Let's hope this extraordinary documentary doesn't become our final memory of the glorious Great Barrier Reef. (Given that, on April 3, the Queensland Government handed Adani mining company three licenses, permitting extraction from the Carmichael coal mine, we have good reason to be afraid. Very afraid). Now screening at the Australian Museum, this film allows you to join the indefatigable David Attenborough as he dives the reef. And, not only will you get to see what he's seen, you'll also be submerged in virtual reality. Yep, for 45 incredible minutes, you'll literally live through a 360-degree seascape, surrounded by multi-coloured coral, schools of fish and, gasp! Savage sharks. Sorry Nemo, but you ain't got nothing. If that leaves you wanting more, join Sir Attenborough on another journey with his First Life Virtual Reality. This 35-minute extravaganza takes you travelling 500 million years back in time, visiting ancient oceans and extinct creatures of the sea. You've got until May 5.
Gelato Messina first introduced its cookie pies to the world in 2020, and tastebuds across Australia thanked them. Then, it kept bringing the OTT dessert back when we all needed an extra dose of sweetness across the year. Now, it's releasing a new version of its OG chocolate chip flavour, but with an extra addition. This time around, you'll taste chocolate, of course; however, you'll also enjoy swirls of dulce de leche. Hang on, a cookie pie? Yes, it's a pie, but a pie made of cookie dough. And it serves two–six people — or just you. You bake it yourself, too, so you get to enjoy that oh-so-amazing smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through your kitchen. The new pies will be available for preorder from 10am on Monday, March 8 — so if you missed out last time, here's your chance to get yourself a piece of the pie. On its own, the indulgent dulce choc chip pie will cost $20. But to sweeten the deal, the cult ice creamery has created a few bundle options, should you want some of its famed gelato atop it. For $30, you'll get the pie and a 500-millilitre tub, while with a one-litre tub or a 1.5-litre tub, it'll cost $36 and $40 respectively. The catch? You'll have to peel yourself off the couch and head to your local Messina store to pick up your order. They'll be available for collection between Friday, March 12–Sunday, March 14. You can preorder a Messina dulce choc chip cookie pie pie from Monday, March 8, to pick up from March 12–14.
On top of psych-rocking out the Meredith Music Festival this past weekend, Brian Jonestown Massacre are setting off onto seven other dates around Australia this month, supported by The KVB. Since forming in San Francisco in 1988, BJM have recorded 12 studio albums and seven EPs. Starting out as shoegazers, it wasn't long before they started broadening their horizon, delving into blues, folk, Indian music and eventually, electronica. BJM's most recent offering is Aufheben, released in May last year and recorded in East Berlin. The title is a German word that holds a variety of meanings, including 'to lift up', 'to transcend' and 'to abolish'. Given BJM's haphazard history and numerous incarnations, it's pretty representative of their history. Middle Eastern-inspired instrumentation, Finnish vocals and Beatles-style shuffle rhythms all get a look in, but Pitchfork still describe the album as "the band's most consistent, welcoming and sonically lustrous album in years".
Join the celebration of Japan's Sakura Festival at Surry Hills' Goros. The Japanese restaurant/late-night venue is teaming up with Bombay Sapphire to bring you Cherry Bomb, a six-week sensory pop-up experience until Saturday, May 18. Coinciding with the cherry blossom season in Japan, Goros is putting together a cherry blossom-inspired menu. Think pink, as in pink sushi, pink drinks and pink mochi. Bombay Sapphire has a curated selection of delicious pink cocktails, including the Sapphire martini with wild strawberries and flowers. For food, you can opt for the all-you-can-eat skewers or the Moto package, with a 90-minute feast of food and cocktails for $89 per person. Or, head in on a Friday for $1 dumplings. Enjoy a whimsical pink installation adorned with neon cherry blossom lights, creating the perfect ambience on the always-lively dance floor, with live DJs playing every week. If you are looking for a more intimate celebration, be sure to book in a private karaoke room. Entry is free, but rally the crew and book a spot to avoid missing out.
The inner west officially gets all the Fringe fun. After hunkering down in Newtown last year, this year’s Sydney Fringe Festival has its sights set on Erskineville, with the suburb tapped as the home of this year’s official festival hub. This year they're calling it a Festival Village, so we expect big things from this home base for the month-long cultural marathon, the largest independent arts festival in NSW. "This September, we are leaving the safety of our underground spaces and taking over shopfronts, streets and any space we can find," says festival director Kerri Glasscock. "With pop-ups and activations, we are giving local artists the opportunity to explore new ideas, new spaces and meet new audiences. The 2015 festival will be our biggest yet." The news comes alongside our first glimpse at the 2015 program, which is set to include more than 300 performances across 50 different venues in five different main locales — Newtown, Erskineville, Marrickville, Redfern and Surry Hills. Erskineville's Festival Village will play host to the official opening night party, Fringe Ignite, on September 5, with a prohibition-themed gin bar run by Young Henrys and a 1920s-style speakeasy lounge. Throughout the festival, the suburb will also host a series of talks, performances, comedy shows and music presented by City of Sydney’s Late Night Libraries, with the Erskineville Town Hall playing home to a pair of performance spaces and the Coopers Festival Bar, from the folks at the Erskineville Hotel. The surrounding suburbs will get their Fringe fill as well. Other festival highlights include a day of Indigenous art, music and performance in Redfern; a silent dinner party hosted by internationally renowned artist Honi Ryan at Marrickville Town Hall; a masquerade horror installation (whatever that means) in a warehouse; and a two-week partnership with the Chaser's Giant Dwarf theatre. The latter venue will play host to a "mini-festival within the Festival", featuring cabaret, comedy and an array of performers from fringes around the world. See the full Sydney Fringe Festival program at the event website. Image: Left.
Marrickville's Pizza Madre is already a firm favourite among pizza fanatics and vegetarians alike. Now, the shop is giving us even more to love with the launch of a monthly pizza and wine dinner. This month, Lo-Fi Wines will be in the house on Wednesday, April 10 from 7–9pm. Expect a pizza feast, along with a flight of six natural wines from Italy and Australia. The Aussie importer sources its wines from family-operated, sustainable producers from around the globe. So, expect minimal intervention, pét-nat and skin-contact wines on offer from Australia's Architects of Wine, Delinquente Wine and Ephemera, and Italy's Al Di La Del Fiume, Colombaia and Alessandro Viola. For eats, there'll be snacks on arrival, followed by a pizza and salad banquet — with enough pizza for guests to inhale one whole pie each. And everything, as usual in the restaurant, will be meat-free. There will be four pizzas up for grabs, including zucchini flower with rainbow tomato, yellow capsicum, black olive and pine nut crumb; potato, spinach and fried capers with fior di latte and smoked cheddar; and the butternut squash with fior di latte and buttermilk ricotta topped with walnuts and smoked garlic oil. The evening will finish up with a sweets and dessert wine pairing. The whole shebang will set you back $75 and seats are very limited — but there are a few spaces left, so grab 'em while you can. Pizza Madre's monthly wine dinners will continue with cool climate bottles from Canberra District's Mallaluka Wines in May and organic drops from the Blue Mountains' Frankly, This Wine Was Made By Bob in June. Keep an eye on the pizzeria's Facebook for event updates and ticket info. Image: Kitti Gould.
Lovers of art, music, live performance, quirky ideas and wild experiments, you have a brand new, rather roomy home. It's called Cement Fondu and you'll find it in a beautiful, 270-square-metre space in a leafy street in Paddo. Here, directors Megan Monte and Josephine Skinner are ready to surprise you, make you laugh and get you thinking. Drawing upon their two decades in the arts between them, they're planning out-of-the-box exhibitions, one-off performances and lively conversations. And that's just in the main gallery. There's also an Art Store, which will host artist takeovers, and The Project Space, to be dedicated to workshops, residencies and emerging artists. The frivolity will kick off on Saturday 10 March, with the opening of Cement Fondu's first exhibition, Suburbia. Between 6pm and 8pm, there'll be three live happenings: a cooking demo-storytelling show with Indian diva Radha La Bia (aka Shahmen Suku), a Miss Philippines-inspired Aerobics Oz performance by Caroline Garcia and The White Drummer, starring Tina Havelock Stevens (2017 Fisher's Ghost Award Winner). Open to the public from Thursday 15 March till Sunday 29 April, Suburbia will feature works by more than 15 local and international artists and collectives, spanning across art, music, cinema and performance, and exploring the concept of "looking beyond our own backyard". Expect paintings by Tangentyere artists Nerine Tilmouth, Louise Daniels and Elizabeth Nampitjinya; tapestries by Melbourne-based Paul Yore; audio works from the Sweatshop Western Sydney Literacy Movement; and stacks more. Meanwhile, Rosie Deacon, who's currently in residence at Parramatta Artist Studios, will take over the Art Store with her animal-inspired sculptures, jewellery and installations. And, in The Project Space, she'll be collaborating on a public workshop with a trio of artists from Studio A; look out for details. Find Cement Fondu is at 36 Gosbell Street, Paddington from March 10, or visit their website for further details. Image: Radha La Bia-Shahmen Suku, The Divine Game, 2017. Performance installation. Image credit: Tim da Rin.
The most talked-about band Sydney's seen in recent times since The Jezabels, The Preatures have unveiled their latest single 'Two-Tone Melody' and have announced their highly-anticipated upcoming debut album (with accompanying national tour). Sounding more like Jefferson Airplane than their usual Fleetwood Mac association, the new single is a chilled out ballad of sorts — a departure from the band's explosive debut single, 'Is This How You Feel?'. With just two EPs and four singles under their belt, The Preatures have seen huge applause (and national airplay) from a fairly limited catalogue until now. The Preatures have been hanging out in the US of late, playing SxSW and Coachella and recording with the dudes from Spoon in Austin — in particular Britt Daniel and Jim Eno. The fivesome told triple j's Doctor they recorded in Eno's garage-conversion studio, finishing the album taping in three weeks. Signing to Mercury Records in 2012 with a whopping five album deal, the Sydney fivesome's success snowballed in 2013 after the release of their second EP and ultra-catchy single 'Is This How You Feel?', prompting international touring and national high-fivery. The easily replayable single nabbed an ARIA nomination for Best Pop Release, number nine in the triple j Hottest 100 and just today nabbed a top five nomination for APRA|AMCOS Song of The Year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=M8XmoroZ3zo But it's not just fans interested in The Preatures — when the quintet played at New York's 2013 CMJ showcase, almost the entire audience was made up of industry representatives. Often compared to Fleetwood Mac and the Bee Gees, The Preatures' Isabella Manfredi, Gideon Bensen, Jack Moffitt, Thomas Champion and Luke Davison have garnered a significantly loyal fanbase in just a few short years. The Preatures will tour the US and Canada during June, make their way over to festivals in Europe and the UK before venturing back home for an Australian tour, stopping by Splendour In The Grass this July alongside fellow Sydneysiders RÜFÜS, The Jezabels and Sticky Fingers. The Preatures will be supported on their Australian tour by Adelaide's Bad//Dreems and Perth's Gunns. THE PREATURES AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES: Sat 12 July — Corner Hotel, Melbourne Sat 19 July — Metro Theatre, Sydney Fri 25, Sat 26 and Sun 27 July — Splendour in the Grass, North Byron Parklands Fri 1 August — Fowlers Adelaide Sat 2 August — The Bakery, Perth Tickets available from The Preatures website.
From August 19, Settlement Services International will be presenting a unique exhibition from a group of artists seeking asylum in Australia. On display at Bankstown Arts Centre, Home: Between Here and There will evoke unfinished journeys and the shared experience of asylum. The exhibition is the product of a 10-week course, which focused on professional development and assisting the artists' transition into the Australian cultural scene. The eight works created challenge understandings of ‘home’ and fixed identities. Each artist will share an intriguing and personal narrative through their work, reflecting on notions of place and belonging. The artists featured in the show include Babak Jahangirzadeh, Damon Amb, Farid Assadi, Hayder Shakir Al Bdairi, Mahdi Jahangirzadeh, Mohanad Al Ghezi, Mohammed Alanezi and Sefullah (Amir) Akbari. Join the opening reception on August 19, 6-7.30pm. Image: Hayder Shakir Al Bdairi, The Memories, 2015
At the beginning of 2020, the idea that visiting a restaurant or pub might mean you'd need to self-isolate afterwards would've seemed very strange indeed. But, that scenario is now a normal part of life during a pandemic — and one that New South Wales residents are getting used to during the state's response to COVID-19. Naming locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited is key element of NSW's containment strategy, and this weekend, across Saturday, December 18–Sunday, December 19, it has announced the latest places Sydneysiders should be wary of due to the growing northern beaches cluster. The big ones: Nomad and the Strawberry Hills Hotel in Surry Hills. Anyone who went to the either for more than an hour at specific times on Wednesday, December 16 — to the former between 12.45–2pm and the latter from 3.30–6pm — is asked to get a test for COVID-19 immediately and self-isolate until Wednesday, December 30. If you were there during these times, but for less than an hour, you should monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if any appear. Also on the list is Sienna Marina in Woolloomooloo, with visitors for an hour or more between 12–2pm on Friday, December 11 days asked to get a test for COVID-19 immediately and self-isolate until Friday, December 25 — and, like the other venues, told to monitor for symptoms if you were there for less than an hour (and get tested immediately if any appear, too). Folks who frequented the Rose of Australia in Erskineville between 7–8.45pm on Tuesday, December 15 must also get tested asap and self-isolate for 14 days, while those who attended the venue after 8.45pm on the same day must get tested asap and self-isolate until they get a negative result. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1340273419410001922 Over in Cronulla, anyone who was at the Pilgrims Vegetarian Cafe in Cronulla from 11.30am–2.30pm on Wednesday, December 16 is required to get immediately and self-isolate until Wednesday, December 30 — while those at the Cronulla RSL Club from 5pm till closing on Wednesday, December 16 must all also get tested asap and self-isolate until further notice. At the latter, close contacts of folks who went to the club must also self-isolate until Wednesday, December 30. The list goes on — with sites in Avalon Beach, Kirribilli, Lane Cove, Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Newport, Palm Beach, Penrith, St Peters and Turramurra also included. Unsurprisingly, more venues feature from the northern beaches area than elsewhere. There's also a hefty list of places that, if you visited them, you should monitor for symptoms and get tested if any arise. It includes places in Artarmon, Bondi Junction, Cronulla, Homebush, Newtown, Rosebery and Surry Hills, among other suburbs. As it has throughout the pandemic, NSW Health is maintaining an ongoing register of locations that have been visited by positive COVID-19 cases, and it's very lengthy at present — you can check out the entire list on its website. And, if you need a reminder, the symptoms to look out for are coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste. You can find a rundown of testing clinic locations online as well. At the time of writing, NSW has reported 30 new COVID-19 cases in the northern beaches cluster in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, December 19, from a pandemic-long total of 4559 across the state. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: Strawberry Hills Hotel via Google Maps.
Beloved Chippendale pub the Lord Gladstone is changing its name once again. Last year, during Sydney's extended lockdown, the venue temporarily rebranded as The Lord Jabstone in a push to get Sydneysiders vaccinated and back to the pub. Now, the Gladdy is transforming again, this time into The Gladsong Hotel. The latest iteration of the inner-city pub is in response to the NSW Government's recent ban on singing and dancing in hospitality venues — restrictions that don't extend to places of worship. The tongue-in-cheek play on northwest Sydney's megachurch Hillsong looks to point out the hypocrisy in the current legislation, which targets the arts and hospitality after two incredibly tough years for both industries. The Gladsong Hotel's one-off Sunday Service is being billed as "a day of worship, schooners and good times" and will be happening on Sunday, January 23. On the day, there'll be DJs spinning tunes, plus $15 jugs of 'holy water' (The Gladstone's larger), $10 Bloody Lord cocktails and some lighthearted religious-themed shenanigans. And at midday, a pay-what-you-want keg will be tapped, with all proceeds going to Support Act. "It's been an absolutely frustrating period of time for all venue owners. Right now and over the past couple of years. Once again it feels like our leaders are leaving our poor struggling musicians and artists back in the darkness," venue owner Mitchell Crum said. "Live music venues, musicians, pubs and clubs all across the state have been the hardest hit without any support or closure. I can't say I'm terribly religious though I worship live music. Does that make us exempt?" Images: Jarrad Shaw
Sydney’s favourite almost-monthly/sometimes-weekly/often fort-nightly Crunk, Baltimore Club, Baile Funk, Hyphy & Dancehall party Wamp Wamp is back after taking a few months off to rest and refresh. The party features all the regulars (Sleater Brockman, Kato, Jimmy Sing) alongside Mad Decent fave and UK up-and-comer Mumdance on his first ever Australian tour. The fact that the party is going down in one of Sydney’s best kept nightclub secrets Goodgod Small Club only heightens my excitement! Wamp Wamp WHAT IT DO?!
The doors to some of Sydney's most impressive historic and contemporary buildings will be thrown wide open for observation on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November. It's all for the 12th annual Sydney Open. Sydney Living Museums run the event each year, and they've arranged for just over 70 sites across the city throughout the CBD, the Rocks, Walsh Bay and Barangaroo to open for the weekend. Ticket holders will be able to access them by themselves, or with a guided tour. The event celebrates Sydney's history, opening the doors to buildings such as Parliament House, Sydney Hospital, the Mint, St James' Church and Harry Seidler's Grosvenor Place. It will also showcase new additions to Sydney's architectural landscape, such as Macquarie Banks' new offices at No. 1 Martin Place, Tower Two at Barangaroo, and PTW Architect's Calyx structure at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Upgrading your ticket to include a Focus Tour could also get you inside the Money Box building at 5 Martin Place or up the St James' Church Bell Tower or Town Hall Clocktower. And if you happen to win a golden ticket, you might find yourself exploring the St James Station tunnels underneath Hyde Park or overlooking the city from the rooftop of Two International Towers, Barangaroo. Sydney Open runs from November 5-6. Tickets range from $35-$220, and are available here.
More plays, more musicals, more festivals, more late-night trips to cultural institutions: now that Sydney has reopened after its nearly four-month lockdown, that's all back on the agenda. And, to give New South Wales' arts industry some much-needed assistance after an incredibly difficult year — which followed an already tough year in 2020 — the NSW Government has just announced a $86 million funding package. Set to be delivered by Create NSW, the big stash of cash is specifically earmarked to help artists, musicians, theatres, venues, festivals and cultural organisations as the state kicks back into gear. The full amount has been split into smaller figures, too, with different pots of money set aside for the performing arts, arts festivals, theatre and film, up-late cultural events and film fests. Accordingly, $50 million has been put into the performing arts relaunch package, which is designed to help the stage sector reopen; $25 million is earmarked for the festival relaunch package, with an aim of giving established commercial and not-for-profit festivals of all sizes some stability to move forward with 2022–23 programming; and $5 million will go towards the development of a film studio and theatre infrastructure strategy to bring more international movie productions and big theatre shows to NSW. Also, the $5 million for up-late cultural events will be used to help Sydney's museums, galleries and other cultural institutions keep hosting evening programs, while $1 million will go to film festivals across Sydney, Western Sydney and South Western Sydney — including fests in independent and commercial cinemas, with a big focus on outdoor screenings where possible. Because COVID-19 cancellations or postponements could keep getting in the way of major festivals and events, the NSW Government has also set up an event saver fund to provide support these shows if this occurs. Unveiling the new funding on Sunday, October 17, NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said that "we have all been champing at the bit to see films in cinemas, our local bands on stage and our favourite musicals in theatres. This funding commitment will allow the arts and cultural sector to relaunch with certainty and confidence to deliver works that audiences have missed over the past year." This new tranche of cast comes after other NSW Government funding for the industry both this year and last, including $75 million already announced in 2021 for the performing arts and live music, plus $50 million in 2020. For more information about the NSW Government's just-announced arts funding, head to the Create NSW website. Top image: Liam Cameron.
Grab your diary. Call your mates. Reserve your horse. Secret Garden has just announced its dates for 2019. And we're happy to tell you that Australia's beloved, grassroots, made-for-mates-by-mates festival will be taking place over 48 hours, across Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23. You have less time, however, to scrape your cash together. Ticket sales kick off at 9am on Wednesday, September 12. If you're a regular gardener, you'll know that they sell out pretty damn quickly, so don't dilly dally. Good news is, though, that you can sign up for pre-sale tickets here — if you're not already. As usual, we won't know anything about the lineup or festival program until tickets are sold out. But, we can tell you that, as always, Secret Garden will bring you an immersive experience, a long way out of the city, within a magical natural setting transformed into a wonderland. You'll find yourself wandering through a forest maze, getting lost in massive installations, discovering unexpected pop-up performances and coming across tucked-away parties in custom-made rave caves. Maybe even getting married. All we know for sure? As always, you're invited to wear your craziest, most dressed up fancy dress. Start planning. Secret Garden will run from February 22–23, 2019. Tickets on sale 9am Wednesday, September 12. More details on the festival's website. Image: Tim Da Rin & Jack Toohey
Surry Hills has long been one of Sydney's go-to spots for a quality Lebanese feed, from Fatima's — which has been taking care of nocturnal hunger pangs for more than 30 years — to Abdul's queue-inspiring feasts. More recently, Cubby's Kitchen has popped up in one half of the Crown Street Fish Shop space. But too much falafel is never enough. And so we're not upset at all that there's set to be yet another Lebanese kid on the block. It's called Nour and is coming to you from the folks behind Newtown's Cuckoo Callay. Unlike the neighbourhood's many hole-in-the-wall eateries, this one's a whopping 120-seater. So you can take your entire extended family and all your mates with you. You'll find Nour within a stone's throw of Cubby's, at 3/490 Crown Street, right between Toko and Maloneys Grocer. Restaurateurs Ibby Moubadder and Ella Harris — who opened the good Cuckoo back in 2013 — have long been planning on bringing a Lebanese restaurant to Sydney. Their hope is to reinvigorate the ancient cuisine, by giving long-standing traditions some fresh twists. In keeping with this vision, they've enlisted top contemporary interior designers DS17 to revamp the space. Once the shadowy, moody home of Tokonoma, it's been lightened and brightened. After all, Nour means 'light' in Arabic. If you've visited Alpha, Beta Bar or the newly opened The Resident, you're familiar with DS17's work. We're told it will look nothing like the Lebanese restaurants we're familiar with. You'll have to see for yourself when the restaurant opens later this month. Nour will open at 3/490 Crown Street, Surry Hills on Wednesday, 28 September. For more information, visit their Facebook page.
Magnum are hitting the streets of Sydney with a Red Velvet Singles Couch on February 18. It's in celebration of Valentine's Day and the new Red Velvet Magnum (chocolate and cream cheese ice cream, with an outside layer of cream cheese-flavoured white chocolate). Single people in Sydney are invited to be among the first to taste the new flavour and jump on the couch to take a photo, with a Magnum in hand, to go into the draw to win a spot at one of Sydney's most exciting and exclusive dining experiences, A Moveable Feast. A Moveable Feast is by the same team that bring you the beautiful Diner en Blanc every year. It's a themed pop-up dinner that takes place on Bondi Beach. This year, food will be by Luke Mangan. The 2017 dinner has already sold out, but if you're one of the Magnum competition winners you'll get to sit on the Magnum single's table alongside Cameron Cranley from the second season of The Bachelorette. All you have to do to win one of five double passes to A Moveable Feast is jump on the Red Velvet Singles Couch, take a photo and upload it to Instagram. The five most creative photos will win. The single's couch pop-up is open on Saturday February 18 at Coogee Beach from 11am - 3pm.
Mike Meyer has long been a legendary name in the sign business. But it was after his appearance on internationally acclaimed film Sign Painters that he started to receive stacks of calls asking for lessons, tips and advice. Given that there's only a few schools in the whole world teaching the traditional art of hand-painted lettering, he decided to set up a travelling workshop. And now he's set to leave his home in Mazeppa, Minnesota to visit us here down under. He'll be hosting two-day workshops in Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney. Over two days of brushes and paint, you'll learn how to paint Gothic (Block), Casual and Script fonts, while Mike provides one-on-one critique (and no shortage of jokes). The workshop is suitable for both those totally new to sign-painting and to those who've made some progress and are ready to take their skills to the next level. Tickets are likely to be snapped up quick.
What's the deal with trivia nights based on pop culture commodities? They're great, that's what — and, even with everyone staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, they're clearly a hit. Accordingly, Isolation Trivia is busting out another virtual session, and this time it's Seinfeld's turn in the quizmaster's spotlight. The show about nothing has inspired an evening about everything that made its nine-season, 180-episode run so great. The fun unravels online from 6.25 on Saturday, May 9. Playing along is free (just as George Costanza would like it), so all you need to do is head to the event Facebook page at the appropriate time. Lock in some mates who think they know every conceivable detail about the hit 90s sitcom — and about Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine — and you can all play along from your own homes. The quizmaster will put your affection to the test, potentially covering everything from soup to sponges, puffy shirts to Pez dispensers, and even the parade of famous faces that played Jerry's girlfriends. Yada, yada, yada — you get the picture. Best check your drinks supply first, in case those pretzels make you thirsty.
For some, friendly banter with whoever happens to be behind a car's wheel is a regular part of booking a ride. For others, the obligatory bout of awkward conversation with the driver is the most dreaded part of the trip. Or, maybe you're just having a bad day and don't feel like chatting. Perhaps you're usually happy to talk away, but you're stressed, have too much on your mind, and have emails to check while you're getting from point A to point B. Whether you like a good chinwag with your driver or prefer riding in silence, Uber has introduced a new feature that lets customers choose their level of conversation. It's called quiet mode, and it lets you choose if you want a chatty ride or a quiet one. The catch: it's only available for Uber Comfort trips, which are about 20 percent more expensive than regular UberX trips. But, according to the Uber website, the ridesharing service's Comfort offering also comes with a range of additional benefits, including requesting a specific temperature within the car (warm, hot, cool or cold) and giving passengers a bit of extra time to make their way to the vehicle (up to ten minutes). Drivers will also have a minimum rating of 4.85 and will have clocked at least 500 trips, and cars will be at least a 2013 model. It's certainly a sign of the times that ordering a conversation (or lack thereof) can now be done at the touch of a button, rather than in person. That said, pre-selecting quiet mode will stop the dreaded, always uncomfortable "I don't feel like chatting" convo before the uncomfortable silence, as well as awkward small talk. Uber Comfort is now available across Australia.
UPDATE Wednesday, June 23: Due to the latest outbreak of COVID-19, Bondi Festival has been postponed until Tuesday, June 29. You can find the latest information at the Bondi Festival website and stay up to date with the developing COVID-19 situation in Sydney, as well as current restrictions, at NSW Health. Usually, when winter rolls around, Bondi becomes a hub of ferris wheel rides, art shows, live music, history walks and fringe events for the annual Winter Magic and Bondi Feast events. Last year, because of COVID-19, those events were combined to create a mega-festival of art, food and soaring through the sky dubbed Bondi Festival — and the fest is returning again in 2021. Setting up once more will be Bondi Vista, a ferris wheel that'll send you soaring 22 metres above the sand. From Tuesday, June 29–Sunday, July 11, you can go for a spin and feast your eyes on 360-degree views. On one side, you'll be gazing at wild waves, endless horizon and open sky. On the other, look out for glimpses of the city skyline. If you prefer to spin in circles on the ground, you can do just that at an ice-skating rink. Between rides on both circular attractions, you can check out an extravaganza of circus, burlesque, comedy and theatre, with shows popping up throughout the suburb. Walking tours and events for families will also be on the bill, and all in a COVID-safe way, of course. So far, only the basic details have been announced, with the full program due to release in May. But, you can start pencilling some frosty beachside action into your calendar anyway.
If you haven't yet had the chance to eat Macanese fare, fret not — you'll soon have an opportunity to try it for free. Macao Tourism has teamed up with with Eat Art Truck to bring Sydneysiders an authentic (and free) taste of the cuisine between September 1–7. Expect pork chop buns, traditional egg tarts and African peri-peri chicken (a Macanese national dish, as it turns out). It'll all starts at the Smooth Festival of Chocolate, taking place at Sydney Olympic Park from September 1–2. Now, this bit isn't actually free, as you need to first purchase tickets to the festival ($17-$23) in order to nab the giveaway. The rest of the week, however, will be free food with no strings attached. You'll find the Macanese truck on Monday, September 3, in East Circular Quay from noon–3pm; Tuesday, September 4, at Martin Place from noon–3pm; Wednesday, September 5, at Central Station's Henry Deane Plaza from noon–3pm; Thursday, September 6, at Parramatta's Centenary Square from noon–3pm; and Friday, September 7, at Chatswood's Spring Street from noon–3pm. The truck will then head to Melbourne from September 14–18. And, to add to the free food bonanza, Macao Tourism is also giving away a free trip for two to Macao — which you can enter to win here.
If you missed out on the last Sydney Contemporary — or last year's The Other Art Fair — fret not. While the latter most recently happened in October, it's back again in March. Art lovers, you know what this means: you'll have another opportunity to snatch up an artwork from emerging and unrepresented artists from March 22 to 25. Presented by Saatchi Art, the fair showcases more than 100 artists (selected by a formidable committee of contemporary art experts), typically drawing in about 10,000 people over four days. Celebrating the vibrancy and innovation of Sydney's emerging art scene, it's a rare chance to buy work directly from artists rather than through a gallery. Thinking of buying? Fair organisers advise you to obey your taste, buy what you like, take a risk and most of all, make the most of having the artist on hand to chat to. Alongside the art will be workshops, large-scale installations, talks and events, plus drinks to refresh your palette between perusals. Make a party out of it by attending on opening night ($25), or stop by for a general browse between Friday to Sunday, with general entry tickets costing between $12 and $15. Head along to catch a rising star at the beginning of their career — or just to soak up all that creativity and get inspired.
If you thought your coffee habit was getting a little costly, spare a thought for Sydney Coffee Business' Jason Kew, who forked out $601 per pound for a rare blend of the stuff in an online auction back in May. Known as Esmeralda Geisha Canas Verdes Natural, the blend immediately became the world's most expensive coffee, blitzing the previous record of a measly $350 per pound. To be fair, Kew's not hoarding it all to himself, and is happy to share his sweet, caffeine-laced spoils with other coffee-mad Sydneysiders. Tonight, he's teaming up with Seven Miles Coffee Roasters for a one-off tasting session of the blend at their Manly Vale store. Dubbed 'The 601 Experience', the event kicks off at 5pm tonight — and it's not cheap, with tickets priced at $55. That'll get you entry for two people and a 15-gram serve of coffee, which you can brew yourself, or have whipped up for you by one of Seven Miles' champion brewers. The 601 Experience will kick off at 5pm tonight — Friday, August 25 — at Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, 75 Kenneth Road, Manly Vale. Grab your tickets here. Via Manly Daily.
OG Sydney food truck Mister Gee has accumulated a city-spanning fan base since it opened its first truck in Burwood in 2014. Six years on and the burger joint is ringing in its birthday with a two-day celebration kicking off with free burgers. The first 50 customers to arrive at each of the Mister Gee Haberfield (at 315 Parramatta Road) and North Strathfield (at 16 George Street) stores on Friday, November 27 will receive a free burger. The freebies are sure to go fast, so you'll have to get there bang on opening time at 6pm to ensure you get one. If you do miss out, there are burgers on offer over the weekend for $10, which also included a free bottle of Jarritos soda. All of Mister Gee's fan favourite burgers including its truffle burger, Vegee Burger (with a vegetable patty, cheese, pickled onions, tomatoes and special sauce) and The Stoners Revenge (which features beef, cheese, bacon, onion and chips) will be on offer for $10 from 6–9.30pm Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28. Live street artists, DJ sets and a photo booth will be on hand to bring the atmosphere to both locations as Mister Gee celebrates a half-dozen years of serving Sydney burgers.
Women flouting society's expectations, men unsure about how to react, and trouble springing in response: Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd may have been published 141 years ago, but the text's gender politics certainly don't seem a century old. In adapting the Victorian novel for the modern movie-going masses, The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg and One Day writer David Nicholls clearly agree. Their condensed take on the tale may find its basis in classic literature, but it feels undated. Given the headstrong heroine they're working with, it is far from surprising that the duo thinks that writings from times gone by will resound with audiences of today. Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is a woman who acknowledges her disdain for her name at the outset, as well as the slim likelihood of her doing the done thing. She'd be happy being a bride but not a wife, she says. She values independence over affection, as her choices continually demonstrate. First, when assisting on her aunt's farm, Bathsheba attracts the attentions of a kindly shepherd, Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), then rejects his marriage proposal. Next, after inheriting her own property, a reversal of fortune sees her acting as Gabriel's boss while coping with the competing advances of a wealthy landowner, William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), and a charming soldier, Sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge). A simple account of a woman trying to choose from a trio of men, this is not, though the film does focus on Bathesheba's flitting between the three. That her suitors don't quite know what to make of her gets to the heart of the story: she may be quick to tell others what she does and doesn't like, but she doesn't quite know what she really wants. Here, Far From the Madding Crowd doesn't just do what every movie today is expected to, i.e. subvert feminine stereotypes and champion a strong lady as its lead. In its portrait of a character who astonishes even herself, it does something better, showing a complex woman complete with flaws, and capable of both making mistakes and learning from them. It helps that Mulligan — adding to her recent spate of great work in Drive, Shame, The Great Gatsby and Inside Llewyn Davis — makes for an equally fragile and fearless protagonist. Whether her hands are trembling with uncertainty or her face can't quite conceal a wry smile, she's ever the enthralling picture of complication. The actress also sets a high bar for her co-stars, though the quietly commanding Schoenaerts and the stately yet adoring Sheen are each up to the task. That Sturridge doesn't fare as well is partly a reflection of his role, playing the least sympathetic of the bunch by far. Of course, the cast's to-ing and fro-ing is perfect fodder for Dogme co-founder Vinterberg. He might be helming his first period film, but he's already shown that he knows a thing or two about labyrinthine relationships and ambiguous motivations from his Danish movie output. His eye for the countryside and fondness for close-ups similarly get another outlet, with Far From the Madding Crowd as simultaneously pastoral and intimate as a feature can be. In fact, the blend of swelling sentiments and handsome scenery suits the director so completely, there's little wonder he has crafted an offering that's beautiful and timeless in both emotion and imagery.
Country music's ballsy blonde is now reading kid's books online and, in this time of uncertainty, it's pretty heartwarming. Through her charity Imagination Library, Dolly Parton is hosting a weekly bedtime story series: Goodnight with Dolly. So, if you've ever wanted Dolly to lull you to sleep, this is for you. Imagination Library is a book-gifting program for young children that runs in the US, Australia, the UK, Republic of Ireland and Canada. As of February this year, the charity has donated over 133 million books since its inception in 1990. Now, Goodnight with Dolly will see the 'Jolene' and '9 to 5' singer read books from the Imagination Library. Sure, it may be aimed at kids, but we're all in a bit of bedtime comfort right now. The ten-week series will feature books such as Watty Piper's classic The Little Engine that Could, Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama Red Pajama, Floyd Cooper's Max & The Tag-Along Moon and even Dolly's own titles Coat of Many Colors and I Am a Rainbow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ia-ozHDaLs&feature=youtu.be Goodnight with Dolly premieres at 10am AEDT (12pm NZDT) on Friday, April 3 and will take place at 10am AEST (12pm NZST) every week after for ten weeks. You can watch via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
You spent 17 hours watching one of Australia's most famous trains as it travelled across the country, all as part of the slow TV trend. Now, you can splash out and spend seven-to-nine days leisurely riding the rails through the outback yourself. And while you're lapping up the scenery at a very relaxed pace, you'll be doing so on another historic vehicle — one of the nation's oldest passenger locomotives. The Spirit of Progress first went into operation back in 1937, travelling from Melbourne to Albury. Then, from 1962–1986, it made nightly journeys between Melbourne and Sydney. But it has been largely out of action since, other than commemorative trips to mark its 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries. This year, however, it's powering up its engines again — first retracing its familiar Melbourne–Sydney leg overnight at the end of March; then heading from Melbourne to Sydney, on to Broken Hill, then back to Sydney, all in early- to mid-July. Tickets for the first one-night trip have all been snapped up, but you can still hop onboard the second, lengthier journey, which has been dubbed the Far West Express. Feeling like treating yo'self and seeing the countryside? If so, you'll travel 4100 kilometres if you depart from Melbourne, and 2300 kilometres if you jump on in Sydney. Run by tour operator Cruise Express, the trip includes an overnight stop in Orange on the way there and two nights in the same spot on the way back. In Broken Hill, you'll hang around for three nights — touring sights that include filming locations for both Mad Max 2 and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Passengers won't just be riding on a famed 83-year-old train, either, or simply exploring the country at a slow pace — they'll be part of the Spirit of Progress' longest-ever trip. That said, this isn't a cheap venture. Prices start at $5890 per person twin-share and $6490 for solo travellers out of Sydney, and cost $6390 per person twin-share and $7190 for solo travellers out of Melbourne. The Spirit of Progress' Far West Express trip departs Melbourne on Wednesday, July 8 and Sydney on Thursday, July 9 — visit the tour operator's website for bookings and further details.
If you can't make Bluesfest in Byron Bay this year, fear not. A slew of the most popular artists will be playing sideshows right here in Sydney. Be your thing blues, roots, funk, soul, rock or a good old singer-songwriter, there's a gig happening to sate your musical appetite. Among the headliners is Ray LaMontagne, who's returning to Australia for the first time in ten years, with bassist John Stirratt (Wilco), to play a series of intimate, acoustic shows. Singer-songwriter and rapper Meshell Ndegeocello, who has received ten Grammy nominations over her career, has also joined the lineup. If you're up for making shapes, then catch George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, who specialise in 70s grooves, roller skates and all-round good vibes, or The California Honeydrops, who've been touring the world with their soulful, New Orleans-influenced sounds for ten years. Also on the program are wandering troubadour Nahko Bear with Medicine For The People (US); English crooner David Gray ; and blues man Keb Mo', whose latest hit, 'Put A Woman In Charge', features Rosanne Cash, eldest daughter of Johnny Cash. Check out the full lineup of Bluesfest sideshows below: David Gray: Tuesday, April 16 at Enmore Theatre I'm With Her: Tuesday, April 16 at City Recital Hall Keb Mo': Tuesday, April 16 at Factory Theatre Allen Stone: Wednesday, April 17 at Factory Theatre Arlo Guthrie: Wednesday, April 17 at City Recital Hall Trevor Hall: Wednesday, April 17 at Oxford Art Factory Flogging Molly: Thursday, April 18 at The Metro Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real: Thursday, April 18 at Factory Theatre George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic: Saturday, April 20 at Enmore Theatre Meshell Ndegeocello: Saturday, April 20 at Factory Theatre Nahko and Medicine For The People: Saturday, April 20 at The Metro Snarky Puppy: Sunday, April 21 at Enmore Theatre Larkin Poe: Monday, April 22 at Oxford Art Factory Shakey Graves: Monday, April 22 at Factory Theatre Ray LaMontagne: Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25 at State Theatre Vintage Trouble: Wednesday, April 24 at Oxford Art Factory For more information and to book tickets, visit the Bluesfest website.
A slice of the inner city is gearing up to spend the summer by the sea. On Thursday, November 15, Maybe Frank – Surry Hills' and Randwick's much-loved pizza joint – will pop up at Bondi's Beach Road Hotel. Until late February, you'll be able to wander off the sand and up to level one to feast on slices and sip on Italian cocktails. The menu will offer seven of Maybe Frank's most popular pizzas — in slightly smaller, one-person-appropriate size — including the Alba ($15), topped with mozzarella, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, truffle pecorino and rosemary; the Frutti di Porko ($15), an Italian version of the meat lover's; and a Nutella-topped dessert pizza. Meanwhile, the cocktail list will cover two Italian classics: the negroni ($15) and the Aperol spritz ($12). If you're a bargain hunter, head along on Thursday nights, when pizzas and cocktails will be just 10 bucks a pop. The Maybe Frank pop-up is walk-in only, though groups of ten or more can make a booking at functions@beachroadhotel.com.au or on (02) 9130 7247. Opening hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 6pm-12am; and Thursday and Sunday, 6pm-10pm.
If your daily commute involves ferrying across Sydney Harbour, you may need to find an alternative way home tonight. Large swell has led to the cancellation of all ferries between Manly and Circular Quay. While there's no word yet on when the swell will subside — and when the ferries will start up again — replacement buses have been organised and will continue to run for the foreseeable future. Transport for NSW is telling commuters who plan on catching one of the replacement buses to allow for extra travel time and to listen to announcements. This is what conditions on the ferry were like before they were cancelled today: https://twitter.com/mosmancollectv/status/1135748259463323648 If your commute involves a ferry down Parramatta River, or across to Mosman, Double or Neutral Bay, you'll be happy to know those ferries are currently running on time. But we recommend keeping an eye on the Transport for NSW website just in case that changes. The large swell is just the latest crazy weather to hit Sydney today, with the Bureau of Meteorology releasing a severe weather warning for damaging, locally destructive winds and damaging surf along a large portion of the NSW coast and a road weather alert for Sydney's eastern suburbs. Overnight, the Blue Mountains copped a heap of snow and Katoomba train station was transformed into a veritable winter wonderland. Although it looked pretty, the snow caused a heap of delays and incidents along the Great Western Highway between Sydney and Katoomba. https://www.facebook.com/SydneyTrains/posts/2338571996463175 The wild weather is expected to continue tomorrow with a 90-percent-chance of rain and powerful surf conditions forecast in Sydney. But, the long weekend is expected to clear up with a partly cloudy 21 degrees predicted for all three days. For the latest updates on traffic and public transport delays, head to Live Traffic NSW and Transport for NSW's official Ferries Twitter account.
It's not like we need any real excuse to enjoy a lavish seafood feast, but a new celebration of ocean-fresh eats provides some extra encouragement. The inaugural Sydney Oyster Week descends on Darling Harbour from September 20 to 30, and is promising mollusc madness aplenty. Restaurants throughout the precinct will be dishing up special deals on oysters, wine and more from 5–7pm every day. At The Port, you'll score Sydney rock oysters for $1 a pop, with $10 glasses of Mumm to match, while Nick's Seafood Restaurant is shouting a complimentary flute of Chandon for every dozen of the mollusc you purchase. For $29 at The Watershed Hotel, you can get half a dozen Sydney rock oysters teamed with ponzu sauce and a glass of wine, bubbly or tap beer. Over at Fratelli Fresh, you'll find $1 oysters — with the purchase of a full-priced drink — all day, every day during the ten-day festival. Then, on Thursday, September 26, the oyster obsession switches into overdrive for Champagne Bar at Sofitel's Four Oysters & Wines event. Head along to enjoy helpings of oysters from four famed Aussie regions – Port Stephens, Merimbula, Tasmania and Coffin Bay – matched to a range of free-flowing local wines. Each two-hour session clocks in at $98 a head.
Teenagers are savage in The Boogeyman, specifically to Yellowjackets standout Sophie Thatcher, but none of them literally take a bite. Grief helps usher a stalking dark force to a distraught family's door; however, that malevolent presence obviously doesn't share The Babadook's moniker. What can and can't be seen haunts this dimly lit film, and yet this isn't Bird Box, which co-star Vivien Lyra Blair also appeared in. And a distressed man visits a psychiatrist to talk about his own losses, especially the otherworldly monster who he claims preyed upon his children, just as in Stephen King's 1973 short story also called The Boogeyman — but while this The Boogeyman is based on that The Boogeyman, which then made it into the author's 1978 Night Shift collection that gave rise to a packed closet full of fellow movie adaptations including Children of the Corn, Graveyard Shift and The Lawnmower Man, this flick uses the horror maestro's words as a mere beginning. On the page and the screen alike, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian, Boston Strangler) seeks therapist Will Harper's (Chris Messina, Air) assistance, reclining on his couch to relay a tragic tale. As the new patient talks, he isn't just shaken and shellshocked — he's a shadow of a person. He's perturbed by what loiters where light doesn't reach, in fact, and by what he's certain has been lurking in his own home. Here, he couldn't be more adamant that "the thing that comes for your kids when you're not paying attention" did come for his. And, the film Lester has chosen his audience carefully, because Will's wife recently died in a car accident, leaving his daughters Sadie (Thatcher) and Sawyer (Blair) still struggling to cope. On the day of this fateful session, the two girls have just returned to school for the first time, only for Sadie to sneak back when her so-called friends cruelly can't manage any sympathy. Whether you call it the boogeyman, boogie monster or bogeyman IRL, the titular creature doesn't need naming; everyone knows the concept. Movie buffs definitely do, thanks to 1980's The Boogeyman, and its sequels in 1983 and 1994 — plus the unrelated 2005 release Boogeyman, as well as its own 2007 and 2008 follow-ups. None of those past pictures have anything to do with King, making this one, which arrives 50 years after his unnerving prose first hit print, the only one to do the honours. Its main figures are just as familiar with the mythic entity with a penchant for petrifying young souls in the black of night from beneath their beds and in their cupboards, but purely as fiction, with ten-year-old Sawyer unable to sleep without lights on, her wardrobe checked and under her mattress given a thorough once-over. Indeed, early in The Boogeyman, Will asks Sawyer how she manages to slumber each night beneath such a glow. While her answer is standard for any precocious kid, the question itself hangs heavily in the air. Her bedroom twinkles from several sources of light — one of which is a giant lit-up globe that she sleeps with, and can also handily roll along bright corridors when the need arises, which it will — but the scene is noticeably far from radiant. It's a sight that says plenty about The Boogeyman, albeit unintentionally. The studio debut of Host and Dashcam director Rob Savage, the film is so concerned with evoking an unsettling mood in its look, tone and emotions first and foremost that it doesn't flinch for a second when what a character is saying contrasts so glaringly with what's being shown. Scary movies are about feeling, of course. At the core of the horror genre is the need to work through the things that go bump and jump in the evening, usually in our hearts and minds, and springing from existential woes about mortality — plus the chilling sensation that can't be shaken when what gets our hairs standing on end isn't at all logical. Accordingly, while the way that The Boogeyman handles Sawyer's bedroom doesn't prove so bright in multiple senses, Savage is a convincingly atmospheric filmmaker here (a trait he also demonstrated with his 2020 breakout Host, only for it to vanish without a trace in 2021's awful and obnoxious Dashcam). With cinematographer Eli Born (Hellraiser) consistently infusing every room with bleakness, Savage knows how to let dread and terror permeate. That's what navigating mourning is like, after all, as sits at the core of the emotionally astute script by A Quiet Place and 65's Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, alongside Black Swan and The Skeleton Twins' Mark Heyman. A feature can be as layered as strings upon strings of fairy lights and equally as conventional as a regular incandescent bulb, though. The Boogeyman, with its generic title, swings between both extremes. It understands how unshakeable the pain of losing someone is, and how bereavement seeps into every space it can. As Smile did in 2022, it also appreciates hurt and torment as a contagion as it spills from one household to the next. The Boogeyman is well-versed in the mechanics of jump scares, but those jolts also become routine quickly. Its high school bullies can't hold a candle to Carrie, it haunted houses aren't on The Shining's level and there's a touch of Stranger Things to its glimpses of its long-limbed, sharp-clawed namesake. And, yes, Thatcher brings Yellowjackets to mind, the whole premise gets The Babadook bubbling up, and the family-in-peril setup brings up Bird Box alongside Beck and Woods' A Quiet Place. Whether The Boogeyman is resonating with earned and earnest emotion or leaning overtly into genre tropes, it's a smartly hushed affair with expert sound design; in life's worst moments, sometimes only whispers echo no matter how loudly you want to scream. Savage's intriguing- and involving-enough mixed bag is also a better film thanks to its three key cast members, even working with thinly written characters. As her breakout TV role has already demonstrated, Thatcher is a talent on the rise. She's particularly skilled at portraying complicated teens forced to weather unspeakable horrors, then find a way to persevere. Although her panicked face fills the screen often, Blair's Sawyer is never just an alarmed avatar for the audience or a reminder of their own childhood fears, while the always-watchable Messina makes a shrink dad with trouble processing his own trauma feel believable.
When was the last time that you picked up a pen, sat down in front of a piece of paper and wrote someone a letter? When was the last time you picked up a pen and wrote something other than a reminder note, shopping list or a scribbled signature, for that matter? Handwriting is no longer a daily part of many people's lives, and nor is corresponding with others via mail — but both are in the spotlight at Dead Letter Club. Founded in Melbourne and now making its way around the country, Dead Letter Club is reviving the art of simply writing letters, although it's doing so with a twist. It's also a creative writing night, where people grab some stationery, choose a pen name and start scrawling missives. The letters are then sent via secret post — that is, swapped with other attendees, with everyone paired up with a mystery pen pal — creating a back-and-forth of handwritten correspondence throughout the evening. On the club's website, creator Melanie Knight describes it as "a chance to turn the tides on consumerism. Rather than consume more, we can make something". Dead Letter Club also presents itself an antidote to today's texting, twittering, emoji-sending, like-clicking forms of communication, instead requiring someone to spend time and energy to carefully compose a long-form piece of correspondence to someone else. The club comes to Sydney on Wednesday, October 17 thanks to a session at Daisy's Milkbar, with fellow nights following in Wollongong and Canberra as part of an east coast tour.
All The Feels are about to return to Sydney; German pianist and electronic mastermind Nils Frahm is heading back to the Opera House. Following his wildly talked-about, sold-out Vivid LIVE debut this year, the 31-year-old composer will play an intimate show in the Studio on Sunday, 12 October. The Opera House set is locked in after Frahm's Melbourne Festival stints in the Foxtel Festival Hub on October 10 and 11. "Nils Frahm was one of my highlights of Vivid LIVE this year and while we rarely present the same artist again so soon, I jumped at the chance to have him back in here," said Ben Marshall, head of contemporary music at Sydney Opera House. Frahm respects the keyboard like nothing else; the virtuoso has been likened to a Philip Glass-meets-Thelonious Monk style of piano-loving goodness. The Berlin-based serial collaborator has worked with the dreamy likes of Ólafur Arnalds and Arcade Fire's Sarah Neufeld, as well as Ludovico Einaudi, Anne Müller and Max Richter. His most recent album, the celebrated live LP Spaces, is a good place to start if you haven't delved into the Frahm before — an epic two year journey through his collected live performances. "His warmth, precision and utterly sublime music just can't be heard live too often," says Marshall. "Neoclassical is too alienating a description for what he does, he's taken in an enormous range of influences and fashioned them into something new and transportative. I'm thrilled he's coming back in October for this intimate show at the Opera House." Nils Frahm will play the Studio at Sydney Opera House on Sunday, October 12. Tickets from $50 + booking fee; available from 10am, Thursday, July 31 at SOH or 9250 7777. Now get amongst the Frahm Feels: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dIwwjy4slI8
Spend a cruisy summer Saturday evening listening to acoustic songs and staring at Sydney Harbour thanks to Cockatoo Island's sunset sessions. Most Saturdays until March 28, you'll be able to listen to music from local and international acoustic musicians. Venue 505 — which is sadly closing its Surry Hills spot in December — has curated the lineup, so you know you're in for an ace run of talent. The series will kick off with folk jazz singer Alice Terry, and will be followed by 20-year-old Woorabinda artist Miiesha and Sydney rapper Taj Ralph. There'll also be a special First Nations event on November 30 with performances from Bow and Arrow, Evie J Willie and Indigenous Enterprise. Sets start at 5pm, but we recommend heading over to the island early to soak up as much sun as possible. And, because the combination of great music and gorgeous views begets some refreshments, there will be beer and wine, as well as cheese and charcuterie boxes available to purchase. Tickets are $30 each.
Every once in a while a film comes along that makes us wish to be a school girl in 1960s London being romanced by a much-older man who, although guided by a skewed moral compass, is the perfect person with which to explore the best and worst of what adulthood can mean.Unfortunately, An Education is not that film.Psych! An Education is totally that film. In fact, you’ll find yourself identifying with so many contradictory characters that it will send you into spasms of recognition. All of us have been a Jenny (Carey Mulligan) â€" bored but not boring, fighting conservatism while on the path to good-on-paper success â€" and all of us have also been a David (Peter Sarsgaard), joyfully exploiting life’s shortcuts and in love with the idea of an escape. When the two meet by chance and fall into a relationship, all sorts of complications arise. Scriptwriter Nick Hornby is too clever to rely on a familiar exploited/exploiter dynamic for the schoolgirl and her fatherly lover. Jenny is loaded with a fierce integrity to offset her vulnerability, and Peter proves to be a seductive, shadow-type figure for both Jenny and her repressed father Jack (Alfred Molina).That the film’s Danish director, Lone Scherfig, is married to a psychologist is a very relevant side-note. The characters’ deep-seated complexities are next-level, but an uncomplicated plot and understated acting from nearly every cast member makes An Education something like a lesson in sweet, neat cinema. https://youtube.com/watch?v=oYkLgaQ27L8
Fashion show opera is the performing arts medium we didn't even know we wanted. Now we can't wait for Sydney Festival's Semele Walk to get here so we can gather around the runway for Handel's tragic Semele as told through the deconstructed opulence of Vivienne Westwood's costumes. Expect a sequinned kilt, diamond-studded socks, plenty of crinolines, and kabuki make-up. Westwood's punk roots aren't completely gone from the playlist, either, with Berlin ensemble Kaleidoskop mixing some sly pop music departures into their arrangement. Sydney's known to favour Semele's mythological son, Bacchus, god of wine, and this should be just the occasion to meet the family. Read our list of the 12 best things to see at the Sydney Festival in 2013. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FkrNJnL0MOc
Leichhardt's new small bar Golden Gully is swiftly becoming a neighbourhood haunt. Now, the plant-based kitchen is giving locals something else to love by launching a degustation series that heroes local Aussie producers. It'll kick off with Breakfast for Dinner on Tuesday, April 2 from 7pm. Joining the Gully's head chef Emma Evans in the kitchen is Brian Villahermosa (ex-MoVida) from Annandale's Trafalgar Street Espresso and Little Marionette coffee roasters. The team will combine forces to whip up a four-course breakfast feast with drinks to match. Expect sourdough crumpets with mushrooms, pecorino and porcini aioli, paired with a bourbon and blueberry shrub cocktail. Or avocado with burnt eggplant, zaatar and finger lime, matched with a cold drip espresso martini that uses Little Marionette coffee. For breakfast dessert, there will be a chia, black rice and black tahini pudding with persimmon and cocoa nibs — it's paired with a nightcap of Poor Toms Imbroglio amaro. The degustation will cost a pretty reasonable $80 all up. Breakfast for Dinner is the first of the Gully's Tuesday night dinner series, with a different theme and local chef joining the team each time. Keep an eye on the venue's Instagram for all upcoming events. Images: Trent can der Jagt.
Damask. Gravure. Florence Broadhurst. William Morris. Symmetry groups. Wallpaper is a world unto itself. Therefore justified is the Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection (SCL&RC), which has hunted down and brought together fragments of the stuff from merchant's sample books, excess rolls and occasionally straight off walls. Selections from this incredible collection, dating back to around 1840, are currently available to take home in the form of a publication from the Historic Houses Trust titled Wallpaper — a holy grail for those obsessed with this old-timey form of design. Considering the rather large legacy of the wallpaper genre, it makes sense that the average Joe may require some further guidance — even with this take-home book for the coffee table. It is with this in mind that Michael Lech, Assistant Curator of the collection, will host an evening of exclusive wallpaper viewing. Featuring highlights from the book and more intimate offerings, this event is a must for anyone still dreaming about their great-grandmother's walls, or simply those who like to imagine. Image: 'Vinion' (a wallpaper roll with circle design), Australian Wallcovering Manufacturers, 1970s.
Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, Woollahra Council and Bard On The Beach are collaborating for two weeks in April to bring you Shakespeare By The Bay — two weeks of stunning outdoor stage performances in Robertson Park, Watsons Bay. An annual event, this year you can see the classic love story Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet and the Shakespearean comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor underneath the stars, overlooking Sydney's sparkling harbour. You can grab a takeaway picnic from Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel (featuring roast chicken salads, artisan stuffed baguettes and spinach and feta frittatas among other menu items) and chow down on it while Bard On The Beach (a national outdoor performance company) bring Shakespeare to life. Performances will run over two weeks in April — from Thursday, April 13 to Sunday, April 16, and again from Thursday, April 20 to Sunday, April 23. Whether you're trying to impress a date or just looking for a way to fill an evening, we think this is the best way to make the most of the warmer nights that are about to leave. Visit the website for tickets and performance times.
George Calombaris has confirmed the opening date and location of the first Jimmy Grants in Sydney, with the souvlaki bar set to start trading in Sydney Central Plaza on Wednesday, September 18. Calombaris opened the first Jimmy Grants in Melbourne's Fitzroy in 2013, and has since opened four other stores in Melbourne and one on the Gold Coast. His foray into Sydney was announced back in August, with four locations due to open within the next 12 months. Jimmy Grants Newtown was initially meant to be first cab off the rank, but is now due to open in the weeks following the CBD launch (exact date TBD). If you haven't been into a Jimmy Grants down south, it's a similar offering to that of Sydney's Zeus Street Greek. Souvas are stuffed with the likes of chicken, lamb, falafel, prawns and beef short-rib, chips come topped with feta and oregano and dessert is a baklava choc-top. Also on the menu is a selection of dips, meat plates, salads and Jimmy's famous steamed dimmys. The whole thing is pretty casual — they have room for diners to sit-in but do lots of take away and delivery through UberEATS — and the new Sydney stores will be fitted out with recycled or repurposed materials, graffiti murals and vintage photographs, and will feature the brand's signature neon blue. The remaining two locations are yet to be revealed, but expect them to open in at some point in 2018. Look for Sydney's first Jimmy Grants at Level 1, Sydney Central Plaza, Westfield Sydney, from Wednesday, October 18. Words by Lauren Vadnjal and Tom Clift
Surry Hills is more casual than most markets, yet at the same time, it's the market you're most likely to run into a street fashion photographer or budding fashion designer. It really is a particularly well-dressed crowd. Surry Hills is also where you'll dig up some of the greatest things. Held on the first Saturday of every month at Shannon Reserve on Crown Street, it's a mix of emerging designers, specially sourced vintage and people hocking their old junk. The stall-holders really put in the effort here. Someone will offer you the history of your $10 skirt as you're rifling around for cash, while others will be happy to knock up a customised pair of earrings for you on the spot, and one nice man once helped my friend carry a pile of old 60s suitcases to the car. Along with great people watching and finding hidden treasures, these markets offer up some prime dog spotting, too.
If you loved Shakespeare in Love, this play from the celebrated theatre company, Sport for Jove, is your perfect dramatic affair. Venus and Adonis is making its theatrical debut at the Seymour Centre's Reginald Theatre from Friday, September 29, until Saturday, October 21, 2023. The play centres on a trailblazing poet almost completely lost to history, Aemilia Lanyer (also known as Emilia Lanier). She was one of the first women in England to publish her own work and the first to have her full name on the title page of her own book. Many literary scholars believe that Lanyer is the famous "Dark Lady" referred to in Shakespeare's sonnets 127–152. These sonnets express Shakespeare's complex and passionate love affair with a woman described as having dark hair, skin and eyes. However, in the plot of this original Australian drama, written and directed by notable playwright and Sport for Jove's Artistic Director Damien Ryan, Aemilia is a rival poet to the celebrated bard, who borrows her life and words on the path to becoming the most famous playwright of all time. Ryan's previous adaptions, Cyrano de Bergerac and Antigone, both won Sydney Theatre Awards for best production, so you can be assured of a dazzling spectacle. The play is titled after one of Shakespeare's most famous narrative poems, which tells the tragic love story of the Roman goddess of love as she tries and fails to seduce the Greek figure, Adonis. The poem explores the dynamics of their passionate but ultimately tragic relationship. You can expect the play to bring some of those elements from the narrative poem to its storyline. Tickets to Sport for Jove's theatrical production Venus and Adonis are available to book on the Seymour Centre website from $39 now. Images: Andre Vasquez, Kate Williams (rehearsal image)
Coding...it sounds scarier than learning hieroglyphics, right? And even though you know it would be a sweet addition to your skill-set, you can't quite commit to a coding class. After all, why would you sit yourself at a keyboard, deciphering the difference between Java and Type Script, when you could be painting, strumming your guitar or watching this week's episode of Game of Thrones for the fourth time? Well, the thing is, if you want to take your creative exploits anywhere, a little bit of code goes a long way — whether you're looking to transform your website into a traffic magnet or design a world-conquering app. And that's why General Assembly and Yahoo7 are getting together to teach you a thing or two in what sounds like the funnest coding class ever. As part of Vivid Ideas, they're holding a gloriously free cracking day of talks, workshops, interactive demos and installations called Code in the Park at aMBUSH in Central Park on the afternoon of Saturday, June 18. Running the show will be a ten-strong team of code pros. You'll be hanging out with none other than General Assembly lead instructor and web developer extraordinaire Joel Turnbull, digital artist Lukasz Karluk, Yahoo7's tech director Paul Russell, Girl Geek Academy co-founder Sarah Moran, and artist and all-round computer whiz Andrew Sorensen, among others. Between them, these guys could re-write software history — so you'll be in good hands.
This review was written about the Melbourne run of this production in June 2014 at Red Stitch Actors Theatre. Now and then you see a piece of theatre which is so powerful it's like taking a bullet. Grounded is like taking two — one to the head and one to the heart. A haunting depiction of modern warfare, Grounded follows a character known simply as The Pilot, a woman working for the American airforce, flying combat missions over Iraq. She is taken off active duty after becoming pregnant but that’s only the beginning. When she returns to work, she finds herself posted to a different kind of job altogether: piloting drones, remotely, from a base in America. By day she controls killing machines in the skies of the Middle East, then she commutes home to her husband and daughter. This work was written by American playwright George Brant and has rocketed him to fame. Previously, Brant’s work had been played mostly in regional America but Grounded has had an explosion of interest both in his home country and abroad, notching up some serious accolades, including being listed on The Guardian’s top 10 plays of 2013. In this, the show’s Australian premiere, you can see why. In addition to being a well-researched piece on a compelling and uniquely modern issue, it uses the scenario of robotised warfare to make broader statements about contemporary life, work and relationships. You don’t need to be working with drones to empathise with Brant’s view on modern alienation. Kate Cole as The Pilot is magnificent. Both indomitable and vulnerable, passionate and disaffected, bursting with bravado and simmering with repressed sensitivities, her performance presents a complex and highly believable weave of contradictions. It’s only her on stage for 80 minutes and she owns the audience the entire time. Red Stitch has pulled no punches in staging the show either. The lighting is like a visual art piece in its own right, Matthew Adey’s design is starkly effective. A soundtrack by Elizabeth Drake, who scored films such as Japanese Story, works on your subconscious in subtle ways, heightening both the emotion and the growing sense of disconnection. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the play is that the central emotional relationship is not really between people but between the Pilot and the sky. Her love for the open air is palpable and from the moment she is taken off active duty you feel the pain of her separation from it keenly. However much she achieves in life and work, that sense of loss won’t leave her. Progress overshadowed by the sense of loss: if any sensation epitomises modern life it is that. Unsettling and heartbreaking, yet uplifting and amusing in all the right places too, Grounded is an absolute tour de force. Photo credit: Jodie Hutchinson.
Did you know that crabs' teeth are located in their stomach? Better brush up on your crab trivia in preparation for the Morrison Bar & Oyster Room's second annual Crab Carnival, a month-long complement to August's Oyster Festival. Enjoy the festivities while sipping on crab-inspired cocktails and munching on crab menu specials — including $5 crab tacos from 6 - 7pm daily. For a real treat, try the chilli mud crab at market prices or the the soft shell crab burger with green goddess dressing. What would a carnival be without the games? Thursday April 2 and 16, the Morrison will hold hermit crab races at 7pm. If you're more in the market for eating crab, face off against the chefs in their crab eating contest, which will be held on Tuesday, April 7, at 7pm. The entry fee is $20 and all profits from the contest will go to the SeaLife Conservation Fund. Spaces will fill up fast for the crab racing and crab eating contests, so make sure to get there early.
When the protest against inaction against climate change saw thousands of Australian youths walk out of their classrooms earlier this year, it signalled an important turning point — the young people of today refused to be ignored any longer. For a lively panel discussion, any array of young activists and strikers, including the MCA Youth Committee, will come together on Saturday, June 1 to consider the overall opinions of Australian youths and, more specifically, how they demand climate justice. This conversation will explore the strategies these young leaders use to engage the government and work alongside their community. It'll also discuss the climate crisis and the roadblocks in the way of achieving a brighter future, giving a voice to our next generation of leaders who will move us into that future. Strikers! Youth leading change panel will take place on Saturday, June 1 from 10.30–11.30am. It's free to attend but booking is required. This event forms part of the Museum of Contemporary Art's Conversation Starters 2019: Temperature Rising program. To see the full program, head this way. Top image: Intothewoods7 via Wikimedia Commons.
If you've read this far, you may have already surmised that Barrington Tops is a great spot for mountain biking — and the vast array of rugged terrain and beautiful scenery are arguably even better experienced on two wheels. While you're spoilt for choice in terms of which path to take, we recommend starting with the Barrington trail, a well traversed dirt and gravel road spanning nearly 15 kilometres and, running from Mount Barrington past Brumlow Top and on to Polblue Mountain. On this trail, you'll have access to incredible views, a diverse spread of forest habitats and perfect mountain air. Image: Doug Beckers
Following the announcement of Nils Frahm's return to Sydney, electronic classical music fans have plenty to salivate over this week. Minimalist, ambient electro-acoustics will bring in 'The Four Seasons' this Spring, the legendary Max Richter is set to make play his first ever Australian show. One of the most influential composers in recent times, the German born, British neoclassical mastermind is set to present the Australian premiere of his celebrated reworking of Vivaldi's masterpiece, 'The Four Seasons', with New York City's 22-piece Wordless Music Orchestra. Following a sold-out Royal Albert Hall show showcasing his seminal 2002 album Memoryhouse, the 48-year-old composer is heading to Sydney on Sunday, November 23 to present both his recomposition of Vivaldi's masterwork and his own sparse 2010 album, Infra — an expansion of his poignant, ambient score composed for a Wayne McGregor ballet once staged at the Royal Opera House. Following piano and synthesiser studies under the great Luciano Berio and ten years with the neo-classical quintet the Piano Circus, Richter has been long-celebrated for countless projects including 2004's Tilda Swinton collaboration, the spoken word full-length album The Blue Notebooks, alongside reams of cinematic scoring to films like Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, Ridley Scott's Prometheus and Clint Eastwood's I. Edgar. "Max is someone we've wanted to have perform here for a very long time and to be able to present this vivid, fresh, mesmerising and precise composer performing his Vivaldi The Four Seasons Recomposed with the vibrant restlessness of the Wordless Orchestra from NYC is something of a dream come true for us," said Ben Marshall, Head of Contemporary Music at Sydney Opera House. The pairing is a solid catch for the Opera House, with the Wordless Music Orchestra set to perform Jonny Greenwood's world premiere performance of his There Will Be Blood score in New York City in September. Originally premiered at London's Barbican Centre in 2012, Richter's Vivaldi, The Four Seasons Recomposed apparently discarded 75% of Vivaldi's original material, with Richter using the remainder to loop, phase and rework into a postmodern, minimalist triumph — one that topped the iTunes classic chart in the UK, US and Germany. The announcement comes at a time of exciting news for contemporary classical fans with a love for electronic innovation. "Every now and then when programming music it becomes clear that something new and significant is emerging. There is currently a strand of rigorous, talented and acclaimed contemporary classical composers who are as comfortable with electronics as they are with formal composition," said Ben Marshall, Head of Contemporary Music at Sydney Opera House. "The Opera House has been proud to present the Australian debuts of Nils Frahm and Ludovico Einaudi in this area and we are absolutely thrilled to now welcome Max Richter's first ever performance in this country." Max Richter plays The Four Seasons Recomposed and Infra with Wordless Music Orchestra in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Sunday, November 23 at 8pm. Tickets start at $79 +BF and are on sale to the general public 9am, Friday 15 August via sydneyoperahouse.com or 9250 7777. Image credit: Yulia Mahr. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qTapNp-31rU
