After closing its doors in 2016, Sydney's Theatre Royal will finally reopen. The 1200-seat Theatre Royal is one of Australia's oldest theatres, dating back to the 1870s. But most Sydneysiders will know it in its current form, which reopened in the 1970s and was designed by famed Australian architect Harry Seidler. It was built as a replacement for the old theatre, as that was demolished when the MLC Centre was erected — and, before sitting idle for the past five years, it's played host to everything from the Australian-premiere season of Cats to a three-year season of The Phantom of the Opera. In terms of physical changes during the multimillion-dollar refurbishment, leaseholders Trafalgar Entertainment has kept true to Seidler's original designs, while also increasing capacity from 1100 to 1200 via a redesign that's added an extra row of seats. The venue now sports a two-tiered setup, with no seat within the auditorium any more than 23 metres from the stage. Red and gold still feature heavily, colour-wise. There's also a new circular glass entrance space decked out with floor-to-ceiling windows, for views of King Street from the internal theatre foyer — and vice versa, including being able to see Theatre Royal's ribbed ceiling and geometrically precise hanging Mercator sculpture, as designed by Italian structural engineer Pier Luigi Nervi and American sculptor Charles O Perry respectively. And, there's a new Theatre Royal sign, as crafted and produced by Newcastle-based Owen Signs.
When Our Flag Means Death arrived in 2022, earned itself a spot among the best new TV arrivals of the year and charmed everyone who watched it, it left viewers thinking the same thing: all television comedies should be pirate romances starring Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby. Only this show earns that feat, however, and it's turning out wonderfully so far — for audiences, that is, with chaos surrounding the seafaring characters played by two of New Zealand's best-known comic names. Expect more choppy seas in store for Stede Bonnet (Darby, Home Economics) and Edward Teach aka Blackbeard (Waititi, Thor: Love and Thunder) in Our Flag Means Death's second season. The swashbuckling series was renewed for a second run in 2022, and next sails back into streaming queues in October. After a teaser in August, it also now has a full trailer — complete with Stede and Blackbeard reuniting. No, Taika's stint playing a pirate isn't over yet, in supremely welcome news for everyone who cruised through Our Flag Means Death's first season and adored it. His latest collaboration with Darby after also working together on Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the show satirises the buccaneering times of the 18th century. As its first season unfurled, Our Flag Means Death also proved to be a sweet and warmhearted love story, as well as essential viewing. HBO clearly agreed, greenlighting the show's second season for its streaming service Max. You'll be able to watch the results from Thursday, October 5 via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Spanning eight episodes, season two picks up where its predecessor left off. If you haven't hopped aboard already, Stede is a self-styled 'gentleman pirate', a great approximation of Flight of the Conchords' Murray if he'd existed centuries earlier, and a man determined to bring a bit of kindness and elegancy to the whole swashbuckling game. He's based on an IRL figure, who abandoned his cosy life for a seafaring existence. The show is a loose adaptation of Bonnet's tale, though. As for Waititi, he dons leather, dark hues aplenty, an air of bloodthirsty melancholy and a head of greying hair as Blackbeard. While the famed pirate seems like Stede's exact opposite, disproving that is a big part of the show's narrative. After sparks flew, then season one came to a memorable end, season two will follow what happens next for Stede and Edward. Also featuring among Our Flag Means Death's cast: Samson Kayo (Bloods), Vico Ortiz (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Ewen Bremner (Creation Stories), Joel Fry (Bank of Dave), Matthew Maher (Hello Tomorrow!), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Con O'Neill (The Batman), David Fane (The Messenger), Samba Schutte (Forspoken), Nat Faxon (Loot) and Leslie Jones (BMF), all returning from season one. This time around, they'll be joined by a heap of new recurring guest stars in Ruibo Qian (Servant), Madeleine Sami (Deadloch), Anapela Polataivao (The Justice of Bunny King) and Erroll Shand (The Clearing), plus Minnie Driver (Chevalier) and Bronson Pinchot (The Mysterious Benedict Society) as guest stars. Check out the full trailer for Our Flag Means Death season two below: Our Flag Means Death will return for season two on Thursday, October 5 in Australia via Binge and New Zealand via Neon. Read our review of season one. Images: Nicola Dove/ HBO Max.
For fans of Adam Driver, 2019 was a movie-watching delight. When he wasn't tackling zombies in Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die, he was investigating CIA-sanctioned torture in The Report. He scored an Oscar nomination for his relationship struggles with Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story, and fought the force in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, too. Alas, after that welcome onslaught of Driver-starring flicks in such short succession — The Man Who Killed Don Quixote also released Down Under the same year, in fact — he didn't appear on our screens in 2020. But this year, he'll be back in cinemas in one of his most-anticipated films yet. In the works for half a decade — and reportedly initially delayed in part due to Driver's busy schedule — Annette tells the tale of stand-up comedian Henry (Driver) and his soprano opera singer wife Ann (Marion Cotillard). He's funny, she's famous, and their lives are happy and glamorous; however, when their daughter Annette is born, they're changed forever. Few other narrative details have been revealed, but their story plays out in a musical — and if the just-dropped first trailer gives any indication, viewers can expect a brooding, dreamy, sweeping and immensely gorgeous film to dance across the screen. Actually, movie buffs can expect all of the above simply based on Annette's director. It has now been nine years since Leos Carax's Holy Motors hit cinema screens, becoming one of the most memorable films of both the decade and the 21st century in the process, so his next project has been eagerly awaited for quite some time. Annette will also mark the French filmmaker's English-language debut. And, after being shot late in 2019 and initially expected in 2020, it'll open this year's Cannes Film Festival in July. Exactly when viewers elsewhere will get to see the film hasn't been announced, but whenever it surfaces locally, it'll be a certain big-screen event. Every director wishes that they made movies that no one else could even dream of, but Carax is genuinely one of those filmmakers. Here's hoping that we soon get to see what Carax's inventive mind has put together next. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068aFF8fOIA&feature=emb_logo Annette will open the Cannes Film Festival on July 6. Details for the film's release Down Under are yet to be revealed — we'll update you with further details when they're announced.
By this point in 2020, the year has served up all manner of challenges and surprises. But in one area at least, it's rolling on as planned. Because the world can't last too long without delivering multiple new film and/or television adaptations of Stephen King's work, viewers are about to score another one — a new miniseries version of the author's 1978 novel The Stand. Hitting Amazon Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand from Friday, January15 — after debuting in America in December — The Stand joins HBO's The Outsider as the two new TV shows bringing King's work to our eyeballs over the past 12 months. Of course, as avid fans will know, this isn't the first time this particular book has made the leap to the screen. Back in 1994, it aired as a big-budget, star-studded, four-part miniseries featuring the likes of Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, Rob Lowe, Ruby Dee, Laura San Giacomo, Molly Ringwald and Ed Harris. Plenty of well-known names are onboard this time around, too, because there's quite the sprawling story to tell. And, quite the timely one, although that's obviously pure coincidence. The Stand is set in a world devastated by a plague. Here, the devasation is caused by a bioengineered super flu strain, which has wiped out 99 percent of the global population. Among those that survive, a battle between good and evil plays out — with the character of Randall Flagg, a common figure in King's work (see: The Eyes of the Dragon and The Dark Tower series), featuring prominently. Alexander Skarsgård plays Flagg, while the rest of the cast includes James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard and Heather Graham, as well as Watchmen's Jovan Adepo, Paper Towns' Nat Wolff, IT: Chapter Two's Owen Teague, Arrow's Katherine McNamara, and Australian Shirley and The Daughter actor Odessa Young. Behind the lens, The Stand is the latest project from filmmaker Josh Boone — whose latest movie, The New Mutants, hit cinemas in mid-2020 after years of delays. Check out the trailer for The Stand below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytkZJSzeg7A The Stand will start streaming in Australia and New Zealand on Friday, January 15 via Amazon Prime Video, airing new episodes weekly.
Looking for a cheap and tasty meal to kick your week off? Bankstown's Mt Lewis Pizzeria has you covered with its $1 Manoush Mondays. Every Monday from March 27, the Wattle Street restaurant is offering za'atar manoush for just $1. Mt Lewis Pizzeria is a family-run eatery founded in 2005. The manoush recipe has been passed down from generation to generation, and now you can come in and experience it for just $1. The promotion is limited to three servings of manoush per customer and can be teamed up with full-priced menu items such as chicken and mushroom or haloumi pide, Italian-style pizza, sambousik and vegetarian rolls depending on how hungry you are. Manoush is typically eaten for breakfast in Lebanon, so it's perfect if you're looking to head in early and start your week with a carby treat that won't break the bank. That said, the cheap-as-chips manoush is available all day from 5am until 11pm — so you can order one for breakfast, lunch or dinner. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mount Lewis Pizzeria (@mtlewispizzeria)
Everybody knows that Macaulay Culkin’s once adorable image has taken a bit of a hit since the good ol’ days of Home Alone and My Girl. But his latest charade is in a whole new league. A tribute band like no other, Culkin’s Pizza Underground was first heard of in December last year, with the band since performing a string of gigs across the New York anti-folk scene. With their only agenda being to spread the good news of pizza to the world, the group finally have a video to accompany their debut hit. And it certainly does not disappoint. Dressed all in black and donning matching, dark shades, Culkin and his musical counterparts (Matt Colbourn, Phoebe Kreutz, Deenah Vollmer, Austin Kilham) have delivered a clip both entertaining and bizarre. A mash up of amended hit Velvet Underground tracks including 'All Tomorrow's Parties' ('All the Pizza Parties') and 'Femme Fatale' ('Pizza Gal', obviously) and featuring killer lines like "Hey babe take a bite of the wild slice", this psychedelic ode to pizza and Lou Reed is a fusion of madness and hilarity. Notable highlights include pizza lining the walls and ceiling, and Culkin playing a kazoo solo through a cheesy slice. A star fallen from grace? Or Culkin’s greatest triumph yet? Either way, this vid can’t help but leave you jiving in your seat. As well as craving a slice. Via Huffington Post. Go behind the scenes on the shoot with Vice.
Redfern's much-loved sandwich haven Scout's Honour is expanding into the night as construction of their new small bar gets underway this week. The George Street cafe has recently posted cryptic Instagram posts about their next venture, Bart Jr., with poetic mention of a 'local legend' about all there is to go on. Though little detail has been released so far, we do know that Scout's Honour owner Georgia Woodyard is taking the helm in this project. Their new Pitt Street digs will be named after a notorious ginger cat named Bart, who is "known throughout the hood for impregnating all of the Redfern felines he can get his paws on". Photos of this vagabond cat have been shared through social, as has a menu teaser of ocean trout, autumn plums and almond cream, topped with Yuzukoshō and puffed barley. The menu will be a seasonal one and is still being finalised in the lead up to opening. In a few weeks @bart.jr.redfern will be opening around the corner at 92 Pitt St. We've been working on a constantly evolving seasonal menu which will include things like this guy : Ocean Trout, Autumn Plums, Almond Cream, Yuzukoshō, Puffed Barley. Follow the B A R T Jr. gram & we will keep you updated about our opening date, menu thangs & all the other news 😻 A post shared by Scout's Honour (@scouts_honour) on Apr 19, 2017 at 3:45pm PDT While they do not yet have a firm opening date, we can say that the space is under heavy construction and the team is working busily to get the bar open quickly. For now, keep an eye on this space and on the Bart Jr. Instagram for more updates. Bart Jr. will mark the third venture for the Scout's team, who opened their Paddington cafe Morris on Albion Avenue last year. BART Jr. will open soon at 92 Pitt Street, Redfern. Keep an eye on this space for updates.
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from December 5–21, you can shop a curated selection of unique, handcrafted gifts from local artisans — including hand-blown glass and sterling silver jewellery by OR Design, nostalgic homewares by RetroKitchen and hand-printed apparel by b.carlon — at The Rocks' popular Christmas market. Featuring a wide range of handcrafted wares by local makers, this lively openair market will have all you need to tick off your holiday gift list. Between finding the perfect pressies, you can stay fuelled with woodfired pizza from Haberfield fave That's Amore, as well as paella, crepes and gozleme — whatever you choose, it's best enjoyed on the free picnic blankets and cushions under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. On Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 14, you can also take part in a gift-wrapping workshop to learn the Japanese technique of furoshiki, a traditional wrapping method that uses pre-loved fabrics to create reusable, zero-waste parcels. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
There are some truly incredible buildings in the world, but unless you have amazingly hi-res Google Street View or a platinum Amex there's just no way you can see them all. That's where architectural photography comes in. Bringing us images of the craziest buildings and landscapes around the world, these photographers constantly fill up our magazines, Tumblrs and Pinterests with pics from where we'd rather be. Now, they've been judged against one another. Each year the Arciad Awards pick the year's best work in architectural photography. There are thousands of dollars in prize money and the winners are bestowed with countless likes, shares and reblogs from all of the internet — and with good reason. The pictures picking up recognition at this year's awards documented Dubai's twister Cayan Tower (pictured above), the space-age Heydar Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan, and a sunken flea market in Barcelona. However the grandeur of the structure wasn't a prerequisite to photographic success. Other noted offerings included a tiny metropolitan roof space in South Korea, a cow shed in the Netherlands and a lone boxy home next to a creek in Ohio. The outright winner was a photograph (pictured below) that showed the aforementioned Azerbaijani architecture with jaw-dropping surrealism. Get ready to take a trip — these images will leave you with a serious case of wanderlust. All images via Arciad.
If you've seen A New Zealand Food Story then you'll already know the backstory behind new downtown restaurant Ahi. The eight-part online series follows acclaimed chef Ben Bayly and his team as they set out to discover what local cuisine is all about and where our produce comes from. It sees him enter rough Fiordland waters to harvest paua and crayfish, stalk deer through the Avon Valley, join a hook-to-plate fishing expedition in Foveaux Straight, and munch an absolutely enormous fig in Marlborough. The end goal is to create a truly unique New Zealand restaurant for the 28 March deadline. Five months later, in this year from hell, it's finally here. Ahi, translating from te reo Māori to 'fire', opened its doors for the first time on 31 August inside the new Commercial Bay precinct. Inside, Bayly and co-founder Chris Martin expand on the concept of fire with an open hearth in the kitchen. The 120-seat, hyperlocal space also features a woven oak ceiling to represent traditional Māori kete baskets, handmade plates from a West Auckland potter and an abundance of native timber which was salvaged by Bayly during the course of construction. Bayly says that Ahi's menu has been devised as a "culinary representation of what it means to be home, celebrating the diversity of the New Zealanders who bring produce to our tables." From whenua and moana, the land and the sea, diners can enjoy oysters by way of Waiheke Island, buffalo cheese from Whangaripo, speared butterfish from Cook Straight and cauliflower from Pukekohe. Snack items include tahr tartare with wild garlic and fermented hot sauce, hāngī pāua with kahawai, sour cream and kawakawa, and an interpretation of the 'Trumpet' made with buffalo ice cream and chocolate from Auckland's Miann. The larger courses complete the nationwide food tour. There's Fiordland crayfish soup with kūmara and saffron ravioli, Gisborne butternut with toasted harakeke flax and māhoe shoots, and 'Boil-up Toast' made with Berkshire pork, watercress and egg. From A New Zealand Food Story comes Bayly's wild-shot fallow deer in loin and cheek form, while the half crayfish you may have seen being charcoaled on the rugged Fiordland coast now comes with green onion and ginger sauce and lemon-sorrel salad. The restaurant comes complete with picturesque views out over the Waitematā Harbour — something which Bayly says is essential so diners know that they are in Aotearoa. Find Ahi on the second floor of the Commercial Bay precinct at 7 Queen Street. It's open 11.30am til late, seven days a week. Images: Manja Wachsmuth.
Crack open a bottle of wine, get comfy and prepare for a twisty binge — and to wrap up a series that's always loved vino, chaos, murder cover-ups, unpacking grief and finding solace in complicated friendships. For the third and last time, Dead to Me is heading to Netflix, with the Christina Applegate (Bad Moms 2), Linda Cardellini (Hawkeye) and James Marsden (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)-starring hit ending with this upcoming season. Since 2019, the show has contemplated farewells — starting with a just-widowed woman trying to cope with losing her husband in a hit-and-run incident. Taking a few cues from 2018 film A Simple Favour, the mourning-fuelled dark comedy has weaved its way through plenty of mess and mayhem from there, including via the unlikely camaraderie at its centre; however, the fact that everything comes to a conclusion sooner or later has always hung over the show. When it returns for season three on Thursday, November 17, that notion will remain given that this is Dead to Me's big goodbye. Back in 2020, after the second season aired, it was revealed that the show would finish after a third and final run. So, get ready for your last swim through its murders, mysteries and cover-ups. The premise, if you missed Dead to Me when it premiered three years back: two women meet, become friends despite seemingly having very little in common, and help each other with their daily existence. But they find themselves immersed in more than a little murky business, and with more than a few connections they didn't both realise. Applegate plays Jen Harding, whose husband has just died, while Cardellini's Judy Hale is the positive-thinking free spirit that breezes into her life. They initially cross paths at a grief counselling session, sparking a definite odd-couple situation — which has evolved to feature secrets, lies, complications and cliffhangers galore across the show's two seasons thus far. Season two ended with a big car crash, in fact, which sets the scene for an eventful third go-around. In both the newly dropped full trailer for season three, the cops and the feds are circling, corpses are causing trouble and the show's two protagonists even come up with outlaw names: Bitch Cassidy and Judy Five Fingers. Created by 2 Broke Girls writer Liz Feldman, Dead to Me marked Applegate's first lead TV role since 2011-12 sitcom Up All Night when it debuted. For Cardellini, it saw a return to Netflix after starring on the streaming platform's drama Bloodline — and she also featured in A Simple Favour, too. Check out the full trailer for Dead to Me's third season below: Dead to Me's third season will hit Netflix on Thursday, November 17. Images: Saeed Adyani / Netflix.
Bones is a slick 20-seat ramen restaurant hidden right on the border of Potts Point and Rushcutters Bay. The hidden gem opened at the beginning of 2022 with Michael Mu Sung of Farmhouse and Jeremy & Sons at the helm. You'll find it across the road from Farmhouse, decked out in red brick, ocean blue tiles and parquet wood floors courtesy of design firm, Guru Projects. It's walk-in only with ten of the seats overlooking the ramen action in the kitchen, while the other ten are outside, ready for sunny days and brisk nights. "Bones is our chance to serve something that we love and in our own style. The ramen dishes themselves are high-quality, something we felt was missing from the Elizabeth Bay/Potts Point dining precinct," explains Mu Sung. As for the ramen, it's a tight, spicy menu, stuffed with seasonal ingredients and headed up by Jacob Riwaka — whose previous culinary experience spans years at Newtown favourite Rising Sun Workshop and Cornersmith restaurants. "Unique to Bones will be our in-house production, barrelling and storage of taré, which is the soy seasoning for the broths. Controlling this from the restaurant means we're able to ensure continuity across our bowls at the highest possible standard," Riwaka says. Scan the menu and you'll find four specialty ramen bowls. These change but generally include pork, chicken, seafood and vegetarian options. Highlights include the niboshi shio seafood soup with prawn dumplings, scallops and shallots. Looking for a complete feast? Add snacks and sides like fried chicken— plus a small but tasty selection of drinks including a gentle pét-nat and local craft beers like Sailor's Grave and Yulli's. Appears in: The Best Japanese Restaurants in Sydney
Currently showing at The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) is Australian Symbolism: The art of dreams, the first major exhibition devoted to exploring the impact that the Symbolists had on Australian art in the closing decades of the 19th century. Symbolism was an art movement that took the mystical and mythological as its content: from the figure of the femme fatale, as in Bertram Mackennal’s brilliant bronze Circe (1892-3), to the iconic nymphs of Sydney Long’s dusk dances, in Pan (1898) and Spirit of the Plains (1897). This small collection of paintings, sculpture and ceramics is an accessible entry into the period and as such is perfect for the lunch-time drop in. All the usual suspects are present – Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton, Rupert Bunny, Tom Roberts - although it is interesting to sight works by these artists (generally considered to be Impressionists) during their brief affairs with Symbolism. Streeton’s The Flight of Summer (c1890) is of particular interest as a stark departure from what we understand of Streeton’s work: a cigarette lies in the grass, the smoke leading our eyes to an emerging or departing female figure at the top centre of the board. Vibrant red berries are scattered across the panel - in content and colour this is a work nothing like Streeton’s realist landscapes. The Flight of Summer is an important work though, not so much for its aesthetic, but more so for the history its holds. The painting was only recently discovered and unravelled the incredible strands of a love affair between Streeton and a woman called Florry. Here, symbolism was an important tool for Streeton as the mythological and ethereal nature of the painting allowed Streeton to disguise his emotional turmoil. An act he could not easily carry out under the limitations of realist landscape painting. Australian Symbolism is a gateway to a number of stories like Streeton's and, if only for this, the exhibition provides us with a rare view of some of the lesser known works of our most known artists.
Australia can't win the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, as every currently heartbroken Aussie is well aware, but the Matildas have kept scoring on and off the field. They've kicked goals, won even more fans, sparked stunning scenes at live-viewing sites around the country and absolutely smashed the ratings — and, over the past month, made plenty of history. We know that you know that Sam Kerr, Mackenzie Arnold and their teammates lost to England in their semi-final match on Wednesday, August 16, because we know that you were probably watching. How? The just-released ratings figures for the game against the Lionesses. Based on statistics from OzTAM, which captures broadcast audience numbers, the Seven Network reports that the 3–1 defeat was seen by 11.15-million Australians nationally. That isn't just massive — it's the biggest audience for anything on TV since 2001. The squad's prior match, that thrilling, nerve-shredding win via penalties against France on Saturday, August 12, already became Australia's biggest TV sports program in a decade. The England game — the first time that Australia had reached the semi-finals in the World Cup, either for the men's or women's teams — beat it. In fact, the viewership was so huge that it's the most-watched TV program, sports or otherwise, since OzTAM started its audience measurement system in 2001. Yes, that record could go back even further; OzTAM just don't have the data from before then. While the 11.15-million number is the peak figure, the average audience on Seven and 7plus for the night was 7.13 million, including 957,000 viewers via streaming. The Matildas' Women's World Cup games are available to watch via free-to-air and also Optus Sport, which means that more folks were also viewing via the latter. And, OzTAM's data doesn't include people watching in pubs, clubs, sports venues and at other out-of-home sites, so the overall audience numbers go up again. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CommBank Matildas (@matildas) Unsurprisingly, the match is also now the most-streamed event ever in Australia. To put the Matildas' repeated TV feats in context during the Women's World Cup, 2022's AFL and NRL grand finals didn't even hit the 4.17-million average figure that the France game scored — or come close. Last years' AFL numbers? 3.06-million viewers nationally. All up so far, Seven advises that its coverage of the Women's World Cup has reached 14.05-million broadcast viewers, then another 3.4-million folks via 7plus — all while the bulk of the tournament's games, especially those that don't feature the Matildas, are only on Optus Sports. That Sam Kerr goal against England? 11.15-million Australians seeing that honestly isn't enough. "Australia was captivated last night as the Matildas played their hearts out and did us all proud. Although their FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 journey ended last night, the Matildas have rewritten the history books, and captured the hearts and minds of the nation with a performance that is sure to inspire generations of Australians for many years to come," said Lewis Martin, Managing Director Seven Melbourne and Head of Network Sport. "Seven is beyond proud to have played a part in bringing Australia together around our screens, as the Matildas' performance captured the Australian spirit like nothing we have seen in decades." The Matildas are out of contention for the ultimate Women's World Cup prize in 2023, with England and Spain now facing off, but they will play Sweden at 6pm on Saturday, August 19 to see who comes in third place. That game is another must-see, and another chance to smash viewership records. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CommBank Matildas (@matildas) The Matildas' 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup games are available to watch via the Seven Network and 7plus, and also Optus Sport — with select other games also on Seven, and the entire tournament streaming via Optus Sport. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 runs from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20 across Australia and New Zealand, with tickets available from the FIFA website. Top image: LittleBlinky via Wikimedia Commons.
Miranda Devine. Yeah, you've heard of her. Maybe you connect her with the profile shot that gazes smugly at you from the pages of the Telegraph somebody's discarded on the seat of the bus, or then again, maybe you're picturing the scenes of speechless, apoplectic rage with which your friends and loved ones are occasionally wont to speak of her. But make no mistake, there's nothing wrong with Miranda Devine's opinions per se. She just likes things clean, white, middle-class, conservative and heterosexual. Nothing wrong with that, she's entitled to her opinion. In fact, she's so entitled to it that she is the "leading columnist" with the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, who gift her an entire page in Australia's most popular tabloids in which to exercise her right to free speech. Which is all well and good until you get crazy-eyed hysterics ringing up talk-back radio and using her articles to back up what are often reactionary and evidence-free arguments. On Sunday, August 14, The Daily Telegraph published her column entitled 'It's a Myth Conception: The problem of a fatherless society.' While ostensibly about the pregnancy announced last week of Senator Penny Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache, Devine manages to complete some truly spectacular logical acrobatics to take us from a pregnant lesbian couple to the seemingly connected statement, "You only had to see the burning streets of London last week to see the manifestation of a fatherless society." Makes sense, right? To a lot of people it doesn't, and one of the people it rubbed up the wrong way was Tom Ballard, Triple J breakfast presenter, comedian and self-described "professional homosexual". Check out Tom's measured, yet whimsical, response below. https://youtube.com/watch?v=KkMv_GzhETk
There are many things that the current situation is teaching us — one of the less-serious realisations being that we'll be spending more mealtimes at home. Some local eateries are still offering takeaway and delivery options, but with the government firmly advising Aussies to stay at home as much as possible, we're all going to become a lot more familiar with our kitchens. You may see this as an opportunity to crack out some of your favourite cookbooks, but with the restrictions on some grocery items, those elaborate 15-step recipes are probably going to be a little out of reach. Luckily, Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski has you covered. The Canadian, who is the food expert on the super-popular Netflix series, is hosting daily cooking tutorials on Instagram while in lockdown in Texas. The series, which he has dubbed Quar Eye, focuses on recipes that require only a handful of easily accessible ingredients with an aim to minimise waste. "It dawned on me that a lot of people in the country, and in the world, are actually going through this right now: when they go to the store and they can't find what they want. We're stuck at home so we might as well still be able to prepare good food that's good for us and makes us feel good," Porowski explained in his first video. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B90Oo5lHxYv/ Part one of the series saw Porowski create The Keep Calm-lette, an omelette served with a black bean salsa and, of course, avocado (fans of the show will know of Porowski's deep love for an avo). The punnily named dishes have continued from there, including Sequestered Salmon Squash, Cooped Up Chicken, Stripped of My Sanity Chicken Strips and Let Me Outside Leftovers. Porowski uploads his videos to IGTV and Facebook daily, so you can go back and watch them at any time. Image: Facebook
After moving into the space that once was the Newtown Social Club last year, the Holey Moley crew has taken up residence in the building right underneath the Kings Cross Coca-Cola sign. Here, two neighbouring spaces have been joined to create Holey Moley's biggest venue yet, featuring a huge 27 holes, across three separate mini golf courses. And while this one boasts the same DNA as its siblings, it's also got enough new gimmicks to keep even Holey Moley pros on their toes. The space itself pays homage to the area, and the mini golf offering's been ramped up to include a range of different experiences you won't find anywhere else across the group's stable. As you can expect, it has view across the city. Been to Newtown a few times? Holey Moley Darlinghurst also heralds the arrival of some new additions to the menu. Now you can tame your post-putting hunger with the likes of burgers and hot dogs. Behind the bar, new liquid hits include the Cherry Ripe for the Picking, made on cherry liqueur, coconut rum and whipped cream, and a grapefruit, Aperol and vodka concoction cheekily dubbed the Austin Sours. Since opening in Newtown in July last year, Holey Moley has gone on to open outposts in Castle Hill, Newcastle and Wollongong. So while it might not be welcome news to everyone that the bar has opened in what was once, pre-lockout laws, Sydney's nightlife district, it's hardly surprising. Images: Mitch Lowe.
As attempts to combat COVID-19 ramp up around the globe — and as bans on mass gatherings, such as Australia's new ban on events with over 500 people, come into effect in more countries — venues and organisations everywhere are temporarily shutting down. New York's Metropolitan Opera is one of them; however it's not letting its fans spend their self-isolating days without their beloved artform, announcing nightly live-streamed opera performances from its collection. From Monday, March 16 US time (Tuesday, March 17, Down Under), the NY institution will stream a different opera each evening. Called Nightly Met Opera Streams, the program will start with high-profile shows such as Bizet's Carmen, Puccini's La Boheme, Verdi's Il Trovatore and La Traviata, Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment and Lucia di Lammermoor, and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin — streaming each for 20 hours from 7.30pm New York time each night. Even better — Nightly Met Opera Streams is free, so you can enjoy world-class opera recorded live (and streamed in HD) without either paying a cent or leaving your couch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afhAqMeeQJk At present, only the first week of shows has been announced. Featuring performances dating between 2007–2018, they star Met Opera talent such as Elīna Garanča, Roberto Alagna, Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez. Nightly Met Opera Streams commence on Tuesday, March 17, Australian and New Zealand time, with a new show live-streamed every day and available for 20 hours afterwards. For further details, visit the Met Opera website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Bengt Nyman via Wikimedia Commons.
Part of the packed lineup for AO Live 2026, Peggy Gou is making the most of her stint down under to perform an extra show in Sydney before heading to Melbourne. It's not her first time performing in Australia, she sold out venues nationwide in 2024, but her extra appearance — booked for Carriageworks on Saturday, January 31st 2026 — is still an exciting opportunity for the Sydney dance crowd to see her live. Presented by Untitled Group, she'll bring her electrifying presence and unique musical vision to the venue, complementing her forthcoming set at AO Live on February 1st. She features on the lineup alongside The Kid LAROI, Spacey Jane, The Veronicas, and Sofi Tukker, with more acts still to be announced. Gou is renowned for her live performances, each time bringing her signature blend of house, techno, and club culture to the audience. Her timeless DJ sets channel an open-ended musical philosophy, drawing from influences as diverse as J Dilla, Patrick Cowley, Yellow Magic Orchestra and DJ Sotofett. They are celebrated for their ability to create pure moments of dance floor joy. [embed]https://youtu.be/sCz5y84dwuA?si=aNKCDUzf78RN_UYp[/embed] Her catalogue of hits — "Gou Talk", "It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)", "Starry Night" and "I Go" to name a few — has earned her global acclaim. In 2023, Gou signed with XL Recordings and released "(It Goes Like) Nanana", a global phenomenon that topped charts and set the stage for her highly anticipated debut album. That record, I Hear You, arrived in June 2024 to widespread critical and commercial success. It landed at No. 5 on the ARIA Dance Albums Chart, No. 3 on the UK Dance Albums Chart, and No. 2 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. The album further cemented her reputation as a visionary artist able to straddle the underground and mainstream with ease, blending her distinct "K-House" sound with an infectious pop sensibility. From her roots in Korea to her formative years in London's club scene, Gou has always honoured electronic music's heritage while forging her own distinct path. As founder of the music & design label Gudu, and through her collaborative relationships with creatives across fields, Gou has built a personal artistic universe that bridges sound, style, and community. She has played major international festivals like Coachella, Glastonbury, Ultra, and Primavera Sound, as well as iconic Australian festivals Beyond The Valley and Wildlands. Presale to her Sydney show will begin at 12pm on Monday, October 13th, followed by general sale at 12pm on Tuesday, October 14th. Sign up for presale here.
Living in a building that hangs from space might sound like science fiction; however a New York firm has published a design that explores that very concept. Appropriately labeled "speculative" on their website, Clouds Architecture Office has come up with a high-rise building that would hypothetically be suspended from an orbiting asteroid. Yes, really. For those instantly dreaming about living about the earth, the bottom would reach close enough to the ground for residents to parachute to the surface. The firm has proposed Dubai as a potential place to build the tower, citing that the city "has proven to be a specialist in tall building construction at one fifth the cost of New York City construction." While suspending anything from any kind of celestial body piques a whole lot of interest, Clouds AO have cited recent missions from the European Space Agency that they say prove that "it's possible to rendezvous and land on a spinning comet." They also say that "NASA has scheduled an asteroid retrieval mission for 2021 which aims to prove the feasibility of capturing and relocating an asteroid." According to their idea, if we could harness an asteroid and pull it into a geosynchronous equatorial orbit (a stable circular orbit that follows the Earth's rotation), steel cables could then be attached to the asteroid, and a tower suspended from them. The building would then hover in a figure-eight motion daily, moving between the northern and southern hemispheres. Business would be conducted on the lower levels, with the middle section classed as residential. As for what happens above that, "devotional activities are scattered along the highest reaches." There are just a few points to be taken into account, unsurprisingly. The proposal includes transfer stations to load and unload people and goods, but how this could be done with a building moving literally at an astronomical pace is debatable. While infographics in the proposal show aeroplanes safely manoeuvring around the tower, having just one object moving through the air consistently with no vertical break would be sure to wreak havoc on global flight paths, let alone if more towers were built. Finally, if the tower is constantly in motion, what happens if a resident parachutes to earth for work and then forgets that they left their earphones at home? Are they left to face the rest of the day without jams? The firm has also noted that "there is probably a tangible height limit beyond which people would not tolerate living due to the extreme conditions," meaning that it's pretty tough to be outside the troposphere without some kind of spacesuit. It doesn't really bother Clouds AO, though, as astronauts do it all the time "so perhaps it's not so bad?" Even with those issues, the proposed idea is a maverick design that really pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of architecture. It also demonstrates that new research inspires new technology which, in turn, changes the way we build our world. While the Analemma Tower might not be built in our lifetimes, its design goes to show that we'll always keep reaching for the stars. Via: Dezeen. Images: Clouds Architecture Office.
When Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers) and Pedro Pascal (Drive-Away Dolls) were cast in Gladiator II, audiences instantly knew what they wanted to see. The film doesn't release until mid-November 2024, but the trailers for it so far — a first sneak peek back in July and the just-dropped latest preview — have been delivering. The pair face off, Mescal gets shirtless, and there's sandals and swords aplenty, too. There's also odious Emperors, of course, and even a rhinoceros and seafaring clashes in the Colosseum. Mescal's Lucius watched the climactic events of 2000's Russell Crowe (The Exorcism) and Joaquin Phoenix (Napoleon)-starring film, as the initial trailer explained, which is just one of the on-screen ties that Gladiator II boasts with its predecessor. Another: Connie Nielsen (Origin) returning from Gladiator as Lucilla, Lucius' mother. And, behind the lens, there's also the not-at-all-minor fact that director Ridley Scott is back to make this 24-years-later sequel. If Gladiator II's protagonist didn't have his own date with Rome's iconic amphitheatre, and his own rage to unshackle, there wouldn't be much of a film. His stint comes after Emperors Caracalla (Joseph Quinn, A Quiet Place: Day One) and Geta (Fred Hechinger, The White Lotus) take over his home. Queue a quest for revenge, plus glory for Rome, with Pascal's general Marcus Acacius becoming Lucius' target. As for Denzel Washington (The Equalizer 3), he plays power broker Macrinus. Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma & Louise director Scott has been in blast-from-the-past mode for over a decade now, first revisiting the Alien realm with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, then reteaming with Phoenix on Napoleon, and now helming his second Gladiator flick. Of late, he's also been fond of making movies set in the past — long ago and more recent — as not only seen with Napoleon, but also with House of Gucci, The Last Duel and All the Money in the World. With Gladiator II, the British filmmaker teams up two of the internet's boyfriends in Mescal and Pascal, and promises a battle-filled time following up the feature that picked up Best Picture, Best Actor (for Crowe), Best Costume Design, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. Scott also earned his second Best Director nomination, after Thelma & Louise and before Black Hawk Down gave him a third. Gladiator II hits cinemas Down Under on Thursday, November 14, 2024, which means that local audiences will see it a week before American audiences — and a week before Wicked Part One arrives in picture palaces, too, so there'll be no Barbenheimer-style release day here. Check out the latest trailer for Gladiator II below: Gladiator II opens in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, November 14, 2024.
If Bluesfest is a regular part of your Easter plans, then the Byron Bay event's team has wrapped up 2025's festivities with some excellent news for you in 2026: the long-weekend fest will still be on the calendar next year. In fact, dates are locked in and early-bird tickets are on sale. If you haven't already, put Thursday, April 2–Sunday, April 5, 2026 in your calendar. The announcement comes after a massive year for the long-running fest, which notched up its 36th in 2025. Organisers have advised that this year's festival saw more than 109,000 attendees, "making Bluesfest 2025 the biggest we've seen in years, and the third-largest event in our history". [caption id="attachment_867505" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] This year's lineup drawcards included ten-time Grammy-winner Chaka Khan, rains-blessing rock group Toto, 'Sailing' and 'Ride Like the Wind' singer Christopher Cross, plus Crowded House, Ocean Alley and Vance Joy — and also Hilltop Hoods, Budjerah, Kasey Chambers and The Cat Empire, as well as Xavier Rudd, John Butler, Tones and I, Missy Higgins, George Thorogood & The Destroyers and many more. It wasn't just the roster of acts that saw Bluefest earn such a strong showing, however. Back in 2024, before the festival began revealing who was on its next bill, it advised that it would bid farewell with its 2025 event — marking the end of an era. That news came after Groovin the Moo and Splendour in the Grass had cancelled for 2024, neither of which returned this year. Within months of Bluefest saying that it was calling time, however, reports that discussions were underway about the festival's future — and also that artists are already being booked for 2026 — started circulating following widespread community support. Accordingly, Bluesfest making a 2026 comeback shouldn't come as a huge surprise. The festival is one of five New South Wales events newly named as recipients of backing from the first round of the state's Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund, alongside Lost Paradise, Your and Owls, Listen Out and Field Day. [caption id="attachment_969990" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joseph Mayers[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969989" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969987" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_867504" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kurt Petersen[/caption] Bluesfest 2026 will run from Thursday, April 2–Sunday, April 5 at Byron Events Farm, Tyagarah. Early-bird tickets are on sale now — for further information, head to the Bluesfest website. Top image: Roger Cotgreave.
The cutest little Jedi in a galaxy far, far away is back — and the most adorable one in our own on-screen realm as well. Although The Mandalorian won't release its third season until 2023, Disney+ has just unveiled the first sneak peak at the Star Wars spinoff's upcoming batch of episodes. The best and most important news? Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, returns (and obviously remains as charming as ever). If you've somehow missed it before now, the Emmy-nominated show follows the titular bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent); however, it's his encounter with a fuzzy little creature first known as The Child, affectionately named Baby Yoda by everyone watching, and officially called Grogu, that's always had everyone talking. So, it comes as zero surprise that one of the Star Wars universe's best-ever double acts is pushed into the spotlight in the debut glimpse at The Mandalorian's third season. In fact, the trailer confirms that Mando, aka Din Djarin and Grogu's big reunion, picking up where The Book of Boba Fett left off. But the events of the pair's past streaming adventures have consequences, including seeing The Mandalorian disowned by his fellow Mandalorians. It wouldn't be a Star Wars series if everyone got along — the 'wars' part is right there in the franchise name, after all. Accordingly, this first sneak peek teases the obligatory battles, as well as the fallout when its namesake doesn't actually have that title any more. Oh, and plenty of Grogu, naturally. Yes, the Star Wars universe certainly does sprawl far and wide these days, both within its tales and in its many different movies, shows, books and games. When this one first arrived in 2019, it started five years after Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi. Also on offer across its run so far: a cast that's included everyone from Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul), Carl Weathers (Toy Story 4), Taika Waititi and iconic filmmaker Werner Herzog through to Timothy Olyphant (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Rosario Dawson (DMZ), Katee Sackhoff (Another Life) and Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. While The Mandalorian fans will have to wait till next year to see what comes next, the Star Wars franchise has already delivered Obi-Wan Kenobi to streaming already in 2022 — and Rogue One spinoff Andor arrives on Wednesday, September 21. Check out the latest trailer for The Mandalorian below: The Mandalorian's third season will hit Disney+ sometime in 2023 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced. Images: ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
On November 3, the Chauvel Cinema will become the most magical place in Sydney, as all nine films grace the Paddington cinema's screens for 20 hours of wizarding wonder. BYO time-turner if you don't think you'll be able to stay awake. Nine films, you say? Yep, this really is a celebration of every Potter-related flick there is, which means the eight movie versions of J.K. Rowling's original seven books, plus the film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as well. Watch Harry, Hermione, Ron and co. spend their first day at Hogwarts, play quidditch, search for the deathly hallows and battle He Who Must Not Be Named. And, then jump back several decades earlier to explore the exploits behind one of their textbooks — as presented in glorious 70mm, too. The marathon will be a nice little catch-up before the Fantastic Beasts sequel (The Crimes of Grindelwald) comes out later in the month. Kicking off at 11am on Saturday and screening through until the following morning, Potterfest will also include plenty of other Potter nerdery, with dressing up in costume as highly recommended as a pint of butterbeer.
"Superheroes, they're just like us" has been an unspoken refrain humming beneath what feels like millions of caped-crusader tales that've reached screens in recent decades. Possessing great powers doesn't mean inherently and instantly knowing how to wield power, or greatness, or how to navigate the daily elements of life that don't revolve around possessing great powers, as movies and TV shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe and beyond have kept stressing amid their planet-saving, evil-vanquishing, existence-defending battles. Even as it dispenses a much-needed antidote to superhero worship's saturation of big- and small-screen entertainment — even as it has made distrusting the spandex-clad and preternaturally gifted its baseline — The Boys has also told this story. Across the entire extent of human history, what's more recognisable than power and dominance bringing out the worst in people? As brought to Prime Video from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comics series of the same name by showrunner Eric Kripke (Supernatural) since 2019 — with season two arriving in 2020, season three in 2022 and now season four streaming from Thursday, June 13, 2024 — The Boys has stared unflinchingly at the grimmest vision of a world with tights-adorned supposed saviours. This is a series where murder at the hands of supes, which is then covered up by the company profiting from elevating them above the masses, is an everyday reality. It's a dark satire. It's gleeful in its onslaught of OTT violence and sightings of genitals. But with what it means to grapple with the struggle to hold onto humanity firmly at its core since its first episode — and likely right until its last, which will hit with its fifth season, Kripke has announced — The Boys remains a mirror. It has never been hard to see where art imitates life in this account of its namesake rag-tag crew saying "enough is enough" to the US' downward spiral. With flying, laser-eyed, super-strong, supernaturally speedy and otherwise-enhanced beings commercialised by a behemoth of a company called Vought International, The Boys has never been subtle at pointing its fingers at the many ways in which pop culture and the corporations behind it hold sway. The show's parallels with American politics in its portrait of a factionalised nation torn apart over a polarising leader who considers himself above the law are equally overt. Of course, the series is just as blatant in unpacking the consequences of letting the pursuit of power run riot. In its narrative, in chasing supremacy above all else, humans and supes really are just like each other — a truth season four doesn't ever let slip from view. At the end of 2022's batch of episodes, Vought's invincible leader Homelander (Antony Starr, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant) — the chief of its prime superhero team The Seven, but also calling the shots everywhere — unleashed his fiery gaze upon a supporter of his ex-colleague Starlight (Erin Moriarty, Captain Fantastic). The watching world saw the fatal ramifications, as well as the shattered pretence that caped crusaders can do no harm. But in a culture war, most folks' downright murder is Homelander and his devotees' justified act and fuel for more horrors. While there's no humanity in the Captain America-esque figure's quest to rule — and to his son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti, Boy Kills World), who is just learning to use his abilities, the unhinged ringleader is scathing in his perspective of people as disposable toys — does battling back by Butcher (Karl Urban, Thor: Ragnarok), Hughie (Jack Quaid, Oppenheimer), MM (Laz Alonso, Wrath of Man), Frenchie (Tomer Capone, One on One) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara, Bullet Train) need to entail resorting to the same mindset? As it thrusts its reflection of IRL US politics even further into focus not just via Homelander's trial, but also a presidential election and the certification of its results, The Boys season four proves as bleak and brutal as the series can get (although this is a show that treats every season as a challenge to top the last, so expect season five to double down again when it surfaces). Can only oblivion await? Again, as The Boys tells of a fight for control where the media is weaponised, fascism threatens democracy, billionaires pull strings and an oligarchy is the preferred outcome for many — a dictatorship for some, too — the comparisons with today outside the screen couldn't be more glaring. There's also an urgency to this season above and beyond its predecessors. Taking Homelander's sadistic lead is the status quo within Vought, where the ultra-brainy Sister Sage (Susan Heyward, Hello Tomorrow!) and conspiracy theorist Firecracker (Valorie Curry, The Lost Symbol) are the fresh faces among The Seven. The former is charged with masterminding a new world order, and the latter is enlisted to corral the internet public to the cause. Among The Boys themselves, Butcher now has mere months to live and encouragement (via Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Walking Dead) egging him on to take the most-drastic actions. For the whole gang, death, trauma and past mistakes haunt their every move. And if Hughie and co stick to the path that they're on, what they're rallying for — and against — could fade out of sight. If it sounds as if the fourth season of The Boys is as jam-packed as one of the series' orgies — with characters, including returning The Seven members A-Train (Jessie T Usher, Smile) and The Deep (Chace Crawford, Gossip Girl), Vought PR head-turned-CEO Ashley (Colby Minifie, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), and supe-in-hiding politician Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit, Where'd You Go, Bernadette); with storylines weaving them all in, too — that's because it is. And, it's that full to the brim before connecting to the events of college-set spinoff Gen V, which dropped its first season in 2023 and has already been renewed for season two, becomes part of the plot. The Boys has never been short on ambition, either, as is especially the case the bigger that the franchise and its stakes get. For all of its similarities with real life, the buzzing chaos pulsing through its scripts and vibe, and the feverish determination to emphasise the point with raucous, gross-out violence and comedy, The Boys as a show practices what it preaches: it doesn't forget the humanity coursing through its frames itself. Staring into a mirror is an empty gesture if you don't feel like you truly see a person staring back, after all. From the most-empathetic traits to the most-sociopathic, this cast takes its job of reflecting what makes us human — for better and so often for worse — seriously. Its two acting MVPs haven't changed, however, including as big names continue to make cameos. Starr and Urban are exceptional once more, still tussling to prove the idea beating at The Boys' heart: that Butcher and Homelander, and their respective crews and crusades, aren't fated to be two sides of the same coin. Check out the trailer for The Boys season four below: The fourth season of The Boys streams via Prime Video from Thursday, June 13, 2024. Read our reviews of The Boys season three and Gen V.
Mona has never shirked attention. Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art has welcomed it, in fact, whether it's bringing in 80 tonnes of sand, is allowing music fans listen to the sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin or is part of a TV show about potentially eating Australia's invasive animal species — and that's just in the past year. Also part of the venue's story over the past 12 months or so: the legal proceedings around Ladies Lounge, the feminist installation created by artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele, which was taken to court due to an anti-discrimination complaint. Two big developments impacted Ladies Lounge in 2024: first, in April, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that it must start letting men enter; then, a September decision by the state's Supreme Court upheld Mona's appeal, permitting it to reopen for women only to continue to make its statement about the lack of opportunity historically offered to ladies by such spaces. Kaechele did indeed relaunch the installation, but only briefly, while flagging that it could go on tour. So, after ending its run at its original home in January 2025, Ladies Lounge is now headed to the Gold Coast. Each year, the coastal Sunshine State spot turns over much of the city to Bleach*, its annual arts festival. This year, Ladies Lounge is on its lineup. This is the first time that it will pop up beyond Mona, and therefore also beyond Tasmania, with the Gold Coast's HOTA, Home of the Arts playing host to the feminist space. "Yes, some boys may be allowed in for domestic arts lessons and reparations," the fest advises. Bleach* 2025 runs from Thursday, July 31–Sunday, August 10, also covering music, opera, drama, food and more, all at festival hubs a HOTA, Kurrawa Park and Emerald Lakes. It has more big art names attached, too. Australian visual artist Michael Zavros is the festival's guest Artistic Director for the year, curating a program that spans 100-plus events. Among them, Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale and Skywhalepapa are on the lineup, and will float through the Gold Coast's skies. That's how Bleach* will kick off at sunrise on its first 2025 day. "It's such a thrill to come on board as guest Artistic Director and launch Bleach* 2025. We've been shaping this festival for some time now, and it's incredibly rewarding to see the program come to life and finally share it with our audiences," said Zavros, announcing this year's bill. "We've dreamed big this year — pushing for bold, ambitious moments — and it's exciting to see those ideas realised in such powerful ways. Bleach* continues to play a vital role in the Gold Coast's arts and culture scene, and this year's program is a true reflection of the city's creative spirit and growing artistic ambition." Among the festival's three world premieres of works created on the Gold Coast, plus five Queensland premieres and plenty of other must-sees, other highlights include opera, classical music and dancing horses taking over Kurrawa Beach; artist Jeff Koons getting chatting at an exclusive in-conversation event; and Selve's new album Breaking Into Heaven performed in full with lasers, Karul Projects dancers and the Australian Session Orchestra outdoors at HOTA. Or, there's also Drum As You Are, a family-friendly Nirvana tribute — one of the iconic band's albums is called Bleach, after all — that'll feature both professional and community drummers. Unsurprisingly given that he's steering this year's festival, you can also see Zavros' Drowned Mercedes, the sculpture that was first unveiled in Brisbane in 2023 and, yes, features a 1990s Mercedes-Benz SL convertible filled with water. Zavros is also taking part in life-drawing sessions, Melissa Spratt and Tal Fitzpatrick are teaming up to showcase how textiles can be comforting in public space, and Josh Cohen's Radiohead for Solo Piano II will be in the spotlight. Bleach* 2025 runs from Thursday, July 31–Sunday, August 10 at various locations around the Gold Coast. For further information, head to the festival website.
As well as collecting 13 Emmy nominations, the largest haul of any Netflix series in 2025, Adolescence is also officially the platform's most-watched TV show from the first six months of the year. If it felt like everyone you knew has been talking about the excellent four-part British series since it debuted in mid-March, that's why, notching up 144,800,000 views. Netflix has just unveiled its January–June 2025 Engagement Report, which outlines exactly what everyone has been checking out on the streamer to within 99 percent of all viewing. Over that time, audiences caught more than 95-billion hours of the service's series and movies. The most-watched title overall: Cameron Diaz (Annie)- and Jamie Foxx (Tin Soldier)-starring action-comedy Back in Action with 164,700,000 views. Back to the small screen, the second and third most-watched shows will come as no surprise if you're a Squid Game obsessive who needed to know how the deadly contest continued after season one, then how it came to an end. Season two ranks second with 117,300,000 views, and season three — which only released on Friday, June 27, and broke viewership and ranking records in the process — is in third place with 71,500,000 views. Season one, from 2021, also made 2025's list so far, sitting 12th with 42,000,000 views. Political thriller Zero Day and Harlan Coben adaptation Missing You round out the top five TV-wise, followed by true-crime docuseries American Murder: Gabby Petito, then Ms. Rachel, Sirens, the second season of The Night Agent and the third run of Ginny & Georgia. American Primeval, Running Point, The Four Seasons and Cassandra also ranked in the top 15. From Netflix's film slate, STRAW, The Life List, Exterritorial and Havoc followed Back in Action in the top five, with The Secret Life of Pets 2, The Electric State, Counterattack // Contraataque, Ad Vitam and Despicable Me 4 all sitting in the top ten. From there came The Secret Life of Pets, Kinda Pregnant, Nonnas, iHostage and La Dolce Villa. And yes, family-friendly fare did particularly well — in fact, The Boss Baby, Minions, Shrek, Plankton: The Movie, Despicable Me 3, Despicable Me 2 and Shrek 2 are also in the top 25. As the fondness for older all-ages flicks illustrates, Netflix viewers aren't just checking out new releases. Across the platform's originals — which doesn't apply to the bulk of those animated movies, though — around half of the titles on the list, TV and film alike, initially debuted in 2023 or prior. Think: Orange Is the New Black, Ozark, Money Heist, Red Notice and Leo, for starters. Also, across new and older series and features, more than a third were titles in languages other than English — so if you caught South Korea's When Life Gives You Tangerines and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, Denmark's Secrets We Keep, Norway's Number 24 or Colombia's Medusa, for example, you had company. Check out trailers for some of Netflix's big January–June 2025 titles above and below: For more information about the most-viewed Netflix titles from January–June 2025, head to the Netflix website.
When Hollywood isn't bringing back beloved television series such as Daria and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or spinning off huge hits like Game of Thrones, it's taking successful films to the small screen — with Lord of the Rings the next set to make the leap from the page to the cinema to your TV. As first announced late last year, a television version of J.R.R. Tolkien's novels is in the works courtesy of Amazon Studios, the Tolkien Estate and Trust, publisher HarperCollins and Warner Bros. Entertainment's New Line Cinema. After acquiring the global rights to turn the franchise into a TV series in November, the group will now move ahead, with JD Payne and Patrick McKay (writers with credits on the upcoming Star Trek 4 and Jungle Cruise) chosen to develop the series. The announcement was made at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour, which is currently underway in the US. According to The Hollywood Reporter, new head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke revealed that the series will be in production in the next two years, targeting an airdate of 2021. "We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care — it is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime," said lifelong friends Payne and McKay in a statement. Five seasons are apparently planned — while leaving room for a spinoff, of course — with the new reportedly show set in Middle-earth but exploring stories set before The Fellowship of the Ring. And as for casting, it's way too early for even rumours about who'll be eating second breakfasts, but expect them to start ramping up soon. Via The Hollywood Reporter.
Let's face it: we're a fast-paced, high-stress society — and although we would like life to slow down for a second (or for Internet to go down just for a few days, at least), it's not going to let up. To manage your physical and mental health in this crazy world, UK-based startup Vinaya have created a bracelet that is wholly concerned with tracking your emotional wellbeing. The wearable device — the first of its kind — is the first to measure sleep and fitness, as well as happiness, stress and mindfulness. It even tracks fertility (kind of creepy, we know). The wearable, named Zenta, was 100 percent crowdfunded on Indiegogo in record time this week, raising a whopping $137,191 USD in just 41 hours. The product looks like a more stylish version of a Fitbit, and is available with a sports band ($119 USD) or a leather band ($149 USD). And while you can purchase one now, the bracelets won't ship until mid-2017. Here's how it supposedly works. The biometric sensors track your heart rate, movement and perspiration, as well as respiration, electrical activity and oxygen levels. These patterns will then be cross-referenced with the information (like your calendars, meeting schedules and social media use) from your smartphone — though you only share as much (or as little) as you want. The Zenta app is essentially meant to 'learn' your patterns and determine your normal emotional state, as well as decipher any variations from your norm and indicate what caused those variations. As Zenta learns, the idea is that it will require less input from you and get smarter about shifts in your emotional state. Vinaya is already talking with research institutions, mental health organisations and mindfulness experts to make sense of the Zenta data. We must admit, we're sceptical about where this data will end up — the thought it landing in the hands of advertisers, marketers or Google is a pretty frightening concept. Still, if the device helps bring some sense of calm to the stressed-out masses, we would like to see it in action. Zenta is currently available for purchase through Indiegogo. The estimated shipping date is mid-2017.
It isn't often that a fast-food chain wins the hearts of industrial food system activists. And yet, with its anti-establishment message and over 3 million hits already recorded, Chipotle's touching new infomercial has recently cemented a subtle but powerful message to otherwise apathetic customers. Produced by Oscar winners Moonbot Studios, the animation is being used by American fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill to promote their mobile app game, which warns against the horrors of industrialised factory food production. Accompanied by a haunting rendition of the uber-familiar 'Pure Imagination' from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, sung by musician and animal rights activist Fiona Apple, the video succeeds as an indirect marketing hook, encouraging a more sustainable model for food cultivation. Also impressive is the fact that the video achieves this with almost non-existent branding, the Chipotle pitch not appearing until the final seconds of the video. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE The brand — which took a hit earlier in the year after a fake Twitter hack and criticism over changing standards of beef — is once again proving its worth, the Scarecrow video showing an impressive commitment by the Mexican food chain to serve responsibly raised food. The app is already one of the top ten most played free games on the iOS charts. It sees players act as the Scarecrow, the empathetic protagonist of the short film, with users then rewarded with free burritos. Via Gawker.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has won three Grammys and 11 Latin Grammys, starred in Bullet Train and hosted Saturday Night Live, among plenty of other achievements, but he hasn't hit the stage in Australia — yet. By the time that summer 2025–26 is out, Bad Bunny will tick a trip Down Under off of his list, after announcing that his new DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour includes a visit to Sydney. Locking in dates in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Poland, Italy and Belgium, too, Bad Bunny has confirmed 23 shows between November 2025–July 2026 so far. Named for his latest album, which released in January this year and spent three weeks in a row atop the Billboard 200 chart, the tour will see him become the first Latin act to headline stadiums globally. Only one stop on Bad Bunny's jaunt around the planet is Australia, however: at ENGIE Stadium in the Harbour City on Saturday, February 28. He's playing the New South Wales capital in-between dates in Brazil and Japan, two other countries where the 'Mia', 'Callaíta', 'Qué Pretendes' and 'Vete' singer will perform live for the first time ever. The Puerto Rican superstar's global jaunt will follow his upcoming No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí gigs, a 30-date residency at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in his homeland. Before that, he toured North America in 2024, and both North and Latin America in 2022. His DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS shows will take him to Europe for the first time since his 2019 X 100pre tour. On the charts, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, his sixth album, has kept garnering love — also sitting in the Billboard 200 top ten for 13 weeks, taking the number-one slot on Billboard's Latin Albums chart for 16 consecutive weeks and helping him become the first-ever Latin artist with 100 Billboard Hot 100 entries. Before both his No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency and DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour, Bad Bunny also has another date with SNL, this time as the musical guest on the season 50 finale that's being hosted by Scarlett Johansson (Fly Me to the Moon). Bad Bunny DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour 2026 Australian Date Saturday, February 28 — ENGIE Stadium, Sydney Bad Bunny is playing ENGIE Stadium in Sydney on Saturday, February 28, 2026, with presales from 10am on Thursday, May 8, 2025 and general sales from 11am on Friday, May 9. Head to the tour website for more details.
Set within an enchanting Balmain terrace, the Cottage is the kind of place every home entertainer dreams of showing off to their guests. Perhaps you'd begin the evening with some balmy summer drinks in the front courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze as it rustles gently through the trees and basking in the glow of the shimmering fairy lights. Or, on a cooler night, you might invite your friends to nestle into a cosy nook of the living or dining room, whetting their appetites with the scent of freshly baking bread from the nearby kitchen. The dream is a reality at the Cottage, only instead of doing the dishes afterwards, you can lounge back and indulge in another luscious cocktail: perhaps a Ron Pedro ($18), which makes old mates of Ron Zacapa and Pedro Ximenez and adds a little cottage-style charm with fresh strawberries and lemon juice. The dinner-party atmosphere has been captured flawlessly in the new autumn menu, which features creative sharing plates that will satiate appetites and stimulate conversations. Fleshy portobello mushrooms burst with barley, dried cranberries, fresh herbs and creamy chevre ($14), while the seared scallops ($18) are so uniquely plump and sweet that their source is carefully guarded by the kitchen team as a trade secret. Each dish on the menu boasts an attractive combination of rustic charm and modern finesse; roast chicken, for example, is served in careful slices over a pistachio-topped streak of yoghurt and accompanied by an elegant rice pilaf ($22). The drinks list is intriguing and international. Consider kicking things off with an organic Krinklewood Semillon ($10/$44) before moving onto an earthy Italian Nebbiolo, or familiarise yourself with the generous selection of interesting craft beers and ciders on offer. It's when it comes to dessert that the Cottage really starts to show off. The circus comes to town with the fairground plate ($16): whether you're munching away on maple-candied popcorn, tearing off pieces of rose-scented fairy floss or biting into a teeny-tiny toffee apple, you can't help but giggle with the nostalgia and share a tale about that time you ran away to the fair. Like all good dinner parties, you'll leave the Cottage well fed, pleasantly tipsy and still chuckling about something that was said four conversations ago. And the best part? At the drop of a hat, the charismatic Cottage team will be ready to welcome you back in and do it all again.
Through their Fresh Ink program, the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) has been giving Australia's finest emerging writers space to play on stage, page, film and online. Their latest development under the banner of the Voices Project is worth checking out. It takes two heartbreaking monologues about first love and turns them into different but equally heartbreaking short films, which can be viewed online. Bat Eyes by Jessica Bellamy will give you a whole new appreciation of WH Auden, as it hones in on the fleeting bond shared between a teenage bully and his visually impaired, poetically charged target. The optometrist's office has never before seemed so romantic. Bat Eyes and its counterpart, Boot — about teenage recklessness and tense girl best-friendships — have been beautifully shot by director Damien Power. The great thing about the Voices Project is that it brings together young people from different backgrounds and disciplines, and it makes writers and viewers think about how storytelling changes from medium to medium. As well as the adapted short films, you can watch the original monologues (directed by Laura Scrivano) and see how they've changed while making the jump out of just one person's head. If you're under 26 and have your own thoughts on love to share, you can enter Fresh Ink's current Love Bytes competition, open until Friday, May 4. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qyDEEQoVqjY
It’s cold out there. It’s cold out there every day. Though Australia is lucky enough to avoid a Groundhog Day style winter, there is no doubt that the cooler temperatures drive us toward comforting beverages. Before you reach for that bottle of red or heart-warming bourbon, don’t forget that your favourite summer cooler also comes with a serious dark side. When the cold lagers of summer lose their appeal, your favourite brewers turn their craft to an entirely different beast. From nutty to chocolatey and often with a creamy finish, dark beers are the perfect tonic on a wintery night. And while dark brews have been historically underappreciated in Australia’s generally mild climate, you could find yourself becoming the best of friends. Here are some tips to enjoying dark beer this winter, with help from our local brewers. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY Generally heavier and more filling, dark beers must be considered with this golden rule across the spectrum. According to the Shenanigans Brewing Company duo, “When we think winter beers, we think higher-alcohol, malt-driven beers, with a bit more residual sweetness.” The malty porters are undeniably sweet and, like rich desserts, are delicious but best in moderation. Porters and milk stouts are typically nitro beers (made with nitrogen rather than CO2), which adds to the creamy effect and further increases its similarity to a dessert. At the other side of the dark beer profile, the strong imperial stouts are high in alcohol content (many upward of 9 or 10 percent) and will knock you off your rocker if you attempt too many in one sitting. Often brewed in whisky or wine barrels, these stouts contain a more alcoholic flavour, and the barrel ageing process adds depth and complexity to the beer. With bold flavours and lingering sweetness, it's best to stick to a few to get the most enjoyment out of these brews. WINTER WINNERS: DARK BEER VS RED WINE That glass of red isn’t the only thing that will keep you warm on a winter’s night. Rich and smooth with deep fruity notes, dark beers have more in common with red wine than with lager. This is especially true of the barrel-aged stouts, which are often brewed in used sherry casks and take on a wine-like flavour. Many brewers also add spices like cinnamon, vanilla and even chilli, warming you from the inside out. The best advice we’ve received from a bartender on dark beers is to “give your beer a little cuddle” before you drink it. Dark beers should typically be served at room temperature, like a good red, to fully enjoy the taste and flavour. Also like a red, you should never drink dark beer (or any beer, for that matter) from the bottle. But before you go crazy dropping your pay cheque on glassware, many dark beers, including porters and stouts, are best served in a standard pint or oversized wine glass. Similar to its red wine rival, darks beers are something you want to savour. The 750ml bottles are perfect to share with friends. THE IMPORTANCE OF COMFORT FOOD In winter, we crave carbs, carbs, and more carbs. In turn, we need a big beer that can stand up to those heartier foods. The rich, smooth taste makes dark beer the liquid version of a Sunday roast or steamy meat pie. With any great food and drink pairing, it is important to have balance. 3 Ravens Dark Ale made with smoked malts is one of those well-paired with the savoury comfort foods of winter. Instead of going for a port with your dessert, try a porter. The James Squire Jack of Spades Porter, with heavily roasted malts, coffee notes and a sweet finish goes perfectly with dark chocolate, caramel and other rich desserts. BALANCING SUNNY DAYS AND WINTERY NIGHTS While the temperatures may drop, the Aussie east coast is no winter wonderland, so it is worth finding the right beers for day versus night. Think a beer you would want to drink next to an outdoor heater at your favourite beer garden, then one you’d want to drink while curled up on your couch under several blankets. The Batch Brewing Big Kahuna coconut brown ale is a session beer that will remind you of summer while helping you brave the chilly days. For night, try an imperial stout to get your blood flowing. This season, Modus Operandi is releasing Total Eclipse, a Russian imperial stout of 10% ABV aged in Lark Whisky barrels for six months. Once you’ve warmed up with a big brew and have your beer coat on, you won’t need that extra layer when venturing out into the cold. HANG OUT AT YOUR LOCAL BREWERIES The best way to learn more about the beers of winter is to stop by your local brewery, where they are more than happy to guide you through the many profiles of dark beer. There is no better company to keep; your local brewers are like your fairy godmothers of beer, planning months ahead of time on how to keep you warm this winter. Many breweries will also hold winter events, including food pairing dinners. This is the best time to try the full spectrum of dark beers and figure out which best suits your winter drinking needs. Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
When Stanbuli closed, many Sydneysiders waited with bated breath to learn what would take its place in its iconic Enmore Road digs behind the Marie-Louise salon facade. While a sense of cynicism would have been warranted with Sydney's track record of preserving beloved venues, you can officially breathe a sigh of relief with the Porteno crew maintaining its ownership of the building, opening a much-hyped Spanish tapas bar in the space. Named after the salon that occupied the building from the 50s through until the 90s, Bar Louise maintains the eye-catching pink and purple facade while giving the interior a makeover of warm yellow walls, rich wooden tones and fake leafy vines, all reminiscent of a southern Spain wine bar. "We just want to make it a fun place everyone can come and drink wine and eat great food — open seven days a week," Porteno Founder Elvis Abrahanowicz told Concrete Playground. The star of the drinks menu is sherry, with more than 15 varieties available by the glass ($12–32). The signature drop is an ideal start or end to your meal, accompanied by a cocktail, Estrella or minimal-intervention wine. The cocktails at Bar Louise include a coffee negroni ($22), manhattan on the rocks ($20) and Sangria de Maria Lousie ($15), while the wine list showcases tipples from Spain, Australia, Italy, Portugal, Argentina and France. Once you've ordered your opening glass of sherry, your attention will move to the food. The Pulpo a la Gallega octopus ($28) is an absolute highlight, served with potato, aioli and pimento chilli, but there's plenty here for vegetarians, pescatarians and meat-lovers to all discover. Kick things off with your choice of starters which range from gildas ($6) and paleta ibérico served with chips ($32) to mussel escabeche ($16). From there you can get a little heftier with your choices, with some of the exciting options available including charcoal-grilled eggplant and capsicum ($20), garlic and parsley mushrooms ($26), potato and prawn salad ($24), fried pork belly ($26) and thick-cut chorizo in a cider sauce ($26). The chorizo is made in-house, and a lot of the bar snacks are house-cured with the help of Continental Deli Co-Owner and Manager Michael 'Mikey' Nicolian. And, fans of Stanbuli, never fear — the former Head Chef Ibrahim Kasif is opening a manoush restaurant and wine bar with the renowned hospitality team behind NOMAD.
There's no wrong way to visit a winery, whether you choose to participate in a boozy fun run within the grounds, cycle between a couple of wine-slinging spots, or simply stop by for a few hours, taste some tipples and make a few purchase. Or, you can stay for the night, which isn't a new concept — but one South Australian vineyard is letting folks sleep right next to the vines in a luxury pod. Wineries from Queensland to Victoria boast glamping facilities; however The Vineyard Retreat McLaren Vale now has an Escapod. As the name suggests, it's all about escaping from the hustle and bustle, which is definitely on the agenda in what's essentially a luxury detached cabin right in the heart of the vineyard. Measuring 72 square metres, the pre-fab structure includes an open-plan dining and lounge room, a king-sized bed, an open fire and two small external decks, plus a fully functioning kitchen, a separate bathroom and a storage room. On the mod cons front, it also has the requisite appliances, under-floor heating, reverse-cycle heating and cooling, and automated blinds — although you'll want to keep them open to enjoy the vineyard views. Furthermore, the pod can be connected to the main power or can go off the grid via a solar power battery, rainwater tanks and a wastewater treatment system. Built off-site then brought to the winery, the Escapod can also be moved again in the future if needed. It'll be available for bookings from September — and it's one of two pods destined for the McLaren Vale spot, although just when the second will arrive is yet to be determined. If the pod has you planning a boozy getaway, there's some other good news — more are planned. In total, Escapod is hoping to roll out 20 pods across South Australian sites across the next year. Find the first Escapod at The Vineyard Retreat McLaren Vale, 165 Whitings Road, Blewitt Springs. Visit the retreat website for further details. Via The Lead. Images: The Vineyard Retreat / Escapod.
Under current COVID-19 restrictions, you can't go on a holiday (locally or overseas). But, the government has hinted travel between Australia and New Zealand may be allowed in the near future, so it's time to start dreaming. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. With a bountiful backyard to be explored, it's high time you got out and slept in the most jaw-dropping rest stops in the South Island. You may be giving up your own bed, but you don't have to sacrifice any comfort for that natural NZ beauty at these glamping retreats. To help you find the perfect place to rest your head in the great outdoors (without getting too lo-fi), we've gathered a list of the best glamping spots in the south. Get ready for a night of luxury, trust us, you'll never sleep better. CAMP KEKERENGU, KAIKOURA Waking up at Kaikoura's Camp Kekerengu is like waking up on the edge of the earth. Perched high above the wild Clarence River, you can watch the sunrise from your bed over the expansive beaches below then enjoy sights of playful seals and whales putting on a show. The campsite is complete with outdoor baths and a kitchen with a vista to die for — you'll be moving in before you know it. Go for the full luxe experience, and head to Nin's Bin to eat some of the freshest crayfish you can get your hands on. $220 per night. LAVERICKS BAY, CHRISTCHURCH If you just want to switch off and escape, look no further than Lavericks Bay. Tucked away in the coves of the Banks Peninsula, this lavish campsite boasts wooden outdoor hot tubs and toasty wood burners for the cooler Christchurch nights. It also opens onto a private beach and backs onto rolling hills for your exploring pleasure. Fall asleep watching the stars, then hike up the hill to watch the sun rise over the ocean and feel the serenity. At a 40 minutes' drive from Akaroa and two hours from the garden city, it's a bit of a trek — but, trust us, it's worth the effort. While you're there, grab a surfboard and check out some of the remote breaks dotted around the Banks Peninsula. $210 per night. ROCKY POINT HUT, PEPIN ISLAND Just a stone's throw away from Nelson — but far enough to look back on the bay's beauty — is Rocky Point Hut on Pepin Island. Nestled on the remote tip of the picturesque farming island, the accommodation is a two-hour walk from the isolated Cable Bay beach. While that sounds long, your hard work will be rewarded with an epic vista to make you feel like the king of the land. Your throne? The outdoor hot tub with panoramic views of Tasman Bay. For the full royal treatment, forgo cooking and head to Cable Bay Cafe instead. It's a secret spot only the locals know and serves some of New Zealand's best fare. $150 per night. VALLEY VIEWS, OTAGO Deep in the heart of Mackenzie Country, you'll find a village of luxurious tents to call home. Valley Views Glamping does what it says, delivering incredible views of farm, river and mountain across the vast Waitaki Valley. The campsite sits two hours from Wanaka, giving you a chance to soak in the southern sights on your way to the comfy bed and cosy log burner that await your arrival. Bring a book, and your favourite person, you're not going to want to leave. While you're there, make tracks to Kurow Estate Winery's Cellar Door and pick up some vino to enjoy with the views. $200–$300 per night. WOODPECKER HUT Welcome to Woodpecker Hut, an oasis in the midst of the West Coast wilderness where you can kick back and let your worries subside. Designed and built by locals, the isolated cabin sits harmoniously within its natural surrounds. The hut marries luxury with nature seamlessly, so you can soak in the wooden hot tub all while you soak up a sunset. With bushwalks and beaches at your doorstep, there's plenty of adventuring to be done if you get tired of relaxing, too. If you're after even more views, take a trip just five minutes down the road to the breathtaking Pancake Rocks. $290 per night. Start planning your trip to New Zealand's south with our guide to the South Island journeys to take here.
Forget Instagram — when it comes to peering at famous faces, portrait galleries have been serving up the goods since long before social media ever existed. Think of a well-known name not just in recent times, but going back decades, centuries and longer, and it's likely that someone somewhere once painted their likeness. The Beatles, David Bowie, Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai: they've all been given the portrait treatment, and the results — or one painting bearing their faces, at least — are now on display at Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London. Showing at Canberra's National Portrait Gallery, this is the type of exhibition that arises when one portrait gallery teams up with another; think of it as the Inception of portrait showcases. There's a heavy British skew, naturally, covering people who have shaped UK history, identity and culture over the past 500 years. Accordingly, other famous folks gracing the NPG's walls include both Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Moss, Mick Jagger and Princess Diana, as well as Lord Nelson, Sir Isaac Newton and Ed Sheeran, Darcey Bussell. As mentioned in the exhibition's name, both the Bard and Amy Winehouse obviously also feature, in an exhibition that's sorted by theme rather than year. And, by grouping portraits around fame, power, love and loss, identity, innovation and self, Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London also examines how portraiture has evolved over the years — all across a season that runs from Saturday, March 12–Sunday, July 17.
It's been three long, chaotic, pandemic-interrupted years since the Australian music festival scene welcomed Festival X, which debuted back in 2019 with Calvin Harris leading the bill. We all know why the event hasn't been able to return since, but it's remedying that absence this November and December — with Harris as one of its headliners again. That's fantastic news if you're a fan of the Scottish DJ. If you're keen for a hot girl summer — or the days leading up to summer in some cities — Festival X's comeback has something for you, too. Also topping the lineup is Megan Thee Stallion, who'll be heading to Australia for the first time ever. Festival X has five stops in its sights between Saturday, November 26–Sunday, December 4, all huge outdoor gigs — playing Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Alabaster Sports Fields on the Gold Coast, Bonython Park in Adelaide, Sydney Showground and Perth's Burswood Park. Also hitting the stage: Don Toliver, Boys Noize, Green Velvet, John Summit, Luude and MaRLo — and, yes, the list goes on. Festival X hails from quite the list of industry big guns, with Onelove (Stereosonic), Live Nation (Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival) and Hardware (Piknic Electronik, Babylon) behind the touring event. It's the latest massive fest to lock in plans for the end of 2022, following Grapevine Gathering, Falls Festival, Lost Paradise, Spilt Milk, Summer Camp, Beyond the Valley, Listen Out and Woodford Folk Festival. Festival-goers, it's going to be a busy summer. If you're keen, Festival X tickets go on sale from 12pm AEST on Thursday, June 2, with a LatitudePay presale from 12pm AEST on Monday, May 30 and a festival presale from 12pm AEST on Wednesday, June 1. FESTIVAL X 2022 LINEUP: Calvin Harris Megan Thee Stallion Don Toliver Boys Noize Green Velvet John Summit Luude MaRLo Nina Kraviz Sub Focus DJ Set & ID Tchami Wilkinson DJ Anna Lunoe Babyface Mal Badrapper Blastoyz Choomba Cosmic Gate Franky Rizardo Haliene Key4050 Feat John O'Callaghan & Bryan Kearney Laura King Nifra Nora En Pure Prospa Solardo Sunset Bros Taglo Tyson Obrien FESTIVAL X 2022 DATES: Saturday, November 26 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Sunday, November 27 — Alabaster Sports Fields, Gold Coast Friday, December 2 — Bonython Park, Adelaide Saturday, December 3 — Sydney Showground, Sydney Sunday, December 4 — Burswood Park, Perth Festival X 2022 tours the country from Saturday, November 26–Sunday, December 4. For more information or to buy tickets — from 12pm AEST on Thursday, June 2, with a LatitudePay presale from 12pm AEST on Monday, May 30 and a festival presale from 12pm AEST on Wednesday, June 1 — head to the festival website.
In a few years, when someone hands you an Australian $5 note, that cold hard cash in your hand will look more than a little different. The nation's banknotes have undergone a makeover in the past few years, with a revamped $5 note doing the rounds since 2016 — but that same denomination is about to get another redesign to replace Queen Elizabeth II. Whether you pay for your coffees with actual money or you barely handle physical coins and notes, every Aussie knows that the late monarch's likeness adorns some of our legal tender, including our $5 note. Accordingly, with the Queen's passing in 2022, we all started wondering two things: whether we'd get a day off (answer: yes) and what's happening to our currency. Now, the Reserve Bank of Australia has announced that the $5 note will replace the portrait of the Queen, but not with King Charles III. Instead, in welcome news, one side of the note will feature "a new design that honours the culture and history of the First Australians". "This decision by the Reserve Bank Board follows consultation with the Australian Government, which supports this change," the organisation said in a statement. "The Bank will consult with First Australians in designing the $5 banknote. The new banknote will take a number of years to be designed and printed. In the meantime, the current $5 banknote will continue to be issued. It will be able to be used even after the new banknote is issued." The other side of the $5 note will remain unchanged, so it'll still boast an image of the Australian Parliament. That design features the Forecourt Mosaic, which is based on Michael Nelson Jagamara's Central Desert dot-style painting Possum and Wallaby Dreaming. As the Reserve Bank's statement makes plain, exactly how the new $5 note design will pay tribute to Australia's Indigenous culture and history hasn't yet been finalised. In the past, Australia's currency has featured imagery of Aboriginal rock paintings and carvings, and designs based on a bark painting by David Malangi Daymirringu, thanks to the original $1 banknote from 1966 — before that denomination was replaced with a gold coin. The Reserve Bank also issued a one-off $10 note as the nation's first-ever polymer banknote in 1988, which highlighted examples of ancient and contemporary Aboriginal art. And, the $50 banknote currently in circulation pays tribute to author, activist, inventor, musician, preacher and Ngarrindjeri man David Unaipon. For more information about Australia's currency and any changes, head to the Reserve Bank of Australia's website.
The largest-ever showcase of living Australian artists will casually drop by Ballarat this spring, with the inaugural Biennale of Australian Art (BOAA) in town from September 21 until November 6. It's big news for the small city, with the six-week event set to be a major drawcard for the Central Highlands region of Victoria. There'll be 150 artists coming from all reaches of Australia, making up 65 curated solo exhibitions, as the Biennale aims to have equal representation of artists from every state and territory. Taking place in over 14 different venues across Ballarat, its art points will certainly be amped up several notches by the array of visual arts and live music set to take over the town. With the event boasting a strong focus on Indigenous talent, art from the Numina sisters, Abdul Abdullah, Kim Anderson, David Jensz and Peggy Griffiths will be on display, among work from over a hundred others. Music-wise, the BOAA Band Wagon will be doing the rounds: a specially built music truck that'll provide the sound staging for the event's outdoor gigs at Lake Wendouree and St Andrews Grounds, as well as concerts held at Ballarat's other music venues. In special events, there'll be a living sculpture fashion parade, an evening program called BOAA Dark and a lake sculpture walk, which turns Lake Wendouree into an outdoor gallery featuring 26 sculptures. Free mini buses, bikes and rickshaws will transport attendees around the art path, pausing at pit stops providing food and local beers and wines for your hungry, thirsty and very well-arted selves. With the Biennale expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors, Ballarat looks set to be a pretty busy little place over the six weeks. Two-day or six-week (festival) passes are available at $25 and $100 respectively, so start planning your road trips. The Biennale of Australian Art runs from September 21 until November 6 in Ballarat. For more information, visit the BOAA website.
Spending more time at home is much easier to stomach with a hefty rage of desserts on hand, or at least that seems to be Gelato Messina's pandemic motto. Over the past few months, the gelato fiends have served up plenty of tasty specials, including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties, as well as 40 of its best gelato flavours. Up next: a gelato version of everyone's childhood-favourite biscuit. If you've been baking your own coconut-topped Iced VoVos at home since Arnott's released the recipe a few months back, consider your tastebuds primed for this frosty, creamy version. Messina initially whipped it up in collaboration with Sydney eatery Firedoor and, unsurprisingly, it proved mighty popular. So the gelato chain is now making tubs of the flavour available at all its stores for a limited period. Wondering what exactly Iced VoVo gelato entails? It combines toasted coconut gelato with pieces of shortbread biscuit, then tops it with marshmallow, raspberry puree and desiccated coconut. And yes, the end result looks like the bikkies you know and love — but in a scoopable form. Available as part of Messina's new 'Hot Tub' series, the Iced VoVo gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, July 20, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, July 24–Sunday July 26. Gelato Messina's Iced VoVo gelato tubs will be available to order on Monday, July 20, for pick up between Friday, July 24–Sunday July 26 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details. If and when you do decide to head out to pick up food, remember to follow the Australian Government Department of Health's social distancing guidelines.
When Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi invited the world to experience the vampire sharehouse mockumentary genre, one of the best comedies of the decade wasn't the only result. Every film seems to spawn sequels, remakes, spinoffs and the like these days, but no one's complaining about spending more time in the What We Do in the Shadows universe. A follow-up, We're Wolves, is in the works, focusing on the undead bloodsuckers' Rhys Darby-led lycanthrope enemies. So is six-episode television spinoff Wellington Paranormal, following the movie's cops (Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary) as they keep investigating the supernatural, and expected to air in New Zealand mid this year. Add a US TV remake of the original flick to the pile as well, but withhold any "do we really need a remake?" judgement. First revealed by Waititi last year and now moving ahead, the pilot has been written by Clement, and is expected to shoot this year. He won't appear on camera, however; speaking to Indiewire as part of the Television Critics Association press tour for Legion, which he stars in, Clement said the series will be about a documentary crew in America. With What We Do in the Shadows actually starting its life as a short back in 2005, the concept of flatting members of the undead arguing about bloody dishes has taken quite the journey since those early beginnings. If any idea was going to come back in multiple guises, it's this one. Of course, so have Clement and Waititi. Clement also revealed that he'll be filming a Flight of the Conchords TV special for HBO later this year to coincide with their new US tour, while Waititi just directed a little superhero-filled box office blockbuster called Thor: Ragnarok. Via Indiewire. Image: Kane Skennar.
Since 2011, DJ Tom Loud's travelling dance party Hot Dub Time Machine has ripped up stages the world over, offering a rolling crossfade of the last six decades of pop-music. And back in 2017, he launched Wine Machine, a series of al fresco get-togethers on some of the country's most-loved wine regions. The Wine Machine events have kept returning — when the pandemic hasn't been interrupting plans — and they're making a comeback in 2022 and 2023. This time around, these single-stage parties in the vines are split into two batches, hitting up Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania from November 2022–January 2023 with one lineup, then heading to New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria from March–April 2023 with another. The western and southern leg of the fest is already on sale, with Flight Facilities, Lime Cordiale, Cut Copy, San Cisco, Client Liaison, Masked Wolf and Art vs Science on the bill — although some acts will only play some locations. Their destinations: Oakover Grounds in the Swan Valley, McLaren Vale's Serafino Wines and Home Hill Winery in Huon Valley. For east coasters, leading the music will be one of Hot Dub's Rave Machine sets. He'll be joined on stage by Lime Cordiale (except in Victoria), Bliss N Esso, Vera Blue (except in NSW), Northeast Party House, KLP and more — at Dalwood Estate in the Hunter Valley, Canberra's Commonwealth Park and Rochford Wines in Victoria. Backing up the tunes, there'll be a tasty lineup of eats, craft beer and, of course, some sensational vino from these Australian wine regions. Safe to say, it's probably the rowdiest event these wineries will host all year. WINE MACHINE 2023 DATES: Saturday, November 26, 2022 — Oakover Grounds, Swan Valley, Whadjuk Country, Western Australia Saturday, December 17, 2022 — Serafino Wines, McLaren Vale, Kaurna Country, South Australia Saturday, January 14, 2023 — Home Hill Winery, Huon Valley, Nuenonne Country, Tasmania Saturday, March 18, 2023 — Dalwood Estate, Hunter Valley, Wonnarua Country, New South Wales Saturday, March 25, 2023 — Commonwealth Park, Canberra, Ngunnawal Country, Australian Capital Territory Saturday, April 1, 2023 — Rochford Wines, Wurundjeri Country, Victoria WINE MACHINE 2022–23 LINEUP — WA, SA AND TASMANIA: Flight Facilities (DJ set only in Tasmania) Lime Cordiale Cut Copy San Cisco Client Liaison (excluding SA) Masked Wolf (SA only) Art vs Science (SA only) Stace Cadet (DJ set, Tasmania only) Sumner (SA only) Mell Hall Happiness Is Wealth Jimi the Kween The Poof Doof Jamboree WINE MACHINE 2023 LINEUP — NSW, ACT AND VICTORIA: Hot Dub Time Machine Lime Cordiale (excluding Victoria) Bliss N Esso Vera Blue (excluding NSW) Northeast Party House KLP Grantperez The Poof Doof Jamboree Wine Machine tours Australia from November 2022–April 2023. Tickets for Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania are on sale now. Ticket pre-sales for NSW, ACT and Victoria start from 6pm AEDT on Wednesday, November 2, with general sales from 12pm AEDY on Thursday, November 3. Head to the festival website for further details.
When it comes to kicking back and relaxing, some people swear by a nice warm bath. Others prefer tapping their toes to their favourite tunes, having a boozy beverage or just switching off from their always-vibrating phone. And, for another group, there's nothing that induces bliss better than listening to the one and only Keanu Reeves. Actually, that last category should really apply to everyone. If you're someone who finds the actor behind John Wick, Neo, Johnny Utah and Ted "Theodore" Logan particularly soothing, then you'll want to make a date with HBO's new series A World of Calm. It doesn't yet have a release date but, when it does hit the channel's HBO Max streaming service in the US and hopefully make its way to audiences Down Under as well, it'll give the world exactly what we want: Keanu's voice reading a narrative that has been scientifically-engineered to induce a feeling of tranquility, as paired with music and footage that's also designed to do the same. Ideally he'll say "whoa!" more than once. In HBO's first leap into health and wellness-style content, the ten-episode series is based on the popular Calm sleep, meditation and relaxation app, with the US TV network pairing up with the folks behind the latter. Specifically, the two companies are aiming to bring Calm's Sleep Stories to the screen — which have been called "bedtime stories for grown ups", have notched up more than 250 million listens, and are all about calming and soothing listeners. Keanu will only be doing the honours on one of A World of Calm's half-hour episodes; however the rest of the series definitely doesn't slouch in the star-power stakes. Joining him is a cast that'd do any movie proud, spanning not only Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Nicole Kidman, Zoë Kravitz, Lucy Liu and Cillian Murphy, but also two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. As for what you'll be looking at while your ears soak in the dulcet tones of all of the above A-list stars — who'll basically be guiding you through a televised relaxation session — HBO advises that it'll be serving up "mesmeric imagery". Created with Nutopia, the folks behind National Geographic's One Strange Rock and Disney+'s The World According to Jeff Goldblum, that'll also include visuals from the company's global network of cinematographers and filmmakers. Intrigued? While you're waiting for A World of Calm, you can check out one of the audio-only Calm Sleep Stories — as read by Game of Thrones' Jerome Flynn — below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4x9ssJ0jfM A World of Calm doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you with further details when they come to hand.
A new Australian ridesharing service that caters exclusively to female customers and hires only female drivers has officially started operations in Melbourne and Brisbane, with Sydney soon to follow. Created by comedian and single mother Georgina McEnroe, Shebah is designed to provide an alternative to women and parents who feel uncomfortable or unsafe using other ridesharing apps such as Uber. "My daughter and her friends had had some bad experiences with Uber," McEnroe told The Sydney Morning Herald. "The thought of getting in a small space with a guy seemed inherently unsafe." As of this week, Shebah will be operating in Queensland from North Lakes to Brisbane, down to Thornlands and then heading west to Bray Park, Albany Creek, Ferny Hills, Mount Ommaney and Inala, as well as on the Gold Coast from Coomera, Coolangatta, Currumbin Valley and Chinderra. In Victoria, the service will stretch from Bundoora to Essendon, Tarneit and through the western suburbs, as well as out to Doncaster and Ringwood, to Dandenong, Dromana and Blairgowrie. It will also operate within a 20 kilometre radius of the Geelong CBD. As for NSW, the service has assured its followers on Facebook it will be up and running as soon as they have enough drivers to support passenger demand. All Shebah drivers will be required to complete relevant legal checks, and in return will receive 85 percent of each fare. Shebah takes 14 percent, while the remainder goes to women-centric charities including Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia and the Northern Centre Against Sexual Assault's Respectful Relationships Program. The Shebah app is available on the App Store and via Google Play. For more information visit www.shebah.com.au.
Among the many things that cinema's various bleak visions of the future have taught us, the need for sturdy footwear is right up there. Who wants to be caught wandering through Mad Max: Fury Road's apocalyptic wasteland with flimsy shoes? And, although Blade Runner's 2019 setting has been and gone, who wants to be bathed in its neon lights or Blade Runner 2049's orange haze without their toes covered? Consider Dr Martens' new Warner Bros-inspired range the perfect kicks if dystopian times come, then. Some are best worn if you're feeling shiny and chrome, others will suit you if you wonder whether androids dream of electric sheep. The iconic footwear label has teamed up with the movie studio to celebrate the latter's 100th anniversary, paying tribute to Mad Max: Fury Road and the OG Blade Runner specifically across four pairs of docs. There's two types of shoes for each, with both films scoring their own riff on Dr Martens' 1460 boot and Jadon boot. Here's one way to choose which kind you want: via the thickness of the soles, with the Jadon's platform base adding to your height. For Mad Max: Fury Road devotees hanging out for prequel Furiosa, the 1460 version comes with "what a lovely day" printed on the back of old harness leather, and also features a harness over the shoes, plus laces with a spearhead charm printed with Immortan Joe emblem. If you opt for the Jadon boots, you'll get chrome-plated shoes that feature the skull emblem stamped on a metal plate, a zipper to match, red rubber and a chain threaded around the back, gear-inspired eyelets and a skeleton arm pointing towards the toe. The Blade Runner kicks both feature four unforgettable words: "like tears in rain". With the 1460 boot, the phrase repeats along the welt. With the Jadon, it's printed on the backstrap. The 1460 also includes a grid print, a strip of reflective tape on the backtrap, a Tyrell Corporation stamp and lace charm to match, as well as a dog tag. With the Jadon, it boasts red stitching, multiple Tyrell Corp nods — including via embossing — and an origami unicorn charm. When you're getting decked out to worship your favourite sci-fi classic, there's also Blade Runner-inspired bag if you're a matchy-matchy sort. Dr Martens new Warner Bros anniversary range is available from Thursday, November 16 online and in stores — head to the brand's website for further details.
