Enjoy the fireworks side-by-side with giraffes at the Taronga Zoo's New Year's Eve celebrations. Panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, live entertainment and a visit to see the animal are all on offer at the zoo's ticketed, family-friendly event. Packages range from $200–600 a head with the location and experience making up most of that cost. All price points including access to the zoo, entertainment throughout the night and harbour views during the fireworks, although the $200 Silver Reserve does note "some obstructed views." If you upgrade to the $600 Diamond Reserve, you're guaranteed unobstructed views of the fireworks, plus you'll receive a complimentary food hamper and your choice of a bottle of wine or four beers to share between two people, plus free parking and a zoo gift bag. BYO food and non-alcoholic beverages are welcome, but, sadly, no BYO alcohol. Tickets are available via Moshtix.
For audiences, Carême is a series to savour: a mix of culinary spiciness, historical intrigue and espionage antics, all whipped together with plenty of sauces in the kitchen and ample sauciness in its characters' private lives. For star Benjamin Voisin (The Quiet Son), the new Paris-set French Apple TV+ series, which debuted on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, is a project that sees him step into a real-life chef's shoes, required dedicated training at a famous school of cuisine, but also gave him the freedom to channel rock stars and invent the show's version of Antonin Carême with few limits. The result for viewers is delicious to watch — and, for its star as well, it's delectable to dive into. Carême's namesake has a claim to fame that the series unsurprisingly plays up. In Napoleonic times, long before Julia Child, Nigella Lawson, Anthony Bourdain, Marco Pierre White and many, many others earned the moniker, he was world's first celebrity chef. The book Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Carême, the First Celebrity Chef is the show's basis — and that tome's author Ian Kelly, who is also an actor (see: The King's Man, The Children Act, Downton Abbey), co-created the streaming drama. Helping behind the camera to bring it to the screen: filmmaker Martin Bourboulon (The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady), one of the series' three directors alongside Laïla Marrakchi (The Eddy) and Matias Boucard (the cinematographer on Bourboulon's Eiffel, and also here). The 19th century has just arrived and Carême isn't even in his twenties when the show begins, with its protagonist learning his craft and initially discovering his aptitude for baking — and much beyond — in the kitchen of his adoptive father. He's already showing his ambition for far more, too. Then comes a horrific personal turn of events that sees Antonin's status quo crumble. Also arriving: a wholly unexpected invitation to cook for Napoleon (Frank Molinaro, Class Act). But being the personal chef to such a figure sparks another gig, after clergyman-turned-politician Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (Jérémie Renier, The Astronaut) gets Carême spying on the Bonapartes. Liaisons with Joséphine (Maud Wyler, En haute mer), wowing diners with vol-au-vents, undercover quests and basically the period's version of MasterChef are all soon headed his way, amid a romance with Henriette (Lyna Khoudri, The Empire), the lady-in-waiting to Talleyrand's mistress Catherine (Sigrid Bouaziz, Irma Vep) — plus a complicated relationship with fellow kitchen whiz Agathe (Alice Da Luz, And the Party Goes On), and also unwanted interest from police chief Fouché (Micha Lescot, Je le jure). A decade into his career, Voisin adds Carême to a resume that's hopped between the stage and screen — and, with the latter, between both its big and small guises — but now gains what'll always be one of his standout performances. That's no simple feat, given that he was nominated for Most Promising Actor at the 2021 César Awards for his exceptional effort in Summer of 85, won the same category at that year's Lumiere Awards, then collected the César in 2022 for Lost Illusions. Jumping into the past keeps proving a recurring theme for Voisin, and often to the century when Carême was cooking up a storm; not only is that true of Lost Illusions, but also with The Happy Prince beforehand and The Mad Women's Ball afterwards. [caption id="attachment_1001934" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marc Piasecki/Getty Images for Apple TV[/caption] Those rockers that helped Voisin find his take on Carême? "Mick Jagger and Lenny Kravitz," he tells Concrete Playground. What did Voisin learn from the experience of making the series? That answer spans both what the charismatic actor discovered about his chosen field and what he put into his character. "I learned that it's very pleasant," he explains of leading a TV series. "I'd done theatre, stage theatre, and you're there for an hour and a half in front of the audience. But I also did a few movies — there you are there for two hours, a movie is two hours. But here, there is so much time to distill the emotion. On a movie, sometimes I'm asked to go quick into an emotion and out of it again, to be able to face the audience again. Onstage, you only have an hour and a half to tell a story. You don't know that much. In film, you have more time. In series, you have even more time. That, I found great," he advises. "And on Carême's character, I thought it was exciting to be able to offer this — on the one hand, there's this arrogance, but also later on as the series evolves, there's a whole episode about vulnerability and depression and doubt, and then the initial arrogance changes because of that episode." We also chatted with Carême's lead about why portraying the show's eponymous figure appealed to him, the process of learning more about Antonin, whether playing someone thrust to fame at a young age was something that he could connect with, the culinary preparation involved, his run of period-set roles and more. On What Appealed to Voisin About Portraying Antonin Carême "What I liked was the way in which this character, who has trouble with his emotions and he could be something of an introvert, he shows up with self-confidence that's almost arrogance — and you see over the eight episodes how that turns into what chefs should have, that is self-confidence, but also being able to listen to his team. That came out clearly. But I thought his combined love for politics and food, you could see how slowly but surely this young man was going to grow up into an adult. That's what I liked about Carême's character." On Learning More About Carême, and His Role Both as a Chef and in Politics "Well, you know Napoleon, of course — and Talleyrand, two famous characters. I mean, Talleyrand was Napoleon's Foreign Minister and he was Careme's boss, as it were. But that made it even more exciting, because it means I don't need to have a head-on responsibility. You know the character Napoleon. You know how he walks, his gait. As with Careme, you know nothing, so I had a free hand. I read some quotes. I didn't need to read much too about him — a few quotes here and there, to build the character. When he says that things should be as beautiful as they taste, for me, that's plenty to get into the character. But then regarding the body language, the hairstyle, it was great to be able to just make it up and create. We went for the costumes into Mick Jagger or Lenny Kravitz — and nothing to do [with Carême], it makes no sense, but that was my pure imagination. But I thought it was great in this series to have that free hand — I mean, on the one hand, you respect the period, but then you have the freedom to reinvent it." On Whether Voisin Could Connect with Playing Someone Thrust to Fame and Recognition at a Young Age "That's the whole thing, isn't it? This is Napoleon's chef, isn't it — and so, of the greatest public figure? So I do my little series, my little story. It's a huge difference. The one thing I wasn't so keen about — the fame, it was more ambition. There you have this young man who accepts — or young woman — who accepts him or herself as they are, but then there could be criticism and everything, but the main thing is to go to the end of your journey. That's what I could identify with. At the end of the day, you don't want to regret anything, and that reflects my own career in film. People say 'why go theatre?' when I was a kid, and I just believed in it and I went head on, and that enabled me to work without the safety net. And that's the connection, maybe, with the character." On the Preparation Required to Make the Culinary Side of the Role Appear Real On-Screen "You need to work on that, of course. We worked with the actual chef, Christoph, who also teaches in a famous school of cuisine. The school is called Ferrandi, the Ferrandi School of Cuisine. I was able to work with him for two months running, and joined his team and his mates. And he asked me to work not just on basic requirements for the part itself, but many other things in cooking and cuisines, so that my gestures should be really independent. When I go for poultry or whip cream or whatnot, I should know exactly how to go about it. And then my first connection with the part is also costumes. I wanted to have Carême's costumes one month ahead of shooting, so I could identify with that and use it as an apron or something more elegant. I had to be familiar with that. I could see shoes as being very tight, to create some pressure — and you need to go quick, so when you have your feet hurting, it creates even more pressure. That's the sort of thing." On Balancing Carême's Confidence, Impulsiveness, Passion and Seductiveness with His Vulnerability and Yearning, All as He Matures Across the Season "For every character, when you grow up into adulthood and you become a full-fledged person — I mean, Carême, he mourns his parents, so that's pretty evident, but when you leave home, you have to face that. So there is this journey. I don't know if I have a balancing act. Everybody has to find a balancing act. Any human being has got to go through that." [caption id="attachment_1001935" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marc Piasecki/Getty Images for Apple TV[/caption] On Voisin's Run of Period-Set Roles, Not Only with Carême But Also Lost Illusions, The Mad Women's Ball and The Happy Prince "Something happens to me. You think that actors pick their parts, but it's directors that make choices, and then within the directors' choices I make my choice. I probably have a face for a period movie. I don't know. Maybe I don't fit in in modern times. But it's true, the best parts I was ever offered were in period movies — which I love, because the reason we do this is to wear a suit, a costume, the period costume and stuff, and that makes it more pleasant for an actor. And I love for the audience watching to be suddenly immersed in a period and go back 200, 300, even a thousand years back — I find it exciting as a viewer, but as an actor it's even more exciting." Carême streams via Apple TV+.
Back in January, the City of Sydney ran a four-week festival that saw it shut down inner-city streets for al fresco dining pop-ups. The Summer Streets saw waves of Sydneysiders soak in some sun and support local businesses on bustling streets across Redfern, Glebe, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Pyrmont. With spring currently in full swing, the minds behind Summer Streets have brought the program back for a six-week run throughout October and the start of November. Now labelled Sydney Streets, the run of street parties will be popping up on busy thoroughfares across Surry Hills, Pyrmont, Redfern, Haymarket, Glebe, Potts Point and the Sydney CBD from Saturday, October 1 — with the first event taking over Surry Hills' Crown Street. From there, a different City of Sydney suburb will be given the street party experience each Saturday until the program finishes up with a blockbuster event spread across Darlinghurst Road and Macleay Street in Potts Point. Also getting involved in the festival: Harris Street, Stanley Street, Redfern Street and Glebe Point Road. [caption id="attachment_869982" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Katherine Griffiths[/caption] Each weekend's event will see these spots trade traffic for outdoor dining, shopping and live entertainment from 11am until 10pm. The City of Sydney hopes this initiative will help businesses to continue to bounce back after an extremely tough couple of COVID- and rain-affected years. "We're closing our main streets to traffic and making it safe so locals can shop, dine or drink on our footpaths and roadways in a Covid-safe way," City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said. "Our first series of Sydney Streets parties through the last summer was a huge success and well received by residents and businesses alike. We want to see more people get out and about and enjoy what their neighbourhoods have to offer." Alongside Sydney Streets, the council is also fast-tracking outdoor dining permits and waiving outdoor dining fees until mid-2023. In June, more than $6.2-million in cash grants and in-kind contributions were approved for local businesses, community groups and cultural programs across the City of Sydney. Following this upcoming spring edition, another run of Sydney Streets will be taking place at the beginning of 2023 between January and April. [caption id="attachment_648852" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leticia Almeida.[/caption] Sydney Streets will close down streets in Surry Hills, Pyrmont, Redfern, Haymarket, Glebe, Potts Point and the Sydney CBD between Saturday, October 1—Saturday, November 12. Top image: Katherine Griffiths
From web searches and browsers to email and document storage, Google has its fingers in plenty of different online pies. Many of its services have become such a part of our daily lives that we no longer give them much thought, but every now and then the company has fun with one of its platforms — bringing Pac-Man, Mario Kart and Where's Waldo? to Google Maps, for example. For the company's latest entertaining attempt to direct everyone towards one of its specific sites, it's playing with another retro title, combing Snake with Google Maps. And, no, you don't need a Nokia 3310 to play it. This time, though, instead of an 8-bit snake, you're driving a train around one of six cities, and picking up passengers, landmarks and local dishes for points. And Sydney is one of the cities you can play in. Driving one of its famed yellow trains, you'll pick up bathers from Bondi and the northern beaches, the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and pavlovas — while trying not to crash into the train's 'tail' or the perimeter (Gladys wouldn't be too happy if you crashed one of her trains, guys). Elsewhere, you can drive trains in Cairo, São Paulo, Tokyo, London, San Francisco or the 'World' — where you'll find landmarks and dishes from all six cities. While it's been launched as an 'April Fool's Joke', it's a game that you can actually play right now, and, supposedly, until the end of the week. To play it in the Google Maps, head to the menu and click on 'Play Snake' under 'Offline Maps'. If you don't have the app, you can head to Google Map's standalone Snake site on your mobile or desktop, too. Head to the Google Maps app or the Google Maps Snake website to start playing.
Australia is all about the kidult craze. We've got trampoline gyms and bouncing castle obstacle courses, Holey Moley mini golf bars and its arcade sibling Archie Brothers, along with Australia's biggest game of hide and seek. Among all these fancy new ways to throw it back to your childhood, it's no surprise that Timezone Australia is still going strong. The nostalgic mega-arcade has launched its tenth location in New South Wales, this time in Chippendale's Central Park shopping centre. This outpost joins George Street's Event Cinemas as the second Sydney CBD location, and was chosen because of the concentrated student population in the area. Open from 10am seven days a week — and staying open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays — the new site stocks all your old favourite games, from Street Fighter and Big Buck to pinball, street basketball and laser tag. Timezone has some new games in the mix too, including a Walking Dead spin-off and a Tetris-like one that uses holographic technology. It also features Dance Cube, an electronic dance game that's only available at Central Park, plus The Sound Stage, which is basically a mini karaoke booth for two players. Plus, in lieu of the paper tickets you remember, gamers collect points on a power-card tap system, which you can use toward those poorly made prizes you'll invariably break or misplace. Game on.
For a more low-maintenance option when you don't feel like a full meal, City Oltra has you covered with huge pizzas available whole or by the slice. The casual eatery is situated in the EDDY precinct by Central Station, so you can grab a bite on your way into the city or before a commute home. During the day, City Oltra slings lunch specials like two pizza slices and a can of Poor Tom's or tap beer for $20, along with sandwiches and salads. For dinner, there are starters, cold cuts and antipasti before you dig into their round or square pizzas. Pizza options include Poor Tom's gin sauce with cheese and basil, hot pepperoni with cool ranch, fried eggplant with cheese and pangrattato and changing specials. Drinks-wise, there are craft beers, Poor Tom's cans, aperitivos such as a strawberry gin and grapefruit highball or Baba's rakija and tonic and a selection of fun wines.
Take a must-visit Paris art museum, an acclaimed Victorian gallery, an iconic French painter and one of the world's most influential architects, mix them all together, and Australia's latest huge exhibition is the end result. So is something unsurprisingly stunning: the world premiere of Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi at the NGV International in Melbourne. The National Gallery of Victoria's revolving door of blockbuster exhibitions shows no sign of slowing, with this exceptional meeting of creative minds announced earlier in 2023, and now gracing its halls from Friday, June 9–Sunday, October 8. When the temperature dips each year, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series kicks in — and, as created in collaboration with the Musée d'Orsay, home to the world's largest collection of Bonnard works, this ode to Bonnard and Mahdavi is the current centrepiece. On display: more than 100 pieces by the famed French artist, but seen through a fresh lens. Helping provide that new perspective is scenography by internationally renowned architect and designer Mahdavi, in a major showcase that was originally slated to debut in 2020 before the pandemic did its thing. An icon of late 19th- and early 20th-century art, and a good mate of Henri Matisse, Bonnard is known for his colourful, textural depictions of French life, offering stylised yet subtle glimpses of intimate domestic scenes, urban backdrops and natural landscapes. Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi includes a hefty collection of the artist's own paintings, drawings, photographs, prints and other decorative objects, alongside works from his contemporaries — including Édouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, Félix Vallotton and cinematic pioneers the Lumière brothers. Attendees can expect to step through Bonnard's early artistic days in the 1890s, highlighting his focus on Parisian street life; his evolution from there, including when he started focusing on more domestic scenes as inspired by his relationship with his companion Marthe Bonnard; and his love of landscape, especially from 1910 onwards, and as influenced by his fellow pal Claude Monet. Numerous pieces are on loan from the Musée d'Orsay, as well as other museums and private collections in Europe, Australia and the USA. The NGV's own collection also includes significant works, however, including Bonnard's 1900 painting La Sieste (Siesta). Considered one of the world's most influential architects, multi-award-winning Mahdavi has been commissioned to help bring the historic pieces to life via her scenography, tasked with creating a setting that complements Bonnard's signature use of colour and light. The results aren't just spectacular — they're dreamy. "Monsieur Bonnard and I share the same passion: colour," Mahdavi explains of the exhibition. "I love his subjective perception of colour — the way he transforms the intimacy of everyday life into something sublime." "Pierre Bonnard is one of the most captivating artists of the post-impressionist movement. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience his work within a vivid scenography designed by India Mahdavi, one of the world's leading designers working today. Both the artist and the designer are celebrated for their ingenious use of colour, which made them a natural and authentic pairing for this NGV-exclusive exhibition," adds Tony Ellwood AM, the NGV's director. Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi runs at the NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne from Friday, June 9–Sunday, October 8. For more information, see the venue's website. Images: Installation view of Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, on display from June 9–October 8, 2023 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photos: Lillie Thompson.
2025's Melbourne International Film Festival unveiled its initial titles in early June. A month later, the year's full program arrived with hundreds more movies on its slate, ready to play to the Victorian capital's cinephiles across 18 busy August days. Before July was out — so, well ahead of the Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 fest kicking off — Pasa Faho had already sold out every one of its MIFF sessions, becoming the first film to do so this year. Igbo Australian filmmaker Kalu Oji's debut feature deserves that warm, hearty, enthusiastic embrace; it offers the same to the Adelaide-born writer/director and visual artist's own community, thoughtfully and tenderly so. Pasa Faho shot "over a year and a half ago now, and it feels like it's been quite a long time since we've been in the real thick of the project", Oji tells Concrete Playground; however, Melbourne's response to the world-premiere screenings of the movie, sellouts included, "brings a whole new life to your relationship with the film". He continues: "as soon as it's out in the world and the audience embraces it and becomes part of that process, it's a reinvigoration of all those feelings and all that excitement that was so rich and so present a little while ago". Oji has channelled his own passion into a feature that sprang from him wanting to ask questions — a picture that moulds his queries into a father-son story, an exploration of African Australian life, an unpacking of family structures as well as communities, a musing on what it means to be an Igbo man today, an examination of expectations and clashes around them, an interrogation of straddling two cultures, and more. As it tells of Melbourne shoe salesman Azubuike (Nigerian stand-up comedian Okey Bakassi, Bank Alert) and his 12-year-old son Obinna (Tyson Palmer, Young Rock), Pasa Faho steps into their relationship, and also the existences of those around them, in a heartfelt yet equally clear-eyed manner. The film's title, a play on words stemming from "parts of a whole", is a clue to its emotional journey and tone. Two changes shake up Azubuike's routine: Obinna's move from interstate, which is initially cause for elation more on the former's part than the latter's; and the discovery that the store that Azubuike manages is being sold to developers. Oji's protagonist is caught, then, between trying to provide a solid foundation for his child, including fighting for the job, the paycheque and the proudly hardworking sense of himself that he believes is pivotal to that life, and being able to spend time and be open with Obinna — and between his perspective and ideals, as shaped by his upbringing far from Australia, and the experience of a son whose childhood couldn't be more different. Pasa Faho also spreads its focus to Amaka (first-timer Laureta Idika Uduma), Azubuike's sister and Obinna's aunt, and her tale of sacrifice to do what's expected — and to Yorgos (Kostas Makrygiannakis, The Slap), aka Bogo, the septuagenarian European florist whose own store adjacent to Azubuike's is equally under threat. And, it sees Azubuike's colleague Yrsa (Tardif Hélène, The Industry), a friend impacted by the impending building sale. In its sights as well: Nigerian preacher Edward (fellow newcomer Idika Mba Uduma), too, as he balances his ambitions with his responsibilities as a leader in Melbourne's Igbo community. Oji's filmmaking journey began at the Victorian College of the Arts, with his 2019 graduate film Blackwood making its way to the likes of Palm Springs Shortfest and the BFI London Film Festival, and winning awards at Flickerfest and the Atlanta Film Festival. 2021's The Moon and Me was acquired by San Francisco's Museum of the African Diaspora, while 2023's What's in a Name? picked up another Flickerfest accolade, plus the Craft Award at Sydney Film Festival. Each is "an essential part of series of steps" leading him to Pasa Faho, he explains. "They gave me experience in terms of being on set, and how I like to direct actors and direct, and what I find works when I've got a vision or an idea — and how I get close to that or 'if I do X and I get Y, do I like Y and would I apply that to my practice?'. And there's all those practical tools and practical experiences I think it gave me as a director." "And then mentally and emotionally — I guess energetically — how I like to be on set and the kind of environment I want to make films in, and the kind of space I want to create on the set. It gave me a very firm idea of that that we took into the feature film. And tonally, stylistically, I think if you watch the short films we made from Blackwood, they're all different stories but I think you'll see they're all very, very, very similar-ish tonally. I think that those years of making those shorts helped me find my style, helped me find the things I'm interested in — even though it's ever-changing — and helped me find the tools and the lens that I wanted to approach Pasa Faho through." That Paso Faho is personal, and also intimate — that it brings an insight into the Melbourne's Igbo community, too — was always key. Did that come with a sense of responsibility for Oji? "Many, many hands helped make this film, and many minds went toward what you see on-screen. And I think there is a responsibility for sure, and as a writer, as a director, I lead that in some way and I carry that," he notes. "But working in collaboration, I think, is always the best way to do justice to those ideas." What it means for this Melbourne-set and movie to have world-premiered in Melbourne, the questions that the film arose from, fleshing out the narrative from there, key elements that were always part of the filmmaker's vision for the feature, the consultation and casting processes: we also discussed all of the above and more with Oji. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MIFF (@melbfilmfest) On the Significance of Premiering the Melbourne-Set and -Made Paso Faho in Melbourne "The crew had been working together for quite a long time, and we've built somewhat of a film family over the last nearly a decade now. I think so many of the people that have supported that journey and have made it possible for us to continue that journey are here in this city, and in our families and our communities and all those circles. So I think to be able to launch the film with everyone who's made it possible for us to even be at this point feels like a blessing. It feels really really appropriate." On Pasa Faho Springing From Wanting to Ask Questions "I had started writing the script in 2020, towards the end of 2020. And I've made quite a number of shorts, and been wanting to step into the feature filmmaking space — while being aware and listening to what people were telling me in terms of 'it could take five, ten, 15, 20 years to get a film up'. So when I sat down to start writing, I was looking at 'what are the themes, what is the material that is most present in my mind that I feel like I'm going to be wanting to explore if it takes as long as it takes?'. And so for me, that's the place I started writing from. In terms of the questions and what I was wanting to explore in the film, obviously it's a world that's very, very close to me and characters that are very, very close to me. And I think a lot of the time, I think I've often felt — and this is for Azubuike, Obinna, Amaka, Bogo, for all these people, for all the characters that existed in my mind — I guess it was me wanting to go behind the curtains of these people's minds. I think these are characters, and the problems the characters face in the film are problems, that I've felt like I've seen versions of from the outside. And I think the film was me wanting to understand what's behind all of that, and what does that weight feel like, and what does that joy feel like? It was me wanting to understand these characters." On Fleshing Out the Film's Narrative From Those Initial Queries "I think it started, the way I wrote this film, I wrote a vomit draft and then refined it from there. I think the vomit draft was much more themes and ideas and character-based, and probably less of a plot. I think once I had those pieces, and once I became aware that 'okay, I'm wanting to explore fatherhood; I'm wanting to explore the relationship between a father and a son, and when you have these two people who look at the world through two different lenses; I'm wanting to explore expectation and the pressures, and the familial pressures that a character like Amaka receives whether directly or indirectly; I'm wanting to explore regret and how one comes to terms with decisions that they would have made differently in the past through the character of Bogo'; I'm wanting to explore religion, with the church and the church's relationship with my community, with the Nigerian community, and this relationship between church and land and ownership and all those things — once I had all those ingredients on the page in some way, I think I began to look for a thread and look for a plot that allowed me to speak about them. And, to explore them in the way I want to explore them, while also being very aware — and becoming more aware for our production as well — that I'm wanting to make a piece that is entertaining. And it's got twists and it's got turns, and there's stakes. And for an audience, it's not purely just an observational character piece, but it's a plot that the audience dig their teeth into as well." On Making a Work of Fiction That's Also a Very Personal Film — for Oji and for the Community "It's tricky. I think because you're not writing from a completely blank slate, it takes a very conscious effort to try to shake off any reservations or baggage that comes from these characters being abstractions of things that are really close to you in real life. And I think that work is a lot more active and conscious and tricky than if you're writing characters that are completely distant from you. So I think I probably felt that most in the development phase." On Pasa Faho Being Both Deeply Specific and Also Universally Relatable "In terms of making a film that felt it was very, very specific, while at the same time feeling universal, I think on the surface it's about a father and a son, and a father undergoing this set of trials and this reckoning which pushes him to ask questions about how he relates to his son, and brings them closer or further together — and I think that relationship between parent and child is inherently relatable. Everyone has had or has a parent, and lots of us also have children. So I think that, whether you set this story in the Igbo Nigerian community here in Melbourne, whether you set it in the Polish community in Warsaw, you set it wherever in South Africa, I think there's a relatability that is embedded in the exploration of that relationship." On Whether There Were Specific Elements About Being an Igbo Man in Melbourne Today and Straddling Two Different Cultures That Oji Wanted to Explore and Convey in the Film "Yeah, big, big time. I think a lot it, I wanted to capture this pressure that I feel like is often felt almost universally by people who are in the diaspora, and more specifically people who have been born and raised on the continent and moved abroad, especially moved to 'the west' — but the pressure that comes along with finding yourself in that position. You never exist in isolation. You're never just living for yourself. And that's a beautiful thing. And the fact that community and family and all those values are held so strongly in a culture such as ours, such as Igbo culture, is a beautiful thing. But there's also a lot of pressure that comes along with that, especially financially. And the weight of that pressure, I think, is often not talked about. I think there's an expectation you often just keep your head down and you move forward. I think those sacrifices that people also find themselves in — a character like Amaka, who, in another life, maybe she wanted to be a zookeeper or a painter or a football player or whatever she wanted to do. Someone in her position, you have very limited options in terms of what you're expected to do. And to feel the way that she feels in the film, it's a taboo thing. It's unspoken. So I definitely wanted to explore that. And I also very much wanted to capture the push and pull of being in a country like Australia, with your roots of family in Nigeria, and trying to raise a child in your shadow or in your values — where Nigeria and Australia are very, very different places, and it's hard when you have a child that is raised to look at the world through one certain way, but you've never had that lens or that vision because you were raised to look at a world in a very different kind of way. There can be a lot of tension in that experience, and I want to capture that." On Consulting and Engaging with Melbourne's Igbo Community to Help Shape Pasa Faho "Yeah, yeah, 3000 percent. All throughout the process, it's quite — I've forgotten at what point in development, but quite early on. I live here and these people I've known from before they were involved in the film. But at a certain point in development, we formalised workshops and meetings and sitdowns, and especially getting that perspective — because I don't have Azubuike's perspective, and we're trying to understand him as a character. Meeting with people of that generation of men, with men of that generation with children as well, who've moved here. We wanted to get a richness and authenticity. And also, it's very much I wrote and directed the script and the seed of it came from my heart, for lack of better words, but this character is crafted to be a depiction of that experience in general. And so what came from those meetings, and what came from those sitdowns and workshops, were a lot of the details that make up the film. The tension between Obinna and Oscar, and him taking on a different name, came from an anecdote that someone had told me while just sitting down and chatting. The inner workings of his character and his pride, and I guess where he draws that line, that came from sitting down and speaking to people who have lived more of that experience than I have lived. So yeah, definitely. It was intrinsic. It was essential to making this film." On the Importance of Casting, Especially Finding the Right Azubuike and Obinna "It was massive. It was massive. And I think I'm, as a director and the way I've worked in the past, and the way I worked with this film and the way I want to work in the future even more so, it's so actor-focused. I love, I love — I might say I'm an actor's director. I love getting people involved in the process early. I love bringing a blueprint of a character to an actor and letting them take it with both hands and build them together, and they're bringing their perspective, and their whole set of experience and expertise, to that character — and together we make that person, that character, as rich as possible. So for casting it, because it was language-specific, we started our process quite early for the character of Azubuike and for the character of Amaka. And it was long and it was extensive. And we were aware that this person, especially for Azubuike, he needed to carry the film. The film relied on him and Obinna and their relationship, but especially on Azubuike. So eventually we got to a point of process where we felt it made sense to reach out to Okey, especially as he's got a lot of experience and a lot of charisma as a performer. But it was also this material, I think, was also asking him to step into a space that he frequents less so. And so we thought it was exciting, it was a bit of an exciting opportunity. And then for Tyson, it was less specific — we cast the net more broadly. He didn't need to speak the language. It wasn't language-specific. But as soon as we found Tyson throughout the process, he was great, we knew it from two minutes into the audition." On What Oji Hopes Audiences Will Leave the Cinema Thinking and Feeling About, and Having Discovered From Pasa Faho "I hope they're there for the journey. The film is a domestic film and it's drama, but it's a ride, and we've tried to craft strong characters on-screen who the audience can really settle in next to and beyond that. I hope people laugh. I hope people cry. I hope it offers a broad range of emotions. And I think I also hope it brings up feelings and thoughts for the audience's own relationships with people in their life — whether that's a parent, whether that's a child, whether that's whoever is close to them. I hope that it opens up a door to a certain tenderness that exists and is important in those relationships, but it's not always voiced. I hope that's what it brings." Pasa Faho screens at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival. MIFF 2025 runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. For further details, visit the MIFF website.
When caped crusaders team up on the page or the screen to battle a threat to the world or galaxy, there's probably no such thing as too many superheroes. For audiences, however, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been testing exactly how many spandex-heavy capers get everyone switching off. It hasn't been stretching the limits specifically to answer that question; Disney has just been releasing a hefty amount of Marvel movies and TV shows. If you've been feeling MCU fatigue as a result, the Mouse House hears you. Going forward, fewer new Marvel films and television series will arrive each year. "We've been working hard with the studios to reduce output and focus more on quality — that's particularly true with Marvel," advised CEO Bob Iger on Disney's second-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, May 7. "We're slowly going to decrease volume and go to about two TV series a year, instead of what had become four — and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two or a maximum three," Iger continued. [caption id="attachment_925151" align="alignnone" width="1920"] ©Marvel Studios 2023. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] The move comes in what's set to be a quieter Marvel year in cinemas anyway. Picture palaces in 2024 are only welcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, which releases in July. The streaming slate might be busier, after Echo hit Disney+ in January — and with WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, plus the animated Eyes of Wakanda and Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, yet to get air dates — but there'll definitely be fewer MCU tales hitting screens in total. In contrast, 2023 was huge Marvel for viewers, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels on the big screen, plus Secret Invasion, Loki and What If...? on screaming. 2022 was also massive, thanks to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Moon Knight, Ms Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. And in 2021, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Solider, and the first Loki and What If...? seasons all dropped. [caption id="attachment_899279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2023 MARVEL.[/caption] Marvel has already floated spacing out its releases so that its schedule in cinemas and on streaming isn't as jam-packed, and then pushed back a few titles during 2023's Hollywood strikes. Now, it's sticking to a strategy that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Entertainment Weekly about last year, saying that "the pace at which we're putting out the Disney+ shows will change so they can each get a chance to shine". Right now, audiences will see Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts on the silver screen in 2025 — the first in February and the second in May. The new Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us)-, Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon)-, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)-starring Fantastic Four is also dated to arrive next year, in July. 2025 is meant to welcome Blade back to the screen, too, as led by Moonlight and Green Book Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, but that'd make four films in one year. So, if Iger is sticking to three movies or less in a year, that could change. From there, just two new Avengers flicks are locked in with release dates at the moment, one in 2026 and the other in 2027. On the small screen, Daredevil: Born Again is due in 2025, while Ironhart, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man and Vision Quest don't yet have dates. From Marvel's upcoming slate, only Deadpool & Wolverine has a trailer — check it out below: For more information about Marvel's upcoming slate of films and TV shows, head to the company's website. Images: Disney.
It seems a pretty hard task to follow Hannah Gadsby's international smash-hit show, Nanette. After all, the one-woman stand-up performance copped serious praise on its 18-month travels across Australia and the UK, even scooping the top honours at both the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It also spawned its very own Netflix special. And when Gadsby used the show to announce she was quitting comedy for good, we thought that was it. But the beloved Aussie comedian gave following up that hit a red hot crack when she returned to the stand-up stage with her latest work, Douglas, which is named after her own pet pooch. While Nanette pulled apart the concept of comedy itself, dishing up an insight into Gadsby's past, Douglas takes you on a "tour from the dog park to the renaissance and back". Gadsby took Douglas to stages across Australia and New Zealand in late 2019 and early 2020, and now, to the delight of comedy fans people across the world, is bringing it to Netflix this month. Available to stream globally from Tuesday, May 26, the show will bring us all some much-needed comic relief. As Gadsby says: "mark it in your socially-distant calendars...then wash your hands". https://twitter.com/Hannahgadsby/status/1249668347693654019 As the just-dropped trailer for the comedy special demonstrates, Gadsby's humour hasn't lost its charms. This time around, expect reflections on her Nanette success and observations about language — and that's just the beginning of the rib-tickling hilarity, of course. Check out the Douglas trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziIwxPCeByU Hannah Gadsby's 'Douglas' will be available to stream globally on Netflix from Tuesday, May 26.
Build it and they will come. With apologies to Kevin Costner, it seems that this mentality doesn't just apply to baseball fields in rural USA — it could just as easily apply closer to home. And perhaps there is no more prominent example in Sydney than the slow, steady and dramatic transformation of Barangaroo. Just two decades ago, the northwestern corner of the Sydney CBD was used mainly for shipping and stevedoring — now, it's home to commercial and residential spaces, bustling restaurants and bars, a public swimming hole and a truly world-class metro station. And from Thursday, May 1, one more piece of the proverbial Barangaroo puzzle will be unveiled in the form of Pier Pavilion. Designed by Besley & Spresser (the Surry Hills-based studio won a national competition for Pier Pavilion in 2020), the striking new space has been envisioned a permanent public events and leisure space perched right on Sydney Harbour. It's set to be a prime location for special events, as well as a spot to soak up uninterrupted harbour views. The pavilion's design draws from its surrounding landscape, with land, sea and sky all referenced in its form and materials. Its standout feature is one that's probably best appreciated from up close — the structure's envelope is made of a bespoke oyster terrazzo, made by mixing whole Sydney Rock Oyster shells with recycled aggregates. After over a year of experimentation, more than half a million oyster shells once destined for landfill now shimmer across the pavilion's walls, columns and ceilings. Inside, the structure is just as thoughtful. A landscaped roof planted with endemic species attracts birds and insects, while a circular, seven-metre-wide oculus overhead lets daylight spread across the pavilion floor. Supporting the free span roof are 85 slender columns, which double as conduits for services like drainage and power, keeping things aesthetically streamlined. "We gave the pavilion a distinctly civic feel — all are welcome here," says architect Peter Besley. "The Pavilion is intended to remain for a long time, and to figure in people's memories of Sydney." Adds Jessica Spresser: "We wanted to pay respect to the long history of oyster feasting in the area, and to celebrate the use of a recycled material in the public realm." With its striking form, sweeping sight lines and thoughtful environmental touches, Pier Pavilion has added a crucial open public space to the northwest corner of the Sydney CBD, giving Sydneysiders and visitors alike a new way to engage with the world's largest natural harbour. For more information on Pier Pavilion, head to the Barangaroo website. Images: Maxime Delvaux.
With its exposed brick walls, pendant lighting and leather furnishings, Mr Burrows' fit-out better resembles a bar than a salon. And so does its upstairs 'relaxation station', complete with cheese boards and wine for patrons, plus spritzes on Saturdays. Lounge in large leather slingbacks while getting your hair washed and massaged, then settle in with one of the expert stylists. It offers cuts for both men (from $74) and women (from $115), along with a range of experimental colouring and gradient dyes. Mr Burrows also works with Sustainable Salons, which helps to minimise the salon's footprint. [caption id="attachment_779932" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Images: Cassandra Hannagan
While the literal translation of yum cha is 'drink tea', most tend to associate it with copious amounts of steaming dishes being pushed around a restaurant on trolleys. The dining experience is delightfully theatrical and often results in you enthusiastically selecting too many dishes and falling into a food coma soon after. But when the dishes are as tasty as what Sky Phoenix offers, you won't mind. Situated on level six of Westfield Sydney, the restaurant's lunchtime yum cha service is a slick operation featuring fried prawn dumplings, steamed greens, mango pancakes and, of course, jasmine tea. By night, the menu switches to a la carte featuring classic Chinese fare such as peking duck and emperor's chicken. Banquets and private dining rooms are also available for larger groups.
Lower north shore residents won't have to head into the city for Sydney's latest opening. Brand new, modern Scandinavian-style, Mediterranean-menued bar and restaurant The Public has opened its doors in Cammeray. Joining the local foodie strip of Miller Street in the space where Belgian Beer Cafe sat for 15 years, The Public is a big, breezy, modern space made for long lazy brunches and intimate catch-ups alike. Think marine-grade plywood, aquas, blues, whites, and 3D installation art. The brainchild of North shore brothers James and Will Christopher, The Public is nothing short of a labour of love. Not their first time at the Sydney hospitality rodeo, this new bar marks the third venue for the Christopher brothers, following their long-loved local cafe The Laneway and their Spanish tapas joint Ms Miller (right next door). They've also launched start-ups, cheffed here and there and Will feeds the entire team at the celebrated Secret Garden Festival every year — production team meals you have to taste to believe. Seriously. Next level. Aiming to give Cammeray a foodie identity of its own and steal some limelight from burgeoning eastern suburbs like Double Bay or western hubs like Marrickville, the Christopher brothers teamed up with business manager and superyacht seller (actual thing) Damian Barrow to swing the spotlight to the lower north shore. Alright, alright, now we know who's behind the joint, what can we expect to chow down on? The Christopher brothers have brought over Ms Miller head chef James Featherstone to create pub classic-meets-Euro-style dishes for The Public. Think Greek and Mediterranean food with housemade olive butter, taramasolata and hummus, with family-style platters of lamb kleftiko and barbecued chicken. Then there are the burgers, like the double beef, double bacon, double cheese wagyu beef burger. With all this hummus and barbecued chicken afoot, we're going to need some bevs here. Drinks-wise, you can expect an Australian, New Zealand, Italian and French-focused wine list, and ten beers on tap including Young Henry's, Two Birds, Rocks Brewing, Endeavour and Mountain Goat. The Public's set to become a Cammeray staple if it plays its cards right. And with monthly markets and beer and wine events planned for the future, it looks like this by-locals-for-locals newbie holds all the aces.
Always dreamed of visiting the Mediterranean island of Sicily? Then you might want to bump it to the top of your post-COVID-19 travel plans. If you do, you could score some handy financial help — with the Sicilian government offering to cover some travel expenses once Italy is out of lockdown. As first reported by The Times, the regional government is offering to pay a portion of flight costs and accommodation expenses — covering half the price of airfares to and from the island, and paying for one in every three hotel nights. It'll also stump up the entire cost for tickets to museums and archaeological sites, so that visitors can do plenty of sightseeing. At present, few other details have been revealed, such as when it'll come into effect, when eager tourists will be able to start booking, who the scheme will apply to and where in the world you'll be able to fly in from. That said, when the plan is implemented, it'll be done via vouchers available from the Visit Sicily website — so you might want to bookmark it for future reference. The Sicilian government will spend €50 million (AU$86.4 million) on the scheme to revive its tourism industry — which, with not only the country but most of the world enforcing restrictions to help contain the spread of COVID-19, has understandably taken a battering in recent months. Italy has been in lockdown nationwide since Sunday, March 10, but announced on Sunday, April 26 that it would enter 'phase two' from Monday, May 4. That'll involve the slow easing of current restrictions, including allowing Italians to travel within their regions to visit relatives. Factories, parks and public gardens will also reopen, with museums, galleries, libraries and shops able to open their doors from Monday, May 18, then bars, restaurants and hairdressers from Monday, June 1. For further details about the Sicilian government's tourism scheme, keep an eye on the Visit Sicily website. Via The Times.
If your 2021 plans could use a little colour and liveliness from one of the best artists that ever lived, you're in luck — because the Art Gallery of NSW is delivering exactly that as part of its newly announced 2021 program. For four months from November 2021–March 2022, the Sydney venue will host the huge Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris exhibition. It'll feature more than 100 of Henri Matisse's pieces spanning six decades of his artistry, it's only heading to Sydney and it'll mark the greatest single exhibition of his masterworks that's ever graced the NSW capital. Whether you're keen on Matisse's early efforts, including from his Fauvist phase, or you're more fascinated with how his talents progressed over his considerable career, you'll see something suiting your interests on display — with the exhibition running from November 22, 2021–March 13, 2022. Standouts include Le Luxe I 1907, if you're after one of his first pieces; Decorative figure on an ornamental ground 1925, from the middle of his career; and The sorrow of the king 1952, a self-portrait. If it all sounds a bit familiar, that's because it was originally due to happen in 2020 as part of AGNSW's Sydney International Art Series, but was postponed for obvious reasons. 2021 is now shaping up to be a great year for Australians to see European masterpieces, with Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra also showcasing works from the region — but only AGNSW will solely focus on Matisse. As well as Matisse's paintings, sculptures and cut-outs — all from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which boasts quite the collection — AGNSW will also be hosting Matisse Alive, which'll reflect upon Matisse in a modern context. The gallery-wide event will kick off in October 2021, letting art lovers indulge in a free festival of Matisse. Think: art, music, performances and dance, all delving into his life, his creations and how his works have inspired artists today. Textile environments, huge paintings and video works are all on the lineup, including by artists such as Nina Chanel Abney, Sally Smart, Angela Tiatia and Robin White. [caption id="attachment_794669" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Henri Matisse. 'Blue nude II (Nu bleu II)' 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, on white paper, mounted on canvas, 116.2 x 88.9 cmCentre Pompidou. Musée national d'art moderne AM1984-276. Photo © Service de la documentation photographique du MNAM Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI /Dist RMN-GP. © Succession H Matisse/Copyright Agency.[/caption] Obviously, AGNSW won't be empty for the rest of the year, before all things Matisse hit. Back in mid-2020, it revealed its blockbuster summer 2020–21 exhibitions, so you might already be familiar with Streeton, Pat Larter: Get Axed, Archie Plus, Khaled Sabsabi: A Promise, Real Worlds: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennale 2020 and Joy. Joining them on the full 2021 agenda: the also previously postponed Margel Hinder and The Purple House exhibitions; the food focused The Way We Eat; and Brett Whiteley: Printmaker, featuring Whiteley's lithographs, etchings, linocuts and silkscreen prints. Or, you can scope out Longing for Home, which'll feature works by six Aboriginal artists; and The National 2021: New Australian Art, which will hero pieces from 39 emerging, mid-career and established Australian artists. [caption id="attachment_789423" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Installation view of the 'Streeton' exhibition at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Photo: Jenni Carter, AGNSW.[/caption] And yes, after 2020's delays, the Archibald, Wynne and Suleman Prizes are back as well, with the corresponding exhibition displaying from June–September 2021. There's an added bonus, too, with AGNSW also hosting a 100-year-anniversary look at the Archibald. Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris will display at the Art Gallery of NSW, in Sydney, from November 22, 2021–March 13, 2022. Matisse Alive will run from October 2021–2. For more information — including about AGNSW's full 2021 lineup — visit the Art Gallery of NSW website. Top images: Sally Smart. 'The choreography of cutting' 2017. © Sally Smart. Photo: Fajar Riyanto, installation view OFCA, Yogyakarta. Henri Matisse. 'The sorrow of the king (La tristesse du roi)' 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, mounted on canvas, 292 x 386 cm. Centre Pompidou. Musée national d'art moderne AM3279P. Photo © Philippe Migeat - Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI /Dist RMN-GP. © Succession H Matisse/Copyright Agency. Nina Chanel Abney. 'Seized the Imagination', Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, New York, 9 November 9 – 20 December 20, 2017. © Nina Chanel Abney. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Brisbane's Premiership win over Geelong didn't just light up the MCG — it also dominated Australian screens, drawing more than 6.1 million viewers across broadcast and streaming. According to figures released by the Seven Network, Saturday's Grand Final reached a national total TV audience of 4.08 million, up on last year's numbers, with a further 969,000 streaming the match on 7plus Sport — a 48 percent increase year-on-year. The post-match presentations pulled in 5.5 million viewers, while 3.9 million tuned in for the pre-game show. The result makes the AFL Grand Final 2025's most-watched program so far, surpassing the NRL's State of Origin decider, which reached 5.7 million Australians. Seven's Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O'Keeffe, said the numbers reinforced the sport's unrivalled pull. "We want to thank every viewer who has joined us across the season. From the opening bounce at the SCG, right through to the Grand Final post-match celebrations, Australians have embraced Seven and 7plus in record numbers," he said. Chris Jones, Seven's Director of Sport, called the audience record "a fitting end" to an incredible season. With an 81.1 percent share of commercial audiences on Saturday, plus 90.9 percent in live streaming and 86.7 percent in BVOD, the AFL Grand Final sets a high bar for Seven as it moves into a stacked summer schedule that includes the Bathurst 1000, Spring Racing Carnival, AFLW Finals and a home Ashes series. You can watch the 2025 AFL Grand Final back now via 7plus. Images: Getty Images
In any other year, the songs of the summer are those that have been heard blaring from car windows, festival stages and nightclub speakers. While we've had a few songs take on this energy despite the circumstances ('Blinding Lights', 'Heat Waves' and 'WAP' to name a few) for most of the year, it's just been us and our Spotify accounts. Now, as we head into what we are all hoping to be an action-packed, smoke-free and dance floor-heavy summer, it's the perfect time to refresh your summer playlist. Here are ten tracks you may have missed this year that are bound to give you those summer warm and fuzzies, primed and ready to soundtrack your road trips, bushwalks and pool parties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmsvhQNuO-E GOLDEN VESSEL: MIDWEST Dive headfirst into the feeling of a summer road trip with this track of the latest Golden Vessel album colt. Each song on the album is primed for stares out of a car window, which the creative force behind the project Maxwell Byrne seemed to know, releasing it alongside a road trip-themed visual album titled eyes on the road. 'Midwest' encapsulates this the best. As soon as the first note hits and Byrne's deep baritone vocals kick in, you can see the trees passing by your window, stereo up, snacks on hand. The gentle instrumental plays off the persistent bass to create a sense of forward momentum. It's an anthemic ode to hitting the road with your crush and, while we may not be able to drive across the midwest right now, it's the perfect time to take to the road and explore regional Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc50wHexbwg KHRUANGBIN: TIME (YOU AND I) Like their music, the cover of Khruangbin's fourth studio album Mordechai explodes with colour. They're a group built on bringing forward the brightest and bounciest sounds of past generations into today. The highlight of the album is 'Time (You and I)', an easygoing soundtrack fit for any summer occasion. Sunshine exudes from every second of its five and a half minute run time. Over a smooth disco-heavy instrumental Khruangbin come to the conclusion that nothing is perfect and everything comes to an end, but that's ok. They're along for the ride, one full of baselines and dance floors. Towards the end of the track, the band recite the phrase 'that's life' translated into various languages. Turkish, Korean, Hebrew — it's universal. We're all here living our lives, just trying our best to have fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPgPHTZsGbU LIL SPACELY: STILL TRAPPIN' (FEAT. ELIJAH YO) 2020 was a landmark year for Australian hip hop. Artists like The Kid Laroi, Onefour, Sampa the Great and Tkay Maidza saw overseas success previously unseen in the local scene. The area undoubtedly leading the pack has been Western Sydney, catching the attention of US rap superstars and international record labels. Among it all, Lil Spacely, one of the area's rising stars, released 'Still Trappin', a sonic victory lap for Western Sydney. Bursting at the seams with sunshine, the track's beat glistens as Spacely tells us of his come up, ambitions and his love for his hometown of Blacktown. The track's biggest pitfall is that it was released during a winter lockdown. There couldn't a song more suited to a summer party — and luckily we have all summer to enjoy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr_1pDBL0uc BIG DOG: FIGHT IT NOW 'Fight It Now' is the debut single from Sydney band Big Dog. Written during the devastation of the 2019/20 bushfire season, the song conceals a thread of climate anxiety under rich guitars and gentle melodies. Wrapped in warm Australiana reminiscent of Paul Kelly or The Go-Betweens, the track is filled with nostalgic energy. This warmth softens the blow of its cautionary lyrics, warning of future smoke-filled summers without immediate climate action. Musically, 'Fight It Now' conjures feelings of sitting on your porch on a balmy afternoon, but, lyrically, it's a sombre reminder of the country's climate crisis, and as a new summer begins with more extreme weather events, the song remains as relevant as ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUVcZfQe-Kw DUA LIPA: LEVITATING Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia was created for late nights and bustling dance floors, two things that seemed like distant memories throughout the majority of 2020. Despite this, the album managed to blaze a global trail of feel-good pop energy. Any of the singles from the 80s-tinged dance-pop album could fit snuggly into your summer playlist (especially as dance floors and nights out return across the country) but 'Levitating' is the most joyous of the bunch. The anthemic chorus, punchy bassline and Dua Lipa's electric vocals radiate fun. It's overflowing with the energy we've been missing in 2020 and everything we're hoping 2021 will be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ej2BiNFFgM STEVAN: WARM True to its name, 'Warm' is a sunny slice of bedroom pop. Wollongong artist Stevan lays his heart on the line over twinkling synths and a subtle bass groove. Sporadic drums run through the song providing momentum. Completing the wholesome summertime energy of the track is the video, starring Stevan and his new best friend Tilly, a blue heeler cross border collie, and their adventures checking off classic summer bucket list activities: exploring the beach, hanging out at the park and eating rainbow Paddle Pops. Whether your partner in crime is human or dog, 'Warm' will help fill you with adventurous and heartfelt energy you're in need of this summer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw0zYd0eIlk PHOEBE BRIDGERS: KYOTO Phoebe Bridgers' take on the world struck a chord with many this year, with the singer going from underground singer-songwriter to Grammy-nominated Tik Tok sensation. Her music is effortlessly relatable and realistically bleak without ever slipping into overbearingly sad. She approaches topics like loneliness and anxiety with a sense of humour and wit. In a difficult year full of isolation, this perspective was comforting. 'Kyoto' served as Bridgers' breakout hit and an endearing ballad that refuses to get tired. Its bright guitars and horn section are contrasted by the track's dark lyrics of travelling through Japan while dealing with persistent calls from your ex. In Bridgers' world, just like in real life, everything can get pretty overwhelming, but we'll get through it all if we just don't take ourselves too seriously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhS5MB9cLY8 BANOFFEE: TENNIS FAN (FEAT. EMPRESS OF) A typical element of the Australian summer is the Australian Open. The sight of an international tennis star out on a sweltering Melbourne day is as engrained in the fabric of this time of year as much as an icy pole or overcrowded swimming pool. Banoffee's 'Tennis Fan' builds itself around a series of tennis samples from umpire calls to balls being struck. Somehow, she weaves the samples into a metaphor for social anxiety and loneliness, lamenting on not being invited to a tennis match or the movies. It's layered songwriting, but, most of all, the song's a fun summer bop filled with dance grooves and high school nostalgia. With 'Tennis Fan' and its subsequent album Look At Us Now Dad, Banoffee marked herself as one of Melbourne's most exciting young artists and the queen of the tennis court, no matter what her crush says. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdvxzc7FLow THE AVALANCHES: MUSIC MAKES ME HIGH Throwing back to their classic 2000 album Since I Left You, 'Music Makes You high' throws together an eclectic collection of samples in the process of building a kaleidoscopic collage of sound. Through the magic of The Avalanches, it bottles the energy of being in a buzzing crowd hanging on every note of the music. It's the sound of a packed 1am DJ set at Freda's or an overflowing side stage, late afternoon at a music festival. The song's distant crowd noises, energised dance groove and 1980s disco sample transport you to possibly the closest thing to a dance floor many of us experienced this year. Like so many great Avalanches tracks, 'Music Makes You High' takes pieces of music history and compresses them into three minutes of joy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osz9DyfbjyQ FLEET FOXES: SUNBLIND Fleet Foxes returned in 2020 with their sweetest, most assured album yet. In many ways, it felt detached from the year's doom and gloom, preoccupied with its own journey of growth, as lead singer Robin Pecknold reckons with life and growing older. Of all the songs on the record, 'Sunblind' feels the most in touch with the year we've had. Partnered with triumphant instrumental, Pecknold sings of finding comfort in the works of late musicians (Bill Withers, John Prine, Jeff Buckley) and in nature, specifically water. While it may not have been intentional at the time of writing, when he sings "but I'm loud and alive, singing you all night", it's a perfect soundtrack to riding off into 2020's sunset. Everything may not be perfect but we're moving forward into brighter days. Listen on Spotify below. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/23TLh9PrnatiOBetr1PuNL?si=P0ohy4QnToGrceEJmvNR2g
Fun: it’s not just for kids. As adults, fun opens our minds to new experiences, ideas and ways of being. It gives our brains time to switch off from the pressures of work, family and obligation. It can be productive, because through play we stumble on creative solutions. And it can be wonderfully, joyously unproductive. Anyone who's ever experienced the glee of shooting their friend in the bumper with a red turtle shell can attest to that. So how much fun are you having, Australian city dwellers? Tyler Brule, speaking at Vivid Sydney last week, suggested the fun police are making Australia the "dumbest nation on earth". But some of Concrete Playground's favourite Sydney event organisers see the situation as a bit more complicated. We asked Mathieu Ravier, director of the Festivalists; Declan Lee, director and co-founder of Gelato Messina; Clare Downes, the founder of Secret Garden Festival; and Nikita Agzarian, the general manager of Giant Dwarf, about the state of fun in Australia. They'll be continuing the discussion about event trends at our panel, 'The Art and Science of Fun: Creating Memorable Events and Experiences', at REMIX Sydney on Tuesday, June 2. We all think kids should have fun and play. But why is fun important for adults? Mathieu Ravier: Kids play out of indiscriminate curiosity, and an insatiable desire to learn, to make sense of the world. Most grown ups I know think they are more or less done with learning. Or are only interested in new experiences within a narrow spectrum: what they feel they know will interest them. As a result, adults lock themselves out of a whole range of experiences. "I don't like opera." "I don't go to museums." "Film festivals are not for me." Fun can be a way to trick grown ups into trying new things, into widening the scope of their experiences ... You might come to our Hijinks for an underwater drink at the aquarium with your mates, and end up learning something about conversation and wanting to get involved. You might get down in the Jurassic Lounge silent disco at the Australian Museum, then meet a scientist who shows you how to extract DNA from a strawberry. Declan Lee: I think it's easy to forget to have fun as you get older. You can get caught up in the very serious nature of life sometimes. In the end, we 'work' to have fun, but sometimes we forget to actually ‘have’ fun and before you know it life is over! Fun keeps us creative, it reminds us what it feels like to be happy, and most importantly, it helps you smile. Clare Downes: I think play is important for adults because it opens you up to possibility, friendship, experience and fun. When you're playing, you're not embarrassed or fearful. We encourage people to play at Secret Garden because we think play brings happiness and also it shifts the behaviour of the punters. When they are playing, punters are really open and kind to each other. They aren't taking themselves too seriously or behaving in an individualistic manner. Nikita Agzarian: Being an adult in this era is pretty daunting. Everyone is always busy, constantly stimulated and accessible 24/7. Having fun and being engaged in something is more important than ever now, because the idea of switching off and immersing yourself in something that is purely in the now is becoming really foreign to us. In his recent Vivid appearance, Tyler Brule said that Australia's nanny state, with all its rules and regulations, was at risk of making us the world's dumbest nation. Do you agree? What has been your own experience with red tape? Mathieu: I agree with him, of course. Who wants a sanitised, over-regulated city that lives in fear of litigation and fun? But it's not all doom and gloom. The City of Sydney has done incredible work reducing red tape, and the mindset at council has evolved in leaps and bounds since I started The Festivalists ten years ago. I find that council is very receptive to new ideas, including one which remix or repurpose existing facilities. I also find the expression Nanny State problematic. We love to claim we don't need government protection, until those protections are taken away and we realize how much we took them for granted. The opposite of the nanny state, a deregulated Darwinian free-for-all ruled by the law of the market, is not necessarily conducive to risk-taking, shit-stirring or artistic creativity either. The biggest red tape, in my experience, isn't regulatory — it's laziness. The paradigm can change, but it requires a lot of long-term planning and hard work. Declan: I agree wholeheartedly. I don’t particularly think we are at risk of becoming the dumbest nation but perhaps the most boring! Coming from the world of music festivals and clubs, I was faced with it constantly in my previous life. It comes up less these days, but entities such as local councils can certainly make life difficult at times. There needs to be rules and regulations for safety reasons without doubt, but the people making decisions need to be nurtured and encouraged to take more creative and holistic standpoints when deciding on what makes a city ‘live' and what makes a city vibrant. Without a little risk and without a little flurry outside of the box all you get is beige. Nikita: I half agree and half don't. I think we have a lot of rules, but I also think that part of the problem with red tape is a lack of understanding of what is required, why it is even there and how to deal with it. Get your head around that and you can learn to navigate it. I spent the first half of my professional career working for the ABC and The Chaser collaboratively. I learnt so so much about the restrictions of red tape in that time and then conversely how to challenge those boundaries without getting arrested/deported/sued. When we first started Giant Dwarf, we had no idea what was required to run a venue, so we read everything. I can recite the Australian Building Code section H101 off by heart, I went to the council chambers archive and pulled up every document ever written about the building, I learnt the local government act, the live performance award, I became besties with OLGR. I wanted to know that if any regulatory body to the building, from anywhere, I knew exactly what to say. And I did, and every time I had someone check out the venue, it was a really positive experience. Festivals are something Australia does very well — Sydney has more festivals per capita than just about anywhere else in the world. Why do festivals appeal to us so much? And can we have too much of a good thing? Mathieu: There are obvious answers. We have weather that permits all kinds of large-scale outdoor events almost year-round. We have a very cosmopolitan population eager for arts that reflect its cultural diversity. We have a strong economy. But I think festivals are also popular here because we lack high-quality permanent year-round cultural infrastructure, and we lack the political willpower to fund the arts in a meaningful, sustainable, ambitious manner (one that allows experimentation, risk taking, and — occasionally — pissing people off). For example, there are over 60 annual film festivals in Sydney, versus only a handful in Paris, a city twice our size. It's not because we love film more than the French, it's because each week in Paris there are more than 300 different films screening in cinemas (at least a third of which are home-grown): the equivalent of two Sydney Film Festivals' worth of diverse, challenging feature films distributed theatrically, 52 weeks of the year. Maybe festivals are what happens when passionate individuals take it upon themselves to fill the major gaps left in the cultural fabric. Declan: I don’t think you can have too much of a good thing, but you can certainly have too much of the same thing. I don’t actually think we do festivals terribly well here actually. Certainly in the music category anyway. We have a lot of one-day festivals, but they aren’t all good. And that's why there are a lot of failures. Not because [the market is] oversaturated, but because they are just boring. In general, festivals are communal and extremely sensory and people love that. That never gets boring. But there’s only so many flashing lights and DJs that one person can take. Everyone is scrambling to nail the 'food and music’ category at the moment, and the truth is its a great combination. But no doubt, at some point this will also become tired and fatigued and things will move on. New concepts and new ideas are essential for festivals to appeal. Change and innovation are exciting. Clare: I believe festivals are so much more than what is being programmed or curated. I think festivals nurture community, where patrons feel this sense of belonging through a common interest with thousands of others, which is a wonderful feeling. I also think festivals offer a break from reality and a chance to broaden your mind, whether that be an afternoon at the writers' festival or a night marvelling at the Mardi Gras procession or disappearing into a music festival for 48 hours. And I don't think we can have too much of a good thing. The more festivals we have, the higher the standard. If the standard continues to improve, people will keep returning to festivals or start exploring other festivals. If the quality is good, the demand will continue to increase and the demographic will broaden — rather than what we see now (with music festivals in particular), which is that people tend to see it as a novelty thing to do when you're in your twenties. Nikita: I'm going to answer this question wearing my three hats. As an audience member, festivals are great when they are done well. I love the vibe of Sydney right now. Between the Writers' Fest, Vivid and Sydney Film Festival, it's a great time to be in this city. As a venue, I have had some super positive experience with festivals in recent months. We've done great stuff with Sydney Comedy Festival, Sydney Writers' Festival and Vivid that have really helped us reach a new audience due to the targeted marketing that these guys can do that we just can't. But as a producer, I worry about the growth of festivals for the performers, especially in comedy. The more festivals there are and the bigger these festivals get, you really start to see it split the audience. Unfortunately, the hardest hit are those guys you might take a chance on, the up-and-comers, the people that probably need your money most. What is your favourite kind of fun? Mathieu: It used to be fun that allowed me to escape or to lose myself. As I've gotten older, it's become fun that allows me to find myself. My idea of fun is surprise and discovery with a little bit of learning thrown in. Declan: Escapism — pretending to be someone else and stepping out of your normal world has got to be the best thing ever. Dressing up, making gelato look like a hotdog, whatever it might be. Pretending, for just a little while, is escapism at its best. Clare: So Secret Garden is the best example what I think is good fun — a festival on a farm which has a drag queen stage, a pillow fort, a tiny rave cave and a kissing booth. A place where I can dance to Total Giovanni, marry a stranger and run around in a fancy dress costume with my best friends. Nikita: I'm surrounded by fun. I run a comedy venue and while that's stressful, I get to laugh all the time. Other than that, fun to me is being with good company, eating good food, drinking good wine and dancing like an idiot. REMIX Sydney is on at Sydney Town Hall on June 2 and 3. Secret Garden images by Anna Warr.
The world's most famous and adored graffiti exponent, Banksy, has brought his style to America, beginning a month-long 'residency' on the streets of New York City. The British-based artist announced his 'Better Out Than In' exhibition on his website two weeks ago, and his attempt to host an entire show on the city's streets started on Tuesday, October 1. His appearance in the city that never sleeps has created quite a stir. He appears to be creating a new work each day, opening with 'Manhattan', a stencil of two young children disregarding a sign declaring 'graffiti is a crime' and following up with the above artwork, titled 'Westside', written in his New York accent. The titles clearly hint at the location of the works and, combined with Twitter, allow his fans to track them down before they are vandalised or whitewashed (as was the case with 'Manhattan'). Perhaps most enjoyable for those able to visit the works is the availability of an audio guide. Each stencil is accompanied by a toll free number to call that provides a description of the work. In true Banksy fashion, it does not take itself too seriously, with one informing us that graffiti is "from the latin graffito, which means graffiti with an o". You can keep track of the exhibition on his website or Instagram throughout October and enjoy Banksy's brilliance. Alternatively, fly to New York and take them in first hand. We certainly would if we had the cash. Via Fast Co.Create.
When Julia Ducournau's first film hit cinemas back in 2016, it garnered plenty of headlines. When reports start circulating about people passing out during your movie, that tends to happen. Following a vegetarian veterinary student who starts hungering for something much meatier when she heads to college, Raw definitely isn't for the easily queasy. It's also one of the best movies of the past decade, with the French filmmaker debuting with a film that's intense in multiple ways, and also surprisingly relatable. With her second feature, Ducournau is going to earn even more attention. Titane premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and, as announced on Sunday, July 18, it has just nabbed the prestigious event's coveted Palme d'Or. That's an exceptional feat for any director, but it's historic in this case. The movie's win marks only the second time ever that a female filmmaker has won the fest's top prize, and the first time a woman has ever earned the gong solo. Jane Campion is the only other female filmmaker to receive the Palme d'Or, back in 1993 for The Piano — and when she won, she shared it in a tie with Farewell My Concubine's Chen Kaige. The highly valued prize was first introduced back in 1955, which means that a long list of men have taken it home over the past 66 years. Ducournau's film was named 2021's best flick of the fest by a jury chaired by filmmaker Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman), and also featuring fellow directors Mati Diop (Atlantics), Jessica Hausner (Little Joe) and Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau); actor and filmmaker Mélanie Laurent (Oxygen); actors Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce), Tahar Rahim (The Serpent) and Song Kang-ho (Parasite); and singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. Lee was so excited to announce the winner, he let it slip at the beginning of the ceremony — before the night's other gongs were announced. Like Raw, Titane doesn't hold back with its concept. The official festival synopsis describes it as a film that sees a father reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years following a series of unexplained crimes— but that's really the most simplistic description possible. Starring Vincent Lindon and Agathe Rousselle, it also sees the latter play a character with quite the car fetish, and morphs into Cronenbergian body horror territory from there. Ducournau's Cannes win marks the second time a female director has made history this year, after Chloé Zhao became the first woman of colour and second woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland back in April. At Cannes, a heap of other movies picked up shiny trophies, too — with the Grand Prix shared by Asghar Farhadi's A Hero and Juho Kuosmanen's Compartment Nº6, the Jury Prize split between Apichatpong Weerasethakul's English-language debut Memoria and Nadav Lapid's Ahed's Knee, and Best Director going to Leos Carax for his Adam Driver-starring musical Annette. The Best Actress prize was awarded to Renate Reinsve for The Worst Person in the World, while Caleb Landry Jones won Best Actor for his titular role in Australian drama Nitram. Check out the trailer for Titane below: Titane doesn't currently have a release date Down Under. We'll update you when one is announced. Top image: Carole Bethuel.
Fine dining institution Nel restaurant is bringing a whole lot of nostalgia back to its set menu with the relaunch of the Once Upon a Time degustation. The Disney-themed feast was first created by Executive Chef Nelly Robinson last year — and the second iteration is even more fanciful than before. Available to order from Tuesday, August 4 to Saturday, November 7, the 11-course menu features the Melted Snowman (black garlic bread with a carrot nose, black iced eyes, yoghurt and 'snow') and Roses Are Red, Beasts Are Blue (a cake served with smashed roses). There's also a Cinderella-themed pumpkin bread with dukkah oil — aka the You Shall Go To The Ball — and a Finding Nemo-themed pan-fried dory, aptly dubbed Just Keeping Swimming. Plus Eat Me cookies, served in a storybook, and the Imagination custard tarts, served on an antique clock. And if all that isn't enough, you can also opt for a drinks package, which includes paired cocktails and wines for $105 (or $50 for non-alcoholic drinks). Though the menu is inspired by your childhood, you'll need that adult salary to enjoy it, with the food menu setting you back $135. [caption id="attachment_778663" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption] The Once Upon a Time menu is available for dinner Tuesday–Saturday and for lunch on Saturday. Images: Cole Bennetts
In 2020, Vincent Namatjira made history. Thanks to his portrait of champion AFL footballer Adam Goodes, he became the first Indigenous Australian artist to win the Archibald Prize in the award's 99-year run. That's an exceptional achievement, but 2021 isn't looking too average for the acclaimed Western Arrernte painter — with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia just revealing a new 15-metre-long mural by Namatjira. The MCA has long decked out the foyer of its Circular Quay entrance with eye-catching, large-scale, site-specific works, with Namatjira's new piece marking the seventh such commission. Called P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future), it shows seven Aboriginal male figures against the desert landscape of the Indulkana in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) region in South Australia, which is Namatjira's home community. Taking two weeks to hand paint directly onto the wall, the hefty artwork includes a self-portrait of Namajtira among the men — plus portraits of his great-grandfather Albert Namatjira; musician Kunmanara (Jimmy) Pompey, who was also the artist's late father-in-law; and an Aboriginal stockman who symbolises the male elders from Namatjira's region. Visitors to the MCA will also spot Adam Goodes, land-rights campaigner Eddie Koiki Mabo and boxer Lionel Rose on the artwork. Explaining the piece, Namatjira said that "I'm trying to bring my neck of the woods to the city, to the big smoke, for everyone to see. I painted this for the Indigenous people of Australia... I'm proud to be Aboriginal, and to have these Aboriginal male figures in the world makes me happy for our people." P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future) marks Namatjira's largest ever artwork to-date, and sees him respond to the mural's location — which includes its history as the site where first contact was made between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and British peoples. As well as viewing the work, MCA patrons can listen to an audio guide that features Namatjira talking through the figures and their significance to his life. Previous Circular Quay Foyer Wall Commission pieces have been crafted by Helen Eager (in 2012–2013), Guan Wei (in 2013–2014), Daniel Boyd (in 2014–2016), Stephen Bush (in 2016–17), Khadim Ali (in 2017–2018) and Gemma Smith (in 2018–2021). Vincent Namatjira's P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future), is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George Street, The Rocks. Images: Vincent Namatjira, P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future), 2021, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2021, supported by Veolia Environmental Services, image courtesy the artist; Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney; and Iwantja Arts, South Australia © the artist. Photograph by Daniel Boud
Each year, Smithsonian invites photographers from around the world, professional and otherwise, to submit images that capture great beauty and evoke wonder across five specific categories — The Natural World, People, Travel, Americana and Altered Images. Of the 37,600 submissions, the 50 final images memorialise moments that are both astounding and mundane, but consistently beautiful. A shot of policemen running through the national congress in Brasilia competes with the everyday, yet equally poignant, image of a Texan snow cone stand at dusk. For sharing the best of their photo trail, contestants get the chance to secure some substantial coin, as well as the satisfaction of knowing they've captured a truly Kodak moment. Although the winning submissions are ultimately decided by the Smithsonian’s editor, in an appeal to democratic sensibilities, a Reader's Choice Award will be announced after tallying up online votes, which are open until late March. Naturally, only Concrete Playground has the authority to decide who the real winners are, as selected largely based on their ability to momentarily transport us to a parallel universe in which it is not a Monday morning in front of a humming computer. Scroll down to visually kiss the sky. The Natural World A pair of menacing bald eagles share a meal, as captured by Don Holland of Tennessee, bringing Hitchcock-inspired nightmares to mind. The Natural World David Morrow's Milky Way, as shot in a Washington national park, is even better than the chocolate variety. People Ilain Fain's portrait of three young girls inside a Greek Orthodox church in Nazareth suggests that childhood boredom is a universal phenomenon. People A young baby sleeps protected by the gaze of his watchful mother on a Congolese night in Paolo Patruno's photograph. Americana Ron Henderson's unaltered photograph of the mascot for underwear brand Fruit of the Loom captured on location in the Californian desert proves that sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. Americana Times Square gets patriotic in Doug Van de Zande's image of technicolour shadows. Travel Afraid of losing the moment, Raul Amaru Linares yielded his camera instinctively when he spotted these musicians arriving pre-performance at a bull ring in Ecuador. Travel Playing with finger paints takes on a new meaning for this little boy in Indranil Sengupta's depiction of India's "tiger dance" festival. Altered Image The wrath of mother nature humbles in Tim Wright's image depicting the aftermath of a tornado in Iowa. Altered Image Pramod Shakya captures a building as it comes to life in Xi'an Jiaotong University. Images and story via Smithsonian.
Visiting New York City sits on plenty of bucket lists, and there are more than a few reasons why that's the case. But if you've always wanted to head to the Big Apple, wear designer outfits, get paid to write about your love life and, between cocktails and dates, hang out outside your apartment — sitting on the stoop with your significant other, whether you're making up or breaking up — then you obviously have Sex and the City to thank. Running from 1998–2004 (forget the terrible 2008 and 2010 movies), the hit HBO series made Manolo Blahniks a must-wear, turned cosmopolitans into the drink of choice for sips with the gang, and gave tutus their moment outside of ballet. It also showered Carrie Bradshaw's apartment stoop with ample attention, including in big, life-changing moments. Unsurprisingly, the filming location has become a tourist attraction over the last quarter-century. Always wanted to make the trip to follow in Sarah Jessica Parker's footsteps, but haven't yet had the chance? With Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That... arriving for its second season this month — after first debuting in 2021 — Binge is bringing a replica of that famous apartment stoop to Melbourne. And if this sounds familiar, that's because it did the same a couple of years back in Sydney. This time, the 2.2-metre-wide, 4.8-metre-high stoop is popping up at the David Jones Dome at Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre for three days, between Thursday, June 8–Saturday, June 10, ready to fill your Instagram feed. Just like when the Friends couch toured Australia, the Squid Game Red Light, Green Light doll towered over Sydney Harbour and a statue of Borat made an appearance at Bondi Beach — and when the Iron Throne did the rounds, and all of the other film- and TV-themed pop-ups over the years — this is all about three things: indulging one of your pop-culture obsessions, taking snaps and promotion ahead of And Just Like That...'s season two return on Thursday, June 22. It also marks 25 years since Sex and the City began. And no, as you're taking photos of yourself living out your Carrie Bradshaw stoop dreams — Manolo Blahniks optional — you won't find any Peloton fitness equipment in sight. Find the replica Sex and the City and And Just Like That... apartment stoop at the David Jones Dome at Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre from 11am–3pm and 5–9pm on Thursday, June 8–Friday, June 9 — and 11am–3pm on Saturday, June 10. Images: Chris Pavlich Photography.
Has every famous actor ever popped up in a Marvel movie at one point or another? With Captain America: Brave New World marking the saga's 35th film — and with entry 36 on its way via Thunderbolts*, then flick 37 courtesy of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, all before July 2025 is out — it can feel that way. So when the comic-book company-turned-cinema powerhouse announces the cast for one of its Avengers movies, there's plenty of talent to call upon. The ensemble for Avengers: Doomsday has just been revealed, and it's a stacked bunch. Set to be the 38th Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, Avengers: Doomsday will hit the big screen in autumn 2026 — Thursday, April 30 Down Under — which means that it's still over a year away. But expect Robert Downey Jr (The Sympathizer) rejoining the franchise, a few folks who've been in past Avengers films, recent additions to the fold and familiar X-Men faces, and more. [caption id="attachment_866265" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel advised Downey Jr's return, fresh from him becoming an Oscar-winner thanks to Oppenheimer. Although the last time that he was in an Avengers picture, he played Tony Stark aka Iron Man — a role he portrayed in ten MCU movies — this time he's stepping into Victor von Doom's shoes. That, fans already knew before the rest of the Avengers: Doomsday cast was unveiled. It's a big list from there, starting with Chris Hemsworth (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki), alongside Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), Paul Rudd (Only Murders in the Building), Letitia Wright (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Winston Duke (The Fall Guy) among those with Avengers experience. [caption id="attachment_877485" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.[/caption] Get ready to see a number of faces a couple of times over the next year, given that Wyatt Russell (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters), Florence Pugh (We Live in Time), David Harbour (A Working Man), Hannah John-Kamen (Breaking Point) and Lewis Pullman (Salem's Lot) will hop from Thunderbolts* to Doomsday. Pedro Pascal (Gladiator II), Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), Joseph Quinn (A Quiet Place: Day One) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) will do the same from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Simu Liu (Last Breath) returns from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Danny Ramirez from Captain America: Brave New World and Tenoch Huerta Mejia from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Channing Tatum (Blink Twice) was in Deadpool and Wolverine, and will keep adding to his MCU resume. As Beast from the X-Men movies, Kelsey Grammer (Paper Empire) joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in The Marvels, while Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: Picard) brought Professor Charles Xavier to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — and they're back again now. [caption id="attachment_973924" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.[/caption] Ian McKellen (The Critic), Alan Cumming (Drive Back Home), Rebecca Romijn (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), James Marsden (Paradise): they're on the list of X-Men stars — actors bring Marvel comics to the screen before the MCU even existed, but in films that were their own franchise until now — that are also part of Doomsday. Now that Disney owns Fox, which previously was behind the Deadpool, X-Men and Fantastic Four flicks, it's bringing characters from all of the above into its ever-sprawling screen saga. So, that's Thor, Loki, Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Ant-Man, Shuri, M'Baku, John Walker, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, Robert Reynolds, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, Shang-Chi, Joaquin Torres, Namor, Gambit, Beast, Professor X, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Mystique and Cyclops covered. After helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo (The Electric State) are back as well, directing not just Avengers: Doomsday but also 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. Check out the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement video below: Avengers: Doomsday releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Top images: photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney // Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © 2025 MARVEL. // Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we go to KU Villas in Lombok, Indonesia, where you can live that glamorous island life without breaking the bank. We've teamed up with the KU Villas team to bring our readers one massive island holiday deal. Book here to get a three-night stay, hour-long massage, personal chauffeur, $200 food and beverage voucher for the nearby SIWA Clubhouse and daily breakfast for only $455 — an absolute bargain by anyone's standards. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? Get that luxe Indonesian island experience on the cheap. It's incredible just how little you will spend to stay in these stylish Lombok villas — with private pool included. THE ROOMS This small resort has a few different accommodation types, ranging from individual rooms and suites (either with or without a plunge pool) to larger villas with private gardens and larger pools. Modern simplicity is key when it comes to design and amenities — expect large open rooms with classic wooden furniture and crisp white linens. You'll get the essential aircon and wifi, too. Plus, almost every room has double doors that open onto the gardens and pools — indoor and outdoor living spaces are seamlessly woven together. FOOD AND DRINK KU Villas has its own little restaurant onsite, offering a range of Western and traditional Indonesian dishes. Locally sourced, healthy cuisine is the aim of the game here. The chefs get produce from the property to create super fresh and light dishes from breakfast through to dinner. But, these guys are aware that you're on holiday — so you can get pizzas, chips and gelato too. Beers, wine and cocktails flow freely, and are brought out to the pool for those long days spent dipping in and out of the water while getting some well-needed vitamin D. [caption id="attachment_883655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tom Bixler (Unsplash)[/caption] THE LOCAL AREA KU Villas is located on the island of Lombok, east of the ever-popular Bali. Stay on Lombok to get the full Bali experience, but with fewer crowds. There are quaint villages full of character, countless beachside restaurants and bars, nearby islands for day trips (the trio of Gilis) and rainforests ripe for exploring on hikes or 4WD adventures. KU Villas even has its own mountaintop bar and pool, SIWA, with stunning views across the island — the intel: our Concrete Playground Trips package includes a $200 voucher to spend at this picturesque spot. THE EXTRAS When visiting these parts, a rejuvenating spa day should be firmly on the cards. Thankfully, you'll find one on the property. KU Day Spa offers up a series of massages alongside other treatments — there's coffee and chocolate scrubs and a special magnesium pool experience. Once you're done relaxing, roll over to the pool to hold onto that new-found peace and glow for as long as you can. We're all chasing that feeling — and this ain't a bad place to find it. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
It's not only the playing of tennis that works up a healthy appetite — it's also the watching of it. But, when you're at the Australian Open, surrounded by fellow ravenous spectators in 40-degree heat, working out where to get a decent bite can be a challenge. So, we thought we'd save you some trouble by tracking down the best places to eat in and around Rod Laver Arena this year. Whether you want to stick to the village or roam over to the CBD or Richmond, here are some spots to try. And if you're visiting from out of town, you'll also get to tick a few of Melbourne's best places to eat off your list. [caption id="attachment_704328" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 400 Gradi[/caption] GRAND SLAM OVAL, AUSTRALIAN OPEN VILLAGE Grand Slam Oval – located within the Australian Open village – is a gathering place for pop-ups, food trucks and bars. You'll find OTT kebabs by Biggie Smalls, Mexican street food by Collins Street's Mamasita, burgers by Neil Perry's Burger Project, some of the world's best slices from 400 Gradi, and, from Beijing Betty, Chinese fusion snacks created exclusively for the event. There are also bars for drinkers of all kinds, including one dedicated to champagne, one to beer and another to Aperol Spritz. Ideal if you don't have much time before the coin toss or can't be bothered to leave the village between matches. HARLOW, RICHMOND If you're looking for a new adventure, settle in at Harlow, a pub that, in December, took over the space then belonging to the Great Britain. It's on Church Street, Richmond. Whether you hang out in the dining room or head into the beer garden, you'll be starting with creative bites, like mini crab doughnuts and duck and bacon sausage rolls. The mains list is more about decadent takes on classics: there's a steak sandwich loaded with maple bacon and Swiss cheese, a smoked beer hot dog and a behemoth vegan burger. It's open from midday right through until late. ARBORY AFLOAT, SOUTHBANK Cool off by the Yarra at Arbory Afloat, at 69-metre-long floating bar that, since 2015, has set up on the river every spring, ready to get you through long hot days and balmy evenings. Downstairs is a citrus-and-fig grove, inspired by the Cinque Terre, while upstairs is dotted with day beds. Wherever you are, you'll be sipping on blood orange Aperol spritzes, watermelon sangria and piña coladas, and tucking into Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas, seafood platters and salads. Arbory Afloat is at 2 Flinders Walk – just a 15-minute walk down the Yarra from the Australian Open. THE CORNER HOTEL, RICHMOND Two years ago, this Melbourne live music stalwart scored a rooftop refurbishment and a tasty new menu. Thankfully, it hasn't lost any of its down-to-earth good vibes. If you haven't caught enough sun at the Open, go straight upstairs to relax in the fresh air; otherwise, stay downstairs where many a band has played into the wee hours. Either way, the food offerings include fried chicken, roast chicken roulade, the Corner parma and the Patti Smith beef burger. Craft beers a-plenty are on-tap. The Corner is a 15-minute walk from the Open. GAZI, CBD Weekend attendees can factor in a little trip to the Greek Islands at Gazi. This Hellenic eatery is hosting yum cha every Sunday, from midday till 3pm. The dishes have their roots in Mediterranean cuisine, but pay homage to Chinese, too. Among them are spanakopita gyoza, feta honey sesame spring rolls and sweet bread filled with lamb. A reasonable $49 buys a ten-course banquet and, for $35, you can add bottomless cocktails. Gazi is at 2 Exhibition Street in the CBD – 15 minutes from the action. FEAST OF MERIT, RICHMOND Fuel up before you hit the court at Feast of Merit, on Swan Street, around a 20-minute walk from the Rod Laver Arena. Among street art, vintage furniture and hanging greenery, you'll be feasting on hearty, Middle Eastern-influenced brekkies, such as börek, a vegetarian dish of corn fritters, poached egg, garlic yoghurt, feta and dukkah, or smoked ocean trout with asparagus, potato rosti and sour cream. For hardcore ticket holders, it's hard to knock back the büyük kahvalti, a big breakfast piled with eggs, sucuk sausage, haloumi, spinach, heirloom cherry tomatoes and flatbread. It's also open for dinner if you're looking for something post-match. [caption id="attachment_636986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emily Blake[/caption] CUMULUS INC., CBD Take a rest from the heat, grit and grunts in a low-lit corner at Cumulus Inc., a dreamy escape designed to soothe your every sense. Owned and run by chef Andrew McConnell (Builders Arms Hotel, Cutler & Co. and Supernormal), this all-day eatery celebrated its tenth anniversary last year and has been stocking up on Good Food hats since 2010. Begin with beef tartare, tarragon and anchovy toast, then move onto snapper with mussels, fennel pollen and dill oil. There's also a tasting menu, which changes daily. Cumulus Inc. is at 45 Flinders Lane – 15 minutes' walk from the tennis. Top image: Visit Victoria.
Ever found the prospect of finding a good inner city cafe where you can wile away the morning resoundingly quixotic? Copo Cafe and Diner offers the answer to this conundrum. And more. Unlike the revolving door 'feel' of a Crown Street cafe with queues of grumpy people waiting outside and awkward packed-in crowds, a beautiful bright-lit spacious cafe opens up before you, located only a short distance from the city. You can actually spread out multiple cumbersome newspapers across a heavy old-fashioned table, walk freely to the bathroom without tripping on a dog or a bag and in general take your time. The brunch menu offers generous tantalising meals at reasonable prices, ranging from exotic sweet dishes like citrus hotcakes with fresh mango, mascarpone and maple syrup ($13.90) or French toast with fresh ricotta, lemon curd and maple syrup ($14.90) to the rich and savoury, South American-style baked beans with chorizo and bacon on toast ($16.90), and original vegetarian options such as Moroccan eggplant baked eggs with labne, herbs and toast ($17.90). Copo's chef sources fresh produce from the markets daily so it's all bright, honest and juicy with a real home-cooked yet professional quality. I died and went to gourmet heaven over the house-smoked trout with fried egg, potato hash, herbs and toast ($17.90) and my breakfasting companion was mad keen tucking into the fried lentils and ham with poached egg, onion, parsley and cumin ($16.90). There was a perfect balance to the food; the lentils had a moreish smoked ham flavor without being too salty and the trout with hash browns was crispy and buttery yet far from greasy. You really couldn't fault any of it. Surrounded by the warm chatter of both youngsters and families, you can comfortably laze the hours away doing crosswords, sipping on hallmark Campos coffee so as to ease into the weekend. Perfect. If you're from these parts, it's the ideal local haunt. If you're not a local, it is well worth the effort to go there to relax, enjoy the amazing food and not feel squeezed like a breakfast juice.
To seasoned street artists and chroniclers of graffiti culture, the name Vaughn Bode (pronounced Bo-dee) recalls the psychedelic, magical cartoon art of Bode's underground comics of the 60s and 70s. Those in the know utter Bode's name with reverence, recalling how his comic book characters — the Cheech Wizard, Dicky Doo, the sex-hungry lizards and the voluptuous Bode broads — were reappropiated with spray paint in the 80s on New York city's subway cars by godfathers of graffiti Seen and Dondi, among others. When Vaughn Bode passed away in the mid 70s, at age 33 — not living to behold his beloved characters blaze through New York city's subways — Bode's 12-year-old son, Mark, took it upon himself to follow in the footsteps, and to develop the artistic vision of his father. Over the last decade, the junior Bode has expanded on his father's venerable legacy, painting graffiti, publishing art books, and creating several comics of his own in the classic Bode style, including the soon-to-be-action-film and cult classic comic, Cobalt 60. All the while, Mark Bode has played an important role in the global graffiti art community, bringing together respected artists from across the globe for unique collaborations. For the Bode in Oz tour, Mark will exhibit some of his most recent illustrations and paintings at Sydney's China Heights gallery, which opens on Friday 24 February at 6pm and runs until Saturday 3 March. Alongside the exhibition, Mark will also collaborate with a number of Australian artists to paint a giant public mural, and to perform a 'Cartoon Concert' at The Standard on Wednesday 22 February from 6:30pm. As the scion of a graffiti culture legend, and as a graffiti legend in his own right, Mark Bode's tour of Oz is not to be missed. So don't forget to bring a fresh felt-tip with your blackbook. See the complete art catalogue here (.pdf).
For over 30 years, Aquarius Rising has been a western Sydney go-to for one-of-a-kind gifts. Does your auntie swear by her calming blue lace agate crystal? Has your maybe-kinda-psychic friend always wanted their own pack of tarot cards? Or is your dad currently obsessed with collecting essential oils for his new Muji diffuser? The perfect gift is awaiting them at Aquarius Rising. Home to a huge range of crystals, incense, cards, books and salt lamps, the Civic Arcade spot isn't your run-of-the-mill gift shop (you won't find any 'live, laugh, love' posters here), but it has something for all the Co—Star-loving and astrology meme-sharing people in your life.
Squid Game is finally returning for season two, and Heartbreak High as well. A new take on Tom Ripley is also on the way. They aren't the only things that you'll be watching on Netflix in 2024. As it does to begin every year, the streaming platform has unveiled a teaser video for the TV shows — returning and new — and movies that'll be added to its catalogue over the coming 11 months, while also dropping a heap of details. Get ready for plenty of time spent glued to the small screen. The sheer number of series and films that the service releases each year is always massive (see: 2022's and 2023's lists of features). 2024 is set to be no different. Starting with episodic fare, more Bridgerton will arrive in May, season three of hilarious girl group comedy Girls5eva is due in March and That '90s Show will be back by midyear. Also among the returning shows: Mo, Heartstopper, The Diplomat, Emily in Paris, Monsters, The Night Agent, Outer Banks, Sweet Tooth, Cobra Kai, Drive to Survive, Unstable and The Umbrella Academy. [caption id="attachment_938940" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emily V Aragones/Netflix © 2023[/caption] More than a few of Netflix's new series additions in 2024 have been announced previously, but that doesn't make them any less exciting. Sci-fi thriller 3 Body Problem brings the book of the same name to the screen; Avatar: The Last Airbender turns the beloved animated effort into live-action; and The Gentlemen takes its cues from the Guy Ritchie movie of the same name — with Theo James (The White Lotus), Kaya Scodelario (The King's Daughter), Vinnie Jones (Bullet Proof) and Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) among the cast, and Ritchie producing. That said, you mightn't have already heard about Black Doves, starring Keira Knightley (Boston Strangler) as the spy wife of a UK politician; Eric, with Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) as a father searching for his missing nine-year-old son; or No Good Deed, about two families trying to buy the same house, and with Lisa Kudrow (Space Force), Ray Romano (Bupkis), Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me), Luke Wilson (Fingernails), Teyonah Parris (The Marvels) and Abbi Jacobson (A League of Their Own) starring. The Perfect Couple is Nicole Kidman's (Expats) next small-screen stint and Terminator: The Anime Series battles Skynet in animation. The Good Place's Ted Danson and Mike Schur are also reteaming on a new comedy series that's based on the Oscar-nominated documentary The Mole Agent, Gabriel García Márquez's iconic novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is scoring an adaptation, and Senna dramatises Ayrton Senna's life. Movie fans, there's no shortage of highlights for you, too — including Spaceman, Damsel, Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story and Hit Man. The first sees filmmaker Johan Renck (Chernobyl) take Adam Sandler (Leo) to space, while the second riffs on fairy tale and fantasy stories with Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) in the lead. As for the third, it marks Jerry Seinfeld's film directorial debut, and tells exactly the tale that its title makes plain. And the fourth is Richard Linklater's (Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) latest, with Glen Powell (Anyone But You) co-writing and starring. From there, on a roster that goes on — as its television counterpart also does — His Three Daughters boasts spectacular casting thanks to Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age), Elizabeth Olsen (Love & Death) and Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face); Japanese animation The Imaginary hails from Studio Ponoc (Mary and the Witch's Flower); Irish Wish and Our Little Secret both feature Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls); and the Thomasin McKenzie (Totally Completely Fine)-, James Norton (Happy Valley)- and Bill Nighy (Role Play)-starring Joy is about the world's first test-tube baby. [caption id="attachment_938943" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John P. Johnson / Netflix © 2024.[/caption] The Beverley Hills Cop franchise returns in the new Eddie Murphy (Candy Cane Lane)-starring instalment that's aptly subtitled Axel F; Atlas pits Jennifer Lopez (The Mother) against AI, and Back in Action sees Jamie Foxx (The Burial) and Cameron Diaz (in her first film since 2014's Annie) as married spies brought back into the espionage fold. A Family Affair has Joey King (Bullet Train) playing a woman who works for a movie star (Zac Efron, The Iron Claw), Laura Dern (The Son) is a novelist who has an affair with a younger man (Liam Hemsworth, Land of Bad) in Lonely Planet, and Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie joins the SpongeBob SquarePants world. Or, there's Scoop, which goes behind the scenes on Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview, and features Gillian Anderson (Sex Education), Keeley Hawes (Orphan Black: Echo), Billie Piper (I Hate Suzie) and Rufus Sewell (The Diplomat); Shirley, the Regina King (The Harder They Fall)-led flick about the first Black congresswoman; That Christmas, a family-friendly festive effort based on the books by Love Actually filmmaker Richard Curtis; and Thelma the Unicorn, by directors Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and Lynn Wang (Unikitty!). Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) helms and leads Woman of the Hour, about an aspiring actor and a serial killer; French fare Family Hour werewolves battles werewolves; Spanish horror hit The Platform gets a sequel; and South Korea's Uprising is produced and co-written by Decision to Leave's Park Chan-wook. We hope your couch is comfy — because you're going to be spending quite a bit of time on it. Check out Netflix's trailer for its 2024 slate below: New movies and TV shows will hit Netflix throughout 2024 — head to the streaming platform for its current catalogue. Top image:
Aussie music sensation and multiple ARIA-award-winning artist Jessica Mauboy is set to grace the stage at the upcoming FIFA Fan Festival™ for one night only: Friday, July 21 at 8pm, at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. This is a free event for fans of soccer, sports and fantastic music. The Australian Idol alum has cemented her status as one of the nation's most beloved entertainers. She has released six Top 10 albums and 16 Top 20 singles and her music has garnered over 200 million streams worldwide. Recognised for her exceptional talent, Mauboy has been honoured with two ARIA Awards, 21 Platinum accreditations, and nine Gold accreditations. She made history as the first Indigenous Australian artist to debut at number one on the ARIA Album Chart. She's been praised for her stellar performances in The Sapphires, Bran Nue Dae, and as a coach on The Voice Australia. Plus, she has earned accolades such as the AACTA Award, APRA Award, Australian of the Year Award, MTV Europe Music Award, and MTV Australia Music Award — phew. Jessica is performing as part of the FIFA Women's World Cup Fan Festival™, entry to the festival is free but live music acts (especially Jessica's) are expected to be very popular so be sure to get in on time to catch her performance. The FIFA Women's World Cup Fan Festival™ takes place from Thursday, July 20 till Sunday, August 20 at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. Check out the website for the full schedule of events.
It's hard to imagine Sydney without small bars. Today, they're entrenched in the city's nightlife, but barely over a decade ago, a night out revolved around mega clubs and mega pubs. That all changed when NSW's liquor laws were reformed in 2007. Slowly, small bars accommodating no more than 60 people began to pop up, organically concentrating in pockets around Darlinghurst and in the under-utilised industrial spaces dotting the streets behind Town Hall. [caption id="attachment_805685" align="alignnone" width="1920"] SILY[/caption] Many of the pioneers of the Sydney small bar scene started in these backstreets and continue to operate the very venues that kickstarted this era of transformation. As Sydney's nightlife changed, so too did the area where the city's small bar vanguard set up shop. More small bars, independent eateries and hotels were established in the nooks and crannies tucked between York, Clarence and Kent Streets, culminating in the formal establishment of a new nightlife and entertainment district known as YCK Laneways. In partnership with YCK Laneways, we sat down with three trailblazers who've been at the coalface of Sydney's small bar renaissance and still run venues in the area all these years later: Karl Schlothauer, owner of Stitch Bar and Kasippu, VP of YCK Laneways and CEO of House of Pocket; Nick White, owner of Since I Left You (SILY) and President of YCK Laneways; and Mikey Enright, owner of The Duke of Clarence and The Barber Shop and CEO of Barrelhouse Group. Between them, the owners have a combined thirty or so years of experience in the Sydney bar scene. [caption id="attachment_976968" align="alignnone" width="1920"] SILY owner, Nick White[/caption] "There were only pubs, nightclubs and RSLs at the time. They were the three places you could go to have a drink," says White. "You know what you're getting in for when you go to a pub, or any of those places. So, small bars provided an alternative, which was much needed in Sydney." Almost as soon as they emerged, Sydney's small bars have been quiet overachievers, creating options in the liminal space between a night in and a huge night out. Not that the bars have necessarily been quiet by choice. On Fridays and Saturdays especially, the YCK Laneways district is reliably soundtracked by the buzz of people chatting and having a good time, with music escaping from doorways that welcome in and release customers from basements and obscured spaces. But making noise once proved to be one of the precinct's more pressing challenges to overcome. "When [SILY] first opened, we didn't have use of our courtyard," says White. That might come as a surprise to anyone with even a passing familiarity of SILY. The small bar's heritage-listed courtyard is, as White acknowledges, "one of [its] big drawcards." Nowadays, SILY is known in part for its live music program, as well as one-off events that welcome local artists like Milan Ring and Becca Hatch, an offering SILY has cultivated since its inception. "Live music has always been something we've done. We've always been a supporter of the local arts scene and that's taken various forms over the years. We've got a regular Thursday music night, which has always been in place. We've now got a Tuesday jazz night [and] DJs on Friday nights." [caption id="attachment_987818" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Barber Shop and The Duke of Clarence owner, Mikey Enright[/caption] Enright and Schlothauer's venues also all have regular live music nights and both call out music as essential to cultivating memorable spaces. At The Barber Shop, hip hop tunes accompany the bar's spirits, while the Duke of Clarence stays on theme by playing predominantly English tunes by the likes of The Beatles as it serves up one of Sydney's best Sunday roasts. Meanwhile, Stitch is also home to live music one night each week. Each venue's custom music offering reflects the secret sauce that makes small bars such a draw for customers: unique experiences that feel innately human. "I think Sydney's small bars have just made nightlife more approachable and more appealing to a wider range of people," says Schlothauer. [caption id="attachment_991187" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kasippu and Stitch owner, Karl Schlothauer, Image: Tim Pascoe[/caption] The smaller scale of these venues translates to an entirely different experience for customers. It's a feature of small bars that all three owners call out. Independence lets the owners follow their own natural curiosities and interests, as well as experiment with menus and concepts more freely. This autonomy is what creates memorable experiences for patrons too, allowing customers to give direct feedback to owner-operators. "There's a lot more personal interaction between the staff and customers," says White. "A lot of small bars out there are trying to create different experiences for guests to appreciate," agrees Schlothauer. "Behind every small bar is an individual, an independent operator in the small business space." In particular in YCK Laneways, where there are so many bars in a relatively compact area, venues are increasingly focused on doing one or a few things well. "Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, the small bars — because of their size and the passion behind them — [are] becoming a lot more niche in terms of their product offering," says Schlothauer. [caption id="attachment_958206" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Barber Shop[/caption] "They have their own character [and] personality. A lot of them are run by former bartenders, so there's a lot of passion in it as well. I think that's what makes the small bar category more diverse and different," says Enright, a former bartender himself. Enright shares that his venue The Barber Shop, a gin bar with over 700 gins and has been operating in YCK since 2013, was born out of his personal interest in gin at a time when the spirit was still relatively niche and not the mainstay it is today. Not only has the bar stood the test of time, Enright has established his own distillery. The gins it produces are, of course, stocked in The Barber Shop. "I really love the subject of gin, as well as what it tastes like. We wanted to go all in on the gin side of it. Not many places — I think there weren't any — were doing it back then." The concentration of distinctive venues in close proximity to one another has another advantage that adds to the precinct's allure. "You can bounce between [YCK's venues]. You can have a drink here, a bite to eat there, a nightcap there, you can make it a night out. You can make it quite different, so I think that's one of the appealing things for people who visit here," says Enright. [caption id="attachment_981453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kasippu[/caption] Kasippu, Schlothauer's latest venture, is a day-to-night venue that's part-cocktail bar and part-authentic Sri Lankan eatery, and perfectly embodies what Enright describes. Anyone heading out in YCK could stop by Kasippu at any point in their travels. The venue focuses on plating up authentic curries during the day, before transforming into a cocktail bar come nightfall. And once the night is well underway? There's self-service karaoke, curry kebabs and free Hydralyte slushies. And as much as the food, drink and feel of YCK Laneways' small bars invite people in, White makes the broader point that small bars are safer too. "In thirteen and a half years, we've never had a violent incident. And most small bars would say the same thing. [There have been] none or very, very low incidences of alcohol related violence or anything like that." It's little wonder that, in the face of Sydney's ever-evolving nightlife, small bars are here to stay. Explore the stories, sights and sounds of Sydney's bustling laneway nightlife. Between the lanes of York, Clarence and King Streets you'll find YCK Laneways, offering a plethora of hidden laneway and basement bars and restaurants waiting to be discovered. Check them out here.
Before it all began, Poor Toms' Griffin Blumer and Jesse Kennedy knew a few things for sure — they had a shared hatred of fedoras, they didn't want to spend the best years of their lives working for the man and they loved drinking gin. Coming up to three years in the gin-making biz, the duo has created a well-loved, local business that's set to open its own bar by March — which we got the tiniest sneak peek of. We've teamed up with Squarespace to talk to Griffin and Jesse about why they started Poor Toms and how they've gotten to where they are today. TURNING DISILLUSIONMENT INTO INSPIRATION In 2015, the Canberran school friends lived in a sharehouse in Sydney's inner west. Jesse was working as a suit at Macquarie Bank, while Griffin was a budding actor trying to make ends meet. Both found their consumption of gin was proportional to their sense of disillusionment with spending the next 30 years living a predictable life. So, one evening over a few strong drinks, the two made the decision to kick their careers to the curb. "I was disillusioned by the idea of capitalism, and Jesse was disillusioned by the practice of it," says Griffin. Over breakfast in one of those aggressively twee converted warehouse cafes, the duo chatted about what they would do if they could get their mitts on an equally twee warehouse space. Griffin went highbrow saying he would open a performance space and put on plays with his pals, while Jesse just thought it would be pretty cool to have a place to hang out and make gin. Fast forward a few years and (fortunately for us) it was Jesse's idea that stuck. Together the two pooled their dimes and invested in a low-key warehouse space in the backstreets of Marrickville. WHAT'S IN A NAME? Despite not having any real professional chops when it came to the distilling process, Jesse and Griffin definitely had gumption and had sampled enough gins between them to have a clear idea of how they wanted their product to taste and how they wanted people to feel when they drank it. They admit, coming up with a name was a rough process."It's kind of like naming a baby, at first any name sounds bad but eventually people will accept it," says Griffin. They knew they wanted to include 'Tom' in their gin baby's name, as (adorably) it's both of their middle names. Serendipitously, Griffin was doing a reading of King Lear with Bell Shakespeare at the time, and, on the hunt for literally any 'Tom'-themed words, he came across the character Edgar, a kind of clueless aristocrat who — in a very small nutshell — was forced to cast off his riches and disguise himself as the charming philosophical vagrant Poor Tom in order to avoid being falsely accused of plotting to kill his father. The act of throwing off your fakery and pretension to reveal one's trueself became a guiding principle that informed Poor Toms creative direction and brand ethos, "most marketing advice is 'make something with broad appeal or something that is generically interesting to a lot people'" says Griffin, "but we decided to take the opposite approach by making something that appeals to us… and hoped other people would like it." HOW TO BECOME LEGIT Regardless of what you think of Mark Zuckerberg and his social network conglomerate, any business operating in this day and age needs to have some semblance of an internet presence. Before starting Poor Toms, both Jesse and Griffin used social media like any average millennial — "to look at people and not miss parties" — but, despite their shared hatred of photos of drinks on Instagram, they knew if they wanted Poor Toms to be successful they needed to up their online ante. "One of the hard parts was translating the very clear brand identity into an online voice...all of a sudden we had to have a social media presence and a website," says Griffin. "These days, having a website is like having a business card…you need one to be trusted." The two had been binge-listening StartUp, a podcast about starting a business, and as a result, were exposed to a world of audio ads from Squarespace. They elicited the help of a designer friend to whip up a schmick website using a Squarespace template, and started an Instagram account, which, according to Jesse, was "largely to demonstrate that they were normal enough that other people would take photos with them" and with that, Poor Toms became legit. THE MARKER OF SUCCESS IS NEVER FIXED As Poor Toms continues to grow as a business, the definition of success constantly evolves. There wasn't really an exact moment when the pair knew they made it, but they're now producing grade-A gin on a full-time basis, and don't even have to think about returning to those 9–5 jobs that they left behind. Though there's not a lot of time for them to pause and reflect, "you become addicted to the hustle," says Jesse. "There's so much hustle involved in stepping away from a consistent salary." They're busy working on a number of new projects and collaborations including opening a bar in their Marrickville distillery in Sydney, "we weren't ready to open a bar when we first started. We just weren't old enough," says Jesse. "It took six months to figure out how to make gin, and now we're finally ready to have people here." For Jesse and Griffin, starting Poor Toms was never about making bank; the pair is just happy to be working for themselves and producing something they're truly passionate about. "We created something new that people love," says Griffin. "We always wanted our gin to be loved — it's not about revenue or profit. We want to be Australia's most loved gin; we want people to be invested in our story." Discover more of the Poor Toms story here, and stay tuned for more news on the launch of their first bar. Looking to embark on an entirely new venture? You'll need to let people know about it. That's where Squarespace comes in. Kickstart your new biz with a website, and use the code CP for 10% off your first Squarespace purchase. Images: Kitti Smallbone
World Chocolate Day (Wednesday, July 7) is on the horizon, so what better excuse for two of the country's top dessert masters to join forces? Aussie chocolate brand Koko Black and the ever-innovative, Sydney-born cake maestros Black Star Pastry have dreamed up some sweet-toothed magic, available for one day only this July. The Meteor Cake is the brainchild of Koko Black Head Chocolatier Remco Brigou and Black Star's Group Head Pastry Chef Arnaud Vodounou — some might say that this once-off dessert is 'out of this world'. It's here for a good time, but a very fleeting one, hitting stores for one day only on (you guessed it) Wednesday, July 7. The limited-edition cake is up there with some of the more extravagant treats you'll try this year. First up, there are the neat layers of dark chocolate financier, caramel-infused chocolate, muscovado sponge, dense hazelnut cremeux, choccy mousse and praline. Crowning that delicious tower is a flying 'meteor' — a hazelnut truffle coated in black cocoa nibs — trailing a blazing edible flame crafted from luxe Sao Thome chocolate. There's even a pile of meteor 'rubble', made of crumbled cocoa nibs. The Meteor Cake comes in at $15 a slice, available to purchase only from select Koko Black stores in Sydney (Strand Arcade) and Koko Black stores in Melbourne. You can also grab the takeaway treat from Black Star's Rosebery and Newtown outposts. Given the current lockdown and restrictions, Sydneysiders will also be able to pre-order here from July 2 to score a $55 four-pack that'll be delivered on World Chocolate Day. After the first half of this year, you bloody well deserve it. The Meteor Cake will be available from select Koko Black and Black Star stores, on Wednesday, July 7. Head to either website for further details.
Drink West is the fresh-to-the-scene brewery and brewpub backed by Sydney UFC legends Tai Tuivasa and Tyson Pedro plus Penrith Panthers' Nathan Cleary. The sell? "The first beer made out here, and the first beer made for us." The range of crisp west-born frothies include the flagship lager, which according to the owners "pairs perfectly with a fresh pair of TNs and tall stories about how your old man nearly played for Penrith". Luckily, it also pairs with the loaded hotdogs and burgers. If lager doesn't tickle your fancy, there's also a nitro stout, oat cream XPA, pale, pils and hibiscus lime gose — plus a zero-carb mid. From Wednesday to Sunday, you can swing by or book a table in the huge brewery space (complete with a staggering mural of the players and black and yellow team colours), catch some live music, cheer on the big game or just hang out on the lawns beneath the palms. Appears in: The Best Sydney Brewery Bars for 2023
In the next chapter of Australia's plastic bag saga, Coles has paused its ban. Six days after the supermarket giant implemented its nationwide single-use plastic bag ban, it has announced it will be giving out free reusable plastic bags until the close of business on Sunday, July 8. This brings the supermarket chain into line with Woolworths who, after implementing a nationwide ban on June 20, also reneged on the ban and announced it would be giving them out for free until July 8. The reusable bags that are currently being given out for free would usually cost shoppers 15c in both Coles and Woolworths. They're thicker, more durable and are made from 80 percent recycled plastic — and were meant to encourage shoppers to bring them back, again and again, rather than buying a new one each time. The temporary, complimentary bag offer for both supermarket giants is only valid in NSW, Vic, WA and Qld, as the other states and territories have already had single-use plastic bag bans in place for several years (SA leading the pack, introducing it back in 2009). Both moves came after backlash to the bans on social media and in store, with reports of some shoppers becoming aggressive, others stealing plastic baskets instead of paying for reusable bags, and many accusing the chains of using the ban as a profit making scheme. Both supermarkets are also offering cloth bag alternatives, with Woolworths' 99c Bag for Good, which the supermarket chain will replace for free if it gets damaged, and Coles' $1 Community Bags, which are designed by Australian school children and ten percent of sales are donated to charities. Both bags are designed to be used repeatedly. On a national level, NSW and Victoria are now the only states that haven't implemented state-wide bans, with Queensland introducing its ban earlier this month on July 1. Victoria is set to do so next year, but NSW is yet to announce whether it will join suit.
After what feels like decades of being stuck within the four-wall confines of our homes during lockdowns, domestic flights and holidays seem firmly back on the cards. So, it's no wonder we're all craving a little something extra to scratch the travel itch. When it comes to your next big vacay, consider adding Central Australia to the mix. This desert paradise has spectacular experiences on offer — things that are worlds away from your everyday life. We're talking red desert dance floors under sparkling stars, helicopter tours of Uluru and festivals that rival Burning Man. We've teamed up with Tourism Central Australia to showcase some of the more unexpected experiences the Red Centre has to offer. Want to plan your very own adventure to the Red Centre? Take a look at our handy trip builder to start building your custom itinerary now.
Sydney's Inner West is brimming with breweries. From well-known watering holes like Young Henrys in Newtown to newer brewers like Marrickville's MixTape, there's no shortage of places to sample excellent drinks in this buzzy neighbourhood. Choosing a brewery is one thing, but actually knowing what to order once you get there is a whole other challenge — and that's where we come in. To help make the daunting decision of what to sip a little easier, we've done the thinking (and the drinking) for you. Read on to find out our favourites before you hit the hops on your next DIY brewery crawl.
Banish any hump day woes with a trip to the picturesque Redleaf Pool. A favourite of eastern suburbs locals, Redleaf Pool (or Murray Rose Pool) is a long serving gem for all ages. Swim out to one of the two pontoons or lap up the final rays of afternoon sun while along the boardwalk. Either way, bring a little picnic (chilled rose and cheese encouraged) and someone special and settle yourself in for the afternoon. Come sunset, watch the sun dip below the horizon, as the waves gently lick the supports below and remember, you're more than halfway through the working week. Image: simplethrill / Flickr.
Brightening up winter has always been Vivid Sydney's mission. Turning as much of the city as possible into a glowing sight has also been the festival's remit since its beginnings. Returning for 2024, Dark Spectrum isn't the only example of how those aims come to fruition, but it's still a dazzling case in point. The luminous event heads into the Harbour City's depths, unleashes lasers and lights, adds electronic dance music as a soundtrack and gets attendees exploring a lit-up subterranean labyrinth. Dark Spectrum debuted in 2023, as a world-premiere installation in Wynyard's unused railway tunnels, which was the first time ever that the spot had been opened to the public. The light show beneath the streets is also part of the 2024 program, again in the same location, but this time as Dark Spectrum: A New Journey. Just like last year, we hope that you like lasers, secret passageways and bright colours, which are all on offer from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15. As the name makes plain, this is an all-new version of Dark Spectrum, but the basic setup, of course, remains the same. A collaboration between Vivid Sydney, Sony Music, Mandylights and Culture Creative, this underground spectacle again features eight rooms, all heroing a different hue, with the entire concept initially inspired by raves and their dance floors. Across a one-kilometre trail — up from 2023's 900 metres — 300 lasers and strobe lights, 500 lanterns, 250 search lights and 700 illuminated arrows are sure to make a shining impression. Wondering which tunes accompany this maze-like experience, which tasks everyone that enters with wandering through its expanse from start to finish as lights flash and flicker, and smoke and haze effects add to the mood? Dark Spectrum: A New Journey is drawing upon club-favourite tracks from the past 30 years. And yes, if you want to dance your way through the chambers and tunnels, that's allowed (and understandable). Images: Dianne Brooks.
2023 is set to be a great year for art lovers, especially if you're a fan of Frida Kahlo. In Sydney from January, a multi-sensory installation will let visitors immerse themselves in Kahlo's works; however, that's not the only way to bask in the Mexican artist's creative glories. Come winter, the Art Gallery of South Australia will also pay tribute to the iconic figure, her well-known spouse Diego Rivera and the entire Mexican modernism movement. Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution will headline AGSA's 2023 program alongside another enormous and just-as-impressive exhibition: the already-announced Andy Warhol & Photography: A Social Media. That's three of the biggest names in 20th-century art, all gracing the Adelaide venue's walls and halls in the space of a few months, with the Mexican modernism exhibition running from Saturday, June 24–Sunday, September 17. [caption id="attachment_879279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frida Kahlo, born Mexico City 1907, died Mexico City 1954, Self-Portrait with Monkeys, 1943, oil on canvas, 81.5 x 63 cm; The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of Mexican Modernism, © Banco de México Rivera Kahlo Museums Trust/ARS. Copyright Agency, 2022[/caption] Visitors will be able to see more than 150 works during Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution, spanning everything from paintings and photographs to works on paper and period clothing, as drawn from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection. Two key aims: examining why Kahlo's work, and Kahlo herself, holds such enduring appeal; and placing Kahlo and Rivera's art in context with their contemporaries. "Each generation brings a new lens through which to view the phenomenon that is Frida Kahlo. A 21st-century muse, Kahlo is today revered as a feminist and as a singular political and creative force. Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution speaks to the influence and ingenuity of art practice in Mexico and aims to recontextualise the foremost presence of Kahlo within our society today," said AGSA Director Rhana Devenport ONZM, announcing the exhibition. [caption id="attachment_879280" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Diego Rivera, born Guanajuanto, Mexico 1886, died Mexico City 1957, Sunflowers, 1943, oil on canvas, 90 x 130 cm; The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of Mexican Modernism, © Banco de México Rivera Kahlo Museums Trust/ARS. Copyright Agency, 2022.[/caption] "Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution is the most comprehensive exhibition of Mexican Modernism ever seen in Australia, from the unrivalled collection of Jacques and Natasha Gelman. Close friends of Kahlo and Rivera, the Gelmans were pioneering collectors who formed an outstanding collection of works representing Mexican modernism," explains Tansy Curtin, AGSA's Curator of International Art, Pre-1980s. [caption id="attachment_879281" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Martin Munkacsi, born Kolozsvar, Hungary (now Romania) 1896, died New York 1963, Frida and Diego, 1934, gelatin silver photograph, 35.6 x 27.9 cm; The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of Mexican Modernism.[/caption] Accordingly, while Kahlo, Rivera, and their art, connection, politics and influence all sit at the centre of this wide-ranging showcase, it'll also highlight pieces by Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo, Miguel Covarrubias, María Izquierdo, Carlos Mérida, David Alfaro Siqueiros and more. Focusing on the first half of the 20th century, this an Australian-exclusive exhibition, too — meaning that you'll have to go to Adelaide to see it — as well as most comprehensive exhibition of Mexican modernism that the country has ever seen, as Curtin calls out. [caption id="attachment_879282" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nickolas Muray, born Szeged, Hungary 1892, died New York 1965, Frida with Red "Rebozo", 1939, Carbro print, 25 x 20.3 cm; The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of Mexican Modernism, © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives.[/caption] AGSA announced Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution as part of its full 2023 slate, which also includes the first-ever survey exhibition of Western Aranda artist Vincent Namatjira, which'll open in October during the venue's contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art celebration Tarnanthi Festival — and then tour to the National Gallery of Australia in 2024. There's also the return of the Tarnanthi Art Fair and the $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize, the latter for artists under 40; ceramics exhibition Milton Moon: Crafting Modernism; Misty Mountain, Shining Moon, highlighting Japanese landscapes in art from the 16th century onwards; and Surrender & Catch: The Art of Brent Harris, focusing on the Aotearoa-born Australian artist. [caption id="attachment_879270" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Top image: Diego on my Mind, Frida Kahlo, born Mexico City 1907, died Mexico City 1954, 1943, oil on Masonite, 76 x 61 cm; The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of Mexican Modernism, © Banco de México Rivera Kahlo Museums Trust/ARS. Copyright Agency, 2022.[/caption] Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution will display at the Art Gallery of South Australia from Saturday, June 24–Sunday, September 17, 2023. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the AGSA website. Top image: excerpt of Diego on my Mind, Frida Kahlo, born Mexico City 1907, died Mexico City 1954, 1943, oil on Masonite, 76 x 61 cm; The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of Mexican Modernism, © Banco de México Rivera Kahlo Museums Trust/ARS. Copyright Agency, 2022.
It's Hollywood's night of nights for television, it usually takes place in September and it has already announced its 2023 nominees. This year's Emmys look set to delay anointing a new round of winners, however, with word circling that the awards ceremony will be postponed due to the current film and TV industry strikes. Both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that the 2023 Emmy Awards will ditch its scheduled date: the night of Monday, September 18 in the US, which is Tuesday, September 19. If the strikes are still ongoing, actors and writers won't be attending the ceremony — not the red carpet, nor the awards themselves — meaning that the bulk of the televised accolades wouldn't be able to be accepted by their recipients. Also, the shindig will look mighty empty. As per Variety, vendors have been told that the event will be postponed, with a new date yet to be confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter also advises that the rescheduled awards won't take place in September — and, in a best-case scenario, will be held off until the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers comes to an agreement with SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America. TV lovers will have to wait a little longer, then, to find out which shows have been dubbed the past year's best by the voters in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences — and how much they love HBO. The answer already: a whole heap. In 2023, the folks who decide which shows will score some Emmys love awarded a massive 74 nominations to three HBO series: Succession, The Last of Us and The White Lotus. TV's best case of family feud earned 27 nods, including for almost every actor who appeared in its fourth and final season in leading, supporting and guest roles. In the Best Actor category alone, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin are going head to head. The most spectacular game-to-screen adaptation yet nabbed 24, while vacation chaos brought about 23 nominations. The other show that racked up a comparable tally? Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso with 21 nods. Similarly in the running: everything from Andor, Better Call Saul, House of the Dragon and Yellowjackets (all in the drama fields) to Abbott Elementary, Barry, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building and Wednesday (the comedy categories), plus the likes of Beef, Daisy Jones & the Six and Fleishman Is in Trouble (limited series) as well. Hollywood talents are fighting against diminishing residual payments for performers, and to establish firm rules about the future use of artificial intelligence in the industry, among other improvements to working conditions. When they took action in mid-July, SAG-AFTRA's members joined their counterparts in the Writers Guild of America, who've been striking since May. The current strikes are affecting film releases, too, with Australian crime-thriller Force of Nature: The Dry 2 already ditching its planned August date with cinemas given that star Eric Bana a member of the striking SAG-AFTRA. It's also been rumoured that big blockbusters such as Dune: Part Two, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and The Colour Purple might also delay their releases, including until 2024; however, none have officially shifted their dates as yet. The 75th Emmy Awards are currently scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 19, Australian time, but may be postponed — we'll update you if/when a new date is confirmed. Check out the list of 2023 nominations, and keep an eye on the Emmys' website for further details in the interim. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter.
There's been a makeover of transcontinental proportions in Balmain, and from the looks of the patient, the operation was a success. Once not-so-lovingly known among locals as the 'Dead End', four months ago the historic West End Hotel on the corner of Mullens and Reynolds was put out of its misery, gutted and rebirthed by the guys over at Balmain Pub Group (Riverview Hotel). The brand-new Balmain Hotel has risen from the remnants with a shiny new wardrobe, a tasty menu and, most importantly, two or sometimes three well-stocked bars with ample knockin' back space. And we're not just talking about the biggest beer garden in Balmain with a tiki bar either. There's the top bar named in honour of its predecessor, a Flamingo Room and a bigger bottom bar home to the chiselled jaw of head barman Istvan Orosz. Try his take on a cocktail staple, the maple Old Fashioned infused with a hint of bacon and served with a crispy strip of pancetta. Or for a little extra spice over sheer meaty strength, the Bison Grass Mule throws a gingery punch. Just hope no one orders any at rush hour, as prep time is unsurprisingly a little longer. Beer options are fine and the wine list features a whole bunch of Aussies. Ideal for homegrown drop-lovers, not so great if you're after a more European selection. Saying that, what with its subdued South Pacific theme (you know — murals, kitsch bar tiles, lots of colour) combined with an Asian hawker-influenced menu with Mexican and American elements for good measure, undoubtedly a few ingredients were thrown into this one's mix. Go for the duck or pork steamed buns if you go here for anything, otherwise the salt and pepper squid with kimchi coleslaw or the crispy raw salmon 'taco' are very flavoursome. Desserts aren't forgotten either, and the alcoholics among us will love the Balmain's version of an affogato. Those already sufficiently drowned should get busy soaking up with nicely deep-fried churros dipped in melted chocolate. Award-winning chef Brad Sloane has done good. In fact, it looks like everyone who helped transform the Balmain Hotel from what once was to what is has done good. Now all they need to do is iron out a few atmospheric creases (lighting, in particular) and get feet through the doors. Should be fun. Images: Katje Ford.
South By Southwest's annual SXSW Festival offers technology and music enthusiasts the chance to convene and discuss the next big bands, apps, social networks and start-ups. Previous festivals have featured not-yet popular Twitter and Facebook, but one of the initiatives at this year's festivities, held in Austin, Texas, has sparked an ethical controversy. The instigator is Homeless Hotspots, a newly introduced initiative by ad agency BBH Labs,which has employed 13 local homeless people as 'Hotspot Managers'. Equipped with a wireless router, and clad in a "I'm a 4G Hotspot" t-shirt, each manager was paid to remain in a strategic place throughout SXSW, which is known for its mobile coverage black spots and lack of wireless internet, offering festival-goers wireless internet access for a small charge. Melvin Hughes (pictured above), a Homeless Hotspots employee, reports earning US$20 for each of the four 6-hour shifts he completed last weekend. Hughes keeps all of his earnings in full, and also has the opportunity to collect donations from generous festival-goers. Saneel Radia, the program's organiser, sought to clarify the program's payment methods on the company's blog, stating: "These volunteers were guaranteed [to] make at least $50/day, for a maximum of 6 hours work. This amount equates to more than the Texas state minimum wage of $7.25/hr for the same number hours....BBH provides a $20 cash ”stipend” to the volunteers each day regardless of their own sales." Still, accusations of commodifying and exploiting Austin's homeless contributed to the backlash against Homeless Hotspots. In response to the controversy surrounding the ethics behind the initiative, Radia said, "The worry is that these people are suddenly just hardware, but frankly, I wouldn't have done this if I didn't believe otherwise." Homeless Hotspots is reportedly modelled off the corner sale of newspapers by homeless people, incorporating the same goals of increasing the self-confidence and self-worth of the vendors. The company's ultimate goal for the initiative, however, is to provide homeless participants with a 'digital writing platform'.
Tio's is unabashedly fun. Head inside this laidback tequila-filled drinking den to find a huge selection of margaritas, ice cold tinnies with fresh lime and salt on the rim as well as a free bag of popcorn every time you order a drink — "Scientifically matched to the flavour of Old El Paso taco seasoning, circa 1999". Or so they say. Consider yourself a tequila and mezcal connoisseur? Then make your way through some of those on offer — choose from hundreds of varieties of these agave-based tipples. We bet you'll find stacks you've never tried before. The owners, Jeremy Blackmore and Alex Dowd, are big tequila fans and have spent many years curating this list — with some also featuring on the menu of their other Sydney bar, Cantina OK! [caption id="attachment_834813" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Or if margaritas are more your jam, be sure to try some of their cheap as chips $10 margs — the flavour of which changes each week. Past creations have combined pandan with coconut and blueberries with hibiscus. But the purists out there can also expect the classic varieties too. Tio's also has stacks of beer options. Expect a few local Aussie brews, but you come to this bar — a somewhat drunken love letter to Mexican culture — to drink some Mexican bevs. Try the Tecate, Negra Modelo, Carona or Tio's own Loco Lager on tap. [caption id="attachment_761744" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] And if the bottomless bags of spicy popcorn aren't enough for you, fill up on some super loaded nachos. These cheesy treats come with either chorizo, roasted pork or refried pinto beans (vegan cheese is also available). Enjoy all of this within some sensory-overloaded surrounds. The inside of Tio's is adorned in religious iconography — think Virgin Mary statues, melted church candles and a few Jesus' on the cross. Fairy lights and colourful paper lanterns are strung up all over, too. More is more at Tio's. And we can't get enough of it. [caption id="attachment_834811" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] You'll find Tio's at 4-14 Forest Street, Surrey Hills — open from Tuesday to Sunday. Top images: Letícia Almeida and Nikki To
Australia, we're now one step closer to the potential music collaboration of the year: Lil Nas X and The Wiggles, that is. After the rapper tweeted about his wish to tour with the Aussie national treasures mere weeks ago, Falls Festival is now making that dream a reality — for one of its big headliners, and for audiences. At the beginning of 2022, plenty of people tipped that The Wiggles would win the Hottest 100. That's been just the start of the skivvy-loving group's huge year, though. Embracing their love of rainbows, they also played Mardi Gras. And, because folks who definitely aren't toddlers love the band, too, they've been touring a string of adults-only shows, too. So, taking to the stage at all three Falls Festival events over the summer of 2022–23 is clearly the next logical step. We're ready to wiggle with you! 💛💜💙❤️ — The Wiggles (@TheWiggles) April 27, 2022 Whether you're heading to Falls at Pennyroyal Plains, Colac in Victoria from Thursday, December 29–Saturday, December 31; North Byron Parklands, Yelgun in New South Wales from Saturday, December 31–Monday, January 2; or Fremantle Park, Fremantle in Western Australia from Saturday, January 7–Sunday, January 8, The Wiggles will be on the bill. The fest will host the group's OG lineup, too — aka Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Greg Page. Naturally, they'll be playing all the usual songs — and Falls attendees can expect cameos from characters such as Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus as well. The words you're looking for: yummy yummy. Whether The OG Wiggles and Lil Nas X will share the stage at the same time is yet to be seen, but we're betting that punters will hear the words "wake up Lil Nas X" at some point. When Lil Nas X' tweeted about wanting to tour with The Wiggles back at the end of April, the group responded that they were keen — and now they're taking their big red car on the road. The news comes just as Falls tickets go on sale — at 9am today, Thursday, May 12. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Wiggles (@thewiggles) And if you're keen for the full Falls Festival lineup, here's the rundown as it currently stands: FALLS FESTIVAL 2022 LINEUP: Arctic Monkeys Lil Nas X Peggy Gou Chvrches Jamie xx Aminé Ocean Alley Camelphat Spacey Jane DMA's G Flip Pinkpantheress Rico Nasty Amyl and the Sniffers Mall Grab Ben Böhmer DJ Seinfeld Genesis Owusu TSHA CC:DISCO! Young Franco Anna Lunoe Luude Lastlings MAY-A Choomba The Vanns King Stingray Peach PRC Beddy Rays Jean Dawson Telenovela Biscits Barry Can't Swim Elkka Floodlights Wongo Yng Martyr 1300 Moktar Magdalena Bay Dameeeela Ebony Boadu Rona. Elsy Wamayo Juno Mamba The OG Wiggles and more FALLS FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: Pennyroyal Plains, Colac, VIC — Thursday, December 29–Saturday, December 31 North Byron Parklands, Yelgun, NSW — Saturday, December 31–Monday, January 2 Fremantle Park, Fremantle, WA — Saturday, January 7–Sunday, January 8 Falls Festival 2022 will take place in December 2022 and January 2023 in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. General ticket sales kick off at 9am on Thursday, May 12. For more info and to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
How many ways can getaways go wrong? In The White Lotus, each season brings a new list of chaos — and the show isn't done sending characters off to exclusive resorts to deal with whatever life throws at them just yet. The show's third season will arrive in February 2025, but there's already more on the way after that, with HBO announcing that season four has been greenlit as well. Accordingly, before anyone even watches a second of The White Lotus season three — which'll stream from Monday, February 17 Down Under — season four has been locked in. There's no word yet on which destination will follow Hawaii, Sicily and Thailand, however. There's also no details on who'll be in the series' fourth cast, and if any familiar faces will return. While the world waits for more information about season four, season three is worth getting excited about, too. A new batch of travellers is checking in, and a third The White Lotus hotel is ready and waiting. As Lisa from BLACKPINK says in both the initial look at footage from season three in a broader HBO trailer and in the anthology hit's first teaser, "welcome to The White Lotus in Thailand". A getaway at a luxurious hotel is normally relaxing, but that isn't what vacationers find in this show. It was true in the Hawaii-set first season in 2021, then in season two in Sicily in 2023, each with a largely different group of holidaymakers. Based on the sneak peek at season three, that's of course going to be accurate again in the third season's eight-episode run. Walton Goggins (Fallout), Carrie Coon (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Jason Isaacs (The Crowded Room), Michelle Monaghan (MaXXXine), Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale) and Parker Posey (Mr & Mrs Smith) are among the folks checking in season three, alongside Sam Nivola (The Perfect Couple), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Gen V), Sarah Catherine Hook (Cruel Intentions) and Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education). Families, couples and friends on getaways: they're all covered by the above cast members. And as Monaghan exclaiming "what the fuck is this place?" indicates, they're in for some chaos. Bad feelings, seeking pleasure but finding pain, threatening to drink oneself to sleep: alongside guns, dancing, judgemental pals, missing pills, snakes, monkeys, ambulances, complaints about gluten-free rice and a body bag, they're all featured in the teaser as well. From season one, Natasha Rothwell (How to Die Alone) is back Hawaii spa manager Belinda, who advises that she's there on an exchange program. Season three also stars Lek Patravadi (In Family We Trust) and Tayme Thapthimthong (Thai Cave Rescue) as one of The White Lotus' owners and security guards, respectively. Where the Mike White (Brad's Status)-created, -written and -directed satire's first season had money in its sights and the second honed in on sex, eastern religion and spirituality is in the spotlight in season three, which also co-stars Nicholas Duvernay (Bel-Air), Arnas Fedaravičius (The Wheel of Time), Christian Friedel (The Zone of Interest), Scott Glenn (Bad Monkey), Dom Hetrakul (The Sweetest Taboo), Julian Kostov (Alex Rider), Charlotte Le Bon (Niki), Morgana O'Reilly (Bookworm) and Shalini Peiris (The Ark). Check out the first teaser trailer for The White Lotus season three below: The White Lotus returns on Sunday, February 16 in the US, which is Monday, February 17 Down Under. At present, the series streams via Binge in Australia and on Neon in New Zealand. The White Lotus season four doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. Images: HBO.
