Like all good things, daylight saving time is hurtling to an abrupt end, ditching us for the next six months while winter does its thing. But this year, at least, you can cruise through the transition in relatively good spirits with some cheap espresso martinis. As possibly the most well-known coffee liqueur in the world — and staunch supporter of Australia's unceasing espresso martini obsession — Kahlua is facilitating a nationwide series of happy hour deals. And it all kicks off just before those clocks turn back, this Friday, April 5. Venues across the country will be celebrating the last full night of daylight savings with some cheers-worthy drink specials, pouring espresso martinis, for up to half the usual price. The on-tap cocktail features a blend of Absolut vodka, Kahlua and organic cold brew from Kind Coffee Co. — and as there's with no shaking required, you'l have minimal time to waste at the bar. The caffeinated drink deals will debut from 6–7pm on April 5, and continue at the same venues each Friday for the rest of the month. How much money you'll have to part with will differ from venue to venue, but you can expect to pay just half of the regular price of an espresso martini. KAHLUA HOUR VENUES East Village, Darlinghurst Hotel Palisade, Millers Point Manly Pavilion, Manly The Horse, Surry Hills Harts Pub, The Rocks Busby's Bar, Sydney Side Bar, Sydney Middlebar, Darlinghurst Coopers Hotel, Newtown Commodore Hotel, McMahons Point Bar Cleveland, Surry Hills Longeuville Hotel, Lane Cove Drummoyne Sailing Club, Drummoyne Oceans Dining & Drink, Coogee
Singapore is a haven for food lovers. You've got some of the world's finest restaurants (52 have at least one Michelin Star), plus countless hawker centres full of street food stalls serving fresh and tasty local dishes at incredibly low prices. Spectacular local restaurants and bars are also scattered all over the country. That's why we decided to create this one-of-a-kind food-filled Singapore holiday in partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and celebrity chef Nelly Robinson from Sydney restaurant NEL. It is a seriously special getaway, taking place from June 16–19. During the exclusive holiday, you'll stay in the luxurious Pan Pacific Singapore (located in the heart of the city) for three nights and spend a full day with Chef Nelly Robinson — going to some of the places which inspired his latest 'Taste of Singapore' menu. [caption id="attachment_864487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Danny Santos[/caption] On the Saturday, you'll go on a unique three-hour food tour of Chinatown, hitting up a few local dining spots as well as the famous Chinatown Complex Food Centre — Singapore's largest hawker centre. You'll then spend all of Sunday with Chef Nelly. First off, he'll join you for a private cookery class led by Singapore cooking personality, Ruqxana Vasanwala (in her own backyard kitchen). This is an incredibly rare opportunity to cook with Chef Nelly himself. After eating your hard work for lunch, head to Mr. Bucket Chocolaterie for a special chocolate tasting. You'll try the bean-to-bar tasting set which showcases the team's sustainability efforts in using all parts of the cacao tree. What's next? After recharging back at the hotel for a short while, guests will go to Hopscotch for avant-garde cocktails before having dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Labyrinth. It will be one magnificent day full of local food and drinks — with a famous chef, known for his bold and creative Sydney degustation menus, joining you for the ride. During the unique getaway, you'll also have the opportunity to explore Singapore at your own leisure, receiving a handful of recommendations from us. [caption id="attachment_892008" align="alignnone" width="1904"] Hopscotch[/caption] Head to the Concrete Playground Trips website to book your spot on this exclusive culinary journey in Singapore with Chef Nelly Robinson, taking place from June 16–19. But hurry, only a limited number of tickets are available. Images: Singapore Tourism Board
Sydney Festival director Wesley Enoch's final program is proudly Australian Made, has an entirely new outdoor stage and is putting local talent under as many spotlights as possible, stretching from Stargazer Lawn to the Seymour Centre and Parramatta Park. Returning from January 6–26, the three-week festival has a program of 140-plus events, covering live music and theatre to circus, dance and huge public art installations. There will be physical distancing measures in place across all of the events, with the bonus of some of this year's program accessible online, too. Highlights include a celebration of tennis legend Wiradjuri woman Evonne Goolagong in Sunshine Super Girl, in which a huge tennis court will be assembled in the middle of Sydney Town Hall; a new work of dance theatre by Force Majeure called The Last Season that explores human survival and environmental destruction; and Spirit: A Retrospective 2021 — a powerful collection of dance stories from Bangarra Dance Company's 30-year repertoire. [caption id="attachment_789733" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jamie James[/caption] Tickets are already selling fast for events at the new pop-up stage at Barangaroo Reserve. The Headland program includes an homage to George Michael in the celebratory The Rise and Fall of Saint George. Tickets start from $25 for that, as well as other Headland events like Sydney Symphony Orchestra's premiere, The [Uncertain] Four Seasons — an ambitious collaboration between composers, designers and scientists. Circus fans have world-class performances to look forward to, from Circa's Humans 2.0 to Gravity & Other Myths' The Pulse. In western Sydney, Dorr-e Dari: A Poetic Crash Course in the Language of Love sees hosts Bibi, Jawad and Mahdi update a 1000-year practice of courtly Persian love poetry, and H.M.S Pinafore takes over Riverside Theatre with a gender-fluid, spangling production about class, corruption and power. Plus, returning for the third year is The Vigil, an opportunity to reflect on the eve of January 26. This year's free event is ticketed, so be sure to register before January. Take a look at the full Sydney Festival program to start planning your summer of culture.
Spring means sunshine, saying goodbye to wearing seven layers of clothing at all times and stepping out into the great outdoors as often as possible. It also means the return of easygoing, market-friendly weather. With that in mind, the expert crew at Cambridge Markets are bringing back a Sydney favourite for a seasonal fling. Head on down to Robertson Park on September 17 between 10am and 3pm, because that's when Watsons Bay Spring Market will be taking over. As well as browsing and buying in scenic surroundings, expect 150+ stalls of boutique, homemade and fresh wonders both edible and otherwise. Those eager to head home with a full basket will find high-end designer fashion, menswear, homewares, ceramics and jewellery. Those keen to fill their stomachs can eat their way through Vietnamese pho, pork sliders and more. Arrive hungry, leave satisfied — and with a heap of new items. It's one day only, so prepare a crew and find your deepest tote bag, you'll need it. The Cambridge team is behind huge markets just like this one across Sydney, from Pittwater to Cronulla, Ryde Wharf and the Entertainment Quarter, it's fair to call the group experienced. There'll be food. There'll be shopping. There'll be fun and hangouts aplenty. The Watsons Bay Spring Market is running on Sunday, September 17 from 10am to 3pm. For more information, visit the website.
After more than three months devoid of art galleries, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is helping Sydneysider's get their art fix in a big way with two massive exhibitions running in conjunction. Ticketed exhibition Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris is set to begin on Monday, November 22, but in the meantime you can head to the inner-city gallery and experience its free companion Matisse Alive. Running Saturday, October 23–Sunday, April 3, Matisse Alive is a showcase of four new projects that have been influenced by visionary Henri Matisse. The exhibition will celebrate Matisse through art, music and performance that presents a modern perspective on his artistry. The four artists on display are New York's Nina Chanel Abney and multimedia artist Sally Smart, plus Angela Tiatia and Robin White who's work will explore the relationship between Matisse and the pacific. "We are excited to turn our attention to community and culture with the stunning display of new, and older treasured, tivaevae created by hand, by women from our region," AGNSW special exhibitions curator Jackie Dunn says. "These vibrant works, selected with guest curator Mereana Taruia, celebrate Matisse's strong connection to tivaevae and other Pacific textile traditions, which profoundly influenced his late great works, the cut-outs." Accompanying the artworks by Abneym Smart, Tiatia and White, more than 70 works from the AGNSW collection that take inspiration from the work of Matisse will be on display. Those looking to learn more about the exhibition can head to the In the Frame online talk with Smart and White on Tuesday, November 30, or tivaevae demonstrations and weaving workshops that will be led by Sione Falemaka throughout summer. Plus, you can pop down after work on either Wednesday, January 12 or 19 for Art After Hours: Matisse Alive which will see the gallery remain open until 9pm. Images: Matisse Alive featuring works from Angela Tiatia, Sally Smart, Robin White and Nina Chanel Abney, Art Gallery of New South Wales, by Diana Panuccio
Earlier this year, Sydney Dance Company and Carriageworks revealed the names of the five young Australian choreographers whose works will feature in the acclaimed New Breed initiative at the end of this month. This year's program features four performances created by Melanie Lane from Melbourne and Berlin, Tyrone Robinson from Perth, Petros Treklis from Melbourne and co-creators Cass Mortimer-Eipper of Melbourne and Nelson Earl of Sydney. The work created by both Mortimer-Epper and Earl will be New Breed's very first co-created performance. New Breed is an incredible initiative by Sydney Dance Company and Carriageworks, in conjunction with arts-focused, philanthropic organisation Balnaves Foundation. In its fourth year, the initiative recognises five up-and-coming choreographers from across Australia, commissioning them to create new works with members of SDC and giving them the support and opportunity to showcase their fresh, unique styles. This year's participants have been working on their four pieces since August, in preparation for the New Breed performance at Carriageworks from Thursday, November 30 to Saturday, December 9. In addition to fostering a new generation of choreographers, New Breed provides a testing ground for unorthodox styles, with previous choreographers going on to win awards including the prestigious Tanja Liedtke Fellowship and the Helpmann Award. Image: Pedro Greig. By Quinn Connors and Jonathan Ford.
For the first time in Australia, Mustafah Abdulaziz's acclaimed photo exhibition, Water Stories, will be displayed in Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden. Taking a harbourside location, the outdoor exhibition will display powerful images that highlight the ebb and flow of our most vulnerable resource, impacting people and communities around the world. US-born, Berlin-based Abdulaziz has already had an impressive career working for publications such as TIME, The Guardian and Wall Street Journal, plus has traversed four continents to better understand water. Through 70 large-scale images, the 31-year-old photographer's exhibition will visually document the current global water crisis through imagery of people, nature and landscapes. Since 2011, his ongoing project, supported by HSBC and in partnership with WWF, WaterAid and EarthWatch, has demonstrated how water impacts our collective and individual health, prosperity and future, and when managed properly, how it becomes a vein of life that upholds communities around the world, especially since there are over 800 million people without access to safe water. Abdulaziz hopes the exhibition will emphasise the importance of coming together to approach emerging water crises. WWF's Water Stories is on display at Royal Botanic Gardens from Tuesday, August 15 to Monday, September 5 between 7am–8pm each day, and lit up after sunset for nighttime viewing. Access the exhibition via the Queen Elizabeth II Gate at the Sydney Opera House forecourt.
For the next five Sundays, once you've rolled out of bed a few hours too late to get anything productive done, head along to the Redfern Surf Club for an afternoon full of free live music. With NSW singing and dancing restrictions now rolled back, the surf club-themed inner city bar will be presenting a huge program full of buzzed-about local artists from 4pm each Sunday. The lineup, which has been put together with the help of Redfern Surf Club's Botany Road neighbour FBi Radio, spans across genres from young up-and-coming artists to established Sydney standards. Kicking things off on Sunday, May 23 is recent Kwame and Midnight Oil collaborator, Tasman Keith, joined by Ms Thandi and Mi-Kaisha. Across the rest of the lineup, you'll find Vlossom, the synth-pop project of Empire of the Sun's Nick Littlemore and Cloud Control's Alister Wright; beloved inner west rock group Palms; pop sensation MAY-A; and a night dedicated to punk and surf rock featuring Byron Bay's Mini Skirt alongside Research Reactor Corp, Satanic Togas and Gully Days. The project is supported by the NSW Government's Create NSW Play the City grant program in hopes of supporting musicians, sound engineers, photographers and crew following a disastrous twelve months for the music industry. Each gig promises to be an initiate affair, with Redfern Surf Club only holding a capacity of 100 people. Get down early and grab a burger or a selection from the bar's range of craft beers, tropical cocktails and natural wines supplied by P&V. Tickets are free but registration is required via Eventbrite in order to ensure your spot. Surf Club Sundays Sunday, 23 May – Tasman Keith, Ms Thandi and MI-KAISHA Sunday, 30 May – Mini Skirt, Research Reactor Corp, Satanic Togas and Gully Days Sunday 6 June – Vlossom, Kult Kyss and Kyva Sunday 13 June – Palms, Royel Otis, Ruben Neeson, Tild and The Blamers, plus DJs Sunday 20 June – MAY-A, Loyal Knight and D'Arcy Spiller
It's official, Australia is going to be reppin' the glitter cannons, human-sized hamster wheels and furious fog machines at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. This morning, Australia has been announced as one of the competing countries for this year's contest, and we're even allowed back next year — if we win. Too kind. Australians will even be able to vote, probably at some whack hour of the day. Making a world stage of Vienna this time around, Eurovision is taking place from May 20 to 24, with the final exploding all over Stadthalle arena on May 23. So who's going to be our shining star, our glittering messenger to an estimated global audience of 195 million? Not Jessica Mauboy, who performed in last year's event with weird astronauts and dancers in budgie smugglers. Nope. While SBS is suggesting AC/DC and Midnight Oil (and Olivia Newtown John for some ungodly reason), we've got a few pitches of our own to make. Eurovision is about simultaneously bringing new faces to the world and earning ner-ner-ner-ner bragging rights for your country. Finland dressed up as orcs and played epic metal. Moldova danced in a circle with weird cone hats on. Germany put a disco Genghis Khan on stage. Let's show 'em. DONNY BENET If you've ever seen this Sydney maestro of groove live, you'll know Europe wouldn't be able to resist his seductive synthy basslines, sax solos and crisp white tuxedo jackets. If Benet had been the brains behind France's 'Moustache' track last year, they'd have earned a few more points. KIRIN J CALLINAN Because if we're going to meet the quirk of Eurovision halfway, we need Kirin. Things would undoubtedly get freaky. Plus, he'd give Conchita Wurst's beard a run for its money. CLIENT LIAISON Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller would 'Feed the Rhythm' inside 12 easy points from Malta with their applaudable live show. Plus, Monte wears a lot of mesh and Eurovision loves mesh. SIA The Grammy nominee would get 12 points for vocal range or oversized wig alone, but she'd probably bring along her dancetastic buddy Maddie Ziegler who would seal the deal. BLUEJUICE Get the band back together, bring the skipping ropes back on stage and channel all that newfound Boyz II Men goodness. TKAY MAIDZA Look, the kid's bloody talented, super fun live and if we could win Eurovision with a teenage rapper from Adelaide, we'd run the world. BRENDAN MCLEAN Certified king of dancing like no-one's watching, primed for the Eurostage after jigworthy escapades such as this killer video. UPDATE 11/2: Well, well, well. A dark horse joins the race. There's now a huge surge in support for a petition on Change.org, calling for the reunion of landmark Australian rock band TISM specifically to represent Australia at Eurovision 2015. "Since you left us in 2004, we've had a never ending parade of gormless depressing electro-indie, depressing indie-folk, and depressing Aussie hip-hop," say the petitioners. "We the undersigned, ask that you get on stage in front of the world and remind them of just how great Australian music is." They're up to over 500 signatures already. Want to add yours? Nominated by the Concrete Playground team.
Beck Hansen is the musical chameleon who has brought us one of the loveliest, most miserable break-up albums (Sea Change), a '90s anthem of self-loathing ('Loser'), a Prince-ish album of unadulterated funk (Midnite Vultures), and a collaboration with uber-cool Frenchie Charlotte Gainsbourg (IRM). The thread that brings all these musical threads together is pure, alternative pop. Now, the ever-ambitious, ever-irresolute Beck has a high-concept project: his latest album, Song Reader, will be released as sheet music only. The 20 tracks will then be brought to life by fans and musicians around the world and posted online at http://www.songreader.net. What's the actual music like? Well, we're not totally sure yet (it's released next month through Dave Eggers' publishing house McSweeny's). But local muso and producer Brian Campeau is giving us the opportunity to hear it this December. Josh Pyke, Jonathan Boulet, Dappled Cities, Caitlin Park, Richard In Your Mind, Aidan Roberts (Belles Will Ring), Thomas Rawle (Papa vs Pretty), and Elana Stone will be putting their spin on the first Australian performance of Beck's Song Reader. FBi Radio and the Brag are on board, too — it's a fundraiser for the Sydney Story Factory, a non-profit writing centre for kids. And beyond that, Song Reader is a live experiment into collaboration and interactive music production in a digital age, and the regeneration of an almost forgotten form: the written note. Outside of file-sharing, Beck has emerged as one of the few musicians to ask what digital can do to create new ways of working and creating. Sound like an experiment worth being part of. Image: Brian Campeau and Beck Hansen. Photo by Ken Leanfore.
Icons teaming up with icons: when documentary series Pretend It's a City hit Netflix in 2021, that's what it served up. Earning attention: Fran Lebowitz, with Martin Scorsese directing. The focus: the acclaimed writer, humorist and social commentator chatting about her life for the legendary filmmaker, following on from Scorsese's Lebowitz-focused 2010 feature-length doco Public Speaking. Of course, Lebowitz doesn't need to be nattering with Scorsese, or in front of The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman helmer's lens, to prove a must-watch figure. Her sharp opinions and deadpan humour have made her famous for more than five decades now, and over a career spanning magazine columns, books, working with Andy Warhol, notable late-night talkshow appearances and public-speaking tours. It's the latter that's bringing her back to Australia in 2024 — including getting talking at the Sydney Opera House. [caption id="attachment_912246" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bill Hayes[/caption] Lebowitz will take to the stage on two nights in the Harbour City, on Tuesday, February 13 and Wednesday, February 14, as part of a tour aptly dubbed An Evening with Fran Lebowitz. Will she chat about attending the Succession season four premiere party? Her role as a judge in the Law & Order franchise (and The Wolf of Wall Street)? Saturday Night Live's parody of Pretend It's a City? Being a columnist for Warhol's Interview mag? Growing up in New Jersey? New York in the 70s? Topics such as race, gender, media and politics? Anything that vexes her? Everything? At least some will earn an unfiltered mention — including at the audience Q&A. Top image: Harrison Dilts.
The best way to start an interview, I find, is to break the ice a bit. In this case, I was interviewing the young spunky dudes behind the latest Bayswater road venue, The Courtyard. I introduced myself to James and politely informed him that he had pen on his face. "Ah thanks," he replied, "it's a scar." Smooth. Anyway, luckily the guys are lovely and have a good sense of humour, which is impressive when you learn that on top of opening a bar, they work regular jobs. The Courtyard is a bar that's built on friendships; that of the three owners Julian Tobias, James Reynolds and Alec Brown and that of their friends (and friends-of-friends) who helped them put it together. Reynolds (also an engineer) and Brown have been mates since their uni days. Brown (also a DJ) met Tobias working the decks at The Club, which Tobias also owns (as well as The Island). The area has suffered its fair share of businesses going bust (the constant redevelopment of the old Bayswater Brassiere, the long-abandoned Lincoln and the closures of Time to Vino and Concrete Blonde), but Bayswater Road itself is a pretty, terraced-lined and leafy street with lots of potential. It's got a new residential building opening at the old Mansions site (which I'm sure nobody will miss). So here’s hoping The Courtyard is a sign of good things to come. And really, if you can redevelop The Bourbon to somewhere we'd actually be seen drinking, anything is possible. The bar itself is built on a maze of hospitality connections and Sydney social networks such as "interior designer friends who helped us out with colour palates, textures and furnishings" or "one of our connections put us in touch with Jasper, an incredible cocktail bartender from New York" and "good friends" who run successful restaurants in Sydney helping them create their menu and wine list. These guys have a lot of experience amongst them promoting, bartending and running venues around Sydney but admit "we're not experts on a lot of things but have a lot of connections so we just went straight to the top and asked for help," says Brown. "We just said," agrees Reynolds with a laugh, "I'm sure I've let you into a club at 4am or given you a free drink at some point, so now I'm calling in that favour." The result is a casual/cool bar that fills the gaping hole in the Cross for a nice place to have a drink and something to eat without wrestling with surly security, trashed teenagers or Underbelly characters. Located underneath Hugo's, the Courtyard's best asset is its ample outdoor seating area, which is decorated with long high tables, green palms and garden patio-style seating. As for the music, there's going to be live acoustic sets, and it's no surprise that many of Brown's DJ buddies are popping by. "I've got some pretty good pull in the industry and lots of people are just showing up for cameos," he says. "You might just turn around and see Flight Facilities here." The food won't break any records for originality, with sliders, salads and snacking boards like antipasto and zucchini flowers. It's very reasonably priced though and there are some good flavour combinations. The beef brisket slider with aged cheddar and pickled onions is our pick. On the drinks front, the aforementioned Jasper Soffer (from the renowned Pegu club in New York) has been consulting on the cocktail list, which admirably doesn't have any drinks based on vodka. But before all women under 25 get tense, don't. "Any cocktail can be made with a neutral base like vodka on request, but we want people to experiment with something a bit different," says Brown. Such as the El Mariachi with tequila, watermelon, chilli, lime and sugar. Try it. You might like it. They're also doing pitchers like Pimms and Sangria ($45) and shots (yes shots) like a Pine Splice with pineapple-infused pisco, homemade lime syrup and fresh lemon ($11). The wines, too, are fairly approachable with some good internationals from France, Italy and Austria — like a Laurenz 'Singing' Gruner Veltliner, and most are around the $30-$50 mark by the bottle. "If you back yourself on your food, cocktails and your wine, people will come back because they know its good," says Reynolds. "We spent a lot of money to make sure we know it is." "I'm not sure what the other operators are doing, but I've been working in this area for five years and seen places come and go I think we've created somewhere that we ourselves would like to drink in, at this point in our lives, and we're confident others will too,” says Brown. You'll likely see James, Alec and Julian there on any given night, drinking with some of the many people that helped them open their bar — and when you do, give James a big, awkward high five for us. Courtyard Bar opens on Friday, 22 March. 33 Bayswater Road, Potts Point; 0413 827 740; http://www.facebook.com/thecourtyardbarsydney.
After nailing the balance of indulgent yet approachable wine and pasta with his ever-popular restaurant group Totti's, Mike Eggert has turned his attention to pizza by the slice and sandwiches at his new opening Oti'. The casual CBD eatery arrives in the city on Wednesday, May 10 and, to celebrate, it's offering half-off all of its pizza and sambos on opening day. The menu at Oti' will be ever-changing, but you can expect plenty of classic Italian ingredients loaded between slices of schiacciata or piled on top of the thick, fluffy Roman-style pizza basses. Prosciutto, salami, mortadella, olives, capers and plenty of vegetarian-friendly fillings will be making appearances, as well as eight different kinds of cheese — including Totti's signature burrata. If you're looking for an excuse to sample the selection of takeaway bites on offer, head down on its first day and take 50-percent off what you'd usually pay. You can expect the sandwiches to start from $7.50 on the day, while pizza slices will be going for the one-off price of $6.
Crispy, sweet, stuffed with a creamy filling and made in a variety of flavours, there's only one thing wrong with cannoli. No matter how many that you happen to devour in a single sitting (admit it — no one just eats one), it never feels like you've ever had enough. If you know that sensation all too well, then you might want to tempt your tastebuds on a road trip to Wollongong's Pasticceria Massimo Papa on Sunday, February 23. From 8am, the Fairy Meadow bakery is celebrating Cannoli Day. Even better — small versions of the Sicilian pastries will cost you just $1, while large ones will be $2 a pop. Vanilla custard, chocolate custard and ricotta-filled varieties will all be waiting, all to celebrate the out-of-town bakery's fifth birthday. Feeling hungry enough to hop in the car? The cannoli feast runs from 8am–4pm. Images: Pasticceria Massimo Papa.
Desperate to get away over summer but can't afford the flights? The Argyle has got you covered. For three weekends in January, the folks at The Rocks' most heaving venue are letting down their hair, with back-to-back beach parties in three distinctive international flavours. The Argyle's Summer Series begins on the weekend of January 8 with a shindig inspired by Rio de Janeiro. Think samba dancers and a total venue makeover. The following week it's off to Miami, with tropical cocktails, beach balls and beach-themed giveaways. Last but not least, take a trip to Ibiza, where everyone dresses in white. The fun will kick right on into Monday, January 25 for a party on Australia Day Eve, featuring Aussie d-floor monarch and triple j House Party captain KLP. The Summer Series will include live entertainment from DJs Helena Legend, Tenzin, Brooklyn, Glover and MINX. The parties kick off at 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 1pm on Sundays. On Friday and Saturday, entry is free before 8pm, and $20-30 afterwards. And if you're heading in for a Sunday session, entry is free all day. Tropical cocktails, we're coming for you. THE ARGYLE SUMMER SERIES January 8-10: Rio de Janeiro January 15-17: Miami January 22-25: Ibiza
It's that time of the year again: the silly season, the month of merriment — whatever you want to call it, it's here. And we bet you're now trying to figure out where exactly you should be celebrating. To help you out, we partnered with Pernod Ricard, to wrangle up some of the best Sydney spots for ringing in the festive season. Rooftops for summer afternoons, a CBD all-day restaurant serving up top-notch Italian nosh and a 30s-themed champagne bar for the most opulent of celebrations, Sydney is the perfect summer playground. So, crack open the bubbly, wine and dine, and catch up with mates before the year is done. It's time to get silly. MATTEO DOWNTOWN Matteo Downtown is a sprawling, all-day Italian eatery in the heart of the CBD — an ideal spot to enjoy the Christmas lead-up joie de vivre for the workaholics among us. With an open kitchen, large woodfire ovens, a dedicated mozzarella station, marble countertops and blazer-clad waiters, the Downtown hits the upscale yet inviting atmosphere Italians do so well. Taking its cues from the vibrant cities of Milan and Rome, the place is a flurry of activity from early morning espressos to late-night digestifs, with an impressive food offering right through. Order a seasonal cocktail, snack on some antipasto, share (or don't share) a friarielli pizza with smoked fior di latte or enjoy the beef tartare — chopped and dressed on a tableside trolley — with schiacciata (a scrumptious Tuscan flatbread). Pair your pizza or the beef (or both) with a deep red like the St. Hugo cabernet sauvignon and you'll be feeling rightfully merry in no time. [caption id="attachment_691224" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jiwon Kim.[/caption] NICK AND NORA'S Inspired by Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man and its characters Nick and Nora Charles, Paramatta's Nick and Nora's transports you back to Prohibition-era decadence. Atop the Crown's V building with views overlooking the city and Sydney Harbour, the opulent fit-out with art-deco accents is made for lavish celebrations. Champagne is the game here, with over 50 varietals from some of the world's most renowned houses. Dine on fine cheeses, sip Mumm and indulge in watermelon granita-covered oysters or some of the world's best caviar; Nick and Nora's indulges your inner hedonist. EAST VILLAGE HOTEL Darlinghurst's three-tiered East Village Hotel has three wildly different levels to suit anyone's idea of silly season. Overlooking the city's skyline, the Terrace is a bright, breezy and laidback spot synonymous with summer soirées. The decor is simple: crisp white furniture with a touch of pink and an abundance of plants. The vibe? Coastal chill meets garden party elegance where bottles of Mumm seem called for. Below you'll find the Athletic Club — East Village's interpretation of a sports bar. Sporting bespoke poker tables and leather Chesterfield booths, it's more of a British gentleman sports club rather than your Aussie NRL viewing hotspot. On the ground level, the public bar has more of a wine bar feel, with a strong selection of wines and a refined pub fare offering. [caption id="attachment_659299" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould.[/caption] TERMINUS HOTEL After a 30-year hiatus and a major revamp, this 177-year-old pub reopened its doors earlier this year and welcomed in the 21st century. The Terminus is a homage to the Australia of yesteryear and has retained much of its heritage — the central bar with original green tiling, restored sandstone in the lower courtyard and even the pre-existing stairs. Downstairs, Turkish-born chef Bektas Mustafa Ozcan puts his Mediterranean spin on Australian classics as well as some Turkish bar snacks to nibble on. The marble-topped Tram Bar slings up craft beers and has a lengthy, largely accessible wine list with a selection of premium drops like St Hugo cabernet sauvignon and Mumm Grand Cordon also available. Upstairs is Vera's, the cocktail bar named after Vera Dempsey who ran the Terminus back in the 30s. The signature Terminus Sour — Chivas 12 whisky and Pernod absinthe, shaken with fresh lemon juice and house-made thyme syrup, then strained over ice – doesn't go astray. HYDE PARK HOUSE Hyde Park House is a four-level extravaganza with very distinctive floors. The public bar (aptly named Public Bar) is a polished, simple spot to pull up a stool around the central bar, have a chinwag and wash down some greasy pub food with a brew. On level two there's The Club Lounge, a private function area. Ascend the stairs again and you'll find the swish cocktail lounge, Jessie's, with a rotating roster of local DJs every Friday. But it's the rooftop level, Slim's, that impresses. Ruffled pink umbrella's, city views and cacti in abundance, the atmosphere evokes a carefree spirit where spritzes, a glass of Mumm and classic cocktails with an Asian twist flow aplenty. With izakaya-style food — think sushi rolls, wasabi karaage chicken, barbecued prawns and miso eggplant — to match, it's the summer hang to ring in the festivities. Start planning your festive hangs — Christmas will be here before you know it. And if you're entertaining at home or just having a Sunday arvo barbie down at the beach, waltz on into any Cellarbrations, The Bottle O, IGA Liquor or Big Bargain Bottleshop, grab any two Pernod products listed here and go in the draw to win a $500 travel voucher, offered every day until Christmas.
Dreaming about your next holiday, New South Wales residents? A staycation in Sydney or a getaway somewhere else throughout the state should now be in your future. Late in 2021, the NSW Government announced that it'd give folks across the state $50 vouchers to use on accommodation — and it has just started rolling out that free holiday money. Every adult in the state can receive a voucher, which have now been dubbed Stay NSW vouchers, with the NSW Government committing $250 million to the scheme. And, they're being rolled out early, too, slightly ahead of the initial plan to start making them available in March. Whether you can get your hands on a voucher just yet depends on where you live, however, because they're being released by Local Government Area over a two-week period. If they're not available to you right now — which you can check online — they will be by Thursday, March 3. [caption id="attachment_843722" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paramount House Hotel by Tom Ross.[/caption] Accessed by applying via the Service NSW app, Service NSW website or calling 13 77 88, the vouchers are on offer to everyone over the age of 18 that's a NSW resident, and can be redeemed at more than 1200 accommodation premises throughout the state. That said, they're not eligible to be used via Airbnb, online accommodation booking platforms and travel agents. Also, you can only use your voucher for room bookings — not for other products and services at hotels, such as food, drinks or spa services — but they're valid seven days a week, including public holidays, up until Sunday, October 9. Also, you can combine your own vouchers with your partner's or friends', to get more cash off your reservation — if the place you're planning to stay at allows it. And, if you're wondering exactly where you can now enjoy a night away, the Stay NSW program website has a directory of participating accommodation providers. "The Stay NSW program has been expanded and fast-tracked, so people can enjoy a staycation sooner. Whether it's a quiet country inn, the family-run caravan park or a hotel in the Sydney CBD, every budget needs a boost this year," said Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello in a statement. The rollout comes almost a year after former Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced something similar in March 2021. Back then, 200,000 vouchers worth $100 each were set to be handed out on a first come, first served basis around June, for use in Sydney's inner city. But then Sydney went into lockdown, followed the rest of the rest of the state. Now resurrected not just after Sydney's almost four-month-long period of stay-at-home conditions last year, but following the impact of the Omicron wave over the summer, the accommodation voucher program has two obvious aims: enticing folks in NSW to go venturing throughout the state, and helping support local businesses. Victoria and Queensland have also run similar schemes, too, because throwing some love towards the Aussie tourism industry has understandably been a big focus during the pandemic. The Stay NSW voucher scheme has started rolling out by Local Government Area, with all areas set to have access to vouchers by Thursday, March 3. For further information, head to the Stay NSW program website.
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 — Yarra Valley Chocolaterie's 31-flavour hot chocolate boxes will now be available to order in September until the end of lockdown. Victoria's Hot Chocolate Festival is back again this August. And, this time, it's bringing the decadence to you. To save Melburnians from these blustery days, Yarra Valley Chocolaterie is churning out boxes filled with 31 hot chocolate flavours. Fan favourite flavours like Tim Tam Slam and Golden Nutella Spoon will be included in the box, along with the more adventurous likes of If You Like Piña Colada, Zingy Chilli, Cherry Matcha and Movie Night, which comes with choc-coated popcorn and marshmallow choc top. You can check out all 31 flavours here. All limited-edition hot chocolates come with an extra shot of hot couverture chocolate and handcrafted marshmallow, too. Plus, some of the highlights arrivewith exploding marshmallows, melting chocolate discs and truffle balls. If the 31-flavour pack is a little much (or a little too expensive, at $160), you can also order a pick-and-mix 16-flavour box ($92) and individual varieties for $6.50 a pop. The boxes are available to order until the end of lockdown and there's a flat-rate shipping fee of $15 to anywhere in Australia.
Still got a bit of festival action left in this season's tank? Put it to excellent use, with a trip to Tasmania and a few days adventuring at the seventh edition of Party In The Paddock. The laidback music and arts festival makes its yearly return to a property in White Hills, a 20-minute drive southeast of Launceston, from February 7 to 9. And it's bringing with it a good-times lineup well worth crossing Bass Strait for, with UK songstress Lily Allen, four-piece indie rock band The Jungle Giants, electro duo The Presets, Sydney alt-rockers Middle Kids, Melbourne's Slowly Slowly and singer Vera Blue just some of the big-name acts set to grace this year's stage. In addition to three days chock-full of live tunes, the festival is dishing up a hefty arts program, pulled together by the legends at Vibestown. And 2019's version is as big as ever, promising the full gamut of fun, interactive and mind-bending experiences. We're talking existential short film screenings, a funeral ceremony that'll have you farewelling your greatest fears, comedy sessions headlined by Matt Okine and Gen Fricker, morning yoga sessions and a pop-up Willie Smith's bar slinging breakfast cocktails and funky DJ tunes. Browse market stalls filled with top Tassie produce, let collaborative art project Real Talk inspire you to swap social media for some actual conversations, and of course, join the wild, wacky and riotously dressed for the famed Vibestown March. Images: Mitch Lowe and Andy Hardy.
The man behind two of the smartest, sweariest shows on television will open this year's Sydney Writers' Festival with a talk about spin and satire in the world of modern day politics. Armando Iannucci is best known as the creator of two of the funniest political comedies in living memory: the BBC's The Thick of It and HBO's Veep. Both shows have been lauded for their uncomfortably accurate portrayal of contemporary politics. In fact, they're so accurate that Malcolm Turnbull even accidentally adopted one of Selina Myer's slogans during last year's federal election campaign. Whoops! Both shows also beloved among fans for having some of the most entertaining profanity ever uttered on television… and for very good reason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUky4_A7Zw4 Iannucci will be at the Sydney Town Hall on the evening of Tuesday, May 2 with local journalist and screenwriter Benjamin Law, for a conversation that has been appropriately titled 'Swearing In'. Tickets are available now, and are $30 for students and pensioners, and $45 for adults. The full Sydney Writers' Festival program will be announced on April 6. The festival runs from May 22-28.
Free rides, demented circus performers, spooky light shows and a killer program of Australia's best beatmakers will take over Luna Park this Halloween, as the Big Top hosts its first ever Ouija Beats party. It's the product of FBi Radio, The Music and LPS putting their heads together for a contemplation of the paranormal. The Halloween action will kick off at 6pm, with every rollercoaster, dodgem car and white-knuckle experience in the joint providing partygoers with free thrills for two hours. Then you can trick or treat your way to nine of Australia's hands-down best electronic artists playing sets all night long across two stages in the Big Top. Leading the charge is Cosmo's Midnight, who inspired a rush of hero worship following the official release of their remix of Flume's 'Sleepless' and have lately played support for XXYYXX, Cashmere Cat and Tokimonsta. Then there’s Basenji (his neighbours call him Sebastian Carlos) who likes 'eating almonds and riding his bike' and has been hitting playlists all over the place with his quirky, dynamic percussive adventures. At the more ethereal end of the electro spectrum are Panama, who've been partaking in some substantial jetsetting of late, selling out rooms in London, New York and LA along the way; Twin Caverns, who, in just one year of music-making, have graced the pages of NME and appeared on stages in the company of The Kite String Tangle, Husky and Thief; and the infectious, airy yet gritty duo Willow Beats. Rounding out the bill are Melbourne's Northeast Party House, Olympic Ayres (whose 'Magic' made the FIFA 2014 soundtrack), Moonbase Commander and the Astral People DJs. By the way, you should start on your costume sooner rather than later, for two reasons. One, there’ll be prizes (like epic home entertainment systems) going to the most inventive, bizarre and creepy couture of the night. Two, the door charge includes $40 Uber credit, so you can ride in style without doing any damage to your get-up.
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 three performances on Sunday, May 31 and Monday, June 1 and Tuesday, June 2, the 66-year-old powerhouse is set for her first Sydney appearance (and only Australian show) since that jaw-dropper of a show at the Enmore in 2011 (there were costume changes every two or three songs, we swear). “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.” Jones marks the top of the bill for Vivid's six-day Modulations festival-within-a-festival — featuring 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. But thanks to Carriageworks, Vivid Sydney and Modulations, we have two double passes for to give away to see Jones' epic show on Tuesday, May 2 at 8pm. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email us with your name and address (win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au). Image: Andrea Klarin.
The best of both 20th and 21st century dance meet in The Australian Ballet's new contemporary triple bill, 20:21. After a cracking opening in Melbourne in August, November 5 will see it come to the Sydney Opera House on for 18 performances. Leading the trio is the world premiere of Filigree and Shadow, a striking, hard-hitting, challenging piece from resident choreographer Tim Harbour. It features an original electronic score by 48nord and an architect-designed set by Kelvin Ho. “He [Tim Harbour] is always keen to push himself and the dancers to discover new ways of using their ability to push the ballet form further, and find humanity and truth through dance," said David McAllister, artistic director of The Australian Ballet. Meanwhile, George Balanchine's jazz-infused, Stravinksy-soundtracked Symphony in Three Movements will open the show, followed by Twyla Tharp's sport-inspired, sneaker-wearing In the Upper Room, set to the music of Phillip Glass.
Some film festivals take audiences to corners of the globe they won't visit in the multiplex, shine a spotlight on different cinematic voices, and showcase the wealth of talent working beyond the English-speaking realm. That's not the British Film Festival's remit. Here, you'll find recognisable names and faces aplenty as the best new movies Old Blighty has to offer embark on a tour of the antipodes. Taking place between late October and early November at Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona, this year's lineup includes Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy in opening night film Breathe, which marks the directorial debut of The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, as well as Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the eagerly anticipated How to Talk to Girls at Parties. The former tells a true tale of a couple striving to overcome a death sentence from polio, while the latter is a queer sci-fi rock-punk comedy based on a Neil Gaiman short story and directed by Hedwig and the Angry Inch's John Cameron Mitchell. Yep, this program might speak the same language as Australians, but it's serving up a variety of stories. If you're going to put one flick to put on your must-see list, make it The Death of Stalin. It's the latest from The Thick of Itand Veep creator Armando Iannucci, and features everyone from Steve Buscemi to Jeffrey Tambor to Michael Palin. Other highlights include Fanning again in Mary Shelley, a biopic about the writer behind Frankenstein that's helmed by Wadjdadirector Haifaa Al-Mansour, as well as England is Mine, with Dunkirk's Jack Lowden playing none other than Morrissey. Elsewhere, Saoirse Ronan stars in On Chesil Beach, her latest Ian McEwan adaptation after coming to fame in Atonement, while true story 6 Days recreates the 1980 storming of the Iranian embassy in London with Mark Strong, Jamie Bell and Abbie Cornish. BFF also boasts docos about Manolo Blahnik and Eric Clapton, a biopic about AA Milne and the genesis of Winnie the Pooh, and one of the last films to feature the late John Hurt in That Good Night. Looking back as well as forward, a selection of Agatha Christie adaptations round out the lineup. Timed to coincide with the new version of Murder on the Orient Express, the program includes the 1974 take on the same tale, plus three other classics.
If you're kicking yourself for missing this year's Big Fashion Sale, which took over the Paddington Town Hall back in March, you're about to get a second chance to amp up your wardrobe on the cheap. The always-popular designer sale will again return to Sydney — but this time it will operate as a pop-up store, setting up shop on Oxford Street for ten whole days. The shop will house over 1000 items, including past collections, samples and one-offs from 50 highly sought after Australian and International designer brands. As with the March sale, you can expect big names like Kenzo, Marni, Phillip Lim and The Row to be joined by brand new sale additions including Sol Sana shoes, White Story, Shona Joy and Lacausa. Again, discounts will be up to 80 percent off, so you can nab some well-made (and otherwise rather expensive) threads without emptying out your bank account.
A handmade gift market is popping up at WeWork's 383 George Street location for the first time on Thursday, December 12 with 20 stalls selling ethically made jewellery, 'tree-free' notebooks and small-batch jams. The stallholders are all WeWork members from eight locations across Sydney, so when you're making a purchase you'll be supporting small local businesses. And, to create a festive mood while you shop, there'll be live music from Triple J Unearthed musician Ethan Conway — a pop and soul musician also from Sydney. Liquid nitrogen fiends N2 Gelato will be serving up sweet treats at a gelato station, or you can enjoy some pampering from the pop-up beauty services. There'll also be a succulent plant station and a pop-up barber. Plus, you can get your gifts wrapped on the day using 100-percent biodegradable wrapping paper — for just a gold-coin donation, which will be donated to Property Industry Foundation (PIF) to assist in building homes for youth. Like the look of the co-working space? Attendees can also enter a competition to win a prize pack valued at over $1,500, including a two-month Hot Desk membership and vouchers from stallholders. The market runs from 11am until 3pm and entry is free but it is ticketed, so register your entry here.
After a hugely successful first edition in 2020, free sculpture exhibition Les Sculptures Refusées is returning to North Head Manly's Q Station. Running from Wednesday, October 20–Thursday, January 27, this year's edition of the exhibition will display new works by artists that missed out on major exhibitions like Sculpture by the Sea. Attendees can wander through the idyllic site, stumbling upon 24 different sculptures set to the Q Station's vast grounds and the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. On display are artworks from an array of acclaimed and prolific local artists including Akira Kamada, Orest Keywan, Rosanna Goslett-King, Anna Dudek and Sarah FitzGerald. Grab a snack or coffee from one of the Q Station's cafes to enjoy while you mosey through the exhibition, or head to the G&Tea House after making your way around the site to enjoy a drink and a bite to eat. Les Sculptures Refusées continues the legacy of the historic French art exhibition Salon des Refusés which exhibited rejected artists and paintings in the 19th century. "The show has certainly captured the spirit and energy of the time-honoured Refusés tradition," Co-Founders Tania McMurtry and Simon Hodgson said. "Les Sculptures Refusées received a groundswell of support with its inaugural show and we are extremely excited to again be increasing opportunities for artists to show their work in what has been a difficult year for the arts."
A long time go, we all used to be friends with Veronica Mars. But if you haven't thought of the teenage private eye drama lately at all (or had its Dandy Warhols-sung theme tune stuck in your head), prepare for that to change. The show initially lasted three seasons across 2004–2007, then set a crowdfunding record to get a movie off the ground in 2014, and even spawned two novels and a web series spin-off after that. Now, it looks set to make a small-screen comeback. While everything from Daria to Buffy the Vampire Slayer seems to be getting a reboot lately, Veronica Mars follows in the footsteps of Twin Peaks — as Variety reports, it'll be a revival featuring original cast members, rather than a new effort that remakes the same concept with different folks and starts all over again with its narrative. And yes, crucially, Ms Mars herself will return, with Kristen Bell poised to resume the role that brought her to fame. Hulu, the streaming platform that turned The Handmaid's Tale into the phenomenon that it is, is behind the eight-episode new season. The deal hasn't yet been finalised for Neptune's favourite blonde-haired, pint-sized sleuth to start solving mysteries again; however it looks like it's a matter of when rather than if. Veronica Mars creator and writer Rob Thomas (no, not that one) is also set to return, and Deadline notes that conversations have been had with cast members other than Bell. Just what the storyline will be, which of Veronica's ex-boyfriends will re-emerge and what cases will need solving haven't been revealed — but, given that the original show featured appearances from Amanda Seyfried, Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat and Michael Cera, Buffy's Alyson Hannigan and Charisma Carpenter, New Girl's Max Greenfield, Thor: Ragnarok's Tessa Thompson and more, you can probably expect a few familiar faces to pop up. One thing that the new series will definitely have to do is work around Bell's schedule on sitcom The Good Place, although that just means she'll be on your TV screen twice as often. Via Variety.
The hospo pros at Parlour Group are at it again. With Riley St Garage, Surly's and The Village Inn under their belt, they've now moved into The Cannery in Rosebery, where they're about to open Stanton & Co. Headed by executive chef Regan Porteous — who helped set up Riley St Garage four years ago — the restaurant will serve up modern Aussie fare dashed with Japanese influences. In collaboration with head chef Marcelino Papio (also of Riley St), Porteous has come up with two modern Australian-Japanese menus. At lunch, you'll be sitting down to casual, a la carte dishes; come dinner, the menu will switch to a long, shared feast. On the drinks list there's an extensive selection of cocktails, as well as premium craft beers and boutique wines. Parlour Group worked with Alexander&Co on the interior, which honours The Cannery's history and, at the same time, draws on ideas from New York's famous Meatpacking District. There's a large dining space, a roomy bar and an open kitchen, so you can watch the chefs in action. Parlour Group owner Brody Petersen is excited to be opening a new venue in Rosebery. "The area is thriving and has really come alive as a leading food destination in Sydney; it is inspiring and exciting for us to be surrounded by people who share our passion for great food and drink," he says. "We want to create a beautiful venue that is fun, relaxing and vibrant, a place where guests feel like they are eating at a bar rather than drinking in a restaurant." Stanton & Co. is set to open in October at The Cannery, 85 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery. For more info, keep an eye on their Facebook page. Image: Nikki To.
Remember a few weeks ago when we told you that New York City were #blessed by the birth of the XL xiao long bao? Remember how we all collectively freaked out and thought 'that's a thing that I want!'? Well, prepare thy loins for a summer of hot, soupy spills because the XL XLB is hittin' Sydney and Melbourne — hotter, bigger and soupier than ever. Din Tai Fung, known for their general dumpling prowess and cute, Chinese New Year themed animal dumplings, are the proud parents of Australia's first super-sized dump dump. Just like their American counterpart, the Din Tai Fung XLB is designed to be sucked up with a straw, so bulbous with soup is she. They'll be serving them for $8.90 a pop throughout November — but unfortunately not at their café court venues. This meal deserves a sit-down experience. For the uninitiated, prepare to have your world rocked. The xiao long bao is a steamed, soupy dumpling filled with a flavoursome broth and a pork and prawn filling. They usually come in mouth-sized portions but Din Tai Fung will be serving them up at seven times their usual size (hence the need for a straw). Grab 'em from November 1 to November 30 at Din Tai Fung World Square, Central Park, Westfield Chatswood and Westfield Miranda in Sydney, and at Emporium in Melbourne.
UPDATE: May 18, 2020: Good Boys is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Before the high-schoolers who populate every teen movie start worrying about heading off to college and having sex for the first time, they're tweens with not-too-dissimilar problems. That's the premise behind the familiar but very funny Good Boys, which leans so far into its Superbad-lite status that it has even enlisted Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as producers. Instead of two horny 17-year-olds, this scaled-down coming-of-age comedy focuses on a trio of sixth graders. Instead of finding its characters on the cusp of graduation, it meets them as they start middle school. And instead of turning up to a lively shindig on a quest to lose their virginity, Good Boys' pre-teen protagonists navigate the age-appropriate equivalent: their first kissing party. The comparisons keep coming, although writer/director Gene Stupnitsky and his co-scribe Lee Eisenberg (the screenwriting duo behind Bad Teacher and Year One) don't just tread in Superbad's footsteps. Good Boys' predecessor boasted more than a little in common with Can't Hardly Wait, which in turn took Dazed and Confused's lead — and they all nodded to American Graffiti before that. Just a couple of months back, Booksmart did something similar too, using a firmly female-focused viewpoint to its advantage. There's not as obvious a point of difference here, with tween and teen boys getting mixed up in almost the same types of situations. But what Good Boys lacks in originality or perspective, it makes up for in charm, sincerity and a stellar cast of young talent. In a few years, Max (Jacob Tremblay), Thor (Brady Noon) and Lucas (Keith L. Williams) could relive these kinds of hijinks at the end of their high-school days — a thought that's probably crossed Stupnitsky, Eisenberg, Rogen and Goldberg's minds — but for now, they just want to be liked by the cool kids in their grade. And that seems possible after the lifelong buddies score a coveted invite to Soren's (Izaac Wang) pashing party. Alas, while Max is driven by his all-consuming crush on classmate Brixlee (Millie Davis), his friends have their own troubles. Thor is desperate to nab a role in the school production of Rock of Ages, but also desperate to seem like he doesn't care, while the gleefully dorky Lucas is struggling with news of his parents' (Retta and Lil Rel Howery) impending divorce. Plus, when the pals aren't trying to brush up on puckering up, they're unwittingly getting involved in drug deals with Max's older neighbour Hannah (Molly Gordon) and her bestie Lily (Midori Francis). Much of Good Boys' humour hits instantly and flows easily, as kids say the darnedest things in highly inappropriate circumstances — searching for "porb" and mistaking sex toys for weapons, for example. As the film's marketing campaign made a point of stressing, this may be a picture about children, but it definitely isn't for them in any shape or form. There's a more resonant layer to the gags, too — which, in a movie that spends plenty of time giggling as its central tweens swear, might not immediately seem the case. To see Max, Thor and Lucas not just face the reality that they're growing up, but explore an adult world that feels so strange and different to their pre-teen grasp on reality, is to remember the confusing ups and downs of going through the same process yourself. That said, this isn't a mere exercise in raucousness and nostalgia shaped around episodic antics, such as skipping school, sipping beers and running away from cops. Like Booksmart before it, Good Boys grounds its jokes, narrative and outlook in today's cultural and societal standards. In other words: goodbye lazy stereotypes and outdated views, and hello inclusiveness, emotional intelligence, and seeing these boys learn to respect women, themselves and each other. Stupnitsky and Eisenberg are still guilty of padding out the picture with a few too many recognisable scenarios, even with its brief 90-minute running time. But their film glows with authenticity nonetheless — because, for all the outlandishness they encounter, these kids always react in realistic ways. As much as Good Boys has an affable, genuine vibe on its side, it wouldn't work quite as well without its three child stars. Room's Tremblay, Boardwalk Empire's Noon and The Last Man on Earth's Williams not only sell their rapport, but play their parts with honesty and earnestness — and without a hint of precociousness. The bike-riding trio also shrugs off a Stranger Things insult, in a line that speaks beyond pop culture's current obsession with plucky children (see also: IT and IT: Chapter Two). Swap Good Boys' crudeness for a dash of the supernatural, after all, and this sweet, breezy and amusing film would fit nicely among all those classic 80s adventures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeeyM8cRinI
If there are two concepts that sound like they're made for each other, it's immersive cinema experiences and Halloween. Add some cocktails into the mix, and things are bound to get even more interesting. This Halloween, The Kraken Black Spiced Rum is taking over Randwick's The Ritz with the first ever Kraken Screamfest. It'll be a hair-raising cinema extravaganza featuring a cult horror movie, 'spooky' Kraken cocktails and, of course, creepy costumes and decorations to boot. Prepare for a night of non-stop scares with mutant mermaids, undead sailors and other monsters from the deep crawling through the theatre-turned-abyss. The cult-favourite Creature From the Black Lagoon will be playing on the big screen — if you haven't seen it, there's no time like the terrifying present. This classic black-and-white horror pic, made back in 1954, is set in the Amazon, where a geology expedition goes awry when a mysterious creature — part-marine, part-terrestrial and part-human — appears. We're not scared, you are. Tickets, at just 20 bucks, are damn good value — giving you two cocktails, snacks, entry to the frightening flick and as many thrills as you can handle, from unexpected live performers to a horror parlour inhabited by face painters to the company of undead, possessed hands. After all those tricks, it's time for treats. On the drinks list, you'll find Kraken-based cocktails to calm your nerves — The Kraken Storm, a wicked take on the dark 'n' story made up of Kraken Rum, ginger beer and a lime wedge; The Bride of Krakenstein, a spicy spin on the strawberry daiquiri that's perfect for warm evenings; and The Oceans Have Eyes (we'll leave that one to your imagination). In between sips, snack on Halloween-inspired ink-black pick 'n' mix and popcorn — they're devilishly good. Kraken Screamfest will be held at 6pm on Wednesday, October 31 at Randwick Ritz. You must be over 18 to attend.
This article is sponsored by our partners, General Assembly. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the work-sleep-eat grind. But the last thing the folks at General Assembly want to see is you, losing your precious youth to blood, sweat and tears. So they’ve come up with a simple, straightforward, foolproof solution. On Thursday, September 25, they’ll be hosting an epic, free warehouse bash at Work-Shop (80 George Street, Redfern). And all things work-related will be left at the door. All you have to do is turn up, ready to chat, dance and sample some high-quality, handcrafted beverages. Any ‘I-should-be-networking-and-handing-out-my-business-cards’ sensations can be completely and luxuriantly ignored. Guest DJs Seekae will be spinning a three-hour set, shortly before jetting off around the world. This year, the Sydney-London three-piece has played at SXSW, blitzed the UK with a sold-out tour and released their third album, The Worry. In the meantime, drinks will be sponsored by the Rocks Brewing Company and Naked Wines. The former is a local craft brewery based in Alexandria, run and operated by fifth and sixth generation descendants of convicts. The latter is a crowdfunded wine business. Customers invest in independent winemakers, and, in return, score exclusive access to fine, handmade wines at wholesale prices. Entry is free, but you'll need to secure yourself a spot by booking online via the General Assembly website. General Assembly hosts events and classes in tech, design and entrepreneurial business, with campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and around the world.
Beer and yoga. An unlikely combination, but one that's gone gangbusters across the world. And after a few trials of the concept — including a class at Wayward Brewing — Australia looks set to see the trend come out in full force with the launch of BierYoga. Having held weekly sessions across Berlin over the past 12 months, BierYoga has launched an Australian tour with a string of dates for their beer-focused yoga classes in Melbourne and Sydney. Each hour-long session will see punters getting bendy while knocking back brews, with beer-drinking incorporated into each classic yoga pose. Think sun salutations and reverse warriors, interspersed with sips of your favourite ale. BierYoga's team of qualified yoga instructors (and, we're sure, seasoned beer drinkers) will get you loose, limber, and having fun — whether you're a total yoga novice, or a well-practiced pro. Each session's priced at a budget-friendly $10 — just bring a towel or yoga mat and you're good to go. You'll need to buy a beer at the bar separately. Classes are happening on January 20 and 22 at The Sheaf in Double Bay.
I first saw The Dodos last year at The Spiegeltent in Manhattan. It was going to be perfect: a balmy evening, good friends and a band who had put out a really exciting debut, Visiter, that bordered hippy folk whilst still dipping into heavy rhythms and beautiful contemplative lyrics and melodies. But the experience was tainted by the fact that you can't really see anything in a full Spiegel, especially when the singer sits down and plays guitar; and we got aggressively shooshed by an uptight fan. Anyways, lucky for you guys, the San Francisco three piece (they added a vibraphone player to the guitar/drums lineup - hey why not?) are visiting our shores soon to play us their new album, Time To Die - and by the sounds of Fables, it will be more nicely crafted folk with a bit of grit.
Warm up for Halloween with a visit to Paddington's Cement Fondu. Until Sunday, November 25, Warm Bodies takes over the gallery with an array of irreverent and challenging explorations of horror, rot, mutation, destruction and post-apocalyptic existence. Expect analogue photography, ceramics, projections, dance, digital glitch textiles, .GIFs, installations and Muslim black death metal. Leading the program is Haunted House — a .GIF installation that will take over Cement Fondu's mezzanine level with adaptations of scenes from B-grade horror films, as created by American artist Jaimie Warren in collaboration with the KARI Foundation Indigenous Youth Group. Meanwhile, dance artist Angela Goh will present the Australian premiere of Body Loss, an artwork that combines live performance, sound and light in its exploration of the female voice in folklore, film and culture. Look out, too, for a multi-media installation by London-based Adham Faramawy, whose Make Up Tutorial (2018) will appear among two new site-specific vinyl adhesive wallpapers. The program also includes a Halloween party from 7pm on Saturday, November 3, as well as a jazz night from 7pm on Friday, November 23.
Before 2020 turned the world upside down, King Street Crawl was a yearly tradition. Come September each year, every venue spanning the length of King Street would be filled with live music from midday through to the early hours for one day. After taking a year off in 2020, the inner west institution is returning with a massive new three-day event pushing out from King Street and into neighbouring roads and two idyllic outdoor spaces. King Street Carnival will take place from Friday, September 3 until Sunday, September 5 throughout Newtown's main road as well as Enmore Road, Erskineville Road, the Sydney Park Amphitheatre and Camperdown Memorial Park. While the details for the King Street festivities is yet to be announced, King Street Carnival has revealed the huge three-day lineup for the Sydney Park and Camperdown Memorial Park events. [caption id="attachment_656237" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Camperdown Park by Kimberley Low[/caption] Heading up the outdoor concerts is legendary group Yothu Yindi who will be performing alongside the likes of Sarah Blasko, Alex the Astronaut, All Our Exes Live In Texas and Emma Donovan and the Putbacks at Camperdown Memorial Park on the Sunday. Across the weekend, the two stages will also feature dance-pop duo Confidence Man, Sydney rock favourites You Am I, hip-hop mainstays Horrorshow, much-buzzed indie rock band Rolling Blackouts C.F. as well as Stella Donnelly, Touch Sensitive, JessB and Private Function. While King Street Crawl is historically a free event, the Camperdown Memorial Park and Sydney Park Amphitheatre showcases will be ticketed. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $55 for a Friday-only past and increasing up to $137 for all three days. Keep your eyes peeled for the full details as they are unveiled over the next two months. [caption id="attachment_806870" align="alignnone" width="1920"] King Street Crawl by Tom Wilkinson[/caption] KING STREET CARNIVAL FIRST LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT Sydney Park Amphitheatre Friday, September 3 Horrorshow JessB Planet Vegeta Nardean Dameeeela Carolina Gasolina Half Queen Saturday, September 4 You Am I Magic Dirt Hayley Mary Private Function Johnny Hunter Shogun & The Sheets The Laurels Sunday, September 5 Confidence Man Touch Sensitive Harvey Sutherland Milan Ring Clypso Lazywax Setwun Liyah Knigh Camperdown Park Saturday, September 4 Rolling Blackouts C.F. Stella Donnelly The Lazy Eyes The Buoys The Regime Maple Glider Joseph Liddy & The Skeleton Horse Sunday, September 5 Youthu Yindi Sarah Blasko Alex the Astronaut All Our Exes Live In Texas Emma Donovan & The Putbacks Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys EJ Worland King Street Carnival will take place across King Street, Enmore Road, Erskineville Road, the Sydney Park Amphitheatre and Camperdown Memorial Park from Friday, September 3–Sunday, September 5. Tickets are on sale now. Top image: Destination NSW
The Scandinavian crime fixation currently sweeping non-Nordic nations shows no signs of abating, every piece with big screen potential — TV series, book or otherwise — seemingly earning a filmed adaptation. Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series provides the latest instance, a four-instalment-to-date police procedural setting a duo of detectives in search of answers to dead cases. The Keeper of Lost Causes is the first feature to result. All the usual elements exist in director Mikkel Nørgaard and writer Nikolaj Arcel's version of the novel. (They're both veterans of the burgeoning genre with resumes that encompass television's Borgen and the Swedish-language The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as evidence.) An odd couple, an against-the-odds task, brooding backstories, a pretty prey and a cat-and-mouse game with the perpetrator furnish a feature that stays within the confines of the expected — except for one significant deviation. As well as tracking the law enforcement quest to uncover the truth, the film gifts viewers with the victim's perspective, her tale told as a parallel to the investigation. So it is that the taciturn Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and lively Assad (Fares Fares) trawl through discarded clues about the disappearance of personable young politician Merete Lynggaard (Sonja Richter), long considered a suicidal jumper who consigned herself to a watery end five years prior. The inter-spliced chronicle of Merete's plight provides a different account, one that the police must piece together as they delve deeper into her mystery. Though the choice to reveal what would've otherwise been a considerable source of dramatic tension is questionable (albeit, a decision that remains faithful to the book), The Keeper of Lost Causes evokes the requisite ominous atmosphere through its appearance and performances. The customary grey aesthetic colours every scene to cement the creepy mood, just as the main pairing fittingly bristles with discomfort even as Mørck and Assad work towards an accord. Cinematographer Eric Kress impresses in the film's shadowy imagery, a feat also achieved by Kaas and Fares. Adopting a chalk and cheese approach to their portrayals, the two actors bounce off each other with an earned rapport that makes their standard contrasting characters all the more interesting. Indeed, as beholden to formula and the familiar as The Keeper of Lost Causes is, Nørgaard endeavours to invest intrigue into the assembly of predictability the movie becomes. Where it all threatens to come undone is in the feature's inability to overcome its overt status as a set-up for further films. In an episodic manner obviously better served on television, The Keeper of Lost Causes wallows in the establishment more than the outcome. What eventuates is an entertaining enough initial chapter in a what will hopefully evolve into a more satisfying saga. https://youtube.com/watch?v=68sO1s9Hy70
Over the past year, The Griswolds have scored every Australian band's dream trifecta: a gig at Parklife, a successful European tour and a global record deal. "It feels like a dream come true," they said in an April interview with FBi, "but to be honest, it's been a really trippy twelve months, and we still can't believe what is happening." As you're reading this, the Sydney-based group's cheeky lyrics, fine-tuned harmonies and idiosyncratic percussion are hitting airwaves in the Northern Hemisphere, via the US release of their debut EP. The boys themselves, however, have been on home soil of late, recording a new track with 2012 Unearthed Artist of the Year nominee Chance Waters. Having done their time in the studio, they're now about to hit the road together on a lightning-fast, four-date east coast tour, More than Just Friends. https://youtube.com/watch?v=58iSZlM_8hY
Influential Los Angeles-based restaurant and bar E.P. & L.P. is winging its way to Sydney to take over The Dolphin Hotel for one epic evening. Co-owners Grant Smilie (Australian DJ and co-director of the Royal Croquet Club) and fellow Aussie David Combes opened their West Hollywood venue with head chef Louis Tikaram (ex-Longrain) in 2015, and have been enjoying firm success for the last two years. They'll take over Crown Street's most eclectically renovated pub at 5pm on Sunday, June 11, treating you to five hours of drinks, snacks and music. The menu is split into two sections. On the first, dubbed Wine Room Aperitivo, you'll find blue swimmer crab congee, wagyu crackers, Hollywood abalone and Kakoda Fijian-style ceviche, all priced $5–7. Meanwhile, on Tikaram and Dolphin head chef Monty Koludrovic's bar menu, to be served in the Dining Room, you can pick from Lou Dogg's famed crispy chicken sandwich, Mullum Fries (tofu fries with soy and peanut) and Marty's Pizza (five-spice caramel hock with Thai basil and pickled chilli), among other offerings. The drinks list is a collaboration between E.P. & L.P. and The Dolphin. Look out for Dirty Bubble Teas, beer buckets and a few of of L.P.'s best-loved cocktails, such as the Where Love Lives Margarita (passionfruit, guava, lime, chilli, mezcal, damiana, salt) and California Love on The Roof (rosé, rosé aperitif blend, seasonal fruit). "This will be my first time back in an Aussie kitchen since leaving Australia to open E.P. & L.P. in 2014," said Tikaram. "I'm super excited to be teaming up with the guys at the Dolphin, to share my experiences and influences from Southern California so far and also tell my story through the menu from as far back as Mullumbimby. It's going to be one hell of a Queen's Birthday weekend." As you might've guessed, Grant Smilie will be on the decks until the party winds up until 10pm. Joining him will be Beni and a bunch of yet-to-be-announced special guests. E.P. & L.P. take over The Dolphin Hotel, 412 Crown Street, Surry Hills, on Sunday, June 11, 5-10pm.
When Australia's annual Spanish Film Festival returns this year, it'll offer cinephiles a two-for-one affair. Fancy seeing the latest and greatest movies from the European country? Keen to watch fresh flicks from Spanish-speaking Latin America too? They're both on the lineup. While Latin American cinema has received its own dedicated Aussie fest over the past three years, in 2019 the Cine Latino Film Festival will form part of the Spanish Film Festival. In short: this year's April–May fest presents the best of both worlds across a 32-title program that'll tour the country. It all gets started with the Aussie premiere of applauded and acclaimed Spanish comedy Champions, which picked up this year's Goya award for best film, as well as the best new actor prize for star Jesús Vidal. The feel-good flick follows an amateur Spanish basketball team comprised of players with mental disabilities and an arrogant coach who's sentenced to community service to help them bounce their way to glory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo_PDXou77c At the other end of the event is a bona fide classic: Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. While the festival sadly hasn't snagged the Spanish director's latest, the Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz-starring Pain and Glory, it will close out the 2019 lineup with this 1988 black comedy — one of the movies that first helped bring Banderas to fame. Other program highlights include action-packed bank robbery drama 70 Big Ones, moody thriller The Uncovering, doppelgänger effort Ana by Day, character-driven melodrama Petra, and comedy Super Crazy, which focuses on a woman who suddenly can't stop speaking her mind. If you've ever wanted to know all there is to know about olive oil, there's also a documentary on the topic: Virgin & Extra: Jaén, The Land of the Olive Oil. And from the Cine Latino contingent, Argentinian title Royo delves into corruption before the country's mid-70s coup, while Tremors explores a Guatemalan family's secrets. The Projectionist also road trips through the Dominican Republic and comedy Looking for a Boyfriend... For My Wife reunites the cast of Chile's version of Married with Children. Across its full slate, the Spanish Film Festival also showcases 11 titles by female filmmakers, ranging from established talents to up-and-comers. Watch out for romance Carmen & Lola, which has proven a hit on the queer circuit; star-studded comedy-thriller Crime Wave, which stars Maribel Verdú, Javier Cámara and Luis Tosar; and the 1982-set The Good Girls, which follows the wives of wealthy Mexican men. The Spanish Film Festival tours Australia from April 16, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona and Palace Central from April 16 to May 8; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Balwyn, Kino Cinemas and The Astor Theatre from April 18 to May 8; Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace James Street from April 24 to May 15; and Perth's Palace Cinema Paradiso from April 24 to May 15. For more information, visit the festival website
The annual Lunar New Year festivities in Chatswood are almost here, and if you feel like hopping into the Year of the Rabbit with a smile on your face and a chuckle in your belly, you'd best grab a ticket for the Lunar New Year Comedy Festival. It's back, and it's taking over the concert hall of Chatswood's The Concourse for one night only. Like the past iterations, the festival stars red-hot talents of the Aussie comedy scene, with a mix of familiar faces and newcomers taking the stage this year. Returning performers include globally-touring comedian, presenter, writer and actor Diana Nguyen and the Sydney-based comedian, cartoonist and TV host Harry Jun. Joining the hall of fame for the Year of the Rabbit festival is comedy festival veteran, TV writer and director Nina Oyama; nationally-touring comedian and TikTok creator Jenny Tian and award-nominated comedian and standup host Chris Nguyen. And if there wasn't enough talent already they'll be joined by comedian and writer AJ Lamarque; nationally sold-out comedian and TV writer Ting Lim and Sydney local comedian and podcast host Kevin Jin. It's a pretty stacked lineup, no? With all that talent packed into the concert hall, it'll be an evening to remember. And when the show ends, the night goes on. There'll be plenty of Lunar New Year festivities to enjoy, treats to sample and sights to see across Chatswood. The Lunar New Year Comedy Festival is on Saturday, January 28 from 7.30 to 8.30pm. For the full lineup and to grab your tickets, head to the website.
If your herbs ain't sprouting, your vines ain't clinging and your flowers ain't blooming, Patrick Blanc is the man you want to see. If ever there was an expert on getting plants to grow in urban settings, it's him. As the patent holder on the matting necessary to creating vertical gardens, he's achieved the seemingly impossible and caused greenery to defy gravity in no fewer than 25 cities around the world — including San Francisco, Berlin, Tokyo and New York. We Sydneysiders know him best, of course, for the 1,120 square metres of vertical garden he's cultivated at the $2 billion One Central Park development. It's Blanc's tallest work so far. On Tuesday, July 8, he'll be sharing some of what he's learnt over a lifetime of botanical study via a free public lecture at UTS. The topic up for discussion is 'new challenges for the vertical garden', to be explored through references to some of Blanc's major Australian projects, including One Central Park, Hobart's New and Old Art Museum, Camperdown's Trio residential development and the Qantas lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.
Wish you could be taste-testing your way around Asia this spring? Well, this October, renowned Singaporean chef and author Tony Khoo is coming to town — and he'll be whipping up a seafood feast. Taking over PARKROYAL Parramatta's sleek, retro-inspired hotel restaurant, Table 30, the corporate executive chef of Pan Pacific Hotels Group will be bringing a bit of Singapore to Sydney. Head on down from Tuesday, October 15 to Sunday, October 20, and you'll find a huge Asian-influenced seafood buffet, available from 6–9pm, Monday through Saturday, and from 12–3pm on the Sunday. For just 79 clams, you'll be eating all the chilli crab and fresh fish your heart desires. To start, you'll be treated to a selection of seafood platters, including mirin- and sake-cured ocean trout and steamed mussels in a coconut and lime dressing. Then, move onto dishes like baked sambal fish and, of course, chilli crab. There'll also be a salad bar with barbecue pork noodle salad and mizuna with fennel capsicum. For dessert, you can pick between mango cheesecake, Chinese custard tarts and coconut mousse — or grab all three. And that's just the beginning, with Khoo's Taste of Asia offering three varying menus across the six days. Looking to extend your night of indulgence? You can book yourself into the hotel with the Love That Club package for a luxe staycation. For $249 per night, expect complimentary sparkling wine and chocolate truffles on arrival, drinks and canapes at happy hour, plus breakfast the next morning. Or, hit up western Sydney's huge food fair, Parramatta Lanes, by day then swing by Table 30 to keep the good times rolling.
It's just as unmistakably Italian, but Matteo Downtown, the sister venue to Matteo Double Bay, is worlds away from its laidback coastal counterpart. For this second joint project, owners Adam Abrams, Orazio D'Elia and Eddie Levy have taken their cues from the Italy's buzzing urban destinations of Milan and Rome, in contrast to the relaxed coastal vibes of its Double Bay sister. The CBD spot is a dynamic, all-day operation, that cruises from early morning espressos to late-night negronis. Sydney design firm Acme & Co has shaped the Bond Street space to suit, complete with an intimate dining room, bustling open kitchen, sophisticated bar area and roomy al fresco terrace, primed for people-watching. Head Chef D'Elia is tapping into both his southern Italian roots and his journeys across the north, to deliver a menu that's steeped in tradition, yet executed with modern flair. In the morning, from 7am weekdays, you'll find pasticceria and panino for the fly-by crowd, alongside a full breakfast offering of creations like Italian-style shakshuka (called uovo in purgatorio) and cacio e pepe scrambled eggs. From 11am through 11pm, you can nab something off the express menu, or head over to the dedicated mozzarella and antipasti bar, stocked daily with fresh cheese and house-cured meats. If you prefer to linger, head to the dining room, and do so over dishes like squid ink fregola, and lamb backstrap with Jerusalem artichokes. D'Elia's much-loved pizzas will also be available — in the dining room and at the bar — with guests having 16 to choose from, including the Siciliana, topped with eggplant and ricotta, and the Capasanta with scallops, pumpkin purée and black olive crumble. In true Italian style, Matteo Downtown celebrates aperitivo hour wholeheartedly — from 4–6pm weekdays, drop by to team your after-work spritz or wine with a selection of complimentary snacks from the kitchen. The bar offering itself boasts a hefty Italian contingent, with a carefully curated range of craft beers, spirits and small-batch liqueurs sourced from the homeland. As well as a negroni list, the drinks menu features a spritz selection that changes with the seasons — kicking off with the Downtown Spritz: Aperol, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit bitters and homemade cucumber soda — house wines are on tap and a broad-ranging, 300-strong collection of bottled wines, which make a masterpiece of the dining room's back wall. Find Matteo Downtown at 20 Bond Street, Sydney. It's open 7am–midnight, Mon–Fri and 5pm–midnight, Sat.
Be one of the first to hear Sarah Blasko's fifth album, Eternal Return. On Sunday, October 11, in the Opera House's Concert Hall, she'll be performing the entire record live — before its release. The performance is a commission arranged as part of Graphic 2015 and will feature exclusive visuals created by filmmaker Mike Daly (Griffin Theatre Company, Ballet de Lorraine). It's ten years since Blasko first made airwaves with The Overture & The Underscore. Since then, she's been a relentlessly creative force on the Australian music scene — from launching I Awake at the Opera House accompanied by a full orchestra to collaborating on soundtracks for the likes of Brendan Cowell and the Sydney Dance Company, and recording albums in the US, Sweden and Bulgaria. More recently, she's been spending time here at home, working with producer Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett, Seekae), to create Eternal Return. It's set for release on Friday, November 6.
You just need to take a look at the pedigree of Morning Glory to know what you're in for. It's directed by Roger Mitchell (Notting Hill), written by The Devil Wears Prada and 27 Dresses scribe Aline Brosh McKenna and produced by Mr. Felicity himself, J.J. Abrams. And indeed, the result feels remarkably like a mashup of all of these titles; a paint-by-numbers rehash that almost manages to be so much less than the sum of its parts. Perhaps that’s not entirely fair. Morning Glory (and no, there is no pun intended with the title) kicks off with promise (no pun intended here either). For one it’s lead by the impossibly endearing Rachel McAdams (The Notebook), whose big, bright eyes and infectious enthusiasm positively leap off the screen. She is workaholic morning producer Becky Fuller, who gets retrenched instead of promoted from her New Jersey job and winds up securing a hospital pass of an executive producer spot for a flagging national morning news show, Daybreak. Full of vim and vigour, Becky launches herself into the role, and lays her hopes of revitalisation on securing the talents of former news anchor and heavyweight Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) to co-host with bubbly, if heavily medicated, ex-beauty queen Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton). Let the hilarity and colourful montages ensue. But wait, what about a love interest? Cue Patrick Wilson (Hard Candy), collecting a paycheck as the cute co-worker who teaches the plucky Becky that there's more to life than work. Yes, it's that blatant. Tack on a clumsily written father complex so Becky and the cantankerous Mike can have a heart-to-heart and Morning Glory starts to wilt in front of your eyes. There must have been serious problems along the way because this film feels like it's been edited with a hacksaw. Continuity is all over the place and some dodgy ADR smacks of last minute rewrites. It's a shame, because for all the predictability because elements of film had such crowd-pleasing potential. McAdams is delightful, and Keaton could have been if someone had given her more to do. As the network boss, Jeff Goldblum wrangles the most laughs, while Ford elicits a few chuckles as he grizzles through his lines 'Get off my lawn' style and Wilson is entirely wasted, relegated to twinkling eyes and white teeth. If you manage your expectations, Morning Glory is an adequately diverting way to escape the summer sun for a couple of hours. But for those still basking in the glittering promise of new years resolutions, this film's ham-fisted flaws will be enough to ruin your chi.
Star Wars fans, prepare to punch it on down to Sydney's Powerhouse Museum in November — and prepare to come face to face with 200 original objects from the popular sci-fi franchise at Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition. You might have to wait more than 12 months until Star Wars: Episode IX reaches cinemas late next year, but you can spend your days from November 16, 2018 until June 10, 2019 perusing the items that helped make space opera movie magic happen. Coming to Australia for the first time, that includes costumes, props, models and artworks from the Lucasfilm archives, complete with a galaxy's worth of favourites — think BB-8, R2-D2 and the Millennium Falcon just for starters. Get a glimpse of Yoda, you will, circa Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back. You'll also feel the power-hungry menace radiate from Darth Vader's suit from Star Wars: Episode VII — Return of the Jedi. Star Wars Identities is also an interactive exhibition, with creating your own unique character also part of the experience. If you've ever felt as though you should be hanging out in a cantina somewhere on a remote planet, here's your chance to answer a heap of questions, work through a series of stations and find your inner Star Wars hero. You won't need to use the force — rather, you'll receive a smart technology bracelet and a headset to use while you're in the exhibition. But if you want to say that you are using the force — or even want to give midi-chlorians some credit — no one will stop you. The Powerhouse Museum is no stranger to Star Wars shenanigans, having hosted a weekend's worth of May the Fourth fun earlier this year. For those already planning their costumes for this 90-minute experience, you're welcome to attend as Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker or whichever other character you'd like — but helmets and masks will need to be left in the cloak room, and you'll also need to leave your lightsabers at home. Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition displays at the Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo from November 16, 2018 until June 10, 2019. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the exhibition website.
Still yet to book your Valentine's plans? Lucky for you, King Street Wharf is going all out for V-Day this year. A whole heap of its restaurants and bars have created special set menus for lunch and dinner on Friday, February 14 — so grab your date (or mate) and enjoy a feast by the harbour. For starters, Meat District Co. and Casa Ristorante Italiano are both offering four-course banquets, priced at $75 and $80 respectively. Meat District's set menu comes with a cocktail on arrival, while Casa Italiano's comes with a complimentary glass of bubbles. Both include a Valentine's gift, too. If it's a steak dinner you're after, Steersons Steakhouse is serving up a three-course meals for $99. Or, for a Greek-inspired feast, head to Georges Mediterranean Bar & Grill for two courses ($58) or three courses ($68), both of which include a chocolate treat. Bookings are essential for each venue, so be sure to head to the website and grab a table before it's too late.
Earlier this week, the organisers of Bluesfest announced that the award-winning festival was likely to leave Byron Bay — and NSW altogether — after its 30th anniversary this April in a scathing open letter to the State Government. The letter was a response to the government's stringent new music festival policies, which require them to follow a new licensing regime and, in many cases, spend thousands of dollars on increased police presence. Speaking to the media yesterday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian responded to the letter, saying that Bluesfest is a "fantastic festival" that has "nothing to worry about". Premier Berejiklian continued, saying that Bluesfest was a "low risk" event, despite Festival Director Peter Noble's announcement that, according to the government's new criteria, it was deemed a "high risk event", which meant they were required to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with the new policies. This has led to more confusion about what exactly a low- or high-risk event is — and has exacerbated criticism that the government's new policies lack transparency — with guidelines released by the government saying that the level of risk is based on a number of factors including how many attendees, festival duration and whether on-site camping is taking place. Following this criteria, Bluesfest would be ranked as either a "high" or "extreme" risk event. According to Premier Berejiklian, however, high-risk festivals are events where "we've seen death or serious injury" in the past. Two other NSW music festivals, which were forced to cancel in the past week — Mountains Sounds and Psyfari — were both deemed "high risk". [caption id="attachment_566069" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bluesfest, Andy Fraser.[/caption] Speaking to the SMH yesterday, Bluesfest's Festival Director Mr Noble said they were still considering a move to either Queensland or Victoria. "Both the States of Queensland and Victoria do not have these guidelines... In fact, they invest in music and the live arts," Mr Noble told the SMH. "NSW needs to come an awful way along to start doing the same thing to the levels of the states surrounding them are doing. They're falling behind, and yet they're patting themselves on the back at the same time." While many festivalgoers have lamented the festival's possible relocation, saying "Byron is the Bluesfest, Bluesfest is Bryon", some have embraced it, with suggestions the festival move to Victoria. One Concrete Playground reader wrote, "Victoria The Bellarine Blues Festival 2020". Bluesfest 2019 is scheduled to run from April 18 to April 22 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay. More details and ticket info here. Image: Andy Fraser.
