenzie has swapped out roasted dark stout for using Little Creatures Pale Ale in the gin's base. The beer goes into the still with juniper, coriander, barley, cassia, macadamia nuts, orris root, lemon myrtle, honey, lavender, ginger and lemon peel, plus the base spirit. Also, hops hang in a bag over it to extract the aromatics. "The Little Creatures brewers have made a beer that is the benchmark for American-style pale ale, with slightly tropical and resin-y flavours, like Sierra Nevada, my fave US beer," said Mackenzie. "In a way, this is the closest we've come to making a Jenever-style of gin. It's a dense canvas of resin-y juniper with deep brown spice notes. There's a chewy, malty hop character that hangs onto the macadamia nut and it's a touch fruity with bright citrus notes, too. As well as buying Sticky Carpet Gin online for your gin shrine or getting it from Four Pillars in-person — it retails at $88 for a 700-millilitre bottle — it's on offer at The Winery in Surry Hills in Sydney; both The Regatta and Riverland in Brisbane; Yarra Botanica, The Espy (of course) and Garden State Hotel in Melbourne; and the Claremont in Perth. The Espy is also hosting a free launch party on Wednesday, April 17 from 6pm, complete with free gin and tonics upon arrival. You'll need to nab a complimentary ticket to attend, however — and you'll catch live sets from Floodlights and Back Pocket as well. For those knocking it back at home, Four Pillars recommends using Sticky Carpet Gin in a new twist on the G&T called Sticky and Tonic, in a boozy pink lemonade spider, with cordial, or as part of a lemon, lime and bitters sour. Four Pillars Sticky Carpet Gin is available to purchase online, from Four Pillars in-person, and from select bars — head to the distillery's website for more details.
Melbourne is about to swap coffee for controllers as Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) returns for its tenth year. From Thursday, October 3–Sunday, October 13, Melbourne will play host to the largest celebration of digital gaming in the Asia Pacific, where pixels, play and passion converge into one stunning week-long offering of events. This isn't just for the hardcore gamers — MIGW is for everyone. The returning PAX Aus convention is one of the program highlights, offering Melburnians an opportunity to see the latest in hardware and game releases before they hit the mainstream. At PAX you can hear from industry insiders via a smorgasbord of panels and generally have a great time with people who are passionate about an industry that is now bigger than Hollywood and the music industry combined. For the more hardcore, Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP), running from October 7–October 9, is a behind-the-scenes look into the gaming industry where developers and industry insiders converge. Music and audio enthusiasts will love the High Score conference, which offers a unique nexus where gaming meets sound. Meanwhile, Freeplay: Parallels will spotlight some of the most experimental and culturally significant work being made right now. And for those with a competitive streak, the Mario King of Kart Tournament is back on the big screen in Melbourne's Fed Square. Along with old favourites, there are a slew of new additions gracing the program. ACMI's Games for Change, slated for October 4, is gearing up to offer a heap of experiences that explore the transformative power of games — how they can make the world a better place in education, health and social sectors. This is a space that's not just about 'gaming' in the traditional sense — it's leading the way in development and driving change in education, health and social sectors. On October 10, Fed Square is the place to be. The Big Games Night Out promises a sensory overload with an array of activities including free gaming competitions (with prizes), and a Cosplay Runway. If you're into games, or just into a good time, mark MIGW 2024 in your cal. It's gonna be a big one. Images: Matto Lucas.
As Melbourne emerges from Lockdown 6.0, the Adelphi Hotel is launching an elevated high tea series on its rooftop, complete with free-flowing fizz and luxe city views. From Thursday, October 28–Sunday, October 31, the aptly named Bottomless Sky Tea will see guests living it up beside the pool, indulging in two hours of sweet and savoury bites with unlimited Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Expect a spread including chicken and leek vol au vent, confit duck waffle cones stuffed with foie gras, and dainty sandwiches layered with egg, jamón and truffle. Sweet treats will also flow, along with a premium selection of other booze and non-alcoholic sips on offer. Two Sky Tea sessions will run each day (12pm and 2.30pm), with tables available to book for groups of three, four, six and eight diners. Tickets are sold per table, working out to $210 a head. Hey — if ever there was a time you deserved a ritzy rooftop session, it's now. To book your table for Sky Tea on the Adelphi Rooftop head here.
It's a well-known fact that Mondays were invented in the '50s by Wall Street fat cats to keep the idealistic youth down in the dumps. The sense of existential dread and terror that pervades the soul on Sunday afternoon has only one known cure: a big, fat, greasy, heart-stopping burger, consumed with a cold beverage, in the company of friends. Luckily for Melbourne sufferers, there are havens all across the city serving up the antidote in bulk. We may be die-hard foodies but we also love a mean burger. And regardless of whether your dream burger is a double-meat-and-cheese, schnitzel or mushroom situation, the venue has to be just right too, welcoming you into its bosom with cheerful music, good deals, a relaxed atmosphere, hearty portions and a spot where you can easily tap that American Express of yours. Otherwise all the hard work done by the burger will be wasted. Fortunately, we've lived through many Mondays and know such spots. Together with our mates Amex, we've eaten our weight in burgers and discovered Melbourne's best and most cheerful restaurants for a burg and a brew when Mondayitis hits you hard. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
Summer is a mere few weeks away and there's no better seasonal combo than a weekend barbecue and icy cold craft beer. We’re on mission to inspire and enhance your barbecue experience this silly season by bringing to you recipes that go beyond the simple sausage sizzle. We've searched Sydney's most talked-about restaurants from the buzzing inner west to the slick CBD, the stylish eastern suburbs and all the way to the chilled-out northern beaches for recipes that will earn you a pat on the back and cheers from your soon-to-be-impressed guests. Ten top-notch chefs from across town with a talent for wielding a set of barbecue tongs have matched one of their favourite grill-friendly recipes with a brew from James Squire's solid craft beer range. Crisp pilsners with zesty Hartsyard octopus for the sun lovers. Strong Porters to wash down Neil Perry ribeyes. Golden ales with Pinbone's barbecued duck hearts for the adventurous. Thank us later; your summer barbecues will be talked about for many moons. BARBECUED DUCK HEARTS WITH CUMQUAT AND MUSTARD — PINBONE INGREDIENTS: Duck hearts Handful of cumquats (or oranges and mandarin) Creme fraiche Hot English mustard Bitter leaves METHOD: Brine duck hearts in a 5 percent salt/water solution for 30 minutes. Remove and dry with paper towel. Grill on the barbecue for 2 minutes on each side and rest. Cut cumquats in half and grill on barbecue until nicely charred (orange and mandarin also work nicely if you can’t find cumquats). Mix equal parts creme fraiche and hot English mustard together and lay the mustard base on one half of the plate. To serve: Season generously and garnish with bitter leaves. Pair with James Squire Stow Away IPA. BBQ FREMANTLE OCTOPUS — GREGORY LLEWELLYN FROM HARTSYARD Serves 4 INGREDIENTS: 1kg Fremantle Octopus separate into individual tentacles only 4L Water 300g salt 100g paprika smoked peel of one lemon 4 cloves of crushed garlic tbsp peppercorn tbsp fennel seed tbsp coriander seed METHOD: Heat half the water with the salt until dissolved. When dissolved pour warm solution into remaining cold water. Toast all spices (minus the paprika) together over a medium/high heat until fragrant. Add to liquid mixture. Add garlic, paprika and lemon peel. When mixture is cool add octopus tentacles and brine for 12 hours. Remove from brine, rinse and dry. Place into a heavy bottomed saucepot and cover with extra virgin olive oil. Cook on stove top at about 75-80°C ensuring the oil does not boil for 2-2.5 hours. Remove the octopus from pot. It should be fork tender with a tiny bit of chew. Refrigerate until cold (this should probably be done the day before). Prepare BBQ to about 200°C. BBQ octopus until suction pads are crispy and the tentacles are evenly cooked but not black. When cooked toss into a bowl with the following dressing: DRESSING: 100ml olive oil 2 tbsp sliced garlic 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves picked 1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves picked 1 tsp crushed red chilli flakes Cook olive oil and garlic until slightly brown. Add the rest of the ingredients until crispy. Remove from heat. Let cool. Season with the juice of two lemons. Pair with James Squire Four 'Wives' Pilsener. STICKY LAMB RIBS WITH POMEGRANATE AND SOY GLAZE — DANIEL SAN INGREDIENTS: 30gm peeled eschallots 0.1gm pomegranate 60gm cos lettuce 5gm flat leaf parsley 5gm mint 2gm extra virgin olive oil 300gm Junee lamb American ribs GLAZE: 50gm peeled garlic 4gm lemons 80gm frozen wasabi tube 150gm castor sugar 15gm sea salt flakes 60gm sesame oil 400gm pomegranate molasses BRAISING STOCK: 2L water 10ml Kikkoman soy 10ml mirin 10ml sake 5gm radish daikon 20gm young ginger METHOD: Place ribs in braising stock and place in oven on 160°C for two hours. Take ribs out and leave to cool in the stock for one hour. Cook ribs on the bbq and glaze with the above. Serve on cos lettuce with pomegranate drizzled on top. Pair with James Squire's The Constable Copper Ale. SMOKED BARBECUE WINGS w/ BULLEIT BOURBON BARBECUE SAUCE — HENRIETTA SUPPER CLUB INGREDIENTS: 2.5L pork (or beef stock in a pinch) stock FOR BARBECUE SAUCE: 250ml Bulleit bourbon 2 cinnamon sticks 3 star anise 2 cloves 1 lime (juice and zest) 2 lemon (juice and zest) 100ml good sherry vinegar 1 x can of coca cola 1 x can ginger ale 25g whole black pepper corn 100ml real Canadian maple syrup 500ml of store bought barbecue sauce METHOD: Place in a large pot on a medium heat-high heat. Reduce until sticky. pass through a chinois or large sieve. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate once cooled. To prepare the wings, poach desired quality of wings in a good-quality wings chicken stock for 25min. Coat with a seasoned flour (we use 'Cajun flour' — corn flour, plain flour, Cajun spices and seasoning). Deep fry for five minutes on 180 degrees or brown on the barbecue hot plate in good quality cooking oil. Place cooked wings in a steel bowl and coat generously with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with chives and serve with chipotle mayo (real mayonnaise with a slug of chipotle hot sauce like El Yucateco or Tabasco). Pair with James Squire Nine Tales Amber Ale. SMOKED PORK RIBS — PATRICK FRIESEN AND CHRISTOPHER HOGARTH FROM PAPI CHULO INGREDIENTS: 4 USA-style cut pork ribs BBQ rub BBQ sauce Apple wood and oak chips METHOD: Try to find pork ribs with the most amount of meat you can. Clean the silver skin off the back of the ribs using a fork to pry it off and a tea towel to hold onto the silver skin when you pull it off. Season both sides lightly with BBQ rub and smoke straight away. Smoke at 120°C over oak and applewood for one hour. Wrap in foil and smoke at 120 degrees for another hour and a half. Brush with BBQ sauce and enjoy. BBQ SAUCE: 50gm Heinz ketchup 16gm Frank's RedHot sauce 20gm Yamasa soy 10gm water 30gm brown sugar 6gm black pepper 3gm smoked paprika 3gm sweet paprika 2.5gm onion powder 2.5gm garlic powder 5gm Korean chilli powder Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for an hour. BBQ RUB: 100gm salt 20gm cracked black pepper 4gm onion powder 2gm garlic powder 20gm paprika 5gm smoked paprika 5gm cayenne Mix in a bowl right before you want to use. Pair with James Squire Sundown Australian Lager. RIB EYE ON THE BONE — NEIL PERRY FROM THE BURGER PROJECT INGREDIENTS: 4 x 360g rib eye on the bone Sea salt Extra virgin olive oil for grilling 4 lemon wedges METHOD: Heat the barbecue or grill — whether using wood, charcoal or gas — until extremely hot. Salt and oil each side of the steaks and allow to come to room temperature. Place steaks on the grill, cook for approximately five minutes, rotate the steak 90 degrees to get the cross pattern on the meat halfway through the cooking. Turn the steak over and cook for another four minutes. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes off the grill. Place on a cutting board and slice each of the steaks into five or six slices, form the meat back to its original shape and serve on a plate with a sprinkle of salt, drizzle of olive oil and a wedge of lemon. Pair with James Squire Jack of Spades Porter. LAMB BURGER WITH PICKLED EGGPLANT, WATERCRESS AND HARISSA — MICHAEL RANTISSI FROM KEPOS STREET KITCHEN Serves 4 INGREDIENTS: 750gm good-quality coarse lamb mince 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and crushed 1 bunch coriander, leaves picked and finely chopped 3 - 4 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp harissa 1 tsp chilli flakes Salt and pepper to season 4 brioche burger buns, toasted ½ cup makdous (pickled eggplant stuffed with walnuts available from Middle Eastern grocers) 1 bunch watercress Harissa aioli METHOD: Combine the lamb mince, coriander seeds, fresh coriander, olive oil, harissa and chilli in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Once combined, divide the mixture into four and then gently shape the burger patties with your hand. Don't overwork the patties too much as it makes them tough. These burgers can be cooked in a frypan on the stove top or the grill on your barbeque. Cook to your taste, two to three minutes per side for medium rare or longer for your requirement. To assemble toast the brioche burger buns (inside of bun only). Take the base of the burger bun and add a dollop of the harissa aioli, a spoonful of the pickled eggplant with walnuts, watercress, then the patty, add another handful of watercress and another dollop of aioli and then top with the bun. Pair with James Squire One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale. BARBECUE CHICKEN WINGS — CHUR BURGER INGREDIENTS: 1kg mid cut chicken wings BARBECUE SAUCE: 1 onion, finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 100ml olive oil 150g brown sugar 150ml Worcestershire sauce 500g ketchup Juice of 2 lemons 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme Place chicken wings in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to the boil, stir chicken wings gently and then turn heat off. Let wings sit in water for 12 minutes and then pour wings into a colander. Place on trays in a single layer and refrigerate overnight to dry out. Sweat off onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft but with no colour (about 2-3 minutes). Add everything else, bring to a simmer and cook out for about 10 minutes. Cool down and store in refrigerator. Toss in the barbecue sauce mix and then place on hot grill until smokey and charred. Remove from grill and place into a clean bowl and toss with some further barbecue sauce and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve. CHIPOTLE MAYO: 1L plain mayonnaise 150ml Melbourne Hot Sauce Chipotle & Cayenne 10g rosemary, chopped 10g fresh oregano, chopped 10g parsley, chopped Mix all together. Pair with James Squire Hop Thief American Pale Ale.
It's the silly season, which means top tipples with your family, friends and work besties. Booze doesn't just make for a good time; it also makes for a great gift idea. If you're struggling to come up with a good grog gift this festive season, we've got you covered. Here's our round-up of drinks that tickled our fancy these holidays, from top-shelf whiskies to alcohol-removed wines. WINE 'Tis the season to cheers to the sun, and what better way than with some natty wines for Friend-mas. If you have a mate who loves their natties or is just dipping their toes into this world of wild ferments, SPON by Odd Culture wine shop and bar has curated the ultimate gift pack dubbed the Natty Wine Primer. It includes a sparkling pét-nat, white, red (one best served chilled) and a couple of skin contact numbers (orange and rosé). If you're looking for more bubbles, it's also slinging a gift pack called The Most Wonderful Time of the Year with a sparkling shiraz perfect for Christmas day, a grand cru champagne for New Year's Eve and an easy-going pét-nat for New Year's Day brunch. If the vinophile on your gift list is all about tradition, a case of wine from one of Australia's first families of wine should be on your shopping list. Brown Family Wines is Aussie through and through and now has five wine brands under its belt: Brown Brothers, Pirie, Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge, and Innocent Bystander. You can't go wrong with the new Tarrango chilled red wine for something youthful and fresh. For something plush and velvety, Devil's Corner has a range of Tassie pinots that will make for a great vino on the Christmas table. There's also a slew of wine advent calendars on the market, from Good Pair Days to Laithwaite's Wines, if you'd prefer to leave the wine selections up to the somms. Good Pair Days has some of the best merch out there for a wine-lover, and it's no different with the wine advent calendars on offer this year. You can choose from options with a picnic set, a wine chiller set, a beach box — complete with a tote bag, hat and towel — or the standard pack. WHISK(E)Y Is your mum a fan of the dark spirits? Is your bestie a whisky fiend? Here are our top choices for the spirit savants in your lift this silly season. There are so many kinds of whiskies out there, but if you're on the lookout for something that's trying something new, you can't go wrong with Waterford Whisky. It's an Irish tipple that celebrates and advocates for terroir in whisky, and it only uses local Irish-grown grain with organic and biodynamic options on its roster. For something even more uncommon, opt for the peated version; it's the only whisky on the market that uses Irish peat to dry its barley. Plus, the blue glass bottle looks great on the shelf. If you know your whisky-lover is a sucker for scotch, you could go for Waterford Whisky's spiritual cousin, Bruichladdich. Another dram that celebrates terroir (started by the same person, in fact). The unpeated, non-chill-filtered single malt whisky, The Classic Laddie, is a crowd-pleasing option that works for many palates. If you want to surprise them with some top-shelf whiskies, you can always check out The Whisky Ark, which offers premium membership options, and has an excellent selection of scotch like Tamdhu and Glengoyne as well as exclusive Japanese whiskies. If you can't decide on a particular dram, leave the selection to the experts and go for an advent calendar. Liquor Loot puts out a gin and whisky calendar every year, and this year has expressions from Japan, Australia, Ireland, America, Scotland and more. And if you want to gift something that will keep surprising them throughout the year, why not set them up with a Whisky Club membership? Every month, they'll receive a new and often exclusive drop like the festive collab from Westward Whiskey and Rutherglen winery Stanton & Killeen: the Westward Whiskey Vintage Muscat Cask. GIN What's Christmas without cocktails, and what are cocktails without gin? There are literally thousands of versions of gins on the market today. From Australian drops that highlight native botanicals like Hickson House and Green Ant Gin to Japanese takes highlighting unique flora like Roku. Gin is special because it is very malleable, taking on the flavour profiles of whatever botanical is used. Kangaroo Island Gin is a new favourite of ours, and it has just released a special Spiced Pudding Gin that will bring a festive flair to your mate's G&T with cinnamon, clove, dried fruits and spice. If you know your gin-tastic friend isn't into traditional festive flavours, Four Pillars has launched its collab with Go-To skincare, 'My New Go-To Gin' made with quandong (Australia's native peach) to amp up that stone fruit goodness, perfect for summery cocktails over the holidays. TEQUILA Now, this spirit can be a bit of a dark horse, not unlike the person who usually calls for tequila shots at your Christmas holiday party. Why not go for the real deal, something extra special with a blow-the-budget option for your bestie with Herradura Legend? It is a first-of-its-kind Añejo tequila that has only recently launched in Australia. It's made with 100% blue weber agave that is traditionally cooked, naturally fermented, twice distilled, and matured for at least 12 months in heavily charred new American white oak barrels, resulting in soft caramel, toasted vanilla, oak, and lingering hints of agave. You could even convert some staunch whisky-only drinkers with this spirit. FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT Not everyone is reaching for the classic whiskies and bourbons. Some people like to be more adventurous with their palate with grappa, moonshine, ouzo, arak and rakija. Sydney-based DNA Distillery makes the traditional Balkan fruit brandy rakija with Aussie shiraz grapes in classic, gold and pear (made with Aussie pears) expressions, perfect for your friend who has no more space on their wine rack and is over gin. It even has a gift box perfect for the flavour seeker in your life looking for something new. Did you have a mate who finally got to go on their Euro summer and hasn't been quiet about it since? Let them relive that luxe-Euro vibe with Tommy's Booze. The Melbourne-based Italian liquor company has put together a gift set with full-sized bottles of limoncello, mandarino, and lampone, perfect for those who love a refreshing digestif after the Christmas feast. NON-ALCOHOLIC If you have a mate who has opted to be dry, there's no reason not to treat them to the excellent non-alc options out there. Like Edenvale Wines, alcohol-removed wines are mindfully made to recreate the flavour profile of traditional alcoholic wines. We loved the GSM blend that tricked our unofficial drinks expert. For people who love the taste of beer but not the buzz, Heaps Normal is a crowd favourite, but Capital Brewing Co. is also pushing out some quality booze-free brews. And if you want to give them a selection, Beer Cartel has you covered with its cracking alcohol-free craft beer mixed pack. Top Images: Our Whisky Foundation Christina Kernohan, Liquor Loot.
From Thursday, June 27 at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre, expect three words to echo with enthusiasm: "be our guest". The venue is the latest home to the Australian season of Disney's Beauty and the Beast musical, which has arrived Down Under as a newly reimagined and redesigned production. Playing until October, this huge show brings a tale as old as time to the Victorian capital after its Aussie-premiere run in Sydney and subsequent stint in Brisbane — and marks the latest in a growing line of Disney hits to come our way. Frozen the Musical did the rounds in recent years, as did the musical version of Mary Poppins. This version of Beauty and the Beast first made its way to the stage in the UK in 2021, and reworks the original show that premiered in the US in the 90s — adapting Disney's hit 1991 animated movie musical, of course. Fans can expect the same Oscar-winning and Tony-nominated score courtesy of composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice, including all the beloved tunes such as 'Be Our Guest' and 'Beauty and the Beast'. It also comes with new dance arrangements by David Chase, and with original choreographer Matt West revisiting his work. Cast-wise, the production features all-Australian talent, including Brisbanites Shubshri Kandiah as Belle and Jackson Head as Gaston, the Gold Coast's Jayde Westaby as Mrs Potts, Melbourne's Gareth Jacobs as Cogsworth, plus Brendan Xavier as Beast and Rohan Browne as Lumiere. Images: Daniel Boud.
When the Australian Open returns for 2023, it'll also serve up a few aces for local music-lovers — namely, as part of the inaugural AO Finals Festival, which is set to heat up Kia Arena with a program of live acts from Friday, January 27–Sunday, January 29. The music fest is dishing up a ripper lineup for its debut run, too, curated with help from the respected music-heads at Untitled Group — the brains behind Pitch Music & Arts, For The Love, Grapevine Gathering and more. The festival's first day coincides with global LGBTQIA+ event The Grand Slam, presented by Ralph Lauren. Legendary singer-songwriter and 'Absolutely Everybody' star Amorosi will help launch the musical offerings, joined by pop darling Montaigne and DJ Bertie. [caption id="attachment_842049" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flight Facilities[/caption] Chasing that on January 28 (also the AO women's finals day), you'll catch New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee, renowned Gamilaraay artist Thelma Plum and party-starting six-piece Winston Surfshirt, along with dance favourite CC:DISCO!. And wrapping things up on AO men's finals day you'll have electro duo Flight Facilities, backed by Lastlings, Sydney's Willo and emerging Melbourne star Forest Claudette. The gigs will take place in Melbourne's Park Kia Arena, with tickets at $34 for each day. If you're already heading courtside during the AO, you'll just need to drop $5 to upgrade your existing ground pass or Rod Laver Arena stadium ticket to include entry to the AO Finals Festival on any given day. [caption id="attachment_789706" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Benee[/caption]
With multiple lockdowns and ongoing venue restrictions, 2021 has proved to be one big, fat dry spell when it comes to live music and gigs. But if you're itching to get back into the swing of things, 2022 is set to be your year. The country's top tastemakers and touring companies have been hard at work planning a stack of incoming music festivals; promising to help make up for lost time and get you reacquainted with that joyful pastime of cutting shapes in a crowd while great live acts do their thing. From New Year's Day celebrations packed full of electronic sounds to a brand-new touring pride festival that's set to knock Australia's socks off, we've rounded up all the most exciting major music festivals coming to your gig calendar in 2022. Dust off those dancing shoes and get ready to make the most of the state's live music comeback.
Australians, if you like your burgers cruelty-free, then you've probably been keen to introduce your tastebuds to Impossible Foods. One of the big names in plant-based meat, the brand has built up quite the following in the US — and, from today, Thursday, November 4, it's finally available Down Under. Known for making not just meat alternatives but also dairy substitutes out of plants, Impossible has launched in Australia with two big collaborations: with burger chain Grill'd and Sydney fried chicken joint-meets-sneaker shop Butter. Nationwide, you can now tuck into four Impossible burgs made with the brand's beef alternative. If you're a Sydneysider, you have a couple more options at Butter's Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and you'll also be able to try a broader menu at Butter's upcoming Impossible pop-up in The Rocks. For burger fiends, those four new additions at Grill'd Australia-wide include a cheeseburger (complete with vegan cheese and vegan mayonnaise), the 'Simply Grill'd' which recreates the chain's standard burg, a vegetable-heavy option that comes with beetroot and avocado, and an Aussie spin on the concept that also adds beetroot and barbecue burger sauce. In Sydney, Butter is doing an Impossible cheeseburger and an Impossible classic burger, marking the first time it's ever had plant-based meat alternatives on its menu. Butter will also be adding a new Impossible burger to its lineup every fortnight, and slinging Impossible lasagnes and meatball subs via its home-delivery brand Mumma Julian's. And, at a yet-to-be-revealed date sometime later in November, Butter's Impossible pop-up in The Rocks will only serve items made with Impossible beef. Think: meat-free katsu, cheeseburgers and chilli cheese fries, plus whatever else Butter co-owner and executive chef Julian Cincotta comes up with. In total, Impossible's meat-less 'beef' is now available in more than 150 restaurants around the country — and you can expect more places to join the list. And if you're wondering what makes the brand's plant-based options stand out, it was named the best plant-based burger by The New York Times. Grill'd's Impossible menu is available in stores from Thursday, November 4. Butter is serving two Impossible burgers at its Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and will set up an Impossible pop-up in The Rocks later in November. For further details about Impossible, head to the brand's website.
Movie lovers of Melbourne, get excited: you can spend the last two days of June catching up on your must-see list on the big screen for cheap. Across Saturday, June 29–Sunday, June 30, Palace Cinemas is giving film fans a present. It's not just the gift of great flicks — that is, its daily bread and butter — but the gift of discounted great flicks. Head to one of the chain's locations across the weekend in question, and any movie at any time will only cost you $8. Want to check out George Miller's Anya Taylor-Joy- and Chris Hemsworth-starring Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day One, Pixar sequel Inside Out 2 or the Mads Mikkelsen-led The Promised Land? They're just some of your choices. Booking in advance is highly recommended, given how much everyone loves going to the flicks for little more than the price of movie snacks. If you do nab your tickets online, you will have to add a transaction fee to the cost. The deal is running at all standard Palace locations nationwide, but there are a few caveats. You can't redeem the cheap price for film festivals, for instance, or for platinum screenings, special events and alternate content — or at The Astor Theatre. You also can't bundle the $8 seats with other offers, such as two-for-one tickets.
A collaboration that's immersed in colour and vibrancy, Sydney-based visual artist Dreamcatchersdreamtime, aka George Barnes, regularly teams up with the brains behind Think Positive Prints, Emilie Cacace. And they'll be doing so again for another iteration of the Miller Design Lab — an innovative event series we're hosting with Miller Genuine Draft at the SoHigh Gallery, featuring some of the most exciting contemporary artists and musicians Australia has to offer. Here, we speak with Barnes and Cacace about creative inspirations and their latest project that brings a colourful, experimental spectacle to the Miller Design Lab on Saturday, March 23. Want to see their work come to life — all while enjoying complimentary eats and Miller Genuine Draft? RSVP to the free event here, and read on to learn more about this artistic duo dedicated to vibrant colour and design. George Barns and Emilie Cacace are more than just artistic collaborators. They're also partners outside of work, having recently turned their duo into a trio, with the arrival of son Louie, who has become a helpful source of inspiration. "I'm generally working on a few projects at once," says Barnes. "I always have creative chats with Emilie, talk about dream projects with my friends, and our son Louie always keeps me feeling inspired." As Dreamcatchersdreamtime, Barnes constructs powerful narratives that explore the universe through art, culture, lifestyle and ideas, all while he moonlights as the senior textile designer for much-loved Australian fashion label Sass & Bide. These collaborations between him and Cacace are something of a match made in heaven; she plays a leading role at Think Positive Prints, an internationally renowned digital printer specialising in ultra high-coloured and detailed fabrics. "I've been working with digital printing for the past 12 years, and I want my next major thing to be figuring out how to bring new life into the industry," explains Cacace. "I still want to create beautiful textiles and products, but treat them differently and not so literally." Since the pair has lived and worked together over the last nine years, they find great satisfaction whenever they have the chance to combine their skills."I watch George working on creative projects every night, dreaming up his next creation and collaboration — it's exciting to be able to print what he comes up with," explains Cacace. So for their latest collaboration, the Sydney-based duo is turning to a variety of unconventional fabrics to produce a spectacular array of new textures and patterns. They'll take over the SoHigh Gallery on Saturday, March 23, hosting a Miller Design Lab event that's set to stimulate audiences with intense music, light projections and flickers of gold. "Emilie and I are producing two large-scale textile pieces that will be integrated into the space down in Melbourne," says Barnes. "I think they're going to look really wonderful — rippling moire textures meet high-gloss, golden goodness!" Outside of their own work, the duo finds much artistic inspiration all over the world. Some of their favourites include the large-scale resin installations by Sterling Ruby, the environmental works of Olafur Eliasson and Jedda-Daisy Culley's spirited paintings. They also have a few regular Melbourne spots that they often gravitate towards whenever they need to recharge. "Baker Bleu has the best bread in Australia," says Barnes. "But we also love heading to Supernormal for a dope snack or Bar Americano for one of their next-level cocktails. And if we're after something a bit fancy, there's great French cuisine and vino at France-Soir." Despite all their successes, neither Barnes nor Cacace are thinking about slowing down. Soon, the pair are moving their creative practices to the United States. However, in the meantime, they have a range of projects to finish up in Australia. Undoubtedly an exciting time for the young family, they offer some advice for any hopeful artists out there: "do what you love doing deep down," says Barnes, before Cacace adds, "Start somewhere, grow and be proud of each stage. Experience is everything, so give it your all and talk, collaborate and get involved." Images: Kitti Gould.
You probably don't need an excuse to sip down a sharp, slightly salty martini. However, the return of Four Pillars' Martini Collective to Melbourne for its second edition means you've got more reason than most to indulge until Sunday, June 22. Taking over seven of the city's most admired restaurants and bars, this special event sees each venue serve the same crisp mini martini made with Four Pillars' Olive Leaf Gin. However, the real fun comes in when you compare and contrast each spot's unique snack pairing against this time-tested drink. In Melbourne, Bar Bellamy, LUI Bar and Reine are back to wow customers with their inventive pairings, while Hazel, Society, Grill Americano and Bar Liberty join the line-up for the first time. Imagined as a pre-dinner sip and snack, there's no shortage of bites bound to impress. For instance, Bar Bellamy is complementing the mini martini with a smoked eel, bottarga and finger lime crostini, while LUI Bar offers a Sydney rock oyster with a mountain pepper mignonette. Also, don't forget that Saturday, June 21, is World Martini Day, so get your pals together for a cocktail-driven celebration. Images: Chege Mbuthi.
That age-old act of verbalising frustration, anger or in some instances passion, in the form of a swear word is generally seen as a crass act. But artist Theo Olesen has turned this everyday language into illustrations that prove even the most profane words can be beautified with good design. When Olesen was in kindergarten learning four-letter words, he recalls suggesting 'fuck' as a four-letter word beginning with 'F'. Since then, his fascination with profanity has evolved into finely illustrated graphics that he posts on his online blog, Beautiful Swear Words. Barely two months old, his blog has already attracted over 2,000 followers. Not bad for a 17-year-old who cites "fun" as his motivation for illustrating profanities. Olesen updates his blog daily with hand drawn illustrations of swear words ranging from 'boobs' to 'gonads' and has begun making his illustrations available for purchase on t-shirts. Why say it when you can wear it?
For anyone that grew up in a Nintendo household where the company's consoles reigned supreme, getting your Super Mario fix beyond mashing buttons has long been easy. You've been able hit up Google Maps and mobile phones, if you really can't tear yourself away from the games. Mario Kart made the leap to reality, too. There's also the Super Nintendo theme park in Japan, as well as the upcoming second site in Hollywood — and, since 1993, the live-action Super Mario Bros film. Come March 2023, watching the new animated The Super Mario Bros Movie will join that list, and it'll reach the screen bearing a hefty weight of expectations that don't actually cover whether it's any good or not. Yes, hopefully it's entertaining. But, does it look like a Mario game? Does it sound like one? Does it include tunnels and coin blocks, floating bricks and superpowered stars? Does it do the Mushroom Kingdom justice? These are the questions that every Mario fan has. For a couple of months now, The Super Mario Bros Movie has been dropping teasers and trailers giving viewers a glimpse at what's to come, and all of the above essentials look to be taken care of. Still, if you still have any doubts, the just-dropped latest sneak peek — a scene from the movie, with Mario getting a tour of the Mushroom Kingdom — ticks all of the above boxes and then some. The most recent trailer included a rainbow road, and racing along it Mario Kart-style, too — so the film is nodding to plenty of Mario games. Indeed, haunted houses have also featured in snippets so far; fingers crossed they also come with the appropriate music. The new The Super Mario Bros Movie has enlisted Chris Pratt (The Terminal List) to voice the Italian plumber, sees Bowser (Jack Black, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) proclaim his desire to rule the world and casts Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as the Mushroom Kingdom's comedic sidekick. Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu) is determined to take on the challenge, and dispense words of advice in general, while battling Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen, Pam & Tommy) also features. The Super Mario Bros Movie's voice cast also includes Keegan- Michael Key (Wendell & Wild) as Toad, plus Fred Armisen (Wednesday) as Cranky Kong. And, it hails from directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies), is penned by Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru) and is produced by Illumination Entertainment (aka the studio behind the Despicable Me and Minions flicks, and the Sing films). Check out the latest sneak peek below: The Super Mario Bros Movie releases in cinemas Down Under on March 30, 2023.
South Melbourne Market wants to whisk you away to Japan this winter. From Wednesday, June 4–Saturday, June 14, you'll be able to take yourself on a degustation through the stallholders, sampling ten Japan-inspired dishes along the way. Among the savoury menu, you'll find pork gyoza at Bambu, shallow-fried calamari with yuzu aioli at Greek 'n' Out, an eggplant katsu curry at Smithburg, burrata done hiyayakko style at UGO Burrata Bar, and torched salmon sashimi at Oyster Bar by Aptus. When you're ready for a sweet hit, try a hojicha-infused croissant at Agathe, a black sesame cookie at My Cookie Factory, or one of two matcha-flavoured delights: cheesecake at Cobb Lane Bakery and gelato at Fritz. Make sure to stop in at Tea Drop, where you can get a cold-brew genmaicha, a matcha or a hojicha (iced or latte-style), along with a strawberry coated in matcha and white chocolate. The entire degustation is self-guided, leaving you free to enjoy the dishes at your pace, in whatever order you like. Plus, you only need one ticket ($79). For an extra $50, you'll score a Flavours of Japan Discovery Bag filled with gourmet goodies, exclusive discounts, matcha or incense, and an art card.
If anyone knows how to live la dolce vita, it's the Italians. And Melbourne owes much of its famous food culture to the country of pizza, pasta, salumi and formaggi. We may have been a little slow to catch on, but we've also inherited an essential part of the Italian lifestyle: aperitivo. Comprised of an aperitif, usually Aperol, vermouth or a negroni, paired with little snacks known as cicchetti, it's the Italian way to shake off the post-work blues and prepare your appetite for the fare to come. Whether you're catching up with pals or bonding over booze with workmates, any of these Melbourne haunts will offer good vibes, killer drinks and moreish snacks.
Melbourne's live music and club scene lost a big (and beloved) player, when Swanston Street's legendary Lounge shut its doors for good in April. We weren't sure what would happen to the venue — if anything at all — so it's very exciting to hear that the team behind Section 8 will take over the space and reopen it as Radar Bar & Nightclub this month. Hospitality group Cast of Falcons (which runs The B.East, Ferdydurke and Globe Alley as well as Section 8) will be making its mark on the CBD venue. It'll take it into its next chapter with the help of a top-notch Funktion One sound system, lighting installations by creative studio John Fish and a youthful team headed up by Amber McCabe (The Town Mouse) and Kate Stuart (Rockpool Group, Lucy Liu). To that end, we're told you can look forward to an especially broad program of tunes, covering everything from electronic and dance, to high-energy funk and hip-hop. Some well-known labels and music collectives have jumped on board, with 1800 Tequila heading up a Thursday hip-hop night and a weekly Friday party that'll dig into deep French house and techno. Elsewhere, there'll be an eclectic calendar of ticketed gigs, with plenty of international names coming to play later in the year. It all kicks off on Friday, July 12 with a party run by arts collective Medium. Plenty of thought has also gone into the drinks offering, which is refreshingly contract-free and packed full of independent labels. The options will change up regularly, shaped by lots of staff input, so expect some robust cocktails, including a few signature tap varieties, along with local craft brews and an organic-leaning lineup of wine. All up, Radar's working a slightly more grown-up list than its siblings. Lounge sadly called last drinks for the space in April, apparently after the landlord decided not to renew the lease. But, nonetheless, it went out with a bang, hosting a special run of 29 shows to celebrate its 29 long years of life and the lineup of musical guests its hosted along the way. Cast of Falcons has some pretty big shoes to fill, that's to be sure — but we're looking forward to seeing what it does with the venue. Radar Bar & Nightclub is set to open at 1/243 Swanston Street, Melbourne, from Friday, July 12. We'll give you more details on the venue once it's open.
It isn't hard to find street art in Melbourne. In fact, it's one of the things that the city is known for. But only a specific part of the city is now the Victorian capital's first official street art precinct, and also the host of the Wall to Wall festival for 2024. That spot: Mordialloc, with the suburb's industrial laneways embracing turning public spaces into a canvas in a big way, including from Friday, April 26–Sunday, April 28. Wall to Wall's return is huge news not just because it will bring together Australian and international street artists to get painting, but because it marks the fest's comeback year since the pandemic. Last held in 2019, and initially starting out in the town of Benalla, the Melbourne event will welcome Smug, Adnate, Celeste Mountjoy, George Rose and Zoer among the folks adding a splash of colour to the Mordialloc precinct. [caption id="attachment_949521" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adnate, Martin Ron.[/caption] This is actually Wall to Wall's second comeback stop, with Murray Bridge in South Australia the first — also in April 2024, running from Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 14. One of the aims of Shaun Hossack, who hails from Melbourne street art collective Juddy Roller and is curating the fest, is to grow the event. But paying tribute to the history of street art in Melbourne clearly ranks just as highly. Wall to Wall's Mordialloc home at the Mordi Village Arts and Cultural Precinct on Lamana Road will be filled with large-scale murals, and also host a block party on the Saturday featuring Adnate doing double duty as a DJ, plus April Kerry, Charles Eddy and Blo also on the decks. Attendees can look forward to hitting up food trucks, sipping spirits from local distillery Saint Felix, taking tours and shopping at markets, too, alongside learning new skills at workshops. [caption id="attachment_949524" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nicole Reed[/caption]
By now, we all know that plenty of streaming platforms are constantly vying for our eyeballs. We know that those services boast always-expanding catalogues of movies and TV shows, too. And, we're well aware that picking what to watch when you're settling down on the couch is rarely a simple exercise. So, while the fact that Australia's latest streaming service features 20,000 episodes and films is definitely great news, it won't simplify your viewing choices anytime soon. Australians now have another streamer to choose from, with new streaming service Paramount+ launching on Wednesday, August 11. The platform actually rebrands the existing 10 All Access streaming service, with parent company Viacom CBS Australia and New Zealand bringing it into line with the global Paramount+ subscription offering that launched in America in March this year. Paramount+'s big drawcard? Its library of titles from Paramount Pictures — obviously — as well as from Showtime, CBS, BET Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, the Smithsonian Channel and Sony Pictures Television. So, if you're the kind of viewer that loves rewatching your favourite flicks, you'll be able to head to the service to stream movies from the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones, Transformers, Jackass, Batman and Dark Knight Trilogy franchises. Plus, the likes of Austin Powers in Goldmember, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Grease and Good Will Hunting will also be available on the service, all as part of the $8.99 per month subscription fee. On the TV front, existing series like The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, Why Women Kill, Charmed and SpongeBob SquarePants will find a new home. Paramount+ is also betting big on new television shows being a big drawcard, so you can expect to add a heap of titles to your must-watch list — including revenge-fuelled miniseries Two Weeks To Live, starring Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams; Leonardo, a historical drama about Leonardo da Vinci; and Anne Boleyn, with Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim) as the titular figure. If you're feeling nostalgic, there's also the revival of Nickelodeon's iCarly, following the characters now they're adults; the return of Rugrats, this time with computer-generated animation; and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, which gives everyone's favourite absorbent, yellow and porous character an origin story. New Mark Wahlberg-starring movie Infinite, which sees him play a man haunted by memories of a life he didn't live, also launches in Australia with the service — and as does new seasons of Five Bedrooms, Why Women Kill and Evil. And, before August is out, you'll be able to stream the Nancy Drew TV series, the latest season of In the Dark, all of Ziwe and Coyote, six-part satire The Bite and horror anthology Monsterland as well. Down the track, Paramount+ will also be home to the new Dexter revival; the Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Old Guard)-starring TV adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth; The First Lady, which sees Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) play Michelle Obama; and page-to-screen adaptation The Luminaries. New Australian drama Last King of The Cross is also destined for the platform, as are Melbourne-shot comedy Spreadsheet and coming-of-age feature film 6 Festivals. The list goes on, including spy drama Lioness, a TV adaptation of video game Halo and The Offer, a scripted drama about on the making of The Godfather. Paramount+ is available in Australia from Wednesday, August 11, rebranding the existing 10 All Access streaming platform, with subscriptions costing $8.99. For further information, head to the Paramount+ website.
There's no need to solve a puzzle box to gain entry to one of the highlights of RISING 2024 for movie lovers. All that you need is a ticket to the latest performance by Hear My Eyes, the screening series that pops up regularly — including in Melbourne — with beloved flicks treated to a brand-new score played live while viewers lock their eyes on the big screen. The latest film getting the Hear My Eyes treatment: the OG Hellraiser. If you're not a fan of horror, don't say that you haven't been warned. Novelist Clive Barker's first feature as a director adapted his novella The Hellbound Heart, introduced the world to Cenobites and started a franchise that reached its 11th instalment with the 2022 reboot also called Hellraiser. To make stirring music to go with the movie, Hieroglyphic Being aka Jamal Moss is heading from Chicago to the Main Hall in Melbourne Town Hall for four sessions: at 6pm and 9pm on Sunday, June 9, then again at 3pm and 6pm on Monday, June 10. Pinheads, that's how you spend a public holiday. As for the lasers, none other than Robin Fox of Constellation, Disapora, Quadra and Triptych fame — and Beacon at MONA, too — is helping to ramp up what's set to be a stunner (and a spine-tingler) of a multi-sensory experience.
Gender bias is, unfortunately, a thing that people identifying as women (i.e. 50 percent of the population) deal with on a regular basis. A lot of the time it's so culturally ingrained, it goes mostly unnoticed — so one of the ways gender equality activists and groups often raise awareness about the issue is by pointing out the small, every day inequalities and making the population think about them. Like when you're standing at the traffic lights waiting for the little man to turn green. But if you're in Melbourne today — look up. For International Women's Day, ten of the CBD's pedestrian crossing traffic lights will not depict the standard male sign, but a female one. The project — which will see ten pedestrian crossing lights around the Swanston and Flinders intersection change from male to female representation — has been led (and funded) by local business and community non-profit organisation the Committee for Melbourne. "The idea is to install traffic lights with female representation, as well as male representation, to help reduce unconscious bias," committee chief executive Martine Letts told ABC News. Though a small change — and one that is largely symbolic, particularly on International Women's Day — the symbols are supposed to be a meaningful way to give women more ownership over public space. The aim of the committee, says Letts, is to get one-to-one male and female representation. Of course, not all female-identifying people wear skirts or necessarily feel represented by what is a traditional sign used to symbolise the split between male and female. Nonetheless, seeing a little green woman as you cross Flinders Street is a bit of a novelty — and one that could stick around for a while. The project is apparently supported by the Victorian Government and will remain in place for a 12-month trial. Via ABC News. Image: Committee for Melbourne/Twitter.
Think you know Tropfest? On the eve of its 21st birthday, see the iconic short film festival in a whole new, more mature light with this ultimate VIP package, up for grabs in both Sydney and Melbourne. You and a friend can get off the grass and enjoy luxury pre-drinks before heading to Tropfest with VIP red carpet tickets, which let you watch the competition unfold from the comfort of the invite-only marquee. End the night sleeping in style at the Vibe Hotel Savoy Melbourne. It's Tropfest how (we imagine) the celebs do it. The film festival that began in Sydney's Tropicana Cafe has captured the world's imagination like few others. A lot of the appeal lies in the festival's 'signature item', around which all the entrants must tailor their maximum-seven-minute films. This year it's 'balloon', so whimsy suggests itself, but the unexpected will reap reward. To be in the running for this VIP experience, subscribe to our newsletter (unless you're subscribed already) and then email melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. Tropfest is held on Sunday, February 17, at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The competition is subject to these terms and conditions.
Victorians, if you're under the age of 40, Premier Daniel Andrews has just revealed some great news. As announced at the state's daily COVID-19 press conference today, Tuesday, August 24, Victoria's COVID-19 vaccination rollout will open up doses of the Pfizer jab to folks aged between 16–39 — at state-run vaccination hubs effective from Wednesday, August 25. Accordingly, under 40s across the state will be able to get booking from 7am tomorrow — and ahead of the nationwide rollout date for Pfizer to this age group — for appointments at more than 55 state-run centres. As announced last week, this specific jab is set to become available to everyone between the ages of 16–39 across the entire country from Monday, August 30, but Victoria is now getting in early. At present, there'll be about 450,000 first-dose Pfizer jabs available to this age group in Victoria. This isn't enough to cover everyone, the Premier advised, but it'll still start the Pfizer rollout to this age range. Also, if you're under 40 and you already have an AstraZeneca appointment booked — because it has been just over two weeks since Victoria broadened its vaccination campaign rollout and started administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab to people aged between aged 18–39 — you'll now get asked if you'd like Pfizer or AZ when you turn up. So, you don't need to cancel your existing appointment and rebook, or do anything other than show up to your existing time slot. One other caveat: if you're over the age of 18, you can get either jab, but 16- and 17-year-olds are only eligible to get the Pfizer vax. The Pfizer vaccination is the recommended COVID-19 jab for all Australians under the age of 60, but the country's vaccination rollout has been targeting high-priority and high-risk groups first, and then working backwards in terms of age range. So, before now, Victorian residents under 40 who'd prefer the Pfizer vaccine have needed to fall into a specific group to access it. That means that adults aged up to 39 haven't been eligible to get the Pfizer vaccination unless you're of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent; work in quarantine, border or healthcare roles; work or live in an aged care or disability facility; work in a critical and high-risk job such as defence, fire, police, emergency services and meat processing; have an underlying medical condition or significant disability; are pregnant; or participate in the NDIS, or care for someone who does. Victoria's Pfizer vaccination rollout will open to all Victorians aged between 16–39 from Wednesday, August 25. For further information about Victoria's vaccine rollout, head to the Victorian Department of Health website.
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image might be all about celebrating screen art — peering at films and TV shows, stepping into virtual reality and showcasing the talents that've made such a huge impact, for instance — but that doesn't mean that the Melbourne-based venue doesn't appreciate nature. The world around us can look stunning projected as large as a cinema can allow. David Attenborough has turned his documentaries about the planet into their own spectacular genre, too. And the natural realm can provide experimental artists with quite the playground to ponder, as Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature is exploring. This world-premiere exhibition sees art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast unveil a showcase of works that muse on trees, black holes, cells, breathing, space, science and more. Hitting ACMI from Thursday November 23, 2023–Sunday, April 14, 2024, Works of Nature spans five major pieces that aim to deeply contemplate and appreciate humanity's role in nature, and just nature overall. And, these aren't tiny pieces — these large digital works aim to inspire awe in both their size and content. This is the London-based MLF's first major showcase in Australia, adding a stint Down Under to appearances at the Sundance and Tribeca film festivals, the Istanbul Design Biennial, Lisbon Triennial and the V&A and Design Museum in their hometown. [caption id="attachment_917014" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marshmallow Laser Feast, 'Distortions in Spacetime', 2018, courtesy of the artists[/caption] That impressive history is matched by a significant lineup of names involved with MLF's immersive Works of Nature pieces. Cate Blanchett (The New Boy) lends her narration, director Terrence Malick (A Hidden Life) executive produces, while Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood (Licorice Pizza) and fellow acclaimed composer Jóhann Jóhannsson (Last and First Men) are among the talents providing music — the latter's work continuing to entrance after his passing in 2018. Daisy Lafarge provides poetry, while Jon Hopkins, Meredith Monk and Howard Skempton also contribute tunes. Whether you're a Melburnian or have a trip to the Victoria capital in your future, you'll be able to see the meditative Evolver, which uses Blanchett's voice to journey through the human body, breath, the origins of cells and the cosmos — and Distortions in Spacetime, which heads to a black hole's edge. Or, there's the large-scale Sanctuary of the Unseen Forest, a video installation about the Amazon's kapok trees. Thanks to The Tides Within Us, oxygen is in focus again via six static pictures. And with We Live in an Ocean of Air, MLF examine how that last word in the piece's moniker connects life on earth. [caption id="attachment_917018" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marshmallow Laser Feast, 'We Live in an Ocean of Air', courtesy of the artists.[/caption] Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature is running at the Australian Centre of the Moving Image until Sunday, April 14. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website. Top image: Marshmallow Laser Feast, 'Distortions in Spacetime', 2018, courtesy of the artists.
From the CBD to the west, Sydney Festival will take over the city yet again this January, with over 130 art, music, theatre, comedy and cultural events happening across three weeks, between Wednesday, January 6 and Tuesday, January 26. Get your calendar ready, it's going to be a busy 21 days. Things will look a little different from previous years, with all 2021 events adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines, including capacity limits and social-distancing regulations. The festival, however, is a big step for the city's culture and nightlife, marking a slow return to normality. 2021 will be the festival's last year under the helm of Artistic Director Wesley Enoch, with Olivia Ansell taking over in 2022. Due to border closures, Enoch has had to craft an Australian-only program, calling on the best established and up-and-coming talent the country has to offer. [caption id="attachment_789697" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'The Rise and Fall of Saint George' by Peter Rubie[/caption] Highlights of the newly announced program include a pop-up stage at Barangaroo; the telling of Evonne Goolagong's life story, which will see Sydney Town Hall transformed into a tennis court; an installation of large floating bees around Vaucluse House called Hive Mind; an homage to musical legend George Michael starring Paul Mac; and the return of the festival's Blak Out program, promoting and uplifting First Nations voices and storytelling throughout the festival. The Barangaroo pop-up titled The Headland, will see a 32-metre-wide stage, larger than both the Capitol and Sydney Lyric, constructed in front of Sydney Harbour. The stage will operate over 16 nights, playing host to performers and musicians such as the Bangarra Dance Company, Sydney Symphony and Paul Mac, all for just $25 a ticket. Taking to smaller stages across the city, including The Lansdowne, Factory Theatre and Tokyo Sing Song, will be a whole bunch of Australian favourites including Christine Anu, Urthboy, E^ST, Alice Ivy and Emily Wurramara. [caption id="attachment_789696" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Hive Mind'[/caption] Alongside the giant bees taking residence in Vaucluse, visual art will consume the city, with exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and outside Customs House, Circular Quay, where a new large-scale immersive experience from audio-visual artist Matthias Schack-Arnott will be set up for the public to interact with. The festival will also see the return of long-running favourites, such as Parramatta Park's Sydney Symphony Under the Stars and Barangaroo's The Vigil on Australia Day eve. Sydney Festival 2021 runs from January 6–26 at venues across the city. For further details and to buy tickets, visit the Sydney Festival website. Tickets are on sale now. Top image: The Headland stage and 'Sydney Symphony Under the Stars' by Victor Frankowski
What better way to ride out the end of comfort food season, than a weekly shindig dedicated to your favourite carb-based food? That's the indisputable logic behind Marameo's new Pasta Party series, which kicks off Saturday, July 30, and runs weekly until August 27. On offer at the CBD restaurant from 12–3pm each week, the lunchtime fiestas promise to wrap up your winter with a warm hug of fresh pasta, wine and tunes. Across a two-hour sitting, you'll dig into a three-course pasta-centric menu starring the likes of gnocco fritto paired with prosciutto di Parma and mortadella, black truffle cacio e pepe, a 10-cheese lasagne, and saffron pappardelle with a rich wagyu shank ragu. Meanwhile, a DJ will be spinning tunes of the disco and funk variety, and the drinks will be equally free-flowing, with bottomless prosecco, wine and Peronis to wash down your pasta banquet. The pasta parties clock in at $100 per person, and you'll need at least four diners to nab a table. Images: Kristoffer Paulsen
It's official: the warm weather has finally returned to our shores. If there is ever a time to plan a quick jaunt to Sydney, it's right now — the beaches are beautiful, the city is buzzing with activity and there are bars popping up all over the place, so you can get a good fix of vitamin D with a drink in hand. Once you've arrived, we're guessing one of the first things on your agenda is to sit in the sun and sip some cocktails by the water. And luckily, you can do just that — and catch some legendary art — at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art on your visit. The museum has teamed up with top-notch tequila brand Patrón to launch a summer pop-up bar. The bar opened on Thursday, October 31 and is running from 4–10pm every Wednesday through Sunday until February 16. It'll be running alongside the gallery's retrospective exhibition of British artist Cornelia Parker, also sponsored by Patrón, as part of the MCA's 2019/2020 Sydney International Art Series. It's an all-out celebration of art, culture and fine tequila — and everyone is invited. The ground floor terrace has been transformed into an airy, hacienda-inspired bar that looks straight out over the harbour. Expect an openair space with a polished concrete bar, colourful wall murals and heaps of leafy plants. The bar opens out onto a 'lawn' with wicker sling-back chairs surrounding tequila barrel tables. The space offers unrestricted views across to the Sydney Opera House and will surely give a few other harbourside bars a run for their money this season. Instead of using your usual gin or whisky cocktails, the bartenders will, of course, be shaking and stirring drinks with Patrón — namely Silver, Reposado and Añejo. The 100-percent agave tequila is hand-harvested and produced in small batches in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, which gives it its premium edge, so expect after-work drinks to get a lot fancier. You (and your mates) will be able to spend a balmy evening sipping negronis, highballs and old-fashioneds, all with a seasonal tequila twist. You can also opt for a Patrón, lime and soda, or the signature cocktail inspired by British artist Cornelia Parker — the Cold Dark Matter, made with Patrón Reposado, blackberry liqueur, lime and ginger ale. For the purists, there are classic margaritas and palomas on the docket, too. Apart from the cocktails, there are plenty of Mexican eats from Simon Fox (Graze Restaurant) to keep you going. Think bar snacks like margarita-spiced popcorn ($5) and chilli lime peanuts ($5), or, the star of the show, the Nixtamal tortilla tostadas. These tortillas have been made using a special ancient Aztec method of cooking and grinding corn, and you can nab three for $20. Varieties include slow-cooked pulled pork with pickled cabbage, salt and fennel crusted salmon with sesame yoghurt and an Asian-inspired version with crispy pulled duck, shallots and crushed peanuts. Two vegetarian options are also up for grabs — the mole verde with pickled cactus and chipotle aioli and the pickled eggplant with avocado, marinated olives and feta. And, since its the MCA, you can expect plenty of art, culture and entertainment happenings, too. There'll be interactive performances, DJ sets, art installations and VR experiences to check out throughout the pop-up. Plus, every Sunday, you can try out your own artistic hand — by painting and decorating a 200ml bottle of Patron, that is. If all that isn't enough, you can turn your visit here into the start of a very festive bar crawl around Sydney Harbour. In addition to the MCA pop-up bar, Patrón has also teamed up with a number of other bars around Circular Quay — Bar Patrón, Quay Bar and The Argyle — to create The Art of Patrón precinct. Just keep your Patrón cocktail coaster and scan it at each venue (all in one night or across the entire summer period) to score a complimentary ceramic mug. The Patrón Pop-up will run from Thursday, October 31 through February 16 (excluding public holidays and New Year's Eve). It is open every Wednesday through Sunday from 4–10pm. Visit Patron's website for more details.
Hollywood loves an awards ceremony, and boasts a regular lineup of statuette-bestowing occasions to prove it. Stellar television shows and the folks who make them can win everything from an Emmy and a Golden Globe to a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA — and more — because cinema isn't the only screen format that likes rewarding its best and brightest at glitzy occasions with lengthy speeches and shiny trophies. Awards ceremonies are also a handy source of information for TV fans. They're fun to watch, but they can also help you work out what else you should be watching. So many television shows vie for everyone's eyeballs each year, so knowing that something has scored a few gongs (or even more than a few) might help rocket it to the top of your must-see list. Streaming platform Binge features quite a number of award-winners in its catalogue, for example, if you're not quite sure what you should marathon your way through next. In collaboration with the service, we've taken a look and picked five of our accolade-receiving favourites that you can check out now — including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
Some things in this life are just meant to go together. Such is the way with Snowshoe to Fondue, the ultimate alpine holiday pairing for everyone who values the après in their skiing. Run by tour operators Alpine Nature Experience, Snowshoe to Fondue runs throughout the winter months in Victoria's Mount Hotham. The experience starts with a sunset hike through the snow-covered forest. Snowshoes enable you to 'float' rather than sink into the alpine landscape, so expect a breezy walk that just earns you the cheese extravaganza that is the real reason for this outing. The feasting takes place at Alpine Nature Experience's 'hidden eco-village', inside a tipi with a fireplace. Here, having enjoyed a warming glass of glühwein upon arrival, you'll be shown how to make a traditional Swiss fondue. A reminder if you haven't heard the word in a while: fondue involves melting cheese over a portable stove and dipping food into it. Why this gooey form of eating ever went out of fashion is a total mystery. Alpine Nature Experience's version is made with cheese imported from the French mountains — and it's bookended with soup and cake, making it a balanced three-course meal. The tour includes transport back to your starting point at Wire Plain, from where you can easily return to your accommodation at Mount Hotham and sleep the sleep of kings. Whatever adventures you've planned on the slopes for tomorrow, you'll be properly fuelled for them. Snowshoe to Fondue tours will run daily Wednesdays to Sundays until September 29. To make a booking, visit the website. Images: Fabio Olivera and Georgie James.
Music festival lineups are always cause for excitement, but sometimes spending a whole day at a fest doesn't fit into your schedule. Thankfully, life found a way to ensure that you can still see your favourite acts: festival sideshows, which a heap of talent on the 2024 Groovin the Moo lineup just announced. Can't head to Newcastle, Canberra, Bendigo, Adelaide Showground, the Sunshine Coast and Bunbury this April and May to catch GZA, Claire Rosinkranz, Kenya Grace, Stephen Sanchez and The Beaches? All five have announced their own gigs while they're Down Under. In great news for folks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, they're all playing all three cities. Perth gets a few sideshows as well; however, if you're elsewhere, you'll have to travel. Wu-Tang Clan's GZA is taking to the stage with full live band The Phunky Nomads, on their Liquid Swords Live Australian tour — starting at Sydney's Liberty Hall, then heading to 170 Russell in Melbourne, The Triffid in Brisbane and Magnet House in Perth. And yes, the set usually includes a heap of the tunes that GZA is best-known for, because Wu-Tang Clan covers ain't nuthing ta f' wit. Rosinkranz has her debut 2023 album Just Because to play through at Max Watts in Melbourne, Oxford Art Factory in Sydney, The Zoo in Brisbane and Perth's Rosemount Hotel. Making her first trip to Australia, 'Strangers' artist Grace will play Melbourne's The Night Cat, Fremantle's Freo.Social, and also Oxford Art Factory and The Zoo just like Rosinkranz. After hitting our shores last year, Sanchez returns to bust out 'Until I Found You' again, this time at Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Forum Melbourne, The Tivoli in Brisbane and Perth's Astor Theatre. And Toronto's The Beaches have dates at The Lansdowne, The Zoo and Howler in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, respectively. [caption id="attachment_939692" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caity Krone[/caption] Groovin the Moo 2024 Sideshows: GZA + The Phunky Nomads Thursday, May 2 — Liberty Hall, Sydney Friday, May 3 — 170 Russell, Melbourne Tuesday, May 7 — The Triffid, Brisbane Friday, May 10 — Magnet House, Perth Claire Rosinkranz Tuesday, April 30 — Max Watts, Melbourne, Wednesday, May 1 — Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Tuesday, May 7 — The Zoo, Brisbane Friday, May 10 — Rosemount Hotel, Perth Kenya Grace Tuesday, April 30 — The Night Cat, Melbourne Thursday, May 2 — Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Wednesday, May 8 — The Zoo, Brisbane Saturday, May 11 — Freo.Social, Fremantle Stephen Sanchez Monday, April 29 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney Tuesday, April 30 — Forum Melbourne, Melbourne Monday, May 6 — The Tivoli, Brisbane Wednesday, May 8 — Astor Theatre, Perth The Beaches Wednesday, May 1 — The Lansdowne, Sydney Monday, May 6 — The Zoo, Brisbane Thursday, May 9 — Howler, Melbourne Groovin the Moo is touring Australia in April and May 2024. For tickets and more information, head to the festival's website. The festival's sideshows are touring across the same months, with presale and general sale dates varying — head to the tour pages for GZA, Claire Rosinkranz, Kenya Grace, Stephen Sanchez and The Beaches for all the details. Top image: Azuree Wiitala.
Melbourne's summer bucket list is set to be an extra hefty one this year, as people scramble to tick off all the experiences they missed out on over lockdown. Dining out with mates at the pub? Check. Catching an IRL gig? Check. Whizzing through the air on a zipline across the Yarra? Actually, this summer, you can check that one off, too, thanks to Firefly Zipline — an entirely unexpected new experience popping up at Fed Square for the month of December. From December 1–28, a 130-metre zipline will be installed in the heart of the CBD, connecting Federation Square with Alexandra Gardens. Punters of any age will be able to book a ticket, don a safety harness and helmet, and enjoy a hurtling flight over the Yarra, either solo or as part of a pair. Soaring nine metres above the water and clocking speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour, it's the ride you never knew you needed in your life. And the one you probably never saw coming. Coming to fruition after many years of planning, Firefly Zipline is being brought to life with a little funding help from the City of Melbourne and the Victorian Government, in the hopes of bringing some extra action to the CBD as it emerges from lockdown. There's no age limit for zipline flyers, though anyone under 18 will need a parent or guardian present to sign their waiver, and kids under 12 will have to ride with a paying adult. You'll also need to weigh between 35 and 120 kilograms to jump aboard. It's recommended you get in quick though, with only 5000 tickets available. Firefly Zipline will operate multiple sessions daily from December 1–28. Tickets are $49 for adults, $39 for kids and $159 for a family of four. Buy yours here from November 1 onwards.
Iconic LGBTQIA+ celebration Midsumma is back with a bang this month and as usual, the festivities will include the iconic annual Midsumma Pride March, descending down St Kilda's Fitzroy Street on Sunday, February 5. And local pub The Espy isn't about to let the occasion pass without throwing a fittingly huge afterparty. Kicking off at 12pm, the free Post-Parade Party will see the venue go all out with rainbow decals and lighting, bold floral displays and other themed fun, while the tunes and entertainment will be rolling on through until late. Highlights include famed London DJ Severino, Sunshine Disco Faith Choir in a special staircase gig, and a slew of drag and dance performances from local and international names including Jason Conti, Cushen, Sugar Plump Fairy, Juicy Fruit, Onyx and more. Meanwhile, the bar is whipping up Pride-inspired rainbow slushies for $18 a pop, with $2 from each drink going to support the Victorian Pride Centre. The cocktails will be available from Friday, February 3–Sunday, February 5, with The Espy set to match the final fundraising tally with a donation of their own.
In a year when we're all spending a whole lot more time at home than we ever planned to, you may have become obsessed with upgrading your abode (and we don't blame you). One of the best ways to brighten up your space is with pops of colour, and that goes hand-in-hand with one of the most colourful art movements of the last century — the pop art era. Distinguished by its flashy imagery and bold colours, pop art flourished in the 1950s and 60s across the UK and US, and, to a degree, Australia. Whether you're an art lover or just want to freshen up your space, we've picked out six simple ways you can bring a slice of pop art into your life, with help from our friends at LEGO Art — from kitschy statement jewellery to patterned cushions and build-your-own artwork. We've also made sure you can order these items from the comfort of your home. Each item can be shipped directly to your doorstep. [caption id="attachment_782323" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikita Majajas by Liz Ham[/caption] WEAR POP ART-INSPIRED JEWELLERY FROM DOODAD AND FANDANGO Sydney-based jewellery brand Doodad and Fandango is all about that pop art look, thanks to founder Nikita (Margarita) Majajas' obsession with Japan's Harajuku fashion movement. She creates wearable art that's inspired by the bakelite and celluloid costume jewellery of the 1930s and 50s, and she wants her customers to experience the glamorous look of the era with new, modern designs. These products are anything but fast fashion — every piece is handmade to order using locally sourced, collector's-grade material and the process is sustainable, too. Plus each item is just really fun — think a Stud choker ($140), Act Now earrings ($80) and even a range of bolo ties ($90) to choose from. BUILD ANDY WARHOL'S MARILYN MONROE AND FRAME IT We've been loving the rise of adult colouring books, paint sets and other calming kidult trends. And now a childhood favourite is offering a much more adult version of your favourite coloured bricks. There's a new LEGO Art range which is specifically designed for grown ups. Our pick is the iconic Marilyn Monroe portrait ($199), based on the artwork by Andy Warhol, one of the leading figures of the pop art movement. Each set comes with four different building options, so you can recreate and display the entire portrait series — all with a Warhol signature tile to boot. If puzzling together colourful squares isn't therapeutic enough, the experience also comes with a specially curated soundtrack to listen to as you build. SIP FROM THESE POP ART-INSPIRED MUGS Miss perusing the museum gift shop after seeing an exhibition? Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art has you covered. Whether you live out-of-state or are just being 'rona safe, you don't have to head into the museum to check out its store. The online shop offers a huge range of art-adjacent products that can be delivered direct to your doorstep. Including these Andy Warhol-themed mugs ($24.99), dubbed the 'Andy Tea-Hall'. It's sure to make your daily (or hourly) cuppa a bit more fun. The shop also offers heaps of other ceramics and homewares, as well as jewellery and gift ideas. BRIGHTEN UP THE LOUNGE WITH PATTERNED CUSHIONS World-renowned Finnish brand Marimekko has a penchant for patterns, and it has been brightening up homes and wardrobes around the world for six decades. Expertly crafted to last, the brand's products are the perfect addition to any house. While there are stores all over Australia and New Zealand (and over 100 around the world), you can also simply order online. Marimekko's designs come in all different hues and patterns, with pillows, covers and cushions all on offer — think orange groves, vivid greens, floral patterns and bold black and white shapes. All of the textiles are printed at the company's factory in Helsinki. Cushion covers (50 x 50 centimetres) start from $53, and shipping is free if you spend over $150. STOCK YOUR LIBRARY WITH POP ART BOOKS A coffee table book is a great way to bring pop art into your home without committing to it long-term. There are (not surprisingly) heaps of books on the subject, and Brisbane's Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) is a good place to start. Its online shop offers stacks of art books and specialises in Australian and First Nations art and artists. If you're just beginning your pop art collection, our top pick is Flavia Frigeri's Pop Art: Art Essentials ($20). The book follows the movement from its beginnings in post-war consumerism all the way to its global rise in the 1960s. Explore works by well-known artists like Roy Lichtenstein alongside Japan's Ushio Shinohara and Argentina's Marta Minujín. Delivery is a $15 flat rate across Australia, $30 for New Zealand and $10 if you live locally. SPORT YOUR LOVE FOR WARHOL WITH WEARABLE PIECES OF ART If you're looking for other ways to show your love of pop art without decorating the house, there's a huge range of clothing, jewellery and other art-related fashion accessories up for grabs from the Museum of Contemporary Art. This wooden Andy Warhol brooch ($29) is a hand-painted statement piece that closely aligns with Warhol's quote, "Fashion wasn't what you wore someplace anymore; it was the whole reason for going". Created by Milk Thieves' designer Emma Lee, the brooch was handmade on the South Coast using sustainably sourced, laser-cut bamboo. And it'll add a bit of nostalgic pop culture into your accessory roster. Discover more about the new LEGO Art range, here.
For a good chunk of the past year, lots of normal, everyday activities have been off the cards for Melburnians. But with restrictions continuing to ease as the state moves through its latest reopening roadmap, that is slowly changing. And right now, anyone who wants to picnic while cruising along the Yarra can do so again — even if they don't own a boat. As of last month, GoBoat's 16-strong fleet of eco-friendly picnic boats are once again setting sail from Sandridge Wharf at Southbank, near Flinders Street Station. Aimed at making the whole boating experience more accessible for everyday folk, the outfit's Scandinavian-designed vessels are slow-moving, a breeze to operate and don't require a boating licence, making for fuss-free sailing sessions. In a win for the planet, they also run on silent, pollution-free, electric engines, and are crafted from a mix of reclaimed timber and recycled PET bottles. Oh, and did we mention they're pet-friendly? Surely you've got a very good boy who deserves a river jaunt. As you can imagine, due to COVID-19, GoBoat will be doing things a little differently from normal for the time being. While the vessels have an eight-person capacity, current government restrictions mean your crew is capped at a maximum of five double-jabbed people from up to two households, or a maximum of two single-dosed people — the same rules that currently apply for picnics and other outdoor social interaction. As per Melbourne's current regulations, all sailers will also have to wear a face mask whenever they're not eating or drinking. And, given the 15-kilometre rule that's presently in place, you'll need to live within that exact distance of both Southbank and your sailing route. There'll also be hand sanitiser available at the dock and the boats will be sanitised before every use. QR code check-ins are required for all passengers, sessions are capped at two hours (instead of the usual three) and for now, limited bookings will be available to ensure safe social distancing. Each of the contemporary GoBoats clocks in at 18-feet long, boasting a central picnic table with room for all the necessary snacks and booze. And despite what you might be thinking, they're pretty affordable — simply BYO food and drinks, round up enough of your housemates to jump aboard and a GoBoat session will currently cost you less than $26 per person, per hour. And it'll work out to even less once capacity ramps up to eight people, with GoBoat's rates coming in at $129 for a one-hour trip, $199 for two hours and $289 for three hours. Eventually, you'll be able to make a whole day of it. For more information about GoBoat, or to make a booking, visit the service's website. Images: Lean Timms
This post is presented by the All New Toyota Corolla Sedan. The best urban adventures are not only beautiful, stimulating and stacks of fun; they're fresh. They put you ahead of the curve. They make you one of the testers and connoisseurs. And they probably give you the Instagram coup of the day. There's plenty of fun to be had in this city each week, but there's only a small handful of these intrepid moments. We've partnered with Toyota to find the very best shiny-new experiences in Melbourne. Presented by the All New Toyota Corolla Sedan, these are our picks to put you on the road to a life of goodtimes. Now your only challenge is getting to them all. Eat: The Tippler & Co Tucked into a small but well-designed space in East Melbourne, this new bar/restaurant boasts a clean, wood-based aesthetic, and a detail-oriented selection of food and drink that somehow feels both innovative and unpretentious all at once. Instead of a formal dining experience, staff on the floor offer relaxed table service to anyone who so desires and will cheerfully run through the short menu with you. What could at first be overlooked as a small bar menu is in fact a nuanced and varied offering of ornate dishes with both vegan and gluten free options. Our top pick is the beef short rib. Served with sesame spinach, apple and daikon slaw, and edamame (S$22, L$26), the meat in this dish was so tender it just fell off the bone. What more could you want? 58 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne Drink: Nieuw Amsterdam Nieuw Amsterdam is a sophisticated new late-night bar and restaurant full of natural light, dark wood, exposed bricks and an air of class without any of the pretense. Operating over two levels — a light filled restaurant upstairs and a dimly lit bar downstairs, perfect for those late night drinks — this venue is set to become a new favourite. The cocktail menu in particular is vast and inviting, full of inventive twists on the classics and some unusual and tasty original concoctions. The menu is separated into categories such as sweet and sour, stiff, spritz'd (all sparkling) and an entire section featuring drink formulas from some of the best bartenders and bars around the city, including The Alchemist and Polly. There is also an impressive collection of 12 local and imported beers on tap and some well-curated bottled ciders and beer. 106–112 Hardware Street, Melbourne See: New14 Each year the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art offers up some of the country's brightest emerging talent on a platter, commissioning a series of original work that captures the diversity of contemporary practice. Now that ACCA have given such an enormous amount of support to these young artists we get to swoop in and reap all the benefits with a fantastic free showing of all their work. For the exhibition, Danae Valenza is creating a colour organ out of a grand piano and coloured lights, with accompanying photographic 'portraits' of the performances played on it, while Kenny Pittock will showcase a large number of drawings and videos of Melbourne passengers in transit. Get along and spot yourself looking bored on the 112 tram. March 15 to May 18, ACCA, 111 Sturt Street, Melbourne Do: Festival of Live Art Good things are coming in big packages these days. White Night devoured the CBD whole last month, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is right around the corner, and in the meantime we've been offered up the very first Festival of Live Art — a behemoth of a thing bustling with new and exciting work that closes the increasingly ambiguous gap between art and theatre. In a joint venture between Arts House, Theatre Works and Footscray Community Arts Centre, the festival will take place at multiple venues over the two-week period, and better yet: most events are free. Take a look at the program and plan your full experience, or drift in and out of our top ten picks. March 14-30, all around Melbourne
One of the planet's fastest growing problems is e-waste. In fact, it's piling up at a rate of 40 tonnes per year, which is particularly disturbing because of its potential to leak nasties — like mercury, lead and arsenic — into our environment. The good news is that the folks at Stockholm-based studio People People want to help in any way they can — via your personal sound system. So they're crowdfunding a transparent, wireless speaker that can be totally disassembled and repaired. Instead of throwing the whole thing in the garbage because one tiny part has conked out, you can simply replace it, put the speaker back together and keep the music going. What's more, internal sensors figure out when there's a glitch and promptly let you know — via a notification on your phone. Have a go at solving the problem yourself by pulling the speaker apart or, if you think it's safer to leave it to those genius Swedes, then send it to your nearest manufacturing location. All materials contained in the speaker can be repeatedly recycled to their original quality, creating a 'closed loop' system. "The challenge of our generation will be to stop trashing our planet, and leave it in a good shape for coming generations," the studio said on its Kickstarter page. "Consumer products are too quickly becoming waste and mostly dumped in landfills. In fact, there is a full football field of electronic waste generated every minute. This linear system has to stop." The speaker is available in white or black. And, thanks to its minimalist Scandi aesthetic, you won't have to worry about it throwing off your interior design. There's a knob for volume adjustment, a rocker-style on-off switch and a 3.5-millimetre jack, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth capability. Two 2.5-inch drivers, a passive bass radiator and a built-in amplifier with embedded digital signal processing (DSP) deliver cracking sound. People People are hoping to raise $250,000 to get the project off the ground. With 17 days to go, 319 backers have promised a total of $80,456. Pledges from $2 are welcome and, with $250, you can land yourself your own speaker. The Transparent Speaker is currently being funded on Kickstarter up until January 22. To pledge money or find out more, visit their campaign page.
Melbourne Fringe Festival is set to enjoy a bit of a shake-up before it returns for its 37th edition this September, with a new home and a few surprises up its sleeve. The city's long-running multi-arts festival will unveil a new central hub for its broad-ranging program of events, settling into Carlton's soon-to-be renovated Trades Hall building. And, in an effort to extend those Fringe vibes well outside its typical two-and-a-half weeks in spring, the festival's also launching a year-round bar and gig venue, taking over the Trades Hall space once home to Bella Union. Called the Festival Hub and Club, it'll be a place where you can catch a gig, enjoy a drink and soak up some of the best of Melbourne's arts scene. Ultimately, it'll get a workout up to six or seven nights a week, playing host to a diverse lineup of comedy, cabaret, dance parties, spoken word and live, independent music — programming Melbourne Fringe Creative Director and CEO Simon Abrahams says will reflect the spirit of Fringe, year round. We'll get a sneak peek of this new venue during Fringe's 2019 run, before it launches properly in November, with a little help from Andrew McClelland's beloved fortnightly dance party, Finishing School. [caption id="attachment_636849" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Melbourne Fringe by Theresa Harrison.[/caption] The move to Trades Hall is key to Fringe's continued focus on access, diversity and inclusion. It's giving the building a makeover and installing internal lifts to create a dynamic and accessible space, which will show off its new look when it plays host to a good chunk of the festival's 450-plus events this September. Previous North Melbourne hub sites including the Town Hall and Lithuanian Club will still get a look-in, hosting an abbreviated program of Fringe events. Melbourne Fringe Festival returns from September 12–29, 2019. The Festival Hub and Club will launch in November.
In 2023, Kylie Minogue was one of the headline acts at the first-ever Sydney WorldPride. In 2024, Australia's favourite homegrown pop star is leading the bill at another huge event: Splendour in the Grass. 'Padam Padam' will echo across North Byron Bay Parklands to warm up winter — and festivalgoers will be spinning around to the music megastar's three-plus decades of hits. Kylie tops a lineup that also boasts Future and Arcade Fire, with Minogue headlining the Friday night with an exclusive set, then Future doing the Saturday and Arcade Fire taking to the stage on the Sunday. The dates, in case you don't already have them in your diary: Friday, July 19–Sunday, July 21. And yes, 2024's biggest Splendour names have plenty of company. [caption id="attachment_870885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darenoted Ltd[/caption] You'll also be catching G Flip, Turnstile, The Presets doing a DJ set, Yeat, Hayden James, Girl in Red, Baby Gravy, Tash Sultana, DJ Seinfeld, Fontaines DC, Royel Otis, Tones and I and more. Of course the list goes on from there — it's Splendour. Omar Apollo, The Last Dinner Party, Lizzy McAlpine, The Kills, Thelma Plum, Partiboi69, Angie McMahon, Viagra Boys: add them all to your schedule for the three days, then a whole heap more. [caption id="attachment_945649" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leonardo Samrani via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Splendour 2024, which is the festival's 22nd birthday, will feature beats and projections at The Forest, LGBTQIA+ dance club Rainbow Bar, everything from immersive installations to giant sculptures as part of its arts program, and Little Splendour turning a trip to the fest into a family-friendly experience, too. Don't forget that there's also a lineup for the Thursday night as well, with Jimi the Kween, Krissy Jaman, Victoria Anthony and Summer Lover kicking off the proceedings. Splendour in the Grass 2024 Lineup: Friday: Kylie G Flip Turnstile Tash Sultana Omar Apollo Partiboi69 Angie McMahon Viagra Boys ISOxo Confidence Man Otoboke Beaver Allday A.B. Original Yard Act Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers JK-47 Leisure Kita Alexander Skeleten Radio Free Alice Becca Hatch Nick Ward Triple J Unearthed Mix Up DJs: Dameeeela Baschoe Reenie The Forest: Anthony Pappa Wongo Morgazmk Miles Jackson Arya Data Roaming K Dizzy Saturday: Future Yeat Hayden James Fontaines D.C. Lizzy McAlpine Tones and I The Last Dinner Party The Presets (DJ set) Pond Boywithuke Middle Kids Beddy Rays Swim Coco & Clair Clair Michael Marcagi Floodlights Rona. The Dreggs Teenage Joans Good Neighbours Rum Jungle Willo Miss Kaninna Logan. Mix Up DJs: Naynay Naycab The Forest: Grouch Marnie Megapixel Ish K Sophdexx Lucidream Justtim Camila Rosa. Sunday: Arcade Fire Girl in Red Baby Gravy (Yung Gravy X Bbno$) Royel Otis DJ Seinfeld The Kills TV Girl Thelma Plum Fletcher Polaris Eyedress Sofia Kourtesis Sam Alfred Pacific Avenue Erika De Casier Grentperez Danny Ocean Old Mervs Paris Paloma 6 Sense The Slingers Vv Pete Belair Lip Bombs Triple J Unearthed Mix Up DJs: Jhassic & Rakish Bria The Forest: Opiuo Godlands Käse Kochen Grouch in Dub (solo) April Kerry Surge Crooks Farfetchd Smish Wren Thursday night: Jimi the Kween Krissy Jaman Victoria Anthony Summer Lover Splendour in the Grass will take over North Byron Bay Parklands from Friday, July 19–Sunday, July 21, 2024, with ticket presales from 9am–9pm AEDT on Thursday, March 14 for Splendour members, 10am–4pm AEDT on Sunday, March 17 for locals, 9am–9pm AEDT on Monday, March 18 for PYP, 9am–12am AEDT on Tuesday, March 19 for Optus and 9am–9pm AEDT on Wednesday, March 20 via TikTok — and general sales from 9am AEDT on Thursday, March 21. For more information, head to the festival website. Images: Charlie Hardy, Bianca Holderness and Claudia Ciapocha.
Electronic festival Let Them Eat Cake managed an eight-year run of tune-filled New Year's Day parties before COVID-19 hit pause on its 2021 edition. But, you can bet it's making up for that skipped beat, announcing today that the festival will return for a huge comeback outing on Saturday, January 1, 2022. The much-loved music and arts celebration returns to its Werribee Mansion home in just over six month's time. It is Australia's first New Year's Day festival that has been announced since the pandemic hit. Organisers, Novel — the same minds behind Pitch Music & Arts and Smalltown — are yet to reveal full details about the event's music lineup, though they're aiming high, with festival director Daniel Teuma saying, "We want to ensure this is our best one yet." Teuma also hinted that the musical offering will be largely local, saying "with the uncertainty around international borders re-opening, we decided to take a more sensible approach to the lineup. We can't say too much, but we are confident our 2022 edition will have something for everyone." The crew at Full Throttle Entertainment will be making the music side of things extra memorable, installing what's set to be the biggest sound system in town on New Year's Day. There'll also be a diverse lineup of food vendors, curated specifically to complement the tunes, artworks and visuals under the organisers' new, more cohesive approach. Delivering a finely tuned COVID-Safe festival has been top of the planning agenda — Let them Eat Cake 2022 will activate the sprawling Werribee Mansion grounds in a whole new way, with improved traffic flow and more opportunities for exploration beyond the main stage set-up. Under current public health guidelines, the new-look event would be allowed to safely host up to 7500 attendees. Let Them Eat Cake will descend on Werribee Mansion on Saturday, January 1, 2022. Pre-registration for tickets opens from 4.30pm Tuesday, June 22, with pre-sale tickets up for grabs on July 6 and general tickets available from July 7. The full program will be announced in September — hit the website for details and to buy tickets. Top Image: Duncographic
From the Box Hill Community Arts Centre and the art collection inside the historic town hall, to the bustling market and the annual Chinese New Year Festival, Box Hill has its share of suburban charm. As you may know first-hand, residents here are spoiled for choice when it comes to authentic noodles, hot pot and dumplings; a large percentage of the population has Chinese heritage, contributing to a community filled with family-run eateries and businesses and some of the best Asian food in Melbourne. We've teamed up with American Express to sift through the numerous independent local traders providing Box Hill and surrounds with the restaurants, cafes and shops that make the eastern suburbs so great. Strive to shop small, with these nine local businesses that will welcome you and your American Express Card like you're part of the family.
Do gelato and cocktails go hand-in-hand? Gelato Messina believes they do. To prove it, Messina has invited Starward Whisky to take over its Windsor outpost for three nights from February 21–23. The Messina Creative Department head chef Remi Talbot has joined forces with the Melbourne whisky's founder David Vital to bring the shop its first alcoholic pairing in the form of an eight-course gelato degustation. While menu details are sparse, we do know that one dish will comprise of apple and green shiso sorbet with pickled baby turnips and an oyster emulsion — and it'll be paired with a cocktail of Starward's Two-Fold whisky, apple kombucha, grilled melon vermouth and black lime. To find out the other seven dishes, you'll just have to head along on the night. Sessions are selling out quickly, so, if you'd like to go, we recommend booking in ASAP. It'll cost a pretty penny at $190 per head — but, if you're willing to break the bank for one night of culinary delight, we reckon this one will be worth it.
In Melbourne, yet another ridesharing service has thrown its hat into the ring, with China's DiDi Chuxing launching its DiDi Express platform across the city today, Monday, June 25. The new app is now available to download, promising locals 'an affordable, convenient and reliable ride-sharing alternative', as DiDi goes head to head with the likes of Taxify, Ola, Oiii and Uber, which just launched its new carpooling service. And it's sweetening the deal with some pretty tempting launch incentives, for both riders and drivers. Those travelling with the service will enjoy a tidy 50 percent discount (capped at $10 per trip) on all DiDi rides from now until the end of July, and will receive a $20 credit every time they introduce a friend to the platform. DiDi drivers can look forward to forking out zero commission when operating during peak times or in a peak area, and no commission plus a $5 bonus when doing both at once. They'll also take advantage of a stable 20 percent commission at other times and introductory bonuses for completing 20 trips in a seven-day period. The company's promising 24/7 support to both drivers and riders, an itinerary sharing feature for those riding, and a strict driver vetting process. DiDi Chuxing launched in China in 2012 and has quickly become a huge player in the global ridesharing game — it has since bought out Uber's Chinese operations and has stakes in numerous companies, including Ola, Taxify, Lyft and Grab. It'll be interesting to see how its services stack up to what's already on offer and how many drivers will be available at any one time. You can now download the DiDi Express app from the app store.
Holed up above Swanston Street for over a decade now, this second-hand goliath is one of the largest vintage stores in the country. With racks packed full of one-of-a-kind fabrics cut into new fashionable styles, old leather boots and bags at bargain prices, and a huge collection of band t-shirts, Retrostar is a destination in itself. It's easy to lose an entire afternoon trying on countless outfits, flipping through the styles of yesteryear and swiping free lollipops from their friendly service counters. Bonus: they also regularly host warehouse sales with thousands of pieces priced at just $5. Be sure to get their early to avoid the carnage.
Make some room in your budget for a new streaming service: soon, HBO's lengthy list of must-see TV shows will have their own platform in Australia. The network's dedicated streamer Max debuted in America in 2020, and has been rolling out through Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Europe since — and newly in Japan as well. Now, Aussie viewers will be able to subscribe sometime in the first half of 2025. Earlier in 2024, it was rumoured that Australia was on Max's list in the next 18 months. At the APOS media and entertainment conference in Bali between Tuesday, September 24–Thursday, September 26, Warner Bros Discovery's President for the Asia-Pacific James Gibbons confirmed the Aussie launch, as well as the 2025 timing. Exactly how the rollout will work across the Asia-Pacific region is yet to be revealed, and it won't be the same Max model everywhere. But Australia will have a direct-to-consumer setup, which means signing up directly for Max. "We will be flexible and diverse as to how we go about it. There will be a mixture of direct service and partnership models. Our goal is to reach the fan base," said Gibbons, Variety reports. The great streaming service rush, when new platforms seemed to appear every few weeks or so, might be a few years in the past; however, HBO bringing Max to Australia is huge news. Depending on exactly when in the first six months of 2025 that it hits, that's where you might be watching The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Euphoria when they return for their next seasons. At present, the US network's shows largely screen and stream to Aussie viewers via Binge and Foxtel. When the former launched, boasting HBO's catalogue was one of its big selling points. The deal between Binge, Foxtel and Warner Bros Discovery — which owns HBO — was extended in 2023, but it was reported at the time that Max might debut in Australia from 2025. Moving HBO's catalogue away from Binge and Foxtel would impact a hefty number of shows, with the network also behind House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and any other Game of Thrones spinoffs that make it to fruition — and True Detective, And Just Like That..., The Rehearsal, The Penguin, on-the-way IT prequel series Welcome to Derry, soon-to-arrive Dune spinoff Prophecy and much, much more. HBO's past original programming spans everything from The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Oz, Deadwood, Big Love, True Blood, Big Little Lies, Westworld and Succession to The Larry Sanders Show, Sex and the City, Flight of the Conchords, Bored to Death, Girls, Veep, Barry and Enlightened. Max is launching in Australia sometime in the first half of 2025 — we'll update you when more details are announced. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter. Top image: Macall Polay/Max.
In spicy news for animal-lovers, St Kilda's Babu Ji restaurant is about to add an all-you-can-eat vegan feast to its weekly calendar. Every Tuesday from 19 June, you'll be able to settle in for as much curry and cumin-infused rice as you can handle — for just 25 bucks. Babu Ji's plant-based offerings will vary from week-to-week. Among the dishes you're likely to find are dal makhani — a mix of black lentils, ginger, garlic and garam masala that's cooked for 12 hours — and aloo baingan, an eggplant and potato curry with roasted pine nuts and raisins. As well as being vegan, it's all gluten-free — including the naan (just ask for the GF version). Apart from the obvious deliciousness, owner Mani Waraich hopes the vegan menu will showcase a new side of Indian cuisine. "We're launching vegan Tuesdays, not only because we should all be eating less meat, but because Indian food has so many vegan options that are so naturally tasty and nutritious," he says. Your $25 includes all the vegan curry and cumin-infused rice you can eat, as well as a papadum. Plus, all proceeds raised on the first vegan night will go to Sacred Heart Mission.
Code Black Coffee knows how to cafe. Each of its six sites serve some of the city's best breakfasts and cups of joe, plus the sleek warehouse design in its larger Brunswick and North Melbourne venues is oh so Melbourne. The team is conquering the city, one cup of coffee and eggs benny at a time, with no signs to slow down. That's especially clear as it just opened its seventh outpost on Flinders Lane. Here, the team is pumping out the types of dishes that have seen Code Black assume a rightful claim to being one of the very best places for breakfast in Melbourne. On the menu, you'll find dishes like baked eggs with truffled white beans, smoked ham hock and parmigiano; milk bread mille foglie with poached rhubarb and pistachios brought together with a burnt butter mascarpone; and house-made soda bread topped with seasonal mushrooms, whipped buffalo ricotta, crispy onions and chimichurri. Of course, coffee is a also huge feature at the new Flinders Lane spot. Expect your usual milky options and on-tap batch brews as well as coffee flights and caffeine-infused cocktails — both boozy and non-alcoholic. Code Black's more unusual zero-proof bevs include an espresso martini with Vegemite syrup, as well as one featuring lemongrass, anise syrup and earl grey tea, and the Morning Bar Coco that sees cold filter coffee given a lift by rooibos tea, coconut water and cream. You've also got two vodka-based espresso martinis, an alcoholic coffee negroni and a bunch of other caffeinated sips spiked with booze. If you're keen to explore a lot of this menu, you might want to get a few with decaf. The new space, designed by We are Humble (Kaiju Cantina, No. 100 Flinders Lane, CoConspirators Brewpub, Ruby Dining and Good Measure), feels a lot more like a cocktail lounge than a cafe, which will make more sense once the team opens for nighttime trade. It's painted in the cafe's signature black all over, decked out with leather upholstery and dimly lit throughout. Melbourne's already got some stellar CBD breakfast spots, but there's always room for more — especially when they're also open on weekends like Code Black Coffee's Morning Bar. You'll find Code Black Coffee's Morning Bar at 189 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, open 7am–5pm during the week and 8am–4pm on weekends. For more details, head to the venue's website.
