There's only one thing tastier and more fun than an epic Turkish feast. And that's a an epic Turkish feast combined with an epic Greek feast, overlooking the ever-epic Sydney Harbour. Barangaroo restaurant Anason is bringing you just this on Sunday, August 28. The lunchtime affair will kick off at midday and take the form of a relaxed, four-hour tasting adventure, created by Somer Sivrioglu (Anason) and David Tsirekas (1821). Promised dishes include traditional sesame ring simits with pumpkin hummus, kasseri and mushroom filo pie, and whole lamb on a spit with Ich pilav and smoked eggplant bomb. Following up the savouries will be a massive selection of desserts, like buffalo milk yogurt, honeycomb and pistachio meze, as well as pistachio, almond and pomegranate pudding. Needless to say, you'll be matching them with bucket loads of Turkish wine, beer, ouzo and raki. "We've wanted to collaborate like this for ages and we're excited to host the kind of family picnic-style lunch we've enjoyed our whole lives," said Sivrioglu. "Turkish and Greek cooking traditions date back to the Ottoman Empire and, while the recipes are different in many ways, the two cuisines complement each other well. You just have to come hungry."
Oh, what a day. What a lovely day! Why? Because the first trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has just zipped into existence. Get ready for Anya Taylor-Joy (The Super Mario Bros Movie) in the title role, Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder) co-starring and iconic Australian director George Miller steering the show for the fifth instalment in his dystopian Mad Max franchise. When Furiosa hits cinemas in May 2024, it will have been nine years since Mad Max: Fury Road did the same and became the best action movie of this century so far — and the best Australian flick of the same period, too. That delay means nothing given that there was a 30-gap between 1985's not-so-great Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road's triumphant arrival in 2015, however. More Miller extending his passion project is always worth waiting for. Shot in Australia, Furiosa also arrives after Mad Max: Fury Road proved a six-time Oscar-winning hit, but will add a standalone tale to the saga this time. Yes, it's an origin story. Yes, it dives into the background of the character so memorably played in Fury Road by Charlize Theron (Fast X). Yes, enlisting Taylor-Joy is another casting masterstroke. Furiosa's storyline follows the younger Furiosa as she's taken from the Green Place of Many Mothers, ends up with a biker horde led by Warlord Dementus, and then gets caught in the middle of a war being waged with the Citadel's Immortan Joe — all while trying to escape and get back home. And, as the just-dropped first sneak peek shows, the look and feel is all classic Mad Max. Miller not only directs but co-writes with Mad Max: Fury Road co-scribe Nico Lathouris, while Alyla Browne (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) and Tom Burke (Living) are also among the movie's stars. A heap of Miller's other behind-the-scenes collaborators are back, including production designer Colin Gibson, editor Margaret Sixel, sound mixer Ben Osmo, costume designer Jenny Beavan and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt, all Fury Road Oscar-winners. Check out the trailer for Furiosa below: Furiosa releases in cinemas Down Under on May 23, 2024.
Brunch is always great, and it tastes even better after a good old-fashioned sweat sesh. But, instead of collapsing into any old cafe after your spin class, on Saturday, September 21, you'll be able to do both the exercise and eating components of your morning in the one place: Chin Chin. First up, you'll get the blood pumping, pulling moves to one of Retrosweat's 45-minute 80s-inspired aerobics classes, as guided by founder Shannon Dooley. Think, neon lycra and plenty of Olivia Newton-John 'Physical' vibes. Then, tackle that appetite with a five-course, post-workout shared brunch feast, working a few signature Chin Chin twists. You'll dig into the likes of a wok-fried spanner crab omelette with coriander and sriracha, stir-fried egg noodles starring duck and bean sprouts, and coconut sago with lime curd and pineapple granita to finish. Of course, your aerobics efforts deserve something boozy, so there'll be a range of retro-themed cocktails also on offer. Try the fruity watermelon Fonda Flick Kick, or maybe cool down with the Aperol-infused Lychees in Lycra. Tickets clock in at $55, which include the Retrosweat class and a shared brunch (but no drinks). Come in your activewear and with an empty stomach. Images: Steven Woodburn.
If any Australian musician was going to play Johnny Cash, it would have to be Tex Perkins. It just makes sense. It's the vibe or something. And so he is (playing Johnny Cash I mean).The Man in Black - The Johnny Cash Story is the product of writer Jim McPherson's and musician Tex Perkins' love and veneration of Cash: musical revolutionary and eternal champion of the downtrodden. This is, according to Perkins, no musical but a "live documentary", Cash's greatest hits interwoven with the story of his life - his rise to fame, his struggle with addiction and his relationship with June Carter (played by Rachael Tidd). Backed by the Tennessee Four, the show has already played to sold-out audiences in Melbourne and Brisbane and instigated a bit of a press love-in. Perkins and Cash. It's a winning combination.https://youtube.com/watch?v=1zgja26eNeY
Look at the header. Are those outfits enough to make you want to see this show before you’ve even read anything about it? Probably, but jazzy parachute pants are just one facet of this high voltage streetdance spectacular. Blaze is a hip-hop musical from West End choreographer Anthony van Laast, the man behind the moves of Mamma Mia! and Sister Act. Imagine Britain’s Got Talent or So You Think You Can Dance if everyone had extraordinary amount of talent and actually could dance. Then add dizzying set designs by Es Devlin (who has the London 2012 closing ceremony and Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour on his set design C.V.), seizure-inducing strobes and music by Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, David Guetta and Snoop Dogg. For Blaze’s Australian tour the producers were looking to cast local talent to join the troupe. The show’s Sydney leg will welcome Demi Sorano, self-taught b-girl and So You Think You Can Dance (2008) alumni.
It was one of the best new shows on television — well, streaming — in 2022. It's the reason that everyone has been exclaiming "yes chef!" for the past six months. It's also the source of your beef sandwich obsession, deliciously so. And, it just picked up star Jeremy Allen White a shiny Golden Globe. That'd be The Bear, the first season of which ranked among the most stressful but stellar ways to spend four hours-ish last winter. Expect the show to repeat the feat when the chilly season hits this year, too, because that's when this dramedy gem will return for its second season. The Bear was renewed for season two before the show even made its way Down Under, after debuting in the US in June, then reaching Australia and New Zealand via Disney+ at the end of August. Whether audiences here will experience a delay again in 2023 is yet to be seen — hopefully not, given that it's now an established success — but either way, the series will return in America during our winter. FX's The Bear S2 premieres early summer, with 10 episodes. Only on @hulu. 🐻🥫#TheBearFX @TheBearFX pic.twitter.com/Y5QUBTlzcj — FX Networks (@FXNetworks) January 13, 2023 US network FX, which screens The Bear stateside, announced the news on social media — confirmed that season two will run for ten episodes. That's two extra servings of chaos surrounding Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (White, Shameless) and his culinary endeavours. While season one already saddled him more than his fair share of troubles and struggles, there's no way that season two is going to a cruisy dream for the kitchen ace. If you missed the first season, it jumped into the mayhem after Carmy took over The Original Beef of Chicagoland, his family's business, after his brother Mikey's (Jon Bernthal, We Own This City) suicide. Before returning home, the chef's resume spanned Noma and The French Laundry, as well as awards and acclaim. Accordingly, trying to bring that fine-dining level of meticulous to a neighbourhood sandwich shop didn't go smoothly. That's just the beginning of the story, in a series that truly conveyed what it's like to work in the hospitality industry — including navigating a restaurant kitchen's non-stop intensity. Yes, the mood is anxious from the outset, with The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) starting the series as he definitely meant to go on, but still expertly managing to balance drama and comedy. Also a crucial part of the show: the rest of the impressive cast, such as Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Dropout) as Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend; Ayo Edebiri (Dickinson) as new sous chef Sydney; Abby Elliott (Indebted) as Carmy's sister Natalie, aka Sugar; and Lionel Boyce (Hap and Leonard), Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment) and Edwin Lee Gibson (Fargo) among the other Original Beef staff. You've now got a few months to perfect your sandwich-making skills, ready for The Bear's second helping. Check out the trailer for The Bear season one below: The Bear streams via Disney+. We'll update you with an exact season two release date when one is announced. Read our full review of season one.
Since Studio Ghibli was formed back in 1985, the team behind the Japanese animation powerhouse have been more than a little busy. They've crafted twenty films that have captured the hearts and minds of cinema-going audiences. They've also made 1993 TV movie Ocean Waves, this year's co-production The Red Turtle, and a whole heap of shorts and television commercials. Plus, they worked on a handful of video games, as well as a British stage production of Princess Mononoke. What's missing from that hefty list of enchanting entertainment? An ongoing small screen series, which is something that Studio Ghibli only turned its attention to recently, in fact. Based on the Swedish children's fantasy book of the same name, Ronja the Robber's Daughter (or Sanzoku no Musume Rōnya) is a 26-episode effort co-produced by the studio and directed by Gorō Miyazaki, who also helmed Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill. As his name suggests, yes, he's the son of legendary My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. The show tells the tale of the titular young daughter of a professional thief who grows up exploring a forest filled with mythical creatures. Then Ronja meets Birk, a child from a rival tribe, who forces her to think about her dad's line of work, as well as family, friendship, love and understanding in general. We know what you're thinking: it sounds like classic Ghibli. Ronja the Robber's Daughter actually aired on Japanese TV in late 2014 and early 2015, so the fact that the animation studio has made a television show is kind of old news. But, the Asian Television Award and International Emmy Award-winning series has just been picked up by Amazon, and is finally making its way to broader audiences in an English-language dubbed version released on its Amazon Prime service. On the one hand, even with Gillian Anderson headlining the American voice cast as the show's narrator, dubbed versions of Ghibli films aren't quite the same as the originals. On the other hand, getting to see a Ghibli television series in any form is a reason to rejoice. If their movies can spirit your imagination away, just think what 26 instalments of a TV program can do. There's no word yet as to whether Aussie viewers will get the opportunity to watch Ronja the Robber's Daughter — and if so, how and where — though hopefully this is a step in the right direction. And with Ghibli scaling back their film efforts (and Hayao Miyazaki announcing his retirement, while also working on a computer-animated short and a magical forest park), it's definitely something to look forward to.
Every music festival has its own distinctive traits and drawcards, no matter who happens to be hitting the stage. Held on the banks of the Murray River, Strawberry Fields is no different. Fancy escaping into nature to listen to live and electronic acts, wander through art installations and hit up a bush spa? That's all on this fest's bill. Taking place across the weekend of Friday, November 17–Sunday, November 19 in Tocumwal, New South Wales, this year's Strawberry Fields has just unveiled its lineup, and it's full of impressive names. DJ Seinfeld, Denis Sulta, Todd Terje, Moodymann, Ezra Collective, Booka Shade Moktar and Barkaa are just some of the talents on the list — and yes, it goes on. Fred again's besties and frequent collaborators Joy Anonymous are on the lineup to bring that same brand of euphoric dance music to the regional weekend-long party. Plus, Strawberry Fields' range of extra-curricular activities will be returning. You'll be able to soak away your stresses — not that you should have any at a music fest — at the bush spa. The Moroccan Bedouin lounges and tea ceremonies will be running in the festival's Mirage Motel space, plus the glamping options are back to make your weekend as lavish and as low-maintenance as possible. Also, if you happen to be born on this year's festival dates, you can register to score a free ticket. Happy birthday to you indeed. Strawberry Fields lays claim to being one of the country's most sustainable festivals. It is powered by biodiesel fuel as well as solar power, its rewash revolution system has diverted over 100,000 single-use plastics from landfill, composting toilets are provided and all transport is carbon offset via Treecreds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zh_5l4SgXk STRAWBERRY FIELDS 2023 LINEUP: DJ Acid Pauli Adam Pits B2b Lisene Baby G Bini Bria b2b Evie Claire Morgan Darcy Justice Dee Diggs Deepa Denis Sulta DJ Bone DJ Fuckoff DJ Mell G DJ Pgz DJ Seinfeld DJ Vm Doppel Eli & Fur Elli Acula Handsdown Hausm8s In2stellar Jamz Supernova Jazmine Nikitta Kerry Wallace Kia Manami Moktar Montana Moodymann Muska Jen Mzrizk Other Worlds Other Sounds Phil Stroud Pretty Girl Roza Terenzi b2b D Tiffany Sam Shure Stüm Todd Terje Uone Wax'o Paradiso b2b Lauren Hansom Yi Lum Yikes Live Amadou Suso Barkaa Big Wett Booka Shade Bricky B Carissa Nyalu Children Of Zeus Cinta Close Counters Denni Ezra Collective First Beige Flewnt Foshe Jesswar Jitwam Joy (Anonymous)) Just Emma Kerala Dust Kyoshi Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 (Solo) Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Tim Shiel Minyerra Oden & Fatzo Quarter Street Radhey Gupta Roy Blues Sleep D Slowmango Snow Bros Squid Nebula Sweely The Lahaar Vv Pete Wulumbarra Showcases Still Here @ The Grove Bricky B Dj Vm Denni Flewnt Wulumbarra Minyerra Carissa Nyalu Strawberry Fields takes place at Tocumwal, New South Wales, from Friday, November 17–Sunday, November 19. The final release of tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday, July 18. Head to the festival website for further details. Images: Duncographic
Jimmy Chin is no stranger to peering at the world from angles that most folks don't see. He's also familiar with hitting peaks. As a mountain athlete, scaling great heights has been his job; however, the above descriptions also apply to his work as a filmmaker. With his partner Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, he won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar for Free Solo. Before that, the pair took home an audience award at Sundance for the also climbing-focused Meru. The Rescue, their doco about the efforts to free 12 Thai schoolboys and their soccer coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system, earned them more acclaim — and both Annette Bening (Apples Never Fall) and Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country) scored Academy Award noms for starring in the duo's feature debut Nyad. Get Chin talking, then, and he'll clearly have much to discuss — about his work as a director and a mountaineer alike. On his first appearance in Australia, he's doing just that at Sydney Film Festival and Vivid Sydney. The two events are co-hosting Beyond the Summit with Jimmy Chin, where the Oscar-winner, National Geographic photographer and author will be behind the microphone for one night only. How does someone who clambers up mountains then become a celebrated documentarian? How did skills in the former help with the latter — not just when climbing is the focus on-screen, as was clearly the case with Meru, and also with Free Solo's chronicle of Alex Honnold's El Capitan ascent sans ropes, but in general? Why do extraordinary feats, including Diana Nyad's 110-mile ocean swim, appeal to Chin as a filmmaker? They're just some of the threads that this in-conversation session, which is taking place on Friday, June 13, 2025 at Sydney Town Hall, might cover. Chin will dig into shooting in extreme conditions, too, alongside how being a professional adventurer influences the way he sees the natural world on film. [caption id="attachment_706085" align="alignnone" width="1920"] National Geographic/Jimmy Chin[/caption]
There comes a time every year when we must officially commence the sad countdown to the end of hot summery days and start preparing for our inevitable winter hibernation spent under a blanket watching Netflix. But fortunately, 2018 has more than proved it has a few sunny weeks left, even if summer is well and truly over. To help you absorb the maximum amount of vitamin D into your body before the sun officially sets on warmer climes, we've teamed up with the summer aficionados at Magnum to provide some inspo for things you can do to make the most out of the handful of sunny days we have left. This year, Magnum collaborated with three incredible Australian designers to take its creamy delights to the next level. The sartorial brains behind Romance Was Born, Bec and Bridge and By Johnny were all invited to co-create their own limited edition ice cream flavours to encapsulate their labels' unique styles — and most importantly, to help us savour summer in a stylish way. Romance was Born swirled tangy raspberry with rich chocolate truffle sauce to create a vibrant nod to its otherworldly fashion. Johnny Schembri of By Johnny created a homage to his simple silhouettes in the form of a hazelnut, slightly salted vanilla number. And Bec and Bridge upped the ante on the classic caramelly dulce de leche as a nod to effortless European style. Here's how to worship the last of those summery vibes — fashionable Magnum in hand. SPEND A LAZY DAY BY THE WATER When summer is officially over, it's those long lazy days spent by the sea that we miss the most. So, pack your towel, a sensible amount of SPF, a selection of fresh fruits and a sneaky box of dulce de leche Magnums by Bec and Bridge in a cooler bag, and make the most of the warm days where you can justify spending an entire day laying in the sun. Be sure you invite that one responsible adult friend who brings a waterproof speaker and an esky full of cool drinks so you can fully honour the sun gods by listening to some sweet beats. Where? Wylie's Baths in Sydney, St Kilda Beach in Melbourne and Stradbroke Island near Brisbane. INDULGE IN A LITTLE ALFRESCO DINING AND A MOVIE While the weather permits, there are plenty of amazing spots to indulge in some outdoor dining — extra points if you support your local food scene by picking an eatery that's cosy and family-owned. Enjoy a hearty meal, but forgo any decadent dessert. Instead, pick up a box of By Johnny hazelnut salted vanilla Magnums so you can have one while you stroll to the cinema to catch one of the many amazing Oscar-nominated films that are still showing. If there's still stomach room, be the envy of your fellow choc-toppers, when you whip out another secret squirrel Magnum during the previews. Where? Hayden Orpheum in Sydney, The Astor Theatre in Melbourne and New Farm Cinemas in Brisbane. PICNIC AMONG THE FLOWERS Savour the remaining warm afternoons by gathering some close friends, finding a sunny spot in the park and summoning all your foodie powers to create the most exquisite picnic to say goodbye to summer once and for all. Think mismatched picnic blankets, wicker baskets filled with a few bottles of rose and a world of delectable treats. Take your spread to the next level by investing in an array of cheeses (you can never have too many), a selection of cold cuts from a local deli, a few punnets of fresh berries and — for something a little wild — an esky full of raspberry chocolate truffle Magnums by the lords of whimsy at Romance was Born. Where? The Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Savour the last days of warmth outside and with a luxe Magnum in hand.
When it was announced back in 2016 that Moulin Rouge! was being turned into a stage musical, fans around the world thought the same thing in unison: the show must go on. Since then, the lavish production premiered in the US in 2018, then hit Broadway in 2019, and also announced that it'd head Down Under in 2021 — and if you're an Aussie wondering when the latter would actually happen after all the chaos of the past two years, the same mantra thankfully applies to its upcoming Melbourne season. Originally set to debut in August — a date that was obviously delayed due to lockdown — Moulin Rouge! The Musical will now make its Australian debut at Melbourne's revamped Regent Theatre on Friday, November 12. It'll do so as a newly minted Tony-winner, too, after picking up ten awards earlier in October, and also becoming the first-ever Aussie-produced show to win the Tony for Best Musical. Based on Baz Luhrmann's award-winning, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor-starring movie — which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year — the stage musical brings to life the famed Belle Époque tale of young composer Christian and his heady romance with Satine, actress and star of the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret. Set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, the film is known for its soundtrack, celebrating iconic tunes from across the past five decades. The stage version carries on the legacy, backing those favourites with even more hit songs that have been released in the two decades since the movie premiered. The musical comes to Melbourne in the hands of production company Global Creatures, along with the Victorian Government. The Government is also a big player behind the Regent's upgrade works, having dropped a cool $14.5 million towards the $19.4 million project. It co-owns the site, along with the City of Melbourne. Moulin Rouge! The Musical's spectacular spectacular Melbourne season is set to stick around for a while, with tickets currently on sale until early April. You might want to get in quickly if you're keen on heading along, though — when pre-sale tickets were put up for grabs back in February for the original August dates, they broke the Regent Theatre's record for the most pre-sale tickets sold in a single day. Moulin Rouge! The Musical will hit The Regent Theatre, at 191 Collins Street, Melbourne from Friday, November 12. For further details or to buy tickets, head to the production's website. Moulin Rouge! The Musical image: Matthew Murphy.
Come November, if you're keen on travelling to a galaxy far, far away, you won't need to visit your local cinema. Disney is getting into the streaming game and, when it launches its new Disney+ platform, it'll do so with the first-ever live-action Star Wars spinoff television series, The Mandalorian. One of the most anticipated shows of the year on this (or any other) planet, The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter who hails from the planet Mandalore and roams the outer reaches of the universe. His bullet-slinging antics happen far from the prying eyes of the New Republic, with the series set after the fall of the Empire — that is, after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi but before Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. If the basic premise isn't enough cause for excitement, then the stacked cast will help — it includes Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal and Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito, plus Nick Nolte, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Ming-Na Wen, and none other than iconic director and occasional actor Werner Herzog. Behind the scenes, The Mandalorian also boasts plenty of big names, with The Lion King's Jon Favreau calling the shots (as the program's creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer), and Taika Waititi among its series' directors. Waititi will also voice a new droid, called IG-11. After announcing the show last year, Disney has been keeping the details as secret as possible; however, if you've been keener than Han Solo in any cantina in the galaxy to get a glimpse — here's your chance. With the Mouse House holding its huge D23 convention over the past weekend, the company has just dropped its first trailer for the series. You can't include Herzog among your on-screen talent without making use of his inimitable voice, which this initial clip does perfectly, reminding us that bounty hunting is a complicated profession. Of course, that's not all that's in store — check out the initial preview below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOC8E8z_ifw The Mandalorian will hit Disney+ when it launches Down Under on November 19.
We all know Bond. Yes, James Bond. Since his introduction into the world in 1953, audiences have fallen in love with 007, whether he's chasing a plane on horseback, sledding down a snowy hill on a cello case (beautiful woman in tow), or performing his famous bridge jump. Perhaps the most iconic images of Bond involve his famous cars that pair ever-so nicely with his high-speed life of covert operations. Car dealership Evans Halshaw has traced 007's most iconic cars to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Bond and in honour of the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. Here are ten of Concrete Playground's favourite James Bond vehicles. For the full collection of images made by Evans Halshaw check them out here. There's everything from his Aston Martin DB5, which was featured in six Bond films, to his most recent car, the Land Rover Defender which appears in Skyfall.
If finding out when and where Groovin the Moo is taking place in 2024 didn't get you pumped enough, here comes the next piece of exciting news: who'll be taking to the large-scale touring music festival's stages this year. The just-dropped lineup spans a hefty and impressive list of talent, including Wu-Tang Clan's GZA, Spice Girl Melanie C doing a DJ set, The Kooks, The Beaches and Alison Wonderland. Stephen Sanchez, Armani White, Kenya Grace, King Stingray, DMA's, Jet, The Jungle Giants, Mallrat and San Cisco are all also on the bill, alongside Hot Dub Time Machine, Mura Masa, Claire Rosinkranz, Jessie Reyez, Meduza and The Rions — and more. Six states and territories, six locations, six reasons for a road trip: that's the setup. Largely taking tunes beyond Australia's capital cities, Groovin the Moo will traverse the country in April and May, again hitting up South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. In New South Wales, festivalgoers also have a new location to head to, with Groovin the Moo making a major move in 2024. Instead of taking place at its previous site in Maitland, the fest will pop up in Newcastle, with Foreshore Park its new home. The change comes after feedback from attendees, especially regarding transport and accommodation. In all other states and territories, the festival will settle into the same spots as last year — starting at Adelaide Showground, then hitting Exhibition Park in Canberra and Bendigo's Prince of Wales Showgrounds. After the Newcastle spot, Groovin the Moo will move on to Sunshine Coast Stadium Precinct, then Bunbury's Hay Park. Carla From Bankstown and Mowgli May are on hosting duties at Groovin the Moo 2024, and there's still some names to come, with the Triple J Unearthed, Fresh Produce artists and community programs yet to be announced. [caption id="attachment_938500" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gilbert Sanchez[/caption] Groovin the Moo 2024 Lineup: Alison Wonderland Armani White The Beaches Claire Rosinkranz DMA's The Grogans Gza (Wu-Tang) & The Phunky Nomads Hot Dub Time Machine Jacoténe Jessie Reyez Jet The Jungle Giants Kenya Grace King Stingray The Kooks Mallrat Meduza Melanie C DJ set Mura Masa DJ set Nerve & Friends (Ecb & Cloe Terare) The Rions San Cisco Stephen Sanchez Hosts: Carla From Bankstown Mowgli May Triple J Unearthed, Fresh Produce artists and community programs still to be announced Groovin the Moo 2024 Dates and Venues: Thursday, April 25 — Adelaide Showground, Kaurna Country, Wayville, South Australia Friday, April 26 — Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country, Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory Saturday, April 27 — Bendigo's Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Dja Dja Wurrung Country, Bendigo, Victoria Saturday, May 4 — Foreshore Park, Awabakal Land, Newcastle, New South Wales Sunday, May 5 — Sunshine Coast Stadium Precinct, Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country, Warana, Queensland Saturday, May 11 — Hay Park, Wardandi Noongar Country, Bunbury, Western Australia Groovin the Moo will tour Australia in April and May 2024, with tickets on sale from Tuesday, February 6 at 12pm local time for Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast, 2pm local time for Bendigo, 3pm local time for Wayville, 4pm local time for Bunbury and 5pm local time for Canberra. For more information, head to the festival's website. Groovin the Moo images: Jordan Munns.
Cinco de Mayo is the annual May event celebrating Mexican culture and heritage. Although a relatively minor holiday in Mexico (compared with el Día de los Muertos), it has become a huge holiday in the US — and Australia has cottoned-on to the festive day, too. To celebrate, nationwide Mexican chain, Guzman y Gomez, is offering up $5 burritos, bowls and Coronas all day on Sunday, May 5. Taking place in-store at all Guzman y Gomez stores around Australia, the $5 promotion will be limited to either two burritos, breakfast burritos, mini burritos or burrito bowls per person, per visit. The $5 Coronas will be fair game though and available at all of the chain's licensed outposts. [caption id="attachment_718065" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Guzman y Gomez burrito bowl[/caption] Historically, the holiday commemorates the Mexican army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. But now Cinco de Mayo has grown into a day that celebrates many facets of Mexican culture, particularly the country's culinary feats. Guzman y Gomez's $5 promotion will be available at all Sydney and Melbourne stores on Sunday, May 5. To find your closest location, head to the website.
In 2014, White Henry was one of the first cafes to open in Parramatta's hidden laneways. Today, its black metal stools and timber-topped tables are busy with a stream of regulars. The major drawcard is White Henry's house blend: Blue Stag. Carefully refined over years of research and cupping, this brew involves three kinds of arabica beans, creating a chocolatey body with fruity, spicy notes. If you're more of an experimental drinker, try the single origin, which changes from week to week. Given such a heavy focus on coffee, the food menu is short, sweet and affordable. At brekkie, think banana bread, wraps and smashed avo; at lunch, go for a salad box, sourdough sandwich or Turkish roll. Despite being so tucked away, White Henry catches quite a bit of sun light. Even on cool, wintry days, it's an uplifting, peaceful spot to take five from Parramatta's rapidly growing CBD.
It might just be Australia's brightest festival, and it's returning to light up Alice Springs once again. That'd be Parrtjima - A Festival In Light, which will deliver its sixth annual program between Friday, April 9–Sunday, April 18 — returning to the autumn time slot it established in 2019. After a chaotic 2020, which saw the event postponed to September due to lockdowns and restrictions — and offer a virtual tour, too — the fest has big plans for 2021. First revealing last month that it'd be back this April, the event has now unveiled its full lineup. Dazzling light installations feature heavily across the Alice Springs CBD's Alice Springs Todd Mall, as well as at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct just out of town, anchoring the festival's free ten-day public celebration of Indigenous arts, culture, music and storytelling. This time around, the event is corralling its program around the theme 'future kultcha', with a particular focus on "intergenerational wisdom told through light, interactive workshops, art, music, films, performance and the spoken word". Taking care of the light side of things are 'Landing Kultcha', which'll use light tubes of different lengths, span 20 metres in length and provide quite the entranceway — plus 'Grounded Kultcha', which will project an animated sequence of curated artworks onto the sands of Alice Springs Desert Park. [caption id="attachment_799418" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Artist's impression of 'Merging Kutcha'[/caption] There's also 'Merging Kultcha', which features a train of five illuminated camels; 'Tailoring Kultcha', with light and textiles used to transform Todd Mall; and 'Harvesting Kultcha', an interactive game for all ages that's inspired by the constant movement in a honey-ant nest. Or, thanks to 'Revolving Kutcha', there'll be shields, coolamons and skateboards, including one large central piece that'll range between six to eight metres high, plus eight other two-metre-tall sculptures. As it always does, the festival's main attraction will glow far and wide. Once again, a huge artwork will transform a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic, 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival. The installation is being called 'Spirit Kultcha' this year, and it'll include a soundscape by Electric Fields. [caption id="attachment_799417" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Artist's impression of 'Landing Kutcha'[/caption] More than 55 artists are involved with the full Parrtjima program, which spans live music from Electric Fields and Casey Donovan, as well as Miiesha, MusicNT's Divas, Jimblah, Bow and Arrow, Dobby, OKA, Ziggy Ramo and Shellie Morris. If you're keen to listen to a few talks as well, the speaker list includes writer Bruce Pascoe, artists Jungala Kriss and Raymond Walters Japanangka, and Professor Marcia Langton AM — and films such as 50s classic Jedda and musical comedy Bran Nue Dae are on the movie lineup. Attendees can also dine under the stars at the Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct, thanks to a dinner that's a first for the fest. Of course, Parrtjima is just one of Northern Territory's two glowing attractions in 2021, with Australia's Red Centre lighting up in multiple ways. The festival is a nice supplement to Bruce Munro's Field of Light installation, which — after multiple extensions — is now on display indefinitely. If you're keen to start making Parrtjima plans, remember to check out the Northern Territory's COVID-19 border restrictions first. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs from April 9–18, 2021 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Top images: Rachel Wallace, Greg McAdam, Lachlan Dodds Watson.
To paraphrase Mariah Carey, "all I want for Christmas is a leafy wine bar with a sunlit terrace and fairy lights where I can enjoy drinks with friends after dark." She might have been referring to The Winery Sydney. You can celebrate the festive season at the perennially chic-yet-unpretentious urban drinking hole in the heart of Surry Hills for a long lunch, afternoon drinks or dinner in the private dining room. But if, like many of us, you encounter speed bumps when it comes to planning the perfect holiday party in an attempt to please everyone, just give them the gift of choice (so you don't have to exercise your own). Here to save the day is Australian Venue Co. by making gift vouchers for one of their pubs, bars, or restaurants available for purchase. You can grab a voucher online and then you or your loved one can use it at one of the 200+ venues Australia-wide and more than 10 in Sydney alone. They make an excellent last-minute pressie or corporate reward for a hard-working member of your team (who definitely deserves at drink). Available to buy online and ready for immediate use, the hardest part of buying an Australian Venue Co. gift card is browsing through their list of available options for a little inspiration.
As part of the NSW Government's $3.4 billion revamp of Darling Harbour, Lendlease is building a six-storey Japanese-designed development called Darling Exchange. And at its heart is a whizzbang, high-tech library. Stretching over two storeys, the library will house much more more than just books. It's been planned with start-ups, entrepreneurs and makers in mind, so look out for a Makerspace and IQ-Hub, with oodles of room for collaborations, workshops, meetings and events. "Working with Lendlease, we're developing a library where innovative, creative and sustainable communities can thrive," says Lord Mayor Clover Moore. "Encouraging entrepreneurs to start and build global businesses will create more jobs, boost our economy, strengthen global connections and make the city a more attractive place to live, work and visit." The library is four times the size of the one it will take the place of at Haymarket, which occupies a heritage building at 744 George Street. It shouldn't be hard to find — the building, designed by Kengo Kuma, will be wrapped in a facade made of 20 kilometres of recycled timber. In addition to the library, there'll be a market hall, a child care centre, a mezzanine restaurant and a rooftop bar overlooking Tumbalong Park, the Chinese Gardens and Cockle Bay.
Last year, David Walsh, founder of Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) first announced plans for an epic five-star hotel — among other things — on the site of the iconic Hobart gallery. Now, it's one step closer to becoming a reality, with Walsh submitting a development application for approval. The Hotel at MONA — which has changed it's name from HoMo to Motown — has been described as the next phase of growth for the museum, which, since opening in 2011, has become one of Tasmania's biggest draws. So now that the wheels are officially in motion, what exactly can visitors (and locals) expect from the proposed addition to the Berridale site? And what other changes do Walsh and co. have up their sleeves? Well, a lot. The hotel, designed by architect Nonda Katsalidis and Walsh, will be built on the museum's current site in Berridale. With rooms elevated over the Derwent River, it's designed to look like an inverted suspension bridge, though in a statement released by MONA, it's described as "a shopping trolley that looks a bit like an inverted suspension bridge". Motown will consist of 176 rooms, including a number of special 'experience' rooms developed by a selection of internationally renowned artists. Rooms facing the northeast will enjoy a view of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington, while rooms facing southeast will look up the river towards Claremont and Otago Bay. It looks nuts. It will also have its own three-storey library to house Walsh's collection of rare books and manuscripts ("a growing nerd fest of bibliophilic paraphernalia") and an indoor theatre with seating for over 1000 people. Most notably, there will also be an outdoor stage and amphitheatre complete with playgrounds designed by textile artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam, American sculptor Tom Otterness and design studio Daily tous les jours. Back inside, there'll be a new bar and 180-seat restaurant, and with MONA already home to the acclaimed Faro — which has its own bespoke James Turrell installations — we can expect it to be impressive. Speaking of Turrell, the world-famous artist, who's best known for his artworks combining light, space and psychology, will be designing the hotel's spa alongside Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović. We don't think there are going to be any of your run-of-the-mill hot stone treatments or mani-pedis here. And how do you get to the colossal hotel, which is perched on the edge of the River Derwent? By Venice-style water taxis, of course. With construction hoping to kick off relatively soon the building is expected to be completed by 2024 — although the plans still need to be approved by the Glenorchy City Council. It's an ambitious project with an equally ambitious price tag: around $400 million. We'll be keeping an eye on this one. Motown is slated for completion in 2024. For more information, head to the MONA website.
In an odd, tucked-away little gallery in Pyrmont are two odd little exhibitions, one boarding a tripped-out ship to Planet Suburbia, the other stepping into a SUPERDOOPER HYPERDOME heaving with hues. What? You may ask. I was also perplexed and so trekked for what felt like hours through a squelchy, hot sun to the Horus & Deloris art space, where I was let in by an anonymous female voice on the intercom. Inside, it was pleasantly cool, and empty . . . apart from some ginormous cut-out cartoon characters surfing on whale-map waves next to cash note skyscrapers. This gallery was Pre-Medicated, a collaboration between artists Jo Cuzzi, Scary D and Emma Pressman, comprising small-scale box dioramas, a video installation, and the huge wall cut-out that greets you as you walk in. Neon aliens, angry dice and florid tea-cups tumbled. I still didn’t really understand what was going on, and the exhibition description didn’t help much: “Way up, way down and way out, in the suburbs, on the beach and in the jungle the sense of imminent disaster wrestles genres and provokes uncertainty in an anti-climatic, multidimensional cardboard crisis.” Upstairs was a bit calmer, with David Peddle’s debut solo show The World Doesn’t Revolve Around You. Except by ‘you’, he means ‘him’: “Through a process of exploratory elimination and faux-frenetic daubing, he seeks to explore the notion that the world truly does not revolve around him . . . Or does it?” These works were mesmeric slices of colour, suggesting shapes and shafts of light, but thankfully never truly arriving at anything literal. All the ones I liked were sold already — which is a shame because I probably also need reminding that I am not the Earth’s axis. Horus & Deloris is owned by twins Caroline and Nick Wales. If these wildly different exhibitions are anything to go by, I’d say they’re not identical.
Whether you cycle like Cadel, deliver a backhand like Federer, swim like Thorpie or can't do any of the above and wish you could, there's an abundance of reasons to drop by Prince Alfred Park this Saturday. Having just received its first facelift in 50 years (to the tune of $9 million) Prince Alfred Park is now home to Sydney's first fully accessible, heated outdoor pool, five international standard tennis courts, two basketball courts, a 1km exercise circuit, two children's playgrounds, barbecues, picnic areas, an underground stormwater recycling system and hundreds of new plants. What's more, spring is here. So, the City of Sydney is inviting the community to celebrate this Saturday. There'll be free bicycle tune-ups, Try2Wheels, learn-to-swim classes, synchronised swimming shows, free food, live music and roving entertainers. When the council's action finishes up at 1pm, Eastside Radio's Global Rhythms Music Festival will keep the party going.
When Saturday or Sunday hits and you're in need of some sustenance — to soak up the previous night's excesses, or just to start the day — fried chicken is a mighty tasty option. Pair that chook with a few icy beverages (of the boozy variety, of course), and you're clearly beginning the day as you mean to go on. That's what is on the menu at Johnny Bird each weekend, up until 3pm. For $30, you'll be able to sip bottomless bloody marys and frozen margaritas — but you will also need to buy something to eat. Helpfully, Johnny Bird has just launched a new dish that's only available on weekends until 3pm, too, and it's one of the best uses of fried chicken there is. That'd be chicken and waffles, a combination that instantly sounds like it shouldn't work but 100-percent does. This version costs $16. and comes with whipped honey butter and berry compote. You can also take your pick from the regular fried chicken and burger lineup if you'd prefer.
With the end of the year rushing in and those stress levels creeping ever upwards, you're probably more than due for a spot of pampering. In which case, it might be time to get acquainted with Vaucluse's blissed-out wellness destination, Sol Spa. This little oasis is sister and neighbour to farm-to-table restaurant The Botanica Vaucluse, and it shares the same philosophies around wellness, nature and health. Both the restaurant and the spa opened earlier this year, but the spa is now in full swing. There's a broad menu of treatments on offer, from body scrubs, signature massages and facials, to traditional holistic therapies like the Shirodhara relaxation treatment, where warm oil is gently poured on the third eye. Dialling up the lushness levels, Sol Spa even makes its own organic, almond-based aromatherapy oils, designed to heal and detoxify. If a full-body session is on the cards, you'll find a range of two-hour packages promising complete indulgence, including one combining a dry body brush, hydrating coconut scrub, steam shower, full-body massage, pressure point facial massage and scalp massage. Of course this doesn't come cheap — the two-hour packages cost upwards for $200. But, if money isn't an issue, you can round out the experience in the spa's courtyard feasting on an exclusive Sol Spa bento box designed by The Botanica Executive Chef Perry Hill. Treat that newly pampered bod to some seasonal, organic fare, like crisp fried Red Gate Farm quail with kale and sunflower seeds, roast heirloom carrots teamed with hummus, blood lime and macadamia nuts, and pickled globe artichoke and chickpea fritters. The Botanica and Sol Spa are actually part of Mark Moran Vaucluse, a luxury $115 million aged care facility on Old South Head Road. Not that it's anything like a traditional retirement village — the place is fancy and, in any case, the restaurant and spa have their own entrances. Find Sol Spa at The Botanica Vaucluse, 2 Laguna Street, Vaucluse.
Sydney has no shortage of sunny rooftops and quaint hole-in-the-wall bars ready to serve you up a cocktail seven days a week, but if you're looking to experience the best cocktails the city has to offer, Maybe Sammy should be top of your list. The Rocks cocktail bar was named the 11th best bar in the world last year and to kick the new year off in style, it has revealed a brand new cocktail list featuring 20 inventive creations. Themed around the bar's namesake Sammy Davis Jr and his 1977 performance at the Sydney Opera House, the Sammy Davis Jr 'In Person' menu features nine exciting mixes. There's the Too Close for Comfort, a combination of Michter's rye whiskey with a porcini mushroom-infused vermouth and an in-house made porcini distillate perfume; 'Till You Hear the Bell, a riff on a margarita with bell pepper and palo santo (a medicinal tree native to South America); Mr Bojangles with peanut butter, whiskey and fermented honey; and Bang Bang, which is topped with a bergamot bubble. Also on the menu is the Eee-O-Eleven, a reference to both a classic Davis Junior song and Maybe Sammy's placement on the World's Best Bars list. The pineapple rum-based delight is poured over Mapo mango gelato and complemented with coconut, lime and banana. For those on a budget — or those looking to sample more of the menu — four new mini cocktails are now on offer for $11 each, including mini versions of the bar's signature drinks such as the Mini Sammy, which mixes Ketel One vodka, St Germain elderflower and house-made cranberry shrub. High roller cocktails, take home cocktails and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic coffee-based drinks all maintain their spots on the menu alongside the bars extensive wine list. Check out the full menu at Maybe Sammy's website or drop in for a rundown in person. [caption id="attachment_794854" align="alignnone" width="1920"] DS Oficina[/caption] Maybe Sammy is located at 115 Harrington Street, The Rocks and is open from 4.30pm–12am Wednesday and Thursday and 4.30pm–1am Friday and Saturday. Top images: Daniele Massacci
One of the undisputed icons of West Coast hip hop, Ice Cube is on his way to Sydney. The rap pioneer will take the stage at the Opera House, performing four exclusive shows as part of Vivid Live 2018. The epic set will see Ice Cube roll out his greatest hits, from his days with the ground-breaking group N.W.A. to his blistering solo career. So expect to hear everything from 'Straight Outta Compton' to 'It Was A Good Day'. With no other Australian dates in pipelines, this shapes up as something hip hop fans can't afford to miss — it's the first time a rapper has performed in the Concert Hall as part of Vivid Live. Mark it in your calendar, May 25–28, and snag yourself some tickets — they're selling fast.
Cafes, bars and restaurants aren't generally known for being lucratively profitable (unless you're a celebrity restaurateur, say, or a certain hospitality juggernaut in Sydney). But Cost Price Cafe is taking it to the other extreme — it makes zero profits. The cafe, which launched in March this year, serves uni students and workers alike from its truck in Marshall Park. The prices of its items are fluid, changing every fortnight. At present, it's selling small coffees for $2.50, large for $3, tea for $1 and biscuits for 50 cents. There's no extra charge for alternative milk or an extra shot and you also get a 20-cent discount if you bring in a reusable cup. The items are costed as such to cover wages, ingredients and other essentials — but if the cafe sells more than expected and "makes a profit" the price of the items will decrease. And owner Leonie Bucher expects that they will — she explains in a graph on the cafe's Facebook page that if the cafe consistently sell 150 coffees a day, the price will go down to $1.48. To maintain transparency, you'll be able to monitor the current price of coffee — as well as the cafe's other costs — on its Facebook page. It's a bold idea, but here's hoping you'll be able to swing $1 coffee sometime soon. Find Cost Price cafe Marshall Park, Kelvin Grove Road, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane. It is open from 6.30am to 11.30am, Monday to Friday. For more info, visit costpricecafe.com.au.
It took almost two years, 10,000 nautical miles, a run in with Egyptian pirates and a stint in liquor licence limbo, but Sydney's permanent floating venue is finally ready to open to the public. While Seadeck arrived in Sydney back in April and gloriously set sail out of the harbour's Superyacht Marina, up until now it's only been available for private hire due to a lack of liquor licence. But now they've got the go-ahead and will open to punters imminently. The boat itself is quite impressive. It's a 42-metre, 450-passenger, handcrafted vessel — from the handmade tiles and custom-designed brass bar to the bespoke furniture from every corner of the glove, everything you see was tailored just for this experience. Even the palm trees, standing four metres tall, took a dozen specialists to make to the right specifications. Each of the three decks is connected by sweeping staircases and cast iron lace railings, an homage to Hollywood's golden age of the '20s, '30s and '40s. Yes, it's the epitome of swank. Back in April, we sat down with the team behind this massive venture — that's managing partner Scott Robertson (Future Music Festival, DIVISION Agency), executive chef Drew Bolton (Vine Double Bay) and design director Alex Zabotto-Bentley (AZBcreative). To set the record straight, it's not the party boat everyone thought it would be. "It isn't a night club, it's all about impeccable service, beautiful food and nice drinks," says Robertson. Bolton is happy to help with that, bringing the Vine ethos to Seadeck. "At Vine, we reinvent modern European flavours with great respect for regional produce," says Bolton. "At Seadeck, our food will also be very produce drive but more casual and playful," he adds. The focus will be on bar friendly snacks, like fresh ceviche, oysters and lobster rolls, but patrons should still expect the refined food experience that Vine exudes. The music focus has unfortunately been cooled by the foreshore authority, which banned all water-based parties back in 2014. You'd expect this to be quite the blow to Robertson, who has eighteen years' experience in the music scene, but he takes it all in stride. "Seadeck is what Sydney needs and also fits into the current rigid framework," he says. "We have the most beautiful harbour in the world and we want to reflect that while providing a luxurious experience." Design-wise, this lap of luxury is the handiwork of Zabotto-Bentley, who radiates passion about the vessel. "Imagine it's the 1930s and you're cruising the Nile or the Dalmatia Coast," he says. "The people on board were seen to be on a floating oasis in the middle of the sea, and that's what we want to recreate here." Get us on board, stat. Seadeck will be open to the public shortly. Check their Facebook page for an official launch date. By Marissa Ciampi and Lauren Vadnjal.
There have been countless adaptations of Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers, but possibly none so colourfully inanimate as garden gnomes. It’s a hilarious conceit for a jubilant kids’ animation, which stems from warring next-door neighbours Mr. Capulet and Miss Montague, whose bitter, green-thumbed grudge is fought on the frontline with their gardens’ keepers and protectors, the gnomes. Periodically, this pint-sized rivalry between the ‘Reds’ and the ‘Blues’ spills out onto the lane way, where lawnmower drag races seek to settle the score. The best drivers are none other than Gnomeo (James McAvoy), a wily Blue, and burley Red Tybalt (Jason Statham). But this cement feud is cast into sharp relief once Gnomeo falls head over heels for the spunky and outgoing Juliet (Emily Blunt). It’s obvious that writer/director Kelly Asbury (Shrek 2) and his team of co-writers had a truckload of fun adapting Master Shakespeare into a gloriously kitschy 3D garden spectacle. The film is replete with sight gags and playfully sketched supporting characters, from the scene-stealing frog nurse Nanette (Ashley Jensen), to Gnomeo’s cute pet Shroom and a cooped up pink flamingo Featherstone (Jim Cummings). There’s even a little dude running around in a mankini, Borat-style, as well as a cameo from the Bard himself (perfectly voiced by Patrick Stewart), while the likes of Michael Caine, Dolly Parton, Ozzy Ozborne, Matt Lucas and Stephen Merchant help round out the star-studded cast. The final set of pipes in this joyous revamp is none other than Elton John, who raided his classics for the soundtrack as well executive produced the film with his partner David Furnish. There is something unbelievably cool about tapping your toes to Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man, and Bennie And The Jets while adorable little gnomes cavort about and ultimately wreak havoc on screen. If a Shakespeare/Elton John combo won’t see parents (and grandparents) happily sitting through some G-rated frivolity, then surely nothing will. Gnomeo & Juliet may not quite be visually or creatively up there in Toy Story territory, but its full of beans, cleverly written, and hands down the most fun you’ll have watching a garden gnome since Amelie.
Already home to a natural landmark that can be seen from space, as well as a luminous installation that brightens up the night sky, the Northern Territory is about to add another stellar sight — and site — to its list. From next year, Australia's Top End will make history when it becomes the first privately-owned location outside of the United States to launch NASA rockets. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility is partnering with the NT's Arnhem Space Centre, SBS reports, with private outfit Equatorial Launch Australia receiving the contract to provide temporary launch facilities in the southern hemisphere. Four rockets, measuring approximately 15 metres high, are expected to launch from the spaceport next year according to the ABC, with each spending around 15 minutes in suborbital space. Their purpose: scientific investigations. Already a lure for tourists, it was Arnhem Land's distinctive landscape and geographical location that reportedly proved an attraction — with NASA clearly taking the Top End moniker literally. The ASC is located in Nhulunbuy, around 700 kilometres east of Darwin. While NASA won't take off from the site until next year, it's expected that the ASC will be ready to launch small rockets by the end of this year. Even better — the centre is planning to launch spaceflights in 2020. The news comes as Australia keeps stepping up its space game — or reigniting it after closing down the Australian Space Office back in 1996. The federal government announced formed the Australian Space Agency in 2018, and revealed that it'd be headquartered in Adelaide from this year. In a statement, ASA Head Dr Megan Clark AC said that "NASA's interest in conducting a sounding rocket campaign in Australia shows the increasing importance of commercial launch activities from Australia". Via: SBS/ABC. Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls.
Rock legend Patti Smith will soon see her most iconic pageturner made into your newest binge watch. The 68-year-old's immortal Just Kids memoir is being made into a Showtime miniseries. The best bit? Smith is producing and co-writing the series — alongside Penny Dreadful showrunner John Logan. Announced at this year's Television Critics Association press tour, Showtime’s new series will follow Smith's National Book Award-winning memoir detailing her years spent living in New York City with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. No cast or release date has been announced, but uppity predictions will inevitably flow over the next few months. Costumes though: It goes without saying, the series already has one hell of a script. Smith, whose sequel memoir M Train is set to hit shelves on October 6, is keen to delve further into her own NYC youth with the series. “A limited series on Showtime will allow us to explore the characters more deeply, enabling us to develop stories beyond the book and allow a measure of unorthodox presentation,” said Smith in her media statement. “The medium of a television limited series offers narrative freedom and a chance to expand upon the themes of the book.” Via Flavorwire.
Whether it was trying a new creative project during isolation or taking advantage of all of the free digital content made available, you've likely gained a newfound respect for those in creative industries over the past few months. These artists, designers and musicians are such an important part of Sydney's nightlife — and unfortunately have also been among those whose work was most affected by social restrictions on public gatherings. So, we teamed up with Miller Genuine Draft to bring you this year's Miller Design Lab. It's a platform that celebrates those leading artistic minds that make our nightlife special — and gives you tips for harnessing creativity and self-expression to transform your own space, too. As part of this project, Miller collaborated with Bellroy and US designer Jeff Staple to create a limited-edition version of the Melbourne-based brand's classic sling bag. And when we say limited-edition, we mean it — there were only 86 of these bags made, and we've managed to get our hands on one to give away. This sleek leather bag is completely customisable and comes with paint and brushes so you can flex those creative skills you've been working on in iso. Need some inspiration? Check out how digital artist Nema Adel, muralist Sarah McCloskey and musician Milan Ring customised their bags first. Alongside this Bellroy x Jeff Staple custom kit, we also have five prize packs to give away, which include a Bellroy sling bag and wallet. Enter your details below to be in the running. [competition]773198[/competition]
If you cycle through the city on the regular, but have ever fallen victim to the chaos of Oxford Street, here's some good news. The City of Sydney has announced the CBD is getting a new cycleway, running from Taylor Square to the city centre. The protected path will travel for 1.7 kilometres through the middle of Oxford, Liverpool and College streets, connecting some of Sydney's busiest cycling routes. By running the cycleway through the centre of Oxford Street, it won't impact the bus lane, parking, taxi ranks and loading zones that currently occupy the sides of the street. The cycleway aims to reduce traffic and increase safety on Oxford Street, one of Sydney's busiest bike routes and one of its least safe. According to the Council, over 2000 bike trips are taken down Oxford each day and it has the most reported crashes of any street in the area. This Oxford Street bike path announcement follows the expansion of Sydney's cycleways back in June, which saw the creation of temporary cycle lanes in Erskineville, Pyrmont, Rosebery and the CBD. [caption id="attachment_790906" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A map of the new Oxford Street cycleway[/caption] The cycleways are part of a larger City of Sydney plan to breathe new life into Oxford Street, including the expansion of cultural spaces on the street. "The proposed cycleway will help reduce the impact of noise and pollution, provide a safe space for people to ride on the road, and encourage people to stop and enjoy local cafes, restaurants and local businesses," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore in a statement. Work on the cycleway is expected to start May 2021 and be completed by June. The City of Sydney is currently running a four-week community consultation and you can give your feedback at the Sydney Your Say website. While next year's Mardi Gras is happening at the SCG, future parades won't be impacted by the cycleway. Thanks to "easily removable" separators, it can be packed away for big events. Read more information on the newly proposed cycleways at the City of Sydney's website.
He captured imaginations and made his artistic mark with big-screen hits like The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. And, he once designed a Milan cafe that resembled one of his film sets. Earlier this year, he also released his gorgeous stop-motion animated movie Isle of Dogs — but that's not all that acclaimed director Wes Anderson has for fans in 2018. Known for his visual distinctive style and fondness for symmetry, Anderson has also taken his creative vision into the art world, playing museum curator alongside his partner, set designer and illustrator Juman Malouf. As announced back in February, the pair have been invited to put together an exhibition for Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum, which you've got to admit looks like it's been plucked from a dreamy Anderson flick itself. Called Spitzmaus Mummy in a Coffin and Other Treasures, the exhibition is set to kick off on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 and run until April 28, 2019. The creative couple were given a task that plenty would envy: trawling through the Kunsthistorisches Museum's more than four million objects, and selecting their favourites from the incredibly broad collection of in-house artifacts. The end result includes items from all 14 of the museum's collections, which span old master paintings, Greek and Roman antiquities, Imperial coins and more. Pieces like historical musical instruments, suits of armour, foreign antiques, carriages and sleighs will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue — sure to be a swoon-worthy piece of art in its own right. And if you're not planning to be in Austria while it's on, maybe start thinking about heading to Italy. After its initial Kunsthistorisches run, the exhibition will travel to the Fondazione Prada in Milan at a yet-to-be-announced date. Here's a sneak peak of what's in store. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vTQI6Vw5nY Image: Wes Anderson and Juman Malouf in the Picture Gallery, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna © KHM-Museumsverband .
UPDATE, December 4, 2020: The Grudge is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. In its final frames, the latest version of The Grudge peers menacingly at an ordinary small-town house. Absolutely nothing else happens in this long, lingering shot, other than the film's end credits rolling over the image — but the static picture serves up the movie's biggest scare. That's not a compliment. Even though it ties into an earlier plot point, it's not a spoiler, either. Because everyone knows how franchises work in this time of undying sagas, constant reboots and remakes, and sprawling cinematic universes, you can easily guess why this visual is so unnerving. It's a warning that, even after sitting through this bland, by-the-numbers instalment, The Grudge's curse hasn't ended yet. As long as this flick makes enough money or Hollywood wants to merely keep the series alive, it'll keep hexing audiences in future movies. As one of J-horror's huge international hits, alongside Ringu, the thought of more movies in this franchise shouldn't instantly make horror fans cringe. But two decades after the first Japanese Ju-On hit screens — and after seven sequels, one Ring crossover and four average-at-best, awful-at-worst American versions all called The Grudge — this series has very little life left in it, based on its latest film at least. Other big horror titles have survived excruciating chapters and returned with a splash, such as Halloween, but it's hard to see why anyone will want to keep watching US-made The Grudge flicks after this painfully dull and derivative effort. Of course, the fact that some curses just won't die, especially when long-haired Japanese spirits are involved, is this supernatural saga's whole premise. You might be familiar with the Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring 2004 version of The Grudge, the first Hollywood iteration — even though it wasn't particularly good. In fact, it was so unmemorable that you might not have bothered with its sequel in 2006, or with the direct-to-video third American movie in 2009. Luckily, 2020's take on The Grudge doesn't need you to recall much. While this new follow-on starts with American nurse Fiona Landers (Tara Westwood) in Tokyo, standing outside the abode that sparked all the drama in the 2004 film, it quickly shifts the action to Cross River, Pennsylvania two years later. When detectives Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough) and Goodman (Demián Bichir) start investigating a strange corpse with links to an old case in an eerie house, it's clear what's happening: moving back to the town, Landers brought the franchise's enraged ghost, Kayako Saeki (Junko Bailey), with her — and so the spirit's reign of vengeance lives on. While the Ju-On and The Grudge flicks have always traded in creepily effective imagery — Kayako, like Ringu's Sadako, has become a genre icon for a reason — a decent horror movie needs more than just a few scary visuals doled out with bumps and jumps in mind. Writer/director Nicolas Pesce knows that, as seen in his thrillingly unsettling 2016 debut The Eyes of My Mother. And yet, his version of The Grudge offers up little more than repetitive glimpses of gory sights wrapped up in multiple intersecting but still repetitive storylines. In addition to following Muldoon, who is also a grieving widow with a primary school-aged son (John J. Hansen), and a newcomer to town, too, the film flashes back to various different tales, all connected to Landers' Cross River home. John Cho and GLOW's Betty Gilpin play realtors selling the property, and expecting their first baby. Jacki Weaver pops up as an assisted-suicide consultant, enlisted to help an elderly resident (Frankie Faison) with his terminally ill wife (horror stalwart and Insidious franchise standout Lin Shaye). Thanks to the case that brought the whole mess to the US, Goodman's old partner (William Sadler) also has links to the address. Sadly, no matter how many characters The Grudge throws in its malicious spirit's path, it's always apparent how each segment will turn out. And, no matter how hard this impressive roster of actors tries to breathe life and depth into their slim, vignette-style stories — Riseborough, Bichir and Cho, particularly — the whole thing is about as frightening as watching someone manically shouting the movie's most obvious plot points. Yes, that actually happens. Pesce does bring an inescapable sense of unease to the film — a bleakness that not only infects his visibly wearied characters' backstories, or their otherworldly encounters, but the feature's grey-tinted vision of life in general. Indeed, with cinematographer Zack Galler (The Act) and production designer Jean-Andre Carriere (J.T. Leroy), he ensures that feeling of grim, unshakeable dread is present in every frame, as well as in the house that sits at centre of all the chaos. When a movie sticks to the most boilerplate of templates and well-worn of tropes otherwise, though, a disquieting look and mood doesn't go very far. That's The Grudge circa 2020's curse, and one this creatively fading franchise will undoubtedly dredge up again whether audiences like it or not. Talks of a sequel are already bubbling, because of course they are, as is chatter about an American crossover with The Ring series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3cjWaZf_LE
Reminiscent of those glow-in-the-dark stars we pasted over our ceilings as kids, the creatures featured in the upcoming 'Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence' exhibit each shine with an eerie, natural light. The exhibit, held at the New York American Museum of Natural History, will contain live bioluminescent organisms, as well as scale models. Bioluminescence, the production of light by a living organism, looks like something out of a sci-fi movie but is in fact an essential function, allowing these animals to catch prey. On occasion, it may also catch a mate or two. Open from March 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013, the exhibit will explore the astounding variety of ways nature uses living light. Attendees can expect to bask in the glow of fireflies, mushrooms, scorpions, and much more. [via Wired]
Earlier this year Christopher Lloyd and Moby broke our hearts. Knowing full well that everyone in the world was pining for a functioning hoverboard by 2015 — the year that Marty McFly travelled to in Back to the Future II — they toyed with our emotions to make a viral hit for Funny or Die. But now, we might just have the real thing. Journalists have talked to the creators, they've ridden it, they've got videos to prove it. This is not a hoax. In the past 24 hours the internet has exploded with news of the Hendo Hoverboard. Currently funding on Kickstarter, this working prototype may not exactly look like the bright pink contraption Michael J. Fox rode in the film, but it is an incredible step in the right direction. Though still in development, this certified hoverboard can carry the weight of a person while levitating one inch off the ground. It does this with the help of magnets. As the board requires a magnetic field in order to function, it needs to be used over a metallic surface. The current design has been trialled on a specifically-designed copper skate ramp — an idea which the creators plan to build upon in the future with a full 'hoverpark'. Before you ask, no, it can't fly on water. To continue developing the product, the engineers at Hendo tech need to raise $250,000 from their Kickstarter campaign. The rewards for those who pledge include a small piece of levitating technology called 'The White Box', an extended ride on the real-life board, or for $10,000, your very own hoverboard. Though they are only expected to produce 10 hoverboards for this first Kickstarter run, they'll knowingly be releasing them around October 21, 2015. They should have no trouble funding the project; the campaign has only been online for 24 hours and has already reached half of its goal. But many critics are understandably jaded. Both Gizmodo and The New York Times are expressing serious dissatisfaction with the project, claiming the technology we're seeing is disappointingly far from its filmic inspiration. Yes, the board needs to be used over a metal surface. Yes, it has a terrible battery life and makes a truly awful amount of noise. But this is the nature of invention, right? Any step closer to this, can hardly be a bad thing. Check out the Kickstarter campaign for more information about the project.
After Christmas 2020 saw Australians explore their own backyards, 2021's festive season will welcome the return of a familiar end-of-year tradition. If your summer break usually involves venturing overseas, that'll be back on the cards again as the nation reopens to international travel from November. And if you're still eager to enjoy the sunny, beachy weather, you'll be able to head to Fiji. On Monday, October 11, Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced that the Pacific nation will reopen its borders to Australian tourists, with quarantine-free visits restarting from Thursday, November 11. Australia is on a list of travel partner countries — which also includes New Zealand, the US, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Qatar, Germany, Spain, France, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan, and most Pacific Island countries and territories — that are being prioritised by Fiji due to their widespread vaccination status. There will still be protocols in place, however, so that's something you'll need to factor into your plans if you can now see a tropical holiday in your future. Firstly, there'll be a no jab, no fly policy, so you'll have to be double vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson and Johnson vaccines. You'll also need to test negative to COVID-19 within three days of departure — and, you'll have to download the country's Care Fiji app to your phone when you arrive. After that, tourists will also need to spend their first two days in Fiji in their hotels. You'll be free to use the facilities and amenities, but you won't be able to mosey any further until you take another COVID-19 test 48 hours after arrival. Once that comes back negative, you'll then be able to visit spots deemed 'safe-travel areas'. While exactly where these regions will cover is still being worked out, the Fiji Prime Minister advised that "they will be large enough for tourists to enjoy the best of Fiji, but restrictive enough to protect areas with low vaccination coverage." The two-day hotel period is expected to relax as more Fijians become double vaccinated. In response to Fiji's announcement, Virgin Australia was quick to reveal that it'll restart its flights to Nadi from Thursday, December 16. It'll fly return from Sydney up to twice daily, return from Melbourne once a day and return from Brisbane three times a week — and, it's doing a sale on fares from $289 one-way. Virgin's Fiji flights will mark its first relaunched international routes, ahead of restarting its services from Australia to New Zealand and Bali sometime in 2022. For more information about Fiji's reopening plan, head to the Fiji Government's website. For further details about Virgin Australia's Fiji flight sale, head to the airline's website.
Did you know you can buy plants straight out of the Royal Botanic Gardens? The Growing Friends Nursery sells plants that have been propagated using living collections from the gardens, the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. Not only does this nursery offer a range of native, exotic, rare, hard-to-find and endangered plants, but the money you spend here goes straight to supporting Botanic Gardens projects, which are largely run by volunteers. And it's open six days per week, with plants starting at just five bucks.
One of the great things about Christmas is getting your family and friends to help you out with your homewares and furniture wishlist. Got your eye on a new lamp but spent your own pennies on festive shenanigans? Need some new linen, chairs or glassware, but not enough to bust your budget? Too busy splashing cash on gifts for everyone else to worry about your own broken shelves? Cue the handy answer to your mum's annual "what do you want for Christmas?" question — and cue IKEA's new way to assist, too. 'Tis the season for the Swedish retailer to launch its IKEA Gift Registry in Australia, capitalising upon all the present-buying — and just general browsing — that everyone's doing in December. This is a year-round offering, however, letting you set up a registry filled with all the IKEA products your house really needs, ready to send to whoever's doing the purchasing. Use it for Christmas or birthdays, the choice is yours. The registry will also come in handy for couples about to get hitched, and is bound to be super popular for housewarmings. Whichever fits, it operates in the same way — and it's also designed to help making gift-shopping even quicker. You'll need an IKEA Family account to create a registry, then it's a simple matter of adding whatever your heart and home desire, sharing it when your loved ones and waiting till the relevant big occasion. The gift registry updates in real time, too, so everyone can see what's already taken — avoiding double ups. IKEA has launched the registry alongside app-based checkout, a self-service feature that lets you scan what you're buying as you're browsing its ten Aussie stores. Once you've wandered the aisles, you can then just scan the QR code at the dedicated mobile checkouts, without needing to go through your trolley or bag again (or even unpack them). That leaves more time for eating Swedish meatballs, obviously. The last 12 months has seen IKEA add a range of new services in Australia, helping you fill your house with its wares. Also on the list: an online marketplace for discontinued, ex-display and pre-loved products, plan and order point concept stores outside its usual warehouse setup and sustainable living-focused shops. For more information about the IKEA Gift Registry, head to the chain's website.
The Bear's third season won't arrive till winter 2024 Down Under, but you can get your Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri fix in Sydney before then. Dishing up the goods: the returning Inner West Film Fest. This cinema showcase that's also a love letter to its setting debuted in 2023 as a three-day event. Now it's back for 2024 for 11 days, from Thursday, April 11–Sunday, April 21 — and with plenty of highlights on its lineup. White (The Iron Claw) pops up in Fremont, which is about an Afghan woman (debutant Anaita Wali Zada) who moves to the titular spot, and marks the latest feature by Iranian British filmmaker Babak Jalali (Land). For not only Edebiri (Bottoms) but Australia's own Jacob Elordi (Priscilla), you'll want to make a date with The Sweet East. Hailing from cinematographer Sean Price Williams (Good Time) in his directorial debut, it focuses on a high schooler (Talia Ryder, Dumb Money) on a class trip from South Carolina to Washington, DC. The fest's official opening night is on Friday, April 12, taking place at Steel Park Marrickville — one of three screening venues, alongside Palace Norton Street and Dendy Cinemas Newtown. Twenty years since it initially premiered, complete with awkward teen antics, ligers, making shapes to Qwon's Dance Grooves and voting for Pedro, Napoleon Dynamite is doing the honours to launch Inner West Film Fest. Not only can you catch it under the stars, but you can head along for free. Also bringing film fun to one specific part of the city, and to autumn — because winter is Sydney Film Festival's time to shine — is a 24-title bill that includes Luc Besson's (Anna) DogMan, as starring Caleb Landry Jones (Nitram); The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, the final effort by iconic director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer); I Used to Be Funny, with Rachel Sennott (another Bottoms alum) playing a wannabe stand-up comedian; and I Like Movies, a feature that, yes, is about being obsessed with cinema. Among the flicks with homegrown links, Housekeeping for Beginners is the third film from Australian director Goran Stolevski's (You Won't Be Alone, Of an Age); the Parramatta-set Sahela is executive produced by Dev Patel (Monkey Man); and 2000's Angst, about a video store worker in Kings Cross, gets some retro love. Boxing drama Heart of the Man is the first movie from Indigenous writer, director, actor and producer David Cook, while documentary Fight to Live is about Australian mixed martial artist Bec Rawlings. Around the fest's screenings — which also spans short films as well — movie trivia, a gin-mixing workshop, premieres of new music videos and a photo exhibition are on the program. So is a secret screening, complete with a feature that'll be seen by an audience for the first time ever, if you like your film fests with a dash of mystery. Inner West Film Fest 2024 runs from Thursday, April 11–Sunday, April 21 around Sydney's Inner West — head to the festival's website for further details.
Sourcing restaurant-quality takeaway is a tall order at the best of times. The team behind Paddington favourite, Saint Peter, is looking to change that with their latest venture — Charcoal Fish. The Rose Bay outpost headed up by co-owners Josh and Julie Niland is set to open on Wednesday, September 15, initially for takeaway-only for those within five kilometres of the venue, but as restrictions ease, the 26-seat seafood spot will also house indoor and outdoor dining. Charcoal Fish is the seafood equivalent of your neighbourhood charcoal chicken shop, with a menu featuring Aquna Murray Cod from Griffith, a sleepy regional town in the NSW's northwest colloquially known as the food bowl of Australia. The cod has been specifically chosen for its grill-ablity and stability in transit — each cod is in for a six-hour journey from home to Rose Bay. The Aquna Murray Cod also gives the Nilands the ability to use up to 95 percent of each fish, in line with the same nose-to-tail philosophy at Saint Peter. Gravy will be extracted from fish heads, frames and fins — and lathered over floury rolls stuffed with boneless cod fillets, stuffing and crispy skin. Rotisserie whole cod, grilled cod wings served with fermented tamarind hot sauce and a unique yellowfin tuna cheeseburger are some of the other menu highlights. [caption id="attachment_601486" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Saint Peter, Nikki To[/caption] As is customary with your neighbourhood takeaway store, there will be options that feed the whole family and a next-level kids menu, however the family meals at Charcoal Fish might set you back a little more than your typical fish and chip combo. The $120 whole Murray cod fillet feeds six people and comes with pickles, baps and chips on the side. If there's just the two of you home for the night, you can opt for just the quarter cod with sides for $30. A rotating selection of salads and chargrilled veggies like grilled leeks and green garlic, corn polenta and radicchio with sweet and sour grilled grapes, along with and a generous beverage list, round out the menu. A range of craft beers including Saint Peters' own Sea Spray Ale created with Lord Nelson will be available alongside a selection of wines and cocktails from Matt Whiley and his sustainability-focused bar RE-. Whiley has concocted two special cocktails for the occasion — a Charcoal Fish old-fashioned and a Saint Peter martini. [caption id="attachment_739656" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josh Niland's Fish Butchery, Cody Duncan[/caption] Charcoal Fish will open from Wednesday, September 15 at 670 New South Head Road, Rose Bay. Initially, they will open 12–3.30pm and 5–8.30pm from Wednesday through to Sunday.
There's only 30 minutes left on the clock, and the anticipation amongst the beer-soaked audience at Name This Bar is starting to peak. Despite the fact French artist Enzo has been working away at something on a hidden sheet of paper for the past hour, his canvas is still completely blank. To his right, cartoonist and SCA graduate Leigh Rigozzi is steadily plugging away. Up on the scaffold, he's taken off his shoes and his business jacket and before our eyes, a colourful geometric figure is appearing, like the silhouette of a muppet filled with an endless galaxy of cubes all converging in on one another. Sam Mercier is the proud owner of the unexpectedly comfortable den squeezed in amidst The Tool Shed and Coco Cubano on Oxford Street known only as Name This Bar. "Art Battles evolved with the concept of Name This Bar,” he explains. “This place was initially a blank slate. We were in the process of trying to look for a name and what we were going to do with it. We thought, why don’t we get people to write their ideas of what to call it on these two walls? But not many people came by because nobody knew we were here yet. Then a couple of mates turned up, sort of friends of friends, and they started drawing pictures on the walls and everyone was watching it. We were like, whoa that's really cool. That's a really good idea, I wish we could do something like that.” From these humble beginnings, Mercier has done something like that, and much, much more. Now in its fourth series, Art Battles is fast becoming the So You Think You Can Dance or The MasterChef of the art world. Built on a community that encompasses street artists and fine artists alike, the competition is a platform and launch pad for a new hybrid artform, and the artists that go with it. Mercier says there are even plans for an international touring team, and a partnership with an Art Battles team in New York, on the horizon. This is how it works: Two artists, two blank canvases, 100 minutes. Three judges allocate points for creativity, judges' favourite and crowd favourite. Tonight is the second heat in a series of six. Artists are competing for prizes, and to enter the finals, happening at Circular Quay from May 4-5 in conjunction with the Tiger Beer Street Football festival. "There should be about four to five thousand people there. For any of these artists to be in front of all those people on an international stage is quite a big deal," says Mercier. Rigozzi and Enzo represent perfectly the clash of street art and fine art in one place. Nobody knows who Enzo, an amateur street artist from France, is and his bio simply says, "This will be the first of hopefully many live art exhibitions to come." "We had one artist drop out at the last minute and he's been begging us to do it," muses Mercier. "This could be really good or it could be really bad. We really don't know." Tonight's theme is 'what inspires me'. For Rigozzi, that means Sydney's small press and cartooning scene. He's never worked like this before — with a 100-minute countdown in front of a bar of barracking onlookers — but is confident he'll be able to come up with the goods. Meanwhile, Enzo is outside, having a cigarette by himself. He's got his headphones on, listening French trance music, his inspiration. He says he has a bit of a plan, but that he's pretty scared. "Scary is a good word," he laughs. Now, with 30 minutes left, Enzo makes his first move. He pulls his paper up to the canvas and sticks it over the top. Then, with a can of black spray paint, a figure emerges through the stencil. It's a hooded guy crouching down. It's bold and slick and about as different in style from Rigozzi's colourful creation as a lemonade from a double scotch on the rocks. Five, four, three, two, one: The votes are in and the judging is close, but the crowd response draws a clear winner: Enzo is the surprising victor. There are four more heats to go, happening each Thursday night at Name This Bar in April. Mercier says he’s looking forward to the finals. "The finals are always the best because it's so loud. It's so exciting. It's a real buzz." The next art battle takes place on April 25. Battles continue weekly until the finals on May 4. Images by Steven Lattuca.
Soon, in North Sydney, smokers mightn't just have to stub out their cigarettes in public areas — rather, puffing away in the entire central business district could be banned. At a meeting this week, the North Sydney Council moved to create a smoke-free CBD, prohibiting smoking in all public spaces within the North Sydney local government area. The motion received the unanimous support of attending councillors, with determining community support listed as the next step in the meeting minutes. North Sydney, Sydney's second largest CBD, already boasts a number of smoke-free zones at Brett Whiteley Place and Elizabeth Plaza. Both are self-regulated, which is how the council proposes that the new CBD-wide ban would work — and with participating restaurants, bars and cafes placing council-produced and -providers stickers in their windows to help raise awareness. "Council's creation of self-regulated, no smoking zones has been well received by the community and I believe a push to expand this policy would be widely welcomed," North Sydney Mayor Jilly Gibson states in the minutes. The mayor advised the ABC that fines won't be issued for those who flout the ban — and if locals supported the smoke-free plan, it could be in place by Christmas or early 2019. And, Gibson told the Sydney Morning Herald, the eventual aim is to make the entirety of North Sydney's shared public spaces smoke-free, including streets, plazas, parks and outdoor seating. Throughout New South Wales more broadly, smoking in enclosed areas of licensed premises has been illegal since 2007, while lighting up in outdoor spaces such as public transport stops and stations, the entrances to public buildings, around children's playgrounds and near spectators at sporting facilities has been banned since 2012. In 2015, the state prohibited smoking in outdoor dining areas as well, including on on footpaths outside licensed cafes and pubs. And, since September 2016, Pitt Street Mall Place in the Sydney CBD has been smoke-free. Queensland outlawed smoking in outdoor dining areas in 2006, while Victoria followed suit in 2017. And both Brisbane and Melbourne have designated smoke-free areas in their CBDs — either through state-wide restrictions on smoking in outdoor pedestrian malls, or through specific smoke-free sites. Hobart also has a number of designated smoke-free sites.
Each year Splendour in the Grass ups the ante. Combining the best in international and local acts, the music festival caters for all music tastes making it as inclusive as it is entertaining. Set at the picturesque Woodfordia site in Queensland, carloads of people from across the east coast plough up the highway, arriving at their destination to camp for the better part of the week in isolated companionship. But if you missed out on tickets never fear, Splendour sideshows have promised the best of the festival making its way to capital cities around Australia. Sporting some of the most illustrious names in today's music, the announcement of Sydney sideshows includes heroes of 90s Britpop Pulp, LA electo-pop lords Foster The People, post-dubstep poster boy James Blake, London indie kids The Vaccines, Swedish maestros The Hives and Bloc Party's Kele. Keep an eye out for more annoucements but in the meantime tickets for these excellent show go on sale this Friday, May 27. https://youtube.com/watch?v=MVgEaDemxjc
The Icebergs, long synonymous with its classic Bondi Beach views, will soon be able to treat diners to a new horizon. That's because the restaurant is set to open another branch — in Bali. You'll find it at Echo Beach, Canggu, where it'll form part of the Sea Sentosa development. That's on Bali's southwest coast, 15 minutes from Seminyak, 15 minutes from the Greg Norman-designed Nirwana Golf and Country Club, and 45 minutes from the airport. Oh, and a five minute walk from no fewer than eight amazing surf breaks. Sea Sentosa first suggested the idea to Icebergs owner Maurice Terzini about five years ago. Back then, the in-demand restaurateur decided against it, but now he feels that the time is more auspicious. "I've wanted to do something here for a long time," Terzini told Good Food, speaking from Bali. "I've been coming here since the early 1980s." He also said that he'll be joining forces with "a partner-backer", but has yet to name who. However, he did mention that a favourite designer, Lazzarini Pickering, has been flown to Bali from Rome to begin whipping the space into shape. Terzini's most recent project — Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta — has been attracting an exceptionally healthy stream of customers since opening in Bondi's Boheme development in January. Via Good Food.
In the beginning there was Coca Cola, followed quickly by Pepsi. Diet Coke begat Pepsi Max. Pepsi fired a Gatorade salvo only to be hit back with Coke's answer, Powerade. Coke launched Sprite, Pepsi quickly responded with 7 Up. The product war has waged for over a hundred years and doesn't look like stopping any time soon, with both companies now aiming to create communities around their products whilst using the help of celebrity endorsement, collaboration and technology. At a recent trade fair, Pepsi unveiled its newest invention: the social vending machine. These touch screen incarnations don't just allow you to buy a drink for yourself now you can "gift" a Pepsi to a friend (who receives a code via text which allows redemption of product). You can also opt for what is by far the most philanthropic option: the Random Act of Refreshment. This will purchase a drink for a "complete stranger in a different city". It seems to be a natural progression for PepsiCo, who are rebranding themselves as more charitable and approachable than their competitors. Their latest PR campaign saw the introduction of the Pepsi Refresh Project grants, with Pepsi giving out millions of dollars in grants each month to ideas-based community projects across the United States. Coca Cola, the number one drink in the world, is continuing along a similar tack. Coke are trying to make the purchase of their beverage an experience to create a community as the cornerstone of the brand's latest efforts. The Perfect Harmony campaign teams up R&B artist Taio Cruz and American Idol, allowing Coke customers the chance to to write a verse for his next song and see it performed on national television. However, Diet Coke is opting for a different and more exclusive image. For the second year in a row the brand's bottles are being designed by fashion dynamo Karl Lagerfeld. The Chanel creative director, who famously lost 42 kg with the aid of the drink, says he's happy to work with Diet Coke because he's "a fan". Seems Coke is trying to use its industry weight to pull celebrity endorsements, not just for advertisements but for collaboration, attempting to best Pepsi which is better known for its celebrity endorsements (Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls and David Beckham to name a few).
Among the many ideas that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has conjured up, and the array of casting choices that've been involved as well, tasking Pedro Pascal (Materialists), Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), Joseph Quinn (Gladiator II) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) with suiting up in a Fantastic Four movie sounds particularly, well, fantastic. Audiences have had more than a year to soak in their excitement, but now discovering how this lineup of actors fares in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is almost upon us — and, as the film's July 2025 release date approaches, Marvel has unveiled a new trailer. Here's your latest look at Pascal, Kirby and company's battle against Galactus (Ralph Ineson, Nosferatu) — and at the space god's herald, aka the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner, Wolf Man), bringing ominous tidings. This is your newest sneak peek at Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Thing and The Human Torch's beginnings in the 1960s, too, as alarms keep going off figuratively and literally. In a massive year for Pascal on the big screen — Down Under, first came Materialists, then arrives First Steps, then Ari Aster's (Beau Is Afraid) Eddington, all in a three-month span — The Last of Us star is getting stretchy as Reed Richards. Kirby is bending light as one of the Storm siblings, Sue; Quinn is proving fiery as Johnny, her brother; and Moss-Bachrach is no one's cousin here, but huge, rocky and super strong as Ben Grimm instead. The latter also knows what everyone wants him to say in the new trailer, but isn't eager to oblige. This is the third glimpse at The Fantastic Four: First Steps — and family dinners, big life changes, the worries that come with that, facing stresses together and world-threatening foes all keep popping up. WandaVision, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Succession's Matt Shakman directs, with Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), John Malkovich (Ripley), Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face) and Sarah Niles (F1) co-starring. And yes, Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach's characters have hit cinemas before. Before there was a MCU, there were Fantastic Four movies. The first two to earn a big-screen release arrived in 2005 and 2007, with the latter hitting the year before Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Deadpool and Wolverine did 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine, the Stan Lee- and Jack Kirby-created superhero quartet now join the list of characters who are being brought into the MCU fold, as has been on the cards ever since Disney bought 20th Century Fox. Pascal and company are taking over from two batches of past film takes on the superhero team. In the 2005 and 2007 flicks, Ioan Gruffudd (Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Jessica Alba (Trigger Warning), a pre-Captain America Chris Evans (Materialists) and Michael Chiklis (Accused) starred. Then, in 2015, Chronicle filmmaker Josh Trank gave the group a spin — still outside of the MCU — with Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick), Kate Mara (Friendship), a pre-Black Panther Michael B Jordan (Sinners) and Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers). Check out the final trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps below: The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Images: courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and 2025 MARVEL.
More things in life should remind the world about Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, 2021's wonderfully goofy (and just wonderful) Florida-set comedy starring Kristen Wiig (MacGruber) and Annie Mumolo (Barbie), plus Jamie Dornan (The Tourist) singing to seagulls. The also Wiig-led Palm Royale is one such prompt. Thankfully, watching Apple TV+'s new page-to-screen dramedy doesn't cause audiences to wish that they were just viewing Barb and Star, though. The two share the same US state as a locale, too, alongside bright colour schemes, a bouncy pace and a willingness to get silly, especially with sea life, but Palm Royale — which streams its first season from Wednesday, March 20 — engages all on its own. Adapting Juliet McDaniel's Mr & Mrs American Pie for the small screen, this 60s-set effort also knows how to make gleaming use of its best asset: Saturday Night Live, Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters alum Wiig. In its ten-episode first season, the show's storyline centres on Maxine Simmons. A former beauty-pageant queen out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, she thinks nothing of scaling the wall to the titular country club, then breezing about like she's meant to be there — sipping grasshoppers and endeavouring to eavesdrop her way into a social-climbing friendship with Palm Beach's high-society set — and Wiig sells every second of the character's twist-filled journey. Even better: she heartily and entertainingly conveys the everywoman aspects of someone who has yearning for a better life as her main motivation, and isn't willing to settle for anything less than she thinks that she deserves, even in hardly relatable circumstances. There's no doubting that Maxine is both an underdog and an outsider in the milieu that she so frenziedly covets. When she's not swanning around poolside, idolising self-appointed bigwig Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janney, The Creator) and ambassador's wife Dinah Donahue (Leslie Bibb, About My Father) among the regulars — their clique spans widow Mary Jones Davidsoul (Julia Duffy, Christmas with the Campbells) and mobster spouse Raquel Kimberly-Maco (Claudia Ferri, Arlette) — and ordering her cocktail of choice from bartender Robert (Ricky Martin, American Crime Story), she's staying in a far-from-glamorous motel. Funding for her quest to fit in with the rich and gossip-column famous comes via pawning jewellery owned by her pilot husband Douglas'(Josh Lucas, Yellowstone) comatose aunt Norma Dellacorte (Carol Burnett, Better Call Saul), the plastics and mouthwash heiress who ruled the scene until suffering an embolism. To say that Maxine has pluck is an understatement. To say that Palm Royale takes her lead is as well. Glossily made, and also supremely stylish in its gem- and pastel-hued costuming and production design — Maxine borrows from Norma's wardrobe, too; caftans, not culottes, are a favourite among the crowd she's clamouring to join — the series bounds along with wit, verve, humour and an eagerness to unpack as much as satirise. Creator Abe Sylvia (George & Tammy, Dead to Me, Filthy Rich), who also co-directs and co-writes, knows how ridiculous that lives revolving around superficial popularity, lavishness and being seen to host the best galas can seem — and how divorced from almost everyone's reality, whether or not you consider Evelyn and Dinah's existence aspirational as Maxine does — while devotedly ensuring that none of Palm Royale's key characters are as flimsy as their materialism-driven concept of happiness. Wiig sings Peggy Lee's 'Is That All There Is?' in her leading part — it released in 1969, the specific year when Palm Royale takes place — but the show itself doesn't inspire the same question. There's always more bubbling up in the series, which also finds a sweet spot in both Desperate Housewives and The Stepford Wives territory. Affairs, betrayal, secrets, blackmail, criminal antics and fraud flow as frequently as martinis and quaaludes, as do subterfuge, ulterior motives, big reveals and attempted murders. Patently, all that glitters for its characters doesn't equate to the gold that is blissful and carefree days. Palm Royale's aesthetics shimmer and shine, but the vision of the American dream that Maxine, Evelyn, Dinah and company are chasing is anything but flawless. A comedy, a skewering, a drama, a soap: this self-aware series isn't ever content saying "that's all there is" to any of them. Simply shaking together all of the above into a fun and chic blend doesn't satisfy Sylvia, either. Diving Mad Men-level deep may not be Palm Royale's aim, but there's weight to its time beyond the well-to-do in Nixon's America. The inclusion of Linda Shaw (Laura Dern, The Son), who runs a feminist bookstore in West Palm Beach with her friend Virginia (Amber Chardae Robinson, Loot) — and a collective that's actively protesting the Vietnam War — makes certain that the politics of the time are never ignored, for instance, nor the fact that doggedly pursuing the cashed-up fantasy life is not everyone's wish. Ambition isn't lacking for Maxine or for the show, then — or when it comes to making the most of such a starry cast. Surrounding Wiig, Janney and Bibb are each a treasure as frenemies with equally delicious lines, and as women who appear to uphold the rich idyll yet typify how money can't buy everything. Dern, who also executive produces as Wiig does, invests sincerity and earthiness; her moments with her IRL father Bruce Dern (Old Dads), playing dad and daughter, are a particular highlight. While being bedridden is her lot to begin with, no one casts comedy legend Burnett just to keep her character unconscious. And if there's a breakout surprise among the performances, it's from Martin, who inhabits Robert, a fellow interloper alongside Maxine, with soul and thoughtfulness as he weathers Palm Beach's la vida loca. It might seem erratic, seesawing between Big Little Lies-esque intrigue and dramas among the affluent, or pretending to be, and letting Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar-style absurdity kick in — and also bringing the far darker Ingrid Goes West, aka Maxine's plight if it was the 2010s instead, to mind. Indeed, it's no minor feat that Palm Royale's mix hit the mark. That said, the precarious feeling that tints Maxine's life and dreams is shared by the series, because there's no shortage of ways that this could've crumpled. Going all in while striving for glory may prove chaotic for its protagonist, but it works a treat for the show that she's in. Check out the trailer for Palm Royale below: Palm Royale streams via Apple TV+ from Wednesday, March 20.
Merivale is at it again with Pacha, a dazzling club night, launching on 24 November. Pacha, hosted every Saturday night over various floors of ivy, will offer a range of entertainment from burlesque circus, dance, music, light and theatrical costumes with hopes to wow Sydney's partygoers. Pacha will transform Hemmes' ivy complex into a haze of activity with professional aerialists, street performers and psychedelic projections overtaking the pool club, Changeroom and two storey open-air courtyard. To ensure an experience that stands strong on an international stage, well known creative director, Ignatius Jones, has been engaged as Co-Creative Director. Jones has worked on projects such as Vivid Sydney Festival and Sydney Mardi Gras. Launch line up to be released in coming weeks. Stay tuned. To book tickets or for more information, please visit: www.pachasydney.com
