If you're a fan of Better Call Saul, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Dead to Me or The Good Place, you've probably spent plenty of time in front of your TV screen over the past six months. But, even when we're all staying inside revisiting our favourite shows, 2020's television and streaming viewing isn't just about the programs you already love. If you're always eager to add some fresh favourites to your pile, the year so far has well and truly delivered. They're the new series that, in years to come, will sit atop your rewatch list. From ominous and ambitious science-fiction thrillers and contemplative slow-TV documentaries to comic takes on history and bold reworkings of literary classics, 2020's batch of new shows has proven a varied bunch — and an excellent one as well. It's enough to make you hole up in your living room and never want to leave. Or, to spend the year's colder months catching up. With the year at its halfway point, here are our picks of 2020's best TV and streaming series that you owe it to yourself to seek out now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODYjA9H4qcw NORMAL PEOPLE When Sally Rooney's Normal People first hit bookshelves in 2018, it thrust readers into a disarmingly relatable love story, following the amorous ups and downs of an on-again, off-again couple from Sligo, Ireland. Teenagers Marianne and Connell have known each other for years, as tends to happen in small towns. And although she's aloof, intense and considered an acerbic loner, while he's outgoing and popular, a torrid and tumultuous secret romance blooms. That's just the beginning of the Irish author's novel, and of the both tender and perceptive TV series that brings the book to the screen. As it dives deep into a complex chronicle of first love, it not only charts Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Cold Feet) and Connell's (newcomer Paul Mescal) feelings for each other, but details the recognisable and realistic minutiae of being a high schooler and then a uni student. This is first and foremost a romance, and a passionate and intimate one at that; however the series can't tell this complicated couple's story without touching upon everything else that pops up along the way. Normal People is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htuNZp82Ck&feature=youtu.be TALES FROM THE LOOP If Black Mirror set all of its bleak futuristic tales in one small town, followed interconnected characters and sported a low-fi, retro sheen, the result would be Tales From the Loop. This patient, beautiful, poignant and incredibly moving sci-fi series is actually based on a series of paintings by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag — and even if you didn't already know that fact while you were watching, you'd notice the show's distinctive aesthetic. The title refers to a mysterious underground machine, called The Loop, that's designed to explore and unravel the mysteries of the universe. For the folks living above it, their lives soon take strange turns. Anchoring jumps and pauses in time, body swaps, giant robots and more in everyday situations and emotions (such as being envious of a friend, falling in love, betraying your nearest and dearest, and trying to connect with your parents), Tales From the Loop is as perceptive as it is immersive and engaging. And, its eight episodes are helmed by an exceptional array of fantastic filmmakers, including Never Let Me Go's Mark Romanek, WALL-E's Andrew Stanton, The House of the Devil's Ti West and actor-turned-director Jodie Foster. Tales From the Loop is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8klax373ds DEVS Radiating unease from its very first moments, yet sporting both a mood and a futuristic look that prove simultaneously unsettlingly and alluring, Devs is unmistakably the work of author-turned-filmmaker Alex Garland. His first jump to the small screen, it instantly slots in nicely beside Ex Machina and Annihilation on his resume — and it's just as intriguing and involving as each of those excellent movies. The setting: Amaya, a US technology company that's massive in size yet secretive in its focus. When Sergei (Karl Glusman) is promoted to its coveted, extra clandestine Devs division, his girlfriend and fellow Amaya employee Lily (Sonoya Mizuno is thrilled for him. But when Sergei doesn't come home from his first day, Lily starts looking for answers — including from the company's guru-like leader Forest (a long-haired, very un-Ron Swanson-like Nick Offerman). Devs is available to stream via Foxtel Now and Binge. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5vLgpdXz0g THE GREAT It takes its title from its central figure, Russian empress Catherine the Great. It's filled with lavish period-appropriate costumes, wigs, sets and decor. And, it explores an immensely famous time during the 18th century that had a significant impact upon the world. Normally, that'd all smack of a certain kind of drama; however The Great is firmly a comedy as well. As starring Elle Fanning as the eponymous ruler, Nicholas Hoult as her husband Peter III and Bohemian Rhapsody's Gwilym Lee as a fellow member of the royal court, that means witty, laugh-out-loud lines, an irreverent and often cheeky mood, and having ample fun with real-life details — much in the way that Oscar-winner The Favourite did with British royalty on the big screen. Of course, the comparison couldn't be more fitting, with that film's BAFTA-winning screenwriter, Australian Tony McNamara, using his savagely hilarious satirical skills to pen The Great as well. The Great is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaMIcuVH83M&feature=emb_logo THE BEACH Whenever Warwick Thornton makes a new project, it demands attention — and the Indigenous Australian filmmaker has never made anything quite like The Beach. The director of Samson & Delilah and Sweet Country turns the camera on himself, chronicling his quest to escape his busy life for an extended soul-searching getaway. With only chickens and wildlife for company, Thornton bunkers down in an electricity-free tin shed in Jilirr, on the Dampier Peninsula on the northwest coast of Western Australia. He fishes, cooks, chats to the chooks, wanders along the shoreline and reflects upon everything that's led him to this point, with this six-part documentary series capturing the ups, downs, sublime sights and epiphany-inspiring moments. Unfurling quietly and patiently in the slow-TV tradition, Thornton's internal journey of discovery makes for both moving and absorbing viewing. Indeed, combined with stunning cinematography (as shot by Thornton's son and Robbie Hood director Dylan River), it just might be the best piece of Australian television you see this year. The Beach is available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TA3B8Z5lcQ DISPATCHES FROM ELSEWHERE It has been a few years since Jason Segel was seen on-screen with any frequency; however the Freaks and Geeks, How I Met Your Mother and The Muppets star returns in a big way with Dispatches from Elsewhere. As well as leading the cast, he created, co-wrote and co-directed the intriguing and enigmatic puzzle-like drama series, which is based on the documentary The Institute and tracks a group of strangers who find themselves drawn to a strange, game-like mystery. IT worker Peter (Segel), the lively Simone (Eve Lindley), the overly cautious and paranoid Fredwynn (Andre Benjamin), and the upbeat Janice (Sally Field) all don't know what they're getting themselves in for when they start spotting flyers around town about offbeat topics (communicating with dolphins and trialling human force fields, for example), then each individually call the number printed on them. And, for maximum immersion and enjoyment — and to go on the ten-part show's weird and wonderful ride with its characters — audiences should approach it with as little prior knowledge of any details other than the above as well. Dispatches from Elsewhere is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDKYJwih5-Q BREEDERS Catastrophe, that great, smart, acerbically funny British comedy about a couple's experiences with parenthood, attempts to navigate life's all-round chaos and just general effort to try to stay together, sadly finished up its four-season run last year. Let worthy successor Breeders fill the gap — with Martin Freeman starring as exasperated dad Paul, Daisy Haggard (Back to Life) playing his partner Ally, and The Thick of It's Chris Addison and Simon Blackwell on directing and writing duties. Basically, if the aforementioned political satire featured parents swearing profusely at their kids instead of government staffers unleashing at their colleagues, this is how it would turn out. The show is partially based on Freeman's own experiences, too, and stems from the Sherlock, The Office and The Hobbit actor's idea. Breeders is available to stream via Foxtel Now and Binge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zVhRId0BTw UNORTHODOX Deborah Feldman's best-selling 2012 autobiography Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots makes the leap to Netflix as a four-part mini-series. And, as the book's title makes plain, both explore her decision to leave her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, New York, flee her arranged marriage and everyone she's ever known, and escape to Berlin to start a brand new life. Names and details have been changed, as tends to be the case with dramas based on real-life stories; however Unorthodox still follows the same overall path. In a tense but instantly commanding opening to the show's first episode, 19-year-old Esther 'Esty' Shapiro (Shira Haas) slips out of the apartment she shares with her husband Yanky (Amit Rahav), picks up a passport from her piano teacher and nervously heads to the airport. The end result proves a unique and intriguing coming-of-age tale, a thoughtful thriller, and an eye-opening but always careful and respectful look at a culture that's rarely depicted on-screen in such depth. Israeli actress Haas (The Zookeeper's Wife, Foxtrot, Mary Magdalene) turns in a nuanced, weighty and gripping performance as Esty, too — which is absolutely pivotal in making Unorthodox so compelling to watch. Unorthodox is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyxdf2TvcJE STATELESS A flight attendant (Yvonne Strahovski) unhappy with her life, trying to find solace in a cult-like dance school run by a creepy duo (Cate Blanchett and Dominic West), and eventually making a drastic decision. An Afghan refugee Ameer (Fayssal Bazzi) attempting to escape to Australia with his wife and daughters in search of a better life. A struggling father (Jai Courtney) in a remote town who takes a job at the local detention facility because it pays well. A bureaucrat (Asher Keddie) brought in to manage said location when it attracts negative media attention. They're the four characters at the heart of six-part Australian mini-series Stateless — a show that doesn't just feel as if it is ripped from the headlines but, in one specific instance, is 100-percent drawn from real-life events. This is bold, topical television filled with fantastic performances, although that's to be expected given the cast. Stateless is available to stream via ABC iView. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMUPp_hNMlM THE EDDY A fantastic cast, a Parisian setting and oh-so-much jazz. As executive produced and partly directed by Whiplash and La La Land filmmaker Damien Chazelle, that's what's on offer in eight-part drama The Eddy. The title refers to the French club run by former pianist Elliot (Andre Holland) and his business partner Farid (Tahar Rahim), with every episode following the daily life of a different person — including Elliot's rebellious teenage daughter Julie (Amandla Stenberg), as well as Maja (Joanna Kulig), the lead singer of the venue's resident jazz band. Like almost everything that Chazelle touches, other than First Man, jazz features heavily. That's really just a given with his work by now. But whether you're as fond of the style of music as he clearly is, you could take or leave it, or you're just keen on virtually visiting Europe, The Eddy unfurls a moody and engrossing tale that benefits from its excellent on-screen talent. The Eddy is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMaPCYRPhY0 MYTHIC QUEST: RAVEN'S BANQUET For the past 15 years, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton have co-written and co-starred in one of the best shows on TV: the so-ridiculous-its-hilarious It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Hopefully, that'll never change — Sunny just aired its 14th season last year — but McElhenney and Day have also just launched a new sitcom. Trading a sleazy Philly bar for a video game development studio, Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet sees McElhenney play a gaming visionary who's having trouble with the latest expansion pack of his big online role-playing hit. Big troubles, actually. A workplace comedy, Mythic Quest takes some time to find its feet, but it's worth sticking with. It also stars Community's Danny Pudi, Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham and Australian Content actress (and #Flipgirl) Charlotte Nicdao. And if you're a fan, you'll be pleased to know that Apple renewed it for a second season before the first even premiered. Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet is available to stream via Apple TV+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVQ9-XH3hc8 DRACULA After giving Sherlock Holmes plenty of twists in Sherlock, writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have decided that another famous character could use a once-over — and not just any old figure, either. Bram Stoker's Dracula has been adapted for the screen so many times, the bloodsucker actually holds the record, but this version isn't like any other. Starring The Square's Claes Bang as the undead count, the BBC and Netflix three-part series has plenty of tricks up its sleeves. So many, in fact, that we won't say too much in order to preserve the mystery. In a smart, lush, gleefully theatrical and cleverly scripted affair that blends gothic horror with sly amusement, the basic framework of the 123-year-old story remains — spanning both Romania and Britain, and following his altercations with lawyer Jonathan Harker, his lust for Lucy Westenra and his run-ins with Van Helsing — but not as you'd ever expect. Bang is fantastic, but keep a particular eye out for Dolly Wells (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) as a pivotal nun. Dracula is available to stream via Netflix. Looking for more viewing highlights? Check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
After tantalising pop-ups around town and most recently at GABS, Salmon and Bear is set to open on Newtown's King Street later this month. The 'casual seafood eatery' has its roots in Zetland and boasts chef Mark Jensen behind the helm — a seasoned vet in the restaurant scene, Jensen runs Darlinghurst's Red Lantern, the world's most awarded Vietnamese restaurant. Jensen is bringing Newtown his same commitment to sustainability with Salmon and Bear. "Sustainability will certainly be a strong focus for us and we are working closely with our suppliers to ensure they are following environmental practices," he says. Along with business partner and GM Joe Ward, the team has created a solid menu that offers seasonal produce at affordable pricing. The basic fish shop fare maintains a bit of polished flare — think Hawaiian-style Poke sushi salads ($21-24) and array of charcoal grilled fish options, from ora king salmon to Spanish mackerel ($18), as well as a special catch of the day. It may be a fish shop, but it's fresh as, not a greasy dive. We're most excited to try the tacos ($6), ranging from a sticky soy glazed salmon to crispy prawn and corn. All tacos are lovingly wrapped in a soft corn tortilla and topped with cabbage, salsa verde, pickled pink onions, coriander, lime and, most importantly, sriracha mayo. If you're starved, go for the Grizzly Plate ($28), which includes your choice of fish, dipping sauce and any two sides/salads. Jensen's favourite combination for these cooler months is the ora king salmon with salsa verde, bean salad and sweet potato fries or chive mash — his version of comfort food personified. We'd be remiss not to mention that the legends at Gelato Messina are behind the desserts ($7 each) — choose from the 'Bear' chocolate gelato cookie sandwich or the 'Salmon' strawberry gelato paddle pop dipped in white chocolate. We'll take one of each, please and thank you. Craft beer fanatics will also be glad to hear that they're already working with local favourites, like Young Henrys, Grifter and Willie The Boatman, to keep their shop fully stocked with all things craft. "We love Newtown. It's just pumping with energy day-in, day-out, and we really enjoy the massive melting pot of people," says Jensen. Salmon and Bear will open later this month at 226 King Street, Newtown. Keep an eye on their website for updates.
We've already given you scores of reasons to head up to the Blue Mountains for a weekender. Just when you thought the Scenic Skyway and the Hydromajestic's spiffing new bar couldn't be topped, we bring you an epic pop-up, outdoor sculpture gallery — in bona fide Jurassic rainforest. Heading into its fifth year, the annual Sculpture at Scenic World will run from April 8 till May 8. As you wander along the 2.4 km boardwalk, you'll pass 29 works created by 33 artists from all over the world, as far afield as Iran, Japan, Finland and Slovenia. They've been handpicked by an independent panel, made up of Michael Snelling, Felicity Fenner and Claire Healy, and one of them will win the whopping $20,000 Scenic World Major Award, to be announced at the opening. This year's artists include Braidwood's Suzie Bleach and Andy Townsend, known for their fabulous, animal-inspired sculptures; Lucy Barker, whose works explore time, light, glass and perceptions; and Fleur Brett, who creates woven sculptural forms. If you're travelling all the way to the mountains for these glorious artworks, you may as well make a sleepover of it. The good news is that, to encourage peeps like you to drop by, six of the Blueys' most excellent accommodation options are offering art-inspired packages. All include Ultimate Sculptures Passes, which mean you can spend as much time at Scenic World as you like, wandering among the sculptures at your leisure, whizzing up and down the Scenic Railway and freaking out while soaking in extraordinary views through the glass bottom of the Scenic Skyway, which hangs 270 metres above a gorge, affording panoramas of Katoomba Falls, The Three Sisters and Jamison Valley. Depending on where you're staying, stacks of other extras are thrown in, from buffet brekkies with lake views to high teas in lush gardens to spas. Your options are the Hydro Majestic, Parklands Country Gardens and Lodges, Echoes Boutique Hotel, Lilianfels Resort and Spa, The Carrington Hotel and Fairmont Resort. “The promise of a break that mixes a choice of tailored accommodation packages with Sculpture at Scenic World, amazing Blue Mountains views and a Public Program that offers something for everyone is enticing for art lovers, enthusiasts and families alike,” said Justin Morrissey, Sculpture at Scenic World exhibition manager. “Of course, location is key when it comes to a mini art escape and being familiar with the area is what gives us the edge in helping recommend accommodation packages for Sculpture at Scenic World guests.” Sculpture at Scenic World will run from April 8 till May 8. Top image: Artwork — Elyssa Sykes-Smith, A Canopy of Thoughts (2015), Image — Keith Maxwell. Body Image: Artwork — Nathan Keogh, Compression (2014).
Each January, as the temperature rises and languid afternoons stretch into sparkling nights, the city comes alive with the three-week carnival that is the Sydney Festival. Now in its 41st year, Australia's biggest annual arts fest transforms our city into a creative playground, filling our summer with a generous helping of culture. With hundreds of performances ranging from thought-provoking theatre to innovative dance and awe-inspiring circus, the Festival's program is always packed with choices for a night out — and 2017 is no exception. To help you make the most of next year's panoply of offerings, we've highlighted eight stand-out shows. All world premiere performances that can be seen for the first time in Sydney, these performances and installations — including dance, opera, and visual arts — promise to be a feast for the senses. Sydney Festival is iconic for bringing together somewhat unusual collaborations, such as the Sydney Dance Company and the AGNSW for Nude:Live. All up there are 16 world premieres at Sydney Festival 2017. We've picked out our favourites. If you can only fit in a few shows this summer, make sure at least one of these is on your list. Top Image: Nude Live.
It was something we thought would remain tucked away in the USA and Japan, sitting happily on Burger King breakfast menus or part of a solid, questionable homemade stoner diet. But here it is, rearing its processed, pink head in Sydney. We're talking the unfathomable Spam burger. We've heartily tucked into bao burgers, ramen burgers, mac 'n' cheese burgers. But this is next level shit (also what you'll likely drop in the bathroom after one of these). Recently-opened Darlinghurst venue Bloody Mary's is behind this diabolical burger, giving a bit of Australian love to the oft-ridiculed canned product. Owner Cinta Rockey told Good Food the burger tastes like "a burger crossed with a bacon-and-egg roll", which, let's be honest, sounds like some pretty high praise right there. Just look at it. Look how pink it is, sitting serenely between its lettuce and cheese hombres. It'll set you back 16 Spam-enabling dollars. They've even used Spam's former prison cell to hold the fries. Oh yeah. Welcome to first grade ???? ???? @bloodymaryssydney #spamburger #pineapple #bloodymaryssydney #darlinghurst #sydneyeats#spam A photo posted by Bloody Mary's (@bloodymaryssydney) on Jun 17, 2015 at 9:42pm PDT Not one to rest on spammy laurels, the Hamptons-inspired Bloody Mary's has quite the jaw-dropping menu. They've casually and maniacally deep fried Oreos: Limited time only. Deep fried Oreos ???????? @bloodymaryssydney @she_la_vee #bloodymaryssydney #oreo #darlinghurst #sydneyeats A photo posted by Bloody Mary's (@bloodymaryssydney) on Jun 18, 2015 at 11:23pm PDT They stack their other, less Spammy burgers high with onion rings: And of course, the mighty Bloody Mary is the star of the show, with a cocktail list including ten different Bloody Mary variations. You can choose your base spirit used including gin, tequila, dark rum and vodka, and then pick your garnishes. Fuck pickles! The 'Bloody Caesar' comes with bacon, cos lettuce and a prawn. Or this 'Bloody Hell' monster comes garnished with a prawn, chicken wing and a whole slider: If you're keen, find the formidable Spam Burger at Bloody Marys, 332 Victoria Street. Darlinghurst, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Via Good Food.
We don't know how things go down in your household, but the only food we generally pair a cider with is a packet of salt and vinegar chips on a balmy afternoon. But while this is undoubtedly a terrific use of an ice-cold bottle of the alcoholic apple beverage, it turns out that cider is great when used as an ingredient in your food as well. It's not just us saying that, by the way. Melbourne's Scott Pickett, chef and restaurateur at Saint Crispin and Estelle Bistro, agrees. "It adds an interesting element to a sauce or dish or puree, as opposed to using your standard red or white wine," says Pickett, who after reopening his Northcote restaurant The Estelle as Estelle Bistro earlier this year, has just opened the second phase of the space: Estelle by Scott Pickett. And what does cider complement best? According to Scott, it goes best with cured salmon and fish, charcuterie and — of course — pork. Pork jowl — which, for the record, is the cheek of the pig — is somewhat of a signature for Scott, who has continually used the jowl on the menu at his evolving High Street restaurant. With Estelle Bistro opening in February, the lineup changed, but jowl still stands as a stalwart. Only now it benefits from the addition of an ingenious cider gel. Adding the blobs of cider to the plate adds a whole other taste to the pork, says Scott. '"The sweet, yet dry flavour profiles of the cider and the fragrant apple add an extra element to the dish." So if you want to get a bit fancy with your cider and experience the true culinary chemical reaction that occurs when pork and apple are combined in the same mouthful, try making Scott Pickett's signature pork jowl with cider gel and boudin noir (that's a French blood sausage) this weekend. Fancy, fancy recipe below: Ingredients 3 pork jowls, skin on 500ml apple juice 375ml James Squire cider 200g boudin noir (blood sausage) 4 pickling onions 5g agar agar 1tsp seeded mustard Red mustard leaves 500g rock salt 1 bunch of thyme 1 bunch of sage 4 cloves of garlic For the pork jowl Place the rock salt, thyme, sage and garlic in a food processor and process all ingredients until well combined. Trim any excess fat and skin from the pork jowls, cover them in the salt mix and leave to sit in the fridge overnight. The next day, rinse off the salt and place jowls on a roasting rack lined with baking paper and roast at 230 degrees for 80 minutes. For the cider gel Pour the cider into a saucepan and, on the stove, reduce it until there's only half the liquid left. Add the apple juice and agar agar. Bring the liquid back to the boil, and when it's boiling, pour into a bowl and place it in the fridge to set. Once it has set, place the liquid into a blender and puree until a smooth gel forms. For the Boudin Noir crumb Roughly break up the boudin noir and place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in the oven at 150 degrees until the sausage has dried out and resembles large breadcrumbs. To serve Cut the pickling onions in half and roast with the layers facing down in a very hot pan. Continue to roast until slightly charred and tender, and when you remove them from the oven, separate the layers to get a shell-like shape. Take out the pork and cut it into 2cm slices. Place one slice of the pork jowl in the centre of the plate, and surround it with three dabs of the cider gel and three of the onion shells. Top with the boudin noir crumbs, dribble the grain mustard over the plate and garnish with the mustard leaves.
It's half the battle at Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week Australia, what are folks wearing off the runway. While the likes of Macgraw, Anna Quan and Maurice Terzini are putting their newest collections forward on runways across Sydney, editors, journalists, commentators, investors, industry professionals and general hanger-on-erers bring their own sense of style to each event. We headed for the beach on Thursday morning to capture the best street style outside Bondi Icebergs, where Terzini's Ten Pieces collection landed. See more images from Ten Pieces on Instagram.
Anyone who has ever watched a horror movie before knows that you should never, ever go into the woods. Yet that's exactly what the people behind Australia's coolest new immersive cinema experience are asking you to do. Horror Movie Campout is a blood-soaked overnight camping trip held in a secret Blair Witch-style forest an hour from the city. Just please, leave the machete at home. Coming to Melbourne in December and Sydney next year, this uniquely scary take on outdoor movie-going will treat campers to two classic horror films, along with a number of gory shorts. The first is 1973's head-spinner The Exorcist – enjoy the serenity of fear while roasting marshmallows and munching on popcorn (or spilling it) into the early hours of the morning. The second popular horror feature will be voted for by HMC campers via Facebook. But it's not just the movies. Beyond the comfort of your cosy cinema spot, surprises lurk in the forest. Is someone following you? Is that a person’s shadow, or just your imagination playing tricks? Horror Movie Campout promises to put your heart – and your bladder – to the test. Each $180 ticket includes a tent to sleep three mates. Glamping options are also available for $240, offering luxury horror-goers VIP perks such as express entry and primo spots in front of the screen. Just don't think you're exempt from the special horror surprises. Melbourne’s Horror Movie Campout is being held at Point Cook Homestead on December 4 and 5, while the Sydney event will be held in early 2016. It should also probably go without saying that this is strictly an R18+ event. Image via Dollar Photo Club.
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has established a studio on the Greek Island of Lesbos, where he and his students will create works relating to the ongoing European refugee crisis. Ai made the announcement while visiting the island, which has become one of the main entry points into Europe for hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of whom are fleeing the conflict in Syria. "As an artist, I have to relate to humanity’s struggles...I never separate these situations from my art," Ai told reporters. "I think that good art only comes out from when we have strong beliefs in aesthetics and human dignity. This can never be separated." The 58-year-old hopes to return to the island several times this year. He also plans to create a memorial on the island for refugees who lost their lives at sea. Ai, whose art frequently deals with human rights issues, has only recently begun travelling internationally again, having had his passport confiscated by Chinese authorities in 2011 when he was imprisoned for 81 days. Since its return he has visited London, where he snapped a selfie with Julian Assange, and Melbourne, where he attended the opening of the Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. He has chronicled his experiences in Lesbos via social media, posting images of himself with refugees and volunteers. Happy new year #refugees #lesvos A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Dec 31, 2015 at 8:56am PST A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Dec 30, 2015 at 11:42am PST Engines of refugees boats #refugees #lesvos A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Dec 31, 2015 at 1:57am PST In related news, volunteers for Greenpeace and Medecins San Frontieres recently created an enormous peace sign in Lesbos using discarded refugee life jackets, in an attempt to bring more attention to the crisis. More than half a million migrants have passed through the Greek Islands in the past 12 months alone. Via The Guardian.
It's time to dig the gumboots out of the back of your closet — Splendour in the Grass is returning to North Byron Parklands for another year. In 2023, Splendour celebrates its 21st year. Maybe your 21st birthday was the best night of your life. Or, perhaps you're still planning for the 21st to end all 21sts. Either way, Splendour's big two-one is serving up a massive lineup to celebrate. Lizzo, Flume, Mumford & Sons and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead the 2023 edition — the latter of which were slated to headline 2022's Splendour in the Grass lineup, but cancelled in the leadup. Flume's set is an Australian exclusive, celebrating ten years since his self-titled album and coming after his recent Australian tour in late 2022. Mumford & Sons are also doing an Aussie-exclusive gig, after last heading our way in 2019. Music lovers hitting Byron Bay can look forward to Hilltop Hoods, Sam Fender, J Balvin, Slowthai, Little Simz, Idles and Tove Lo as well, plus Arlo Parks, Ball Park Music, 100 Gecs doing another Aussie exclusive, Pnau and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — and more. Plus, there's been some late additions to the lineup. Powerhouse Russian punk group Pussy Riot recently joined both the music and Forum programs. Danny Brown, Ocean Alley and Thelma Plum were all added, too, to replace Lewis Capaldi, Slowthai and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Single-day, multi-day and camping tickets are all still available if you want to plan a last-minute trip up to Byron Bay. [caption id="attachment_891057" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claudia Ciapocha[/caption] SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2023 LINEUP Lizzo Flume (Australian exclusive: ten years of Flume) Mumford & Sons (Australian exclusive) Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hilltop Hoods J Balvin Danny Brown (Australian Exclusive) Sam Fender Idles Little Simz Tove Lo 100 Gecs (Australian exclusive) Arlo Parks Ocean Alley Ball Park Music Iann Dior King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 070 Shake Thelma Plum Pussy Riot Pnau Ruel Loyle Carner Benee Marlon Williams Hooligan Hefs Peach PRC Palace Dune Rats Tkay Maidza Noah Cyrus Skegss Sudan Archives Cub Sport Meg Mac X Club. Claire Rosinkranz Jack River The Smith Street Band Lastlings Jeremy Zucker Young Franco Sly Withers MAY-A The Vanns Telenova Vallis Alps Jamesjamesjames Kaycyy RVG Teenage Dads Balming Tiger Automatic Harvey Sutherland Gali Del Water Gap Royel Otis Shag Rock Big Wett Mia Wray Memphis LK Gold Fang Milku Sumner Forest Claudette Full Flower Moon Band William Crighton Hellcat Speedracer Triple J Unearthed Winners Mix Up DJs: Tseba Crybaby Latifa Tee Foura Caucasianopportunities Luen Mowgli DJ Macaroni Crescendoll Top image: Stephen Booth.
If you've been hitting up Sydney Festival this month, you've probably been spending your pre- and post-show slots at the festival village in Hyde Park. But when that wraps up this week, where will you go? Straight to the Sydney Opera House, we say, as its just launched a pop-up bar in line with its summer program. The bar, which has taken over its Portside venue off the Western Foyers, is themed around the very extra decadence of the Tudor period — namely the time of King Henry VIII. It ties in with the Opera House's current musical Six, which tells the story of the monarch from the perspective of his six (yes, six) wives. What does this mean? Champagne — and lots of it. G.H. Mumm is sponsoring the bar, so you can expect to see if flowing in flutes and giant cocktail glasses. There will also be some fancy snacks, like chicken liver pâté and Welsh rarebit. The bar will be open daily, but if you've got tickets for a Friday or Saturday show, you're in luck — you'll be able to play a game of quoits to a soundtrack supplied by an all-female lineup of DJs.
Nahji Chu has had a tumultuous few years. In the last few years, we've seen her restaurant chain Misschu go into administration, get pulled out of administration and then, last year, it ceased to exist in New South Wales (still alive and kicking in Victoria) when it was last year taken over by restaurateur Aki Kotzamichalis to become Saigon Lane. But now Chu is back on the Sydney dining scene. And her first project for 2017 is a 285-seater yum cha restaurant in Bondi Junction. Set to open on Tuesday, May 9 above East Leagues, Cha Li Boi will be bringing you Pacman dumplings, Phoenix Claws, Man Buns and loads more new takes on traditional Chinese dishes. If you ever visited the Oriental Jewel, the eatery that used to occupy the Bronte Road space, you're in for a surprise. "I told the builders, go in and gut it — take out everything," Chu says. "What I love about yum cha — and the authentic ones in Hong Kong do it really well — is that they look like empty warehouse spaces that restaurateurs have occupied." The builders did as asked and, consequently, Cha Li Boi is all exposed concrete and stripped back wooden seating. It's stark and modern, but warm and peaceful, she says. Chu enlisted John Leong (ex-Billy Kwong) as head chef to develop the menu. You can also expect classic dumplings, such as steamed pork bao, and more creative ones — the Ling My Bell dumplings, for example, look like gold fish, complete with orange tails. The Pac-Man dumplings look like their namesake, but with a variety of ingredients inside, including scallop and scampi, tempura eggplant with avocado and duck a l'Orange. The Claw Feet and the Man Buns? Well, they translate to chicken feet and vegan tempura okra sliders, respectively. Among her favourite dishes is The Godfather — a Sicilian garfish with a "cape" of Cheung fun rice sheets — and its vegan counterpart, The Godmother, which is packed with baby bamboo shoots, snow peas, oyster and mushrooms and native greens. Most produce comes from Martin Boetz's Cooks Co-op on the Hawkesbury, and John Susman is sourcing seafood, whom Nahji describes as "the ultimate fishmonger". Sommelier Paula Scholes (aka Miss Pearls) is in charge of the wine list. Her focus is boutique drops, created by small, independent producers. Examples include a Fritz Hasselback Reisling from Germany and Whispering Angel Rose from France, as well as William Downie Pinot and Prophet's Rock Pinot Gris, both from Victoria. Teetotallers can get stuck into bubble tea cocktails, fruit cups and organic teas, served up by the Car Bar. Feeling frisky? Try the vodka jelly shots. Cha Li Boi will open upstairs at 9-13 Bronte Road, Bondi Junction on Tuesday, May 9. It will be open Monday to Wednesday 11am-10pm, Thursday to Saturday 11am-11pm, and Sunday 11am-9pm.For more info, visit chaliboi.com.au. Images: I-Manifest.
If you're planning on spending this gig mildly toe-tapping, you might want to wait in the car. Sydney's long-labouring beatsmiths Hermitude have their newest album already sitting pretty on playlists Australia-wide — and another national tour ready to bust a few hard-dancing ligaments. Start stretching y'all. Luke Dubber (Luke Dubs) and Angus Stuart (El Gusto) have plenty to celebrate on this national tour. After nabbing the Australian Music Prize in 2012 for their straight-up killer album HyperParadise, they're riding a sweet wave of toastworthy accolades surrounding their 2015 Dark Night Sweet Light. The LP debuted at #1 on the ARIA chart (a first for Hermitude's label Elefant Traks) and has been featured as album of the week on FBi and triple j, alongside serious airplay for lead single 'The Buzz'. So it goes without saying, you're going to have to get in quick for a ticket to this show. The lads have come a long way from their early days of performing entire shows dressed as neanderthals with their decks covered in vines (actual thing), but the bombastic energy and unpredictable live instrumentation of Hermitude's live shows remains an unmissable combination for longtime fans and newcomers like. Do yourself a favour and don't read the tweets the next day, get to this show.
Live music, performance art, live karaoke, debate and Young Henrys gin will converge on Cockatoo Island on August 1 for the artiest party of the year, the 2015 Underbelly Arts Party. The programme includes the abstract electronica of solo artist Lucy Cliche, a brand new collaboration between Cassius Select and Thomas William dubbed T. Morimoto and Fake, chunyin and CORIN in live format, Austin Buckett, Megan Alice Clune, Pip Stafford, Soft Power, Daniel Jenatsch, and Alex Kiers and Claire Finneran. Meanwhile, a slew of comedians, artists, radio personalities and writers will get together to debate the topic 'Originality Is Overrated'. Mish Grigor will be doing the hosting and scheduled speakers include Dan Ilic (ABC Radio), Amala Groom (artist), Michael Hing (Good Game), Wendy Zukerman (Science Vs podcast), David Capra (artist) and Kate Britton (curator/writer). Once the performances have wrapped (and you've enjoyed a Young Henrys gin or several), it'll be your turn to contribute, when the Goodgod House Band takes over with live karaoke. If going home looks like too much of a downer after all this fun, go ahead and stay the night — ticketholders score up to 30 percent off glamping and camping packages, as well as full access to the Underbelly Arts Festival.
Clare Valley, only a few hours drive from Adelaide, is the gourmet food bowl of Australia. The regions brown, loamy soil produces world-famous drops of Shiraz and even more famous drops of Riesling, not to mention their bonkers local produce. During Gourmet Weekend, Clare Valley comes alive with hundreds of events at local cellar doors, wineries and restaurants that run the gamut from five course sit-downs to Mexican food truck parties with live music. The region has accommodation to suits all budgets, from a family friendly caravan park to kitted out cabins for groups who want to party on a winery all weekend.
Three Blue Ducks are finally open for business in their much anticipated new location — but not as we expected. Set in Rosebery's old Kitchen by Mike/Koskela Kitchen digs. But the restaurant is taking a very different shape than patrons expected (for now, at least), starting with a new dining pop-up named 'Bob'. Who is Bob, you ask? He is not a new head chef, or an experimental type of floating cuisine. Bob is actually the nickname for the restaurant's new, 540 kilogram barbecue. Owner Mark LaBrooy had this behemoth fabricated by a Byron Bay metalworker and it took 20 staff members just to set this bad boy up. The smoker is well in line with the new "'smoke, wood and char" themes that will set the Rosebery location apart from its Bronte and Byron Bay predecessors. Dishes currently on Bob's menu include charred octopus and piri piri chicken, along with wood-roasted cauliflower with pickled grapes, sumac and cauliflower puree. Bob's opening day featured a special 'Fish Scraps' dish — salmon belly and skin scorched in the woodfired oven and served with braised purple Congo potatoes. For warmer weather months, think Bob's Argentinean-style whole lamb. Patrons don't have to go the fire and brimstone route, either — the pop-up is also jumping on the recent poke trend with a kimchi and brown rice version. Bob the barbecue is joining the team alongside LaBrooy and head chef Pete MacKay, as well as co-chefs/owners Darren Robertson and Andy Allen. The pop-up will remain in place for another five months while the building becomes heritage-listed. After that time, the original concept for the TBD space, which will include full fit-out, bar and garden seating, is still in the plan. Luckily, the Three Blue Ducks crew are planning for the long haul in a space that's had a hard 2015. Bob may not be what the owners originally envisioned, but we're more than happy to welcome him to the neighbourhood. Via Good Food. Image: Three Blue Ducks.
The world's best game of connect the dots is currently happening in Brisbane. Step foot inside Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art, and it begins — first with a multi-coloured, circled-covered sculpture, then with giant yellow spheres suspended from the ceiling. Bright canvases blasted with tiny pinpricks, portraits of animals surrounded by giant rings, mannequins with orb-like structures protruding from their torso — the list goes on. They're present on paintings of pumpkins, on recreations of the Venus de Milo and when you peer into a mirrored hexagon through a circular porthole. Of course, given that GOMA is currently playing host to a free 70-plus piece retrospective of Yayoi Kusama's work, dots are inescapable. Whether peppered across other objects, floating through the air or plastered across a white room by a willing audience, they've been a part of the Japanese artist's work since she was ten years old. Ask her why, and she has a simple answer: "I am just another dot in the world," she has famously replied — and it couldn't better encapsulate the feeling of looking at her repetition-filled, infinity-pondering artistry. That sentiment doesn't just echo throughout the gallery. It's written on one of its walls — not that visitors need the reminder, given the round shapes that linger everywhere you look. The exhibition might be called Life Is the Heart of a Rainbow after one of her most recent pieces, but at the heart of that rainbow sits a giant circle. Yes, we mean that literally. It's one of the last paintings on display, so you'll see it for yourself. Co-curated with the National Gallery Singapore, where the exhibition displayed until September, the vast showcase also spans everything from Kusama's 'net' paintings and soft sculptures to her black-and-white pieces and video work — and, all of the dot-flecked pieces that you could imagine. Running in Brisbane until February 11, 2018, it's an immersive experience that has to be seen to be truly understood and appreciated. Here's six things to look out for along the way. [caption id="attachment_646485" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anwyn Howarth[/caption] I WANT TO LOVE ON THE FESTIVAL NIGHT A mirrored hexagonal box isn't the type of thing that you see every day. Neither is the kaleidoscopic array of colourful lights shining brightly inside. An Instagrammer's dream, I WANT TO LOVE ON THE FESTIVAL NIGHT was specially created for the exhibition's Singapore stint, though it has evolved from her 1966 effort, Kusama's Peep Show. You'll want to peer into each of the structure's three viewing holes, and, given the changing hues, you'll want to stay staring through each for at least a few minutes. [caption id="attachment_646487" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anwyn Howarth[/caption] THE HEART OF KUSAMA'S RAINBOW Colour abounds in Life Is the Heart of a Rainbow, just like dots; but standing in one particular room in the exhibition will make you feel like you're bathing in several pails of paint. The bright, spiky shapes of Kusama's sculptures combine with the vibrant hues and vivid lines in her paintings, making the room seem alive. And that's without featuring any of the artist's immersive installations in this specific space. [caption id="attachment_646493" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anwyn Howarth[/caption] THE OBLITERATION ROOM It's an old favourite for a reason, and it's back. Interactive in the best, brightest and most fun possible way, The Obliteration Room stems from Kusama's childhood perception, seeing the world through a screen of tiny dots. After "obliterating" her work with dots from that moment, she now asks everyone else to do the same. You step inside a room, painted white from floor to ceiling — including all of its surfaces, fixtures, furniture and objects too — and then add spots of colour in sticker form. Yes, running around sticking spots on everything is as fun and therapeutic as it sounds. [caption id="attachment_646512" align="aligncenter" width="1926"] Sarah Ward[/caption] SOUL UNDER THE MOON Other than dots, one thing is certain at Life Is the Heart of a Rainbow: whatever day or time you visit, there'll be a line visible on the other side of the exhibition entrance. It's for the most immersive aspect of the show, and it's well worth the wait. While you're only allowed inside SOUL UNDER THE MOON for 30 seconds given the queue, you'll find a dark, mirrored room filled with suspended glowing balls awaiting once you enter. Be careful not to step too far when you're marvelling at its luminous sights that appear to go on forever (or taking snaps), or you'll find yourself in water. [caption id="attachment_646510" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sarah Ward[/caption] PUMPKINS AND POLLEN If you can wander through Life Is the Heart of a Rainbow and leave without feeling the need to eat pumpkin, then you clearly haven't spent enough time looking at Kusama's orange corner. You won't just find paintings of vegetables on display here, but sculptures that look like mutated pollen, a horror-movie like tentacle piece called Sex Obsession, and quite the blend of fabric, stylised anatomy and paint. Just when your cravings subside, however, you'll enter the mirrored THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS — and you'll be seeing pumpkins for days. [caption id="attachment_646494" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anwyn Howarth[/caption] KUSAMA'S VIDEO WORK Amidst the colour, movement, mirrors and dots of GOMA's exhibition, it's easy to walk past the dark room out the back — but don't. Inside, you'll find documents and video works from throughout Kusama's career, plus a seat to sit down and watch. Doing just that is recommended, whether you want to see the artist walk through the streets five decades ago, or see her stick dots on a cat. Yes, the latter does happen, and yes, it's as fantastic as it sounds. "If there's a cat, I obliterate it by putting polka dot stickers on it," is another of her famous quotes, after all. Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow exhibits at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art until 11 February 2018. For more information, head to the gallery website. Images: Anwyn Howarth / Sarah Ward.
If you haven't already visited Uluru, it's probably on your bucket list. Getting as close to the rock as possible is bound to be your main goal, but you may as well do some top-notch eating, drinking, sleeping and adventuring while you're at it. Being so popular with, well, everyone, Uluru and its surrounds have options for every budget and travelling style. A main attraction in the area, other than the rock itself, is the Field of Light festival. Running until March 2018, this huge exhibition features a mind-blowing installation by internationally-acclaimed artist Bruce Munro, made of 50,000 lights that collectively appear as a massive, magical, multi-coloured carpet around the base of the rock. Some events (like this one) are worthy of a big trip, and aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing Field of Light into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you plan your out-of-the-city trips ahead of time, so you can detour from your regular routine and inject a little adventure into your life. Here's our Weekender's Guide to the Red Centre of the Northern Territory during Field of Light — what to do, what to eat and drink for a weekend and where to stay — whether you want to sleep under the stars, or splurge on five-star luxury. [caption id="attachment_619574" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tali Wiru.[/caption] EAT AND DRINK Uluru is protected by Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which means most of the eating and drinking has to happen outside of the park. However, there is one way you can feast in the park and under the stars, and that's on a sunset tour with AAT Kings. As you watch the sun disappear into the horizon, you'll be treated to a classic Aussie barbecue, packed with garlic prawns, lamb sausages, chicken skewers and kangaroo. There's also the Sounds of Silence dinner at Ayers Rock Resort with Uluru as your backdrop. This is a fancier affair, beginning with canapes and sparkling wine, then moving through three courses inspired by bush tucker — all to the sounds of a live didgeridoo performance. You'll also get a guided tour of the stars and return rides to and from your hotel with this experience. We should also mention, the resort's even more extraordinary experience, Tali Wiru, where atop a sand dune, you'll work your way through four courses matched with top-shelf Aussie wines. Dishes include Paroo kangaroo, wagyu fillet from Darling Downs, Glacier 51' Toothfish and twice-baked soufflé made with Heidi Farm gruyere. [caption id="attachment_619516" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Outback Pioneer Hotel.[/caption] Don't have cash to splash for fine dining? Fear not, there are a bunch of tasty morsels around that are much more wallet-friendly. It's hard to imagine a more outback experience than the Outback Pioneer Hotel's DIY barbecue, where you can grab a slab of kangaroo, barramundi fillet and an emu sausage or two, and cook up an true blue Aussie feast. If that sounds like too much work, though, head to the Pioneer Kitchen for an affordable a la carte menu which features a crocodile hot dog. Meanwhile, at Desert Gardens Hotel, there's Arnguli Grill and Restaurant. Surrounded by ghost gums and overlooking the hotel pool, you'll tuck into dishes laced with Indigenous ingredients. Gear up to try seeds, spices and grains you've never heard of before. [caption id="attachment_619580" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Field of Light: Bruce Munro. Photo by Mark Pickthall.[/caption] DO Of course, your first priority is going to be wandering through Field of Light. The exhibition features more than 50,000 slender stems topped with frosted-glass spheres, over an area the size of seven football fields. At night, under a sky full of stars, the exhibition is absolutely breathtaking, and an amazing way to see Uluru. The artwork itself is aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku, which translates to 'looking at lots of beautiful lights' in the local Pitjantjatjara language. There are several ways to see Field of Lights — on foot, on the back of a camel, by helicopter, at sunrise, at sunset or in the middle of the night, all of which involve jumping aboard a Field of Light tour. The cheapest is the Field of Light Pass, which includes a hotel pick-up and self-guided walk, and the most deluxe is the helicopter tour (obviously), which includes 30 minutes in the air, as well as a guided stroll, three-course bush tucker dinner, didgeridoo performance, canapés, sparkling wine, chocolates and port. [caption id="attachment_619489" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Edmono Gnerre via Flickr.[/caption] After the festival, next on your agenda should be getting as close as possible to Uluru. The rock's traditional custodians ask that you don't climb it, but you can take an loop-walk around the base. Along its 10.6-kilometre rocky circumference, you'll see many colours and textures, and, chances are, meet some local wildlife. If you'd like the company of a ranger, get to the Mala Walk car park at 10am (from May to September) for a free guided journey. If you're feeling adventurous, there are many more walking routes to take. An unusual perspective, and particularly spectacular view at sunrise and sunset, can be found via the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku track, translating to 'place to look from the sand dune'. The crowds are thinner here than in other spots, and picnic shelters provide shady places to relax. Deepen your understanding of what you're seeing and experiencing at the Cultural Centre, where there are regular Indigenous storytelling sessions. The centre also hires out bicycles, so you can grab one and check out Uluru from two wheels. [caption id="attachment_619581" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Desert Basecamp at Longitude 131.[/caption] STAY To make sure Uluru never slips out of your sight, check into Longitude 131, an architect-designed glamping-style accommodation option with panoramic views. You can sleep under the stars, or on your own private verandah, in a snuggly, handmade swag beside a stone-and-rosewood fire. Or head inside for a signature "Baillie Bed". Either way, you'll be surrounded by designer furnishings, Indigenous artworks and ceramics in a spectacular setting. Alternatively, take your pick of the huge array of accommodation options at Ayers Rock Resort. It's a bit of a mini village, 15 kilometres away from Uluru. If you're travelling lo-fi, then be sure to pack your tent and claim a camp site in Ayers Rock Campground. The grass is lush and dotted with she-oaks and there are some handy facilities on hand, including a swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen, barbecues and a laundry. [caption id="attachment_619583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sails in the Desert.[/caption] Otherwise, book at the Outback Pioneer Lodge for air-conditioned rooms and a laidback, Aussie pub experience or the posher Desert Gardens Hotel for rooms with beautiful views of the rock. Meanwhile, the Resort's most luxurious option is Sails in the Desert, a five-star hotel with its own gallery dedicated to Indigenous art. Should you be travelling with a bunch of mates, your best bet is a two-bedroom cabin in the campground or, for a bit more comfort, an Emu Walk Apartment. Field of Light runs until March 2018. Top image: Field of Light: Bruce Munro. Photo by Mark Pickthall. Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.
A new study by Melbourne's La Trobe University has led one expert to suggest what we've all known deep down for years: dogs should be allowed at the pub. A recent survey of more than 2300 Victorian pet owners found that 63 percent of dogs were not walked daily and that many animals were left alone for large amounts of time throughout the day. The solution? Take them out drinking, of course. According to La Trobe researcher Dr. Tiffany Howell, only 26 per cent of people take their pet on an outing every day, and 17 per cent do it less that once a week. It's a concerning statistic that RSPCA spokesperson Michael Beatty attributes to restrictive Australian laws that mean dogs are allowed in fewer public places than they are in other countries around the world. "In England or Scotland or New York they are always getting exercise because they go everywhere with their owner," Beatty told the ABC. "In Australia they can't go everywhere with their owner, like a pub ... They can in Europe and most parts of America and the UK." Obviously, we here at Concrete Playground fully support the notion that dogs should be allowed in pubs and bars. For starters, it'd mean you'd never have to drink alone again. Studies have shown that animal companionship is great for people's mental health and happiness, so that's another big mark in its favour. Plus, if you have one too many beverages, your dog can help you find your way home. Mr. Beatty also said that human laziness plays a major part in why pooches aren't getting enough exercise, telling the ABC that "unfortunately some people seem to think that owning an animal is a right rather than a privilege. With that privilege comes certain responsibility." And in case you were wondering, it's not just dogs in need of a workout. The same La Trobe Uni study found that 40 per cent of cats were overweight. Frankly, a nice long pub crawl would probably do them good. Just whatever you do, don't give your pets alcohol. We know you'll be tempted, but really, we cannot stress that enough. Via ABC Online. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Clear your calendar for a jam-packed week of dance, food, art, music, talks, screenings and get-togethers — NAIDOC Week is here. Celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and contemporary culture, NAIDOC Week is a national, annual program of free events celebrating Australia's vibrant Indigenous cultural landscape. For a big free festival of storytelling, dance, performance, music, workshops and food stalls, head to NAIDOC in the City (Monday, July 4 from 11am to 3pm). Buy local art, craft and produce from the marketplace, tuck into a free lunch from the Earth Oven, take an illustration workshop with Dub Leffler, do an art workshops with Aunty Gail Mabo, and learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with displays from various organisations from the Australian Museum to the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. Head to Klub Koori at Carriageworks for the best and established and emerging Indigenous hip hop, take a cultural history tour of Glebe, catch a lunchtime screening by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers at the MCA, see how contemporary artists comprehend their ancestors at the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Sentient Lands exhibition, explore Sydney's rich Aboriginal history via bike tour, learn about the lives of Aboriginal people in coastal Sydney in relation to the city's history. There's plenty more on the program, check out the website for more.
Each year, Sydney says a big screw you to its regular programming and turns things up to 11 for Vivid Sydney. That counts for extra gigs at the Opera House, parties at galleries and talks at various institutions, but it also gives the city the opportunity to turn on every bright light it can get its hands on. And the result is always impressive. This year is no exception, of course — this thing just keeps getting bigger in size. More areas of the city are lit up this year than ever before, with the trail stretching from Kings Cross to Barangaroo and over the Bridge to Luna Park and Chatswood. There's a lot of ground to cover and — as has been noted during the opening weekend — a lot of crowds. So put on your walking shoes and your most patient face, because here's what's happening at each precinct every night until June 16. Lights come on at 6pm (5.30pm at Taronga and Chatswood) and turn off at 11pm. KINGS CROSS Yes, the Vivid lights extend to Kings Cross — and it's a pretty ideal place to start your Vivid light walk. After you've had a quick food stop, you can tick off a few of the area's installations before making your way down to the Royal Botanic Garden. The iconic Coke sign will have special programming throughout the festival, and the El Alamein Memorial Fountain and the surrounding Fitzroy Gardens will be lit up in commemoration of Australian soldiers that have fought on behalf of the country. If you wander around the gardens, you'll be able to uncover 14 virtual 'sculptures' with your phone a la Pokemon Go. ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN The city's oldest green space is has been transformed into a lit-up wonderland, playing host to a bigger Vivid set-up than ever before. This year, it features 16 captivating installations and — for the first time ever — a swirling, illuminated facade for Government House. Peppered throughout the site is a colourful assortment of characters, from giant plant species and moving forests to exotic birds. And you can expect plenty of food and drink options to fuel your after-dark adventures, including fruity cocktails served in light bulb-shaped glasses from two bars, a series of performance-filled Enlightenment Feasts, and sweet treats a cupcake ATM (yes, a cupcake ATM). Take a stroll along the swirling, light-up pathways of the interactive Aqueous installation, as it morphs into a variety of shapes. In the background here, you'll cop a glimpse of Government House, lit up with a colourful montage of Aussie animals and iconic destinations that's been created by TAFE NSW students. Meanwhile, artists Adrienn Lord, Richard Neville and Nick Sheen have used over 40,000 individually-controlled RGB pixels to create a forest of spiralling, colour-changing trees. CIRCULAR QUAY The centrepiece of Circular Quay this year is Customs House — every night it is being illuminated with a delightful animation of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. The projection celebrates the 100th anniversary of May Gibbs's little gumnuts and it's worth watching in full if you can get an unobstructed view. If you're more into lasers than gumnut babies, you can instead avert your eyes to the 40 lasers shooting out around the Harbour as part of Skylark. The lasers are placed on Bradfield's Beacon on top of the Harbour Bridge, as well as above the Overseas Passenger Terminal and the Bennelong Apartments, and form part of a show every half an hour. You can help create it over on Pier 8, but it's bound to be a jostle to get in the driver's seat. THE ROCKS After you've conquered the crowds at Circular Quay, join the flow of people being herded towards the MCA (you may need to be patient — lots of punters complained of bottlenecks during the opening weekend). Gaze up at the MCA's Virtual Vibration projection as you crawl past, then wind your way around the many installations in The Rocks. Seek out the illuminated canopy of 1000 paper cranes, a glowing puffer fish named Fugu and a sneak peek of Bangarra's latest work Dark Emu, which will be projected onto the bridge's southern pylon. Time your visit with the The Rocks' Friday and Saturday night markets to feed your tum and your eyes. BARANGAROO AND DARLING HARBOUR Yep, that's a giant puppet, and it'll be moving around on the Barangaroo esplanade every night of Vivid. The six-metre-tall figure is named Marri Dyin and pays tribute to the Indigenous women who once called the Harbour their home (including Barangaroo herself) and is part of The Liminal Hour installation along Wulugul Walk. On the other side of Darling Harbour, the Powerhouse will be lit up with images of Blue Planet II, which coincides with James Cameron's Challenging the Deep. If you need a drink at this point, we recommend popping into Banksii on the esplanade or Barangaroo House for views over everything. LUNA PARK Over the bridge, Luna Park is lit up even more than usual — for the first time ever, the amusement park is a Vivid light precinct. Most notable is the Ferris wheel — it's scored 3000 new LED lights especially for the occasion, and it looks pretty spectacular regardless of what side of the harbour you're looking at it from. TARONGA ZOO As the zoo continues its mission to raise awareness and support for endangered species in Australia and Sumatra, this year's Lights Of The Wild gives zoo visitors the opportunity wander the harbourside site after dark, encountering everything from multi-coloured elephants to schools of fish along the way. This year's event incorporates 19 new installations and three revamped ones, including ten 3D transformations of drawings submitted by local school children. The light show begins from the moment you hit the zoo's entrance, stepping through the mouth of this two-storey-high Port Jackson shark and takes in giant gorillas, bees and crocs. This is the only light show that is ticketed — you can buy tickets to the nightly 5.30pm, 6.30pm, 7.30pm sessions here. [caption id="attachment_670144" align="alignnone" width="3500"] Steve Christo[/caption] CHATSWOOD Even if you don't live on the lower north shore, this year's Vivid installation at Chatswood Interchange is worth a visit. The Light Market is running each night of the festival, bringing some of Sydney's best food to the north, including Mary's burgers, cakes from Black Star Pastry, Agape Organic's hearty dishes, and some scoops of gelato from Enmore's Cow & the Moon. You'll can tuck into these morsels while taking in the Interchange's big floating screen, which is this year taking on the theme of under the sea. There's a big jellyfish, too, and the whole thing is mostly powered by Willoughby Council's solar farm. Images: Destination NSW.
We know you guys are probably tiring of the food truck trend, but hear us out on this one. Now, we're not entirely sure how to feel, so we're just gonna lay out the facts. There's a new food truck doing the rounds that specialises in… gourmet dog food. The Canine Wellness Kitchen (heh) is Australia's first food truck for dogs — which, honestly, is a sentence we never thought we'd write. Founders and 'canine chefs' Katie Crandon and Laura Yeomans aren't new to this game — they founded 'dog superfood' (apparently a thing) label Because I Luv My Dog, specialising in healthy pooch snacks for on-the-go doggos. It'll be the first food truck of its kind in Australia, offering a range of dog-friendly goods including dehydrated snacks, raw food, chicken necks and organic bone broth. And… again, not sure how to take this… a beer for dogs. It's named Freddie's Froth and it's not actual beer guys, it's bone broth, geez. The whole venture is a little tongue in cheek and pokes fun at the food truck revolution. This is a little snippet from the menu: "Forget the super smoothies, our bone broth is the ultimate detoxifier. Get your active wear on, this is all the warm up you need for a workout." Look, in your heart of hearts, you know this is one business that'll go incredibly well. We're on board. Canine Wellness Kitchen will be making their first appearance on September 24 at the Hank Marvin Markets in St Kilda.
The phone hacking scandal that blew up in the UK about a decade ago doesn't immediately strike one as brimming with feel-good stories. The demise of a smutty tabloid was about as close to a silver lining as it got. Nevertheless, after digging around in the News of the World's ashes, playwright Tommy Murphy has come up with an unexpected prize: redemption. Mary Peirse plays Mary-Ellen Field, a business adviser who was wrongfully fired for sharing private information about her client in the early 2000s. When news broke that a number of celebrities' phones had been tapped by Rupert Murdoch's News International, Field realised what had happened and began sharing her story. When she shared it with ABC journalist Mark Colvin, it started a friendship which ended up with Field... but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Belvoir's artistic director Eamon Flack has described the company's 2017 lineup as an attempt to "defy the cynicism and shittiness of the world". Mark Colvin's Kidney could well prove a much-needed antidote to the chaos. Or, at the very least, a comfortable place to sit while civilisation shreds itself. Image: Daniel Boud.
If you think T2 has made tea trendy today, you should've been around in ancient China. In fact, it was the Golden Age — or the Tang Dynasty — which kicked off around 618, that turned the mighty tea leaf into a Thing. Whether you were a mere commoner or royalty, you'd spend a heck of a lot of time sitting around, brewing, sipping and assessing. In celebration of this and the many other wonders of the Tang Dynasty, the Art Gallery of NSW is holding a mega exhibition. They're bringing you 130 objects — from gold dragons to artworks to terracotta sculptures — to help you relive Chinese history. On top of its tea culture, the Tang Dynasty is famous for a bona fide #ladyboss by the name of Wu Zetian, who took the reigns between 690-705, and was the only female in China's history to rule as Empress. What's more, the empire's capital city, Chang'an, was the absolutely colossal gateway to the famous Silk Road. While London was still a wee baby town, this gargantuan city numbered one million and sprawled as far as Korea in the north and Vietnam in the south. The exhibition opens on April 9 and will finish up on July 10. If you're keen for a Sydney date that isn't just 'grabbing a drink', this is a surefire winner.
Dessert king Reynold Poernomo is expanding his sugary empire, with the former MasterChef contestant and co-owner of Chippendale's KOI Dessert Bar opening a second location on the other side of town. Slinging sweet treats as of today — Friday, April 21 — KOI Ryde will feature the same decadent creations Poernomo's fans have come to expect, while also offering cooking classes with some of Sydney's best dessert chefs. The Ryde dessert bar will be run by Reynold along with his mother Ike and his brothers Ronald and Arnold, but it won't be a carbon copy of the Chippendale venue. Although it will function as a cafe where you can eat your cake straight out of the cabinet, the team hopes to also introduce a brand new menu offering (brunch is on the cards) and even monthly chef's table dinners. The space will also function as the production facility for all the cakes and pastries sold at both KOI locations and a masterclass kitchen, which will host classes by Sydney's best bakers, along with Poernomo himself. As for what you'll be scoffing on, expect KOI staples including the bright green mango yuzu made with mango mousse, yuzu curd and almond sable, and the coconut kalamansi featuring coconut mousse, white cheese, kalamansi (like a Filipino lime) curd and chocolate sable. We are ready for you, tomorrow 10am! #koidb #dessert #pastry #sydneydessert #ryde A post shared by KOI Dessert Bar (@koidb) on Apr 20, 2017 at 3:03am PDT KOI Dessert Kitchen Ryde is now open from 10am till 10pm Tuesday to Sunday at Shop 3, 62-66 Blaxland Street, Ryde. For more info, visit koidessertbar.com.au.
Bunnings Warehouse is supercharging its usual sausage sizzle, to support a few Aussie communities that are doing it pretty tough. On Friday, January 24, all of the hardware giant's stores will host a special pre-weekend edition of their legendary snag sessions, raising coin for those impacted by drought and the current bushfires. All of the day's sausage profits will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. This is the second sizzling fundraiser day that Bunnings has hosted since the bushfire crisis began late last year — a similar nation-wide fundraiser in November raised over $600,000 for non-profit Givit to purchase essential items for communities affected by the bushfires. So, on Friday, grab a snag in bread and show those in need some love — the sausage sizzles will run from 9am–4pm across all Bunnings Warehouses in NSW (and the country). If you can't make it, you can chuck a few dollars into its collection tin over here. For updates and advice on NSW bushfires, head to the RFS website.
After a successful 2013 collaboration between Dion Lee and angel-voiced Sarah Blasko on the killer show De Novo, the Sydney Dance Company is once again bringing to the stage a fusion of music, choreography and high fashion. This year the talent comes from costume designer Toni Maticevski and soprano Katie Noonan, who will weave their magic around a trio of dances by Rafael Bonachela, appropriately titled Triptych. Maticevski is better known for his red-carpet gowns than anything, but he’s turned his considerable talent towards interpreting the mood and music of the three pieces of choreography, and his designs range from pale nude chiffon twists for Simple Symphony to black and mesh for the “darker, sexier and more suggestive” mood in Les Illuminations. Rafael’s world premiere work, Variation 10, will feature the entire ensemble of the Sydney Dance Company swathed in shades of grey and silver, sheer ruffles, frayed edges and outlined cut-outs. Maticevski describes the look as “distressed ballerina”. It’s not the first time Maticevski has collaborated with the Sydney Dance Company. He crafted the costumes for the premiere 2013 season of Les Illuminations, which has been reimagined for the 2015 season. The images above are some sneaky shots of the as-yet-unfinished products in action. Triptych plays at the Roslyn Packer Theatre from September 25 – October 10. Book tickets via the Roslyn Packer Theatre website.
One of the first recorded reports of the Negroni came from Orson Welles in 1947. While working in Rome, he wrote, "The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other." Sixty years later, bartenders and home cocktail enthusiasts are still perfecting the Negroni. And after so long, people get confident. And creative. And they make ridiculous things that we want to inhale with vacuum force. Here are five awesome takes on the Negroni, most of which aren't actually Negronis but have all the right ingredients — gin, Campari and vermouth. Bottoms up. THE GRUMPY NEGRONI Sydney's Grumpy Donuts are getting in on the Negroni Week action, with a special edition doughnut version. 'The Grumpy Negroni' is covered in a freshly squeezed orange and gin glaze, and filled with a Campari spiked creme patissiere. This doughnut creation will be available via the Hey You app on Wednesday, June 8. Orders will open at 10am. The doughnuts will be available in boxes of four, for $20 including delivery within the CBD only — World Square to Circular Quay, including Barangaroo, while stocks last. Grumpy Donuts will be donating $2 per doughnut (or $8 per box) to the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, the only not-for-profit pound in Sydney. Legends. NEGRONI BREWNUT Sydney's Brewtown Newtown is getting in the spirit of Negroni Week this year with their own Negroni Brewnut. This croissant-doughnut hybrid comes coated in a blood orange sugar, topped with a lightly bitter Negroni cream, and finished with blood orange meringue, Campari gelée (gel) and dehydrated citrus. It'll be available to smoosh into your face for $6 for the length of Negroni Week exclusively at Brewtown. [caption id="attachment_573609" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Butter & Scotch.[/caption] NEGRONI PIE You can have your Negroni and eat it too with this adorable dessert version of the cocktail. Brooklyn bakery Butter & Scotch has created the ultimate boozy after-dinner adventure. According to B&S, the pie has "bittersweet custard infused with orange zest and a hefty pour of botanical gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari liqueur, all cradled inside a flaky all-butter crust. Top with a dollop of whipped cream for an unusual, delicious, and boozy treat!" [caption id="attachment_573607" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Pear & Ash.[/caption] NEGRONI ICE CREAM SANDWICH New York City's Pearl & Ash has taken our cocktail hero next-level. Chef Richard Kuo is the brains behind this Negroni-inspired ice cream sandwich, a boozy confection involving Campari-infused ice cream, gin and semi-sweet vermouth rosso, smooshed between thin pieces of orange-vanilla cake. [caption id="attachment_572288" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hawthorn Lounge.[/caption] CHOCOLATE NEGRONI Wellington's Hawthorn Lounge shakes things up, Negroni-wise. Snuggle into a Chesterfield lounge by the fireplace at this cosy little '30s-style speakeasy, and roll the dice on a special edition experiment. Bar wizard Jamie has created a fresh and chocolatey take on the Negroni, with Aperol and Ramazotti taking the place of Campari. It'll set you back $18 and a cheeky airfare. [caption id="attachment_573613" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Craftsman and Wolves.[/caption] NEGRONI MARSHMELLOWS Another way to eat your Negroni! Weeeee! San Fransisco's Craftsman and Wolves is a contemporary patisserie making 'seasonal marshmellows' — and they've done a Negroni version for past Negroni Weeks. Adorable little striped layers of fluffy, sugary handmade glory. Not easily shared. [caption id="attachment_573616" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Humphry Slocombe.[/caption] NEGRONI ICE BLOCKS Freezing your favourite cocktail is the best way to turn your regular dessert cocktail into an actual dessert, which you can pair with an actual cocktail. San Francisco ice cream parlour Humphry Slocombe made these awesome little Negroni Ice Pops for Negroni Week last year. Consider these perpetually in our freezer next summer. Want an actual Negroni? Negroni Week 2016 runs from June 6 – 12. Check out our list of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's best.
Drop whatever it is that you're doing: the ticket ballot for the 26th Meredith Music Festival is officially open. Running from December 9-11, the latest edition of the much-loved dickhead-free music festival will take place at its usual digs, Meredith's Supernatural Amphitheatre, which has gone and gotten itself a brand new sound system "tailor-made for the dynamic undulations of the Amphitheatre at all times of Magic O'Clock". Other changes for this year's festival include additional camping space, hundreds of new trees planted as part of Uncle Doug's Native Planting, and – perhaps most importantly – extra dunnies in the campground. Aunty, meanwhile, has been working hard on the lineup, which she promises will be announced "soonish". Standouts from last year included Father John Misty, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ratatat, The Thurston Moore Band, Tkay Maidza, Neon Indian and Big Daddy Kane. The Meredith Ballot will be open from now until 10.26pm on Monday, August 8. Head on over to the festival website to sign up.
Now that the Olympics are over and done with, the real sporting contests can begin. Next week, more than 300 competitors will descend upon a small, abandoned town in Italy. Their purpose? To decide beyond all doubt the greatest hide-and-seek player in the world. The epic contest will take place on September 3-4 in Consonno at the foot of the Alps. Once known as the 'Land of Toys', the village is home to an old amusement park, but was abandoned after a landslide in the mid-'70s cut off the only access road. If you can think of a better place for a massive game of hide-and-seek, we'd certainly like to hear it. This year will see 64 five-person teams complete for gold and glory. One of the members of last year's winning team told Quartz that the two-day tournament was "pretty competitive", and that "each team had their tactics." Just don't expect his team to share theirs, because "obviously we will never disclose them." Sounds like a wise move, especially since a Japanese university professor began lobbying the Olympic committee to include hide-and-seek at the Tokyo Games in 2020. Although to be honest, as Olympic sports go, this probably wouldn't make for particularly good TV viewing. Image: Marcello Brivio.
If you're a fan of author, comedian and NPR humorist David Sedaris, then you'll know that he's a frequent visitor Down Under. Missed him on his last trip in 2023? 2025 is your next chance to experience his snappy wit, as well as his discerning and astute ability to observe life's moments — both trivial and extraordinary — in both an observational and unique way. This will be Sedaris' seventh trip Down Under, spanning stops in both Australia and New Zealand — in Auckland, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — across January and February. If you haven't seen Sedaris live before, his shows are part of the reason that he's built up such a following. Onstage, he regularly weaves in new and unpublished material, too — and the satirist will throw it over to the crowd for a Q&A as well, and also sign copies of his books. Sedaris has more than a few tomes to his name, so you have options for him to scribble on, including Happy-Go-Lucky, Calypso, Theft by Finding, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice, Naked and Barrel Fever. [caption id="attachment_862850" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anne Fishbein[/caption] Sedaris is equally celebrated for his constant This American Life appearances and must-read pieces in The New Yorker, and boasts everything from the Terry Southern Prize for Humor and Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor to the Time Humorist of the Year Award among his accolades. If you've been searching for a supportive environment to use the phrase "how very droll", this is it. [caption id="attachment_862851" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Upton[/caption] An Evening with David Sedaris 2025 Australia and New Zealand Tour Dates: Friday, January 31 — Auckland Town Hall, Auckland Saturday, February 1 — Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Sunday, February 2 — Regal Theatre, Perth Tuesday, February 4 — Norwood Concert Hall, Adelaide Thursday,February 6–Friday, February 7 — Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Saturday, February 8 — Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle Tuesday, February 11 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney Thursday, February 13 — Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane David Sedaris is touring Australia and New Zealand in January and February 2025. For more information, or for general ticket sales from 9am on Thursday, June 27, 2024, head to the tour website. Top image: Anne Fishbein.
Long-deprived vegetarians, today's your day to high five a stranger, hug a disinterested cat, throw flowers from your shitty morning bus, dance merrily to your 9am. Today, IKEA Australia announced the launch of its long-awaited veggie Swedish meatball, consisting only of vegetables. AW. YEH. That's right, vegetarians can now partake in the glorious Swedishery that is IKEA's famed meatballs. The new ball is called GRÖNSAKSBULLAR, which sounds like a demon the Charmed sisters once battled — but this long-awaited IKEA newcomer deserves one mighty title. The new veggie balls will be rolled out (heh) in Australian IKEA store restaurants from April 27. Carnivores, if you're freaking out, don't think for a second the original meaty meaty meatballs are going anywhere. The veggie orbs of goodness will set you back $8.99 for a serving size of 10 and $3.69 for the kids’ serving size of five (plus you'll probably be able to take frozen balls home with you). “Our iconic IKEA meatballs are much loved in Australia — last year Aussies enjoyed nearly 8.5 million of them," said IKEA Australia food manager Simone Fowler. "The new veggie balls are a healthy, more sustainable option and form part of a move to decrease the impact of our food offering on the environment. Producing this meat free product will help cut our carbon emissions by half.” Overall, IKEA's aiming for a more sustainable food offering, acknowledging the lower environmental impact veggie-only balls have in comparison to their ambiguous meatballs. As Fowler said, the newbies will lower IKEA's carbon footprint too. It's part of their new campaign to promote for more environmentally-friendly, healthy and more ethically-produced food products — called the 'IKEA People and Planet Positive Strategy'. So IKEA's not only producing sweet veggie balls, but taking a long hard look at all their instore food. Meat-eating haters gonna hate. This is a victorious day for IKEA-lovin' veggos who've watched their buds enjoy dollar hot dogs and sweet, sweet meatballs on every furniture run.
People are always finding new and exciting ways to advance technology — and when their aim isn’t creating phone apps or more realistic pornography, it’s often about helping others. The Chilean team behind the SULI project fall into the second category of helpers. Their solar-powered SULI lamp is designed to bring a quick, easy, renewable light source to people without access to electricity. SULI estimates 1.5 billion people worldwide are without access to lighting, and use alternatives (such as kerosene lamps, candles, etc.) that are expensive and dangerous. And while solar-powered lights aren’t exactly new technology, an easy, cheap and versatile application for solar lighting is. With 3D-printed accessories, the SULI lamp has applications in both the developed and developing word. It can be used as a flashlight, a bicycle light, a garden light, a reading lamp or (this is the best one) screwed onto a water bottle and transformed into a device that throws light up to five metres. The light takes up to 12 hours to charge and the charge lasts for around 50 hours. For those of you trying to cut down your electricity bills, this may be the gadget for you. With two years of development and several grants behind them, the SULI team has finally brought the project to us via Indiegogo. For US$52 plus shipping you can send yourself one lamp, but for $85 you can add a second that gets sent to Haiti, where 3500 people are still living without electricity or access to water since the devastating 2010 earthquake. SULI have already raised US$22,000 but they still need to sell a few hundred more lamps in order to keep production costs low and their altruism train rolling. So get on board with this clever idea, fill your house with SULIs and know that while your household enjoys light after dark, so does a household in Haiti. Via PSFK. Image via Suli Lab.
Charlie Chaplin once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Thankfully, the good folks over at the Sydney Comedy Festival agree wholeheartedly and are back again to ensure we don’t waste the 27 days spanning April 20 to May 17. Returning for its 11th year to venues across the city, the festival brings a chock-a-block comedy calendar catering to all comedyphiles. From side-splitting stand-up to sit-down storytelling, sketch shows and improv, they’ve covered the entire comedy spectrum. While there are a stack of stellar shows — including the always popular Gala and Cracker nights — we’ve narrowed it down to ten you can’t afford to miss if you don’t want a wasted day.
In words attributed to everyone from Mark Twain to Alexisonfire, we should dance like no one is watching, and Sydney artist duo Harriet Gillies and Roslyn Helper (aka zin)'s Glitterbox gives you the chance to do pretty much just that. Stuck inside a giant colourful cube that's pulsating with glitter, sitting atop The Star's Sky Terrace, get your groove on to some killer tunes in an entirely unique situation that's will make you okay with the fact that glitter doesn't wash out for weeks. Glitterbox runs from 5pm - 11pm on January 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 and 29. This program is one of ten Sydney Festival events happening in unexpected places. Check out the whole list.
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 — As MoMA at NGV gets closer to wrapping up, the NGV has announced that it will extend opening hours so you have a few more chances to see the exhibition (if not for the first, for the second or third time). The gallery will move its regular 10am opening time up to 8.30am from September 22 until October 7, and, in the final week, it will stay open until 10pm from Thursday, October 4 until Sunday, October 7. The exhibition will also be extended for an extra day, and will now close on Monday, October 8. Not going overseas this winter? Luckily, you'll still have the chance to take a bite out of some Big Apple arts and culture, as the National Gallery of Victoria plays host to an exclusive exhibition showcasing works from New York's prestigious Museum of Modern Art. Set to run until October 7, MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art will feature over 200 modern and contemporary masterpieces, many on their first ever visit to Australia. Taking over the entire ground floor of NGV International, it's certifiably huge. The exhibition will present pieces from all six of MoMA's curatorial departments, meaning the works will span Photography, Film, Architecture and Design, Painting and Sculpture, Drawings and Prints, and Media and Performance Art. You'll catch works from all of the big names of the 19th and 20th century art world, including Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, Diane Arbus and Andy Warhol. Capturing the spirit of more recent times, will be pieces from the likes of Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Olafur Eliasson, Rineke Dijkstra and Camille Henrot. Examining over 130 years of innovation, MoMA at NGV sets out to explore all the major art movements, with the exhibition spread across eight themed sections. Here are a few of the big-name works on display. Needless to say, the partnership with MoMa is a pretty huge coup for both the NGV and Australian art lovers. "The collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria provides a unique opportunity to see extremely important works from nearly every area of our collection in an exhibition that simultaneously explores The Museum of Modern Art's history as well as the history of modern and contemporary art in general," said MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry. As an added bonus, NGV members who are hitting New York while the exhibition is running will score free admission to MoMA, and vice versa.
Each of Australia's capital cities has a different shtick. Melbourne's just happens to be a 24-hour culture — or, at least, the closest Australia has to it. It's got all-night public transport on weekends, late-night opening hours for the National Gallery of Victoria's new Triennial and the city's White Night festival will return for its annual all-nighter in 2018. If you haven't been down to White Night before, here's how it works. From 7pm, much of Melbourne's CBD is closed to cars. From then on, the streets give way to pedestrians, who are free to wander between temporary installations, live music and on-street projections — as well as in and out of galleries and cultural institutions — up until the sun comes up at 7am the next day. It's the Australian version of Nuit Blanche, which was founded in France in the 80s. Next year's festival — which will shut down the city for 12 hours on the evening of Saturday, February 17 — features work from a tonne of both local and international artists. Expect to see neon pups, two Burning Man installations and one laneway covered in snow. There are far too many works to list, but here are a few highlights you'll want to look out for. A giant shimming silver net that will hover above Federation Square for White Night (and two weeks afterwards). Drag queens singing from balconies above Collins Street. A laneway filled with virtual neon 'dogs' and another filled with falling 'snow'. A tree that lets you write temporary messages on it with the light from your phone Two installations straight from Burning Man: a fire-breathing serpent outside Melbourne Museum and a giant mechanical insect that doubles at a DJ booth. Mini gigs performed from multiple balconies above Swanston Street. A 360-degree dome in Alexandra Gardens that will feature mesmerising projections. Stories from Australian detention centres projected onto the NGV's façade. White Night will also head out to Victoria's regional centres. It will return to Ballarat on March 17 for a second year, and will take to the streets of Bendigo and Geelong for the first time later in 2018.
Wondering what to say when you step inside Brisbane's new mini-golf bar? At Holey Moley Gold Club, it really is all there in the name. And, as awesome as the concept of having some drinks, donning a visor, hitting the indoor greens and taking a few swings on pop culture-themed holes sounds, the reality is even better (and weirder). Entering Holey Moley is like entering an alcohol-fuelled indoor amusement park for adults, even if the building it's in — a former church — makes that quite the surreal experience. So does the angel statue decked out with golf clubs, the pink-lit neon sign declaring "I like big putts and I cannot lie", and the twirling giant disco ball hanging in the centre of the venue, which visitors familiar to the site's many previous watering holes and live music spaces will recognise. Of course, with the right wall taken up by a stocked bar, it's obvious that this is a drink-focused spot with two nine-hole mini-golf courses inside, rather than a putting facility that happens to serve booze. Each hole has a six stroke maximum, however whether you decide to keep score is completely up to you — it's fun, rather than sports, that the venue wants to promote. Even taking a quick glance at the eighteen different holes on offer demonstrates that having a good time is the main aim here, unless you're scared of clowns and puppets, that is. Suspended from a frame and lurking on the ground, these vaudevillian creeps adorn the seventh stop on the ground level, which means anyone suffering from coulrophobia has plenty of time to work up the courage to play there. Beforehand, you'll hit your way through a beachy (fri)endless summer, enter a glow-in-the-dark space for three holes of luminous action, and play pinball and pool with a golf ball and club. Yes, really. Keeping with the arcade theme, a putting version of skeeball marks the end of the lower course — but don't worry, more holes await upstairs. That's where you'll show off your short game on a turntable, in a bathroom and a gym, and on a Twister board, to highlight just a selection of the standouts on the upper level. You'll also tap, tap, tap the ball into a Nintendo-focused hole that pays tribute to Super Mario and Donkey Kong, brave the Mad Putter's Tee Party, prove that you're obviously not a golfer at a bowling alley, and marvel at the glory of the nine-iron throne. You just know the latter is going to be mighty popular, particularly for selfies that'll clog up your Instagram feed. For something different between rounds, ping pong tables provide a break from the main action, as do a selection of old-school video games. Or, chew a couple of gum balls, grab a drink, and sit down and watch everyone else. In fact, the cocktail list is worth the trip alone, thanks to beverages like the Tee-quila Mocking Birdie (with Don Julio Blanco Tequila, Blue Curacao, sour mix and sugar syrup), Teeyonce Knowles (Pampero white rum, soda, fresh mint, limes and syrup) and Happy Gilmoreo (Chambord raspberry liqueur, Smirnoff Red vodka, Baileys, milk, chocolate sauce, crushed Oreos and whipped cream). Yep, we're calling it: Holey Moley is about to become everyone's favourite new hangout. Holey Moley Golf Club opens on September 29 at 25 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley. For more information, check out their website and Facebook page.
A drama released in 1989 that saw its premiere cut short because of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A tale of corruption in the sporting arena. A documentary about perhaps the greatest German director that ever lived. A lengthy father-daughter comedy that no one can stop talking about (us included). Yes, they're all part of the 2016 German Film Fest's 36-title lineup, which roams around Australia from November 15 to 30. In a nutshell, it's a great year to get your fix of the country's cinematic offerings. In fact, there's so much packed into the festival's heaving program that the aforementioned movies haven't even made our must-see list, which is a great indication of the wealth of choices available. So, just what should you ensure you get in front of your eyeballs? Here's our top tips, spanning everything from beloved filmmakers to movies made by ordinary people. EVERY THING WILL BE FINE We've said it before, and we'll say it again: James Franco really will pop up everywhere he can, even when you least expect it. Like in a German film. This time, he's starring in the latest one from iconic director Wim Wenders, alongside Rachel McAdams and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Every Thing Will Be Fine tells the tale of a writer faced with a life-changing experience; transformation is a common theme in the filmmaker's works. And don't go thinking Wenders' trademark fondness for breathtaking visuals will be sidelined in his first dramatic film in seven years; here, the Buena Vista Social Club, Pina and The Salt of the Earth helmer explores both the heartbreaking tragedy at the centre of the story and the aftermath via 3D visuals. DER NACHTMAHR It takes confidence to call your film Der Nachtmahr, or The Nightmare in English. Other horror movies have boasted about their terrifying dream-like status in their names to mixed results, aka the entire Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Director and visual artist Achim Bornhak aims for a more consistent scare rate in an effort ten years in the making. Given that the feature explores a teenager blighted with visions of a grotesque creature, here's hoping it hits the mark. GERMANY IN A DAY Back in 2011, Touching the Void and The Last King of Scotland filmmaker Kevin Macdonald took on another ambitious project. Life in a Day endeavoured to capture just what everyday existence is like by crowdsourcing its footage, accruing more than 80,000 clips submitted via YouTube. Five years later, Germany in a Day is the Deutschland-focused equivalent, as overseen by director Sönke Wortmann. If you've ever wondered what life was like for residents of the European nation on June 20, 2015, as captured by ordinary folks, this is your chance to find out. GOODBYE BERLIN In Goodbye Berlin, Turkish-German filmmaker Fatih Akin says hello to the road. Adapting Wolfgang Herrndorf's coming-of-age story Tschick (or Why We Took the Car in Australia), it's a feature filled with friendship, discovery, scenic sights and striking revelations after two unlikely pals steal a car one summer. And if it sounds like you've seen this before, Akin's previous filmography should convince you otherwise. Head On twisted the usual mid-life malaise drama, Soul Kitchen did more than cook up delicious-looking food and The Cut found insights in a portrait of resilience and endurance. VARIETÉ Step back in time thanks to 1925 film Varieté. Not only is it a circus fairytale of the kind that isn't often made these days, but it reportedly features the first documentation of unicycle hockey. Other claims to fame come thick and fast for the '20s film, partly due to its enchanting tale of a trapeze artist, the dancer he leaves his wife for, and the artist his lover then has an affair with — and partly due to the fact that the silent feature's score was lost long ago. In its place, The Tiger Lillies have a new soundtrack in their very own style to accompany the new digitised restoration. The German Film Fest Australia tours the country from November 15, screening at Sydney's Chauvel Cinema and Palace Norton Street from November 15 to 29, Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Kino Cinemas and Palace Westgarth from November 17 to 30, and Brisbane's Palace Barracks from November 25 to 30. For more information, visit the festival website.
Hey kids, seems pizza does grow on trees, according to mightily-moustachioed, all-American comedian Nick Offerman. In a brand new Funny or Die video, the Parks and Recreation star takes you on a rip-roaring tour through his fictional Pizza Farm — where the team are hard at work "growing the ripe, juicy pizzas your kids love.” We wish. "What could be healthier than this? Acres of pizza, kissed by the sun, stretching as far as the eye can see." Offerman, or ‘food expert’ Daniel Francis, unearths Sloppy Joes from moist fields irrigated by cola, picks taquitos from the tree, wanders past fish finger vineyards, and eats a fresh slice of pepperoni pizza straight from the tree. “If it’s on a plant, it’s good for you, who cares how it got there.” According to TIME, Offerman’s genius Pizza Farm is apparently a big ol’ flip of the bird to idiotic protests against First Lady Michelle Obama’s huge campaign to change US school lunch regulations and get Congress to reauthorise the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 — which regulates the amount of unhealthy, high fat, high sugar, high salt food you can serve to school kidlets at lunch. Until then, most US school lunches will remain as cheaply-made and unhealthy as they can possibly can be. But as Offerman says, "French fries are practically salads, which is why I like mine with ranch." Pizza Farm with Nick Offerman - watch more funny videos Via TIME.
Suffice it to say, it's been an exciting few days in the world of Australian politics. And by exciting, we mean depressingly familiar. Although the recent Liberal Party leadership spill did manage to spark some truly excellent memes, its primary function seems to have been to drive home just how shambolic things in Canberra have become. It's also a flat-out terrible turn of events for the federal Opposition, who you have to imagine will have a harder time taking back the leadership from a prime minster whose foot isn't permanently lodged in his own mouth. The good news is that Labor does appear to have finally cottoned on to the fact that in order win to the vote, you do need to occasionally take a position. As such, opposition MP and Shadow Minister for the Arts Mark Dreyfus has publicly pledged that, if elected, Labor will reverse the current government's $105 million worth of cuts to the Australia Council for the Arts. Speaking to The Australian last week, Dreyfus said that the raid on the Australia Council's funding, overseen by Federal Arts Minister George Brandis, was "a disaster for the arts" — an opinion that he shares with large swathes of the nation's artistic community, who have been protesting the cuts since they were announced back in May. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance today released a statement describing Labor's decision as "good news" and have promised to continue their campaigning in the lead-up to the next election. That being said, Brandis may have more pressing concerns than a potential Labor challenge in 2016. According to The Daily Review, a number of artists and arts groups are planning to gather outside Malcolm Turnbull's Sydney electorate office at 2pm today, where they will petition the shiny new PM to sack his much-maligned Arts Minister and take over the portfolio himself. "We think Malcolm Turnbull would make a terrific arts minister," executive director of the National Association for the Visual Arts Tamara Winikoff told TDR. "If the PM actually took on the arts portfolio, in one fell swoop this action could profoundly change the way Australians value the arts and culture." If nothing else, it really can't feel good to be George Brandis right now. It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for him. Almost.
The view from Mrs Macquaries Point is nothing short of stunning; however the view during Westpac Openair season is even better. When the outdoor cinema returns to the waterside spot for its 2020 run, Sydneysiders can soak up two gorgeous sights: the harbour, of course, and the impressive range of films that'll grace Openair's big screen. From Thursday, January 9 until Friday, February 21, plenty of movies will play under the stars — starting with opening night's already-announced preview of Bombshell, which stars Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie. That's just the beginning of the lineup, with Openair finally revealing its full program. Get ready for blistering revisionist takes on Australian history, crowd-pleasing biopics, Robert Pattinson playing a lighthouse keeper and more. Yes, fresh from dropping its fiery first trailer, Justin Kurzel's exceptional True History of the Kelly Gang ranks high among Openair's standouts — and this must-see has much more in common with the Snowtown director's fantastic version of Macbeth than his forgettable video game adaptation Assassin's Creed. Other highlights include the Tom Hanks-starring A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, which looks set to earn Oscar attention, plus psychological horror movie The Lighthouse. The latter not only features Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, but marks filmmaker Robert Eggers' first movie since he creeped everyone out with The Witch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42_UHhpq530 Viewers looking for something amusing can opt for The Personal History of David Copperfield, the new film from Veep and The Death of Stalin's Armando Iannucci; Like A Boss, with Rose Byrne and Salma Hayek playing friends and business partners tested by a big new deal; and the latest adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. Or, if you're fond of historical true tales, both Radioactive (with Rosamund Pike as Marie Curie) and The Current War (with Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison) should hit the spot. Filmgoers can also get a proper blast from the past thanks to a the 100th-anniversary screening of newly restored Aussie silent classic The Sentimental Bloke, complete with a brand new score performed live by Paul Mac. If you missed some of Openair's previous lineup sneak peeks, its previously unveiled titles should get you excited, too. Greta Gerwig's version of Little Women leads the charge alongside Guy Ritchie's new gangster flick The Gentlemen — and between them, they star Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep, Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, Michelle Dockery, Henry Golding, Charlie Hunnam and Hugh Grant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCPiBWrIaSI Plus, if you've missed a few recent highlights at your local picture palace, Openair is also screening everything from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Hustlers, Rocketman and Official Secrets to Marriage Story, Blinded by the Light, Knives Out and Pain and Glory. After they release in December, it'll also play Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Throw in movie snacks by two top chefs — James Viles (Biota, Bertha's Meats) and Clayton Wells (Automata, A1 Canteen) — with the pair cooking up oysters, smoked beef tartare and sashimi kingfish belly, and your summer movie viewing just levelled up a few notches. Second image: Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, Copyright TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
It sits on the site that previously housed Irish pub Durty Nelly’s, but somehow Leeroy Petersen’s new venture The Village Inn — which replaces fiddle players and Guinness with hammered glass wall lights and burwiches — seems like a more appropriate fixture for The Intersection in the heart of Paddington’s fashion hub. Petersen and team have completely refurbished the 160-year-old establishment, uncovering convict-hewn bricks in the process. The finished product is slick but pays its dues to the site’s colonial past — all exposed brick, leather banquettes, wall tiling and solid wooden floors. Plus they’ve added a hand-wrought communal bar, and obligatory kitsch in the form of old well-worn boxing gloves hanging from the walls. Under the guidance of head chef Noel Phear (previously of Macleay Street Bistro), the Village Inn folk are serving up drool-worthy comfort food for lunch and dinner. The star of the show seems to be the Big Bad Wolf burwich (that’s a cross between a burger and a sandwich), an artery-clogging tower of smoked ham, pork belly, bacon, fried egg and gruyere, served on a milk bun with a side of hand-cut fries. For those of you not looking to eat yourselves into an early grave, they've also got a selection of salads named after nearby streets (like the Rowe, with beets and cashews) and twists on classic pub meals, including stout-braised lamb shank — a throwback to the Durty Nelly days (except it’s served with white truffle and chive mash). Beverage-wise, you can choose from a considered wine list or the selection of bottle and tap beers at the bar. Topping things off, upstairs you'll find the Print Room, the old world wine and cocktail bar Petersen opened last year. He’s nothing if not committed to his plan to reclaim the heritage of Paddington Village.
A few months after Tropfest's near-death experience, founder John Polson has gone into greater detail on the alleged "financial mismanagement" that almost led to the festival's downfall. Appearing on triple j's Hack with Tom Tilley, Polson spoke about the moment when he first found out about the event's economic woes, and appeared to imply that blame lay at the feet of his business partner, Tropfest managing director Michael Laverty. "We raised well over a million dollars towards Tropfest last year and I got an email in early November saying we had not enough money to move forward with the event," Polson said on the Thursday, February 12 radio show. "It was obviously an incredible shock and a devastating blow." Polson claims to have documents proving the financial mismanagement, but declined to share them due to his impending court case against Laverty's company. "I don't believe Michael Laverty did the cliche thing of going off and spending it in the Bahamas but clearly something went wrong," he said. "There was massive, massive financial mismanagement that went down with this event and it's terrible and I'm trying to fix it." Tropfest was thrown a lifeline in December when CGU insurance stepped in to fund this year's festival, which will take place this Sunday in Sydney's centennial gardens. Polson is currently working on plans to secure the festival's long term future, and recently launched a crowdfunding campaign which has a week left to reach its $100,000 target. Polson also spoke about Hollywood star Mel Gibson, who was this week announced as a Tropfest judge alongside actors Simon Baker and Rebecca Gibney, director Jocelyn Moorhouse and cinematographer Don McAlpine. The news raised some eyebrows, given Gibson's unfortunate habit of saying appalling things whenever he's near a microphone. Nevertheless, Polson defended the choice, calling Gibson "an Australian icon." "As a 15-year-old in 1980 I went to see Mad Max and watched it three or four times over," said Polson. "What's happened to him in the last few years you'd have to ask him about." Via Hack. Image: Tropfest.
The ploughman's lunch: it's a meal packed with old-world connotations of country living and hard labour, loved by many, even those who have never touched a plough in their lives. A standard definition is a small meal of bread, cheese and pickle, generally eaten in the middle of the day, usually served in a pub. From its time as a farmer's mainstay to the pub classic it is today, the dish has gone through many changes. When we tried the ploughman's at the White Rabbit Brewery in Geelong, we wondered, where does the dish actually come from? What is it that makes it such a legend? Here's a little bit of history, from ye olden days to the here and now. [caption id="attachment_584446" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Flickr.[/caption] YE OLDEN DAYS Back in the day, the world ran almost exclusively on agriculture. Aussies were farming as early as 1788, and agriculture remains a large part of Australian trade today. This is likely why the dish remains so prominent and evokes such overwhelming cultural nostalgia – even in those who have never stepped foot on a farm. For the farmers of old, the meal made perfect sense; clearly, the ploughmen of centuries ago didn't return home for a long lunch and siesta before finishing the day's work. Nor did they spend lunchtime hours hanging at the pub over a few pints — tough days, we know. Historians surmise that it is more likely farmers took with them some cheese, bread and pickles for luncheon, which didn't need to be refrigerated and could last out in the heat of the day. The notion of a 'pub lunch' is a much more modern and luxurious one than could have been afforded centuries ago. FROM RAGS TO RICHES While the meal itself was certainly a mainstay of farmers, its name, and indoctrination into society, came way, way later. The meal actually gained popularity after a nation-wide marketing push that happening between 1958 to 1977. At this time, post-war rationing was a thing of the past and businesses were not happy with the swift decline in the amount of cheese being eaten. To whip up nostalgia for this time-honoured dish, a marketing company made a bold claim that English cheese and beer have for centuries formed a perfect combination enjoyed as the 'Ploughman's Lunch'. This is the first historical reference to the dish, which was essentially invented as a marketing ploy to sell cheese — and not just one type of cheese, but all cheeses, thus making the dish popular across all regions and allowing for the creation of endless regional versions. Of course, the combination of bread and cheese was a timeless one and an obvious accompaniment. At that time, many rural pubs wouldn't have had a proper kitchen, so the Ploughman's Lunch was embraced as it could include simple ingredients that would be stored in the cellar and assembled easily by staff. THESE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' Once the dish was named, it was swiftly taken from the fields into the pubs. The emphasis on fresh produce, which in the past was a necessity, is a big part of why it fits so well into today's organic culture where we expect nothing less. Since the derivation of the dish is a farce, the components of a 'traditional' ploughman's lunch are also widely open to interpretation. An entire book was written on the subject – The Definitive Ploughman's — which found that one region of England uses thirteen ingredients in their ploughman's, adding sweetcorn, olives and beetroot components to your average cheese and bread. The variations don't stop there – Jamie Oliver's version contains spinach and fennel artisan bread and a scotch egg, while Barfoot Contessa's Ina Garten prefers an English-American fusion of thickly sliced Virginia ham and English cheddar. The restaurant within Geelong's White Rabbit Brewery allows patrons to pair any number of craft cheeses and meats, like wagyu bresaola paired with a Barossa triple cream. Each platter is served with a baguette from local bread makers Born & Bread and Yarra Valley's Cunliffe & Waters chutneys and spreads, along with pickled veg galore. This is truly the crème de la crème of ploughman's. Also agreed upon is that a good ploughman's lunch is a true testament to the overall quality of a pub. The dish continues to take many forms, and at its fanciest, better resembles a charcuterie. But even in its simplest form, there really is nothing better than a plate of crusty bread, homemade chutney, pickled vegetables and of course, a wedge of artisan cheese. Don't forget to wash it all down with a nice cold pint — it makes the dish taste just right. Find White Rabbit Brewery at 221 Swanston Street, South Geelong. Open Sunday to Thursday 11am – 5pm, Friday to Saturday 11am – 9pm.
Waking up to the smell of something delicious and fresh out of the oven is one of life's greatest little pleasures. Flour Market is the expert at giving Melburnians that fuzzy stomach feeling by curating selections of the finest bakers and pastry-makers for seasonal bake sales early on weekend mornings. Flour Market was born and raised in Melbourne, and in May this year, Sydney finally got the chance to join the party. Now, this Sunday, we get to wake up to the wafts of all of the freshly baked goods lined up once more for the Winter Flour Market, all under the one convenient roof at Sydney Boys High. Lines have been wrapped around street corners for previous Flour Markets, and with this lineup? You'd better get there early. The likes of Andy Bowdy, Alfamores, Bread & Butter Project, Brewtown Newtown, Brickfields, Brooklyn Boy Bagels, Donut Papi, Fleetwood Macchiato, Flour & Stone, Grumpy Donuts, Mak Mak and Shortstop, and extra special appearances from LuxBite and Butterbing from Melbourne. Read more about the Flour Markets in our interview with mastermind Mark Free here.
Waking up to the smell of something delicious and fresh out of the oven is one of life's greatest little pleasures. Flour Market is the expert at giving Melbournians that fuzzy stomach feeling by curating selections of the finest bakers and pastry-makers for seasonal bake sales early on weekend mornings. Flour Market was born and raised in Melbourne, but now it's Sydney's chance to wake up to the wafts of all of the freshly baked goods lined up under the one convenient roof at Sydney Boys High. Lines have been wrapped around street corners for previous Flour Markets, and with this lineup? You'd better get there early. The likes of Andy Bowdy, Black Star Pastry, Brewtown Newtown, Brickfields, Brooklyn Boy Bagels, Flour and stone, Miss Lilly's Kitchen and Woah Nelly will be there, alongside newcomers including Alfamores, The Bread & Butter Project, DONUT PAPI and Fluffe; and extra special appearances from LuxBite, Butterbing Cookie Sandwiches and Everyday Coffee from Melbourne. Read more about the Flour Markets in our interview with mastermind Mark Free here.
If catching a flick in style is your thing, get ready to plan a night out at Restaurant Hubert. The subterranean CBD restaurant and theatre is bringing back its hit Magnum & Movies series for the rest of the year, transporting Sydneysiders around the globe with film, food and plenty of wine (in magnums, of course). It'll all take place once a month in Hubert's 120-seat Theatre Royale, to really ramp up the film-meets-dinner vibe. Each evening will feature plenty of popcorn, a buffet dinner and magnums of wine, which will be passed around throughout the night. While past events have had an Italian theme, this year's group of films is a little more varied. Kicking the series off is a screening of wine-filled comedy Sideways on July 1, which will be paired with a Californian wine country-themed dinner and magnums by Chateau Marechal. It's followed by Italian-American classic Big Night on August 19. This will be served up with Cantina Giardino magnums and New York-Italian fare — we're expecting a timpano to make an appearance on the menu. Next, the latest film adaptation of British series The Trip to Spain on September 9, with (obviously) Spanish eats and Comando G magnums and then the series rounds out with cult favourite Goodfellas on October 14, with Torbreck magnums and food mobsters would approve of. Tickets don't come cheap at $130 per head — but that price includes everything (food, wine, film and popcorn) and it's the kind of decadent Monday evening out you don't get to enjoy every day. Images: Daniel Boud.
