Ground-level drinks are so passé these days. While a majority of Sydney's bars remain firmly on the street level, Sydneysiders can't get enough of moving their catch-ups either up into the sky or down below the ground with the swath of fantastic rooftop and underground bars opening throughout the city. With new Clarence Street venue Ginny's Canoe Club, the Old Mate's Place team has seemingly cornered both markets, offering both sky-high and subterranean drinks at the same address. Ginny's Canoe Club will just be around for a limited time in the former site of Spawn Point on Clarence Street, as the Old Mate's Place team prepares for the next reincarnation of this space. After experiencing delays on the big plans for the building's basement, the team has created a pop-up venue that brings the energy of Old Mate's downstairs, filling the space with accommodating staff and a playful assortment of knick knacks and antiques. The menu is built around tacos, cocktails and wine. Chef Joey Astorga (ex-Cho Cho San and Smalls Deli) has helped pull together the selection of share plates, snacks and late-night eats. If you do arrive taco-ready, there are four flavours on offer — jerk mushroom, eggplant, squid and a fancy take on fish fingers. Accompanying the tacos are oysters with pineapple hot sauce, crab sandwiches, mussel tostadas, zucchini flower quesadillas and Albacore tuna with avocado and nori. There's also an after-hours menu that's only available from 10pm — helping to combat Sydney's severe lack of late-night restaurants. Here you'll find highlights from the pre-10pm menu like the tostadas and quesadillas alongside oysters, chips with dip and olives. The team has worked to pull together a refined wine list that compliments the food, and enlisted the help of RE's Evan Stroeve who's concocted an assortment of flavoursome cocktails. And, as for the name, it's derived from Old Mate's Place crew member Corky's mum. Director and Owner Dre Walters tells Concrete Playground that "she is so hospitable and fun that we wanted to name it after her, and the canoe club didn't have as good a ring to it as when you put Ginny in front of it." Ginny's Canoe Club is located at the basement level of 199 Clarence Street, Sydney. It's open 5pm–1am Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Chris Pearce
If spending all this time at home has made you realise you're a pretty poor bartender, don't despair. Just turn to the big wide web and you'll be shaking and stirring some tasty tipples in no time. Want a martini, negroni or a giant cosmopolitan? Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Ina Garten have you covered. But what about a real party starter, like the espresso martini? Well, now top-quality spirit labels Mr Black (coffee liqueur) and Belvedere (vodka) are bringing you an online class, so you can shake up an espresso martini good enough for a caffeine-craving James Bond. Kicking off at 7pm on Thursday, June 11, the Espresso Martini Masterclass will be led by some of the best in the biz. Belvedere's Australian brand ambassador, Garth Foster, and Mr Black's Martin Hudak will be teaching you how to make a mean coffee-fuelled martini in just one hour. The live-stream class will be available via Facebook or Zoom (link provided closer to the event). Don't have any Belvedere or Mr Black in your liquor cabinet? Both Shorty's Liquor and Wine.com are delivering pre-bundled kits so you don't have to subject yourself to subpar booze. Belvedere's x Mr Black's Espresso Martini Masterclass is taking place from 7–8pm on Thursday, June 11. To order the necessary booze, head to Shorty's Liquor or Wine.com.
Any show of Henson’s works is always going to be worth a visit. He’s one of our most successful artists, and with good reason – dude takes a seriously good picture. Bill Henson: cloud landscapes is snack-sized but provides a pleasing survey of his body of work. What will strike you first is the current of sameness running throughout the show. Yes, the later works are perhaps slightly more refined and a little more painterly (fancy art speak for "it really looks like it was painted"), but the similarities among them all are startling. The same smoky palette of enveloping blacks, blues and faded neutrals; and the same meditative, melancholic tone emanates from each work. Such consistency is impressive. He recently made the shift to digital printing processes, but the change is indiscernible. Henson’s work can be filed pretty neatly into two categories: landscapes and figures. Both are characterised by a sense of deep reverie, and all his works are beautifully executed, but his ability to capture the human form is what he does best. There is a vim and vigour present in his bodies that seems to be somewhat absent in the landscapes. Unsurprisingly, the curators have neglected to include any of the works responsible for garnering the controversy of a few years back (Henson found himself in hot water over images he had taken of nude children but was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing). There is one picture featuring a young-ish boy, but he does look old enough to legally drink and made his own bad decisions. His work is synonymous with a masterful treatment of darkness and light. In a 2004 interview with art critic Sebastian Smee, Henson explained: ‘In some respects not even being able to see the whole structure is partly what the work is about — the way in which things go missing in the shadows. Shadows can animate the speculative capacity in the viewer in a way that highlights can’t. It’s often, to my way of thinking, what you don’t see in the photograph that has the greatest potential to transmit information’. Bill Henson: cloud landscapes is yet another reminder that Bill Henson is an artist working at the top of his game.
Kitchen by Mike's casual approach to fine dining was game changing when the restaurant first opened in Rosebery all those years ago (way back in 2012). It combined casual eating, American high school lunchrooms, locally sourced ingredients and an acclaimed chef — Mike McEnearney — to create a flexible, no frills restaurant that sold itself through the main event: food. The canteen-style restaurant then closed — to much despair from fans — in 2015. But, now, it's back. This time, it has reopening in the CBD, which means city workers' lunch and breakfast options have just improved tenfold. Moving into the digs of McEnearney's now-closed fine diner No.1 Bent Street — located, fittingly, at 1 Bent Street — Kitchen by Mike is serving fresh, nourishing food from breakfast through dinner. Those familiar with the now-closed flagship KBM in Rosebery, or the new canteen at Sydney International Airport, will be pleased to know that well-loved breakfast favourites are still on the bill, such as McEnearney's bacon butty and avo toast with buckwheat, miso and nori, which are joined by new dishes like bone broth shots and handmade crumpets with honeycomb. His famed woodfired sourdough is also available — at all times. For lunch, you can browse an array of salads, woodfired and slow-cooked meats, tartines, pizza and puddings. Many vegetarian options are on offer, too, including cauliflower, sheep's curd, green apple and radicchio on sprouted buckwheat toast, and the famed cucumber, mirin, ginger and sesame salad. Salads will be made using all-Aussie produce — sourced at the markets that morning — and rotate daily. To check what's on that day's menu, check Kitchen By Mike's Instagram Story after 10am. While breakfast and lunch are only available on weekdays, dinner will also be available on Saturday nights. It includes more produce-led dishes such as burrata with grilled lemon, ash-baked eggplant, whole-baked cauliflower with chermoula and wood-roasted groper. The restaurant's drinks list is equally extensive, with Five Senses coffee, cold-pressed juices and kombucha available during the day — and all-Australian wines, beers and spirits available at night. Keeping with McEnearney's environmentally friendly approach to running venues, the restaurant is also low waste and single-use plastic free. Customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable takeaway containers — and coffee cups, of course — when ordering food to-go (and will receive a 10-percent discounts for their efforts). And there are plans to rebuild the Physic Garden on Bent Street, which was once attached to the Rosebery KBM outpost. At its biggest, the urban garden contained 100 different plant species, 50 of which were grown for their medicinal properties. Find Kitchen by Mike at 1–7 Bent Street, Sydney. It's open for breakfast and lunch from 7–11.30am and 12–3pm, Monday–Friday and for dinner from 5.30–11pm Monday–Saturday.
Australian vernacular photography, on show at the Art Gallery of NSW until May 18, is a glorious, poignant and amusing look at Australian life over the last 55 or so years. Sixteen photographers are featured: Jeff Carter, Ed Douglas, Peter Elliston, Gerrit Fokkema, Sue Ford, Fiona Hall, Robert McFarlane, Hal Missingham, David Moore, Trent Parke, Roger Scott, Glenn Sloggett, Ingeborg Tyssen, John F. Williams, William Yang and Anne Zahalka. The group contribute a broad cross section of images that capture the Australian experience. Crocodile-skinned bathers, toys on display at the Easter Show, backyard swing sets, beach babes and surfer dudes, protesters and hearses — it's Australiana at its best. The exhibition is filled with really superb works. Hal Missingham's Surf carnival, Cronulla (1968) is a celebration of beach babes and surfer guys in a wonderfully composed, heavily geometric image. Trent Parke's somewhat blurred and abstract Backyard swing set, QLD (2003), is an example of contemporary photography at its best. Images range from the quaint (a shot of the Grafton Jacaranda festival crowning ceremony) to the funny (a budget funeral company promising to bury your loved ones "cheaper and deeper" than their competition) to the politically charged (people protesting the Vietnam War). The idea that photography can be high art has come about relatively recently and it's interesting to chart the development of the medium over the course of several decades. The earliest photographs in the exhibition, from the 1960s and the '70s, seem somewhat more spontaneous and impressionistic than their contemporary counterparts. As you move towards the present day, emphases on composition and construction become more pronounced. For an exhibition that aims to capture the Australian vernacular, Max Dupain is notably absent. The show does include a sunbather, and it's a wonderful shot of a tanned, hairy man holding his thongs while he scopes out the scene near a beach. Unfortunately, the danger of skating too close to what is perhaps the most iconic Australian photograph is that you will always fall short by comparison. You can't help but be impressed at the technical virtuosity of the photographers. Australian vernacular photography is bursting with beautifully shot, masterful images. It's a snack of an exhibition; it won't take you very long to see at all. It's well worth a visit. Image: Cheaper and Deeper, 1996, Type C Print (image detail).
When Wollongong's Yours and Owls last took place back in April 2021, it ticked a couple of huge pandemic-era boxes. Due to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, it was the first major music festival that New South Wales had seen in over a year — and it was the first to allow dancing as well. The following year, however, the fest was forced to cancel when La Niña flooded Stuart Park in 2022. So, you could say it's been a real rollercoaster for the beloved musical gathering. But in 2023, we're set for a classic Yours and Owls good time — and the festival just dropped its lineup. [caption id="attachment_579492" align="alignnone" width="1279"] Golden Features, Aleksandar Jason[/caption] Taking place between Saturday, October 14–Sunday, October 15, the two-day shindig affectionately labelled Gong Christmas will be arriving at a new home, the University of Wollongong (UOW) campus, with over 60 local and international acts spanning all range of genres. Topping the bill: Descendents for their first Australian tour since 2017, alongside Oliver Tree, Chet Faker, Hilltop Hoods, Earl Sweatshirt, Golden Features and Ocean Alley. Talk about a mix of sounds. US drill star Lil Tjay is another notable addition to the lineup, boasting billions of streams and over 18-million monthly listeners on Spotify. Plus, you can also catch Vera Blue, Meg Mac, Peach Pit, Bakar, Safia, Broods, Hobo Johnson, Masego, RVG, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Royal Otis and Sorry among the festival's heavy hitters. [caption id="attachment_906398" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oliver Tree[/caption] A few names from the SXSW Sydney music lineup have made their way over to the Yours and Owls program, with the two events sharing dates. Wallice, Ekkstacy, Dice, Go-Jo, Phoebe Go and Rum Jungle will all be appearing at both events. The south coast festival's dance music stage Das Shmelthaus is also returning, and is sure to make the most of the new UOW home. On its lineup of electronic tastemakers: Club Angel, DJ PGZ, Sam Alfred, Mike Who and Lauren Hansom. [caption id="attachment_906426" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ruby Bowland[/caption] UOW and the festival have inked a three-year partnership, with the all-weather solutions available at the campus cited as one of the driving factors behind the team-up — plus the university's picturesque green spaces and a mutual commitment towards carbon-emission reduction. You can expect stages to pop up across the expansive space, with Yours and Owls promising to activate grounds, ovals and laneways. Yep, that's your October plans sorted — and because you're here for the full lineup, you can check out the details below. [caption id="attachment_901329" align="alignnone" width="1920"] University of Wollongong[/caption] YOURS AND OWLS 2023 LINEUP: Bakar Broods Chet Faker Descendents Earl Sweatshirt Golden Features Hilltop Hoods Hobo Johnson Lil Tjay Masego Meg Mac Ocean Alley Oliver Tree Peach Pit Safia Vera Blue Angel Du$t Big Wett Daily J Dice Ekkstacy Fazerdaze Forest Claudette James Marriott King Mala Old Mervs Pacific Avenue Phony Ppl Redhook Royal Otis RVG Shagrock Sorry Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers Teenage Dads The Grogans The Rions The Terrys The Vanns Tia Gostelow Wallice Babyface Mal Billy Otto Full Flower Moon Band Girl And Girl Go-Jo Lazywax Phoebe Go Possehot Rum Jungle Stevan Stumps These New South Whales Towns YB Wiigz Das Shmelthaus: Object Blue b2b TSVI Cleo Club Angel DJ PGZ Kornél Kovács Lauren Hansom b2b Mike Who Luca Lozano Sam Alfred Seb Wildblood Skatebard Tangela Yours and Owls 2023 will return from Saturday, October 14–Sunday, October 15 at its new home at the University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong. Ticket pre-sales will kick off at 8am AEDT on Wednesday, June 28, with general tickets on sale at 8am on Thursday, June 29. Top Image: Jess Gleeson
Many an Aussie kid has spent a Saturday night hyped up on lime cordial spinning around their lounge room to Kylie Minogue. So, prep the cordial, and get ready to party like it's 2000 'cause the Aussie pop icon is heading back to home turf. While your inner child might be more familiar with her hits 'Spinning Around', 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' and that duo with Robbie Williams 'Kids', next year, Minogue is returning to Australia to perform songs off her just-released album Golden. Minogue was last here four years ago, in 2014, for her Kiss Me Once Tour, and now she's back, taking her Golden Tour for a spin around the country in March, 2019. As well as performing headline shows in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne, she'll also be performing at A Day on the Green in Perth, the Hunter Valley and Mount Cotton, Queensland. She'll be singing hits off her latest — and fourteenth — album Golden, which debuted at number one on the ARIA charts just this year. Featuring hits like 'Dancing' and 'Stop Me from Falling', the album has more of a country music-feel than her others, which is fitting, seeing it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. On stage, Minogue will be joined by former Scissor Sisters frontman (now solo artist) Jake Sears at all shows and Brisbane artist Hatchie at A Day on the Green. Another special guest is expected to be announced soon, too. KYLIE MINOGUE 2019 'GOLDEN' TOUR DATES Sydney — ICC, March 5 Perth — A Day on the Green, Sir James Mitchell Park, March 9 Melbourne — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, March 13 Hunter Valley — A Day on the Green, Bimbadgen, March 16 Mount Cotton — A Day on the Green, Sirromet Wines, March 17 Tickets for capital city shows are available through Frontier Touring and A Day on the Green tickets are available through its website. Both go on sale at midday on Monday, November 19.
For more than 20 years, Il Baretto has been a go-to for Sydneysiders. You could always rely on its great food — its heartwarming carbonara, porcini mushroom risotto, spaghetti alle vongole and signature pappardelle with duck ragu — and just the right amount of hipster charm. Whether you went for a midweek date night or a Saturday night pasta feast with mates, the much-loved Bourke Street restaurant was always packed wall-to-wall. Adding your name to the list and popping over to The Carrington for a pint while you waited was all part of the appeal. It was a restaurant from another time, with handwritten menus and payments made in cash only. Best of all it was BYO — a rare find in gentrified Surry Hills — and a big bowl of pasta cost you about $20. Now, amid the global pandemic, it has closed its beloved Bourke Street digs for good. Co-owner Gabriella Fedeli told Concrete Playground the closure was "bittersweet", but there is a silver lining. A new Il Baretto is in the works, with plans to reopen locally sometime later this year. "It's time to grow and embrace whatever the new normal will be," Fedeli said. While many Sydneysiders — and Concrete Playground staff — eagerly await Il Baretto 2.0, the closure marks the end of a dining era. The Bourke Street institution has been serving up nonna's favourites since 1999. Il Baretto has closed its Bourke Street restaurant, with plans to reopen in a new Surry Hills spot in the coming months. We'll be sure to keep you updated. Images: Leticia Almeida
In the latest line of wholly unnecessary (yet ever popular) all-you-can-eat meals in Sydney, Barangaroo's NOLA Smokehouse and Bar is adding one to the list. Head in for lunch every Sunday from October 6 and you can feast on endless plates of the venue's signature barbecued meats for $65 per person. It's all part of NOLA's ongoing Southern Sunday offering. These unlimited boards of smoked meat include slow-roasted pork shoulder, Rangers Valley Black Onyx brisket, Creole-spiced blackened chicken, cold-smoked lamb and the house Andouille sausage. The meat is sourced from organic and free-range farms where possible, too, so you know you're getting some quality cuts. The meal will start with a shared 'pit-master's' plate, and additional serves can be ordered afterwards per 50 grams. If all that isn't enough, you can also order one side per person, with options including sweet and spicy barbecue fries, southern slaw, and fried brussels sprouts slathered in blue cheese mayo and hot sauce. The venue is looking after the all-you-can waste problem as well — so no ordering up before you clean your plate, and no takeaway allowed, either. If you're eating alone or sitting at a table of up to eight, you'll be able to keep eating for two hours. For groups of nine or more, you can stay for two-and-a-half hours. Images: Steven Woodburn.
Never one to embrace cliches as an actor or director, Ralph Fiennes avoids the obvious with his latest film. While The White Crow tells the involving tale of Rudolf Nureyev, the biopic doesn't quite dance across the screen. Although it features exceptional sequences of real-life dancer and first-time actor Oleg Ivenko as the Russian ballet great, it doesn't ever let its subject's distinctive talents do the heavy lifting, or explain them away as a product of his difficult existence. There's still a flow and a rhythm to the movie, yet it's never exactly fluid. The film doesn't deny that Nureyev and his skills were influenced by the world around him, or ignore the struggles it caused him, but it doesn't simply connect the clear-cut dots either. All of this is by design, with The White Crow as restless as its central figure. The dancer couldn't ever really be pinned down, so Fiennes daren't waste his third stint behind the camera trying to achieve the impossible. Rather, as he once again highlights a complicated and conflicted man (as he did with Roman general Coriolanus in his adaption of Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, and then writer Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman), Fiennes builds his portrait of Nureyev by watching. The White Crow still spins a story, of course, primarily exploring the 1961 defection from the Soviet Union that'll forever remain synonymous with the ballet dancer. However, the movie particularly revels in gaining its sense of Nureyev through more than biographical data. It's clear that such an approach is behind the film's lead casting, specifically Fiennes' choice of a dancer over an actor. In the expressive yet internalised Ivenko, the picture gains a performer accustomed to conveying everything that transcends words, and one who demands an audience's attention with a fierce gaze and unwavering physicality. Making the leap from the Tatar State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Kazan to portraying Russia's 'lord of the dance', Ivenko plays Nureyev as determined and dedicated — to his art and to himself. In Rudi's mind, they're both one and the same. Born aboard the Trans-Siberian Express in 1938, he emerges from a bleak childhood to find solace at a St Petersburg dance academy. Under the tutelage of mentor Alexander Pushkin (Fiennes), he's moulded by discipline and structure, though he rankles against the corresponding rules and surveillance. Then, on a visit to Europe while with the Kirov Ballet, Nureyev realises that his art and self will never thrive in his homeland. Parisian lights, sights and parties beckon, as do friendships with French dancer Pierre Lacotte (Raphaël Personnaz) and Chilean-French heiress Clara Saint (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Next comes his decision to flee to the west. Amidst handsomely shot frames, Fiennes tasks Ivenko with a responsibility placed upon all soloists, asking him to be one of the guiding lights without completely carrying the entire production. Despite his on-screen inexperience, the Ukrainian is certainly capable of the latter, but that's not what a ballet recital or a movie is about. And so, his co-stars add texture and detail around his central role, with Fiennes unsurprisingly the standout supporting player in a solely Russian-speaking part. Another real-life dancer, controversial superstar Sergei Polunin, acquits himself well as fellow Kirov troupe member Yuri Soloviev, whose prowess helps spur Rudi to push his own limits. From its defection focus, to its observational feel, to its solid performances, The White Crow boasts much that elevates it beyond the tried-and-tested biopic format. Alas, even though David Hare's script doesn't relay its narrative in a linear fashion, the film is far less engaging when it gets overly bogged down in the minutiae of the Cold War-era story — which can veer towards the routine, even for viewers unfamiliar with Nureyev's entire history. The same can be said of the movie's overt thematic nods, including unnecessary visual reminders of the freedom that's abundant abroad but absent under Soviet rule. That's all too straightforward, which Nureyev definitely wasn't. Although no single scene, on-stage or not, can wholly capture his essence, the ballet legend is better served by The White Crow's contemplative moments; as the title intimates, drawing from a Russian idiom, he's an outsider through and through. Accordingly, when he's seen staring intently at Géricault's painting The Raft of the Medusa and Rembrandt's The Prodigal Son at the Louvre, agonising over their detail and finding an unexpected creative connection in a different type of art, that's when Nureyev's spirit truly leaps off the screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8M2n8YGFus
UPDATE, MARCH 5: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Universal Pictures has announced that No Time to Die will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, April 8, 2020. It will now release worldwide in November 2020 — including Down Under on November 12, 2020. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. It's trailer time. James Bond trailer time. That means espionage thrills, world-in-peril action, formidable villains, savvy ladies, plenty of gadgets and — since 2006's Casino Royale — Daniel Craig as 007. All of the above is present and accounted for in the just-released first look at No Time to Die, which'll mark the British spy's 25th official big-screen outing. It's also Craig's final go-around as the martini-loving hero. After the events of 2015's Spectre — and after retiring from active service to soak in Jamaica's splendours — Craig's version of Bond is looking a bit shaken and stirred in the No Time to Die trailer. That's bound to happen when he's told his skills are needed to rescue a kidnapped scientist, only for that mission to bring him face-to-face with an unhinged new adversary (Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar-winner Rami Malek). Throw in a new 00 agent (Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch) covering Bond's turf, a forced meeting with imprisoned ex-opponent Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) and things not seeming to have ended well with psychiatrist Dr Madeleine Swan (Lea Seydoux), and it's safe to say that the mood is rather tense. The instalment is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Maniac) and penned by a team that includes Fukunaga, The Report director Scott Z Burns and Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge — and all the usual Bond offsiders are on hand, too. Yes, Ralph Fiennes is back as M, alongside Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as MI6 head Bill Tanner and Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent Felix Leiter. Plus, reuniting with Craig after co-starring in the fabulously entertaining Knives Out, Ana de Armas also joins the cast. And, naturally, the first No Time to Die sneak peek delivers plenty of impressive action. It is a Bond film after all. Indeed, if Craig is stepping away from the role after five features (including 2008's Quantum of Solace and 2012's Skyfall), he looks to be going out in suave, stunt-filled, Aston Martin-driving style. Watch the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo-jtTLBhok&feature=youtu.be No Time to Die was originally due to release in cinemas on April 8, 2020, but will now release in Australia on November 12, 2020.
When The Abercrombie opened late last year, it brought with it a 24-hour license, a set of dance floors and an exciting new wine bar. Lil Sis is this said wine bar, a late-night multi-level space inspired by the neighbourhood haunts of Paris. Located within an adjoining terrace of the huge Chippendale mega-venue, Lil Sis offers a far-reaching wine list, nostalgic snacks and European lounge DJ sets until 2am — plus, it's also a bottle shop. Downstairs you'll find the bottle shop. While the Inner West and Surry Hills boast plenty of spots to grab a bottle of natural wine for a dinner and/or house party, Lil Sis brings this experience to Broadway, giving Chippendale residents and cashed-up UTS students the opportunity to be pét-nat enthusiasts. There are also plenty of traditional drops available across both the bottle shop and upstairs bar for those that prefer a sauvignon blanc over a skin contact. If you're someone who likes to try before you buy, there's a communal tasting table in the shop, so you can sample different vinos, expand your palate and make sure you're walking away with a bottle that you'll be recommending to all of your friends. Head upstairs to the bar and you can sip your way through the shop's wines by the glass, paired with plenty of snacks. If you feel like picking at something, opt for a selection from the grazing menu which stars plenty of local cheeses, cold meats and heftier snacks like gildas, mussels escabeche and chicken liver parfait. There's also a trio of jaffles that you won't be forced to share with anyone. The triple cheese and the pastrami on rye options are the more sensible adult choices, but the Heinz spaghetti toastie is packed with nostalgia and cheddar cheese. "The idea behind Lil Sis is to showcase and share producers and wine regions we are excited about from all over the world. Some may be familiar, and some we believe you should get to know," says Lil Sis' wine curator Zoe Brunton. "Most of the wines will be by the glass for those wanting to venture through and explore. We want the list to be fun, approachable, and diverse in its offering." Find Lil Sis at 100 Broadway, Chippendale. The bottle shop is open 12pm–12am Monday–Saturday and 12–11pm Sunday, and the wine bar is open Wednesday–Sunday 4pm–2am.
If the recent onslaught of margarita-fuelled events (see: here and here) hasn't yet alerted you to the fact that it's currently National Margarita Month, here's another reminder: it's National Margarita Month. To mark this month-long celebration of limey drinks and salty rims, Merivale is offering $10 classic margaritas. At 19 of its venues. All week. This means, from February 17–23, you can knock off work in the CBD and make a beeline to Bar Topa for tapas and cheap drinks, or head down to Bondi Beach on Saturday for a dip in the sea then swing by Totti's after for many refreshing beverages. Speaking of post-swim margaritas, Coogee Pavilion is also offering up cocktails for a tenner on both its ground floor and rooftop. If you find yourself on Oxford Street, you can stop by both Charlie Parker's and The Paddington for marg, and, on the other side of the city, Queen Chow Manly is also in on the deal. There's an extra incentive to track down these cheap drinks, too — every time you purchase a $10 classic margarita at one of the 19 venues, you go in the draw to win a trip for two to Mexico. Just make sure you get your 'boarding pass' on purchase, scan the QR code and enter your details with the unique code. MARGARITA MONTH VENUES Bar Topa Bar Totti's Coogee Pavilion Ground Floor Coogee Pavilion Rooftop El Loco Excelsior El Loco Slip Inn Establishment Main Bar hemmesphere J&M Little Felix Palmer & Co Queen Chow Manly The Paddington The Royal Totti's Charlie Parker's The Grand Hotel The Royal George Hotel CBD
La Boheme, as performed on Sydney Harbour, isn't just an opera — it's a spectacular. Gear up for fireworks, tumbling snowflakes, cartwheeling acrobats, fire carriers and balloon-borne children: all, of course, backdropped by dark, tranquil water and the far-off sails of the Opera House. Written by Giaocomo Puccini and premiered in 1896 at Teatro Regio (the Theatre Royal) in Turin, Italy, La Boheme is one of the most popular operas ever written. This production transports the characters to 1960s Paris: a time of rebellion and revolution. The magnificent set turns the harbour foreshore into a dreamy streetscape of cobbled stones, lamplight and burning cars. In the opening scenes, you'll meet Rodolfo, a poet, and his friend, Marcello, a painter. Determined to live for their art — at all costs — they burn their work for warmth during the harsh Parisian winters, rather than submit to 9-to-5 jobs. Complicating their passion-driven lives are their intense, tumultuous romantic relationships: Rodolfo's with Mimi, an idealistic, who spends her time embroidering flowers, and Marcello's with Musetta, a sassy, streetwise performer. If the story sounds familiar, you might recognise it from Rent, the rock musical, which is loosely based on La Boheme. Should the ticket price scare you, here's a couple of tips: full-time students can score $45 tickets from the Sydney Opera House Box Office at 9am on the day of performance and, if you've never seen an opera before (whether you're a student or not), you can enter a ballot, which might give you a seat for just 20 bucks. Image: Hamilton Lund
Marrickville warehouse diner Baba's Place and Australiana eatery Bush are throwing a party and you're invited. Taking place at Bush's Redfern home on George Street, the party will see the two Sydney restaurants plate up a special collaborative menu featuring kofta wraps, affogato with wattleseed ice cream and a uniquely Baba's Place take on the fillet-o-fish that features chimichurri, tahini tartare, pink ling and American cheese. You can pick up these limited-edition menu items from midday to 8pm on Sunday, December 13, but the festivities don't end there. Beers supplied by Grifter and wine by Godot will be served alongside live music performed by Bush's Pat and DJ sets from Cosmo's Midnight members Pat and Cosmo, Moktar and Litmus. There will also be poetry readings and ceramics on display. If that wasn't enough to have you planning your route to Redfern on Sunday, a percentage of all sales from all food sales will go towards AIME and its latest initiative Imagi-nation University. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Baba's Place (@babasplace__) Image: Bush by Kitti Gould
Underground, garage-rock royalty don't come much royaler than King Tuff. With a CV that includes psych-folk pioneers Feathers, Sub Pop's Happy Birthday and the melodic metal of Witch, the man born Kyle Thomas has made a career out of crafting awesomely dirty and scuzzy guitar licks. Having decided to go it alone, King Tuff's debut solo album, Was Dead, showcases a performer who knows a thing or two about the blues. Sitting somewhere between a lo-fi version of the Black Keys and Wolfmother on an acid trip, the album is a filthy cocktail of straight-up guitar rock, stoner vocals and shout-along choruses. And then there's the man himself. With his matt of unkept hair and his fuck-the-system attitude, King Tuff is a beguiling and charismatic stage presence, with the ability to rouse a crowd into rabble and mayhem with little more than one of his Zeppelin-esque solos. Check him out when he heads to Australia later this month.
Antenna Documentary Film Festival returns for 2024 from Friday, February 9–Monday, February 19, with 52 titles on its lineup. Opening the event: The Gullspång Miracle, which won an award at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, and focuses on a family unexpectedly brought back together via the purchase of an apartment. If you need an example to demonstrate how fact is always stranger and wilder than fiction, Antenna is kicking off with exactly that. While the bulk of the event's screenings will take place at Dendy Newtown and the Ritz in Randwick, the festival is making a trip to the Sydney Opera House for another of 2024's big standouts. Ryuichi Sakamoto|Opus covers the final recorded concert by the late, great The Revenant composer, who passed away in March 2023, and will screen in Antenna's closing slot. No stranger to Werner Herzog's docos, the fest also boasts the German filmmaker's Theatre of Thought on its lineup. This time, the Into the Inferno, Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds and The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft director explores the human brain. Still among the big-name helmers, Antenna will screen Wang Bing's Youth (Spring), Claire Simon's Our Body and Alex Gibney's In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, with the latter joining the Oscar-winning director's resume alongside everything from Taxi to the Dark Side and We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks to The Armstrong Lie and Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief. Other on-screen highlights include the Oscar-shortlisted 20 Days in Mariupol, with journalists Mystlav Chernov, Vasilisa Stepanenko and Evgeniy Maloletka in the Ukrainian city immediately after Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation"; Thank You Very Much, about comedian Andy Kaufman; and A Still Small Voice, hailing from Midnight Family director Luke Lorentzen and following a chaplain-in-training at New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital. There's also Samsara, which aims to take the audience through the Buddhist concept of birth, life, death and rebirth; Knit's Island, which is shot entirely in the DayZ video game (and from 963 hours spent in it); and Sundance-winner Kokomo City, which is also on the 2024 Mardi Gras Film Festival lineup. Plus, John Wilson from HBO TV show How to with John Wilson is coming to Antenna in-person to present a selection of films that proved instrumental in shaping his work. In 2023, he did the same at New York's Anthology Film Archives, with Sydney scoring a version of the same series, as well as a masterclass about his approach. Antenna's DocTalk day of chats is also back, which is where Wilson will get chatting. Heading to the State Library of NSW on Monday, February 12 for a day of discussion about the documentary form — spanning covering Indigenous topics, ways of viewing culture and sound design for docos.
Come April, the eyes of the sporting world will turn towards the Gold Coast, with the Queensland city hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games. That's great news if you're a fan of athletes and nations vying for glory — and, while it might not initially seem like it, it's great news for arts and culture lovers too. As well as the expected competitive endeavours, the event will also feature a huge multi-arts festival, called Festival 2018. Festival 2018 mightn't boast the most exciting name, but it does promise a plethora of exciting programming across 12 days. Taking place from April 4 to 15, the fest will join forces with the existing Bleach* Festival to deliver a lineup of art, music, theatre, dance and more spanning from from Coomera to Coolangatta. Satellite events will also be held across the state. The first artists announced include Kate Miller-Heidke, The Jungle Giants and Mau Power, who'll all feature on the Queensland Music Stage. It'll feature free concerts held in Broadbeach, while Miller-Heidke and Power will also play in Cairns, and Power in Brisbane. The rest of the bill will be announced with the full program in February. As for what else is in store across the festival, given Bleach*'s annual array of shows, gigs, exhibitions, experiences and more, expect plenty of just that. More than 20 new works will feature, including a number of world premieres. That means audiences will have another reason to head to the Goldie — or, something else to do between watching the Games. "Bleach* at Festival 2018 is our most ambitious, thought-provoking program to date," explains artistic director Louise Bezzina. It will pay "tribute to local legends past and present in a spectacular showcase of what, and who, makes the Gold Coast such a special part of the world," she continues. Festival 2018 takes place from April 4 to 15 across the Gold Coast and other parts of Queensland. Keep an eye on the festival website for further details. Image: Bleach* Festival
Feeling hot, Sydney? If you're not already, you're about to. Continuing this year's record-breaking warm weather — including one of the city's hottest winter days and hottest September nights — a new sultry spell could see November come to an end with its warmest week in almost five decades. Mere days away from summer, the temperature will be staying toasty right through until the new season hits, with forecasts predicting maximums above 25 degrees for the next seven days. According to Weatherzone, the last time a consecutive string of hot November days occurred was in 1968. And, it'll mark only the second time such a period has occurred in the past 118 years. https://twitter.com/weatherzone/status/933849755943256064 While showers are expected from Monday to Friday, increasing as the week rolls on, the mercury is still pitched to hit 27 degrees over the weekend — and then waver between tops of 25 and 29 degrees for the five days afterwards. It's the sustained nature of the warm temperatures that is unusual at this time of year, spanning so many days in a row. Keeping things heated, there'll be little reprieve come evening, as minimums stay above 19 degrees as well. Sydney isn't the only place sweltering, with Melbourne currently experiencing a 28-degree-plus spell that's set to become the city's longest November heatwave in 150 years. Down in Hobart, Tasmanians just weathered its first-ever six-day run of temperatures above 26 degrees since data started being recorded in the 1800s. Yep, it's going to be a hot summer. Via Weatherzone.
Reviewer's tip: do not watch the trailer for this movie. Don't watch any of them; not the official preview, not the early release one and certainly not the teaser. Just put them all into Quicktime quarantine. Not since...well, not since anything has a film's trailer given away every single key moment like this one did. After seeing it just once, I went into this kidnap/serial killer movie knowing that it was about a kidnapping serial killer (apologies), as well as knowing every plot beat from start to finish, right down to who dies and even how. That said, somehow that scarcely had an impact. Remarkably, The Call managed to sustain a level of tension not endured since the climax of Argo. In fact, it had the tension dialled up so high, audience members were yelling at the screen. Not because it was rubbish (see: The Room) but because the need for some sort of release was essential. This was sympathetic yelling; the kind of "no No NO!" designed to dissuade a character from doing that thing, going into that dark room or saying that stupid thing when they shouldn't. To look around the cinema was to see clenched fists, stamping feet and strained faces peering through cracks between fingers. I may have punched the wall at one point. In its simplest terms, The Call follows Halle Berry as a 911 responder with yet another impossibly bad haircut. She works in 'the Hive', an enormous room to which every LA-based 911 call is directed. Haunted by a past mistake, Berry is reluctantly thrust back into the role when a young girl (Abigail Breslin) is snatched in broad daylight and dials 911 from the boot of the kidnapper's car. What follows is a fast-paced game of cat and mouse during which the advantage constantly swings back and forth between kidnapper and victim. It's refreshing to see both police and victim show initiative (when usually they frustrate in a movie like this), and the focus on the responder's role offers an fascinating insight into what's traditionally an incidental role. Which brings us to the ending. Specifically, the last 120 seconds or so. The Call is not a great movie, and it definitely leans a little too heavily on gore instead of relying on its cast's impressive performances. But it's not terrible either. Given much of its dialogue takes place between two people on a phone, it's impressive how well it draws you in, and yet — whatever credit its earned, however much goodwill it accrues — all of that is burned in the films' final moments. The ending is so ridiculous, so out of place and so utterly unnecessary that all of a sudden there were shouts again, only this time they were 100 percent The Room fodder. Someone may even have yelled, "Oh hi, stupid ending!" It's not enough to render The Call a must-miss, but it single-handedly knocks a semi-decent movie down to an average one.
The most electrifying force in rock music history was inspired by a vacuum cleaner. Brothers Malcolm and Angus Young named the band after spotting AC/DC initials on their household Hoover in 1973. Nearly four decades and 200 million record sales later the power is still surging, despite losing iconic front man Bon Scott to alcohol poisoning in 1980. Even though many bands failed to maintain the same success after the tragic loss of a lead-singer (Queen, INXS), replacement Brian Johnson stormed in and took them to their first US number one album with For Those About to Rock We Salute You and again with recent album Black Ice. The veteran Aussie rockers return to our shores this February with the Black Ice Tour, raved by critics as the wildest, loudest, most raucous and explosive show the band has ever done. Now, let me think: a 90,000-strong stadium screaming along to 'Hells Bells', 'Thunderstruck' and 'You Shook Me All Night Long', while the stage explodes and lightning bolts inevitably strike from above? It should go down as one of the most memorable gigs of 2010. And to top it all off, Wolfmother are supporting. https://youtube.com/watch?v=X80Qjh9Yivs
Award-winning US playwright Aleshea Harris' breakout hit Is God Is graces Sydney this month as part of its Australian debut. In what promises to be a rollercoaster ride of thrills, kills, and societal commentary, Is God Is follows twin sisters Racine and Anaia on a journey across America to track down their abusive father. The goal? To exact their vengeance for the cruelty they endured at his hands growing up. Harris says Is God Is takes its cues from "the ancient, the modern, the tragic, the spaghetti western, hip-hop and Afropunk," in a production that aims to reclaim the trope of "the angry Black woman". Intrigued? Think an edge-of-your-seat thriller that mixes the Wild West violence of Kill Bill with the dark humour and biting satire of Get Out. Harris' gripping (and at times brutal) writing has been setting Off-Broadway theatres alight for some years now, winning her some of the most prestigious international playwriting awards along the way. After a glowing reception in Melbourne, this production from Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company is on its way to STC's home at The Wharf. Creative powerhouses Zindzi Okenyo and Shari Sebbens, whose last partnership seven methods of killing kylie jenner took both Sydney and Melbourne by storm, are back to co-direct an ensemble cast of eight in this electric work of theatre. "Step aside, Quentin Tarantino and Martin McDonagh." said one New York Times critic after experiencing this fast-paced, high-stakes revenge odyssey. You've got to see it for yourself. And if you're looking to keep the party going post-show, you're in luck because the first three Fridays in October will see Sydney Theatre Company present "Nights at The Wharf" — a slick curation of DJs by Sounds of Afrobeats, plus art, entertainment and food. The series of free events will be held at The Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf, featuring multidisciplinary artists from the African diaspora. Friday, October 6, will see Sounds of Afrobeats collaborate with Musonga Mbogo; Friday, October 13, will be Afrobeats x Kobla Dido; and Friday, October 20, will see Sounds of Afrobeats x Jpegsbynaa.
For nearly eight decades, Brisbanites have driven over the Story Bridge. Since late 2018, the city's residents have been able to drink, eat and hang out underneath it, too. Now, anyone eager to spend a night at a hotel beneath the towering structure can do just that, thanks to the opening of The Fantauzzo. First announced in 2015, Brisbane's second Art Series Hotel is now welcoming patrons — and paying tribute to world-renowned Australian painter and photographer Vincent Fantauzzo. Each of the brand's hotels takes inspiration from a different artistic great, and Fantauzzo is in the spotlight at the new Howard Smith Wharves spot. A winner of plenty of weighty prizes — the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Archibald Packing Room Prize, and the Archibald People's Choice Award a whopping four times — Fantauzzo has committed everyone from Heath Ledger and Matt Moran to Brandon Walters and Julia Gillard to his canvas. Prepare to feast your eyes on six new original artworks, plus 500 of his most recognised pieces, with reproductions gracing The Fantauzzo's walls. Of course, given the location, that's not the hotel's only stunning sight. Built into the cliff bordering the CBD and Fortitude Valley, the $100 million site boasts one mighty fine view of the city and the Brisbane river, plus custom furniture and dark-toned interior decor that heroes concrete finishes, black glass, natural rock and timber. Across six levels, there's 166 guest rooms to slumber in, a ground-floor Italian eatery, a hotel bar, a gym and three conference rooms. Like Brisbane's only other Art Series Hotel, The Johnson in Spring Hill, the pool is a definite highlight. Here, guests can splash around on the rooftop while gazing out over the CBD. The Fantauzzo marks the eighth Art Series Hotel across the country, with five in Melbourne and one in South Australia. As at the chain's other sites, its new digs offers art tours, in-room art channels and libraries all about its titular creative. And, of course, given the Howard Smith Wharves location, guests will be right on the doorstep of Brisbane's newest precinct. It already has its own riverside brewery, overwater bar and Greek taverna, as well as indoor entertainment spaces, outdoor multi-use areas and entertainment stages, and a whole heap more. Find The Fantauzzo at Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane. Visit the hotel website for further details and to make a booking.
You don't need to spend big to fill your wardrobe with quality clothing. Instead, it can be just as simple as heading along to Round She Goes — Sydney's leading indoor market for women's preloved and vintage fashion. Returning to PCYC Marrickville on Saturday, July 19, this carefully curated one-day-only event features over 70 stalls dedicated to stylish second-hand designer labels, chic vintage finds and quality handmade accessories. With the doors swinging open at 10am, getting down early is your best chance to uncover the best finds. Along with coveted brands like Prada, Phillip Lim, Gorman and Zimmerman up for grabs, there's also 70s denim, unique jewellery and decades-old statement pieces to discover. Of course, Round She Goes is primed for savvy shoppers and fashion lovers. Yet it's also a sustainable way to shop, as these reclaimed garments still have lots to give. Entry is $5, with pre-booked tickets available online for those keen to skip the queue.
Australia's arts calendar is always world-class, but this year it is particularly jam-packed — not just with recurring festivals and events, but lots of things that will hit the city for the first time ever. Us lucky Australians will be the first people in the world to see Patricia Piccinini's Skywhalepapa take to the sky and, down in Melbourne, the works of 20th century French artist Pierre Bonnard reimagined by architect and designer India Mahdavi. Plus, we've got multiple big-name exhibitions and not one, but two new galleries. While more events, installations and and exhibitions will inevitably be announced as the year progresses, these are the ones you should get more excited about right now. THE RETURN OF PATRICIA PICCININI'S OTHERWORLDLY SKYWHALE At 34 metres long, more than twice as big as a regular hot air balloon and ripped straight from Patricia Piccinini's inimitable mind, Skywhale might just be one of Australia's most recognisable recent pieces of art. It's a sight to see, and the largest-scale example of the artist's fascination with the thin line that separates nature and technology — and it's about to meet its match. In 2020, the National Gallery of Australia will unveil Piccinini's new Skywhalepapa, which is designed to form a family with Skywhale. They'll both float through the Canberra skies from April, with the second bulbous sculpture commissioned as part of the gallery's Balnaves Contemporary Series. In total, the pair will take flight from a site near the NGA eight times during the nearly three-month Skywhales: Every Heart Sings exhibition, with the exact launch dates yet to be revealed. Just how big Skywhalepapa will be is also yet to be announced, but given the impressive size of its companion, expect it to be hefty. If you can't make it to Canberra to see the growing Skywhale clan, they will also tour the country for an NGA touring exhibition, with locations and dates to be confirmed at a later date. Skywhales: Every Heart Sings will run Canberra's National Gallery of Australia in April 2020. A BRAND NEW MULTI-SENSORY DIGITAL ART GALLERY If you prefer an art experience that extends beyond looking at works on a wall, prepare to be impressed by Melbourne's new immersive digital art gallery. Set to open sometime in autumn, The Lume will take the form of a $15 million 2000-square-metre gallery, decked out with 150 state-of-the-art projectors. Projections of some of the world's most celebrated works will be splashed across various surfaces, backed by powerful musical soundtracks and complemented by aromas. The project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Exhibitions, which, for the past 14 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 130 cities across the world. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. Known for celebrating art world greats like Vincent van Gogh and da Vinci through modern, multi-sensory technology, Grande Exhibitions will use a similar formula at The Lume. Instead of showcasing original works, the gallery will rely on a curation of music and moving image to create a tapestry of instantly recognisable artworks. The Lume will open in an unconfirmed Melbourne location in autumn 2020. We'll let you know when more details are announced. [caption id="attachment_750699" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Top image: Chiharu Shiota b.1972, Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. In Silence (2002/2019). Production support: Alcantara S.p.A. Installation view: Shiota Chiharu: The Soul Trembles, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2019. Courtesy: Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya/Tokyo. Image courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo. Photograph: Sunhi Mang.[/caption] A MAZE OF RED AND BLACK WOOL AT GOMA It's been home to David Lynch's eerie filmscapes, Yayoi Kusama's infinity rooms, a snowman and Patricia Piccinini's forest of flowers. Yes, Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art loves an immersive installation — and it has more in store for 2020. Fancy wandering through a labyrinth of red and black wool? That's on next year's agenda. As part of its just-announced 2020 lineup, GOMA revealed it'll host Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles, a showcase focusing on the Berlin-based Japanese artist and her work over the past quarter-century. In an Australian exclusive, the exhibition comes to Brisbane after recently premiering in Tokyo — and while it won't sit 53 storeys up or come with panoramic views of the city, like it did in Japan, Shiota's string-heavy installations are certain to garner more than a little attention. Fashioned from millions of strands, they resemble weaved, maze-like webs and take up entire rooms. The Soul Trembles is the largest-ever solo exhibition by the artist — and although GOMA hasn't revealed just how much of the Tokyo lineup is coming to Brisbane, art lovers can expect an array of sprawling installations, sculptures and video footage of Shiota's performances, as well as photographs and drawings. Highlighting her fascination with intangible concepts, such as memory, anxiety, dreams and silence, the ticketed display will run from June 27–October 5, 2020. Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles will run at Brisbane's GOMA from June 27–October 5, 2020. THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE'S FIRST MUSEUM OF UNDERWATER ART There are plenty of ways to soak in the Great Barrier Reef's natural underwater delights — and the Museum of Underwater Art is the newest one. The attraction – created by marine sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor — has been a long time in the works, but just recently installed its first two artworks just off the shore at Townsville. The first artwork, Ocean Siren, can be found 30 metres from The Strand jetty — and while it actually towers above the water, it interacts with live water temperature data. Designed to resemble Takoda Johnson, one of the area's Wulgurukaba traditional owners, it receives information from the Davies Reef weather station on the Great Barrier Reef, then changes colour in response to variations as they happen. This one can be visited now Coral Greenhouse, on the other hand, sits 18 metres beneath the ocean's surface on the John Brewer Reef. It's an underwater building filled with coral garden beds and more than 20 sculptures, many resembling local school children — and has been made to both stand up to wave pressures and cyclones, and remain visible to divers and snorkellers. While this one is installed, it won't be open for viewing until April 1, 2020. Four pieces are planned in total — another one at Palm Island is expected to be installed by the end of the year, and another at Magnetic Island will open once funding is sourced. MoUA's first artwork can be seen now just off The Strand jetty at Townsville, and the second one will be able to view from April 2020. [caption id="attachment_759712" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Reihana 'Tai Whetuki - House of Death Redux' (2016) at The Walters Prize, Auckland Art Gallery.[/caption] SYDNEY'S BIANNUAL EXHIBITION THAT TAKES OVER THE CITY FOR 12 WEEKS The centrepiece of the 2018 Biennale of Sydney was Ai Weiwei's 60-metre inflatable boat, a critique and exploration of the global refugee crisis. This year, when the Biennale returns to art galleries across Sydney, the lineup of 100-plus artists will be examining another poignant issue close to the heart of Australia: First Nations sovereignty and intergenerational trauma. Running from Saturday, March 14 until Monday, June 8, the 2020 Biennale is entitled Nirin, which means 'edge' in the language of western NSW's Wiradjuri people. This year's theme is timely, for two reasons: the 2020 blockbuster falls on the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's voyage to Australia — and it will be helmed by a new First Nations artistic director: famed Sydney-born, Melbourne-based interdisciplinary artist Brook Andrew. Andrew has selected an impressive lineup of artists and creatives — many of them First Nations — from around the world to exhibit at the Art Gallery of NSW, Woolloomooloo's Artspace, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Cockatoo Island, MCA and the National Art School for the exhibition's 12 weeks. On the just-announced program, you'll find the Southern Hemisphere premiere of Arthur Jafa's Golden Lion-awarded work The White Album, Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens's immersive work symbolising the disproportionate number of incarcerated Indigenous Australian women and a large-scale political protest piece by Pitjantjatjara artist Kunmanara Mumu Mike Williams (who passed away last year). Cockatoo Island will be home to a wide range of works, too, including Ghanaian-born artist Ibrahim Mahama's sprawling installation of coal sacks; Tony Albert's interactive greenhouse, where you'll be invited to write and plant messages; and Tlingit/Unangax̂ artist Nicholas Galanin's excavation work that'll 'dig up' the land beneath the shadow of Hyde Park's Captain Cook statue. The 22nd Biennale of Sydney runs from March 14–June 8 2020. [caption id="attachment_747305" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gallery at sketch designed by India Mahdavi, London, 2014, photo by Thomas Humery.[/caption] A WORLD-FIRST EXHIBITION BY PIERRE BONNARD AND INDIA MAHDAVI Heading the National Gallery of Victoria's autumn/winter program this year is a world-premiere exhibition Pierre Bonnard, created in collaboration with famed Parisian museum the Musée d'Orsay. It offers a glimpse into the life and work of acclaimed 20th-century French artist Bonnard through a sprawling collection of pieces on loan from the likes of London's Tate and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, along with other renowned French museums. A close friend of the legendary Henri Matisse, the artist is best known for his stylised decorative works evoking scenes of everyday domestic life. The Melbourne exhibition will see Bonnard's recognisable designs brought to life even further, with the help of famed Iranian-Egyptian-French architect and designer India Mahdavi. Mahdavi — who has designed eye-catching spaces like London's Red Valentino store and the famous all-pink Gallery at sketch — will use her signature colour palettes and love of textures to create an immersive, life-size version of one of Bonnard's domestic scenes. The exhibition will run at NGV International from June 5–October 4, 2020. [caption id="attachment_737971" align="alignnone" width="1920"] White Night Melbourne by Gerard Dubois[/caption] A BRAND NEW MAJOR WINTER ARTS FESTIVAL Melbourne's arts calendar never fails to keep us busy, however, it's always had a bit of a lull in winter before Melbourne International Arts Festival and Melbourne Music Week take over the city in spring. But, this year, that's all set to change. In May last year the Victorian Government announced that it will launch a huge new citywide arts festival in the winter of 2020. It's set to shake up the Melbourne arts calendar as the new festival will merge the aforementioned Melbourne Festival and arts all-nighter White Night and move them into a winter timeslot. While White Night was originally held on a hot February night, in 2019 it was moved to August. Melbourne Fest, which was established in 1986, is usually held in October. Exact timings and details are yet to be revealed, but the new "global" festival — as it's being billed by the Andrews Government — will take over the city for several weeks, much like Melbourne Festival usually does in October. While it will no doubt combine the best bits of the two existing festivals, a new creative team will come on to develop a new program and vision. We're told the the 2020 program will feature a "diverse program of visual and performing arts" coupled with with "large-scale takeovers of precincts" after-dark. The inaugural festival — which is yet to be named — will kick off with a 'transitional' year in the winter of 2020. The new winter festival will hit Melbourne in winter 2020. We'll keep you updated when new details or dates are announced. Top image: Skywhale, 2013, Patricia Piccinini. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of anonymous donor 2019, Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Bring your family, your mates and your dogs — along with your sandy feet — to Mosman this weekend, as the harbourside sports club Mosman Rowers reopens on Friday, March 15. Now managed by Bird & Bear Group (The Sandy Bear, The Flying Bear & Foys), the century-old clubhouse boasts a brand new fit-out and an elevated pub offering across three levels. First up is Archie Bear cafe, a 100-seater slinging coffees, breakfast and long lunches, plus dinner on the weekends. Designed by Studio Etic (Barangaroo House), it has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook an expansive outdoor deck and the bay views beyond. Inside, there are polished timber floors, brass and gold finishes and a fireplace for the cooler months ahead. Brekkie includes classic bacon and egg rolls alongside green breakfast bowls and maple-baked granola with stewed rhubarb and mint. Meanwhile, the lunch and dinner menus focus on share plates like Sydney rock oysters, baby squid with lemon and aioli and antipasti plates — think prosciutto, burrata, olives and flatbread. There's also a selection of salads and sandwiches, such as the soba noodle salad with poached chicken and soy-lime dressing, and the wagyu pastrami reuben with raclette, sweet and spicy pickles, coleslaw and smoky sauce. [caption id="attachment_711674" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Archie Bear[/caption] One level up is The Rowers Bar, which offers its own bar snacks and mains, as well as another 100 seats. For bar bites, there are wagyu sliders and rice paper rolls with daikon and water chestnuts. Larger dishes include the zucchini pasta with lemon, chilli and basil and grilled barramundi with butter bean puree and bean salad. Compared with the bright digs downstairs, the heritage interior upstairs boasts low-lighting, warm timber tones and nautical vibes. Expect more brass trimming here, too, alongside terrazzo table tops, navy leather banquettes and a marble bar with 11 beers on tap. The wider drinks list will be up for grabs in both venues, including R!ot Wine Co rosé on tap, seasonal cocktails — try the spicy margarita or melon fizz — and an extensive local and global wine list. Plus Pimm's, spritzes and white sangria jugs for sharing. There'll be heaps of weekly specials on too, including $6 beers and house wines during weekday happy hour, $12 spritzes from 3–6pm on Saturdays and $20 beer buckets and cocktail jugs on Sundays. While the venue will remain a registered club — with a private members space on the top level — non-members can access the lower two levels by signing up (free of charge) as a temporary member. The waterside digs will remain a community hub for activities such as rowing, paddling and kayaking, with a reinvigorated member events calendar in the works. Mosman Rowers will reopen on Friday, March 15 at 3 Centenary Drive, Mosman. Opening hours for Archie Bear are Monday through Wednesday from 7.30am–3.30pm and Thursday through Sunday from 7.30am until late. Opening hours for The Rowers Bar are Monday through Friday from 4pm until late and Saturday through Sunday from noon until late.
Not that we need it, but here's the perfect excuse for enjoying a cheeky springtime G&T this Friday afternoon: the Fever-Tree Gin & Tonic Festival is taking over Centennial Park's Rose Garden this Friday, September 27. So, after you knock off from work, you can head here to sample more than 100 different gins from more than 40 distillers, paired with tonics from the Fever-Tree range. Plus, you can score $20 off your entry ticket — read on for more details. And, if you want to keep the fun going right across the weekend, the festival will be sticking around right through till Sunday, September 29 (although Saturday's session is now sold out). But this massive tasting event isn't just dedicated to the classic tipple, either. Alongside the pop-up Gin Village, the festival offers live music, masterclasses and Sydney's best food trucks. Here's exactly what to expect from the opening night and beyond. FIND YOUR NEW FAVOURITE GIN First, wander through the Gin Village, where you'll have the chance to sample from 40 distillers. The ticket alone includes a whopping six mini G&Ts, with local fan favourites like South Australia's award-winning Never Never Distilling Co, Victoria's Four Pillars and local favourite Archie Rose all in tow. But there'll be heaps more boutique distillers that you might not have heard of, including Central Coast's Distillery Botanica, Tasmania's Hartshorn sheep whey distillery and international drops like the Pink Pepper Gin from French distillery Audemus Spirits. And each will, of course, be matched with Fever-Tree tonics. HAVE A BOOGIE Once you've tasted a gin or two, there is a full lineup of live entertainment to enjoy each day of the festival. Expect DJ sets from the likes of London's DJ Chopper Reeds (Fat Freddy's Drop) on Friday and a special set by Mike Dotch, with percussion by Paul Chennard, on Sunday. For live acts, the festival has nabbed Melbourne-based electronic producer and vocalist Milan Ring (Saturday) and jazz-disco musician Loure (Sunday). And this is to name just a few. The stage will host acts from 4–10pm on Friday, 2–9pm on Saturday and 2–8pm on Sunday, so you can groove along at any point with a G&T in hand. LINE YOUR STOMACH Now, considering it's a minimum six G&Ts you're looking at throwing back, don't forget to line your stomach for the day. The festival has you covered there, too, with a wide range of food trucks on site to assuage a tipple-induced hanger. You'll find everything from hearty tacos and burgers to organic, vegan and gluten-free options from the likes of The Nighthawk Diner, Taco Hawk and Agape Organic. Keeping with the theme, Four Pillars Gin will be hosting Sydney's first Gin Pig sausage sizzle. If you'd rather someone else make the tough choices for you, nab a gourmet picnic hamper packed with seasonal and locally sourced produce. There are plenty of desserts on the docket as well, including a limited-edition G&T-infused frozen treat from Mr Goaty Gelato — it'll use Distillery Botanica gin and Fever-Tree's tonic flavours. HONE YOUR NATIVE BOTANICAL SKILLS To delve deeper into the wonderful world of gin, a range of masterclasses will also run alongside the Gin Village. We're especially keen to check out 'The World of Native Australian Ingredients', which will run on Friday from 4.30–5pm and Sunday from 4.10–4.40pm. This masterclass is led by Brookie's Gin head distiller Eddie Brook, who will explore the finest bush food and native ingredients used by Australian producers. The $25 ticket includes one gin and tonic and a Brookie's jam jar to take home. Each session must be pre-booked, which you can do when securing your festival entry here. HONE YOUR GIN AND CHEESE PAIRING SKILLS Another masterclass that you cannot miss is 'Cheese and Gin and Tonic — A Match Made in Heaven', hosted by Melbourne's Caroline Childerley, also known as The Gin Queen. She will demonstrate how to pair cheese and other pre-dinner bites with summertime G&Ts — two mini cocktails and cheese nibbles are included in the $25 ticket. Luckily there are three chances to catch this one, as it's running Friday from 7.50–8.20pm, and 2.30–3pm on Sunday. Alongside the ticketed masterclasses, the festival is throwing in a complimentary discovery series so you can level up your gin and tonic knowledge without splashing extra cash. The short and sweet sessions are run throughout the festival on a first-in, best-dressed basis, so be sure to check out the on-site timetable early. The Fever-Tree Gin & Tonic Festival will be at the Centennial Park Rose Garden from 4–10pm on Friday, September 27; 2–9pm on Saturday, September 28;and 2–8pm on Sunday, September 29. For more information and to purchase tickets, head this way. Fever-Tree is also offering Concrete Playground readers $20 off the ticket price for Friday night tickets — just use code: CPFRI.
The thirteenth course at Kuro's Kitchen is cheese. A French double-cream, it doesn't come with crackers and quince paste, but a gleaming layer of gold mead gel — brewed in house using one of Australia's best honeys, Malfroy's Gold, no less — and three peppers: Taiwanese maqaw, Tasmanian pepperberry and sansho. This commitment to sourcing, and respecting, the best produce the world has to offer is consistent throughout the 14 other courses, too. There's a chocolate glaze made using Amazonian cacao tracked down by a Peruvian cacao hunter; hay-smoked Merimbula duck, which is finished at your table on a glowing coal; and nine-score David Blackmore wagyu that's aged in hojicha tea, wrapped in Hokkaido kombu and covered in a charcoal salt crust and slow roasted till just rare. The good news is Kuro's Kitchen may just be one of the best meals currently on offer in Australia. The bad: it's only around for a limited time. [caption id="attachment_776244" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Located at the back of Kuro, an a la carte Japanese restaurant on Kent Street, the space was meant to be home to an omakase fine-diner called Teramoto by Kuro. But then, the pandemic hit, and sourcing some ingredients became increasingly difficult — so, the team changed tact, and is biding its time with Kuro's Kitchen: an experimental 15-course, six-seat pop-up with a menu that changes every night. Both restaurants are run by Executive Chef and Co-Owner Taka Teramoto and Sommelier Wanaka Teramoto (both from Waqu in Crows Nest), as well as Co-Owner Alan Wong. Together with Potts Point's Henderson & Co, the trio oversaw the design of the space, too, which sees the heritage sandstone building brought to life with modern touches. [caption id="attachment_776251" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Monochromatic tables and chairs, polished concrete and copper tiles feature throughout, but the most eye-catching element is the lighting. Fifty-six American oak light 'portals' spread across the walls are inspired by the Arashiyama bamboo forest in Kyoto. Wanaka says when the sun sets through the forest, it feels like it's glowing. At nighttime, Kuro glows, too. In the open kitchen at the back, you'll find Head Chef Nobu Maruyama (Bar H), who oversees the a la carte menu, while Taka focuses on the pop-up with Sous Chef Jack New (Icebergs). The food fuses old and new, like the space, with Japanese dishes and ingredients given a modern spin. Hand-cut ramen noodles are served in duck consommé with Tasmanian truffle, diced bluefin tuna is topped with sherbet-y davidson plum powder and Diamond Shell clams come with a zingy aged chardonnay vinegar. [caption id="attachment_776246" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] While Wanaka's wine list is predominantly Australian with a focus on boutique wineries with minimal-intervention philosophies, the cocktails, shaken up by bartender Fumiaki Michishita, take inspiration from Japan. There's the Sober Experience (soba-infused Jameson and absinthe with kabosu and umami syrup), the Lava Flow of Mt Fuji (brown sugar shochu, coconut and matcha) and, if you dine at Kuro's Kitchen, The Royal Alexander cocktail made with Hennessy XO, chestnut syrup and Tasmanian truffle salt — and topped with the grated Amazonian cacao. Dining at the chef's table inside Kuro is an experience that's only set to get better — and more expensive — with the launch of Teramoto (hopefully, by the end of the year). For $160 a head for 15 courses, Kuro's Kitchen comes in at a relative bargain compared to many degustations across the country — but, for now, it's only meant to stay until the end of October. You can snag your seat right here. Kuro's Kitchen is running nightly from Tuesday–Friday at 6.30pm (for a 7pm start). Images: Kitti Gould
There were more than a few tears shed when Darlinghurst institution Cafe Freda's announced last drinks in December. Yet owners Dave Abram and Carla Uriarte already had their next plan in the works. Now this comeback has come to fruition, with news that Cafe Freda's is returning to Chippendale – the home of its original bar and nightclub from 2011. Having joined forces with hospitality group Solotel – the brains behind popular venues like The Clock Hotel and Barangaroo House – what will now be called Bar Freda's will move into the Lil Sis space at The Abercrombie. Set for an April relaunch, the name change signals a slight tweak in the vibe. While the community-minded, approachable ethos and creative energy will remain, expect the previous focus on Italian bites and natural wines to shift towards cocktails and club nights. Set just a few blocks from Freda's first location, this reinvention not only serves as an homage to the OG venue's roots, but also unites what made each of Bar Freda's past iterations such special experiences. [caption id="attachment_987553" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] "We knew this was the perfect collaboration at the right time for us," says Abram, who worked closely on the new venue with Elliot Solomon, CEO of Solotel. "We had been thinking about how to bring together elements from the two different venues we've operated in the past. When we first discussed the Lil Sis site and programming the club space in The Abercrombie with Elliot, it felt like serendipity – it was exactly what we had hoped to do for our next project." While Bar Freda's menu remains a work in progress, Abram and Uriarte will also take the lead on curating Club Freda's – a series of regular club nights held at The Abercrombie. Having breathed life into Sydney's nightclub scene for over 15 years, the duo getting their hands on a 24-hour license and a world-class space means they can take their creative endeavours to even greater heights. Change is a familiar story for Freda's, with the original Chippendale bar and nightclub presenting crowd-pleasing dance parties for nine years. Yet when redevelopment forced the venue to close, it reopened just a short time later in Darlinghurst – this time as Cafe Freda's. Though the dancing and live music remained, sophisticated drinks and snacks brought a new element to the party. Now, with a new venue to shape, it's a chance for Abram and Uriarte to reinvent themselves once more. "It's remarkable that we're coming back just a few hundred metres from where the original Freda's was," says Abram. "That venue had a big impact on the nightlife scene at the time, and with Club Freda's nights in the works, I'm beyond excited to be back in a position to provide opportunities for young DJs, promoters and creatives in Sydney and help give them a platform to perform and express themselves. At the heart of it, that's what Freda's has always been about." Bar Freda's and Club Freda's are expected to open at The Abercrombie in April – we'll update you with more details when they're announced. For more information in the interim, head to the website.
Move over frozen boozy beverages — Sydney's latest alcohol trend involves pouring your own drinks from a tap. First Surry Hills' The Winery welcomed free-flowing prosecco from an antique-looking stone faucet, and now Bea at Barangaroo House is serving up martinis in tabletop fountains. Marking the Australian launch of Grey Goose's La Fontaine, which debuted in the UK in late 2019, the martini fountains hold up to six martinis, sit in front of eager drinkers and let you dispense as you like. In the interests of responsible drinking and the applicable liquor laws, Bea is only making them available to groups — so round up at least three of your closest pals and get pouring. 'Why get someone else to twist a tap when you can do it yourself?' is the basic idea, and while it's a gimmicky one, the shiny stainless steel and glass fountains do look rather fetching. They measure 30 centimetres tall, and were initially inspired by vintage absinthe dispensers, as Grey Goose's North American Vice President Martin de Dreuille told art magazine Whitewall. While La Fontaine is only on Bea's menu as part of Barangaroo House's first birthday celebrations, and will only be available until Sunday, March 31 as a result, it does come for the highly affordable price of $18 per person. Multiple flavours are on offer, with the venue slinging classic and espresso martinis, as well as one variety dubbed 'Dean Martin's Flame of Love' across the season. The Grey Goose La Fontaine Martini Fountain costs $18 per person for groups of four-to-ten people, and is available until Sunday, March 31. Bookings are essential and can be made through the website. CORRECTION: FEBRUARY 28, 2019 — The original article incorrectly stated that the Grey Goose La Fontaine Martini was available for groups of two–six, but it is only available for groups of four–ten.
Back in 2001, in the ruins of Changnyeongsa Temple in Yeongwol in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea, more than 300 statues were found. Each stone sculpture depicts an arhat — the name given to followers of Buddha who've achieved the enlightened state of nirvana — and they're all thought to date back 500 years. The collection was dubbed 'The Five Hundred Arhats', in fact, after Buddha's 500 disciples. Also, every figure's face conveys a lifelike emotion. And, Australians will be able to see a selection of them without leaving the country thanks to Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. From December 3, 2021, the Five Hundred Arhats exhibition will put a number of the figures on display in Ultimo, incorporating them into an installation created by artist Kim Seung Young. They'll be surrounded by 700 audio speakers, in a piece that's designed to suggest that "the arhats are meditating in an attitude of intimate, reclusive poise amidst a cacophony that evokes the distracting bustle of urban life". The big summer showcase will be presented in collaboration with Chuncheon National Museum and National Museum of Korea — and it's just one of Powerhouse Museum's 2021 highlights. The Sydney venue has unveiled its full program for the year, spanning everything from tiny automobiles and gum trees to Australian ceramics and Persian arts and crafts. [caption id="attachment_799429" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bayram Ali, Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, Powerhouse Collection[/caption] On display from today, Tuesday, February 9, is Bayram Ali. It features images of Australia's Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme from the 50s to the 70s, as taken by the Turkish Cypriot migrant and amateur photographer who gives the exhibition its title. Also skewing local, Clay Dynasty will show more than 300 items from Powerhouse's Aussie ceramics collection, in a showcase that'll celebrate 50 years of Australian studio ceramics. Opening on May 28, it'll feature 20 newly commissioned pieces, too. From June 11, 100 Conversations will focus on climate change via an exhibition and talks program. On the bill: live discussions with leading Australian innovators acting on climate change, as well as an evolving exhibition that documents the public conversations. Also in June, Eucalyptusdom is set to explore stories surrounding gum trees, including their importance to Indigenous Australians. Expect to see pieces from Powerhouse's collection, plus new works by Dean Cross, Luna Mrozik Gawler, Julie Gough, Vera Hong, Anna May Kirk, Nicholas Mangan, Yasmin Smith, Sera Waters and Damien Wright with Bonhula Yunupingu. [caption id="attachment_799430" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Paul and Linda McCartney, Abbey Rd Studios, London, 1982. Photo: Robert Rosen.[/caption] Also on Powerhouse's agenda is Iranzamin, from March 19, which'll mark the first time that Powerhouse has put together an exhibition of Persian arts and crafts from its own range. And, from June 11, Microcars will focus on tiny vehicles — with more than 17 automobiles on display from Europe, Japan, the UK and Australia. Australian portrait and social pages photographer Robert Rosen will be in the spotlight from August 6, thanks to Glitterati: 20 years of Social Photography. From September 14, Powerhouse will highlight 20th century designers such as Douglas Annand, Frances Burke and Arthur Leydin in an exhibition called Graphic Identities. Throughout 2021, Electric Keys will also explore the influence of electric keyboards on soul jazz, blues, rock, progressive rock and pop, and The Invisible Revealed will let visitors see nuclear-beam scans of objects from Powerhouse's collection. There's also Future Fashion, a showcase the work of top graduates from four Sydney-based fashion design schools. Five Hundred Arhats displays at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo from December 3, 2021. For further details — or to find out more about the museum's full 2021 slate — visit its website. Top image: Five Hundred Arhats, Chuncheon National Museum.
After shutting up shop in February, Copenhagen's Noma is still making preparations for its move to a new location. As anyone who has shifted houses will understand, that means not only packing up the existing site, but sorting through everything within in — and saying goodbye to all of the bits and pieces that won't be needed in the restaurant's new home. When René Redzepi's eatery decides it doesn't need its existing wares, however, it doesn't just give them away to friends and family. Instead, the place considered one of the best culinary haunts in the world is auctioning off their unwanted furnishings, décor, tableware and art, letting fans own a piece of their distinctive aesthetic. The range of items on offer is considerable, and includes chairs, lounges, dining tables, coffee tables, cabinets, sculptural installations, stuffed birds, vases, a map of Scandinavia and even the wine list. From the serving, dining, stone and glassware, you could fill your kitchen cupboards with everything you need, with the crockery sold in sets. And, for anyone who visited the Australian Noma pop-up and wanted a souvenir, vases from their Aussie visit are also on offer. Prices range from $150 to $30,000, so turning your house into your very own Noma won't come cheap. The auction will be held on November 2 by Chicago auction house Wright, and accepts bids online, by phone and via their app. As for what Noma's new digs will look like now they're getting rid of their current furniture, fans will have to wait until 2018 to find out — but bookings will open on November 16. Via Eater. Image: Wright.
Hitting the indoor mini-golf course for a few holes of pop culture-themed fun and a few rounds of delightfully named beverages isn't just something capital city kids should enjoy. Holey Moley Golf Club has officially landed in Wollongong. Crown Street is now home to 18 holes of club-swinging antics. The bar is known for its creativity when it comes to creating courses, and this venue is no exception. Wollongong locals can tap, tap, tap their way through rooms dedicated to The Simpsons and Game of Thrones. Plus, everyone will be able to break out into song at the same time, with karaoke part of the antics. If you choose to work your way through the Happy Gilmore soundtrack, no one will stop you (at least not any of the staff). Images: Tom Wilkinson.
Potts Point's new French restaurant Bistrot 916 has been offering up fun and exciting new takeaway options throughout lockdown. It started with the Burger 916, a limited-edition burger which sold out daily. In the last couple of weeks, the team have taken things up a notch with the neighbourhood bistro launching a full takeaway menu that spans from caviar service to cheeseburgers and hash browns. You have two choices when ordering takeaway from Bistrot 916: browse the takeaway menu and swing past its Challis Ave home to pick up your food, or choose from the more extravagant options available on Providoor. Here you can order two-person steak, duck and vegetarian banquets ($120-180). The more reserved duck banquet comes with duck frites, chicken liver parfait, lumache a l'escargot (tomato-braised snails), Valrhona chocolate mousse, plus salad, bread and butter. Not excessive enough? The steak banquet swaps the duck for steak and adds a set of 12 oysters. Each banquet can be ordered alongside an at-home beverage pairing experience that includes four glasses of wine designed to complement the meal. If you're not looking for such a luxe and bank-blowing meal, you can order a set of two next-level cheeseburgers made with Rangers Valley beef patties and topped with Bistrot 916 burger sauce, hash browns and soft drinks for the still-pricey but more reasonable $69. Or, if you're looking to get just a little fancy, order yourself 12 oysters with mignonette, lemon, lime and ginger gelee for $48. Wine and cocktails are available for purchase on their own if you want to pair your cheeseburger with a negroni. Images: Steven Woodburn
Equal parts Campari, gin and vermouth, the simple-yet-outstanding tipple is the reigning champ of cocktails. And that's not hyperbole — it currently holding the title of the best-selling cocktail worldwide. In 2022, Negroni Week — the seven days of festivities in honour of the delicious red sip presented by Campari and Imbibe — is holding up a glass to ten big, aperitivo-loving years. Over the past decade, some of the best bars and restaurants across the planet have put negronis front and centre for one week and given back to charity at the same time. And from Monday, September 12 till Sunday, September 18, a swishy roll call of Sydney venues will be doing just that. (Plus, as a celebratory bonus, Campari is giving you the chance to sip your way to Italy.) Concrete Playground is home to more than a few negroni lovers, meaning the only difficult part of this where-to-go list was deciding on a top spot. But before we share our picks, a few notable mentions. If you head to Aalia, the 25 Martin Place fine diner, don't go past the Ancient Negroni. It adds arak and bitter cacao to a classic negroni, then levels it up further with a run through a cold-drip coffee filter. In Double Bay, Matteo is serving an Arancia Negroni with notes of smoky citrus, while CBD spot Door Knock has added rhubarb to the mix with its Rhude Boi, which delivers a tart edge to the sweet 'n' slick classic. Now, without further ado, here are the spots CP's editors are heading to get their fix this Negroni Week. [caption id="attachment_787138" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] LILYMU: STRAWBERRY AND YUZU NEGRONI I really like negronis. So, Negroni Week is basically Christmas for me. This year, I'll be gathering my nearest and dearest and heading to Lilymu in Parramatta to sample its celebratory version of the beautifully bitter and citrusy bev. Combining Campari (of course) and strawberry-infused yuzu gin with yuzu sake and americano vermouth, this cocktail has everything I look for in a twisted classic — a bold step away from the original (via the strawberry and yuzu flavours) while maintaining the structural integrity of the drink's origins. Plus, with spring on the horizon, this drink is giving the flirty tits-out-at-the-beach energy that I am longing for after a cold, wet winter in Sydney. Perfect. Courtney Ammenhauser, Branded Content Manager IN SITU: NEGRONI SOUR There are few options that pair as harmoniously as a big bowl of cheesy pasta and a well-balanced negroni. Negroni Week is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of all the creative riffs on the classic all around Sydney, like In Situ's tart and refreshing Negroni Sour. A cross between a whisky sour and the week's namesake cocktail, the classic negroni is given a slick, modern makeover with blood orange and a tall glass. Ellen Seah, National News and Features Editor TITUS JONES: LOVE NOTE TO MANDY One of life's true delights is finding a nook in a bustling cocktail bar and catching up with friends over a negroni. This Negroni Week, cocktail connoisseurs of the Inner West should head to Marrickville favourite Titus Jones, where they can nab a table and pair their cocktail of choice with Titus's beloved tacos. The friendly neighbourhood cocktail bar has whipped up two bitter red creations to celebrate. The first, Love Note to Mandy, plays it elegantly safe, adding the citrus notes of a mandarin-infused gin to Campari and Cinzano Rosso. Meanwhile the more extravagant Nero Negroni mixes things up with dashes of Lillet Blanc, Quiquiriqui Mezcal and blackened sesame oil. Ben Hansen, Junior Editor HICKSON HOUSE DISTILLERY: CONQUISTADOR I don't care what anyone says, a negroni isn't just a perfect drink to have before dinner — it's a damn fine way to end an evening, too. That's why I'll be heading to Hickson House Distillery for this year's edition of Negroni Week. The premium venue — under the shade of the Harbour Bridge — is offering three varieties of the classic cocktail, including one that sounds like a dreamy liquid dessert. The Conquistador combines equal parts Campari and the excellent Hickson Rd. Australian Dry Gin — which is made onsite — with a nip of Mr Black coffee liqueur and two dashes of chocolate bitters. This tipple, which is served in a Nick & Nora glass with a cheek of fresh orange, also features Pedro Ximenez for a sweet, slightly umami kick, making for a perfect nightcap. Nik Addams, Branded Content Manager DONNY'S BAR: WHITE RHUBARB NEGRONI Just a short stroll from the glistening waters of Manly Beach sits Donny's Bar, a dark and moody escape from the tropical-holiday vibe of the rest of the Northern Beaches 'burb. This Negroni Week, you'd be well placed to pick a seat — in the loft is my rec — and ask for a White Rhubarb Negroni. Acidic notes of the berry-hued fruity vegetable are delivered in the shot of gin and sealed off with Suze, Lillet and a spritz of orange bitters. The creative cocktail isn't as bitter as the original, but you're still in for a strong kick. Catch the ferry in and really make the most of the oceanic surrounds. Grace MacKenzie, Branded Content Producer Campari's Negroni Week takes over Sydney from Monday, September 12 till Sunday, September 18. Head to the website to find the full list of participating venues. Top image: Tim Levy
Your mates have flocked to the Mediterranean coast. Your boss is sailing around Croatia. Heck, even your parents have jetted off for a week of sun, sand and piña coladas in Hawaii. And here in Sydney, we're sloshing and shivering our way through another winter season But, there's plenty of reason to rug up, get out and explore our sparkling harbourside hometown. Even if it's chilly outside. As the mercury plummets, there's no better time to cosy up, glass of wine in hand, and let someone else do the cooking. Or perhaps you're looking for a dose of arts and culture or even something to get the blood pumping? Whatever you're craving, Sydney has a whole stack of blues-busting events, festivals and activities all winter long. To get you started, we've teamed up with InterContinental Sydney to bring you a staycation itinerary that'll make your winter a little bit warmer. Base yourself at the hotel's CBD location and hop from exhibitions and pop-up events to must-see dining spots. We've done the hard work you; all you have to do is get exploring. INDULGE IN A LAND TO SEA BUFFET A staycation isn't really a staycation unless you treat yourself to the finer things. At InterContinental Sydney's Cafe Opera, you'll find a 'land to sea' buffet packed with fresh seafood, locally sourced meats and a new Asian cuisine station. Enjoy Sydney Rock oysters, prawns, green-lipped mussels and a selection of sushi, then fill up on roast meats sourced from the Southern Highlands like lamb shoulder, pork belly and beef rump. You can choose to go for lunch from Wednesday to Friday or enjoy the 'deluxe experience' over the weekend. Our tip? Stop by from Friday night to Sunday (all day) for a luxe seafood offering of Balmain bugs, blue swimmer crab, salmon sashimi and grilled whole salmon available lunch and dinner. Plus, if you choose to lunch on the weekend, you'll also get free-flowing sparkling wine and soft drinks with your meal. The Land to Sea Buffet is available from Wednesday 12pm to Friday 2.30pm for $69 per person and from Friday 5.30pm to Sunday 10pm for $99 per person. Kids ten and under eat free. InterContinental Sydney is also offering 20% off food till October 13, 2019. WATCH AN OPERATIC MASTERPIECE AT THE OPERA HOUSE It's a Sydney icon that welcomes 8.2 million visitors every year. Some would say it's the most popular house in the country. But, for Sydneysiders, it's often the most overlooked of attractions. Rediscover the striking Sydney Opera House with one of the world's most famous love stories. Madama Butterfly is the bold new production by choreographer Graeme Murphy, bringing new life to Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's original work. This digital production uses 12 huge high-definition LED panels to showcase animations and film content, telling the tragic tale of a young Japanese girl's marriage with an American naval officer. Make sure to bring plenty of tissues for this one. Madama Butterfly runs from Friday, June 28 to Saturday, August 10, 2019, and tickets start at $47. [caption id="attachment_679482" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Madeye Photography[/caption] HAVE A CUPPA AT A FESTIVAL DEDICATED TO TEA Blending and brewing are terms typically associated with craft breweries. But, the specialty tea market is just as complex, and you can learn all about it at the Sydney Tea Festival. This one-day event brings dozens of tea specialists and lovers to Carriageworks for workshops, tastings and a bustling tea market. Sample specialty loose leaf tea, relax in the Brew Lounge and immerse yourself in a world of flavour with educational tastings, demonstrations and hands-on workshops. Once you've worked up an appetite, stop by the on-site food trucks for a sweet or savoury bite to eat. Sydney Tea Festival takes place on August 18, 2019, and tickets start at $16.95. DO YOUR BRAIN SOME GOOD AND LEARN SOMETHING NEW There's much more to science than lab coats and Bunsen burners. And Sydney's annual science festival proves just that. Showcasing some of the globe's leading thinkers, Sydney Science Festival brings researchers, museums, universities and communities together for a week of discovery, discussion and scientific debate. Even if science class was not your thing at school, you'll still find something that intrigues within the festival's lineup of talks, workshops and exhibitions. Picnic beneath the stars (and with reduced light pollution) explore activism in the age of climate change, challenge how you perceive reality at A Night of Illusions and celebrate the female tech visionaries who've played an important role in the history of technology but have been overlooked — until now. Sydney Science Festival runs August 6–18. Find the full lineup here. SEE THE ARCHIBALD AT THE AGNSW You know the year is going by quickly when all of a sudden it's Archibald time. Don't let the annual exhibition pass you by this year. This year, you can expect to see the likes of actor David Wenham, three-time Paralympic gold medallist Dylan Alcott plus Sydney-based author, broadcaster and journalist Benjamin Law. The best bit? For just $20 you'll also get to explore the Wynne and Sulman Prize exhibitions, showcasing the best landscape paintings of Australian scenery as well as the best subject, genre or mural painting. The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize 2019 runs till September 8, 2019, and tickets cost $20. And while you're there, opt to catch a double exhibition with tickets to The Essential Duchamp for an additional $16, running till August 11, 2019. Treat yourself to a staycation this winter at InterContinental Sydney. Enjoy up to 30 percent off your stay if you book before August 5, 2019 and check-in before September 30, 2019. To book, visit the website here. Top image: Madeye Photography. Updated: July 22, 2019.
Catch the last of summer's warmth with a pair of garden parties at Chiswick. Held Sunday, February 23 and Sunday, March 2, these floral get-togethers bring together fresh ingredients from the restaurant's kitchen garden to assemble a special snack menu. Conceived for easy-breezy fun, all you have to do is turn up from 4pm. While there's no shortage of new flavours to encounter, some much-loved Chiswick dishes like its barra-masalata and slow-cooked lamb will be reimagined in snack and sandwich form. Meanwhile, other bite-sized delights include white anchovy with toasted focaccia and tomato butter, Sydney rock oysters with apple mignonette, and sweet potato scallop with green goddess mayo. Of course, the sunny vibes wouldn't be complete without some fruity and fragrant spritzes. A series of four Hendrick's Gin creations will keep you refreshed throughout the day. While each sounds delicious, give the Lilly Pilly Collins a taste for a local treat. Featuring Lilly Pilly Hendrick's Gin and old-fashioned lemonade, this special-edition tipple was made using fruit growing just around the corner at Woollahra Public School. Alongside a line-up of local musical talent, Chiswick will also roll out a garnish-your-own station. Decorated with aromatics picked fresh from the kitchen garden by resident green thumb Pete Hatfield, you can add a little more mint, basil or cucamelons to your drink to achieve the perfect blend.
A very unconventional coffee shop is coming to Newtown for two days at the end of March. Alternate milk brand Minor Figures will be opening a pop-up cafe where the patrons have to climb inside a carton to order a free latte. Across Thursday, March 30 and Friday, March 31, a Minor Figures Barista Oat M*lk carton will be set up in front of a two-level terrace house on King Street. Anyone who enters can climb up and poke their head out of the carton's nozzle where they'll be greeted by a barista serving up free oat lattes. Each coffee will be made using Sample Coffee's Pacemaker Espresso blend as well as Minor Figures Barista Oat, of course. The peculiar pop-up will be open 7am–3pm each day at 424 King Street, Newtown, directly across the road from Repressed Records and Maiz. If you get lost, just venture south down the bustling Inner West street and you should be able to spot the giant carton of oat milk.
Nothing can stop time, but there are plenty of ways to slow it down. A balanced approach to eating and drinking, regular exercise and wellness, and a quality skincare routine are the most popular ways to slow down signs of ageing. We're here to deliver the good news that you can bundle those practices into an all-in-one event thanks to Clarins and Bodylove Pilates. Clarins, a leader in premium skincare focused on natural ingredients, will be taking over Bodylove Pilates on Clarence Street in the CBD (opposite the QVB) for two days offering a series of bookable treatments or experiences from Wednesday, February 8 to Thursday, February 9. If you're feeling up to a proper workout, make a booking for a 45-minute reformer pilates session to work on your strength. As well as a workout, you'll get a $20 Clarins voucher and samples of their Extra-Firming creams. If it's something quick and relaxing you're after, you can swing by for a hand and arm massage and a mini-fragrance experience — an ideal lunch break detour to freshen up your day, which will also get you a free sample of the Extra-Firming Day & Night cream. Firm up with Clarins at Bodylove Pilates from Wednesday, February 8 to Thursday, February 9. Spaces are limited so visit the website to make a booking.
Tuesdays mean different things to different people. Another day closer to the weekend, almost hump day, the day you wish you could sleep through — they're all on the list. But, at The Bavarian each week, the day after Monday also means tucking into $9.95 schnitzels. It's one of the tastiest ways to celebrate any day, and to also save your pennies while doing so. There's no occasion, other than just because — but cheap schnitties for the sake of it is what any Schnitzel Tuesday should be about. For a bargain price, The Bavarian will serve you up a chicken schnitzel with fries and lemon, but you do have to also buy a full-priced drink to get the deal. Fancy another schnitty? That's completely fine — just get another drink. Available all day every Tuesday, this is some good schnitz. To get your fix, you can head to The Bavarian venues around town — there are 16 in New South Wales, including everywhere from Entertainment Quarter and Green Hills to York Street and Chatswood, so you've got options. You can also level-up your schnits for an extra $10, getting a 'Godfather' (a giant schnitzel, ham, cheese, kielbasa, napoli sauce and cheese) or a 'Matterhorn' (a schnitzel mountain, cheese spätzle, three layers of Alpen cheese and bacon).
If seafood and sourdough is your idea of a perfect culinary pairing, then drop by the CBD's Kitchen by Mike on Tuesdays this March. Mike McEnearney's canteen-style diner is serving up bottomless bowls of Kinkawooka mussels in white wine, parsley and butter every week throughout the month. The stuff-your-face food event may not be a Harry Potter- or Willy Wonka-themed brunch, but hot and fresh mussels is a pretty great way to help cure the midweek blues. And, it's not just mussels you get either. For $45 a head, you get all-you-can-eat mussels, door stops of McEnearney's famed sourdough bread, Pepe Saya butter and two Betoota Bitters. You certainly won't walk away feeling hungry — in fact, we suggest you go wearing your comfiest, stretchiest pants. The deal is on offer as part of Delicious Month Out and is available from 5.30pm weekly until Tuesday, March 31. It's only available with a booking, too — so trot on over to the Kitchen by Mike website and set up an all-you-can-eat date night ASAP.
With international travel off limits, many Australians are electing for staycations instead. Instead of taking off to Europe or South America, many holiday-goers are saving up their annual leave and electing to make the most of their own cities. If you're looking for a few days off work and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, MTV has launched a new travel deal for lovers of live music. At the core of the MTV Unplugged travel deal is two tickets to see Tash Sultana play an intimate show as part of the MTV Unplugged series on Tuesday, May 4. The concert will be held at a beloved, yet-to-be announced venue in Melbourne. Attendees will provided with transport too and from the venue where they'll witness stripped-back takes on songs from Sultana's new album Terra Firma, as well as classics from her back catalogue. The package also includes access to the exclusive VIP afterparty and a room at the Ovolo South Yarra. The 70s-inspired, dog-friendly hotel opened late last year and each room comes with a mini-bar full of free goodies, 24-hour gym access and a free drink at happy hour down at the hotel bar. Tickets start at $799 which covers two adults and a one-night stay at the Ovolo, or $1099 for two nights if you're looking to properly soak up the experience of the new hotel. Those who opt for the two-night package will also be given a $100 gift card to use on an extravagant trip to Melbourne mega-venue Ballers Clubhouse. Head to MTV's website to take check out the full offer. [caption id="attachment_794221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ballers Clubhouse, Michael Gazzola[/caption] Top Image: Tash Sultana, Eric de Redelijkheid FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Happy hour is a well-worn tradition of bars and restaurants around the world. In Sydney, if you walk into a bar there's likely a happy hour special at some point in the week. A new initiative running throughout January 2021, however, is one-upping all other happy hours. For the entire month of January, eight much-loved Sydney venues are offering 50 percent off their entire menu for one hour each day. Drink or dine at The Winery, Cargo, Manly Wine, Bungalow8, The Rook, Untied, The Loft or Beer Deluxe on King Street Wharf from 5–6pm between Friday, January 1 and Sunday, January 31 and you'll receive 50 percent off your entire order. That means you could head to Manly Wine for $9 steak tartare and $9.50 salted caramel espresso martinis or The Rook for $12 wagyu beef burgers, $15 lobster rolls and and pear, apple and chestnut negronis for $10.50. You'll also find $12.50 chicken schnitzels at Bungalow 8 and $6 Aperol spritzes at The Winery. All you need to do in order to get the discount is pay by mobile at the end of your meal using either the Australian Venue Co app or Mr Yum Order at Table. There is no limit to the number of guests that can attend, meaning you can have a reasonably priced catch up with any sized group of friends. Plus, the NSW Government's food and entertainment vouchers will be available from late January, so what better time is there to dine out in Sydney. Sydney's Happiest Hour is available from 5–6pm daily at Beer Deluxe, Bungalow 8, Cargo, Manly Wine, The Loft, The Rook, The Winery and Untied.
North Sydney is welcoming the start of spring atop its multi-award winning rooftop oasis. Waverton's newly opened Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability is offering up sky-high live music and entertainment for free on Saturday, November 3 from 3–9pm. The waterfront digs — Sydney's largest rooftop garden — will be taken over by more than 20 acoustic acts and performances, with multiple stages spread across the lush rooftop and its many tunnels and chambers. While the daytime hours will have family-friendly vibes with activities aplenty, punters can expect a pop-up bar to accompany the sunset from 6pm onward. Food and drinks will be available throughout the day, but BYO picnics, keep cups and reusable water bottles (with refill stations on site) are also highly encouraged — this is the centre for sustainability, after all.
Even if you've never been to Melbourne's Matcha Mylkbar, there's a good chance you might have read about it. Opening back in March in the beachside suburb of St Kilda, the plant-based eatery specialises in vegan food for non-vegans, and made headlines around the country when they started serving a blue algae latte. It's basically the most Melbourne thing ever — so much so that it just won our People's Choice Award for Best New Cafe of 2016. But it won't just be southerners sipping on smurf-coloured coffee for much longer, with a Sydney location on the cards for the new year. "It's always been the plan to get to Sydney," says Matcha Mylkbar co-owner Sarah Holloway. "We looked at Bondi a lot, because of the similar beach vibe to St Kilda. But we've also been looking at Surry Hills, because it's so up and coming, and maybe a little more accessible." While the Matcha team are yet to lock down a venue, Holloway tells Concrete Playground they'll "definitely be in Sydney in the first half of next year". Not only that, but they're hoping to find a space "quite a lot bigger" than the one they have in Melbourne. "We didn't expect Melbourne to take off quite as much as it did, and we've found because so much preparation goes into [the food], we need more space than the average cafe," Holloway explains. Speaking of the food, Sydneysiders can expect all sorts of healthy offerings, from breakfast bowls made with dragon fruit, banana, almonds, activated chia, goji berry, orange and chocolate protein granola, to matcha pancakes with lychee, raspberry, passionfruit, white chocolate sauce, macadamia crumb, lemongrass and macadamia ice cream. That's to say nothing of their patented vegan eggs, as well as a green soy faux chicken burger that Holloway says tastes so much like the real thing that "a lot of vegans feel guilty about it". Somewhere over the rainbow... we found @maggie00105 brunching to this EPICLY AMAZING spread of plant based goodness 🌈 🌿 Happy Tuesday!! xxx A photo posted by M A T C H A // M Y L K B A R (@matcha_mylkbar) on Dec 12, 2016 at 4:40pm PST While their Melbourne café is only open for breakfast and lunch, Holloway hopes that a larger kitchen in Sydney will mean they can offer dinner service too. "We'd love to do some vegan pizzas," she tells us. As for beverages, Holloway says Matcha Mylkbar Sydney will offer a range of "super delicious" smoothies and lattes "in crazy rainbow colours". Indeed, visuals are a big part of the Matcha experience, with Holloway, a non-vegan herself, convinced that the problem with a lot of vegan food has to do with "how it's packaged". When our FAVVV matcha mylkbar mate @talihaa enjoys her smoothie dates 💕 featuring a sneaky fresh coconut hiding away out the back while our skull smoothies take the spotlight 💀 A photo posted by M A T C H A // M Y L K B A R (@matcha_mylkbar) on Nov 21, 2016 at 8:17pm PST "A lot of vegan cafes aren't always as inviting to non-vegans," she says. "You worry about getting preached to, or judged for what you eat. We wanted to create a venue that made plant-based eating mainstream, and interesting to non-vegans, and had all kinds of people dining without sacrificing Instagrammability or flavour." For more updates on Matcha Mylkbar's Sydney expansion keep your eyes on their Facebook and Instagram pages. We'll update you once we know more.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THE GRAY MAN It's been four years since Ryan Gosling last graced screens, rocketing to the moon in First Man. No, Barbie set photos pored over on every internet-connected device don't count. Since he played Neil Armstrong, much has happened. There's the obvious off-screen, of course — but then there's Chris Evans farewelling Captain America, and also appearing in Knives Out with the scene-stealing Ana de Armas. After co-starring in Blade Runner 2049 with Gosling back in 2017, she leapt from that Evans-featuring whodunnit to palling around with 007 in No Time to Die. Also during that time, Bridgerton pushed Regé-Jean Page to fame, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earmarked Julia Butters as a young talent to watch. This isn't just a history lesson on The Gray Man's cast — well, some of them, given that Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections), Dhanush (Maaran), Wagner Moura (Shining Girls) and Alfre Woodard (The Lion King) also pop up, plus Australia's own Callan Mulvey (Firebite) — for the hell of it, though. Back in 2018, before all of the above played out, it's unlikely that this exact film with this exact cast would've eventuated. But plenty of action-thrillers about attempting to snuff out hyper-competent assassins already did flicker across celluloid — both John Wick and Atomic Blonde had already been there and done that, and the Bourne and Bond movies, and countless other predecessors. Still, the combination of this collection of current actors and that familiar setup isn't without its charms in The Gray Man, which makes the leap from the pages of Mark Greaney's 2009 novel to the big and streaming screens. Reportedly Netflix's most expensive movie to date, it lets its two biggest names bounce off of each other with chalk-and-cheese aplomb, and isn't short on globe-hopping action spectacle. The off-the-book spy versus off-the-book spy killer flick is knowing amid all that box-ticking formula, too, although not enough to make its cheesy lines sound smart and savvy. Gosling plays Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six; "007 was taken," he jokes. Before he's given his codename — before he's paid to do the CIA's dirty work as well — he's in prison for murder, then recruited by Donald Fitzroy (Thornton). Fast-forward 18 years and Six is a huge hit at two things: being a ghost, because he no longer officially exists; and covertly wreaking whatever havoc the government tells him to, including knocking off whichever nefarious figure they need gone. But one stint of the latter leaves him in possession of a USB drive that his arrogant new direct superior Carmichael (Page) will ruthlessly kill to destroy. Actually, to be precise, he'll pay Lloyd Hansen (Evans) of Hansen Government Services to do just that, and to do the dirty work that's too dirty for the criminals-turned-government hitmen in the Sierra program, with Six the number-one target. If you've seen one espionage-slash-assassin flick that sends a shadowy life-or-death fight bounding around the planet — here, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Germany and Austria all feature, among other spots — then you've seen The Gray Man's template. Directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo helmed the Marvel Cinematic Universe's versions with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, so they know the drill. That they've seen a heap of other entries in the genre is never question, either. That feeling radiates from the script, which is credited to Joe Russo with seasoned Marvel scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game), and clearly styles its one-liners after superhero banter. Having Gosling and Evans sling it, one playing bearded, silent and virtuous and the other moustachioed, jabbering and unhinged, makes a helluva difference, however. Read our full review. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN If The Phantom of the Open was part of a game of golf, rather than a movie about the club-flinging, ball-hitting, bunker-avoiding sport, it wouldn't be a hole in one. It couldn't be; perfection doesn't suit the story it's telling, which is as real and as shaggy — as so-strange-it-can-only-be-true, too — as they can possibly come. That other key factor in spiriting dimpled orbs from the tee to the cup in a single stroke, aka luck, is definitely pertinent to this feel-good, crowd-pleasing, happily whimsical British comedy, however. Plenty of it helped Maurice Flitcroft, the man at its centre, as he managed to enter the 1976 British Open despite never having set foot on a course or played a full round of golf before. It isn't quite good fortune that makes this high-spirited movie about him work, of course, but it always feels like a feature that might've ended up in the cinematic long grass if it wasn't so warmly pieced together. When Maurice (Mark Rylance, Don't Look Up) debuts on the green at the high-profile Open Championship, it doesn't take long for gap between his skills and the professionals he's playing with to stand out. In the words of The Dude from The Big Lebowski, obviously he's not a golfer — although what makes a golfer, and whether any sport should be the domain of well-to-do gatekeepers who reserve large swathes of land for the use of the privileged few, falls into The Phantom of the Open's view. So does a breezily formulaic yet drawn-from-fact account of a man who was born in Manchester, later settled in the port town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and spent much of his life as a shipyard crane operator, providing for his wife Jean (Sally Hawkins, Spencer), her son Michael (Jake Davies, Artemis Fowl), and the pair's twins Gene (Christian Lees, Pistol) and James (Jonah Lees, The Letter for the King). Maurice had never chased his own dreams, until he decided to give golfing glory a swing. For audiences coming to all this anew, director Craig Roberts (Eternal Beauty) clues viewers in from the get-go, via a recreation of an 80s TV interview with Maurice. The film's key figure chats, looking back on his sporting efforts after his attempts at golf have clearly earned him a level of fame, but he'd also rather just sip a tea with six sugars. That's an easy but pivotal character-establishing moment. He's a cuppa-coveting everyman accustomed to finding sweetness in modest places, which aptly sums up his whole approach to his middle-aged pastime. The jovial humour of the situation — in caring more about his beloved tea than talking on the television — is also telling. Using a screenplay by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2) based on the actor and writer's 2010 biography of Maurice, Roberts laughs along with and never at his protagonist. He affectionately sees the wannabe golfer's eccentricities, and also values the new lease on life he's eagerly seeking. That quest starts while watching late-night TV, after Michael advises that the shipyard where both men work — and Jean as well — will be making layoffs. With Bridge of Spies Oscar-winner Rylance dripping with sincerity and never cartoonish quirkiness, Maurice eyes the game on-screen like a man having a life-altering and surreal epiphany. Befitting anyone who's ever had a sudden realisation, he's instantly convinced. That he has zero know-how, nor the cash for the right attire, equipment and membership to the local club to practice, doesn't put him off. Neither does filling out the Open entry form, where he instructs Jean to tick the 'professional' box because that's what he wants to be. On the ground at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, he swiftly attracts attention for hitting 121 — the worst score ever recorded — with the press, as well as tournament bigwigs Keith Mackenzie (Rhys Ifans, The King's Man) and Laurent Lambert (Farnaby, Christopher Robin). Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30; and July 7. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions, Nude Tuesday, Ali & Ava, Thor: Love and Thunder, Compartment No. 6 and Sundown.
More than eight months since it premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Palme d'Or and sparking a wave of acclaim that's still going, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is still earning plenty of attention. In fact, even though the South Korean masterpiece opened in Australian cinemas at the end of June last year, it's still — yes, still — screening on the big screen. It actually hasn't stopped showing in theatres in all of that time. Whether you've seen the best film of 2019 already, or you've been meaning to catch up, heading along to a session on Sunday, February 9 is highly recommended. Don't just go to any old screening of the twisty flick, though. On this one day — the day before this year's Oscars, where Bong's applauded movie is in the running for six awards — Parasite will be screening in select cinemas in black and white. Bong has always wanted to make a B&W film, inspired by the works of auteurs such as Jean Renoir, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa and John Ford. While Parasite was shot in colour, this new monochrome print lets its director live out his dreams. And, it lets audiences experience the movie's thrills, secrets and feuding families in a brand new way. As Bong himself explains about watching it in black and white, "the film felt more realistic and sharp, as if I was being cut by a blade." Sydneysiders can check out the B&W version at the Chauvel, Palace Sydney and Palace Norton Street, Dendy Newtown and Dendy Opera Quays, and the Ritz in Randwick. In the interim, watch the trailer below — in colour, though, not black and white: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEUXfv87Wpk
After first closing its border with Victoria at the beginning of July, then warning residents against travel to and from regional towns in the area, New South Wales is implementing a strict new border zone between the two states. Announced on Sunday, July 19 and coming into effect from midnight on Tuesday, July 21, the border zone will start at the Murray River — placing tighter restrictions on residents of NSW border towns, as well as on Victorians looking to head north. As part of a new permit system — which will replace all currently issued permits, as well as any issued between now and the commencement of the border zone, with those needing permits required to reapply — folks living in NSW border towns will only be able to travel to the Victorian side of the border zone for a limited number of reasons. And, if they venture past the zone into the rest of Victoria, they'll be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return. Also, any other NSW resident who crosses the Murray River, otherwise enters Victoria or has been in the state in the past fortnight will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on their return to NSW. Residents of NSW border towns looking cross into the Victorian section of the zone will only be able to do so for three designated reasons: going to work or attending an education institution (if you can't do so from home), and to obtain medical care, supplies or health services. The same "extremely limited purposes" will apply to Victorian border town inhabitants looking to enter the NSW section of the zone. Victorians who receive a permit to enter NSW will also need to carry a copy of their permit with them, and produce it when directed — and abide by a number of other conditions. Those entering the state for child access or care arrangements, or freight workers, will need to have their own COVID Safety Plan; critical service workers will have to self-isolate when not providing their critical services; and Victorians will only be able to head to NSW for medical or hospital services if those services are not available in Victoria or can't be accessed remotely. [caption id="attachment_775275" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] A town near the NSW-Victorian border by Denisbin via Flickr.[/caption] Announcing the changes, the NSW government reiterated its standard current advice for the state's residents regarding visiting Victoria: "all NSW residents are strongly urged not to travel to Victoria". The tightened border restrictions were revealed on the same day that the NSW government urged the state's inhabitants to avoid non-essential travel in general, as well as non-essential gatherings. Until the start of July, New South Wales hadn't closed its borders to domestic travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic — and, when it did shut its border with Victoria, it was the first time in 100 years (since 1919 during the Spanish Flu), that the border between the two states has closed. For more information about the new border restrictions and the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Government website. Top image: Mulwala Bridge by Yun Huang Yong via Flickr.
UPDATE, October 28, 2022: All Quiet on the Western Front opened in Australian cinemas on October 13 and streams via Netflix from October 28. War makes meat, disposable labour and easy sacrifices of us all. In battles for power, as they always are, bodies are used to take territory, threaten enemies and shed blood to legitimise a cause. On the ground, whether in muddy trenches or streaming across mine-strewn fields, war sees the masses rather than the individuals, too — but All Quiet on the Western Front has always been a heartbreaking retort to and clear-eyed reality check for that horrific truth. Penned in 1928 by German World War I veteran Erich Maria Remarque, initially adapted for the screen by Hollywood in 1930 and then turned into a US TV movie in 1979, the staunchly anti-war story now gets its first adaptation in its native tongue. Combat's agonies echo no matter the language giving them voice, but Edward Berger's new film is a stunning, gripping and moving piece of cinema. Helming and scripting — the latter with feature first-timers Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell — All My Loving director Berger starts All Quiet on the Western Front with a remarkable sequence. The film will come to settle on 17-year-old Paul Bäumer (astonishing debutant Felix Kammerer) and his ordeal after naively enlisting in 1917, thinking with his mates that they'd be marching on Paris within weeks, but it begins with a different young soldier, Heinrich Gerber (Jakob Schmidt, Babylon Berlin), in the eponymous region. He's thrust into the action in no man's land and the inevitable happens. Then, stained with blood and pierced by bullets, his uniform is stripped from his body, sent to a military laundry, mended and passed on. The recipient: the eager Paul, who notices the past wearer's name on the label and buys the excuse that it just didn't fit him. No one dares waste a scrap of clothing — only the flesh that dons it, and the existences its owners don't want to lose. Paul's parents are against him signing up with the Imperial German Army, but his pals Albert Kropp (Aaron Hilmer, The Island), Franz Müller (Moritz Klaus, Die Chefin) and Ludwig Behm (Adrian Grünewald, also The Island) are doing it, so he's soon forging a signature and receiving his pre-used uniform. You could say that the high schooler and his friends get the shock of their lives once they make it to the front, because they do; however, as the Germans and the French keep tussling over a ridiculously small stretch, making zero impact upon the greater war in the process, Paul and company's lives — shocks and all — couldn't be more expendable. In the unit's first big push, the teenagers' numbers already diminish. Building upon the movie's potent opening, Berger ensures that nothing about war remains romanticised in their gaze. Call it hell, call it a nightmare, call it a senseless throwing away of innocent life and a needless robbing of the future: they all fit. Eighteen months later in November 1918, All Quiet on the Western Front moves to Paul and his compatriots behind the trenches. Trying to survive is still their only aim, and any sense of excitement, passion, enthusiasm and patriotism for their service has long dissipated. Sometimes, with the older and brotherly Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky (Albrecht Schuch, Berlin Alexanderplatz), making it through the day involves attempting to steal food from French farms. Sometimes, it means looking for new recruits who haven't shown up. When orders come as they unavoidably do, though, the front is inescapable. Alongside 1917, All Quiet on the Western Front proves a masterclass in conveying armed conflict's relentlessness, terror and futility — from a first-person perspective, and also via lengthy, unbroken, like-you're-there shots steeped in gut- and heart-wrenching wartime brutality. Every second of Berger's feature is harrowing, even its quiet moments of tender camaraderie — including one while sharing a bog over a communal log — and its gleaming glimpses of nature's beauty. Lensed by cinematographer James Friend (Your Honor), the latter would do Terrence Malick proud; his A Hidden Life, about an IRL Austrian farmer-turned-conscientious objector in the Second World War, would make a striking companion piece to this. Inevitability lingers over All Quiet on the Western Front as well, whether or not you've read the novel or seen previous screen versions. Either knowing or predicting where Paul's WWI torment goes doesn't make everything that eventuates any less distressing, but puts viewers in the same position as the officials pulling the strings away from the front lines. The leaders sending their men to their deaths mightn't be distraught, but the watching audience is. In a significant departure from the source material, All Quiet on the Western Front spends time with some of those head honchos: politician Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Brühl, The King's Man), who endeavours to convince German High Command that an armistice is the only move available amid such mounting casualties; and General Friedrich (Devid Striesow, The Last Execution), who sees a ceasefire as treason. Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch (Thibault de Montalembert, Heartstopper) isn't willing to allow any saving face either way, giving the Germans a 72-hour deadline to accept a deal as is — and that's more than enough time for more troops to meet thoroughly escapable ends. While Berger's decision to balance the on-the-ground onslaught with behind-the-scenes manoeuvring builds in moments of respite for his viewers, that occurs viscerally rather than emotionally. Anguish still radiates, as it must, as every passing minute means more soldiers slaughtered. Germany's submission for the 2023 Best International Feature Oscar, All Quiet on the Western Front is a film haunted: by the callous disregard for human lives by power-seekers far removed from any fatal consequences, the wide-eyed fervour and blind faith with which boys pledge themselves to war, the desperation and fear that ripples in the thick of the fray, and oh-so-much death. Its ominous and foreboding score by Volker Bertelmann (Ammonite), often repeating a handful of notes, is equally tortured; neither watching nor listening is an easy experience. Viewing a movie pales in comparison to enduring everything this one depicts, of course, but all that bloodshed, and the evocative performances behind the bleeding, is impossible to forget. Almost a century after it first hit the page, this tale has lost none of its power, urgency or relevance — an indictment upon humanity that Berger's iteration silently but clearly stresses.
