Carriageworks won't have seen this many costume changes since Fashion Week. Legendary fashion icon, unforgettable Bond villain and music superstar Grace Jones is returning to Australia, headlining Vivid Sydney's Modulations mini-festival at Carriageworks. Locked in for two already-announced performances on Sunday, May 31 and Monday, June 1, Jones has now added an extra date to her Sydney stay — Tuesday, June 2. Modulations marks the 66-year-old's first Sydney appearance since her jaw-dropper of a show at the Enmore in 2011 (there were costume changes every two or three songs, we swear) and is set to be one dramatic, high fashion affair. “A truly iconic singer, songwriter, model, actor and all round enigma,” said Modulations creative director Stephen Pavlovic. “[Jones’s] live sets are duly renowned as nothing short of incredible, segueing from disco to funk, from pop to punk, all presented within a visual spectacular as stunning as the musical artistry.” Vivid will also be Jones' only Australian performance for this tour, not unlike last year's Modulations headliners, the Pet Shop Boys. Jones marks the top of the bill for Vivid's six-day Modulations festival-within-a-festival. After a hugely successful weekend pairing music, food and ideas at Carriageworks last year, Modulations returns with an expanded program set across two weekends — we're talking a brand new pop-up called Italo Dining and Disco Club, living jazz legend saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, a huge Pelvis/Motorik/Kooky dance club team-up party and one of music and art's most provocative personalities Bill Drummond, who'll deliver a keynote address and unveil a new artwork especially for Modulations. Grace Jones will perform at Modulations on May 31, June 1 and 2 at Carriageworks. Tickets from $127, available here. Modulations runs over two weekends starting Sunday, May 31 during Vivid Sydney (22 May to 8 June). For more information and tickets, head to Carriageworks' website. Image: Andrea Klarin.
Emele and Ayeesha are no strangers to subconscious stereotyping, especially when it comes to how people perceive their skin colour. Showing at The Joan, Black Birds is an innovative ensemble of stories from their lives that show the subversive marginalisation they experience due to the fact that they simply aren't white. The production was developed through The Q's Artist in Residence program, and not only explores the the issues of race and gender stereotyping, but it also explores new ways of presenting them. The show isn't so much a play, or a talk, or anything like theatre goers are used to. Instead, it's a mixture of music and stories, dancing and poetry. It's frenetic, it's fast-paced — it's life. The show aims to give audiences the chance to look into the lives of the storytellers and view the world from a different perspective. For many, it'll be a chance they've never had before, and one to be savoured. Images: Alana Dimou.
Spectrum Now is back. And this time, they’ve hired some of the best producers in town to sort out the music program: Paul Piticco and Jessica Ducrou of Splendour, Falls and Secret Sounds. Headlining the 11-day gig extravaganza, which is happening between March 3 and 13, and will be taking place in a 2500-capacity Big Top in The Domain, are Scottish post-punk legends The Jesus and Mary Chain. They’ll be playing on Saturday, March 5 as part of a 'festival-within-the-festival' called Divine Times, presented by Popfrenzy in collaboration with Yours and Owls. Also on the bill are Seekae, lo-fi poppers U.S. Girls (US), Canada’s Alvvays and Sydney's favourite multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Boulet. Another one to get your tix-buying mitts on is Perth’s Birds of Tokyo, scheduled for Friday, March 11. They’ve been busy working towards their new album, but will take an evening off recording to deliver some of their classics, including ‘Lanterns’, ‘Anchor’ and more recent hit, ‘I Go With You Anywhere’. Meanwhile, on Sunday, March 6, jetting in from the US are Arizona-based rockers Calexico, who’ll be supported by Augie March. The day following, Monday, March 7, catch Canada’s post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Then, on Thursday, March 10, watch Rockwiz Live, featuring a slew of talent and personality, including Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis, RocKwiz Orkestra, James Black (Mondo Rock), Peter Luscombe (Paul Kelly), Mark Ferrie (Models), Ashley Naylor (Even) and Vika and Linda Bull. Line yourself up for pre-sale tickets at the Spectrum Now site.
It's not every festival feels like a country weekend fete that just happens to be headlined by say, Courtney Barnett. Fairgrounds, Australia's country boutique camping festival descends on the small NSW town of Berry each December. Taking over the local Berry Showgrounds, Fairgrounds boasts all the trimmings of a major music festival with the essence of a local fair. And this December, it's back for another two-day round. Running over November 30 and December 1, the two-day festival is making a triumphant return. In a huge coup for the small festival in its third year, it's secured big-time festival favourites Courtney Barnett and Vance Joy to headline, alongside local legends Pond, Winston Surfshirt and more. Oh, and British punk poet Billy Bragg, US alternative rock band The Breeders and Zambian hip hop singer Sampa the Great will also join the lineup from across the globe. With a strong focus on the local NSW South Coast area, Fairgrounds isn't just about the tunes. Last year local nosh, market stalls and the local swimming pool played equally starring roles at this multifaceted festival — something we're sure made Berry residents pretty happy. Between dips in Berry's local pool (within the festival grounds), punters feasted on local delights, including fresh rock oysters harvested less than half an hour from the festival site. The festival's super-popular long-table dinners will return, too, which take place overlooking the live music. FAIRGROUNDS 2018 LINEUP Vance Joy Pond Rolling Blackouts C.F. Saba Body Type Oh Pep! Tia Gostelow Courtney Barnett Billy Bragg Winston Surfshirt The Breeders Sampa the Great The Teskey Brothers Waxahatchee Kevin Morby Maddy Jane Carla Geneve Image: Ian Laidlaw and Gabriel Vallido
Throw on a trench coat and your finest tinfoil hat for an evening of paranoid hilarity at Giant Dwarf. Hosted by Sydney comedians Cyrus Bezyan (RAW Comedy National Finalist, ABC Fresh Blood) and Jack Gow (Sydney Comedy Festival, Break Out Comedy Showcase 2015, two-time The Moth StorySLAM winner), Conspiracy Theories will peel back the facade of your workaday world and reveal the puppet-masters pulling the strings. From lizard people to the man on the grassy knoll, no rock will remain unturned, no matter how unsuspicious it may seem. Make it a priority to catch this one-night-only show during the run of the Sydney Comedy Festival. You'll never look at footage of the moon landing the same way again.
Art lovers, welcome to perpetual bliss. The formerly three-week shindig Art & About will now last an entire year. Come spring, summer, autumn or winter, there’ll no longer be any need to hibernate at home in an art-less depression. In keeping with the event’s 13-year-long tradition, Art & About 2015 will kick into action in mid-September. But this time, the installations, experiments and surprises won’t stop popping up until the 2016 edition is about to start. “Art & About Sydney brings Sydneysiders together with local and international artists in a fantastic celebration of the city’s creative spirit,” says Lord Mayor Clover Moore. “As major infrastructure works commence in the city, the time is right to move from a festival format to a model that continually enables creativity in the public domain ... Events like these are critical to Sydney’s economy and important in ensuring we remain a globally competitive city.” Here are nine creative encounters to add to your diary right now. The Terrace (18–27 September) On September 18, Town Hall’s Marconi Terrace will open as a temporary live music venue and bar, inspired by the rooftop garden renewals that have been happening of late in New York City. Get down there for nine nightly shows, featuring the best of local acts, including Dave and Joji (Gang of Youths), Emma Pask, Microwave Jenny, and Paul Capsis with Cafe of the Gate of Salvation. Near Kin Kin (18 September – 11 October) Customs House Square will get back to nature when it plays host to a 21-metre high bamboo forest, created by Cave Urban design collective. Visitors are invited to immerse themselves, while contemplating the pristine wilderness that covered Sydney Cove before European invasion. Australian Life and Little Sydney Lives (18 September – 11 October) One of Art & About’s staples returns to Hyde Park. For three weeks, the park will function as an outdoor art gallery, displaying 42 large-scale photographs across two exhibitions. Australian Life features the final works in its titular $10,000 prize, while Little Sydney Lives features images from Sydney’s young photographers (aged 3-11). Games + Actions (for a Quiet City) (17 October – 1 November) Keep your ears and eyes peeled for unexpected, unannounced musical performances while Games + Actions (for a Quiet City), created by Super Critical Mass, is in motion. Up to 100 community volunteers playing identical 'instruments' will appear at Martin Place on 17 and 18 October, Mitchell Library on 24 and 25 October, and Hyde Park on 31 October and 1 November. Car park and poolside cinema with Golden Age (21 November, 29–30 January) Don’t just watch films, live them, with Golden Age’s immersive cinema antics. On 20 February (that's a new, postponed date), Goulburn Street car park will be turned into an apocalyptic playground for a screening of Bladerunner. Then, on 29 and 30 January, book yourself a floating seat at Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool for Jaws. Watch those dangling feet. H20 Water Bar (2–21 February) This installation is a tasting bar created by Sydney-based artist Janet Laurence. But, rather than offering you wine or whisky, it’ll be serving up water sourced from all over Australia. Calling attention to issues of climate change, pollution and scarcity, H20 Water Bar will be located at one of our favourite Sydney spots, the Paddington Reservoir Gardens. Tut by Shaun Parker & Company (7–22 April) If you know all the moves to Tay Tay’s ‘Shake It Off’, you’re ready for Tut. One hundred dancers, selected from Shaun Parker & Company’s community workshops and online callouts, will bring the dance form, which was inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphics on King Tut’s pyramids, to the city streets. Scratching the Surface by Vhils (20–30 June) Portuguese artist Vhils flips the lid on street art by carving into surfaces, rather than building on them with spray paint or paper. For ten days, Sydneysiders will be able to watch him at work at a yet-to-be-disclosed location. The Blue Trees (4–11 March) Have a habit of taking trees for granted? To make sure you take notice of the impact we humans can have on the natural environment, artist Konstantin Dimopoulos will be turning the trees of Pyrmont’s Pirrama Road into a surreal, bright blue forest using a biologically safe, water-based colourant. Top image by Henrique Fanti, ‘Floatie’, 2015 (detail) from Australian Life. Second image Cave Urban's Near Kin Kin image by Juan Pablo Pinto (artist's impression). Third image Jones Jnr.
In January next year Noma will open in Sydney for ten weeks. For that time it will likely be the only restaurant in Sydney entirely inspired by Australia’s native ingredients, landscape and climate. When he was here in 2010, Noma’s visionary chef Rene Redzepi said this: "I think this is the essence of great cuisine. I think that in any city they should have all the ethnic and multicultural cuisines, but I think that it's a poor culture if it doesn't have its own true, unique expression that can only be represented right there at the place." He was making a comparison between the restaurant food he’d eaten in Sydney and Melbourne and the indigenous feast he'd had in the Flinders Ranges. Redzepi was surprised that, given the incredible variety of native produce we have, no one outside of indigenous communities (and a tiny pocket of restaurants) were using them. A lot has changed since then. "After listening to Rene Redzepi's keynote address at the Sydney Opera House, I was completely inspired and left that night on a mission to track down Australian native produce which I could weave into my Cantonese cooking," says Kylie Kwong, owner and head-chef at Billy Kwong — the only restaurant in the world making traditional Cantonese food with Australian ingredients. At the moment, their latest menu includes wallaby cakes with Kakadu plum, crispy saltbush parcels and stir-fried spanner crab with a trio of native greens. Elsewhere, Adelaide's Orana has a dish of emu, plum pine and mountain pepper, while at Attica in Melbourne you'll find salted red kangaroo with pepperberries and bunya bunya, a starchy Queensland nut roughly comparable to a chestnut. With the exception of the above restaurants and a handful of others though, the use of native ingredients is rarely more than an occasional flourish — a few wattle seeds here and there, a lemon myrtle infusion or maybe a sight of warrigal greens. Finding a native vegetable, fruit or meat is an extreme rarity. You get the impression that Australia's portfolio of native ingredients is simply a short list of easily substitutable herbs and greens. [caption id="attachment_552283" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Billy Kwong[/caption] REVOLUTIONISING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATIVE FOODS John Newton's been researching native ingredients for his book The Oldest Foods on Earth. The history of native Australian food, with recipes. Australia has around 6000 unique edible plants and, in South East Queensland alone, there are more than 1500 different fruiting trees, he says. "We have the most fantastic native game birds. I've tasted the magpie goose — I love duck, and it's ten times better than duck. There's the bustard, there's scrub turkey, which tastes like pheasant. Beautiful." Even if only a tenth of our native ingredients tasted any good, it would be more than enough to completely revolutionise a green grocer’s shelves or an entire restaurant menu. But that particular revolution will have to wait, as there's not nearly enough farms or even knowledge of how to farm the vast majority of those ingredients. A lot of that information was lost after Europeans first arrived and started terraforming Australia for the production of beef, wheat and wool. [caption id="attachment_552284" align="alignnone" width="960"] Quay[/caption] FARMING NATIVE FOODS Picture this: you're an enterprising land owner who wants to start a farm. Given the resources and knowledge out there, you're more likely to start growing blueberries, cabbage or some common vegetable, rather than spend several years fiddling with native ingredients that have little to no backlog of info on how to actually cultivate or propagate them. Well, this has been the life of Mike and Gayle Quarmby. The owners of native food farming and distribution initiative Outback Pride have dedicated the best part of two decades to figuring out how to grow various native ingredients on a commercial scale. "We've done an enormous amount of research, development and horticultural work to actually domesticate these native food plants to get them to perform in a sustainable way," says Mike Quarmby. When they started, the majority of native produce farming consisted of simple wild harvesting, now their business is the biggest general supplier in the native food industry. Their clients include some of Australia's most innovative restaurants, chefs and grocers — and in January they'll be supplying almost their entire range of 65 ingredients to Noma Australia. [caption id="attachment_552289" align="alignnone" width="960"] Scallops with beach succulents at Orana.[/caption] SO, WHY THE STIGMA? It’s been a tough slog for the Quarmbys to get here. Aside from their trials in horticultural adventure, Quarmby says the duo has had to battle against an entrenched negativity against indigenous produce. "Australians have an inferiority complex about everything and anything related to food. ‘If it comes from overseas it must be good’. That has had a major effect,” he says. When we talked to John Newton about this, he mentioned the experience of three of Australia's early native produce pioneers: Jean-Paul Bruneteau and his restaurant Rowntrees, and Jennice and Raymond Kersh with Edna's Table. Interestingly, this first wave of restaurateurs made a big noise about using Australian native ingredients. Newton, who was working as a food critic in the '80s when the restaurants were operating, says the restauranteurs regularly faced criticism from customers solely due to the fact that they sold indigenous ingredients. "I don't know why. You could explore that in terms of racism all that you like," he says. But Newton says the worst thing to happen to the industry was a TV show called Bush Tucker Man. "Every time he puts something in his mouth he screws up. He hated it." Quarmby gave a similar review: "All due respects to Les Hidden, but he gave the impression that you only ate bush tucker if you were starving, and it tasted like shit." Quarmby says Redzepi has proven so influential because, as a Dane, he didn't come to Australia attached to any cultural prejudice or inferiority complex around Australian ingredients and the idea of a national cuisine. And now, despite a rough past, both Quarmby and his competitors in the native food industry are witnessing rapid growth. "We can't believe the number of new restaurants — we have nine exclusive distributors around Australia and our phone is running hot. They're saying things like 'this is the easiest thing we've sold all our lives'." WHERE TO EAT NATIVE INGREDIENTS Orana 1/285 Rundle Street, Adelaide, South Australia Attica 74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, Victoria Vue de Monde 55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria Billy Kwong 1/28 Macleay Street, Elizabeth Bay, NSW Quay Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal, George & Argyle Streets, The Rocks, NSW Bennelong Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney, NSW Top image: Salt cured red kangaroo with bunya bunya at Attica.
Australia’s leading food rescue organisation is getting in on the pop-up trend. Opening in Pyrmont on Tuesday, May 12, harvested will serve up high-quality meals made entirely from ingredients destined for landfill — and they're calling on you to help generate buzz. Ready to spend the next three months making you rethink your lunch, the cafe is the brainchild of Travis Harvey; a chef with more than ten years experience in restaurants around the world. He's also the man behind OzHarvest's Cooking for a Cause program, which each year helps prepare thousands of meals using surplus food collected from supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and catering companies, and delivers them to people in need. "The idea behind harvested is simple," says Harvey. "It takes a challenge that OzHarvest and our food recipients have to face every day... what to do with surplus food that society has rejected because of its appearance, discolouration or slight imperfections? We wanted the public to experience this too, and see how good it can be." In order to help spread the message, the pop-up cafe will be giving away free lunches (free lunches!) on opening day, in exchange to photos shared on social media using the hashtag #mealforameal. Seems like a pretty good deal, especially since you'd probably have Instagrammmed your deliciously newsworthy lunch anyway. Harvested will be open for lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays until the end of July, operating out of a restaurant space donated by City West Housing located at 56 Harris St, Pyrmont. The menu will change daily depending on available ingredients, although they've already teased the likes of slow cooked lamb with vine leaf, house dried fig and walnut sauce, pumpkin quinoa burger with beetroot relish and chilli macadamia butter, double roasted spiced pork with rustic potato and house pickled cues, and spice crust chook with carrot puree and labneh. And to think, this was food people were throwing out. Meals will cost a flat $15, money that OzHarvest can use to feed up to 30 people. Thursday through Sunday evenings, the temporary space is also home to Baraka, a pop-up Middle Eastern restaurant run by Fouad Kassab, which also donates a portion of its proceeds to OzHarvest. Harvested opens on Tuesday, May 12 at 56 Harris St, Pyrmont. The pop-up will be open every Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch only from 11.30am – 2.30pm (until end July). For more information, visit www.ozharvest.org.
Kensington Street has dedicated itself to bringing the world's best food to Chippendale's newly paved laneways. The mission began with Spice Alley and Automata, and now continues with the introduction of The Private Kitchen. A bespoke pop-up housed on the third level of the Old Rum Store, the restaurant will play host to a rotating cast of the world's top chefs. First up is the multi-Michelin-starred Stanley Wong. He'll set up in the revamped industrial surrounds of the recently renovated Carlton United brewery and dish out a menu that encompasses kingfish sashimi, cornish hen, New York striploin and blistered shishito peppers. Wong's time working in France, America and Hong Kong is abundantly clear in the menu — it seems to traverse the entire globe in a single meal. Wong currently resides in Hong Kong where he runs his own kitchen studio Culinart. Similar to The Private Kitchen, it caters only for private group bookings and offers up a menu of food from around the globe with a slight Asian influence. The Old Rum Store is a four-levelled event space currently home to traditional French joint Bistrot Gavroche. Early next year it will house the restaurant Stanley Wong will launch when his Private Kitchen residency ends. Eastside Grill will be his first Australian restaurant and will focus on American grill — still maintaining that Asian influence however, by cooking with Japanese Binchotan charcoals. Bookings are already open for Stanley Wong's time at The Private Kitchen, which will open from December this year until February 2017. After that, a new culinary genius will take over the reins. The full program of chefs is to be released early next year. Image: Lauren Commens.
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.
Residents of Marrickville are in for a treat (again). In a move that gives local street artists a legal blank canvas, and property owners a say in what ends up on their walls, brand new street artworks are popping up over the inner west as we speak. It's all part of a council initiative called Perfect Match (running August 5-7) that pairs artists with residents and business owners to transform once-boring walls (the kind that tend to lure in spray can-toting taggers) into works of art. Owners were matched with artists and collaborated to commission the works. "With Perfect Match we're tackling unwanted graffiti by fostering collaboration and creative expression in our public places," says Marrickville mayor Mark Gardiner. Now in its third year, Perfect Match has attracted internationally renowned artists including Sid Tapia, Fintan Magee, Ears and Capiche. This year, Tapia and Capiche are back, along with Mulga The Artist, Jumboist, Mandy Schöne-Salter, Akisiew, Alex Lehours, Steven Nuttall, Tiera Boo, Camo, Nitsua, HA HA, Thomas Jackson. If you've been wandering the streets of the inner west in the past week, you might have stumbled upon them at work. If not, the council has organised a series of tours (by bike, bus or foot) this Saturday, August 6 and Sunday, August 7, showcasing the work. Alternatively, just download the Perfect Match program and map and take to the pavement. Free events will be happening over the weekend including the Stencil Art Prize on Saturday, August 6 at Marrickville Bowling Club, an afternoon of live art and music, artists applying large scale paste-ups, and an art market on Faversham Street. On Sunday, August 7 August, it's all eyes on Camperdown, with free events will be taking place at Camperdown Park, Camperdown Commons, and local artist Sarah Harvie is holding collaborative workshops for her giant inflatable project Roll With It in Camperdown Park. It's all a proudly local, site-specific way to pretty up our streets. What a way to play Cupid. Tours run by bike, bus or foot this Saturday, August 1 in Marrickville. Head to the website for more info. Image: Askiew, Elixir Photography/Perfect Match.
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).
Bloody Melbourne. They're having a great time right now, cuddling up to kitties while they sip their precious cat-flanked cappuccinos at Australia's first cat cafe. Yeah, enjoy it while it's exclusive y'lucky feline-surrounded jerks. Because an official campaign to bring yet another Sydney cat cafe (the first, Catmosphere, has apparently been funded) to fruition is under way and guess what? There's an adorable-beyond-all-reason pop-up kitten cafe coming to Paddington to mark the occasion. We'll say it again, just in case you closed your eyes for maximum squealidge. There's going to be a pop-up kitten cafe in Paddington. In association with Maggie's Rescue, Sydney Cat Cafe is hosting a pop-up cafe from May 14-17 at William Street Gallery. Sydneysiders can book cuddle sessions with fluffy little kittens handpicked by the Maggie's Rescue team, with the opportunity to pledge funds towards turning the Sydney Cat Cafe concept into a permanent fixture. Only 15 people can clamber into the pop-up at a time, booked on a half-hourly basis for $5 per person. And no little ones, for safety and tail-pulling reasons, this pop-up is restricted to cat lovers above the age of 8. While you're there, snuggling and nuzzling your new whiskered BFF, you can also think about pledging funds to towards the Sydney Cat Cafe Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign; hoping to raise $15,000 to cover part of the seed funds needed to realise the café. Alright, alright, donating, donating, how do we pat the kitties? Enquire after availability by emailing info@sydneycatcafe.com.au — and spots are already filling up, so get on it. KITTIES. The Sydney Cat Cafe and Maggie's Rescue pop-up kitten cafe is open at William St Gallery, 14 William Street, Paddington, running May 14 -17. The cafe is open 9am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm on Sunday. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Before the pandemic, it was one of the annual highlights of Sydney's art calendar. Now it's finally returning for the first time since 2019. Mark Friday, October 21–Monday, November 7 in your calendar because the super-popular free outdoor exhibition Sculpture by the Sea is making its grand comeback to Sydney's eastern suburbs. This year, the long-running waterfront art trail is unveiling more than 100 large-scale artworks by Australian and international sculptors, peppered all along Sydney's two-kilometre Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk. A few of the artists on the lineup include Marina DeBris and Stephen King, recipients of the Helen Lempriere Scholarship; and Denmark's Naja Utzon Popov — the first person to nab the new $15,000 Friendship Society of Denmark, Australia and New Zealand Danish Artist Award. [caption id="attachment_860365" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joel Alder, Viewfinder[/caption] Four artworks will also feature in the trail as part of a response to the conflict in Ukraine. Viktoria Kulikova, Art Director at Kyiv's Abramovych Art Agency, has curated a section of the walk that will showcase four Ukrainian artists — Dmitriy Grek, Egor Zigura, Nikita Zigura and Oleksii Zolotariov — while also raising money for refugees that have been displaced by the war. "The day-to-day life in Ukraine these days isn't limited to the Russian invasion," Kulikova said. "It is also about resistance and unity as parts of our genetic code and our culture. Highlighting our intangible and material heritage for the international community is of utmost importance to promote solidarity with Ukraine." [caption id="attachment_874597" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oleksii Zolotariov, Wind Rose[/caption] 2022 will mark the exhibition's 24th year and, as always, it's set to draw a crowd. In 2019, Sculpture by the Sea attracted approximately 450,000 visitors over three weeks, with a similar number of art-lovers expected this time around. The event's return won't just unleash a heap of eye-catching sights upon Sydney, and give locals and tourists alike an excuse to soak in the scenery as well — it'll cap off an understandably tumultuous few years for the exhibition. Sculpture by the Sea tried to make a comeback in October 2021, but had to scrap those plans due to the pandemic, marking the second year it went through that process. In 2020, the event initially planned to go ahead as normal in October, then aimed for an early 2021 berth. It did successfully stage a CBD spinoff, Sculpture Rocks, in autumn 2021, however. Following the 18-day program in Sydney's east, Sculpture by the Sea will move on to Cottesloe from Friday, March 3–Monday, March 20 next year. [caption id="attachment_860366" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Katja Grinling, Clyde Yee[/caption]
Legendary gloomsayer and friend to the animals Morrissey has been announced as the headliner of this year's Vivid LIVE. Set to play four exclusive shows at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday May 26, Wednesday May 27, Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31, the former Smiths frontman is one epic pull for the Vivid team. But there's one big proviso. In classic Morrissey stylin', the famously vegetarian Meat is Murder singer has requested a ban on meat at the Opera House on performance nights — both in backstage catering and at any food and beverage outlet within the venue. Does this include Bennelong and Opera Bar? Probably. This isn't the first time Morrissey has banned meat at one of his appearances. The outspoken PETA supporter had Belgian festival Lokerse Feesten ban meat in 2011, everything from snails to horse meat sausages. Two years earlier, Morrissey abandoned his Coachella set because he said he could "smell burning flesh," before adding, "and I hope to God it’s human." The Mancunian legend marks a significant booking high-five for Ben Marshall, the Opera House’s head of contemporary music and recently appointed as the curator of Vivid LIVE, replacing the long lauded Fergus Linehan. Having previously booked The National, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Flying Lotus for the Opera House, Marshall's booking of Morrissey is the start of one predictably applaudable Vivid LIVE lineup announcement, set for this month. “I’m thrilled that the first announcement for Vivid LIVE 2015 is a Sydney-only residency by the uniquely gifted and inimitably stylish Morrissey," says Marshall. "I have vivid teenage memories of his face all over our lever-arch files in high school. So it’s amazing to now showcase his artistry on the Concert Hall stage. These four vital, intimate concerts will be a very special occasion for all those like-minded souls who’ve been affected by Morrissey." An Evening With Morrissey will be the artist’s only Australian appearances. With high demand expected, tickets (from $109 +BF each) will be allocated through a ballot. The full program for Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House will be announced during the Vivid Sydney program launch next month. Ballot open between Monday 2 March (midday AEDT) – Friday 6 March (midnight AEDT). To apply, head to sydneyoperahouse.com/morrissey.
This month, the Art Gallery of NSW is throwing open the doors on the most comprehensive Marcel Duchamp exhibition to ever reach the Asia Pacific. Fans of the iconic and, at times controversial, French artist should hightail it over to The Essential Duchamp to soak up 125 works and documentary materials encompassing the 60 years of Duchamp's ground-breaking, convention-defying career. It's hard to believe Duchamp died over a half-century ago this year — we're talking about the maverick that decided a urinal could be art way back in 1917. Even if you don't know his name, you'll definitely recognise his iconic ready-made sculpture Fountain, the original of which, for fans of spicy art trivia, is lost — so you'll be seeing the 1950 reproduction here. Also keep your eyes peeled for significant works drawn from the Philadelphia Museum of Art's definitive collection, including Portrait of Dr. Dumouchel (1910), Sonata (1911), and Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2) (1912), which was a career-definer for the artist back in the day following its showing at the 1913 Armory Show in New York City. From that point onward, he moved away from painting and towards the ready-made works that established his legacy as an artist who broke down the barriers between art and objects of everyday use. Now, Duchamp is considered a driving force in how modern art was analysed and appreciated, making this landmark exhibition a must-see this season. "The Gallery is delighted to introduce to Australian audiences for the first time, the full creative accomplishment of this maverick artist who changed the way we look at art," Dr Michael Brand, director of the Art Gallery of NSW, said. The Essential Duchamp will run from Saturday, April 27 to Sunday, August 11. You can purchase tickets now from the Art Gallery of NSW website. We've also got ten double passes to the exhibition to give away. Enter your details below for a chance to win. [competition]715960[/competition]
There's no one right way to experience SXSW, whether you're attending the Austin or Sydney version, but one of the event's huge highlights is its high-profile list of folks who get talking. As 2023's debut festival Down Under demonstrated, this is the kind of event where you could be listening to Chance The Rapper one moment, then Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker the next. In 2024, it's also the type of festival where The Kid LAROI, human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, author Johann Hari, Lucy Lawless, Grace Tame, Suzie Miller and Stephen Page are getting chatting. This year's lineup features more than 1000 speakers, 60-plus tech exhibitors, over 200 artists, 120-plus games and more than 75 screenings across Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 dates. Other standouts from the conference part of the program include Nick Kyrgios, Noémie Fox, Chad Lawson and Molly Taylor. Fancy hearing about heading into space? That's where Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg comes in. On the music side of the bill, not only is The Kid LAROI the keynote speaker, but the 'Stay', 'Without You', 'Thousand Miles', 'Love Again' and 'Girls' talent is introducing a First Nations showcase. Stepping from Heartbreak High to SXSW Sydney Music Festival, Ayesha Madon is also one of that strand's highlights. SAHXL, Nick Ward, BALTHVS, Total Tommy, brothers J-MILLA & Yung Milla, Joel Sunny, Ena Mori, Smol fish, HighSchool, Maina Doe, 404: you'll be able to see them as well. Screen-wise, once opening night's Y2K kicks off the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival, the program features everything from headliners Saturday Night, Smile 2, Nightbitch, The Front Room and Pavements to Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts from Barbecue and We Don't Deserve Dogs' Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker — and Warwick Thornton (Samson & Delilah, Sweet Country, The New Boy), The Babadook composer Jed Kurzel and Barbie executive producer Josey McNamara among the talks. At Tumbalong Park, SXSW Sydney's festival hub is back 60-plus hours of free entertainment, too. Keen to feel like you're stepping inside some of your favourite TV shows? So is Prime Video's Primeville pop-up from Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20 at Fratelli Fresh Darling Harbour. That's barely scratching the surface of 2024's SXSW Sydney characteristically jam-packed lineup. If you can't find something exciting to do, see, watch, learn from or dance to every single day of the fest, you clearly haven't looked at the program. [caption id="attachment_970635" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ian Laidlaw[/caption] Top images: Jordan Kirk, Ian Laidlaw and Jaimi Joy.
Rosebery's new foodie precinct Saporium is attempting to bridge the gap between creator and consumer with their marketplace concept, providing a home for artisan butchers, greengrocers, bakers — everyone shy of the candlestick makers, really — and from November 26, they're opening their arms to The Drink Hive, an artisanal bottle shop. The brainchild of Grégoire Bertaud, Mal Higgs and Angus Farrell, The Drink Hive has a clear, noble aim (other than the obvious selling of booze) to bring quality craft and artisanal products to the thirsty punters in a sustainable manner, and at a decent price. Higgs and Bertaud, the official co-owners of the shop, will be working closely with various producers to ensure that this goal is met. Sustainability is key for Higgs and Bertaud, who will have the option of a refillable beer and wine station. While refillable growlers for beers have been around for a while, the rotating variety of beers available for refill will be strong, and it's the first time that wine will be offered to the punter in this way. However, word on the street is that, no, the refills are not free. The vibe at Saporium is one of a local produce-focused marketplace that brings sustainable eating, organic ingredients and local business together in one place. Together with their weekly markets, Saporium also offer masterclasses with VIVE Cooking School, which focus on the core principles of the market. The Drink Hive slots right into this niche, as Bertaud says that he's "excited to offer Sydney a local and sustainable approach to craft alcohol products at a price affordable to everyone." The move towards sustainable food production has been gathering intense momentum in the past few years, with consumers becoming more and more conscious of how their being alive affects the planet. With the opening of The Drink Hive, punters are now able to enjoy booze that is both tasty and sustainable, which really is the dream. Find The Drink Hive inside Saporium, 61 Mentmore Ave, Rosebery from November 26.
Recently the Vic on the Park Hotel made the shock announcement that beloved monthly event One Day Sundays was cancelled in reaction to complaints from local residents. This isn’t entirely true, or entirely isn’t true, or both. One Day Entertainment will be proudly presenting their biggest party ever, featuring Halfway Crooks and Nina Las Vegas, at its new home, The Factory Theatre, on January 25. Monthly ODS parties at The Vic have become an institution to the local music scene, and the organisers are saddened to be moving on from the establishment at which the party was born. ODS organiser and Jackie Onassis producer Raph admits that after sharing such a loyal relationship with The Vic, he was upset with how the management team dealt with the event's cancellation, informing the ODS crew via email and taking it upon themselves to cancel the event on social media. Attempts at negotiation went nowhere. “People keep asking me, why are you moving?" says Raph. "We didn’t just bail on you. It wasn’t our choice.” Raph explains that the move to The Factory Theatre was a last-minute decision, but one that's ultimately for the best. “One Day Sundays requires a very specific venue criteria — an outdoor area, a convenient Marrickville location and a space to paint. The Factory Theatre is allowing the ODS crew to eventually redecorate the whole outside area with murals, authorising us to put our stamp on the venue permanently.” The space will feature illustrations from some “fairly prominent street artists” whose names will remain a secret for now. Raph continued to mention a list of other positive outcomes that have eventuated from the relocation of the party. “Four bars is better than two, and at ODS we have heaps of girls that come to our parties. We don’t want girls not coming because there were only two toilets. There are more toilets at The Factory Theatre. So that’s a thing now.” One of the most important improvements that the new location provides is space. There are more rooms that can be opened as required and capacity is an extra 500 people above The Vic. “Last ODS we had a line of 400 people out the front, and we don’t want to turn people away," says Raph. "We want to party with all of y'all. We want you to spend less time lining up and more time turning up.” “The response we have had from the community has been really supportive, and as long as our long-term people who come every month understand, we are happy. It will be the same party, but The Vic finished at 9pm. We can move inside at The Factory and party as late as we want.” As always, One Day Sundays on February 25 will be free entry and will feature One Day DJs, Halfway Crooks and Nina Las Vegas, with more to be announced. Raph told us exclusively that we can look forward to Blue Mountains-based Elefant Traks legends Hermitude being involved with the ODS party in February. The Vic is still a beautiful place that we love lots. Images by Cole Bennetts.
Sydney cinephiles, we now know just what you'll be viewing across a certain 12-day block in June. After releasing a sneak peek last month, Sydney Film Festival has unveiled its massive lineup in full for its 64th year, and it comes with 288 films from 59 countries, including 37 world premieres. Oh, it features Aussie legend Ben Mendelsohn chatting about his career too. In exciting news for fans of the ace local actor and his recent rise through Hollywood's ranks (The Dark Knight Rises, Girls, Bloodline, Rogue One — the list goes on), Mendo will be in town for an in conversation session, as well as a screening of his latest flick Una. The latter also features Rooney Mara and his Star Wars co-star Riz Ahmed, and marks the filmmaking debut of Australian theatre director Benedict Andrews. Staying on the homegrown front, festival director Nashen Moodley is once again opening SFF with a locally-relevant title for the sixth time in a row. This year, the new effort from Samson and Delilah's Warwick Thornton is doing the honours. Enjoying its world premiere at the fest, We Don't Need a Map explores the significance of the Southern Cross as a symbol within Australian culture. Other Aussie fare includes two films from Red Dog filmmaker Kriv Stenders: a look at our diverse society in the Bryan Brown-starring Australia Day, and a chronicle the career of one of Brisbane's greatest bands in The Go-Betweens: Right Here. Actor David Wenham turns director for the first time with Ellipsis, which is being called a Sydney-set Before Sunrise. Ali's Wedding offers up the country's first Muslim rom-com, while ecological doco Blue examines the destruction of marine life happening off of our coastline, and Otherlife serves up some sci-fi from the director of Wasted on the Young. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRKXyeoWfco&feature=youtu.be Given that one of SFF's main attractions is its official competition, it's hardly surprising that the festival has stacked the lineup of titles vying for its $60,000 prize with must-see flicks. We Don't Need a Map and Una are in the running, and they have plenty of company. Coming fresh from Cannes is Sofia Coppola's American Civil War thriller The Beguiled, starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning, as well as the long-awaited return of Austrian auteur Michael Haneke courtesy of his Isabelle Huppert-led Happy End. Berlinale's Golden Bear winner On Body and Soul, and other trophy recipients Félicité and The Other Side of Hope also feature. Those looking for familiar faces can catch Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman and Mara again in Terrence Malick's Austin music scene-set love story Song to Song, plus Aubrey Plaza being hilarious in both social media satire Ingrid Goes West and nun comedy The Little Hours, and Armie Hammer smouldering up the screen in the swoon-worthy Call Me By Your Name, too. Or, get some starry monster action with closing night's Okja, with The Host and Snowpiercer helmer Bong Joon-ho taking Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano into creature feature territory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgDhpy9Z-NM Other general standouts include gripping transgender drama A Fantastic Woman, vintage clothing store horror flick Fashionista, and rap-focused Sundance hit Patti Cake$, as well as Julian Assange doco Risk, Johnny Rotten profile The Public Image is Rotten, and a look inside the world of competitive poultry breeding — yes, really — in Chicken People. Horror fans can get scared when a board game goes wrong in Game of Death, and see some slasher action in the Portuguese woods in The Forest of Lost Souls. Plus, SFF will shine the spotlight on female filmmakers in Europe for the second year. Scouring through the greats of the past as well as the ace flicks of today, restorations of Aussie classics The Year My Voice Broke and The Well, erotic French drama Belle de Jour and Abbas Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry will also grace SFF's screens, alongside an already-announced retrospective of Japanese master Akira Kurosawa's works. Sydney female filmmakers from the '70s and '80s get their own sidebar, as does a showcase of modern Canadian cinema and a celebration of essential punk rock cinema. The 2017 Sydney Film Festival will run from June 7 to 18. To check out the complete program and book tickets, visit the festival website.
As if Bridge Street wasn't already delicious enough — what with the new Rockpool-turned-Eleven Bridge, Fratelli Fresh, The Bridge Room, Mr Wong and Tokonoma all residing there — it's just accrued another top-notch resident. Ex-Rockpool chef Harry Stockdale-Powell has recruited Bulletin Place bartender Matt Linklater for to open a brand new European-style restaurant and basement bar. Opening for lunch today, Tuesday, September 20, Bouche on Bridge will showcase the English-born chef's passion for local produce and sustainable practices in the context of a relaxed fine dining environment. The menu is broken down into sea, land and farm, with Stockdale-Powell's rare breed suckling pig with unripe fermented strawberries (that come from the same Tassie farm the pig is reared at) taking pride of place. Also on the menu is an onion tarte Tatin with parmesan ice cream, and a whole hay-smoked chicken with white soy bread sauce. In order to keep things as sustainable as possible, the kitchen will make use of lesser-known cuts of meat, while bread, cultured butter, cold-pressed olive oil and cured meats will all be made on-site. But we're equally excited for what's happening downstairs. Dubbed The Cellar, the restaurant's subterranean 60-seat basement bar will no doubt prove popular with the after work drinks crowd and serious cocktail fiends. Linklater will be whipping up concoctions like the oddly-named Crustbuster, made with brandy, fennel, strega and served with a liquorice rim, and the White Whale, which is a take on a White Russian with vodka, fernet, crème fraïche and coffee bitters. The bar will also boast a 300-strong wine list, courtesy of sommelier Seamus Brandt. Bouche opens at midday on Tuesday, September 20 at 6 Bridge Street, Sydney. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday and dinner on Saturday. The bar is open from 4pm till midnight Monday to Saturday. For more information visit boucheonbridge.com. Images: Alana Dimou.
In one of the slickest team-ups we've seen this year, Future Classic and the Museum of Contemporary Art have announced a series of solid parties set to settle themselves into your calendar for the next few months. Set across three Sunday afternoons over the steamy months, FCxMCA is a brand new monthly event that will see the likes of electronic Cashmere Cat, Redinho and Cyril Hahn play intimate gigs on the MCA's Sculpture Terrace. Launched last night at the MCA as part of a collaboration with the MCA's Young Ambassador Program, the series kicked off with performances from Future Classic's new signing George Maple, label favourites Panama and Future Classic DJs. According to Future Classic's Nathan McLay, this new endeavour was apparently inspired by similar music program branch-outs in contemporary galleries across the globe. "My partner Jay and I have always enjoyed visits to documenta in Germany, the Venice Biennale and many contemporary galleries around the world on our travels," says McLay. "That travel and intersection of contemporary art and music opened our eyes to collaborations such as the MoMa PS1 Warm Up series in New York and the Sonar festival in Barcelona, whose day venue is the Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona (MACBA). It is these events that inspired the FCxMCA collaboration." Having recently played NYC’s MoMa PS1 Warm Up party, Norwegian producer (and actual brains behind most of the guilty pop pleasures on your Spotify) Cashmere Cat kicks the whole thing off on Sunday, January 4. Then on Sunday, February 22, London-based producer Redhino will crank up tunes from his highly-acclaimed self-titled album; released in September on top notch UK label Numbers (who've previously dropped Hudson Mohawke, Jamie XX and Rustie releases in your lap, legends). Then, when the hot season's almost over, Swiss producer Cyril Hahn — the man behind that Destiny's Child remix — will headline the closing party with deeeep, deeeeep house. Tickets are $47.45 for each gig, a pretty solid investment for what's sure to be three of the season's most unique gigs. FCxMCA 2015 Dates: Sun 4 Jan — Cashmere Cat (Norway) Sun 22 Feb — Redinho (UK) Sun 29 Mar — Cyril Hahn (Switzerland) Image: Cashmere Cat, Jasmine Safaeian.
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.
Astral People, V Movement and the team at the National Art School are joining forces for a series of epic parties across four Sundays in January, February and March. Returning for its second year, the Summer Dance series will see the National Art School campus in the Old Darlinghurst Gaol transformed into a massive outdoor dancefloor, thumping to the tunes of killer house, techno and electronic artists from at home and abroad. The season kicks off on January 24 with sets by bigwig UK house producer Julio Bashmore and German drum machine specialist Florian Kupfer, as well as hometown heroes Andy Garvey and the EK Collective. Spend Valentine's Day with house veteran Nightmares on Wax, who'll take to the stage along with Belgian mixmaster Lefto and Sydney's own Mike Who. The following week will see The Netherlands' Hunee and the UK's Mark E take the stage along with local favourites Touch Sensitive, Love Bombs and Adi Toohey. Last but not least, pioneering Parisian house musician Jeremy Underground will join American DJ Sadar Bahar, Sydney's Ariane and Melbourne's Andras on March 6 to bring summer to a close. Clear your calendar. Tickets to Summer Dance are available through Moshtix for $40-45, although diehards may want to pick up a season pass for $140. To check out the program yourself, visit Summer Dance's website. Image: Sam Whiteside.
The team behind inner-city, two-hatted restaurant Bentley have announced their new, unnamed project, and it's taking over quite the coveted space at Barangaroo — currently occupied by none other than the epic Noma pop-up. No pressure, guys. Noma will inevitably be a hard act to follow (after all, they were voted third best restaurant in the world in 2015) but Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt hope to differentiate themselves from the culinary giants with their seafood-focused menu (including a few meat and veggie dishes thrown in for those of you who are so inclined). The pair told Good Food they originally proposed the idea of a wine bar but they couldn’t overlook the appeal of a seafood restaurant right on the water (real original… no we kid, it literally sounds like heaven and we want to go to there). The project is a fresh break from Bentley, however, and the new venue will have a new name and identity entirely. So while you can expect chef-hat quality, don’t expect a Bentley clone. They’ll be joined at Barangaroo's massive new precinct by Aria chef Matt Moran’s new project and by the time the dust has settled and all doors thrown wide open, the precinct will boast around 90 retailers, mostly specialising in fancy eats. Bentley's new restaurant will open at Barangaroo in September 2016. Via Good Food.
Having enriched the lives of Australians for 50 years with a range of groundbreaking contemporary pieces under its Making Art Public manifesto, Kaldor Public Art Projects is celebrating its noteworthy anniversary with a walk down memory lane. Being Kaldor though, this isn't just a run-of-the-mill retrospective. It's landed the services of celebrated British artist Michael Landy, who has created the group's 35th project: a reimagining of every one of the group's previous 34 pieces, each displayed in an oversized archive box. Landy takes a look at the entire history of Kaldor, from Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1969 piece Wrapped Coast — at the time the largest single artwork that had ever been made — to Asad Raza's Absorption, 300 tonnes of 'dirt' that was presented at Carriageworks earlier this year. Accompanying this celebration of the life and times of Kaldor, will be a range of public talks and events throughout the installation's five-month run, plus four new works that have been specially commissioned, including Lion's Honey, a daily performance work from Sydney artist Agatha Gothe-Snape. Making Art Public: 50 Years of Kaldor Public Art Projects runs until February 16, 2020 and can be found on Lower Level 2 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Entry is free. To see the full exhibition program, visit the website. Images: Daniel Boud via Art Gallery of NSW.
Acclaimed artist Reko Rennie will unveil a colossal public artwork down at Barangaroo next month, bringing a dash of vivid colour to the harbourside precinct. More than 1500 square metres in size, As the Crow Flies stretches between Towers One and Two of the International Towers Sydney and Hickson Road, and takes the shape of a large-scale, pop art-inspired, bright cobalt blue and neon pink installation, painted vertically and horizontally onto Barangaroo building exteriors. "I use a lot of saturated colours throughout the work," Rennie tells Concrete Playground. "It's about trying to capture someone's attention, and the colour will do that." Commissioned by Lendlease under the Barangaroo Public Art and Cultural Plan, the work in progress is expected to be completed by early May, and will be on display for two years. Rennie has based the work around the repeated motif of a fallen crow feather of a crow. "The feathers mirror a congregation of people — a meeting place of diverse individuals, philosophies and histories — coming together, reflecting the hive of activity that is unfolding in the redevelopment of Sydney's Barangaroo precinct," explained Rennie. Born in Melbourne, Rennie started out as a graffiti artist, and the influence of street art can be seen in his output today. "My experience has come from living in the city," he says. "So using a lot of bright colour also goes back to when I was doing graffiti in Melbourne." As the Crow Flies also draws on Rennie's Aboriginal Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi identity. "I'm using a very spiritual and iconic feather that represents many things for many communities," he explains. He also tells us that he hopes his work "breaks stereotypes about what constitutes Aboriginal art." As for the setting for his latest piece, Rennie says that public art provides artists with a unique opportunity "to inform, or raise awareness about an issue." In this case, he hopes to convey "the transient nature of our lives and the spaces that we visit and occupy," as well as "the freedom that we enjoy here, that is a lot of the time taken for granted." Its prominent position will also ensure that Rennie's latest work will be seen by more than "institutional clientele". "It opens up the demographic a bit more and creates access to art," he says. "There should be more public spaces engaged for artists, because it transforms the area and presents something nicer than just looking at mundane walls or advertising." As The Crow Flies is scheduled for completion by early May 2017. Images: Reko Rennie on site with As The Crow Flies, his work in progress at Barangaroo. Photo: Daniel Boud.
Bangarra Dance Theatre's name comes from the Wiradjuri word meaning 'to make fire', and the company has been performing for over three decades. After spending most of 2020 away from the stage, the group is returning to the spotlight at Sydney Festival with a work that revisits some of the most important pieces from its repertoire to celebrate and acknowledge Aboriginal Australia's unbroken connections to the land. Djakapurra Munyarryun, a Yolŋu songman from Northeast Arnhem Land, who has been a cultural consultant for Bangarra throughout its life, provides traditional music and choreography, complementing the choreography of Bernadette Walong-Sene and Artistic Director Stephen Page. [caption id="attachment_795403" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Tomasetti[/caption] Images: Lisa Tomasetti
It’s lunchtime, and the outlook is depressing. You’ve exhausted nearby cafes, and the office fridge is a horror in dire need of defrosting that you dare not go near. Enter My Little Panda Kitchen. For this new kid in town, ethically sourced produce and cultural awareness are the agendas of the day. Indonesian-inspired food is prepared on a flavour-first basis (and just happens to be cruelty-free), meals are packaged up into lunchboxes with names that riff on indie music and classic works of theatre, and it's all pedalled through the streets of the inner west and personally delivered to your home or work by the cook, on a bike. Creator/cook/vegan mastermind Annabelle McMillan launched the whole thing about a month ago. "I wanted it to be a boutique service that's a little bit different, a little bit kitsch, with elements of sustainability and culture and making more ethical choices," she says. And when Surry Hills' Arthur Street Kitchen packed up shop (and fixies) to try their luck in Brooklyn, they left a definite gap in the market for a home-cooked, hand-delivered meal service in the area. My Little Panda Kitchen emerged as an amalgamation of things McMillan loves and is passionate about: cooking, "biking everywhere" and puns. She gives her lunchboxes names, like Waiting for Gadot (featuring a vegan take on the ever-popular gado gado) and U Rap with Mie — which included mie goreng and urap, "a Javanese salad covered in a sauce made with big chunks of fresh coconut shredded through it and fresh chillies". (Insider tip: that's one of her personal favourites.) Each weekend, she posts that week's menu on her social media. Customers choose from two lunchboxes (more like three-course meals than those other brightly coloured plastic things they share a name with, domain of Dunkaroos and soggy sandwiches), and come Wednesday McMillan straps it all to her bike and does the delivery rounds, in a specific three suburbs that change every week. "A lot of people dig the spicy food," she says, "and the really popular Indonesian things, like nasi goreng and gado gado. But some of my favourite dishes I haven’t attempted to veganise. Not yet. Martabak is one of those; it's what I’d eat drunk on the side of the road when I was a teenager in Jakarta. It's sort of like a pancake but they put cheese and chocolate and condensed milk inside. It’s ridiculous." Demand's been strong, from vegans and omnivores alike. If it keeps up, McMillan envisions a MLPK fleet moving out into Sydney. Fingers crossed they've got that vegan martabak in tow. Words by Jessica Surman. Photography by Bodhi Liggett.
It's unbelievably satisfying to see a jazz vocalist received as a brilliant pop artist. Porter, who made the change from a potential career in American football to sultry jazz after a shoulder injury in college, has been sharing the product of his near-perfect pipes around the world since his first release Water in 2010. Porter's style is incredibly versatile, leaping between smooth jazz and a frenetic Motown energy with apparent ease. His vocal range is exceptional, sliding through the octaves like it ain't no thing, maintaining an incredibly deep and resonant timbre that keeps the sound bound together. The versatility isn't lost on the music elite, as Porter appeared alongside Jools Holland, in their 2012 song Sweet Country Love Song. Since 2010, Porter has released four albums, and the most recent two have both taken out Best Jazz Vocal Album awards at the Grammys. It's not surprising, as Porter's sound, which slows down into soulful ballads at points throughout the records, appeals to a huge variety of audiences, especially anyone who has a soul—just give him half a chance and Gregory Porter will deliver a knock out punch straight into the feelings. Catch Gregory Porter at Bluesfest 2017 in Byron Bay, or at his Sydney Enmore Theatre sideshow on Wednesday April 12.
Your mates at Concrete Playground know how much you guys love Nutella. Sydney lost its collective shit (and rightfully so) over those damn Tella Ball milkshakes, and Melbourne eats so much of the stuff they caused a temporary nation-wide shortage. As addictions go, we suppose it could be worse. Point is, when we heard there was going to be a toaster-shaped Nutella food truck rolling around the country, we figured you'd want to hear about it. Especially since all the goodies on board will be free. The food truck menu has been devised by Alistair Fogg, the man behind Sydney's Nighthawk Diner. Think stewed winter berries with Nutella and toasted coconut, raisin toast with Nutella and berries, and a crepe stack with Nutella and crispy bacon. It's only one item per customer per day, unfortunately. Let's just say at this stage, we're not ruling out the possibility of trailing the truck from town to town like the insatiable groupies we so clearly are. The road trip begins in Sydney's Wynyard Park on Wednesday, June 15. Other stops in the Harbour City include Centenary Park (June 16), Sydney Uni (June 17) and Glebe Markets (June 18), before the long haul down the Hume Highway via Lithgow (June 19), Goulburn (June 20), Wagga Wagga (June 21), Albury (June 22), Bendigo (June 23) and Ballarat (June 24). In Melbourne they'll hit St Kilda (June 25-26) and Southbank (June 27), before wrapping up their journey in Geelong (June 28). As for Brisbane, we've got our fingers crossed you might be added to the itinerary. If not, we'll send you a Nutella-smeared postcard. Find the complete list of dates, times and locations for the Nutella Road Trip at the official Facebook page.
You love your mum. How do we know this? We are psychics. Also, you clicked on an article called 'The Best Places to Treat Your Mum', so we figured that you care. Yet, as fellow mum-lovers, we also realise that the annual celebration of maternity known as Mother's Day can be a vexing time for the Sydneysider. Where does one take one's mother (or mothers or grandmothers or amazing aunts) on such an occasion? Your favourite underground bar is too dingy and your go-to pizza joint may not cut it (unless it's Bella Brutta). This is your chance to deliver something momentous. Something memorable. And the good news is that Sydney's got the goods. THE GROUNDS OF ALEXANDRIA After all those selfish nights of cot-based crying, the least you can do is rise a little early to avoid the lines at The Grounds of Alexandria. Ricotta pancakes ($20) will rival mum's finest offerings, and a Grounds coffee could probably beat anything you were thinking of brewing at home. For lunch at The Potting Shed, nothing says 'thank you for carrying me around in your womb for an extended period' quite like South Australian steamed mussels ($17-26). If the lines intimidate, you can always swing by Salt Meats Cheese for a little gourmet nibble. In Alexandria, you can't lose. [caption id="attachment_693841" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To.[/caption] THREE BLUE DUCKS She's living in one of the finest beachside cities in the world, yet mum never sees the beach? It's time to get her to Three Blue Ducks. If you wish to avoid the crowds at big-brother-Bondi, Bronte's finest restaurant is the perfect setting for a cappuccino, one of Three Blue Ducks' organic teas or a glass of white wine. This little pocket of farm-to-table goodness is a modest mix of natural and manmade decor, incorporating the warmth of wood and cool concrete for an authentic rustic country-meets-downtown feel. With a peaceful, sunny streetside window and a tender steak sandwich ($24), the effortless slice of paradise will remind mum why she decided to raise you in Sydney all those years ago. CATALINA Back eastside, our next 'recomumdation' (see what we did there?) is the harbourside dining experience of Rose Bay's Catalina. A Rose Bay waterside institution of 20 years, this award-winning destination from Michael and Judy McMahon offers diners panoramic views of the harbour, impeccable world-class service and a menu sporting much-loved dishes almost as old as the place itself. If you're intimidated by the price and/or reputation of the place, take baby steps into fine dining by booking in the bar area and enjoying share plates like beer-battered and melt-in-your-mouth soft goujons ($15) and Ortiz anchovies with tomato salsa on grilled sourdough ($14). SADHANA KITCHEN 'Your mama is so fat' jokes aside, any maternal relation of yours would benefit from a healthy serving of Sadhana Kitchen this Mother's Day. This is the yummy kind of healthy. The menu is extensive — they offer breakfast, lunch, desserts, smoothies, coffee (with soy, almond or coconut milk) and hot tonics. They're also all for grandiosity, offering raw vegan high teas and seven-course degustation menus. THE VICTORIA ROOM To have arrived at this point in such an article without mentioning a venue for high tea will be an affront to some readers. "Do you even know my mother?" they cry. Be not offended, oh sensitive one, for we have saved the best for fourth-last. Although it's more James Bond than Murder on the Orient Express these days, the venue is still a high tea classic, with an opulent atmosphere. There are of course the ubiquitous scones, either plain or date, served with organic strawberry conserve and chantilly cream. Accompany your morsels with tea, champagne, sparkling rose or one of their ridiculously delicious cocktails, and your mother will love you forever. Guaranteed. Want more high tea options? We have a whole list full. DEVON ON DANKS If your mum is the kind of foodie excited by unlikely word combinations like 'miso-grilled king salmon with smoked eel croquette' and 'salted caramel ice-cream with black Aegean salt flakes', you'll be wanting to take her to light and bright Alexandria cafe Devon on Danks. The kitchen boasts head chef Zach Tan from Guillaume at Bennelong, a pharmacist-turned chef who prescribes a menu of Asian-inspired cafe classics. Working alongside him is pastry chef Markus Andrew from Adriano Zumbo who has been assigned to cronut and doughnut duty. Think of it as a new shared playtime, now we're all adults. KURTOSH We are now reaching the point where you and your mother abandon all pretence of sharing 'quality time over lunch' for the glorious pursuit of sweetened ecstasy. Enter Kurtosh, the charming Hungarian-inspired bakery in Surry Hills (and Darlinghurst, Crows Nest, Wollongong and Randwick). Here the enticing treats are sold by weight, which is bliss for indecisive mums (and kids) who can't resist a slither of everything. Expect plenty of sugary favourites, like rogallach ($4.90 for 100g) and cheesecake ($4 for 100g) to satiate mum's aforementioned European yearnings. The cinnamon and sugar kurtosh ($7.50) is fragrantly reminiscent of delicious doughnuts, yet with coatings like pistachio, Nutella and coconut there is a flavour for gratifying all continental cravings. They are adequately portioned and perfect for sharing between two, so neither of you even have to talk. Aah, quality time with mum. GELATO MESSINA 'The Messina Move' is a courting tactic that has been employed by guileful Sydney men for over a decade now. No matter how woeful a date night may look, locating the nearest source of Nick Palumbo's frozen dessert and sharing a cone streetside is a guaranteed strategy to end the evening on a sugary high. And we figured that your mum is worthy of such a sneaky ploy. Whether family lunch was brilliant or ended with an all-out shoutfest over 'that junkie you're still dating', make the Messina Move. We don't even know what life-changing specials will be on the board this Mother's Day, but fork out for a cone and maternal relations will reach the maximum level of bliss. We don't fully understand how it works, but that's the beauty of it. It's just science. By Nishan David with the Concrete Playground team. Top image: Devon on Danks.
French choreographer and dancer Francois Chaignaud has never played it safe. His first work, produced in 2005, delved into the long relationship between dance and prostitution — territory that most choreographers prefer to ignore. Since then, he's organised mammoth dance parties inside The Kitchen in New York City, transformed the Tate Modern into a live performance museum and presented the history of grime music at London's Sadler Wells Theatre. Now, he's arrived in Australia for the first time, bringing with him his first-ever solo show. Dumi Moyi, which he is performing 11 times over four days at Carriageworks, is inspired by traditional Indian religious performing art and features music from all over the world, across hundreds of years of history — from 12th-century Sephardic melodies to Ukrainian rhythms to Spanish folk songs. Francois took a quick break from his hectic performance schedule to chat with us. For a long time, you have been bringing together different genres and breaking down barriers between formality and informality. Why has this been so important to your work? First, it is to free myself — to not feel locked into a narrow field of practice. But it also comes from the seminal work we have been doing with Cecilia Bengolea. Paquerette (2004-2008), our first piece, was made from the perspective that the work of dance is not so different to the work of sex workers. It was a way to connect to the long history of the relationship between dance and prostitution — a relationship that, in contemporary dance, has been ignored. Working on that piece raised my awareness of the hierarchies between practices: why some body work, like ballet, is considered of high value, while other body work, which is just as virtuosic, is considered to be nothing artistic at all. These hierarchies exist within the dance world itself, between, for instance, ballet and urban dances, where there’s a lot of institutional support for certain gestures and not for others. I think this reflects on how the world is constructed on a long history of inequalities and domination. It’s interesting, as dancers, to be aware of it, and to see if it’s possible, through our bodies, to create connection and sisterhood and brotherhood, and learn from other practices, while remembering where they come from. Why do you like performing in unusual spaces? I like the intimacy and the proximity. I find it hard to look at dance in big- or medium-sized theatres, because, depending on the piece, it can be hard to get empathy for dancers, or to reach the perfect gazing situation for the audience, depending on the steepness of the tribune, or the architecture of the theatre. I hope that, by going out of the black box and creating a more intimate frame, we can change the relationship between the dancers and the audience. The proximity allows us to be aware of so many more details of the work. Speeds, tensions, efforts, weaknesses, smells, vulnerability ... become much more perceptible. And for me, as a performer, the properties of each space are very informative, and transform the dance and its imagining. Dumi Moyi is partly inspired by traditional religious performances from Malabar, India. How did you come across these performances? It’s a religious form of performance art called theyyam. I travelled to India twice — firstly, just to see it, and secondly, to watch it day and night for a week. It’s very different to other traditional Indian art forms because it doesn’t happen on a stage but in shrines, temples or private houses. The performers don’t represent the gods, they actually become the gods and goddesses. They are even transformed visually, wearing extreme costumes — five or six metres high — and extreme make-up. But at the same time, the audiences are very near to them, so it’s possible to talk and interact and ask questions. It’s a whole different paradigm to the one from Western theatre, where there’s a distance between performers and viewers, and it’s about illusion and presentation. Instead it’s about realness and becoming something else. To me, that is very intriguing and beautiful and questioning. But Dumi Moyi is not a replica or mimicking or even a quotation of what I saw in India. It was just a starting point to question my practice. What other influences have gone into Dumi Moyi? I wanted to dance and sing at the same time. Like a child dream. So, I chose seven or eight songs from different times and different regions of the world. I’m very interested in the power of singing, in that it makes it easy to travel through time and space. With language and music, it’s maybe easier than with movement, where it’s harder to get stories and information through. So, the singing brings a lot of varied influences to the work — Ukrainian song, 12th-century Sephardic melody, Italian tarantella, Baroque, Spanish folk, Tchaikovsky. But all the songs are confessions or songs where the singer is using the pronoun 'I', saying something personal and trying to affect the listeners, putting a spell on them. Now for some word association. I'm going to say a few dance-related words. Could you please tell me what each means to you in a sentence or two. Twerking. Very ancient, spiritual, empowering practice of ass poetry. We studied some of it for Altered Natives' Say Yes To Another Excess — Twerk (2012), with Cecilia Bengolea. Voguing. It’s an art form I admire a lot, because of the amazing movement that’s been invented and because it’s proof that, within certain contexts, dance can really change one's life. Hula hooping. Hula hooping is also a very ancient game, based on the perfect and essential shape of the circle. It’s a great meditation practice for me. We made a thirty-five-minute naked hula hoop piece with Marie-Caroline Hominal [Duchesses, 2008]. Ballet. I love ballet as I love many dance forms; I don't despise or reject ballet like some of my older colleagues may have found the need to do. It's an incredible technique, very complete. Meanwhile, I believe it's crucial to be aware of ballet’s history, of what it is the expression of. With ballet, it is so obvious that dance styles emanate from a social context, political project and specific values. Tutting. I haven’t worked with tutting. But what I’ve seen fascinates me: I love to witness the extraordinary invention and involvement within such a limited starting point. Grime music. Cecilia Bengolea introduced me to grime music. I've been amazed by this genre, how it connects so many different musical sources, making so much sense in the contemporary, urban, post-colonial, capitalistic context of today's London. Francois Chaignaud's Dumi Moyi is at Carriageworks' Elston Room until October 3, with only 40 tickets per show. To book, head to the Carriageworks website.
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.
Just when you thought Sydney might've run out spectacular spaces for screening films, another outdoor cinema series hits it out of the park. This time, it's IMB Sunset Cinema, making a return to the North Sydney Oval. For two magnificent months — between Thursday, January 21 and Saturday, March 19 — northside dwellers will be watching their fave flicks under the stars, backdropped by the North Sydney skyline. This year's program is dominated by an impressive pack of blockbusters and new releases, from SPECTRE, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 and Bridge of Spies to Carol, The Dressmaker, Joy and Trainwreck. Meanwhile, your hard-earned thirst and hunger will be taken care of, courtesy of a fully-licensed onsite bar and The Nighthawk Diner, the Sydney-based food truck that describes itself as an "American diner on wheels". Prepare to tuck into no-nonsense, hunger-busting versions of classics: from hearty burgers — for goodness sake, try the mac 'n' cheese burger if they're cooking it — and fried chicken, to egg and bacon rolls and Philly cheesesteak.
The program for Good Food Month 2017 has landed, announcing a 31-day program to feature 180+ events this year. You can expect the return of some old favourites — like the ever-popular Night Noodle Markets — as well as some ambitious new initiatives. First up, Hyde Park will play host to an epic new festival hub, inspired by California's Palm Springs, dubbed 'Hyde Park Palms' and designed by Sydney design studio Caroline Beresford (The Cannery). The hub will host a bunch of talks, parties and feasts, starting on October 5 with an opening night party overseen by The Rockpool Group. Two days later, South African chef Duncan Welgemoed of South Australia's Africola will be swinging by for an evening of drinks, snacks and beats. Then, on October 8, Neil Perry and Marco Pierre White are taking over the hub kitchen to prepare a three-course dinner emceed by Jill Dupleix. And, if Mexican's your thing, grab a ticket for October 14, when Sydney's Dan Hong (Mr Wong) and Mitch Orr (ACME) will be joining forces to share street food they sampled on a recent trip to the country, as well as dishes inspired by Los Angeles and a Noma pop-up. Lazy Sunday brunches will be happening throughout Good Food Month — on October 8, 15 and 22 — with guests to include Matt Stone and Jo Barrett of Oakridge Wines. Finally, you can work off all your indulgences at Not Another Manic, a Lycra-clad workout/dance party with Retrosweat's Shannon Dooley planned for October 16 and 17. Also opening on October 5 are the aforementioned Night Noodle Markets. This year, look out for House of Crabs, Din Tai Fung, Chur Burger, Indu, Gelato Messina and Black Star Pastry, plus the usual mix of live music, DJs and dancers. Meanwhile, if you've been hankering after a meal at high-end restaurants like Aria and Catalina, but haven't been sufficiently cashed up, you'll be pleased to know that Let's Do Lunch is making a return. This event gives Good Food Month guests the chance to eat fancy-pants food at more-affordable-than-usual prices. On top of all that, there'll be an assortment of one-off happenings about the city. There's little info as yet, but expect a sushi and whiskey party at Sokyo, as well as a feast at Pilu at Freshwater transporting you to Positano, Praiano and Sorrento with matched wines. Good Food Month runs October 1-31 at various locations across Sydney. For more info, check out the website.
Whether or not you were one of the Rubenthusiasts who voted 'Hoops' into the number one spot of triple j's Hottest 100, Australia has spoken on another Hottest 100. The GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of the Year have been voted, counted and announced — and Stone & Wood's Pacific Ale is right where it should be: bang on the top. The poll began in 2008 as a little spot of merriment for the staff and crew frequenting Melbourne and Sydney's go-to craft beer pub The Local Taphouse. What does GABS stand for? The 'Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular', one heck of a craft beer event first held at the Taphouse(s) in 2011. Now voted by thousands of craft beer lovers, the other Hottest 100 sees punters vote for their five favourite Australian craft beers and await the countdown on Australia Day at The Local Taphouses, official events around the country, live podcasts and on social media. So here it is, the punter-voted GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2015. Head for your nearest craft beer pub — in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane — or your nearest craft beer bottle shop — in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane — to take a six-pack home (or fill up your growler). GABS HOTTEST 100 AUSSIE CRAFT BEERS OF 2015 1 ‘Pacific Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW) 2 ‘Hop Hog’ American-style IPA (Feral, WA) 3 ‘IIPA’ Double American-style IPA (Pirate Life, SA) NEW 4 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Pirate Life, SA) NEW 5 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Little Creatures, WA) 6 ‘150 Lashes’ Australian-style Pale Ale (James Squire, NSW) 7 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (4 Pines, NSW) 8 ‘Kolsch’ (4 Pines, NSW) 9 ‘Former Tenant’ American-style IPA (Modus Operandi, NSW) 10 ‘Karma Citra’ Black IPA (Feral, WA) GABS (2011) 11 ‘Throwback’ Specialty IPA (Pirate Life, SA) NEW 12 ‘Hop Thief 7’ American-style Pale Ale (James Squire, NSW) NEW 13 ‘Taco Beer’ Specialty Beer (Two Birds, VIC) GABS (2013) 14 ‘Milk and Two Sugars’ Sweet Stout (BrewCult, VIC) NEW / GABS (2015) 15 ‘Beechworth Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Bridge Road, VIC) 16 ‘Golden Stout Time’ Sweet Stout (Big Shed, SA) NEW / GABS (2015) 17 ‘War Hog’ American-style IPA (Feral, WA) NEW 18 ‘Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Coopers, SA) 19 ‘Summer Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC) 20 ‘Steam Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC) 21 ‘Dark Ale’ Dark Mild (White Rabbit, VIC) 22 ‘Ramjet 2014/15 (Whisky Aged)’ Russian Imperial Stout (Boatrocker, VIC) NEW 23 ‘Three Sheets’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Lord Nelson Hotel, NSW) 24 ‘Red’ American-style Amber Ale (Nail, WA) 25 ‘India Red Ale’ American-style IPA (Prancing Pony, SA) 26 ‘777’ Double American-style IPA (Riverside, NSW) 27 Noisy Minor ‘Admiral Ackbar’ American-style Amber Ale (Fortitude, QLD) 28 ‘The Chancer’ Blonde/Golden Ale (James Squire, NSW) 29 ‘Cloud Catcher’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW) 30 ‘Newtowner’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Young Henry’s, NSW) 31 Noisy Minor ‘ANZUS’ American-style IPA (Fortitude, QLD) 32 ‘Fat Yak’ American-style Pale Ale (Matilda Bay, VIC) 33 ‘Bright Ale’ Blonde/Golden Ale (Little Creatures, WA) 34 ‘Small Ale’ Specialty IPA (Colonial, WA) 35 ‘Indian Summer Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (4 Pines, NSW) NEW 36 ‘Hangman’ American-style Pale Ale (Rocks, NSW) 37 ‘Copy Cat’ American-style IPA (Mash, WA) 38 ‘XPA (Extra Pale Ale)’ American-style Pale Ale (Wolf of the Willows, VIC) 39 ‘Vale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Vale, SA) 40 ‘Dog Days’ American Wheat (Little Creatures, WA) NEW 41 ‘Imperial West Coast Red Rye IPA’ Specialty IPA (4 Pines, NSW) NEW 42 ‘Praline’ Belgian Specialty Ale (La Sirène, VIC) GABS (2014) 43 ‘Return of the Dread’ Foreign Extra Stout (Little Creatures, WA) NEW 44 ‘Roger Ramjet 2015 (Bourbon Aged)’ Russian Imperial Stout (Boatrocker, VIC) NEW 45 ‘IPA’ American-style IPA (Hawkers, VIC) NEW 46 ‘Tusk 2015’ American-style IPA (Feral, WA) NEW 47 ‘IPA’ American-style IPA (Little Creatures, WA) 48 ‘Australian Pale Ale’ (4 Pines, NSW) NEW 49 ‘Fred’ American-style IPA (Murray’s, NSW) 50 ‘Growler’ American-style Brown Ale (2 Brothers, VIC) 51 ‘Fancy Pants’ American-style Amber Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC) 52 ‘Windjammer’ American-style IPA (Green Beacon, QLD) 53 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Hawkers, VIC) NEW 54 ‘Watermelon Warhead’ Berliner Weisse (Feral, WA) GABS (2012) 55 ‘Californicator’ American-style IPA (Big Shed, SA) NEW 56 ‘Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Kosciuszko, NSW) 57 ‘Citrus IPA’ Specialty IPA (4 Pines, NSW) NEW 58 ‘Golden Ale’ Blonde/Golden Ale (Two Birds, VIC) 59 ‘Temptress’ Porter (Holgate, VIC) 60 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Hawthorn, VIC) 61 ‘Calypso’ American-style Pale Ale (Odyssey, VIC) 62 ‘Two to The Valley’ American-style IPA (Newstead, QLD) 63 ‘F-Yeah’ American-style Pale Ale (Big Shed, SA) 64 ‘Kung Foo’ Pale Lager (2 Brothers, VIC) 65 ‘Garden Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW) 66 ‘Pale Ale’ Belgian Pale Ale (White Rabbit, VIC) 67 ‘Sunset Ale’ American-style Amber Ale (Two Birds, VIC) 68 ‘Dark Red IPA’ Specialty IPA (Six String, NSW) 69 ‘Atomic Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Gage Roads, WA) 70 ‘Angry Man Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Murray’s, NSW) 71 ‘Winston’ American-style Pale Ale (Shenanigans, NSW) 72 ‘Hopsmith’ American-style IPA (Akasha, NSW) NEW 73 ‘Clout Stout 2015’ Russian Imperial Stout (Nail, WA) NEW 74 ‘Grizz’ American-style Amber Ale (2 Brothers, VIC) 75 ‘#010 West Coast IPA’ American-style IPA (Exit, VIC) NEW 76 ‘Draught’ Kölsch (Colonial, WA) 77 ‘IPA’ American-style IPA (Mornington Peninsula, VIC) 78 ‘ESB’ Extra Special Bitter (4 Pines, NSW) 79 ‘Yenda Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Australian Beer Co, NSW) 80 ‘Rogers’ American-style Amber Ale (Little Creatures, WA) 81 ‘Splice of Heaven’ Specialty IPA (Moon Dog, VIC) NEW 82 ‘West Coast IPA’ American-style IPA (Batch, NSW) 83 ‘Vanilla Milk Stout’ Sweet Stout (Thirsty Crow, NSW) 84 ‘Barrel Breed Barley Wine’ UK-style Barleywine (Mountain Goat, VIC) NEW 85 ‘Bling’ American-style IPA (Bridge Road, VIC) 86 ‘The Fox’ Vienna-style Lager (Rabbit & Spaghetti, SA) NEW 87 ‘Session Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Mismatch, SA) 88 ‘Crankshaft’ American-style IPA (BentSpoke, ACT) 89 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Mornington Peninsula, VIC) 90 ‘28’ American-style Pale Ale (Burleigh, QLD) 91 ‘3 Quarter Time’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Newstead, QLD) 92 ‘White Ale’ Witbier (White Rabbit, VIC) 93 ‘Sly Fox’ American-style Pale Ale (Feral, WA) 94 ‘ESB’ Extra Special Bitter (Hargreaves Hill, VIC) 95 ‘55’ American-style Pale Ale (3 Ravens, VIC) 96 ‘Metamorphosis’ American-style IPA (KAIJU!, VIC) 97 ‘Sparkling Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Coopers, SA) 98 ‘Zoo Feeder’ American-style IPA (Modus Operandi, NSW) 99 ‘Hopped Out Red’ American-style Amber Ale (KAIJU!, VIC) 100 ‘Hazelnut Brown’ UK-style Brown Ale (Bad Shepherd, VIC) NEW NEW – First released in 2015 GABS– A ‘Festival Beer’ made especially for a previous GABS festival Head to the GABS website for more info.
It's hard to think of an artist more recognisable than Andy Warhol. His pop art featuring Campbell's Soup, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley is iconic — even art novices know about Warhol and his influence on the world. Adman: Warhol before pop is a new exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW running from February 25 to May 28. It will examine Warhol's early career and reveal the origins of his dream to become both a successful visual and commercial artist. Before his famous pop art paintings, Warhol was one of the most sought after commercial illustrators in the New York advertising industry. The exhibition will feature 300 objects — including drawings, photographs, books, shop-front window displays, vintage advertisements and personal items. The emphasis will be on Warhol's work before he began to create pop art, revealing his origins in the world of advertising and art and helping us to understand his formative years — from the influence that his sexual identity had on his work, to the influence of artists such as Matisse and Cocteau. Much of the exhibition will be taken from the extraordinary art collection at The Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburg. Tickets are available via the Art Gallery of NSW. Image: 'Andy Warhol in New York City'. c1949. Philip Pearlstein papers. Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution.
The hands can say so much. Think of all the gestures of welcome, surrender and (perhaps most memorably) offence we use when words fail us. Yet what we didn't expect to see is a stage show entirely starring two hands, communicating that complexity we all know so achingly well: love. An old woman reflects back on the encounters that shaped her life in this poetic ballet, puppet show and live film experience, performed in a miniature set. Presented by Belgium's Charleroi Danses, Kiss & Cry comes from the bonafide talents of choreographer Michele Anne De Mey (a founding member of Rosas dance company) and filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael, director of 2009 sci-fi film Mr Nobody. Kiss & Cry is one of our top ten picks of the Sydney Festival. Check out our other favourite events over here.
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.
Dark and debaucherous banquets from Bompas and Parr, immersive art sleepovers at Cradle Mountain and all the demon purging and ceremonial death dances you could want in a festival. Dark Mofo has announced its 2015 program. Centred around the winter solstice and running June 12-22, MONA's annual June festival celebrates the Neolithic-started tradition over ten days of weird and wonderful art, performance, music and happenings around Hobart. Last year's festival attracted more than 130,000 Mofos, and with this year's lineup, they're looking at a lot more pilgrims. Coinciding with MONA's huge Marina Abramovic retrospective Private Archaeology, this year's Dark Mofo is deeper, creepier and darker than ever before — with art, food, music and performance pioneered by 250 artists from around the world. For one of the biggest events of the festival, the brave and adventurous at heart will want to lock in June 15-17 for a two-night immersive art experience sleepover within Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. That's right. Immersive art sleepover. It's called Wild At Heart and is curated by the Unconscious Collective (Motel Dreaming). British jellymongers and universally applauded food artists Bompas and Parr are hosting a full-on, debaucherous banquet. Huge. And Melbourne contemporary artist Ash Keating will open an exhibition called Remote Nature Response as part of the whole WAH shebang. Music-wise, Dark Mofo is as brooding and gloomy as ever at Hobart's historic Odeon Theatre, with already-leaked, heartbreaking headliners Antony and the Johnsons leading the charge with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. British art-pop collective The Irrepressibles are also locked in, alongside Arkansas experts in doom metal Pallbearer. Seattle's 'horror-country' rocker King Dude will be there, as well as German industrial dance outfit Oake. There's plenty of Australians in the bunch too, from The Drones' brooding folkster Gareth Liddiard to Melbourne's '60s-inspired crooner Brous and performance vocalist Kusum Normoyle, modern day Divinyls-like Sydneysiders The Preatures, Hobart's eclectic pop group Tiger Choir and Melburnian chillwave must-see Klo. Also hailing from Melbourne, gloomy electronica artist Jake Blood and frenetic rock outfit My Disco. Then there’s Japan's electro-conducting EYE, who will be premiering new work CIRCOM, especially for Dark Mofo, presented by Red Bull Music Academy. Immersive art and experimental theatre fans, you'rve got plenty to look forward to. Dark Mofo set to unveil a brand new festival precinct dubbed 'Dark Park' at Hobart's Macquarie Point. Huge public artworks will invade the park, from a high-octane Fire Organ by German chemo-acoustic engineer Bastiaan Maris with producer Duckpond, to a Night Ship cruising around the river, and a full-body sonic massage immersion of Bass Bath by Melbourne’s Byron J. Scullin in collaboration with Supple Fox. Virginia Woolf’s Orlando will be performed by Victoria’s THE RABBLE theatre company at the Theatre Royal (Australia’s oldest theatre) and you'll find a dark take on Roald Dahl's The Witches at Salamanca Arts Centre’s Peacock Theatre. Plus, you won't want to miss Dark Mofo's new late-night ceremonial death dance Blacklist curated by Supple Fox. We don't even know what that means. Those keen to lose themself in a dark, dark cinema have plenty of Nordic dark folkloric films to sink their teeth into. North Hobart’s century-old State Cinema is presenting a super niche series featuring A Second Chance, A Spell to Ward off the Darkness, Down Terrace, A Field in England, Partisan, Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America, Valhalla Rising and more, curated Nick Batzias and James Hewison. Dark Mofo Films will also see the red carpet world premiere of Tasmanian-filmed Foxtel adult drama series The Kettering Incident at the Odeon. Last but not least, we feast. Dark Mofo's annual bacchinalian food festival returns to Princes Wharf Shed 1 — the ever-anticipated Winter Feast. Guest chefs Jake Kellie, Martin Boetz, Sean Moran, Mike McEnearney and O Tama Carey and the Mona Source restaurant team head five nights of feasting and performance, culminating in a Balinese ogoh-ogoh parade to purge all those demons and burn all those fears. Really. Then there's the annual Nude Solstice Swim — nothing like an early morning swim in Tasmanian water to cure your Mofo hangover. Dark Mofo runs June 12-22 in various locations across Hobart, Tasmania. Tickets are on sale from 10am Monday, April 20 from here. Registration for tickets for Antony and the Johnsons with the TSO over here. Images: Beth Evans, Matt Glastonbury.
Though the thought of attending a lecture on a Thursday night could make students past and present want to cry, the annual Chaser's Lecture will have you keen to write copious notes. On November 17, the Sydney Town Hall be hosting the team from The Chaser, who are undoubtedly much more entertaining than your long-suffering economics lecturer. Maybe. The Chaser team will speak alongside the guest of honour, Indonesian comedian Sakdiyah Maruf. Celebrated for her provocative stand-up as a Muslim speaking out against Islamic extremism, Maruf has been awarded with the Havel Prize for Creative Dissent and the Freedom of Expression Award (previous winners include Ai Weiwei and Pussy Riot). "Sakdiyah's comedy challenges Islamic fundamentalism, advocates for women's rights, and is really really funny, so she has absolutely nothing in common with The Chaser," said The Chaser's Julian Morrow, who is MCing the Sesquicentennial Inaugural. "Sakdiyah follows Bassem Youssef the Egyptian Jon Stewart last year, so we're proud to say that The Chaser Lecture really has been swamped by Muslims." Ticket prices vary from 'The Cheapskate' without dinner provided for $50, to a ten-person table with dinner and alcohol provided for $2750. Proceeds will be going towards Article 19, a charity defending journalist rights to freedom of expression and information. So if not for a guaranteed laugh, there's always the warming sense of altruism.
See the film that many have tipped to clean up big at this year's Oscars, at one of a handful of gala previews on New Year's Eve. Set in New York City during the early 1950s, Carol follows two women — played by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara — who embark on a forbidden romance with drastic consequences for them both. The film is due to release in mid-January, however Palace Cinemas are hosting early NYE screenings at Palace Verona and Norton Street. Attendees with receive a glass of Brown Brothers Prosecco on arrival, as well as a complimentary ticket to see Brooklyn – another potential awards contender – when it hits cinemas on February 11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk Session times vary cinema to cinema. You can check the times here.
It's that time of year again. Sydney is soon to be transformed into a city-wide exhibition for Sydney Festival, reminding us yet again of how much we love art, and that our city is full of surprises and hidden venues, tucked away in unusual places. We've already handed over our top 15 events, now we're helping you discover a part of Sydney you never knew existed. The population of our fair, Emerald City only gets bigger and bigger with each year, so space is at a premium. The Sydney Festival saw, and accepted that as a challenge. This year, a stellar program takes places in a whole bunch of places you wouldn't expect to see world-class theatre, music and installations. A Bankstown carpark will become a theatre, a church will host vocal loops and a Buchla 100 synthesiser, and there will even be an installation tucked behind the Southern Pylon of the Harbour Bridge. Sydney Festival 2017 pops up in the city's unexplored nooks and crannies, inspiring new interpretations of familiar locations. Here's our pick of ten shows to see in unexpected locations. Top image: The Beach at Barangaroo.
Good news and bad news, movie lovers. The good news is that the IMAX in Darling Harbour is getting a major upgrade. The bad news is that, until it's finished, you'll have to watch your blockbusters in a regular cinema like a chump. The 117ft screen will cease operation on September 25 ahead of a "program of renewal" that will see the entire building demolished. In its place, rising from the ashes, will be a brand new IMAX facility, housed alongside a six-star hotel and a major new restaurant and retail complex. Crucially, the new screen will maintain the title of the largest on the planet (back off our record, world). Who knows, they may even add a couple of extra inches, just to stay ahead of the game. In addition to the giant-ass screen, the new cinema will also boast 430 seats along with the latest in IMAX laser projection and sound. Also included in the upgrade will be a brand new 40-seat luxury auditorium, where you'll be able to enjoy catered meals from surrounding restaurants while kicking back and enjoying the film. The downside to all this is that construction isn't expected to finish until 2019, which means watching the next three Star Wars movies, and about 86 Marvel new films, in a boring old multiplex. Alternatively you could pop down to Melbourne, home to the world's third largest IMAX? Yeah, we know. It's just not the same.
Sydney electronica virtuoso Rainbow Chan's long-awaited debut album Spacings is kind of like listening to pop through an infinity mirror — you can hear it stretching away forever, but you can't touch it, no matter how you turn your head. Give it a try. Staple pop lyrics like "I don't blame you/for treating me so cruel" find new, uneasy galactic life on this album, the very first full-length from one of the city's most inventive, classically-trained producers. Chan's debut album launch tour will see her hit several states in the next few weeks, and she won't be alone. As well as showcasing tracks from Spacings, Chan will be performing as a three-piece with up-and-coming Aussie musicians/producers/buddies Moon Holiday and CORIN. Haven't listened to the album yet? Get on it. Since winning FBi Radio's Northern Lights Competition in 2011, Chan's come a long way from her bubblegum beginnings. She's described Spacings as a pop record that tries to incorporate influences, recordings and samples that are 100 percent not pop. So if your bag is contemplating lost love as your consciousness floats dangerously close to the ceiling fan, this is definitely one for you.
Sydney's Mardi Gras is one of the city's biggest festivals, and one of the country's most important celebrations of diversity and equality. In 2017, it's taking the party to a whole new level, with more stars, guests and performers than ever before helping to highlight the theme of "Creating Equality". Mardi Gras kicks off on February 17 and will run until March 5, hosting more than eighty events. For two fun-filled weeks, expect everything from the now iconic Little Black Dress Run to the Papa Party and Queer Art After Hours, plus anything you can think of in between. The festival culminates, of course, in the epic annual parade on Saturday, March 4. As part of the 2017 lineup, Koori Gras @ 107 makes its Mardi Gras debut. The week-long festival within a festival is a joint effort between Moogahlin Performing Arts and Redfern's 107 Projects, celebrating Australia's First People's part in the LGBTQI community, and telling the stories and the history of members that fit into both groups. Expect an evening of drag, cabaret and DJs, as well as a feed and open mic night on February 25. Before hitting up the parties that form the backbone in the festival's night life, there'll be plenty of history and culture to soak up. From In Difference, a choreographed story that explores the debate on marriage equality, to the traditional Mardi Gras Film Festival, there's plenty of ways to discover and learn the stories of struggle faced by the community throughout history. The theme of the 2017 festival, "Creating Equality", is a loud and clear message that resonates with everyone — and continues Mardi Gras' four-decade endeavour to offer a peaceful protest in the form of a celebration of people and culture. "As we continue to push our federal politicians to represent the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Australians — by legislating equality through a free vote in Parliament — celebrations like Mardi Gras are as important as ever," says Sydney Mayor Clover Moore. So, whether you're a member of the LGBTQI community or not, get ready to get dressed up (or undressed, for those attending Extra Dirty) and party for equality.
No longer just the realms of Monica Trapaga yazz residencies and kiddie-aimed pantomimes, the after-hours Twilight at Taronga series took it up a huge, cred-worthy notch last year. This summer, they'll be aiming even higher, returning with a new, eclectic lineup every weekend from Thursday, January 28 through Saturday, March 12. And this year's ARIA frontrunner, spinner of yarns and general face-melter Courtney Barnett is opening the whole thing. Bringing drawlin' ditties from her widely celebrated debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit to the zoo, Barnett kicks off one heck of a lineup for Twilight at Taronga 2016. Taking over the lawns of Taronga Zoo's fully-licensed natural amphitheater, this year's series is more locally-focused than last year's, with the likes of Violent Femmes, John Butler Trio, Birds of Tokyo, Josh Pyke, C.W. Stoneking and finishing up with Lady Black Mambazo. Plus, you can dag it up with ABBA tribute act Bjorn Again, returning for two nights due to popular demand after last year. After one of the most contemporary changes the Twilight at Taronga series has seen in its 20 years running, the feathered, furred and finned have plenty to choose from this summer. Picnic-bringing is encouraged, but there'll also be incredibly delicious hampers available onsite — we tasted them, they're extremely generous and genuinely great. There's a bar onsite, and general nosh available from the canteen. Either way, it's actually the one of the best dates in Sydney — lock those tickets down. TWILIGHT AT TARONGA 2016 LINEUP January 28 — COURTNEY BARNETT, supported by Jep and Dep January 29 — JOSH PYKE, supported by Winterbourne January 30 — FAR FROM FOLSOM featuring TEX PERKINS AND THE TENNESSEE FOUR February 4 — JOHN BUTLER TRIO, supported by Tinpan Orange - NEW SHOW ADDED February 5 — JOHN BUTLER TRIO, supported by Tinpan Orange - SOLD OUT February 6 — THE WAIFS, supported by Ruby Boots February 12 — BIRDS OF TOKYO, supported by Fractures February 13 — MISSY HIGGINS, supported by Paul Dempsey - SOLD OUT February 14 — MISSY HIGGINS, Special Guests TBA - VALENTINES SHOW ADDED February 19 – MARK SEYMOUR & THE UNDERTOW, supported by Ben Salter February 20 – JAMES MORRISON BIG BAND February 26 & 27 — BJÖRN AGAIN March 4 — VIOLENT FEMMES, supported by Xylouris White March 5 — COLIN HAY March 11 — C.W. STONEKING, supported by Marlon Williams March 12 — LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO Twilight at Taronga 2016 is happening January 28 to March 12. Tickets available from the website from Thursday, October 29. Image: Maclay Heriot.
Less than two weeks after a fundraiser that mobilised an Uber army to deliver ice cream around the country, OzHarvest is out to educate Australians about food wastage in the best possible way – by putting a meal in front of them. Every year, Australia produces enough food to feed roughly three times its population. Despite this, two million people nationwide still rely on some form of food relief. So where's it all going? This is the conversation that OzHarvest is teaming with the UN to try and start. On July 25, in its fourth Think.Eat.Save since 2012, hundreds of OzHarvest volunteers will serve thousands of city-dwellers something they have long been told does not exist – a free lunch. All meals will be made from rescued foodstuffs in an effort to start Australians rethinking not only the way they consume, but also the way they discard. Sydney's Think.Eat.Save is happening in Martin Place between 11.30am and 2.30pm
Lovers of all things small or nocturnal, or small and nocturnal, steady yourself. Goodgod Small Club’s owners, Jimmy Sing and Hana Shimada, have just announced that they’re in need of more daylight. So they’re moving on. Yep, after five years, they’re preparing to leave their beloved patch of fun, creativity and eccentricity in the Sydney CBD behind. We know! WE KNOW! But before you start panicking, the good news is, it’s not entirely catastrophic. Goodgod won’t necessarily be shutting down for good. This afternoon, Jimmy and Hana put a call out on Facebook, looking for parties who might be interested in filling their rather enormous boots. Their post reads, “In this call out we’re seeking entrepreneurs with vision who believe they have the knowhow, passion and resources to acquire the venue and evolve the legacy of this great place. We’re asking, who’s next?” What’s more, unlike numerous other venues to have closed recently due to the lockout laws and sundry regulatory bother, Goodgod feels well supported. “Despite the challenging terrain that Sydney’s nightlife finds itself in with these lockout laws, our reason to move on thankfully is not to do with regulatory challenges or any financial ones,” they wrote. “Over the last 18 months we’ve definitely needed to make adjustments to the club’s programming, but have never been lacking in support from you guys. Goodgod’s foundations in a diverse music formula and open-minded vibe have endured and kept the place buzzing. Our recent months have in fact been some of our biggest ever — a testament to Goodgod and its community, and for that we have you to thank.” It also won’t be the last you see of Jimmy and Hana. They have plans “to explore other creative projects”. And, until Goodgod’s fate is decided, they’ll be staying open and maintaining the regular schedule, complete with Belly Bao. The venue’s fifth birthday will be happening next month. If you think you might be the next master of Goodgod, send an email to Jerry Leis at Metro Commercial, who’s helping Jimmy and Hana with their move, at jleis@metrocommercial.com.au.
