Deck the halls and unpack the plastic tree — the festive season is well and truly upon us. And while that whole Christmas tradition stuff is nice, we're not going to deny what we're most excited about: a whole stocking-load of new films. Along with the cricket and stampeding through shopping centres, going to the movies is one of our favourite Boxing Day traditions. After all, what better place to recover from your post-Christmas food coma than in a nice, dark, air-conditioned cinema? Of course, not all of the end-of-year titles measure up. That's why we're reporting in with our annual Boxing Day Battle Royale, to ensure that you get maximum bang for your Kris Kringle gift voucher buck. From critically claimed indie flicks to an epic blockbuster about a man who can talk to fish, you're guaranteed to find something to enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPkDdFeTk8 COLD WAR We give it: 5 stars With Cold War, writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski achieves a plethora of astonishing feats. Constrained within 4:3 frames, his sumptuous black-and-white imagery immerses audiences in an intimate and complicated tale, with the filmmaker painting every possible emotion across the screen. The talent behind Oscar-winner Ida also turns his parents' own story into a heart-wrenching romance, and crafts a snapshot of Polish life as the Second World War gave way to the Cold War. Last by no means least, he gifts audiences with astoundingly intricate performances from actors Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig. The duo plays a couple who are desperate to be together, but live in a world that cares little about their desires — or about them at all. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYb-wkehT1g THE FAVOURITE We give it: 4.5 stars One queen, two women vying for her attention, and nearly two hours of acerbic and perceptive black comedy. That's The Favourite, a historical drama that looks like a lavish period picture, but boasts a savage wit — and savage insights into human behaviour — that's far from standard for the genre. The key is The Lobster filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. Not only does he again showcase his winning ways with stilted conversations and his fondness for skewering social expectations; he also exhibits a knack for political comedy and even slapstick. Lanthimos is aided by his fantastic cast, including top awards contender Olivia Colman as Queen Anne, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone as her bickering offsiders, and Nicholas Hoult as the wannabe leader with his own conniving plans. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaiR3zdv5cU THE WILD PEAR TREE We give it: 4 stars After Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and Winter Sleep, Nuri Bilge Ceylan crafts another slow-burning affair that combines probing insights into human behaviour with sublime imagery. A tale of dreams and disappointments both mundane and life changing, The Wild Pear Tree sprawls and spreads in its everyday drama and perceptive dialogue. The movie's protagonist is Sunan (Dogu Demirkol), a new graduate returning home with qualifications but no job, and with a manuscript but no means to publish it. Across the movie's 188 minutes, the aspiring writer walks the town's dusty farmland and quiet streets seeking financial help, while his father's (Murat Cemcir) gambling debts continue to mount. The result is a picture that fits firmly into the acclaimed Turkish filmmaker's exceptional oeuvre. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDkg3h8PCVU AQUAMAN We give it: 3 stars The latest film in the DC Cinematic Universe is far from perfect. Its plot is a mess and its leading man, a roguish surfer-dude turned superhero (Jason Mamoa), is criminally underused. Despite these issues, it's also, for the most part, wildly entertaining. With dazzling visuals that, at their best, feel like Blade Runner (and, at their worst, The Phantom Menace), Aussie director James Wan never lets things slow down for too long, aided by a thumping electro soundtrack reminiscent of Daft Punk's work on Tron: Legacy. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson and Nicole Kidman help round out a stellar cast, albeit one that commands far too much time away from the true star, Mamoa. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that DC is slowly, painfully but ever so positively clawing its way back to credibility with each new film not directed by Zack Snyder. In the wake of the enormously successful Wonder Woman, Aquaman represents another small foot forward for the franchise. – Tom Glasson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSGFt6w0wok VICE We give it: 3 stars Sporting a hunch and a paunch, speaking in gravelly grunts and side-eyeing everyone around him, Christian Bale turns in another committed, transformative performance in Vice. His vision of former US Vice President Dick Cheney is a sight to behold, and with Amy Adams suitably steely as Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell in laidback mode as President George W. Bush and Steve Carell obnoxiously slippery as Donald Rumsfeld, he's in good company. But, as written and directed by Adam McKay in the same slick, jam-packed fashion as his previous film The Big Short, Vice never completely lives up to its performances. It's impassioned, amusing, designed to get audiences angry and stuffed with stylistic tricks to an almost overwhelming extent. However it also merely states the obvious rather than offers any new or deep insights. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8mdIB1WxHI KUSAMA: INFINITY We give it: 3 stars How do you capture the enigma that is Yayoi Kusama in a single 85-minute film? The short answer: it's impossible, but Kusama: Infinity gives the task an affectionate try. Unsurprisingly filled with dots and pumpkins, this documentary celebrates the Japanese artist and showcases her work, however it doesn't break the mould the way that Kusama always has across her seven-decade career. What the movie does do well is explore the battles that the nearly 90-year-old artist has faced again and again, both as a woman in Japan and as a foreigner abroad. For those new to Kusama's story — people who've marvelled at her infinity rooms but haven't delved any further — writer-director Heather Lenz also provides a Kusama 101 lesson. – SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BcYBFC6zfY WRECK-IT RALPH 2: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET We give it: 2 stars A shadow looms over this Disney sequel — and, despite his hefty size, it doesn't stem from Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) himself. Rather, in taking the loveable video game character and his racer best friend Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) out of the arcade and into the online world, the film brings one of 2017's worst movies to mind. Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet fares better than The Emoji Movie, but its efforts to both literalise and satirise cyberspace just keep falling flat. Worse: its straightforward vision of the internet instantly feels dated. With product placement and a pixel-thin emotional journey the flick's other main components, this pop culture-heavy affair proves visually lively but lacklustre overall. – SW
Fromage friends, there's a new cheese in town. It's a semi-soft, washed-rind cheese that's landed behind the counter of Newtown resident cheese experts, The Stinking Bishops. And it's called Stinking Bishop. But rather than being the Sydney cheese shop's own product, it's actually the cheese that gave our favourite Friday night cheese spot its name. Earning the name Stinking Bishop with gumption, this highly-prized cheese's pinkish rind and pungent smell comes from being immersed in perry, a pear-based alcohol, periodically while it matures. If you're a budding cheese buff, you'll be glad to know that Stinking Bishop is allowed to mature traditionally in humid cave-like conditions. The cheese reportedly doesn't taste as strong as it smells, but we'll let you be the judge of that. As with all the cheeses at The Stinking Bishops, it's available on their cheese boards and retail, to take home with you. The cheese is produced in very limited quantities and The Stinking Bishops are hoping to make it a regular cheese on their menu, but this time they've only managed to get their hands on 10kg. So it goes without saying, you might want to put some pep in your step and get in on it. Remember to put down your cheese knife before running out the door though. Stinking Bishop is available at The Stinking Bishops, 5/63-71 Enmore Road, Newtown, while stocks last.
The fierce folk at For Film's Sake, Sydney's female-focused film festival, are cooking up a movie marathon to make your hair stand on end. Screening in the carpark at the Alaska Project in Elizabeth Bay (which could be a horror film location in and of itself), this six-hour frightfest will showcase three blood-curdling horror flicks that are most definitely not for the faint of heart. The marathon kicks off at 6pm with XX, a four part horror anthology directed entirely by women, including one segment made by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter St Vincent. That'll be followed by the provocative Bitch, about a put-upon woman who suddenly snaps and takes on the psyche of a violent dog. The marathon will come to a close with one of the all time great vampire flicks: Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark. The whole thing goes down on the evening of Saturday, April 29. Tickets are available here, if you've got the guts.
One of the biggest names in Japanese cuisine right now, Chase Kojima, has announced big plans to open a casual dining and takeaway restaurant in The Star Sydney (yes, that place but stay with us). Kojima's new deluxe burger venture (and first ever casual dining restaurant) will be setting up shop opposite Momofuku Seiobo, although, as construction has just started, the opening is slated for November of this year. The new restaurant will be called Gojima — a play on the chef's last name, and the Japanese word for rice, gohan — and will serve up gourmet bun-less rice burgers and sides as well as Japanese beer, wine and thickshakes (weird addition but we're always down). Having led kitchens for the iconic Nobu restaurant group for years, Kojima then nailed it with his Sokyo Ramen pop-up in the Star Cafe Court last year which ran over by five months thanks to popular demand. The San Francisco-raised dynamo has spent the last few years at the helm of some of Australia's most high profile Japanese restaurants: Sydney's Soyko and the Gold Coast's Kiyomi. For fans of Sydney's casual fine dining trend, this is great news. Don't we all deserve to try a gourmet, bun-less rice burger made by one of the world's most celebrated Japanese cuisine chefs? Kojima thinks so. Gojima will open later this year at The Star, in the space opposite Momofuku Seiobo.
For the past seven years, local legends and independent purveyors of fine Sydney music FBi Radio have been handing out awards to high achievers in Sydney music, arts and culture. The SMAC Awards have championed local musicians, venues, artists, creatives, restaurants and promoters — generally Sydney's best slam-dunkers from The Preatures to The Stinking Bishops — in a big ol' party in various Sydney locations, from the National Art School to Carriageworks. This year, in tandem with the actual awards ceremony, they're bringing the SMACs to the people — in a huge festival within Sydney Festival 2016. For the first time ever, the FBi SMACs Festival will be a public throwback event at Carriageworks. FBi has invited a huge Sydney lineup of past and present nominees and winners, from the various realms of music, art, performance and food, so you can consume the very best of Sydney over the last seven years. Sydney's best DJs and electronic artists will be creating casual beat odysseys in the dark confines of the FBi Click Rave Cave. There'll be a traditional Italian BBQ soundtracked by Sydney sophisticated lover and Italo disco king Donny Benet. You can play putt putt on a colourful golf course created by installation artist Rosie Deacon, or just generally lose your shit over one heck of a Sydney music lineup — Cosmo's Midnight, Tuka, Dustin Tebbutt, Vallis Alps, Black Vanilla, Dro Carey, Palms, Fishing, Shining Bird, Holy Balm, Gordi, Wordlife, B Wise, World Champion, Polish Club, Sampa the Great, Coda Conduct, Dreems, Adi Toohey and more. Obviously, FBi Supporters get discounts on tickets (max two tickets per supporter), and you'll have to present your supporter card at the entry gate on the day. If you are an FBi Supporter, but don't have a card, just email membership@fbiradio.com so they can send you a new one. FBi SMACs Festival is happening at Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh on January 10 from midday to 10pm. First release tickets are $49 and it's 18+ (sorry kids). Multipack Sydney Festival tickets go on sale October 22, and all tickets are on sale October 26 from the Sydney festival website. Image: Liam Cameron/FBi Radio.
The organisers of the Antenna Documentary Film Festival have revealed their latest program, including a timely opening night film about a group of Syrian refugees — and the attempts of Good Samaritans to help get them to safety. Sydney's annual documentary film festival will commence on October 13 with the Australian premiere of On the Bride's Side. An Italian/Palestinian co-production, the film follows a small team of Milanese journalists and activists who orchestrate a fake wedding party in order to smuggle their Syrian and Palestinian refugee friends thousands of kilometres across Europe – risking arrest and imprisonment in the process. The documentary has already screened at a number of festivals including the Venice International Film Festival and HotDocs in Toronto, where it received critical praise for bringing "a more personal perspective" to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. As the heartbreaking images of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi recently showed, putting a human face onto these kinds of tragedies can have a huge impact on public and political discourse. Perhaps we should be lobbying for certain members of the government to attend the screening. In addition to On the Bride's Side, this year's Antenna will include a number of high-profile and critically acclaimed documentaries. Made with the participation of legendary actor David Gulpilil, Molly Reynolds' Another Country explores the ongoing conflict between Indigenous communities and government policy, while Danish documentary Warriors from the North probes the growing trend of young Western Muslims joining jihadist groups overseas. Also from Denmark, albeit slightly less sombre, comes Michael Madsen's The Visit, which ponders the likely human response to a visit from extraterrestrial life. We're also particularly excited to check out B-Movie: Lust and Sound in West Berlin, about the eponymous city's vibrant music scene during the 1980s, as well as environmental activism doco Racing Extinction, from the Oscar-winning director of The Cove. The Antenna Documentary Film Festival runs from October 13-18 at Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema and the Museum of Contemporary Art. For the full program visit the festival website.
Rather than sitting home and mourning the death of Big Day Out this Australia Day, you can spend your time recovering from a brand new boutique festival. Titled Electric Gardens and channelling the park-based electronica popularised by Parklife and Listen Out, the event will take over Centennial Park on the first day of the Australia Day long weekend — Saturday, January 23. Electric Gardens' organisers have made the first lineup announcement this morning, with one Fatboy Slim leading the charge. Just lately the electro legend has been indulging in Random Acts of Smileyness. Fingers-crossed this smileyness continues at Electric Gardens. Joining the Weapon of Choice at the festival will be John Digweed and James Zabiela, so it’s all looking very much like a star-studded DJ affair. Gates will open at midday and stay that way until 10pm. To score the best possible ticket price, get in quick. By way of celebrating its inauguration, Electric Gardens is offering a super-limited, early-bird release. Sign up to the festival’s website and you’ll be able to nab a $99 ticket before general sales start on October 1. You’ll also get first notice as further lineup announcements are made. We’re being promised “many more international DJs”. Electric Gardens comes to Centennial Parklands on Saturday, January 23 from midday to 10pm. Head to the website for more info.
Remember all those promises you made to Facebook, about how when the winter chills let up you’re going to really knuckle down, get healthy, eat veggies and save a tonne of money? Well forget about it right now, you naïve fool, because Johnny Lobster and Young Henrys are throwing an all you can eat friend chicken night on Mondays during August. Yes, call your PT, call your bank, call your therapist and cackle maniacally at them to convey the futility of trying to be good when for $25, you can eat as much fried chicken as you can handle. Byeeee Felicia (Felicia is your will to resist). Every Monday night in August, Johnny Lobster will host an orgy of sensual delight (not a real orgy by the way, but a food one which is better). For $25 you will get all you can eat fried chicken and sides, while those chronic enablers from Young Henrys will be on hand to sell you $5 cans of the good stuff as well. While Johnny Lobster is technically a seafood joint, they handle chicken (the salmon of the land) with such tender loving care that they even admit the place could easily be called Johnny Rooster. While stuffing your face, make sure you quote Jessica Simpson’s “chicken or fish?” masterpiece at least once and snort-laugh at your own joke because that’s the way fried chicken is best enjoyed. If you’re down to clown with Johnny Lobster’s friend chicken fiesta, be sure to book ahead of time as word is spreading fast. Visit their Facebook page for more info.
If Wiz Khalifa has time to help the community out, you'd better find some time in that not-so-internationally-touring schedule of yours. The 28-year-old American rapper yesterday dropped by the Weave Skate Park Project Plan in Waterloo to do his bit for Optus RockCorps, a huge community service initiative and concert project running over the last eight weeks in Sydney. Khalifa was on the ground yesterday meeting volunteers like a boss and helping to paint and revitalise the skate park. What a dude. Now in its third year in Australia, Optus RockCorps is a global youth project that gives people the chance to get involved in volunteering to make a real difference in their communities — and in return, they earn sweet, sweet tickets. Over the past few weeks, over 3000 Sydneysiders have been volunteering just four hours of their time each (that's over 12,000 volunteered hours) at over 40 different community groups. It's all out of the goodness of their hearts — and quietly in return for a ticket to see an exclusive, live concert with some of the world’s biggest artists, including Khalifa, Peking Duk (who've been doing their own spot of volunteering), The Veronicas and Raury at Luna Park's Big Top on September 30. You couldn't buy tickets to this gig, only volunteer your time. Suffice to say, ticketholders will be feeling pretty chuffed tonight, both for helping their communities and finding themselves front and centre for Wiz Khalifa. Everyone wins. Image: Optus RockCorps.
Australia's obsession with Americana is going one step further, there's a brand new music festival on the New South Wales calendar. Wonderfully dubbed Dashville Skyline, the brand new camping festival is being touted as a two-day ode to American music — locked in for the October 3-4 long weekend, 2015. Who's behind this brand spanking new jaunt? The Dashville Skyline team are no spring chickens in the festival game; they're the brains behind hugely successfully niche festivals like The Gum Ball and PigSty in July. After finishing up The Gum Ball last year, the team are bringing the tunes back to the festival-ready Johnston family property in Dashville, Lower Belford in New South Wales — the bush-surrounded site of their previous festivals. Americana-influenced tunes will be the footstomping music of choice over the two days at Dashville — much like the recently successful Out on the Weekend festival. While the lineup has yet to be announced, the festival website describes the music as "born out of fondness for the Golden era that began in the USA in the late '60s, early '70s... a festival of Americana, psychedelia and alternative country music." Think contemporary music influenced by Bob Dylan, The Band, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and The Grateful Dead. There'll be both Australian and international artists on the bill, with each given a special project ahead of their Dashville set. To shake things up, the Dashville team are creating a shortlist of twenty of the era's greatest songs. Bands and artists will be asked to choose a song from this list and incorporate a cover version into their performance. The covers will be recorded live at the festival and gifted to all attendees at the conclusion of the weekend event as a super Dashville Skyline compilation. What a bloody great festival souvenir. There'll be Americana-themed food and booze on hand to complete the US-inspired sensory experience, and you'll be able to BYO in the campground (not inside the festival of course). It's all ages, and full weekend and individual day tickets with camption options for on either night will be available. Here's the site during The Gum Ball, to get an idea of your surrounds. Dashville Skyline runs over October 3 and 4 at Dashville, Lower Belford. For more information head over here.
If you didn't think a Sydney summer sunset could possibly get any better, that's okay — neither did we. But alas, it has. Now you can capitalise on those long summer evenings (thank you, daylight savings) by wining, dining and swaying to live music at Barangaroo Reserve, located in picturesque Gadigal Country. Enter: Sunset20°North. A celebration of music, food and culture set against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour, which will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February. Inspired by Barangaroo's namesake, a strong female leader of north Sydney's Cammeraygal people, the event will showcase the best Australian female voices and chefs. The contemporary music lineup includes hip hop-artist Sampa The Great, folk singer Thelma Plum and Thandi Phoenix's electro beats. And the best part? It's all free. As is the interactive art, designed by Yuwaalaraay artist Lucy Simpson. Explore the large-scale Grandmother Tree as it changes with the sunset, reflecting colours and light across the harbour. The food on offer will change each week, with guest chefs Claire van Vuuren (Bloodwood), Thi Le (Anchovy), Jane Strode (Fred's) and Analiese Gregory (Franklin) each spending a weekend at the helm. The drinks list will also feature mostly female winemakers and producers, with cocktails crafted from native ingredients and award-winning wine. Overall, expect local, seasonal produce perfect for a harbourside picnic. Did someone say oysters? Sunset20°North will take place every weekend in February. Festivities kick off at 4pm on Fridays and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Pop-up pros Street Food Circus are hitting Marrickville at the end of spring. And they'll be bringing with them three wild days of street food, craft beer, boutique wines, live music and DJs armed with vinyl. So blank out November 25 to 27 in your diary, for feasting at Fraser Park. The culinary extravaganza will showcase dishes from all over the world, with a particular focus on Italy and Vietnam. Representing the UN will be Big Papa's Food Truck with its multicultural menu, which includes the Korean (beef short ribs with cucumber kim chi on a bao gao bun) and the freaking enormous Americano (beef burger with pickle mayo sauce, cheddar and lettuce). Alternatively, for perfect arancini and whitebait fritto, swing by Italian street food experts Fritto + Co. Taking care of Vietnamese flavours will be Saigon Summer's outdoor barbecue pit, while Let's Do Yum Cha will be providing dim sim and duck pancakes. And, for health nuts, there'll be Agape Organic. Once the savouries are out of the way, it'll be time for dessert. Try out newbies Torch Me Creme Brulee and Donut Dealers, or go for established safe bet Over The Moo, who'll be serving up their next-level dairy-free ice cream (get the salted caramel) with waffles from Waffles and Dom. Keeping your thirst at bay throughout the day will be a bunch of craft beers and spirits, as well as fine wines, provided by Mountain Goat and Archie Rose distillers, among others. Meanwhile, in the Big Top, you'll be kicking back or getting down to a slew local DJ talent and, should you want to grab a vinyl or two of your own to take home, go rummaging at Rolling Records, a truck devoted to records. Street Food Circus is coming to Marrickville's Fraser Park from November 25-27. Tickets here.
Audiences have thrown spoons at Tommy Wiseau's The Room for over a decade, turning the film into a cult hit in the process. Alas, anyone hoping to gain a deeper insight into the cinema phenomenon at this year's Sydney Underground Film Festival might feel like lobbing cutlery in the filmmaker's direction instead. Unhappy about planned screenings of the documentary Room Full of Spoons, Wiseau threatened legal action, forcing organisers to remove the movie from the program. SUFF announced the news on their Facebook page, advising that they "tried everything in our power to move forward with the screening and have had many conversations with our own barristers and Wiseau's Australian-based legal team". In a move Wiseau could only approve of, the doco will be replaced by sessions of The Room itself. Amazingly for a festival that celebrates its tenth weird and wonderful year in 2016, this is the first time they've had to withdraw a film. Speaking to The Guardian, festival co-director Stefan Popescu delivered one heck of a burn: "This is the biggest censorship issue our festival has ever had, and it is not from the government — it's from the man who has delusions of cinematic adequacy." Ouch. Sydney Underground Film Festival runs from September 15 to 18. To view the full SUFF 2016 program, or to buy tickets, visit suff.com.au. Meanwhile, here are our top ten picks of SUFF. Go see 'em.
If you see one film over the next few months, make it Berlin Syndrome. Based on a novel of the same name, the film follows Australian photojournalist Clare (played by Teresa Palmer) as she embarks on her first solo trip to Berlin. While travelling, she meets and begins a passionate romance with charismatic local man Andi. Their relationship soon takes an unexpected and sinister turn—she wakes one morning to discover that Andi has left for work and locked her inside his apartment, with no intention of ever letting her leave. Filmed on location in Berlin and Melbourne, the film is a thoughtful, psychological thriller directed by Australian Cate Shortland (who also directed the critically acclaimed Somersault). It examines tough topics such as emotional manipulation, gaslighting and Stockholm syndrome in a provocative fashion, leaving the audience with a new outlook on the relationship that can occur between captor and captive. The film is released nationally on April 20. To celebrate, we're hosting an advanced screening of Berlin Syndrome at Palace Verona in Sydney on Thursday, April 13 at 6.30pm. Register your details below to go into the draw to win one of 50 double passes, and subscribe to Palace Cinemas if you're keen to receive session times in your inbox. [competition]615234[/competition]
Out in the middle of the California desert lies the city of Palm Springs. A long-time hangout of film stars known for its lavish hotels and mid-century modern architecture, it's the kind of quintessentially American locale that wouldn't look out of place on a postcard. But as picturesque as Palm Springs may look by day, it's even more incredible by night. On display at the Black Eye Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Midnight Modern is an ongoing project by Melbourne-based photographer Tom Blachford, who has travelled to Palm Springs five times over the past two years to shoot the city as it shines in the moonlight. Capturing bungalows, palm trees and vintage Cadillacs, Blachford's work offers a uniquely cinematic look at a place that is both lavish and desolate – a manicured slice of comfort in the wild.
Brought to you by the Black Dog Institute, the National Institute for Experimental Arts at UNSW and host Julie McCrossin, The BIG Anxiety Project explores one of society's greatest (and common) mental health issues: anxiety. According to Beyond Blue, approximately 45 percent of Australians will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety. How are we coping with the strains and stresses of city life? What does online connectivity mean for our levels of anxiety? Who does it effect, how does it feel and what can we do to address it? An interactive session blending health research with cutting-edge data visualisation tools, this Vivid Ideas event will let you see social media feeds transformed into live infographics that reveal the themes, thoughts and truth behind anxiety. This is one of our top picks for Vivid Ideas events. Read the whole list and reboot your brain.
For 19 years, Sydney Design Festival has been putting you face-to-face with the latest developments in architecture, fashion, technology, food and art. Gear up for yet another nine mindblowing days, coming up on September 2. This time around, you'll be seeing the Goods Line in a whole new light, discovering the latest innovations from Indigenous designers, hearing from creatives about the fine line between success and failure, exploring artists' responses to the impact of digital manufacturing and cutting up bamboo bicycles. And that's just the beginning. So get your designer cap on and get amongst it.
Gallery-hopping after hours? Talk about a perfect Sydney date idea. Art Month Sydney's beloved Precinct Nights are back, offering you the golden opportunity to enjoy a spate of art venues open late, transforming your art viewing into an adventure trail after closing time. Art at Night | East Sydney in partnership with Concrete Playground and Cake Wines is the ultimate artventure, with over fifteen eastern Sydney galleries open from 6-8pm on Thursday, March 3. Galleries on the trail include Alaska Projects and Alaska Studios, Australian Design Centre, Black Eye Gallery, Chalk Horse, Creative Live Work Spaces, Firstdraft, Gallery 9, King Street Gallery on William, Michael Reid Sydney, STACKS Projects, Stanley Street Gallery, Tap Gallery, Watters Gallery, William Wright | Artists Projects, and Yuill | Crowley, who all have pretty damn great Art Month programs in store. But every great trail walk needs a solid watering hole at the end. Once you've perused enough art, make your way to the Cake Wines Art Bar at National Art School, Forbes and Burton Street, Darlinghurst (open from 7.30-10.30pm). There'll be plenty going on at the pop-up, including projections from NAS alumni and students, performances, an interactive drawing workshop, as well as Art Month presenting a series of performances including Liam Benson, Justin Shoulder and Wisteria Hysteria with FBi Radio's Sweetie on the decks. Download the map here.
It's been a whole year since the lads at Surry Hills' craft beer-loving pub Keg & Brew opened their doors, so of course they're going to bloody celebrate. Raising a glass to a year of weird and wonderful niche lagers, ales and pilsners, K&B are one of the best craft beer pubs in Sydney. They've invited their mates at Young Henrys and Batch Brewing for a tap takeover. The brewers and brewery reps will be hanging about the pub for you to grill about different beers — maybe they'll even sign a growler for you. To really get the most out of the K&B bar on their birthday, you can opt for the $5 Thirsty Thursday schooner specials — choose from the Batch American Pale Ale or Young Henrys Natural Lager. There'll be plenty of nosh going around at the party, with two special dishes created for the night. First, the lobster nachos (such decadence, much wow), which features Young Henrys lager-poached lobster tail, five bean mix, mozzarella cheese, sour cream, tomato salsa and chives for $19. Alternatively, there's the lamb hot dogs, featuring lamb and rosemary sausages served with cucumber, Batch American Pale Ale braised soft onions, smoke paprika yoghurt and shoestring fries for $16.50. Importantly, and most adorably, there'll be complimentary Keg & Brew birthday cupcakes. And even though it's the pub's birthday, they're giving out the pressies and prizes — you and three mates could win a personalised tour of both Batch Brewing Co and Young Henrys breweries. Just enter the comp while you're sinking a few Natural Lagers in the pub. HB K&B. We reckon the Keg & Brew is one of the ten best craft beer bars and pubs in Sydney. Check out the whole list here.
More than a decade after the series finale of Friends, a replica of the show's iconic Central Perk cafe is coming to Sydney's Hyde Park. Located on the corner of College and Liverpool Streets, the pop-up coffee shop complete with famous orange couch will be open for two weeks, selling merchandise, serving free coffee and providing ideal selfie opportunities for flocks of diehard fans. The cafe is part of a promotion by streaming service Stan, who have just inked a deal with Warner Brothers to put all 236 episodes of the sitcom online in HD. That comes to roughly 86.5 hours of television, for anyone planning a marathon-length binge. The same pop-up attracted nearly 50,000 people when it appeared in New York last year. In Sydney it'll be open 8am to 5pm Sundays through Wednesdays and 8am to 7pm Thursdays through Saturdays.
The team at Cuckoo Callay know what people like. Earlier this year, the Newtown cafe hit a homerun with their first ever bacon festival, a three-month celebration of that most versatile of pork products complete with bacon burgers, bacon ice cream and even bacon Bloody Marys. Now, they're doubling down with an event dedicated to the only thing in the world that people get more excited about than bacon. We're talking, of course, about puppies. Set to take place on November 14-15 in support of the legends at the RSPCA, Cuckoo's Dog Day Afternoon will be a weekend-long party for our favourite four-legged friends (sorry, cats). Cuckoo Callay will transform its outdoor space into a veritable pooch's paradise with toys, treats and a full-blown doggy day spa. Those of us without tails, meanwhile, will enjoy gourmet dawgz, wine and a lineup of live music and entertainment. Each day will also see Newtown's best dressed dogs compete for gold and glory in Cuckoo's Doggy Dress Up Parade. 15 pooches (and their owners) will compete for up to $1500 worth of prizes, judged by an eclectic panel that includes ex-Big Brother champ Tim Dormer, TV presenter Lynette Bolton and state member for Newtown Jenny Leong. Anyone wanting to sign up their dog for the contest can do so via the Cuckoo Callay Facebook page. And now, enjoy this: Cuckoo Callay's Dog Day Afternoon is happening November 14-15 at Newtown Railway station, 324A King Street, Newtown.
Find yourself washed up on a tropical island with two spoiled kidults and their long-suffering assistants in a new, bizarre and disturbingly colourful play Great Island, "with a lot more sex, violence and Heart of Darkness than your average island getaway." Showing at Redfern's 107 Projects, Great Island marks the debut of new Sydney theatre group Beside Ourselves Collective, who've improvised, developed and birthed an "utterly disrepectful" (their words) new adaptation of Pierre de Marivaux's 1725 farce L'Ile des esclaves. When the island's mysterious ruler submits our washed up protagonists to a subversive experiment, the servants become the masters in a crazy, coconutty class war. Expect to laugh when least appropriate. Steered by director Pierce Wilcox (of the Australian Chamber Opera, but believe us, this ain't no opera), Beside Ourselves take de Marivaux's play to new levels of weird with an ensemble of glorious fools: theatresports champions Harry Milas and Rob Johnson (Mantaur), Anna Chase (TV’s The Checkout), Eleni Schumacher (Dead Time at 107 Projects) and Nicholas Starte (Black Swan State Theatre Company’s Dust).
Want to see Seekae's Alex Cameron, surrounded by art, playing live for free? Want to be seduced by the smooth sounds of Donny Benet beside Australia's famous faces? Over the month of August, the Art Gallery of New South Wales's Art After Hours program is extending the Archibald Prize love to live music. Each Wednesday from August 5-26, AGNSW will see some of Australia's best musicians playing for free in the Gallery's entrance court in 'Faces in the Crowd'. Yep, for free. On August 5, Alex Cameron returns to the Gallery to take you on a journey through time and space with his eclectic brand of electronica. James will be teaming up with saxophonist Roy Molloy to showcase his debut album Jumping the Shark, which documents tales of shame and humiliation in the most crisp, breezy way possible. On August 12, Austinmer band Shining Bird will bring their hypnotic melodies, Crosby, Stills and Nash-like harmonies and debut album Leisure Coast tunes to the Gallery. A crew of buds who initially bonded over their love of the sea, Australian cinema, Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue LP and the great Australian poet Henry Lawson, this crew has a sound you can't pin down until you hear it live. On August 19, drummer for The Drones, frontman for The Gentlemen of Fortune and solo artist in his own right Mike Nogo brings his stripped-back folk-rock to the Gallery. He'll be performing a solo sneak peak of his highly anticipated third album, due out later this year. Then last (but in no way, shape or form least) immortal synthmaster and 'Sophisticated Lover' Donny Benet will be gracing the gallery on August 26. Breaking hearts and taking names since his 2011 debut album The Touch, Benet's signature blend of Italo-disco and synth-laden pop has entranced audiences from Goodgod Small Club to Sydney Festival to the Opera House. Each artist will play twice in the evening (you lucky things), once at 6pm and again at 7.30pm. ART AFTER HOURS — FACES IN THE CROWD SERIES LINEUP: AUGUST 5 — ALEX CAMERON (SEEKAE) AUGUST 12 — SHINING BIRD AUGUST 19 — MIKE NOGA AUGUST 26 — DONNY BENET While you're there, why not see the Archibald Prize?
It was an ill-designed defence mechanism at the time of the first white settlers, then a pretty awful place for convicts. Now, one of Sydney's most historic harbour spots and recently a pretty fancy schmancy dining destination, Fort Denison has announced the return of its summer drinks and dining series, Sunday Sunsets. That's right, Sundays from now on? Fortress parties y'all. You'll be able to sail on out to Fort Denison Restaurant for Sunday afternoons of cocktails, food and live music every Sunday from November 29 until January 2016. You can book a sit-down sunset dinner at the restaurant, or play it super casual on the outdoor couches — there's a 'drinks and bites' menu that'll see you loaded up on lamb sliders, fish tacos, Alaskan crab tostadas, Sydney rock oysters, fine cheeses and charcuterie boards. Chuck in a little acid jazz and R&B from resident DJ and saxophonist Zak (a multitalented, multitasking dude is Zak), and you've got yourself a supremo Sydney date. There'll be special extended ferry services from Circular Quay, alongside shuttles from Manly and Watsons Bay. The last ferry departs from CQ at 8pm, so you can make a pretty long lazy Sunday. You'll have book though, to ensure your spot on the fortress, so check out the session times and prices on the website and lock in your spot. Fort Denison's Sunday Sunsets run every Sunday from November 29 to January 2016. Check the website for the weekly music lineup.
Hate the lockouts? We're with you. Keen to really, actually, physically do something to show your discontent with the Sydney lockout laws? Lobby group Keep Sydney Open are holding a huge rally on February 21 to protest the State Government's controversial laws and the affect they're having on Sydney. Starting at Belmore Park in Central at 12.30pm, the rally will then make its way into the CBD. The crowd will stop by the soon-to-close George Street staple Bar Century for a mock funeral for all businesses and venues closed, and jobs lost since the lockouts were instated. Legendary Sydneysiders and nightlife supporters will be joining the rally for speeches, including Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus), Isabella Manfredi (The Preatures), Bernard Keane (political editor of Crikey and author of A Short History of Stupid) and Keep Sydney Open founder Tyson Koh. There'll also be performances from Sydney favourites Royal Headache — who wore Keep Sydney Open shirts at their Flaming Lips support set for Sydney Festival — and Art vs Science — who recently released a song in protest of the lockouts. More speakers will be announced during the week. There will be t-shirts on sale at Belmore Park before the rally proceeds on. The Keep Sydney Open rally is pushing certain actions on the Sunday, including: - lockout exemptions for licensed premises that are predominantly live music venues - an end to the new licence freeze for predominantly live music venues and small bars - the lifting of restrictions on retail hours - late-night public transport, like in Melbourne - the introduction of a Night Mayor, like in Amsterdam and Berlin - an invitation from government to discuss next steps in partnership with those whose livelihoods depend on the music and cultural industries thriving in Sydney - police to work with not against the responsible venues who provide safe nights out in a global city Keep Sydney Open's rally starts at 12.30pm at Belmore Park, Central on February 21. Head to the Facebook event page for more info. Image: Andy Fraser, Laneway Festival (who support Keep Sydney Open).
If you're already squealing, this is the gig you've been waiting for. Bright Eyes frontman and bonafide dreamboat of your formative years Conor Oberst is returning to Australia to play some very special shows for your fast-beating heart. Since the early '90s, Oberst has spun tales of heartbreak, love, joy, life and serious depression, gradually moving from Bright Eyes to the Mystic Valley Band and Monsters of Folk in recent years. Now he's heading back to Sydney, armed with tracks from his most recent album, 2014's Upside Down Mountain as well as those tunes that made you weep, fall in love and appreciate the little things. Fingers crossed for 'Lua', 'First Day of My Life'; you know the drill. This isn't your regular giggin' in pavilions tour though. As well as hitting up Brisbane's Triffid, Melbourne's Corner Hotel and Sydney's Metro's Theatre, Oberst is set to play a series of unconventional gigs among the giraffes, hitting Sydney's Taronga Zoo and Melbourne Zoo Twilights. Bet even the bilbies have a bit of a tear-up. Conor Oberst will play two Sydney shows, March 4 at the Metro Theatre and March 6 at Taronga Zoo. Supported by The Felice Brothers.
Already a fan of SBTRKT, thanks to his remixes of Radiohead, M.I.A., Mark Ronson and Basement Jaxx? You haven't heard the best of the mask-wearing mystery man yet. It's on his studio albums that he shifts into top gear. Lead by mastermind Aaron Jerome Foulds, SBTRKT first solo-sashayed into public consciousness around June 2011, with the release of his eponymous debut. By spring 2014, another dose had been delivered, with full-lengther Wonder Where We Land, released in October. If you scored yourself a ticket to Falls Festival or Field Day this New Year's, you would have already seen how SBTRKT's latest creations manifest live. But there'll still a chance to kick off 2015 in his company. He'll be playing sideshows at Melbourne's Forum Theatre on Wednesday, January 7 (sold out) and at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Thursday, January 8. Given that he'll be arriving on the heels of extensive US and European tours, we're expecting to catch a couple of seriously polished performances, complete with epic visuals. Supported by Movement.
Just as the mid-week blues rears its ugly head, Goodgod delivers once again with its trademark pop culture trivia tournaments. Starting the New Year off with a bang, 2015 marks the bar's first ever (that's right, never before seen, folks) Music Trivia night. Prepare for the clashing of Sydney's musical minds, things could get tense (don't say we didn't warn you). Featuring FBi Radio's Shag and Al Grigg of Palms and Straight Arrows playing hosts, these two will be your go-to gurus overseeing every score and stumble during the evening's festivities. Fancy yourself a bit of a musical aficionado? Try your hand and challenge your mates to see who comes out on top, or team up against rival music nerds. Keeping all competitors at their fighting best, Goodgod will be dishing up a brand spanking new menu of tasty dishes too. With whispers of some sweet prizes also up for grabs, your Wednesdays won't be looking too shabby for the next weeks to come.
This week has more Australian '80s-style synth pop, unforgettable dance moves and enviable hairstylin' than usual, with Sydney duo Client Liaison rolling into town for their national Pretty Lovers tour. Renowned for their infectious '80s synth and '90s pop influences, this pair continues to pack a punch with the release of their debut EP, Queen, last year. If their sold-out Spiegeltent shows at Sydney Festival this year, or their recent confetti cannon-finale at Secret Garden Festival are anything to go by, Oxford Art Factory better fortify their floorboards — furious dancing is mandatory. Extravagant and over-the-top in every way, Harvey Miller and Monte Morgan are well worth checking out, revisiting or continuing your straight-up superfandom for. If a high-energy end-of-week dance party sounds like your jam, check out Client Liaison on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Words by Lucinda Starr and Shannon Connellan.
Easter is creeping up once again, and that means that Bad Friday block party is on its way as well. From their humble beginnings at the Annandale Hotel in 2010, the crew behind one of the best celebrations of local talent in the calendar year have ramped it up, year after year, and this year — the event's huge tenth year — won't change that winning formula. The festival will take over Fraser Park in Marrickville from 1pm on Friday, April 19, and it boasts quite the lineup. Indeed, while it's still just over two months away at the time of writing, this shindig is selling tickets quickly. The first two early releases have been snapped up, so if you're keen to attend, you'll want to nab one from the full-price last batch. Back to the bill. The roster of talent meanders through 19 artists, including 14 homegrown Sydney outfits. Prepare to party to the sounds of Jungle, The Avalanches doing a DJ set, DMA's, DZ Deathrays, The Jezabels, Tropical Fuck Storm and more — and party like you've got three days off afterwards, too.
Some people would travel a long way to visit cult West Village piano bar Marie's Crisis — well known for its mass singalongs and made extra famous when Jimmy Fallon paid a raucous, impromptu visit — but Sydneysiders don't have to this March. After a wildly popular run in 2015, the Marie's crew are bringing the whole experience back to Sydney as part of the second Spectrum Now Festival. Recreating the dive bar in QT Parlour Lane Roasters from March 1-10, Marie's Crisis are bringing their whole showtune-lovin' team all the way from NYC to gather round the piano for everything from Fiddler on the Roof to Phantom. The MC crew are also teaming up with Sydney's Hayes Theatre Company for a huge outdoor singalong in The Domain on March 7, so brush up on your Sondheim. Spectrum Now runs March 1-16 Sydneywide. To check out the entire program and book yourself into Spectrum Now, head over here.
While Messina's main jam is crafting supremely scoffable varieties of gelato, the brand's love of food extends far beyond the freezer, as proven through a series of pop-ups it's dubbed Messina Eats. Every couple of months, the cult gelateria teams up with a savoury-focused culinary hero and throws a big ol' food party in the carpark at its Rosebery headquarters. On March 18, however, Messina's flying solo for its Pie Country pop-up, plating up both sweet and savoury iterations of that flaky favourite: the pie. On the menu, executive head chef Tom flaunts his passion for pies with a range that includes a nacho-style combo of chilli con carne, guacamole, corn chips, sour cream, and jalapenos. There's also one filled with slow-cooked Nepalese chicken curry and topped with mushy peas and mashed potato. Of course, the dessert game will be as strong as ever, with deep-fried apple pie, vanilla soft serve, and a salted caramel and coffee version of Messina Milk, all on offer. Messina Eats: Pie Country kicks off at 12pm this Saturday, March 18, and runs until all those pies have sold out.
Looking for that perfect something-something for your one and only? Valentine's Day has us all mushy and wanting to share the love. Luckily we've got a big ol' crush on Secret Garden festival, NSW's favourite made-for-mates-by-mates festival. How would you like to stay in your own Honeymoon Suite at the festival? You'll win a pair of two-day tickets to Secret Garden, and you'll be staying in the festival's very special Honeymoon Suite — a very, very fancy bell tent dressed up and made all romantic-like by the Secret Garden creative team (package worth $900). It's the ultimate date for adventure seekers. We're talking choccies on the pillow, bubbles on arrival, rose petals — the whole nine yards. Enter the comp here. Here's a lovely little romance-fuelled movie from Secret Garden, in which 'Farmer Henry Wants a Wife' on the SG festival site. Love is truly in the air. Farmer Henry Wants a WifeThis is the full story on Farmer Henry, who wants a wife.Competitors, please meet 4:30pm 27th FEB, Main Stage, Secret Garden. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY xGet amongst it! >>> http://bit.ly/SG_Tickets Posted by The Secret Garden on Saturday, February 13, 2016
Marrickville could become Sydney's new late night destination, after the local council revealed an ambitious proposal for a brand new live music and creative arts precinct. The plans for the Sydenham Station Creative Hub would see the industrial area around Sydenham Station rezoned, opening it up for a swathe of potential new bars, restaurants and music venues. And best of all? No lockouts. The proposal is appealing for a number of reasons. With punters fleeing Kings Cross and the CBD in droves, Sydney is crying out for a new after-hours music hub. The area around Sydenham Station is already home to a number of popular venues, including Red Rattler, Gasoline Pony and The Factory, while easy access via the train line is another big tick in its favour. "If anyone had a dream to set up a live music venue, small bar, or creative business right on a major transport interchange between the city and significant suburban renewal along adjacent railway corridors, I'd be looking very, very closely at the Sydenham Station Creative Hub," Live Music Office Policy Director John Wardle told The Music. Marrickville Mayor Sam Iskandar also weighed in on the plans, saying that "with the fantastic transport links the area has, we believe a Sydenham Station Creative Hub could easily become a must-visit destination for all of Sydney." Marrickville Council is currently seeking public feedback on the proposal, which you can provide via a survey on their website. The council will meet to discuss the project on June 7 before deciding whether to move forward. Via The Music. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
The Palisade Hotel was once the highest building in Sydney. It's true, back in 1915 it was built as a pub for port workers and the residents of Millers Point; a feat of modern commercial development. After many long and hearty years as a Millers staple pub, hotel and prized Brian Sudek/Annie Parmentier restaurant, it closed in 2008. But now, the Palisade is finding new life in its 100th year, quietly reopening its ground floor bar this week. Quite the prime real estate spot, the Palisade has been snapped up for about $20 million by entrepreneur Richard Sapsford, according to Good Food. The pub is aiming to fuse boutique hotel accommodation with a brand new penthouse eatery and bar, under the direction businessman of Greg Walker. With the ground floor bar now open for business — serving hearty pub grub like soup and toasties alongside lighter fare like lentil and beetroot salads — the Palisade's fancier upper levels are tipped for a September opening. Owner of The Society Inc and interior stylist for the likes of Palings, Mr Wong, Palmer & Co, El Loco, 30 Knots, Upstairs at The Beresford, MsG’s and more Sibella Court is steering the revamp — one she 's claiming to have a "Soho House feel", nodding to the New York City Meatpacking District institution. The Palisade's ground floor bar is now open at 35 Bettington Street, Millers Point. Watch this space for more details on the upper levels. Via Good Food. Images: Mick Stanic and Newtown Grafitti (Flickr CC)
Any time is a good time for a getaway in the Hunter Valley, though that's particularly true in May and June. That's when the Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival returns to highlight the best the region has to offer. And this year, there's more cheese than usual. Rather than focus all of their eating and drinking goodness over a few days or on a few places, HVWFF spreads the love. Keen on a fireside dinner where you'll sample 2014-vintage wines? Want to meet local producers and feast on farm-fresh meals? Or watch a wine barrel become a bonfire as part of an annual tradition? Of course you do. But if the godly trio of wine, cheese and the arts specifically take your fancy, hold on to that hat of yours. At the brand new Cheese Lovers Festival, you can try as much dairy as you can stomach for just $20 entry ($25 for early birds). This cheesy, cheesy festival will showcase over 40 cheese, wine and craft beer stalls with tasting opportunities. Tasting opportunities. There's a 'Fancy Cheesecake' competition, a three-course cheesy menu designed by chef Lyndey Milan and more. There's also the Hunter Valley Wine Festival, which showcases the beverage part of the equation. And the Lovedale Arts Festival runs for the entire two months, showcasing everything from sculpture to music. Basically, if you can't find a reason to make the trip, you're not looking hard enough. And that's just the official side of things. With more than 150 wineries in the area, taking a few detours is to be expected. The Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival runs across May and June in various locations. For more information, check out the Hunter Valley website.
Chippendale’s mysterious, once-seedy alleyways will be getting the BEAMS treatment again on Saturday, September 19. Now in its fourth year, BEAMS Arts Festival delivers a feast of light, video, animation, sculpture, music, dance, theatre and food for five action-packed hours between 5pm and 10pm. And every minute of it is gloriously free. Festival director Nicky Ginsberg says we can expect “live music featuring Australia’s best and brightest talent co-curated by King Sound Studios and including the elite of Triple J Unearthed and the Australian Institute of Music in this year’s stellar line-up". Meanwhile, local eateries will be “showcasing their finest wares”. And the festival’s creative participants will be responding to the theme 'phenomena'. They’ve been asked to reflect on Chippendale’s evolution from its industrial origins to its contemporary manifestation, while exploring what Sydney’s future might hold through imaginative collaboration. BEAMS will take place along on Balfour, Little Queen and Kensington Streets, as well as in nearby laneways and on Chippendale Green (within One Central Park).
Newtown is about to get a brand new deli and bistro with some serious gourmet pedigree to back it up. Set to start operations later this month, Continental is the latest culinary venture from Elvis Abrahanowicz and Joe Valore, the same dynamic duo behind Porteno and Bodega in Surry Hills and LP's Quality Meats in Chippendale. Take a few minutes to drool, and then get to work on your shopping list. Located at 210 Australia Street, Newtown, just up the road from Black Star Pastry and Oscillate Wildly, Continental's launch will be split into two parts, with the deli section opening on September 28 and the upstairs bistro beginning service a month later. The deli will operate daily from 10am, while the bistro will be open for dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays, plus lunch on Sundays. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph earlier in the year, Abrahanowicz described the downstairs portion as a "classic deli" that would stock cured meats, vegetables and seafood. "We are going more for quality rather than quantity," he said. "Everything will be on rotation. Rather than stocking 80 cheeses, we will stock what’s ripe and ready to eat at the moment." The pair have even purchased a canning machine, so they can can their goods right there on site. The dining menu will consist mostly of European-style share food, while the duo's long time collaborator Mikey Nicolian will take care of things behind the bar. The space is expected to seat around about 50 people in total. The upstairs area will consist of two rooms, one of which will feature a large communal table with room for around a dozen diners. Via The Daily Telegraph and Gourmet Traveller. Image: Porteno.
Australia's wild, native food is starting to get the attention it deserves — from high-end restaurants like NOMA Australia and Adelaide restaurant Orana among other venues. To showcase the use of Australian produce in food and wine, Indigiearth are putting on a feast of foraged ingredients at Handpicked Wines. A discussion and taste testing of wild harvesting and the sustainable food movement will be accompanied by an Aussie wine workshop. Indigiearth owner Sharon Winsor is an award-winning pioneer of native food brands in New South Wales, this is a rare opportunity to join her and better understand why these ingredients deserve their spot in the limelight.
A FREE concert by The Flaming Lips, a cardboard city with a FREE flying fox, a Birdman screening live scored by the film's drummer Antonio Sanchez, and a steamy story session with Sydney’s sexiest senior citizens are all happening in Sydney this January, when the Sydney Festival turns forty. Yep, as of 2016, the city’s biggest and best-loved arts shindig will be over the hill. And, by way of celebration, we’re being treated to a program of truly epic proportions. The organisers have spilled the beans on the 157 events (including 89 free ones!), 383 performances, 34 venues, 902 artists and 22 nations that will be coming together from January 7 to 26. Let’s start with The Flaming Lips. Oklahoma’s most famous psychedelic alternative rock outfit will be hitting The Domain to headline the festival’s legendary Summer Sounds concert, hopefully with clothes and without Miley Cyrus, and definitely pumping out their cult tunes alongside their chart triumphs. And it'll cost you zero dollars. Meanwhile, SydFest is expanding to a bunch of new spots, including Barangaroo Reserve and Vaucluse House. Barangaroo’s new cultural space, The Cutaway, is gearing up to host one of the festival’s biggest free events for the people. French artist Olivier Grossetête is inviting you to help build The Ephemeral City, an enormous, temporary urban development made of cardboard. Afterwards, you’ll be able to get a damn good view of your work, thanks to free flying fox rides on a mammoth 165 metre zip line. A strong sense of community spirit also informs the theatrical elements of the festival’s programming. Bursting onto new storytelling territory is a show titled All the Sex I’ve Ever Had, which sees a slew of Sydneysiders aged over 65 bring their experience and insight to personal stories of romance and sex. Then there’s The Object Lesson, an installation/performance inviting you to join illusionist Geoff Sobelle on a journey through an absolutely enormous pile of objects. You'll contemplate every "thing that ever passed through your hands — a massive, meaningful, meaningless pile of junk that describes in debris your tiny human history". On the music front, we’re excited about Cut the Sky, a powerful indigenous performance work meditating on a dystopian future and featuring songs by Nick Cave and Ngaiire. As we mentioned, quadruple Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer Antonio Sanchez will be improvising a live score to a screening of Birdman (he improvised the actual score, so this will be the first and only time this SydFest score is played). And, for the first time ever, FBi is presenting its SMAC Awards as a huge festival, open to the general public. Other gigs on the schedule include the inimitable Joanna Newsom at the Sydney Opera House launching new album Divers, underground rock trio The Dirty Three and Mexrissey — a Mariachi-style revamping of songs by Morissey and The Smiths. There's also a new folk series happening amongst the gorgeous acoustics of St Stephens Uniting Church. As usual, Hyde Park's Meriton Festival Village is delivering a whizz-bang array of music, comedy, cabaret and circus acts, while About an Hour is heading back to Carriageworks for another season of 60-minute, $35 events featuring theatre, dance, music and storytelling. Clear your calendar, this is going to be a busy summer. Dive into the entire Sydney Festival program at the festival website. Image: Todd Spoth.
Garage pop band Hinds are making the trip to Australia for the very first time. For a super young band (the youngest member is only 18), they've already had a run of successes that would strike envy in many. They've played at Primavera Sound, opened for The Libertines and have toured with The Black Keys. Perhaps the only run of bad luck they've received is being legally obliged to change their name from their previous moniker 'Deers'. It's hard not to love the girls' breezy and unfiltered take on young love and teenage fun, a charm that also translates to their live shows — known for their unpretentious, no barriers performance and oft heard outbursts of giggling. Mac DeMarco is a self-professed fan, and maybe after this run, you'll be convinced to join the club too.
The Gretz is turning two, and they're celebrating with happy hour for all — three days in a row. Enmore's sister restaurant to the ever-popular Hartsyard offers some of the best cocktails and bar snacks in the city and both will be on special for their birthday weekend. Happy hour will run from 9pm-11pm on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1, and from 7pm-9pm on Sunday, April 2 — this means schooners for five bucks and cocktails for ten dollarydoos, as well snacks on the house. We're hoping this means they'll be passing around their addictive oyster po' boys (and if not, order 'em anyway). Customers can also go in the draw to win one of three seafood trays supplied by Joto Fresh Fish. This award-winning venue has become one of the go-to bars for walk-in snacking and classy boozing in the area — especially when Hartsyard is predictably full up — and we'll happily raise a happy hour glass to another year in the biz.
The Art Gallery of NSW has a lot going on at the moment, from Australia's favourite art prize to the most comprehensive Marcel Duchamp exhibition to ever reach the Asia Pacific. For those who don't quite recognise the name, he's the dude who decided a bicycle wheel on top of a wooden stool and a urinal could both be art. The groundbreaking and, at times, controversial French artist expanded the possibilities of what art can and should be. But did you know he was also a chess champion? And an incredibly witty wordsmith? To celebrate this landmark exhibition, we've teamed up with the gallery to bring you three free Art After Hours events that explore the more intimate details of Duchamp's personal life, as well as his 60-year, convention-defying career. Other than being an artistic maverick with his readymades, did you know he was a chess champion? A playful humorist? An incredibly witty wordsmith? Well, at each Art After Hours host Carlo Ritchie, one half of the Aussie improv comedy team The Bear Pack, will lead you through a playful world of Duchampian hijinks across three Wednesday nights. Over the course of this immersive and irreverent series, you'll get to assemble your own readymade while DJ Klasik spins tunes on June 19, challenge yourself and check your mate in a game of chess on June 26 and try your tongue at slippery wordplay with punny pick-up lines and improv games on July 3. There'll be a pop-up bar, too, if you're in need of liquid courage. After, be sure to check out the 125-strong retrospective of art and documentary materials, marking the 50th anniversary of Duchamp's death, which will be open late during the Art After Hours events. The workshops are free and require no booking, but you can register your interest via Facebook. Meanwhile, the exhibition itself is ticketed. To purchase, head to the Art Gallery of NSW's website. Duchamp's Playground will take place on Wednesday, June 19 from 6–9pm, Wednesday, June 26 from 7–9pm and Wednesday, July 3, from 6–9pm. The Essential Duchamp exhibition will run until Sunday, August 11. Image: Jenni Carter, 'Carlo Ritchie in The essential Duchamp exhibition', 2019.
Leave everything up to the chef at this intimate harbourside omakase restaurant. Make your evening even more special with a complimentary Haku martini paired with the eight or 11-course meal. Bay Nine is located along the heritage Campbell's Stores waterfront precinct and operates under the steady stewardship of master sushi chef Yul Kim — we sat down with Chef Kim to discuss bringing his menu to life with passion, precision and experimentation. The intimate Japanese eatery has a smattering of tables and a ten-seater counter. This makes it easy for guests to see the chef's skills up close and personal — omakase is, after all, one part dining, one part performance. Bay Nine's menu changes daily, depending on what's in season and what fish is available at the seafood market. You can pair your eight or 11-course meal with Bay Nine's Icon Collection wines, your choice of sake from a 40-strong menu and a solid range of craft Japanese spirits. However, if you want to level up your omakase experience, from Friday, September 15, till Friday, October 15, all seatings at Bay Nine will begin with a complimentary Haku martini. Restaurant manager Anthony Sin created Bay Nine's Haku martini as the opener of the omakase drinks experience. It will be on the menu exclusively during the first months of spring. The cocktail, topped with herbaceous foam, marries fruity notes and the nuttiness of brown rice, setting a high bar for the pairings to follow. "There are two stages to our Haku martini," starts Sin. "Infusing the vodka with our genmaicha tea blend at room temperature for earthiness and a very mellow tone, and brewing the sencha green tea with syrup. Then, add the juices, shaking heavily and straining. That's it." Make your booking on Bay Nine's website now and enjoy a complimentary martini with your first course. Haku Vodka's signature serve is the Haku martini — a drink that showcases the craftsmanship, nuanced flavour and exceptional quality of the premium Japanese liquid. To learn more, head to the House of Suntory website. Images: Declan Blackall
Art experimenters and experiencers, prepare yourself. Performance Space is bringing experimental art to Carriageworks this month with an epic new festival. The Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art will deliver 18 new works, spanning visual arts, theatre, dance and digital media, from artists all over the Asia-Pacific region. Not a single nook or cranny within the monumental building will escape art-ification. Topping the program is the world premiere of Wade Marynowsky’s Robot Opera. Yep, as you might have guessed, it’s a music-infused show performed by bona fide, custom-built automatons. Julian Knowles will be taking care of the live electronic score, while Branch Nebula will be responsible for the whizz-bang lighting and robot choreography. And you’ll get a chance to interact with the 'performers'. Meanwhile, Sydney-based Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man Jonathan Jones will be offering a specially commissioned new exhibition guguma guriin | black stump, which examines the place of Indigenous culture in contemporary Australia, drawing on a range of techniques, from the repurposing of found objects to the revival of the Wiradjuri language. And art collective Hissy Fit will be inspiring mass hysteria with new live art piece, I might blow up someday, which reclaims the 'hysterical woman' trope through ‘80s and ‘90s all-female punk and metal music and culture. No spare cash for tickets? There are plenty of free shows to keep you busy. They’ll be occupying Carriageworks’ large public spaces, as well as its many corridors and passageways. Highlights include Starrs and Cmielewski’s Dancing With Drones, Ghenoa Gela’s Mura Buai, and Garth Knight’s Nemeton. If you want to get involved, check out the public program in the festival. Attend an exclusive dance workshop with the incredible Ross McCormack, get stuck into pre-show sessions with creators, watch films that respond to the works programmed by Golden Age Cinema or simply hang out in the Liveworks Lounge, where you’ll be treated to live performances, interactive experiences and weekly blowout parties, curated by FBi Radio. Liveworks will run October 22 to November 7 Carriageworks. For the full program, see the Performance Space website.
If you can hear 'Greensleeves' on the wind, you'd better chase the ice cream truck down to Chippendale today. Hartsyard's king of ridiculous layer cakes, mad scientist of insane desserts and recent Gelato Messina teamster Andy Bowdy will be giving out free soft serve today. Parking the truck at Central Park on Tuesday, August 25 from midday t0 1pm (yep, it's a tiny window of sweet, sweet glory, so get there early), Bowdy will be handing over the goods to the first 200 people to show up. It's all to celebrate the announcement of this year's Good Food Month program today — and you can pick up a copy while you're there, or have a sneaky peek at our breakdown over here. If you can't get down to Central Park today, never fear. Andy Bowdy will be serving up the goods at Sweetfest at GFM, a dessert-only festival featuring Katherine Sabbath, Dan Lepard, Brickfields, Flour and Stone and more at Chippendale's aMBUSH Gallery on October 17-18. Andy Bowdy will be giving out free soft serve from midday to 1pm on Tuesday, August 25 at Central Park, Chippendale. For more information about Good Food Month's 2015 program, head over here. Via Good Food. Image: Andy Bowdy.
Forever Young was the track that launched Youth Group into stardom. A decade and a bit later, frontman Toby Martin has matured, both in the inevitable physical sense and in his song writing. At Carriageworks on April 29, he'll be launching his newest album, Songs From Northam Avenue — a collection of collaborative tunes that form a poetic narrative story of Sydney's west. The album was written a few years back as part of a songwriting residency commissioned by Urban Theatre Projects. Martin spent his days in a front yard, and out the front of a local cafe in Bankstown, crafting his tunes to reflect his interactions with his new neighbours and surroundings. The people he met influenced the songs so much that they even began to collaborate with Martin, adding influences from Vietnam and the Middle East. The result is an honest, effusive album, by and for the community. At the all-ages album launch at Carriageworks, a number of the collaborators on the album will be joining Martin onstage for the live debut of their joint creation. Earlier in the day, Martin will also host a workshop for 30 people, where he'll chat about how he went about creating his latest LP — you can register here.
Explore Australia's largest botanic garden with champagne flute and canapés in hand. As the sun goes down on the evening of Saturday May 21, the Australian Botanic Gardens are hosting an enormous night time dinner, complete with music, dancing and bush-themed tucker. The gardens are located in Mount Annan, about an hour drive from the centre of Sydney. Ticketholders will begin the evening with sunset drinks, before embarking on a moonlight stroll to another section of the garden where chef Adam Williams will serve up dinner. The food, including dessert, will be inspired by the traditions and history of the area, while a didgeridoo performance will tap into local Indigenous culture. "This will not just be a night of good food and great sights, but also a night to experience the Indigenous stories and histories of the area through story-telling and dance," said Kim Ellis, executive director at Sydney's Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands. "It is special enough to see the Garden at night, but this new Garden Dinner Trail lets us unlock the door to the traditions of our past." Dinner in the Secret Garden begins at 5:30pm on Saturday May 21. Tickets cost $120 per person and can be booked online. For more information visit www.australianbotanicgarden.com.au/dinner.
If binge-watching David Attenborough's Planet Earth series is your idea of a good time — we don't blame you, it's enthralling — we've found the nature-filled exhibition of your dreams. This spring and summer, the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition will take over the Australian Museum with a display that'll transport you directly into the wild. And, good news wilderness lovers, we've managed to get our hands on ten double passes. The exhibition, which boasts more than 100 photographs, showcases incredibly diverse plant and animal life and gives you a chance to see nature at its most dramatic. Come eye-to-eye with Australian sea lions — yep, they're super cute — New Holland honeyeaters and green sea turtles, then bask in the stunning scenery from around Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea. The exhibition is utterly mesmerising and, the best part is, you can enjoy it on us. To go in the running, enter your details below. [competition]691930[/competition] Image: Matthew Smith.
