Let's put it on the record — Disney ruined fairy tales for everyone. The world does not need happy endings, or at least it doesn't require the sickly sweet endings that only a cartoon mouse force-fed a diet of high-fructose corn syrup can crap out. Someone needs to dig up the Brothers Grimm (and Angela Carter, for that matter) and get them pumping out stories that make children dream of darkness as much as they do of light. High on the list of potential gravediggers is the Cornish company, Kneehigh Theatre, who are exploding onto the York Theatre stage with their adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes. More ghastly than Elvis' blue suedes, these crimson pumps have the magical ability to make a person dance in perpetuity. So, if there's one thing this production guarantees, it's a knee-blasting dance track with some sweat-milking flesh thrashing. Grab any child you can find and bring them to this show. If you don't, then the world will belong to Mickey and his censors forever more. https://youtube.com/watch?v=oK4h7gDqo5A
Is this low-budget, low-key production Joss Whedon's post-Avengers campaign for cred as a Legit Indie Filmmaker? Much Ado About Nothing is Shakespeare's 1598 version of a rom-com, hauled mercilessly into 2013 with cocktails, cupcakes and a sensibility that's both verbose and slapstick. Our two lovers, Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof), are cluelessly star-crossed, blinded by their own pride and ego. Whether you find what plays out a tedious, self-financed pet project or an endearing contemporary translation will depend on your familiarity with the almost untouched original text and your appreciation/tolerance of Whedon universe in-jokes (like the Dollhouse set prop). The project was shot in 12 days at the end of Avengers production with a cast of usual Whedon suspects. It's a somewhat grinding change of gears from the Marvel machine, but in an age of relentless threequels, 3D fantasies and franchisable remakes, it's admirable to see a big-shot director get back to basics. Whedon does everything from writing the slightly cheesy score to staging the entire production in his LA mansion. It's shot in black and white, which seems to be an easy shorthand for self-declared serious independent directors lately, but Whedon makes it work. Just. Across all his various projects, this director's trademark is self-assuredness, and every frame of Much Ado About Nothing bounces with energy. It's as slick as you'd expect, if not a little forgettable, and definitely not daring. Then again, it's not meant to be: it's for Whedon's maniacal audience and for himself. The Elizabethan speech rarely totally flows, the modern setting jars and not all the actors convince. But the director's fondness for the typical Shakespearean preoccupations of hidden identity, destined love and thwarted revenge can't help but seep through. A frothy labour of love. https://youtube.com/watch?v=NZB5EBdKaMw
Fancy yourself a bit of Aladdin and Jasmine action this Valentine's Day? Zeta Bar at Sydney's Hilton has got you covered. Launching its new Arabian Nights concept on February 14, Zeta is set to transform into an exotic palace, offering an experience both luxurious and flavoursome. Gorge the senses with an array of Arabian-inspired cocktails, a spice market bar and hookah pipes aplenty (just ask the sheesha sommelier about your smoking options). There's a loved-up couples package on offer for the evening (get four cocktails, along with a middle eastern tasting plate for $150), as well as singles deals for those boldly living up their singledom.
You'll be able to take a trip around Tassie, without the actual travelling part, when a CBD laneway transforms into a cellar door for an evening. The Laneway Cellar Door will take over the outdoor space at Bulletin Place on Thursday, March 7 to help launch this year's state-hopping Taste of Australia series. Head along to get acquainted with goodies from some of Tasmania's most lauded producers, as you quaff, nibble and graze your way through the evening. There'll be live oyster shucking, cheese stations, an assortment of meat and seafood stalls, and roving food trays, courtesy of Silvester's Restaurant chef Raphael Szurek and some top Tassie produce. And of course, the matching wine offering is set to be a banger, with the likes of Janz, Josef Chromy, Pooley, Clover Hill and Priory Ridge just some of the names who'll be showing off their drops. To sample the goods, you'll just need to grab a $25 ticket, which scores you four tokens and a tasting glass. Drinks are available for one token each and you'll need two for each food dish — so you could get two drinks and a snack for your money, or just four drinks. Of course, you can purchase more tokens at the event.
This is a show that asks you to be complicit with it. Right there in the title, see? Kind of like having a giggle about doing something a bit mischievous, but with a sense that it's still important to be nice. Nanna might not want to see her granddaughter's tights stretched over a board, or embroidery lessons used to put Pulp slogans on pretty hankies. All the works in the show play with ideas of the feminine and the domestic in their imagery, materials and techniques. There's a real sense that this stuff "for girls" is being used by the artists to express personal identity at the same time as being very obviously conscious of the connotations of their repertoire. It's a little bit like a sleepover, really: there are in-jokes, secrets being whispered about, music, dressing-up and sequins. But there are also political undercurrents and things going on that might just help you to grow up. Oh and instead of going to school together, the artists all work at the MCA. Ella Condon, Bridie Connell, Sarah Contos, Micaela Gifney, Leahlani Johnson, Be Jones and Nicola Walkerden are talking about girls in the way that girls so often do, and the show lets you overhear and become part of the discussion. So long as you don't tell. Image: Sarah Contos
Laneway seems like an odd place for the Australian debut of Manchester producer Holy Other, who prefers to play in near-complete darkness. I found that out via Google but it’s difficult to see why you’d want to experience his music in any other way. Combining sexy slow grooves with disarming club-suited vocals that sound halfway between a dream and a nightmare, these tunes don’t need a veil of darkness to make them more mysterious, but a cloudy room full of jerky strobed bodies would certainly intensify things in a really cool way. Having just released his debut album Held, the follow up to last year’s vehemently received With U EP, Holy Other has recently toured with the likes of Beach House, Amon Tobin and Thom Yorke & Nigel Godrich’s Atoms for Peace. Performing in Goodgod’s smoky Danceteria for his only Sydney Laneway sideshow, this is a chance to hear his more recent vocal-heavy tracks alongside the five pieces of moody atmospherics that were not unfoundedly heralded as contemporary masterpieces. Take someone who hates house music or RNB so you can grin smugly in the darkness with the knowledge that their perceptions will be forever changed for the better.
The minds behind Barossa Grape & Wine Association and vinous event organisers Revel have another specialised wine exploration to add to your calendar, this time devoted to the famed South Australian wine region of the Barossa Valley. On Saturday, July 13, Barossa. Be Consumed returns to Eveleigh's Carriageworks. Expect a one-day celebration of the Barossa's finest, showcasing over 220 wines from more than 45 of the region's wineries. The lineup features Cirillo Estate, Peter Lehmann and First Drop Wines, alongside award-winners like Yelland and Papps, home to 2018 Young Gun of Wine finalist Michael Papps, and Turkey Flat Vineyards, winner of the 2017 Jimmy Watson Trophy. You'll have the chance to meet producers while you sample their best creations, and then have bottles of your favourite wines shipped straight to your door. Seppeltsfield Road Distillers rounds out the liquid offerings with its small-batch gin, too. There'll be live music playing as you sample various drops and wander through the fair. Plus, regional food and produce will also be available to taste (and line your stomach). Meanwhile, four Meet the Maker sessions will run for those wanting to sink their teeth in deeper and will be hosted by leading wine personalities Samantha Payne and Clare Burder. Ranging from a sommelier's view on dining with Barossa vino to an in-depth look at Barossa grenache, these sessions are available for an additional cost ($35–50).
The buzz around Steam Mill Lane may have died down a bit, but the foodie precinct has just the thing to keep people coming — a massive, laneway-wide happy hour four times per week. Dubbed Steam Sessions, the offering runs every Wednesday through Saturday from 4–7pm, with deals on booze, coffee, food and even discounted pharmacy items — because no one said you can't combine a little boozing with your humdrum errands. The best of include $10 spritzes and $5 draft beers/house wines from Belles Hot Chicken; $10 poke bowls from Fishbowl; and $15 coffee and dessert from Edition Coffee Roasters (3–5pm). Marrickville Pork Roll and Ricefields also have free drink with purchase deals, and, if you happen to get to the area early, Toby's Estate is slinging a $5 coffee and pastry combo from 2–4pm. Plus, on Friday evenings they've got live acts and DJs taking over the laneway too, so you can add a little free entertainment to your cheap knock off drinks.
Hijacked III is the third in a series connecting photographers from Australia and overseas. This offering focuses on a link between our shores and the UK. Christian Thompson’s *Untitled #7 * shows a giant figure wrapped in soft fabric except for painted white hands. A powerful gaze projects out from under the hood of patternd fabric. The figure seems to be regarding visitors from a wiser place and offering them illumination in the cut plastic water bottle it offers to the viewer. Sarah Pickering’s Landmine and Artillery from her Explosion series each show one instant pop of army explosives during training exercises. The images spark (one literally) with energy and the beautiful swirl of particulate matter, beautiful to watch. But these are killing machines. Tracey Moffat’s series of plantation Dyptichs show a rural Australia washed in orange as though on fire. In some, actually aflame. For Inside the View, Helen Sear scratches away one photograph to reveal another landscape beneath. The overlaid images are each portraits of backs of heads, and inside them the scratching reveals their dreams of forests or fiery moments in the night sky. Melinda Gibson’s The Photograph as Contemporary Art follows a similar path, but with sharp cuts taking the place of Sear’s scratchings. Seba Kurtis’ A Few Days More series explores migration in the Americas from South- to North-, but his photos of horses and urban moments are in love with the blown out lights of the american cityscape. Maciej Dakowicz lights on the kisses, dresses and near misses of a night out on Cardiff’s St Mary St. Tony Greaves’ Radical Love series shows nuns at play and Laura Pannack has a stunning sad, alluring and intimate portrait of first love with her uncanny Graham. In this exhibition the hijacking of nationality takes second place to the actual hijacking going on: great photographers taking over ordinary moments and bringing them to shimmering life. Image from Maciej Dakowicz's Cardiff After Dark.
Everyone's favourite whimsical seaside house is back for another year. Master of whimsy, The Grounds of Alexandria is returning to Bondi's Sculpture by the Sea for a third year, relaunching their pop-up cafe along the scenic walk at Tamarama from October 20 to November 6. The styling this year has moved away from last year's Hobbiton (so long Sackville-Bagginses, you fools!) to gallop full pace towards a Western desert theme. After a recent trip to America's southwest, Ramzey Choker and Therese Moussa (co-founder and creative developer, respectively) have decided that 2016 will be the year of Arizonian architecture and arid vegetation. The traditional hacienda (made with insulating adobe, so popular in warmer climates) is the structural inspiration this year. You can expect bountiful succulents and cacti, as well as textured floral rooftop of seaside daisies. The Hobbit-style house from last year will be remade into an American southwest oasis, popping with terracotta peach, coral and salmon — so make sure you bring your selfie stick. The outside will be treated with a green patina (like an oxidised copper) to give it a weathered look. It's an interior decorating dream come to life. "We want to create a house that blends in with the sunrise; we've designed it to be in harmony with its surroundings in Bondi and want it to feel like it's been sitting on the hill for years," said Moussa. Chef Paul McGrath will be serving up a selection of the Grounds fare, including brekkie bowls, seafood platters and signature burgers with some Arizonian flavours (which are, for the record, lime, chilli and coconut) thrown in for good measure. The pop-up will be open from 7am until 7pm each day.
If your pockets are feeling a little lighter after Christmas shopping and many end-of-year celebrations, you're in luck. Sydney Festival has today announced it's offering $31 tickets to 34 of its shows — so you don't need to forgo your culture and art fix come January. And you don't need to lineup for these cheap tickets, either. Sydney Festival has teamed up with TodayTix, an app aiming to make theatre affordable for all, for its 2020 Tix For Next to Nix program, which lets you snag two $26 tickets (plus $5 booking fee per ticket) to a same-day performance. A limited number of cheap tickets are available from 9am–midday (or until sold out) on the morning of the show via the TodayTix app. This means, you can snag the cheap tix on your phone — from the comfort of your bed. The cheap tickets will be available every day throughout the festival — which runs from January 8–26 — for cabaret shows, circus, live music and theatre. Highlights from the Tix For Next to Nix program include Joan Didion's The White Album, which sees the author's 79 essays brought to life on the stage; a comedy by First Nations theatre companies Ilbijerri and Te Rēhia called Black Ties; a 30-year revival of Aboriginal stage musical Bran Nue Dae; a futuristic performance by avant-garde musician Holly Herndon; and family-oriented circus piece Air Play. [caption id="attachment_748193" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Betty Blokk-Buster Reimagined[/caption] Discounted shows also include a reboot of seminal 70s Aussie cabaret Betty Blokk-Buster Reimagined and supernatural theatre Night Parade of One Hundred Goblins, which leads you through the AGNSW's new Japan Supernatural exhibition. The catch is that to 'unlock' the Tix For Next to Nix tickets, you'll need to share a post about TodayTix on your social media. But, with some of these tickets going for upwards of $100, it's a share we're more than willing to make. Set your alarm. TodayTix is offering $26 tickets (plus $5 booking fee each) to Sydney Festival shows every day from 9am January 8–26. You can download the app for iOS and Android. To find out more about Tix For Next to Nix, head to the Sydney Festival website. Image: Air Play by Florence Montmare.
When you're a child it seems everyone is older than you: there's the nosey neighbour, the doting pseudo-grandma, the spiteful widow and the grumpy old man who sits on the patio, finger shaking erratically. Whether they like it or not each of them bear witness to your messy childhood: the bloody noses, the scraped knees and the broken windows. All the while your throwing arm gets stronger, your running strides get longer and your teeth, well they aren't really sure what they're doing. Fast-forward 20 years and look who you bump into. It's old Mr Shakes-his-finger: "Oh you haven't changed a bit,” he says. “You're still that scrappy little boy struggling to grow into his frames." You stare blankly, brow furrowed. Minutes later you’re rummaging through the old family albums only to realise the old bleeder is right. You're the spitting image of your former self. Just ask Buenos Aires artist Irina Werning whose ongoing photography series is all about going 'Back to the Future'. Through this modern-day venture Werning indulges her love for photos from the past by asking today's adult to recreate yesterday's child. The side-by-side visuals are an amazing insight into the magic of time, youth and the joys of trying to recapture it. Irina Werner
Now that you've seen how many cafes, bars and restaurants have popped up in the Hills region, you shouldn't be surprised by the fact that Castle Towers shopping centre is running a new program called The Cooking School over April and May—a series of food-focused events, workshops and cooking classes. Part of the range of food culture workshops is the Wine and Cheese Matching class, hosted by Sabino Matera—an Italian born Australian immigrant whose family were regional farmers with strong ties to the land. His family grew their own fruits and vegetables, and made their own wine to accompany their meals. A constant staple on the table was wine and cheese. Matera will teach you to tune into your senses—vision, smell and taste—in order to produce perfect cheese and wine pairings. In this hands-on workshop, you'll be given a background into the different varietals of wine and cheese (with tastings as you go), while enjoying a glass of wine and some delicious artisanal cheeses. By the end of the class you'll have the confidence to match cheese and wine in your own home. Get your tickets here.
As any Sydney seafood aficionado should know by now, The Morrison has a constant focus on the not-so-humble oyster. While its annual Oyster Festival is over for the year, the CBD bar is keeping the festive feels going with an oyster and bottomless bubbles deal — available all weekend, every weekend. On offer all day Saturday and Sunday, the deal features a dozen oysters and two hours of bottomless sparkling wine for just $55. If you're feeling extra fancy — and extra flush — you can upgrade to Piper-Heidsieck champagne for an additional $60 a head (a casual $115 each, in total). As this offer is available all day, it means you can rock up at midday for a luxe brunch, at 3pm for a boozy arvo session or at 8pm for a post-dinner snack (and sip). Bookings are recommended, though, and can be made over at The Morrison website.
It's safe to say Gami Chicken and Beer has secured its status as one of Australia's go-to fried chicken joints, slinging its signature Korean-style chook from a growing number of locations across the country. To celebrate the opening of its latest outpost in Edmondson Square, Gami is giving Sydneysiders a very good reasons to jump on board, handing out a whopping 1000 boxes of fried chicken — for free. These fried chicken morsels — RSPCA-approved and rocking Gami's signature blend of 17 herbs and spices — will be up for grabs from 12–12.30pm and again from 5.30–6pm on both Thursday, April 29 and Friday, April 30at the new location. There will only be 250 free boxes available at each session — so you should head in early if you want a freebie. Once you're hooked, you're probably going to want to schedule a return visit pretty quick, to try other Gami favourites like the chicken spare ribs or the aptly named Potato Heaven, featuring three layers of cheesy potato goodness, as well as chilled Gun:bae lagers from Brunswick's Thunder Road Brewery. And if you can't make it down for a free piece, the Edmondson Square store is already open for lunch and dinner daily.
Camperdown's Grumpy Donuts is slinging a special treat this week when it joins forces with cult-favourite low-cal ice creamery Halo Top on Wednesday, February 13. The duo has created two ice cream doughnut sandwiches, dubbed 'fronuts', and are giving away a whopping 500 of 'em. The one-day pop-up is to celebrate the launch of two new Halo Top flavours: peaches and cream and dairy-free chocolate chip cookie dough. And, on the day, you'll be able to taste them (for free) sandwiched inside Grumpy Donuts favourites. Up for grabs is a scoop of peaches and cream in a brown sugar-glazed buttermilk doughnut, or the cookie dough in a maple-glazed cinnamon doughnut — the latter is completely vegan, too. This freebie runs from 8am until sold out, so swinging by before work may be a necessity. And, in the spirit of this unofficial Parks and Recreation holiday — Galentine's Day — you should bring your best mate along, too. Image: Grumpy Donuts.
Everyone's favourite rail yard turned arts centre, Carriageworks, has announced a vibrant program for 2013 that includes work from local and international heroes including Chinese artist Song Dong, New York cabaret icon Mx Justin Vivian Bond, famed choreographer Martin Del Amo, Melbourne kooks The Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Firm, and Ireland's Pan Pan Theatre. This is only the second comprehensive annual program for the still young institution, which boasted doubled attendance figures in 2012, projected to be 220,000 visitors. Now 2013 might be marked as the year where Carriageworks truly carved out its place in Sydney, by further embracing its Redfern home while making new connections with our broader neighbours, the Asia-Pacific. Kicking off the year is the visually flooring large-scale art installation Waste Not by Song Dong. A transformative representation of his mother’s mourning process following the death of his father, the work will involve laying out the entire contents of her house to fill the Carriageworks foyer. Cross-cultural colabs with the Asia-Pacific continue throughout the year as Carriageworks brings out the Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Firm's thrillingly unexpected project with East Timorese rockers Galaxy and LiuraiFo'er, Doku Rai (You, dead man, I don't believe you); Pan Pan Theatre (Ireland) and Square Moon Culture (Beijing)'s vividly absurdist card game Fight the Landlord; and Samoan choreographer Lemi Ponifasio soaringly elegiac Birds with Skymirrors, a depiction of the tiny island of Tarawa in the time of climate change. Carriageworks' commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture will be very visible this year with the Australia Day Yabun concert in Victoria Park, to be headlined by Archie Roach. Kicking off the next day is the two-week Yellamundie playwriting festival, which will bring together Indigenous writers, dramaturgs, directors, and actors to develop six new plays. Mid-year, catch the free LIVE and DEADLY exhibition, which recalls iconic moments from the streets of Redfern — including Keating's speech, the Apology, and the riots. Other highlights include a newbie from documentary theatre whizzes Version 1.0, Vehicle Failed to Stop, which looks at private contractors working in Iraq. Martin del Amo shows off 12 choreographic portraits in Slow Dances for Fast Times, and FBi Radio's Marty Doyle hosts a one-day record fair dubbed At First Sight. Carriageworks is also looking to the future; a new three-year strategy will see them commission 18 Australian and six international artists to create 24 new works that play at the boundaries of choreography, visual arts, and film. The initiative comes complete with a great title — 24 Frames Per Second.
Over the past few months, many Australians have been working from home, which means many of us are have been leaning on our bar carts a little more than usual. This has lead to a level of experimentation — whether that's ordering in cocktails, trying our hand at making our own fancy drinks or getting some fun wines delivered. Another way you could get creative is by ordering a bottle of Unico Zelo's yuzu vermouth. The tasty child of Adelaide Hills winery Unico Zelo and sister distillery Applewood, this second batch of untraditional (but ever-so-tasty) vermouth is made from a combination of Adelaide Hills merlot grapes, some native Australian botanicals (usually used to make Applewood's Okar bitter amaro) and yuzu from Mountain Yuzu — a 20-acre farm located in northeast Victoria, on the foothills of the Australian Alps. As you can see, its an all-Australian affair, unlike a lot of traditional vermouths, which are made in Italy and France. Eco-minded founders and winemakers Laura and Brendan Carter are committed to using native botanicals and sustainably produced grapes in their entire range of wines and spirits, aiming to create products that truly taste Aussie as. As it's not a traditional sweet vermouth — it's really quite far from it — we forgive you for not knowing exactly how to drink it. But, thankfully, we've done some testing for you. On the rocks? Yep. Instead of sweet vermouth in a negroni? Do it. With a splash of soda? Definitely. If you want something a little fancier, the Unico team has a couple of cocktail suggestions for you. Try your hand at the Natty-Cano, a spin on an americano, but with pét-nat instead of soda water. To make it, mix 45-millilitres of Unico Yuzu, 15-millilitres of Økar Island Bitter (or Campari) and 120-millilitres of pét-nat in a highball glass and garnish with an orange twist. Unico (the parent company of Unico Zelo and Applewood) has also been steadily dropping a heap of other exciting spirits throughout the year, too, including a pretty-in-pink coral gin. All of Unico's limited releases only available in very small batches, so if you want it, don't wait on it. Unico's Yuzu Vermouth is available to purchase via the website from Friday, July 17. Priced at $34.99 per bottle.
If you didn't miss a single chapter of S-Town and you spend more time on Audible than you do with your friends, then this extravaganza is for you. Meet Audiocraft Podcast Festival, a three-day happening dedicated to podcasts. Whether you make them, listen to them or obsess over them, there are talks, panel discussions and workshops for you. Headlining the program is a bunch of hit creators from Audible, namely Jesse Baker, Collin Campbell and Eric Nuzum, who, between them, have worked on West Cork, The Butterfly Effect with Jon Ronson and Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel. Other names to look out for include Eleanor McDowall of Short Cuts (BBC), Beverley Wang of It's Not A Race (RN) and Joel Werner of Sum of All Parts. The action will kick off on Friday 1 June, with an opening night listening party at 107 Projects, Redfern. The centrepiece will be Radio Atlas, an audio project made up of sounds from all over the world, curated by MacDowell. There'll also be a host of workshops happening across the three days, for those keen on creating their own audible series. And, for those who are really keen, there's a two-day content development retreat happening from June 6–7 — you can apply to attend here. Image: Bryce Thomas.
Modern-day man-love is strange and complex new territory indeed. Since hunting rituals fell out of vogue all those years ago, there’s no longer a clear-cut way of navigating the sticky terrain of platonic male bonding. In the age of self-help saturation, men are being called on to express their feelings, get in touch with their feminine side and take an active interest in weird foreign concepts like communication, where previous generations got away with slapping each other on the back after a hole-in-one. Ours is a generation that coined the term ‘bromance’ — a concept that has provided endless material for comedy in contemporary pop-culture. How long do you think our forefathers would have put up with Two and a Half Men? In Bromance, choreographers Alisdair Macindoe and Adam Synnott invite you to explore the nuanced labyrinth that is the male relationship. As part of the You Are Here season of performance, dance and installation at Performance Space, the two seasoned performers draw on their personal experiences to present a full-length dance work that examines the interplay between two young men entering adulthood. Utilising space and movement, Macindoe and Synnott delve into the psychology of brotherhood and the rivalry, trust, respect, responsibility and genuine love that shapes the experience of intimacy between men.
The old Clare Hotel is about to be reborn. Singapore-based hotel-restaurant entrepreneur Loh Lik Peng of Unlisted Collection has taken over the heritage-listed Chippendale building, intending to turn Broadway's beloved former pub into a boutique hotel — due to open this July as part of Central Park's brand new $2 billion Kensington Street laneway precinct. As the first Australian venture for the group, the Old Clare Hotel sees Loh intending to replicate company's successful London/Shanghai/Singapore boutique hotel model in Sydney. Already announced, the hotel will feature three high profile restaurants including Automata (from former Momofuku sous chef, Clayton Wells) as part of the hotel on the Old Clare/Carlton United Brewery site. Wells is refurbishing the heritage-listed Chippendale building as a 60-seater, industrially-inspired eatery with Sydney architect and motorcycle expert Matt Machine. UK chef Jason Atherton will open the 120-seater Kensington Street Social, and Briton Sam Miller (former executive sous chef at Copenhagen's Noma) will also open his first solo restaurant, Silvereye, on the second floor. Hotel-wise, the Old Clare venture will feature 62 guest rooms. Unlisted have worked with the award-winning Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (Carriageworks) on the design, creating a blend of historic and modern aesthetic — high ceilings, heritage timber paneling, exposed brick (from the original foundation), all brought together amongst a contemporary, semi-industrial design. The Old Clare's reception — located within the original pub area — is set to become a bar for both locals and guests, with coffee, cocktails and beers poured day and night. So you'll be able to revisit the Clare without shelling out for accommodation. Guests get the special treatment though, with a 14-metre rooftop pool and bar on the top of the Carlton United Brewery administration building. There's apparently going to be a 'cultural program' in place, and guests will be able to partake in a spot of sunrise poolside yoga. The hotel's also set to feature a private gym and day spa, alongside a heritage-restored meeting space. The Old Clare Hotel will open July 2015 at 1 Kensington Street, Chippendale.
Remember when great restaurants first opened their doors in Sydney or Melbourne, and then spread their tasty wares around the country? Well, those days are well and truly over. A whole host of Queensland eateries have been making their way down south, with Corbett & Claude the latest. Following in the footsteps of everyone from Doughnut Time to Ze Pickle to Brooklyn Depot, the Brisbane-based chain has turned success in the sunshine state into inspiration to extend their operations into New South Wales. Setting up shop in the waterside suburb of Rhodes, they've brought their range of Italian bites and beverages — such as share plates, antipasti and signature cocktails — to a whole new region. In case your tastebuds aren't already tingling, thinking about four-cheese pizzas, building your own meat and cheese boards, and feasting on mini Nutella calzones should make them start. Drinks-wise, thirsty patrons will find a 12-tap craft beer system serving all the best brews, as well as three extra boozy concoctions to choose from. The C&C Winter Elixir with pampero blanco rum, peach and pear liqueur, ginger, mint and fresh lemon is a certain highlight. Plus, if Corbett & Claude's Queensland fortunes are anything to go by, this is just their first foray into the area. In Brissie, they started in the suburbs and then expanded into the CBD — and into the street that housed the architect-designed building that gives the chain its name. Find Corbett & Claude in the Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre, 83/1 Rider Boulevard, Sydney. Check out their website and Facebook page for further details.
Java. Joe. Wakey juice. The brown magic water that turns hangovers into productive mornings and makes early starts just bearable. We're talking about coffee (obviously), and if you worship the blessed bean, you’ll be stoked to know that one of the best coffee dispensaries in Sydney is giving out free cups of the stuff this afternoon. From 3-4pm today, The Grounds of Alexandria will be putting all coffees on the house to celebrate their 100k milestone on Instagram (you guys love their snaps as much as you love their coffee it seems). If the changing seasons have made you blue, head down to the Grounds for a mid-afternoon pick me up — you'll be able to take it away completely gratis (and feel free to sub in soy or almond milk if needed). There’s a few conditions, though: you'll need to follow @thegrounds on Instagram (as if you’re not already) and order your takeaway coffee from The Garden bar. And in order to prevent the caffeine jitters, there’s a limit of one per customer. If you arrive a little earlier and get into the cafe before the kitchen closes at 3pm, kick off autumn right with a pumpkin salad with red quinoa, radicchio and pine nuts ($11.50) or go balls to the walls with a slow braised lamb shoulder wrap with chilli yoghurt dressing and slaw ($11). Then head out for your coffee to stave off hibernation. Grab your free coffee from The Grounds of Alexandria, 7A, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria, between 3-4pm today, Tuesday, March 1. Terms and conditions apply, read 'em here.
It's possible that as much has happened in the last few weeks for The Rubens as it has in their entire musical career, but that's not a bad thing — they've only been a band for two years after all. As well as heading inland for a slot at Groovin' the Moo and being whisked off to a mystery regional location for the triple J One Night Stand festival (at which they'll headline along with Flume), April will see The Rubens head off on their biggest Australian tour to date. The shows come off the back of their debut self-titled album released in September last year, containing the catchy Black Keysish rambler 'My Gun'. New singles 'Never Be The Same' and 'Lay It Down' effortlessly layer that same backcountry clang over slower, more soulful foundations. If this is where they are after only 24 months, we can't wait to see where they're headed next. https://youtube.com/watch?v=eKrVHMTcEuc
For 12 days in June, the Sydney Film Festival wants you to watch as many movies as possible — as the massive event does every year. For more than nine hours on Saturday, June 8, it specifically wants you to stay in one cinema and catch flicks all night. Love films? Hate sleep? Then make a date with SFF's All Night Cine-Love In. Movie marathons that take you from one day to the next are rarity on the fest's program, so this all-night affair is already something special. And then there are the four films that'll be keeping your eyelids open: David Lynch's sublime, surreal and stranger directorial debut Eraserhead; controversial Japanese erotic drama In The Realm of the Senses; O Lucky Man!, starring Malcolm McDowell and directed by Lindsay Anderson; and a whole heap of John Waters-helmed fun with Female Trouble. Each of the above flicks was picked by SFF's Programs Manager Jenny Neighbour, with the Cine-Love In marking her 30th year at the festival. To celebrate the occasion, she has chosen movies that shaped and changed her perspective on cinema — and she's hoping they'll do the same to yours. Break out the caffeine and order a whole heap of popcorn, because buying a ticket to this event — for $49 — means booking into all four films. The marathon kicks off at 10pm at Dendy Newtown, running through until 7.30am the next day.
Dancing in a crowded room while tunes are piped directly into everyone's ears via wireless headphones? That's yesterday's news. Today, it's all about skating on ice while doing the same. Or, at Sydney's first Silent Disco Ice Skating Festival, it will be from September 23 to 29. Taking place at Central Park Mall's Chippendale Green, the event really shouldn't need much explanation — but here goes. You'll glide around on the ice pretending that you're in Blades of Glory, Ice Princess or the three-strong The Cutting Edge film series, all while two live DJs play everything from old school classics to newly released tracks, and you listen in via your own personal head-set. While ice skating at the pop-up venue is an all-day affair, with the rink opening at 10am daily, the space doesn't turn into a silent disco until 4pm each afternoon. The 45-minute sessions are limited to 45 participants at any one time, and kick off on the hour, every hour. Oh, and they're free, so expect them to be rather busy. Generations in the future, we'll tell our kids about a time when people moved in public to music that even passersby could hear, and they won't believe us. Other than offering a whole lotta fun, the Silent Disco Ice Skating Festival might also answer the question we know you're now pondering: if you fall over at a silent ice skating fest, can anyone hear you scream? The Silent Disco Ice Skating Festival takes place from September 23 to 29 at Chippendale Green, Central Park Mall, 28 Broadway, Chippendale. For more information, visit the event website.
Cinema has a great propensity to diminish any differences that occur between peoples. Something magic happens when the lights are dimmed and the projectors start rolling (they probably don’t roll any more; I’m sure the process is more hi-tech now). Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times opens the Alfred Stieglitz film program at the Art Gallery of NSW, which then takes a divergent turn with Robert Rossen’s Body and soul. Stieglitz, who was one of the 20th century's greatest photographers, was only alive to see one of the films shown in this series, although I imagine he would have championed the cause of the others, especially the directors' intents to present audiences with issues that were relevant to them. These films are centered on male protagonists about whom we cannot help but feel ambiguous. Perhaps a metaphor for politics of the time (and relevant for now, too?) we see characters with good intentions, unfortunately acquiescing to commit immoral acts — ultimately to their demise. With no end in sight to this irksome rain, there is no better way to spend a couple of hours than in the basement of the AGNSW with some good black and white action of the Waterfront kind. And I forgot to mention: Put your wallets away, because these screenings are free. Films are shown at 2pm and 7.15pm on Wednesdays and at 2pm on Sundays. Wednesday 16 June 2pm & 7.15pm / Sunday 20 June 2pm Force of evil Dir: Abraham Polonsky (1948) Wednesday 23 June 2pm & 7.15pm / Sunday 27 June 2pm Marty Dir: Delbert Mann (1955) Wednesday 30 June 2pm & 7.15pm / Sunday 4 July 2pm On the waterfront Dir: Elia Kazan (1954) Wednesday 7 July 2pm & 7.15pm / Sunday 11 July 2pm Sweet Smell of Success Dir: Alexander Mackendrik (1957) Wednesday 14 July 2pm & 7.15pm / Sunday 18 July 2pm Rear window Dir: Alfred Hitchcock (1954)
If you've got a thing for falafel, you likely find it hard stopping at just a few of those very moreish, deep-fried chickpea nuggets. So Barzaaari's new bottomless falafel offering should come in handy next time that craving hits. From 5–7pm, Tuesday to Friday nights throughout winter, the Chippendale restaurant is dishing up something of a falafel frenzy, starring Chef Darryl Martin's made-to-order traditional Middle Eastern delights. For $20 a head, you'll enjoy an all-you-can-eat plate of golden falafel balls, alongside a parade of house-made dips, toum (garlic sauce), pickles and that all-important pita bread, served hot from the woodfire oven. Keen to make a real feast of it? The falafel deal just so happens to sync up with Barzaari's happy hour offer, which features $10 wines and $10 house cocktails, including spritzes and a couple of hot toddy-inspired concoctions. Images: Nikki To
As one of the world's largest collections of 21st-century Chinese art, White Rabbit Gallery has made a name for itself in the Sydney art scene for consistently exhibiting unique, compelling shows — and we can expect more high-calibre work from Commune, a new exhibition curated in time for the gallery's fifth birthday. The show will draw on works with a personal rather than political message, offering us an intimate look at the small-scale social ties that bind China's 1.3 billion-strong population. Ideas of family, friendship and community will be expressed through a diverse range of mediums, including multimedia installation, painting and sculpture.
If Malala Yousafzai's name sounds familiar, that's because she hasn't strayed far from the headlines in recent years. The Pakistani teenager turned best-selling author dared to speak out about life under Taliban rule, and to campaign for something they oppose: the education of women. In 2012, she was shot in the head aboard her school bus. However an assassination attempt didn't dampen her drive, and in 2014 she became the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Filmed over an 18-month period and featuring interviews with Malala and her family, as well as a routine assembly of media clips, recreations and animation, He Named Me Malala tells her story. As even a brief run-through of her life and achievements indicate, hers is quite the tale. Malala hasn't just triumphed over adversity; she has refused to be terrorised into abandoning her ideals, and turned a traumatic experience into a platform for advocacy. Alas, in the hands of An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim, an extraordinary person inspires a merely average film . His feature finds its power in its subject, whose status and strong beliefs always remain evident. Yet even though the movie tries to peer behind everything that has already been reported, attempting to get to know Malala as a person rather than a symbol, the portrait it paints stays in standard biographical doc territory. Accordingly, He Named Me Malala seesaws from the somewhat illuminating to the already known and oft repeated (even within the documentary itself). Much is made of her father's influence over her determined mindset and her love of learning — but while behind this impassioned crusader stands a parent who has nurtured and encouraged her, Malala is, of course, the real point of interest. She charms as much with her confident speeches to the United Nations as she does when she's explaining why she can't just go on a date. Those charms only grow over the film's 88 minutes — again, through her presence, energy and focus, rather than through Guggenheim's filmmaking skills. He recognises the need to keep her front and centre, yet his film also plays it safe, keeping its distance and never wavering from its adoring position. And as much as the documentary might aim to show the real Malala, the most candid it ever gets is in glimpsing her looking at pictures of attractive male sportsmen. As a result, as a fleshed-out account of a remarkable young woman, He Named Me Malala feels like it barely scratches the surface. As a functional portrait of a crucial campaign and its self-appointed spokeswoman, it fares better. Either way, one thing is certain: this won't be the last time Malala's accomplishments are memorialised and celebrated on film.
Still the queen of zero-phucks-given cool, Kirsten Dunst has slammed the selfie in a brand new teeny, tiny short film. Directed by Matthew Frost for Vs. magazine, Aspirational follows Dunst out her Beverly Hills driveway and into an awkward celeb selfie moment. A cheeky WTF comment on social media-obsessed fangirls and celebrity 'moments', Aspirational is a nice little reminder that humans are freakin' idiots sometimes. Via Vs.
It's been an exhilarating snow season at Thredbo this year. With the warmer temperatures creeping up and bringing the powder-happy months to a close, Rekorderlig Cider threw Thredbo a farewell-to-winter party to remember last Saturday with their event Sounds in the Snow. With free, cider-fuelled outdoor festivities flanked by open fires, Sounds in the Snow was headlined by Sydney electro-pop boys Panama, who brought their self described 'hopeful house music' to the Thredbo Alpine Hotel for the afternoon. Fronted by Perth-born songwriter and classically-trained pianist Jarrah McCleary, Panama's reputation is growing here and overseas, thanks to a recent tour in Europe and the United States on the back of their sophomore EP Always. A who's who of the snow poured in to see to the anticipated electronic trio play, including Australia's number one snowboarder and Olympic gold medallist Torah Bright. As the sun got lower and the beats got louder, Rekorderlig's special cinnamon and vanilla-fused Winter Cider became a crowd favourite. Drinks in hand, skiers and snowboarders took a dip in the steaming Rekorderlig hot pools and gathered round the fire pits for one last afternoon of après-ski good times. Here's all the snaps from Sounds in the Snow 2014:
Venerable a cappella crooners Boyz II Men are making their way back to Australia in November. The timing couldn't be better considering we have never been happier to pay exorbitant sums of money to have ageing musicians take us back to our '90s happy place, but Boyz II Men are still turning hearts to liquid 18 years after they wanted to make love to us the first time. Along with those Motownphilly classics the Boyz' November tour will see them play a string of tunes from their recent album Twenty. Released almost a year ago and fittingly debuting at number 20 on the Billboard 200, that album featured 13 new songs plus nine rerecorded ones. They've added a second Sydney show on Thursday 29 November due to such massive demand for the first, which is great now that you're probably allowed to stay up past 9pm on a school night. https://youtube.com/watch?v=zDKO6XYXioc
The end of of WWII might have brought the Americans an era of cars, appliances and all sorts of stepford-wife-inducing prosperity, but the Brits weren’t having such a good time. The starkness of austerity measures, the legalisation of homosexuality and the reign of Margaret Thatcher contributed to a sense of both bleakness and change in the midst of which Frances Bacon crafted his paintings. This period of turmoil, captured on film, is the subject of a weekly program of free films held at the Art Gallery of NSW, Hitting rock bottom in post-war England. Curated by Robert Herbert, the films deal with the changing social structure in Britain from the post-WW2 period to the late 1980s. You can catch pretty much one film a week from now until February. Highlights include: High hopes, a sombre, biting satire of Margaret Thatcher’s England, 10 Rillington Place, director Richard Fleischer’s bleak, true-crime drama is based on one of England’s most famous murder cases and Love is the devil: study for a portrait of Francis Bacon, which probes the mid-life of painter Francis Bacon. Tickets can be picked up (for free) at the Domain Theatre an hour before screenings and can tend to run out on busy days. Screenings are Wednesdays at 2pm & 7.15, Sundays at 2pm and with two special Saturday screenings (Jan 19 and Feb 16) at 2pm. The screenings will be taking a summer break from December 17 to January 8.
Beer and music were made for one another. That's why Pirate Life Brewing has teamed up with the Coogee Bay Hotel to bring you an epic new gig series: Jam Nights. Taking over the pub's Beach Bar every Wednesday from 7pm, this event involves all the good things in life: $6 schooners, $20 burger-and-schooner bundles and, of course, plenty of live tunes. You'll be listening to some crowd-favourite covers and originals performed by a bunch of local artists, backed by the house band. Plus, you won't be drinking any ol' schooeys either. Since the cheap brews are supplied by Pirate Life, you can expect to be sipping on quality craft brews. So, we suggest you head on down for a post-work (or post-swim) bevvy and kick back to some live tunes — all just a stumble from the beach. Coogee Bay Hotel x Pirate Life's Jam Nights runs from 7–10pm every Wednesday.
With Mark Foster on keys, guitars and vocals, Mark Pontius on drums and Cubbie Fink on bass – Foster The People are cresting a new wave of feel-good tunes coming out of Los Angeles. Reaching the world stage after performing at the SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas – these three Los Angelinos are bringing their good vibes our way. Gracing our shores for the Splendour in the Grass festival, the band are hoping to emulate their sold-out East Coast gigs in February. Making bouncy, shiny electro-pop, Foster The People look to make this winter night a little bit warmer. With a new album on the horizon and Sydney favourites Guineafowl supporting, get down to the gig then get on down. Tickets go on sale May 27. https://youtube.com/watch?v=SLK7hrRijes
Some of Bondi's best bars are celebrating gin, with a dedicated two-week gin festival this Autumn. The Bondi Festival of Gin is kicking off on Thursday, April 14 and will run through both the Easter and ANZAC Day long weekends, concluding on Sunday, May 1. Throughout the festival, a heap of free and ticketed events are popping up at venues like Beach Road Hotel, Rocker, Bondi Liquor Co and Ravesis. Bondi Liquor Co is hosting the launch party, kicking off your weekend with spiked easter eggs. Tickets for the party are $55 but include the boozy Easter treats, live entertainment, a Bondi Liquor Co drink, canapés and a take-home bottle of gin. Other highlights include a pop-up gin garden that's coming to Beach Road Hotel on Sunday, April 17, Corner House's gin and food pairing dinner on Wednesday, April 20 and a gin trail that's running through the whole of Bondi. Ten different Bondi venues are serving up special cocktails and G&Ts throughout the festival and patrons can get a gin passport stamped at each of the venues, with the chance to win a year's supply of gin if you hit up all ten spots. You can find all the events on the Bondi Liquor Co website. [caption id="attachment_681981" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Beach Road Hotel[/caption]
Julian Assange. You might have heard of him? That Lucius Malfoy-haired, Peter Garrett-choreographed, Ecuadorian Embassy-ensconced hacker who almost certainly kisses and tells. Yeah, you know him? Of course you do, because thanks to years of media coverage, Robert Connolly's impressive biopic Underground (2012), Alex Gibney's excellent documentary We Steal Secrets (2013) and, of course, Mr Assange himself, the Wikileaks/Assange saga (now largely synonymous) is one of the most well-known, well-told stories of the decade. Accordingly, if you're going to make a new movie about that story, it had better offer up something new. Unfortunately, The Fifth Estate does not. Directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn), The Fifth Estate sources much of its material from the two books Assange is least likely to ever recommend during cake corner, namely: Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website (2011), and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy (2011). Both were written by men who were about as close to Assange as one could get in the lead up to, and during, his infamous publication of hundreds of thousands of classified US military and government documents, and both detail how their initial infatuation with this quasi-messianic figure for openness and transparency gave way to horror at his apparent total disregard for consequence. In short, powerful stuff but nothing even remotely revelatory this far into the Wikileaks narrative. If there is a reason to see The Fifth Estate, then, it is unquestionably Benedict Cumberbatch. Few who are not Australian have ever mastered the accent, yet Cumberbatch wields both it and Assange's specific cadence and timbre with aplomb. So impressive is the feat, in fact, that it actually works against the movie. Assange's slow, measured and largely monotone articulation robs even the most dramatic moments of energy, both in real life and in this film, so much so that were it not for the consistently explosive content of his conversations, one suspects he'd be an unbearably boring man to meet in person. Stylistically, The Fifth Estate does what it can to make coding, reading and emailing something of a spectator sport; however, the only real drama occurs when the key figures engage in actual person-to-person (cf peer-to-peer) exchanges — most notably, the debates between Assange and his right-hand man, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), who wrote Inside Wikileaks, over what to release, and when. Everything else feels largely pedestrian, and — remarkably — the contentious allegations of sexual misconduct for which Assange has been indicted by Sweden appear only as a footnote in the credits. Ultimately, The Fifth Estate is an example of the whole being somehow lesser than its parts; a film easily outperformed by its performers and the real life players who inspired it. https://youtube.com/watch?v=YQOiS_l_0Jk
Throw away any ideas you may have had of a fair involving children and fairy floss and stop gnawing on that leg of lamb for just one minute. In line with the dedicated-to-foodies rep set by their last mouth-watering affair, Newtown Hotel is holding a Meat Fair. Long have carnivores craved the time and place to huddle together and spend an afternoon munching on eight different types of meat. Now we have all the meat we could want across two levels, including The Animal and Newtown Hotel's Cider Yard, all while sitting back and relaxing to live music courtesy of the local drobo-playing brother duo, 200K. Local producers will be plating up the best suckling pig, coal roasted lamb, beef brisket, whole chicken, smokey BBQ beef short ribs and other speciality meats. If the talk of meat is leaving you parched already, you'll be glad to know the teams from Young Henrys, Fat Yak, Ruby Tuesday, James Squire Porter and White Rabbit will be prepped and ready to pour you a cold one and divulge all the secrets of creating craft beer. Let the meat comas begin.
In Australia we are presented with images of Afghanistan almost daily. They’re usually images created with the intent to shock, giving only an outsider’s perspective on the country’s bleak dusty skylines and abject poverty. It’s no wonder, then, that the most striking images we see of war-torn places are ones of friendship, vitality and unguarded honesty. This is what we’re presented with in Kabul Kids, the result of a photography project undertaken by Sydney-based freelance photographer Palwesh Yusuf. In 2009 Yusuf enlisted a group of six orphan children aged between nine and 18 in a series of photography workshops, before handing them a camera with which to document their lives. What we get is an eye-opening, insiders’ glimpse into Kabul that is optimistic in its rawness. The photographs taken range from intimate, family album-like shots from the orphanage to captivating street scenes captured outside. With creativity as the only agenda being served, we see banana peddlers taking the time to enjoy a laugh rather than conforming to media-bred illusions of the hostile male. Artworks will be available for sale during the course of the exhibition, with all proceeds to be donated to Hope House Orphanage. The exhibition will open at China Heights gallery from Novmeber 18 - 20 and continue at ICE from November 25 - December 1.
If you only get stranded on one island this year, be sure to make it this one. After the colossal success of their inaugural endeavour, Wine Island is returning to Sydney Harbour this November for another long weekend of fun, food and sweet, sweet wine. For those who missed out last time, Wine Island is more or less what it sounds like, in that it's an island where you drink a lot of wine. More specifically, it's a three day mini festival on Clark Island in Sydney Harbour, where you can spend your time knocking back glass after glass while feasting on mouth-watering cuisine. There's also be a range of activities to enjoy; last year we partook in cooking classes and treasure hunts. Yes, treasure hunts. No wonder we dubbed it the Best New Event of 2015. Wine Island 2016 is set to run from Friday, November 11 to Sunday, November 13, and they've just released some new deets about the festivities. A new addition will be the King Valley Prosecco Road, which will celebrate the Italian sparkling varietal from Victoria over Italian snacks and a game or two of bocce. Also new on the lineup will be Dessert Island, where you can sample some of Sydney's best sweets matched with dessert wines. You certainly won't go hungry, either. Noms will be provided by the much-anticipated Barangaroo vermouth bar Banksii that's set to open next month, along with Chur Burger, Oysters Unplugged and the Hunter Valley Cheese Factory. Tickets will go on sale to members (you can sign up here) on Monday, August 29 and to the general public on Thursday, September 1. General admission tickets ($95) include vintage ferry transport to and from the island with a glass of sparking on board, five wine tastings, masterclasses and your own wine glass. For the real fancypantses, the VIP package ($190) gives you all that plus a meal voucher, licence to sip away to your heart's content with unlimited tastings (not a challenge), and access to the Friday sessions. So get your finger hovering over that 'buy' button — tickets sold out in less than two hours last time. By Tom Clift and Lauren Vadnjal.
Is art a spectator sport? Well, performance art points to yes. So does video art. So, in a slightly different way, do those openings that are kind of like the running of the bulls in Pamplona would be if everyone kept talking about some night they had hung out with the bull. And then there are events like this, where you see an artwork come together in front of you, from concept to completion. Street art seems to be particularly strong on this — possibly because of all the working quickly so as not to get caught by the cops — and off the back of the Secret Wars final we get the second Project 5 event. Curated by aMBUSH gallery, Project 5 has lined up Brooklyn-based Brisbane boy Anthony Lister, stencil and paste-up artist of Melbourne laneway fame Meggs, Sydney portraitist and Oh Really!? gallery co-founder Ears and music industry illustration mainstays webuyyourkids, to make pieces in an improvised open-to-the-public studio over the weekend. Hooray for community engagement, right? Speaking of which, the pieces that come out of the weekend's work are to be auctioned on October 14, with all profits going to Information and Cultural Exchange, a group supporting and promoting visual arts by young people in Western Sydney. Image: Meggs
If you went on a road trip this summer and didn’t include anything by Brooklyn four-piece The Men on your playlist you didn’t do it right, but luckily summer’s not over and you’ve got a chance to make amends on the 30th. The relentless scuzz-punk guitars and thumping anthem-like vocals take their cues from around three decades of straight-up American rock, but The Men aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel: They’re just giving it a spin at breakneck speed. Disfigured vocals, distorted guitars and thundering drums are ballsy and abrasive, but when it hits you all at once the effect is more like a friendly clip around the ears than a punch in the face. This is most evident on 2012’s Open Your Heart, a varying yet on-point bunch of rambling crowd-pleasers that are made for hot days and good company — and sure to go down a treat at Laneway. If you won’t make it to the festival, hear them in the sweaty Danceteria at Goodgod then blast them out of your windows until summer vacates the premises.
Nashville-style hot chicken favourite Belles Hot Chicken is giving away 100 free boozy slushies from 4pm on Friday, October 22. Head down to the chicken specialist's Barangaroo venue and you can score yourself one of two flavours of alcoholic slushy. The two options on offer are the Agave Maria which mixes rosé, agave and lime, topped with Belles' original seasoning to give it a punchy spice, and the Whiskey Babylon, a twist on the classic frozen coke, spruced up with a touch of Ned's whiskey as well as Australian bitters and plum kombucha. The slushies are designed to be a fun summer drink, as well as a perfect companion to a spicy piece of hot chook. If you're not quick enough to be within the first 100 patrons, you can still enjoy a slushy for its regular price of $14 at the Barangaroo store, plus at Belles' Tramsheds outpost the following week.
The Macquarie Credit Union DREAM Festival is set to take over Dubbo's streets for an evening of lights, lanterns and food on Saturday, October 21. The festival's mascot, a life-size rhino in lantern form, will proceed down Talbragra street to reach Victoria Park where entertainment, light shows and food stalls will be waiting. The night focuses around the Lantern Parade, which will progress through the Dubbo city centre from sundown. The entire town will be aglow with lanterns of all shapes, sizes and designs, with lantern-making workshops being held during the weeks leading up to the festival. Local novices will be able to show off their creations during the parade alongside senior art students and visiting professional artists. The procession is in participation with the annual fundraising walk for Light the Night, a Leukaemia foundation. The parade will finish at the park where the Twilight Markets will be in full swing, hosting vendors from nearby cafes, restaurants and bars. Local musicians will keep the party going in the lead up to the third annual Laser Show — a crowd-favourite featuring lights, lasers and music by Oracle Liquid.
By now, you know there's only one true way to celebrate a national or international food day — and that's by enjoying a huge giveaway dedicated to said food, whether it's doughnuts, burgers or gelato. The question is, who's feeding you with freebies this month when National Fried Chicken Day rolls around? The answer, my friends, is Gami Chicken & Beer — the Korean-style fried chook chain that has grown to include 32 restaurants across Australia and is a regular among our top fried chicken picks. On Wednesday, July 6, these crispy chicken experts are getting into the spirit of the USA's National Fried Chicken Day (hey, any excuse, right?) and giving away literally thousands of wings. Rather than handing out actual chicken, the group's East Coast stores are giving away 5000 vouchers, each redeemable for an eight-piece wings pack. That equates to a huge 40,000 Gami wings, going for free. To nab your voucher, simply order something dine-in, or via takeaway or delivery, from any Gami store in NSW or Victoria on July 6 — you can check where your local outposts are online. The wings vouchers can then be used on a dine-in Gami feast up until August 31.
