If you didn't dedicate an autumn 2022 day to binging Heartstopper, then you probably weren't anywhere near your streaming queue or social media. As charming as romantic comedies, LGBTQIA+-championing tales, British series and coming-of-age stories can get, this webcomic-to-page-to-screen delight dropped all eight of its first-season episodes at once, became an instant Netflix hit and started many an obsession — regardless of whether you currently are or ever have been a queer teen trying to be true to yourself, navigating high school and riding the emotional rollercoaster that is falling in love. The great news: if you haven't seen it already, season one is obviously still there and waiting. The even better news: Netflix renewed the series for two more seasons last year because the first proved such a hit. And, the best news: the second season will arrive on Thursday, August 3. This winter, Heartstopper will be making tickers miss a beat again, and twice, with the graphic novel's author and illustrator Alice Oseman also back as the show's writer (and creator, obviously). It's easy to see why more Heartstopper is on its way — and not just because its narrative has continued past where season one stopped on both the web and in print. The first season hit the Netflix top-ten list in 54 countries, wowed audiences and earned the online attention to prove it, and made stars out of its delightful cast. Story-wise, Heartstopper heads to Truham Grammar School, where Charlie Spring (first-timer Joe Locke) was in year ten in season one. He found himself seated in his form class next to year 11 rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe) at the start of a new term, with sparks flying swiftly and overwhelmingly — at least on Charlie's part — and a crush and then a life-changing love story blossoming. Season two will see the pair in the thick of their new relationship, and coping with exams, the prom and a trip to Paris. Also, Charlie's high-drama best friend Tao (fellow debutant William Gao) and recently out trans pal Elle (Yasmin Finney) will work through their bond, while her school friends Tara (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) have their own challenges. There's currently four volumes, spanning five chapters, of Heartstopper on the page — and a fifth volume set to arrive in November 2023 — so fingers crossed there'll be even more seasons of the Netflix series in the future. Heartstopper season two doesn't have a trailer yet, but you can check out the date announcement video below: Heartstopper season two will stream via Netflix from Thursday, August 3. Read our review of season one. Images: Netflix.
For better or worse, you always know what you're getting at McDonald's. Whether you're stopping off on a road trip for something quick and easy or hitting the dodgy end of a long night with nothing but tequila in your belly, Maccas delivers the same mysteriously flat, delicious mess. But now, Aussie McDonald's stores are stepping it up a notch. With the introduction of table service and customisable burgers with new, quality ingredients, Maccas is getting a little bit gourmet. Sydney's Castle Hill store is the first in Australia to trial the idea, with this new service starting this week. Customers can order their burgers via digital kiosk and choose from 19 ingredients including fancy brioche buns, grilled mushrooms, tortilla chips and nine different sauces. The burgers are then served directly to your table on fashionable wooden boards and newspaper with the hallmark shoestring fries in a wire basket. Without that familiar red and yellow packaging, the meals look a whole lot like what you might find at popular burger joints like Grill'd — a move which is anything but accidental. As strange as it may seem, burgers are all the rage now. No longer relegated to shameful hungover binges, big brioche buns and quality meats are front and centre on Australia's foodie scene, and McDonald's are getting in on the action. "All of our innovations have been led by Australians," said McDonald's CEO Andrew Gregory. "What we're really doing here is just what our customers have asked us to do." But it's a move which doesn't come cheap. It's reported that this remodelling strategy will set the fast food titan back a whopping $1 billion. Though Castle Hill is currently the only Australian store offering the new menu and service, McDonald's plan to introduce it elsewhere soon. If all goes to plan, it will be in place nationwide within 12 months. As The Courier Mail so tactfully put it, look out: "Maccas is going hipster". Via news.com.au and Daily Mail.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we take you to Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay which you can book right now via Concrete Playground Trips. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? An underrated gem of the Pacific, Fiji offers visitors pristine water, flavour-packed local produce and unmatched positive energy from the locals. All of this comes together at Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay, a five-star stay spread across a sandy peninsular just outside of the city of Nadi. The dreamy waterfront resort boasts lagoon views from every room, multiple top-notch restaurants, endless swim spots and a rejuvenating spa. THE ROOMS There are several ways you can approach a stay at Momi Bay. For an unadulterated dose of luxury, the standout accommodation option is the adults-only over-water bungalows. These truly next-level rooms sit on top of the resort's lagoon, providing direct access to the water from your balcony, as well as all of the premium amenities you could ask for — including an in-room espresso machine so that you can enjoy a morning coffee over the water. Elsewhere in the resort, you'll find 250 spacious rooms ranging from deluxe beachfront duplexes right on the sand to more classic hotel-style suites. No matter what level of luxury you opt for, each room provides views of the glistening blue water and the expected amenities like 24-hour room service, high-speed internet and climate-control air con for those humid Fiji days. FOOD AND DRINK Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay offers not one, not two, but five different drinking and dining areas. Goji Kitchen and Bar is a one-stop shop all-day diner with nightly themed dinners and a swim-up bar connected to one of the resort's pools, and the lagoon bar and lounge is the perfect spot to grab a moreish snack and a cocktail between larger meals. ' The real standout, however, is Fish Bar. Located next to the hotel's adults-only infinity pool, this lavish waterfront restaurant specialises in dishes that spotlight locally sourced Fijian seafood. You can expect catch-of-the-day fish and rock lobster alongside the cream of scallop soup, herb and nut-encrusted lamb rack and refreshing cocktails. Australia's own Matt Moran recently hosted a one-off dinner at Fish Bar, with a limited-time dish from the dinner — the kingfish ceviche — available at the restaurant until the end of August. THE LOCAL AREA Located about an hour's drive from the international airport in Nadi, Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay is hidden among the lush hilly southwest coastline of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It's a holidaymaker's dream where you can take in views of the surrounding mountains from the white-sand beach of the resort. Momi Bay is somewhat of a singular stopover for tourists looking to stay at the resort, however, it is located just a couple hours' drive from plenty of the Viti Levu highlights including both the Koroyanitu and Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Parks. THE EXTRAS Momi Bay's biggest drawcard is the variety of swim spots you'll stumble across throughout the accommodation. There are two pools, a family-friendly main pool with a swim-up bar, and an adults-only infinity pool. Life doesn't get much better than nabbing a spot on the edge of the infinity pool as the sun sets over the ocean. And, on top of all of this, there's also the lagoon where you'll find the overwater accommodation, boasting white sand and crystal blue water. Outside of your swim time, you can visit Quan Spa, the resort's luxurious day spa that offers relaxing massages and rejuvenating beauty treatments. Plus, there's a 24-fitness centre accessible to all guests and an outdoor tennis court with equipment hire available if you ever get tired of relaxing (unlikely) and need to stretch your legs. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
Don't say that you don't have anything to watch between Friday, March 1–Monday, March 11, or that you've only got the usual couch-viewing options. Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival is back for 2024, which isn't just wonderful news for Sydney's cinephiles. Thanks to the event's returning online component, it's also ace for folks located outside of the Harbour City. A feast of queer cinema coming to your chosen small screen. As always, the lineup of movies that Sydneysiders can catch at MGFF's in-person sessions is far larger than its online program — but you can still join in from home no matter where in Australia you're located. For cinephiles watching on from the couch, choices include All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, the Berlinale Teddy Award-winning love story about two men dealing with Nigeria's anti-gay laws; Mexico's All the Silence, centring on a CODA (child of deaf adults) and her girlfriend who is deaf; F.L.Y., which sees two exes living under the same roof during the pandemic; and Mutt, which won Lio Mehiel a Special Jury Award-winner at Sundance for their performance. Or, opt for drama Old Narcissus about getting older in Japan, with a 74-year-old children's author finding connection with a sex worker. You'll also be able to stream several shorts packages online, including sessions dedicated to Asia Pacific, comedy, gay, non-binary and gender diverse, queer horror, queer documentaries, transgender and sapphic films. The My Queer Career short film fest will hop online as well, featuring seven films competing for $16,000-plus in prizes.
Already known for its opulently designed venues and next-level cocktails, the Speakeasy Group — responsible for bringing us Eau de Vie, Mjølner and Nick and Nora's — is looking to turn up the glam and frivolity at its newest venture: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Tucked away on Bridge Lane, and set to open this Wednesday, February 19, the bar is oozing glamour, with colourful velvet furnishings, gold trimmings, glittering chandeliers, mirrors and the odd hanging vine. It's a space where you can have an intimate conversation over a bottle of champagne in a booth, or get up and dance as the night ticks away. [caption id="attachment_761748" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Speakeasy Group Co-Owner Sven Almenning says the new venue is inspired by his memories of Sydney's old-school nightlife — how it was back before the lockout laws when he was running Peppermint Lounge in King Cross "nearly twenty years ago". Hoping to help bring back a sense of celebration and fun into the city's bars, Almenning says KKBB will have "delicious and theatrical cocktails, tons of champagne and some awesome live performers paired with DJs to keep the party going until 2am". Helping to keep the good times rolling is the drinks list, which was designed by former Mjølner Bar Manager Alissa Gabriel, who is now KKBB's assistant venue manager. Champagne and cocktails are the stars of the show, with the menu promising flirtatious twists on beloved classics. Almenning's favourites are the Kiss & Tell (tequila, coconut, jasmine and grapefruit), the Peppermint Slap (bourbon, Fernet Branca, Butter-Menthol, chocolate and mint) and the Mindfuck Mimosa (with clarified orange juice and your choice of bubbles). [caption id="attachment_761645" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find shareable drinks (one served in an absinthe fountain) and three half-size cocktails designed to be enjoyed with three snacks. For $65, you'll get a mini cosmopolitan, reworked as a cranberry and lime sorbet topped with your choice of bubbles, paired with a beetroot and cheese-topped lavosh; a Kiss & Tell served with oxheart tomatoes and goat's cheese; and the Bangerang — a boozy mix of vodka, elderflower, plum wine and dry vermouth — accompanied by witlof cups of lobster and garlic butter. As for the bar's name, it comes from a throwaway comment made by James Bond author Ian Fleming, describing his books as "straight pillow fantasies of the bang-bang, kiss-kiss variety". With the physical bar resembling the barrel of a gun and the rest of the space fitted out with luxurious trimmings suitable for the most suave spy, we think it's only fitting. Find Kiss Kiss Bang Bang on Bridge Lane, Sydney, from Wednesday, February 19. The bar is open 12pm–2am Tuesday–Saturday and 5pm–2am Sunday–Monday. Images: Kitti Gould.
On a weeknight at the beginning of July back in 2019, Bush very quietly opened its doors. The George Street hole-in-the-wall quickly became a hit. The brains behind the concept, Head Chef Grant Lawn saw the restaurant as an opportunity to bring the Australian bush back to the forefront of Sydney's dining landscape — by opening Bush right in the middle of Redfern. "I wanted to make a positive difference in the community," says Lawn. "Start a place that could bring people together and start conversations, while eating food inspired by the Australian outback." The menu is small (very), but there isn't an item that doesn't look appealing. Cheeseburgers, chips, fairy bread and butter pudding — it's as if the menu from your sixth birthday party got a revamp. The American-style cheeseburger at Bush is very good. It's certainly not Australian, but Lawn said they had to put it on the menu because "that's what Aussies want". For the meat-free folk, there's also a mean mushroom burger. Born and raised in Sydney, Lawn briefly studied landscape architecture before turning his focus to cooking. While he was playing around with the idea of opening his own restaurant, he realised he could combine the two by landscaping a restaurant to resemble the Australian bush he grew up in. Which is exactly what he did. The space is filled with roughly cut stools and long wooden tables, native Australian plants adorn the tables and you'll spot stuffed toy versions of native Australian fauna hidden around, too. Bush started as a pop-up in popular Sydney establishments like Young Henrys, before Lawn found the perfect spot in Redfern to set up shop permanently. And we're very glad he did. [caption id="attachment_735541" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Images: Kitti Gould.
Whether it's after a hard day at the office, a hard morning of exercise or a hard evening of heavy drinking, there are few sweeter reliefs than an ice cold beer. And thanks to Pat's Backcountry Beverages, you can brew your own beer whenever and wherever you so desire with these tasty, transportable sachets. Simply pour the packet of beer concentrate in a special carbonation bottle, add water and shake, and you have yourself the world's most convenient six-pack. Perfect for campers and hikers, the Alaskan company assures its customers that they haven't sacrificed transportability for taste, claiming that the sachets will give you the "same great taste you're used to in a premium micro beer". To find out more have a look at this demonstration video and get brewing.
Update Wednesday, August 23: Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia has added a third nightly sound and light show so that more people can experience Wintjiri Wiru. You can learn about Wintjiri Wiru Twighlight via the Voyages website. A luminous three-dimensional cultural storytelling experience featuring one of the world's largest daily drone shows has been unveiled at Uluru. Across two shows each night, with Uluru setting a showstopping backdrop, Wintjiri Wiru tells the local Aṉangu community's Mala story through the use of verbal storytelling (both in English and the Aṉangu people's local Pitjantjatjara language), light displays, lasers, sound and a massive fleet of more than 1000 drones. Folks heading to the Northern Territory for Wintjiri Wiru's sunset dinner will kick off the experience with canapes curated by Mark Olive showcasing native Australian ingredients. Also on the agenda: taking in the immense beauty of Uluru and Kata Tjuta from the new sustainable viewing deck as the sun disappears below the horizon, and sampling creamy crocodile pies, pepper beef and truffle burgers, and cocktails made with Beachtree Organic Koala Gin. From there, attendees are taken on an immersive journey through a story that's been passed down for thousands of years. Voyages Indigenous Tourism worked directly with a group of ten senior community members from the Kaltukatjara (Docker River) and Uluru Aṉangu groups to create a show that tells the Mala ancestral story accurately and respectfully. "We are Aṉangu and we have one of the oldest continuing cultures on earth. This chapter of the Mala story has been passed to us from generation to generation. Our ancestors walked this Country, carried this story and shared this story through inma, our songs and our ceremonies," says Rene Kulitja, on behalf of the Aṉangu Consultation Group. "We have held hands with Voyages to create Wintjiri Wiru together. From the beginning, Voyages has been working together with the Aṉangu Working Group — talking together, listening together and creating together." The impact upon the environment and the local communities were also closely considered. No concrete was laid in the creation of the viewing platform, allowing it to be removed one day if needed; the movements of local wildlife were carefully monitored, including special consideration given to a local group of endangered desert skinks; everyone involved in the project undertook extensive cultural training lead by Aṉangu; and Indigenous-owned and -run law firm Terri Janke and Company was enlisted to oversee the project. When asked about Voyages' goals, Resort General Manager David Harper responded: "creating opportunities for Indigenous Australians through cultural tourism." Wintjiri Wiru now forms somewhat of a trio of experiences available to visitors surrounding Uluru — joining Bruce Munro's immersive Field of Light and starlight-lit fine dining experience Tali Wiru. The launch also coincides with the debut of Bruce Munro's latest installation Light Towers at Kings Canyon, forming a Red Centre light trail with the aforementioned attractions, as well as the yearly luminous Alice Springs festival Parrtjima — A Festival in Light. Tickets for the Wintjiri Wiru sunset dinner are available for $385, while you can nab a spot at Wintjiri Wiru after dark for $190, or $95 for children. For more information on Wintjiri Wiru, head to the Ayers Rock Resort website. Images: Getty Images for Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia. Aṉangu share the Mala story, from Kaltukatjara to Uluru, through a drone, sound and light show designed and produced by RAMUS. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Humans have made a pastime of staring up at the night sky for as long as history can tell us. Unfortunately, the amount of excess light that our big cities leak into the sky makes for pretty poor stargazing conditions on an average night in the inner city. With that in mind, we've scoped out the spots all around Australia where it's still possible to use one's telescope for its intended purpose. Stargazing, that is — not trying to peek at what your neighbours keep behind their curtains. So, find the closest stargazing spot (or book a flight ASAP) and take part in this time-honoured tradition. Sydney Observatory, NSW In terms of physical proximity to the night sky, Sydney Observatory is a pretty good starting point. One of the highest accessible points overlooking Sydney Harbour, its building houses three telescopes — including the oldest working telescope in Australia, which was acquired for the 1874 transit of Venus. The other two are a 42-centimetre computer-controlled lens and, for those of you who prefer gazing at the star closest to us, a telescope that lets you look at the sun. You can get a glimpse through the onsite telescopes on a ticketed guided tour. Otherwise, the Observatory is free to visit and open Wednesday–Saturday from 12–6pm. This is definitely the first step for every would-be Galileo. [caption id="attachment_730726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marc Aragnou via ASNSW[/caption] Wiruna, Blue Mountains, NSW Wiruna is the Astronomical Society of NSW's best-kept secret — if you go to its website, you'll see what we mean. Located on the outskirts of Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains, Wiruna is basically 107 acres of astronomy Christmas. Starry season's greetings, sky-lovers. The ASNSW holds a number of stargazing sessions on weekends throughout the year, and encourages amateurs and old hands alike to come and use the incredible array of equipment they've got stashed up there. The easiest way to get involved is to become a member of the ASNSW — it's a process that requires payments and applications — but allows you to visit this site and others with the group or on your own once you're accredited. [caption id="attachment_730730" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Warrumbungle National Park, Coonabarabran, NSW Warrumbungle National Park is a proper hike (read: a five or six hour drive from Sydney), but it's also a proper dark sky site. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has dedicated funds to limiting light pollution in and around the park and, with these measures in place, Warrumbungle joins the likes of Death Valley National Park in the US and Galloway Forest Park in Scotland as an official dark sky park — that is, one of the top places on the planet to revel in galactic goings-on. Warrumbungle does have its own observatory, but scientists and astronomers have the run of the place after sundown. Amateur astronomy in Warrumbungle is best performed the old-fashioned way, with the humble eyeball (and optional pince-nez). [caption id="attachment_730745" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Graham Hosking via the City of Greater Bendigo[/caption] Leon Mow Dark Sky Site, Heathcote, VIC Located just 1.5 hours drive north of Melbourne, the town of Heathcote boasts some incredibly beautiful skies — and heaps of bush walks, reserves and national parks from which to see it at night. If you take your astronomy very seriously, you can head to Heathcote's Leon Mow Dark Sky Site. The country estate is available for use by Astronomical Society of Victoria members at any time, and they're even welcomed to camp out overnight. Membership will set you back $80 a year or, for non-members, the site is open to the public for free during annual events and meet-ups (just check the website for details). You can BYO telescope or binoculars, or just gaze up — there's plenty of beauty to be seen by the naked eye. [caption id="attachment_730556" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, VIC The breathtaking views to be had on any trip along the Great Ocean Road are hard to beat. But we bet you haven't considered taking this trip after dark. Turns out that the routes along these many rock formations offer a stunning view at night, too. This is especially true at the road's all-star site, the Twelve Apostles. On a clear night, the stargazing is truly awe-inspiring. It won't be the view of these golden cliffs and crumbling pillars that you're used to seeing in photos, but it offers something else altogether — and that a lot of people haven't seen. Look up, listen to the lapping waves and enjoy the rare peace and quiet here. Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, Mt Coot-Tha, QLD Named after the soldier and astronomer who gave Brisbane its name, the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium has been a favourite school tour spot since 1978. If you're a Queenslander, you've definitely been — and it's definitely worth another visit, even if you're well out of class. But unlike school, staring into space here is not only acceptable, it's mandatory. The Cosmic Skydome is the main attraction, under which you'll lean back and send your eyes skywards as informative films tell of black holes, the dark universe, moons and cosmic collisions. Once you've toured the stars, return to earth with a walk through the surrounding Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. [caption id="attachment_730557" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] The Jump-Up Dark Sky Sanctuary, Winton, Queensland The sleepy town of Winton in northwest Queensland is perhaps the number-one stargazing destination in all of Australia — as of April 2019, the town received Australia's first of seven international certifications for a Dark Sky Sanctuary. There are only 22 certified sites worldwide, so it's a particularly impressive win for Aussie shores. The sanctuary is set within the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum at its Jump-Up facility, which is free and open all year round. Here, you can view the spirals of the Milky Way and Orion Arm, as well as the collapse of nebulae and the birth of new stars. Bring along a telescope, binoculars and a picnic — you'll want to stick around for a while. [caption id="attachment_730555" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Charleville Cosmos Centre, Charleville, QLD The tiny town of Charleville — situated a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Brisbane — is home to one of the few observatories where you can stargaze both day and night. When the sun is up, you can attend a range of astronomy tours at the Cosmos Centre, including the sun viewing, which uses a special telescope to let you gaze directly at the surface of our planet's closest star. At night, experiences range from $45 for an Aboriginal night sky story session, up to $130 for personal astronomy tours. Check out clusters, planets, nebulae and, on a good night, the Milky Way. Inside the centre, there are heaps of tours and events going on each day, plus some seriously impressive equipment to boot.
Whether you're a big nature nerd or err on the indifferent side to the science of it all, chances are you've seen at least some of Sir David Attenborough's Planet Earth. The BBC nature documentary series — narrated by the man himself and accompanied by an epic score from Hans Zimmer — first aired back in 2006, and its follow-up second season, Planet Earth II, was released just two years ago. But the bits you've seen on TV or YouTube are sure to be belittled when the BBC brings the live show to Australia this April. Like the performances of Harry Potter and Star Wars we've seen in recent months, Planet Earth II Live in Concert will see the documentary screened in all its glory accompanied by a live orchestra. And it's a big sore. The music for Planet Earth II was composed by none other than Hans Zimmer (responsible for epics like The Lion King, Gladiator, The Dark Knight Rises and Inception) alongside Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe. In Australia, the score will be performed by four of the country's leading orchestras with conductor Vanessa Scammell and, in lieu of Attenborough, Eric Bana will be narrating in real time. The show will travel around Australia from April 27 until May 4, visiting Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney for just four shows all up. Tickets go on sale next week. In the meantime, you can watch ehe first season of Planet Earth on Netflix. PLANET EARTH II LIVE IN CONCERT TOUR DATES April 27 — Perth Arena (with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra) April 29 — Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (with the Melbourne Pops Orchestra) May 1 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre (with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra) May 4 — International Convention Centre, Sydney (with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) Planet Earth II Live in Concert will tour Australia from April 27 – May 4, 2018. Presale tickets will go on sale at 10am tomorrow, Friday, February 16. The rest will go on sale at 3pm on Tuesday, February 20. For more info, visit ticketek.com.au.
To say that Secret Garden Festival is improving with age is a deadset understatement. Next month marks the flamboyant forest party's tenth turn around the sun and it's celebrating with a music program and lineup of fun as good as any it's dished up before. Taking over its usual lush green home of NSW's Brownlow Hill Farm on February 23 and 24, the grassroots festival promises a weekend of dress-ups, dance floor antics and forest adventures to remember. Those lucky enough to snaffle one of this year's tickets (which are sold out, sorry) will find themselves in utter aural heaven, the bill sprinkled with exciting acts like Queensland dance-punk duo DZ Deathrays, powerhouse Melbourne artist Ecca Vandal, acclaimed indie rockers Holy Holy and soul-pop four-piece The Harpoons. Even more music goodness will be served up by hard-hitting hip hop artist Miss Blanks, Sydney singer-songwriter Alex The Astronaut, and Triple J's Unearthed Artist of The Year, Stella Donnelly. Of course, the live tunes and the 14 dance floors are just one part of this jam-packed weekend. Also helping Secret Garden ring in its first decade will be the Annual Feast, hosted by The Great Fatsby, appearances aplenty from the Camp Queen drag queens, the debut of the Shout Something Nice Bar, a kissing booth and a seated theatre flowing with a whole lotta Champagne. Last year a couple got married among the madness, so who knows what will happen this time round. As always, a festival-wide fancy dress theme will help kick everything off in style on opening night. This year, in homage to Secret Garden's tenth birthday, it's a throwback to your year ten formal — don your wildest old-school party duds and relive those teenage wonder years, with a little help from 11-piece Blink 182 cover band, Bris 182.
Over the past year or so, we've heard a lot about self-driving cars being tested overseas — Uber's doing it in the US, as is ride-sharing service Lyft, there's driverless bus in Washington D.C. and a driverless delivery service in Japan. But save for a very adorable bus launched in Perth back in September, Australia is yet to foray into the sort of terrifying world of self-driving vehicles. Until now, that is, because the Victorian Government has just announced it will start to trial driverless cars on Melbourne roads from next year. The Andrews Labor Government yesterday announced they will partner with toll road management company Transurban to test driverless cars currently on the market to see how they interact with Melbourne's road infrastructure — that is lane signals, electronic speed signs, line markings and that pesky Montague Street Bridge. They'll be letting the cars loose on CityLink, including the Monash and Tullamarine Freeways, albeit with a real-life human driver in the car to take back control if needed. The news that the Victorian Government is committing to a trial of self-driving cars makes their insertion into our daily lives much more plausible for the near future. Indeed, it could mean great things for people who may not otherwise be able to drive, and has the potential to reduce the amount of accidents that occur from human error. "We want to work with the automotive and technology industries so Victoria can be at the forefront of automated vehicle technology and create jobs here in Victoria," said Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan in a statement. "Keeping people safe on our roads is our number one priority and that's why we're running these innovative trials in the safest possible way for all road users. By removing human error from the equation, autonomous vehicles will play a critical role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Victorian roads." The trial is set to start early next year, so if you're in Melbourne, keep an eye out for any of this.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots because Groovin the Moo is back after a pandemic-enforced break. Things will look a little different for GTM in 2022, however, with the large-scale touring music festival only heading to three of its regular six stops. But for folks in Maitland, Canberra and Bendigo, get excited — in general, and about the just-dropped lineup. GTM won't be making the trip to Western Australia, South Australia or Queensland this year, sadly — but it is bringing a heap of new and established talent to New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. On the bill: everyone from Peking Duk, Montaigne, Masked Wolf and Middle Kids through to Hilltop Hoods and Spiderbait, and that's just from the local contingent. Also doing the rounds: New Zealanders Broods and Chai, Germany's Milky Chance, and Wolf Alice, Thomas Headon, Riton and Snakehips from the UK. For folks in WA, SA and Queensland, when Groovin the Moo announced in late 2021 that it wouldn't be coming your way this year, it advised that "the whole tour will be back when we can confidently deliver our full quality show". So, cross your fingers for 2023. Enough talk — here's the full 2022 GTM lineup: [caption id="attachment_760714" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mackenzie Sweetnam[/caption] GROOVIN THE MOO 2022 LINEUP: Alice Ivy Broods (NZ) Chaii (NZ) Hilltop Hoods Hockey Dad Hope D HP Boyz Jesswar JK-47 Mashd N Kutcher Masked Wolf Middle Kids Milky Chance (Ger) Montaigne Peking Duk Polaris RedHook Riton (UK) Shouse Snakehips (UK) Spiderbait Sycco Thomas Headon (UK) Wolf Alice (UK) with hosts Dijok and Jawbreakers GROOVIN THE MOO 2022 DATES & VENUES: Saturday, April 23 — Maitland Showground, Maitland, NSW Sunday, April 24 – Exhibition Park, Canberra, ACT Saturday, April 30 — Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Bendigo, VIC Tickets for Groovin the Moo will go on sale at 8am AEDT on Thursday, March 3. For more info, go to gtm.net.au. Top image: Jack Toohey.
City Recital Hall, in the heart of Sydney's CBD, is known for its impressive design and sound quality. And, on Saturday, August 25, it's putting these to good use with a mini-festival showcasing some of the best genre-defying Australian and international talent. Your understanding of music production and performance will be turned upside down as Extended Play presents 20 groundbreaking artists ignoring all the rules. Headlining the main stage is influential New York-based modern classical ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars. Best known for its multi-hour dynamic performances, the group shifts seamlessly through jazz, rock, classical and experimental music. Also appearing on the main stage is Sydney's own Ensemble Offspring — a collection of virtuosic instrumentalists who've set themselves the weighty goal of exploring and 'shaping the music of our time'. For Extended Play, the ensemble will perform rarely heard works by one of America's greatest living composers, Steve Reich. Meanwhile, a host of acts will be scattered around the venue exploring almost every conceivable soundscape with makeshift arrangements, genreless compositions and electronic bombardments. Happening over the course of 12 hours, from 12pm to midnight, Extended Play will be an aural treat for even the most discerning lovers of music.
A memoir in one's 20s — not an unprecedented move. But with a majority of Australians participating in the mass autobiography project known as social media, one that also might be written off as millennial brattiness. It's not that Natalie Yang doesn't have a good story to tell, it's just not the one rural Victoria was expecting…or particularly wants to hear. Natalie's book Banana Girl is kind of about her migrant experience. But it's mainly concerned with her many and varied sexual experiences. It's also not selling particularly well. After hearing her read an excerpt, the residents of the small town of Nagambie are scandalised, bemoaning her omission of the clichés of more famous migrant stories. Stricken with the myopia of the critically scorned, Natalie sets out to consolidate her position with a new book entitled 100 Cocks in 100 Nights. The process is unforgiving, the way marked by dissipating friendships and noses pushed out of joint. Originally conceived as a culturally diverse riff on Sex and the City, Going Down is also writer Michele Lee's attempt to deepen our understanding of what it's like to leave one country for another. "There is more to my story than what happened to my parents," she says. But the show is foremost a comedy in the vein of Girls or Broad City. If you're keen to see how conservative Victorians respond to being read a detailed description of a penis, Wharf 2 is the place to be this April.
It's times like these that you can add a big summer gig to your diary, with Foo Fighters announcing their next trip Down Under for a two-country, eight-city stadium tour. Kicking off in Perth in late November to see out spring, then doing the rest of the Australian rounds in December before hitting New Zealand in January, the Dave Grohl-fronted rockers will embark on their first headline tour of Australia and NZ since 2018. It's also their first visit Down Under since drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away in March 2022. Foo Fighters were last in Australia that same month and year, playing a huge Geelong show to help launch Victoria's post-COVID-19 lockdowns live music program. The band unsurprisingly took a break from touring after Hawkins' death, only returning to live gigs just last month. Alongside Perth, they'll play Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, as well as Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington in Aotearoa. [caption id="attachment_903618" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Picking up the sticks: ex-The Vandals, Devo, Guns N' Roses and A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese, taking on the likely-daunting task of being the touring drummer in a band led by Nirvana drummer Grohl. Freese's stint with the band was announced in May, ahead of their first tour dates. When they hit our shores, the new-look Foo Fighters will weave in tunes from their new record But Here We Are, which released on Friday, June 2. Of course, all the hits from across their career will get a whirl, with their current setlist including everything from 'This Is a Call', 'Big Me' and 'Monkey Wrench' through to 'Learn to Fly', 'The Pretender' and 'Best of You'. And, yes, 'Everlong', because it wouldn't be a Foo Fighters show without it. [caption id="attachment_903619" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mr Rossi vi Wikimedia Commons[/caption] 'I'll Stick Around', which is also on the list, isn't just a song title from the group's first album. Given that their new tour comes 28 years after that debut release in 1995, it perfectly sums up Foo Fighters' longevity. Over the years, they've made it Down Under a heap of times, released 11 studio albums including the just-dropped But Here We Are, and made 2022 horror movie Studio 666. When they take to the stage again in Australia, they'll do so with Queensland punk act The Chats in support on a stack of dates, Manchester's Hot Milk also playing with them on the east coast, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers doing Melbourne and Body Type in Adelaide. In NZ, Dick Move are doing the honours, plus yet-to-be-announced special guests. FOO FIGHTERS AUSTRALIAN 2023 AND NEW ZEALAND 2024 TOUR DATES: Wednesday, November 29 — HBF Park, Perth, with The Chats and Teenage Jones Saturday, December 2 — Coopers Stadium, Adelaide, with The Chats and Body Type Monday, December 4 — AAMI Park, Melbourne, with Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers and Hot Milk Saturday, December 9 — Accor Stadium, Sydney, with The Chats and Hot Milk Tuesday, December 12 — Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, with The Chats and Hot Milk Saturday, January, 20 — GO Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland, with special guests and Dick Move Wednesday, January 24 — Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, with special guests and Dick Move Saturday, January 27 — Sky Stadium, Wellington, with special guests and Dick Move Foo Fighters are touring Australia in November and December 2023, and New Zealand in January 2024. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, June 15, with times varying per city — and an Amex pres-sale from Friday, June 9, then a Frontier pre-sale from Tuesday, June 13 from staggered times. Head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Scarlet Page.
Sparkadia talk like they're falling down stairs, stand firm in the fickle indie-rock world, and are playing two all-ages shows at the Metro to celebrate the release of The Great Impression by Ivy League Records. Having toured Britain with Irish indie band The Thrills, been lauded as the "first alternative-pop heavyweights of the new century" by Aussie music mag Mess + Noise, said auf wiedersehen to Australia to find a richer and deeper sound in Berlin only to split four ways and jam out a sophomore opus in London, this is Sparkadia's biggest Australian tour to date. Come acquaint yourself with Alexander Burnett and co., as this album easily surpasses anything Burnett has achieved in the past, with Sparkadia sounding no less sweeping or expansive for being a one-man effort than when they were a four-piece band. The sound of The Great Impression is epic, crashing and emotive; a clutch of instruments coalesce with the clamorous use of random objects to create sexy, heartrending melodies. The lyrics are poignant, tender reminiscences written by Burnett in the back of cabs, during transit through clouds, and in seedy hotel rooms thousands of miles from anywhere called home. The Great Impression is a joyous contribution to the overloaded indie-rock music scene and effortlessly evokes seminal bands like The Police and Doves. It offers a sense of respite in a strange world and reverberates warmly into that thoracic space under the clavicle where the heart hums. Set out for a sublime sundown flight this weekend and see Sparkadia light up the Metro, supported by extremely special guests Operator Please and fellow Ivy League luminaries, Melbourne's Alpine.
Today, Public Transport Victoria released its twice-yearly fare compliance figures, stating that 95 percent of travellers on metropolitan services have been touching on and off. But what about the other five percent — namely, those that have no choice but to fare evade to get to where they need to go? In an attempt to help out on this front, the Victorian Government has today launched a trial 'emergency relief' ticket system for those that need it. This will allow homeless and disadvantaged Victorians to access free weekly and monthly travel passes so that they can get to appointments and access basic services. Approved schools and community organisations (like the Red Cross and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, for example) will purchase the passes at a "heavily discounted" rate, and then pass the onto the people they support for no cost. The passes are valid in zones one and two, and on regional buses . The decision comes after a review found that those that can't afford to buy a ticket are often forced to fare evade — and, in turn, get fined and stuck in the legal system — to get access the services and care they need. This trial will attempt to avoid this. Previously, disadvantaged Victorians could access free day passes, but these longer passes will allow for more flexibility and changing circumstances. "This is the next step in our ongoing work to make our public transport ticketing system simpler and fairer for passengers across Victoria," said Minister for Housing Martin Foley today in a statement. The trial will run for 12 months — if it's deemed successful, it's likely that it will continue indefinitely. And, hopefully, be introduced in other states.
Take a trip down memory lane with Richard and Stephanie nova Milne (aka Ms&Mr) and you find the lane soon becomes a labyrinth where parallel worlds collide, time is non-linear and anything is possible. Case in point: their new exhibition There There Anxious Future, where the past, the present and the time ahead are all smooshied up in the prettiest smoothie you've ever seen at. Continuing the duo's ongoing exploration of 'retroactive collaboration', Ms&Mr have used elements of their personal archives to give their former selves entirely new contexts and experiences. The highlight is Frame Drag where we see Richard as an 11-year-old stroking a grown-up Stephanie with tender knowingness, as if the past is consoling the future. As always, the effect of layering the poor quality home movie footage with new animation and HD technology is one of disorientation; it appears as neither vintage nor modern but of a different dimension entirely. There is nostalgia here, but it is also an optimistic liberation of memories from the past into living narratives. Acknowledging that time is ongoing and providing a wormhole into the future, another video work, 2024, Preparation for space-time dilation and Her, presents a 'preparation' for the arrival of Stephanie who will join Richard on the screen in 2024. Thankfully in the meantime we will be seeing a lot more from Ms&Mr, as they are about to feature in a group show at MOP Gallery as well as make appearances later in the year at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and The Physics Room in NZ, not to mention presenting a new work for the Campbelltown Arts Centre Illume series in January. Living simultaneously in multiple time zones mean you can be so prolific.
From almond croissants and lamingtons to flaky escargot, there's no shortage of irresistible baked goods that satisfy a sweet tooth. Yet the latest creations from Maxibon only add to the options, with the launch of a bakery-inspired range pairing ice cream with the familiar treats you'll find in bakeries around the country. First up is the Maxibon Vanilla Slice, featuring a custard slab sandwiched between two golden Maxibon biccies on one end and dipped in icing with flaky wafers on the other. Then, the nostalgic Maxibon Hedgehog Slice sees a decadent chocolate slab with salty cookie crumbs dipped and sandwiched to perfection. To celebrate such an occasion, Maxibon is going above and beyond with the launch of the world's first freezer bakery. Giving away 10,000 of these frozen delights for free, the Maxi-Bakery is open for three days only at June's Shoppe in the CBD. Available at select times, get down from Monday, February 24 to Wednesday, February 26 while stocks last.
Edgar Wright must own a killer record collection. Weaving the perfect playlists into his films has ranked high among the British writer/director's trademarks ever since he made such a horror-comedy splash with Shaun of the Dead, and his own love of music is frequently mirrored by his protagonists, too. This is the filmmaker who set a zombie-killing scene to Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now', and had characters wield vinyl as weapons. He made zoning out the world via iPod — and teeing up exactly the right track for the right moment — a key trait of Baby Driver's eponymous getaway driver. Earlier in 2021, Wright also turned his avid fandom for Sparks into his delightful first documentary The Sparks Brothers, because wearing his love for his favourite songs on his sleeves infiltrates everything he makes. So, the fact that his second film of this year is about a giddy devotee of 60s tunes really doesn't come as the slightest surprise. Last Night in Soho takes its name from an era-appropriate song that gets a spin in the film, naturally. It boasts a cleverly compiled soundtrack teeming with hits from the period, and has one of its central figures — called Sandie, like singer Sandie Shaw, who croons '(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me' on that very soundtrack — seek chanteuse stardom. As Wright is known to do, his latest movie also sports sequences that could double as music videos, and possesses a supple sense of rhythm that makes his picture virtually dance across the screen. It's a feature shaped by music, made better by music, and that recognises that music can make anyone feel like they can do anything. A partly swinging 60s-set thriller that adores the giallo films of the time with equal passion, it also flits between a cinematic banger on par with the glorious tracks it peppers throughout and the movie equivalent of a routine needle drop. Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield: these are the kind of talents that Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie, The Power of the Dog) can't get enough of, even though she's a Gen Z aspiring fashion designer; they're also the type of stars that aforementioned blonde bombshell Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen's Gambit) wants to follow onto London's stages. Last Night in Soho starts with its wannabe fashionista, who's first seen donning her own 60s-inspired designs in her Cornwall bedroom that's plastered with posters and pictures from the period, and also dancing to 'Peter & Gordon's 1964 track 'A World Without Love'. Soon, Eloise is off to college in the big and, hopefully, working towards the fashion world. Then she meets Sandie, but only in her dreams. Actually, as she slumbers, she becomes Sandie — and navigates her chiffon-adorned quest for stardom, her breathy 'Downtown' covers and her thorny relationship with slippery bar manager Jack (Matt Smith, Official Secrets). Some of Last Night in Soho's most dazzling scenes play with these doppelgänger characters, and with the time-travelling dreamscape where they both exist, as if Wright is helming a musical. The choreography — both by McKenzie and Taylor-Joy, playing chalk-and-cheese roles, and by the film's lithe and glossy cinematography — is stunning. The effect is mesmerising, as well as whip-smart in tapping into the feature's ongoing musing on identity. This is also a horror movie and a mystery, however, so exploring what's behind these nocturnal visions is the primary focus. As a mousy girl bullied by her roommate (Synnøve Karlsen, Medici) to the point of leaping into the too-good-to-be-true Soho attic studio leased by the cranky but obliging Ms Collins (Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones), it's easy to see why Eloise flees into her dreams. But the who, what, why and how of it all — when and were clearly being answered already — isn't as simple as pure retro escapism. Eloise and Wright must share another trait, other than being musicophiles: nostalgia for a time neither was alive to see. In charting Eloise's journey from growing up with her gran (Rita Tushingham, The Pale Horse) to being haunted by evening reveries that begin to infect her days, Wright packs Last Night in Soho with Quentin Tarantino-level references to pop culture of the era. The detail, cast, songs, fashion and borrowings from Italian horror cinema's giallo genre — including vivid colours, plenty of blood and a love of yellow hues, because that's what giallo translates as — all nod backwards cannily. Visually, the film is a lavish wonder, in fact; Chung Chung-hoon, who regularly lenses Park Chan-wook's work (see: Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Thirst, Stoker and The Handmaiden) luxuriates in sights, spaces, textures, mirrors angles, spins and swoops. Wright doesn't shy away from the 60s' sleaze, either, or from nightmarish men, objectified women and the lack of sexual agency for the latter. Scripting with 1917 Oscar nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns, he confronts the seedier side of the period he otherwise places on a pedestal — but his first film about female protagonists is plodding rather than bold in trying to spin a feminist story. Last Night in Soho's lurid, adrenaline-fuelled shimmy with psychological thrills is still engaging, and gorgeous. Its eagerness to takes cues from Mulholland Drive is ambitious, although trying to emulate David Lynch rarely suits anyone. Still, there's more than a whiff of "is that it?" — and of cliche — to how it all culminates. Even with its sensational sense of style, that underwhelming feeling might've invaded more of Last Night in Soho if Wright hadn't cast his leads so well. The 60s icons he's enlisted, including Rigg in her last role, Tushingham and Terence Stamp (Murder Mystery), all play their parts in the plot, but this is McKenzie and Taylor-Joy's show. Again, the scenes that pose the pair as reflections of each other in 60s nightclubs are spectacular. The performances they provide to match share other echoes, too; one initially innocent and wide-eyed, the other confident and determined at first, they find common ground in their characters' vulnerabilities. Life is definitely making Eloise and Sandie lonely, but as the women behind them linger where the neon signs are pretty, things can be great — for viewers, at least. Their efforts won't make audiences forget Last Night in Soho's troubles, but the film is so much brighter with them in it.
On the outskirts of Paris, an epic electronic legend is working harder, better, faster and allegedly on a solo album. One half of Daft Punk, Guy-Manuel Homem-Christo, has been reported by French magazine Tsugi as working on his own solo release — and apparently Charlotte Gainsbourg's on board. Dates are in the dark at present, with the album actually yet to be announced. Tsugi have reported the presence of guests on the album, taking the liberty to confirm the appearance of fellow French legend Charlotte Gainsbourg. Yep. Formidable. The absence of Daft Punk co-captain Thomas Bangalter is a pretty Big Deal, but the pair have their own solo ventures from time to time — Guy-Man produced Kavinsky and Sébastien Tellier's albums and Waves compilations out on his own Crydamoure label. The first new material since last year's Grammy-blitzing album Random Access Memories, the album whisperings come with crossed fingers of an Australian return. We're all too aware this is absolute blue sky, but we'll keep shining up our helmets anywho. Via Tsugi and Your EDM.
Blood Moon Theatre, a new space for independent theatre within Kings Cross’s World Bar, isn’t wasting any time on a cautious start. On September 30, the theatre will launch itself onto Sydney with a production of Nick Enright’s disturbing Property of the Clan. Inspired by the brutal sexual assault and murder of Leigh Leigh in Stockton in 1989, the play was adapted into 1997 film Blackrock. The action centres on a group of fictional teenagers whose life is changed by a similar crime. There’s Jared, who bore witness, his girlfriend, Rachel, and his best friend, Ricko, as well as the victim’s best friend, Jade. In exploring their reactions, Enright takes a no-holds-barred look at the power of peer pressure, the nature of justice and the dangerous potential of sexism. “In a culture of rising violence against women, A Property of the Clan deftly examines the psychology of victim blaming and rests responsibility firmly on the boys and men of the world,” says director Phillip Rouse. Co-producers Don't Look Away and Don't Look Away are promising a striking interpretation, which sees the performers build and destroy the set during the course of the show. The cast includes George Banders, Megan Drury, Jack Starkey-Gill and Sam Young.
Western Sydney's Parramasala Festival is back for another year, and it's set to be the biggest one yet. The free annual event, which celebrates and showcases Western Sydney's many cultures, will take place in Parramatta across three action-packed days. Expect a colourful combination of music, dance, food, film and theatre, all spread throughout Prince Alfred Park, the Parramatta riverbank and the Riverside Theatres. Highlights of the program include a performance by Western Sydney based hip-hop artist L-FRESH the LION at the vibrant opening night parade, cooking demonstrations by some of Sydney's top chefs and a video installation by artist Liam Benson and Parramatta Artists' Studios. The huge variety of food options from across the globe is another major drawcard and gives you an excuse to stuff yourself with curry, dumplings and gozleme for the full cultural experience. With more than 30,000 expected to attend this year's Parramasala, festival director Di Henry acknowledges its evolution over the years. "Parramasala is still an Asian arts festival at its heart, but we're also a broad church which welcomes and explores many cultures, all of which make Sydney and western Sydney in particular a rich mix of diversity to be celebrated." Image: Ali Mousawi.
Jean-Paul Bourdier is an award-winning photographer, author, film production designer and professor. Bourdier's long list of talents and prizes aside, his ephemeral photographs of body art and landscapes - or 'bodyscapes' as he affectionately calls them - truly speak for themselves. His breathtaking shots seamlessly integrate painted naked bodies into the background of wondrous natural topography. Provocative, mesmerising and refreshingly unique, Bourdier's images will have you transfixed, so make sure you set aside a good amount of time to marvel at the many works of art in this collection. Here are 15 stunning photographs from his book, Bodyscapes, to give you a taste of his inspired style. [Via Design You Trust]
"Oh no, I like hip hop, I just hate Aussie hip hop." It's an all too common refrain heard at parties all over the country — well, inner city Sydney at least — as bearded Das Racist fans explain just why the world will never see another J-Dilla again. And I get it, Aussie hip hop, in its most common (read: popular (read: commercial)) incarnation, as personified by the likes of Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso, is an acquired taste to say the least. But fear not intrepid reader, for if you're sick of the overblown ocker-isms, zealous xenophobia — so prevalent that The Hoods felt compelled to write a whole song about it — and sunburnt Southern Cross tattoos that have become emblematic of Aussie hip hop, then we've got five emerging local hip-hop artists to restore your faith. 1. Remi Holy shit, this guy is b-b-b-b-b-blowing UP! Probably the most well known of our hip hop offerings, this Melbourne MC was last year's triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year. The 23-year-old rapper has embarked on a national tour of his second album Raw x Infinity, which dropped just a few weeks ago. Taking cues from the faded finesse of early West Coast hip hop and the raw 'realness' of The Roots combined with a healthy dose of braggadocio, Remi likes to rap about hitting the blunt but isn't afraid to get political either; calling out passé Aussie hip hop tropes and conservative close-mindedness. Unlike generic 'skip hop' whose biggest message seems to be: 'How good are barbeques with your mates?' Remi is an artist with something to say — and he's not afraid to say it. Catch Remi at Oxford Art Factory this Saturday, June 28. Tickets available here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=oHmuZ7wDl4E 2. Coin Banks With tracks from Ta-ku and lyrics sent from the heavens, Coin Banks is already a force to be reckoned with. Having popped into our collective musical consciousness thanks to triple j's fairly regular rotation of his groundbreaking single 'Think of You', the Perth rapper hasn't looked back. The eloquent lyricism of his debut EP Heads made waves Australia-wide in the lead up to his debut national tour, pulling shapes at Sydney's Beresford, Melbourne's Espy and Laundry and Brisbane's Alhambra Lounge over the last few weeks. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WaAWTXNaqJU 3. Citizen Kay You may not have heard of this Canberra-based MC yet but he's already supported the likes of Public Enemy, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Run the Jewels and Wiz Khalifa, all in the last year alone. And he's earned those support slots — Citizen Kay's cheeky wordplay flows effortlessly over some of the catchiest hooks outside of the fish market. He's by far the most interesting thing to have come out of our nation's capital since… Well, look, Canberra's pretty boring. Catch Citizen Kay on his national Vision tour: Saturday 13 July at Sydney's FBi Social, Friday 19 July at Melbourne's Revolver, and Friday 2 August at Brisbane's Alhambra Lounge. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qfMLYVi0uv0 4. Tkay Maidza As if hanging out with DJ Lance Rock while supporting super-weird-but-amazing US kids show Yo Gabba Gabba! wasn't cool enough, this young Radelaidean femcee is set to explode into the Australian music consciousness when she brings her self-described 'Dinojams' — code for epic dancefloor rap — to this year's Splendour in the Grass. One of the most promising female rappers to have emerged from the sausage fest that is Aussie hip hop, Tkay Maidza may only have one official single under her belt but if it's anything to go by she's going to be massive. If you're not already stomping your feet like a Brontosaurus, get ready to make some serious noise. Catch Tkay Maidza at many an Aussie festival coming up — Splendour in the Grass on June 25, BIGSOUND on September 10 or Listen Out nationwide from September 27 - Oct 5. https://youtube.com/watch?v=vV9lX9fQubY 5. N'fa Whilst technically not a newcomer, the artist formerly known as N'fa Jones has rebranded himself as just N'fa so we're counting it. You may know him better as the frontman for 1200 Techniques, the guys behind the early 2000s surprise hit 'Karma'. (WARNING: viewing this clip and its Punch & Judy-style rendering of the band may induce severe nostalgia for waking up early on a Saturday to watch Rage before your parents got up.) N'fa has kept the soulful, genre-melding sound that typified 1200 Techniques but has added a more introspective, personal feel to his latest solo offering Black & White Noise. It's not what you expect from Aussie hip hop and in this instance, that's a very good thing. If you want to hear him on the solo tip, check out the banger below — with none other than British hip-hop legend Roots Manuva. Catch N'fa at Melbourne's Howler for Hip Hip Sundays on June 29, along with M-Phazes, Flagrant and Peril (and it's free).
Rising Brisbane band The John Steel Singers are teaming up with Modular song-smith Jonathon Boulet to take on a stack of shows across Australia this month as part of the ‘Here’s Johnny’ tour. The joint venture comes as no surprise considering both acts enjoyed a stellar 2010 and are set for a promising year ahead of them. After their debut album Tangalooma received rave reviews last year, The John Steel Singers managed to nab the number 52 spot on the triple j Hottest 100 chart for their lead single ‘Overpass.’ For young gun Jonathon Boulet, 2010 was a jam packed year spent touring with Parades, as well as producing and remixing local bands, all the while working on his second album. With a release date set for the middle of the year, the first single off the album ‘Youre A Animal’ gives a tantalizing taste of what is to come. The production may have graduated from his bedroom, but Boulet’s raw energy and exploding melodies is still going strong, making him a dream act to see live. Both acts are promising surprises including two free and exclusive tracks available on the tour. Guests at the Brisbane show will also be treated to two support performances by local rising acts Young Men Dead and Inland Sea.
Sydney’s only maker of small scale, non-bombastic opera, Sydney Chamber Opera, is kicking off its Carriageworks residency with a compact adaptation of David Malouf’s 1999 novella Fly Away Peter, with music by Elliott Gyger and libretto by the company’s artistic associate, Pierce Wilcox. Imara Savage directs the action on Elizabeth Gadsby’s impressive set of four white tiers, which transforms the large space at Carriageworks into the two worlds of Australian bush and the World War I battlefields of Europe. Fly Away Peter follows the story of Jim Saddler, a young man from country Queensland with a deep affinity for the bush and a love of birds. He finds a kindred spirit in fellow bird-watcher Imogen, an older photographer who lives nearby. As the world ‘tilts towards Europe’, Jim is swept along in the naive enthusiasm for war. Mitchell Riley’s performance as Jim is compelling and really takes off when he steps out of reality and into a hellish phantasmagoria predicting an endless continuation of industrialised war, consuming not only young men but eventually also the old and women and children. He is well supported by Brenton Spiteri playing Jim’s friend Ashley Crowther and fellow soldiers, and Jessica Aszodi as Imogen. A central motif in Malouf’s novella is that of digging in earth; a farmer plants seed during wartime, graves are dug, and an endless field of fallen soldiers digs into the earth in the afterlife. Gadsby meets this design challenge by using white clay in numerous navy blue buckets, which the cast of three dig into and cover themselves with. It’s an effective device. Verity Hampson’s lighting design seems to get lost in the large space, and while she makes some interesting demarcations on the stark white set, they don’t seem to signify much in particular. The opera is impressively concise, but the transitions from pre-war Australian idyll to the horrors of the Western Front and back to Imogen in Australia are not given the time they warrant and at times Savage’s direction seems rushed. In particular, Imogen’s moment of reflection watching a surfer in the waves is the novella’s final moment of hope that life will continue despite war, and yet this scene in the opera arrives unheralded musically or theatrically. It appears as a small comment following the previous scene. Despite this, the opera is original and captivating. Opera can be a real pain — dramatic, lengthy and loud — but thankfully the Australian Chamber Opera continues to produce snappy, sophisticated works. Read our feature on Sydney Chamber Opera and find out why they're into writing all-new operas in 2015.
George Calombaris' Melbourne-born souva institution is again stepping out in Sydney, opening the doors to a new restaurant in Bondi Junction next week. Heftier than its CBD sibling, which opened a year ago, this newcomer will showcase Jimmy's signature Greek-inspired street food, alongside frozen yoghurt treats from stablemate Yo-Chi. On the menu, expect the same well-crafted souvlaki Melbourne has been enjoying for years, featuring pillowy soft pitas stuffed with the likes of slow-cooked lamb and tender beef short rib. Jimmy Grants' latest additions have also got a call up, including the Ms Gazi, with soft shell crab, kewpie mayo and Hellenic slaw, and The 2am, featuring either rotisserie chicken or eight-hour slow-cooked lamb, teamed with garlic sauce, pickled onions, lettuce and tomato. It's far from your average post-cab kebab. And there'll be sides, too, including a grain salad and serves of Jimmy's hot chips covered in just the right amount of chicken salt. If that sounds like the sort of food you can definitely get around, swing by the new store next Thursday, September 20 — they'll be handing out free souvas to the masses from 11am until 2pm. Yo-Chi's signature fresh fro-yo flavours are sure to prove a pretty good match for those summer days to come — and a great treat post-Bondi Beach swim, perhaps. In the starting lineup, you'll find a swag of gluten-free, plant-based and classic dairy varieties, from chocolate to butterscotch and a cracking vegan honeycomb number. These guys are also famed for their huge selection of toppings, so prepare to go nuts with sauces, fruit, chocolates, lollies and more. Find the new Jimmy Grants + Yo-Chi store at Shop 3025, Westfield Bondi Junction from Monday, September 17.
By this stage, most of us have come to terms with the fact that jetting off to USA or Europe is a seriously long slog, made worse by unavoidable (sometimes long, always painful) stopovers. But that European or American trip looks set to become a whole lot more bearable, with Qantas on track with its plans to launch direct flights between the east coast and both London and New York, by 2022. Last year, the airline announced that it was exploring non-stop routes from Sydney — routes that would eclipse the company's direct flights between Perth and London, which launched in March this year. Now CEO Alan Joyce has told Bloomberg that the plan, called Project Sunrise, looks set to become a reality. The key factor is the most obvious one: planes that can handle the trip. The extra distance involved with flights from the east coast capitals to London and New York is something that none of today's planes can manage, so the airline put out a call to Airbus and Boeing, the world's biggest aircraft manufacturers, to make an aircraft that can go the distance. Joyce now says "we're now comfortable that we think we have vehicles that could do it". In numbers, the planes will need to be able to handle a 20-hour and 20-minute stint between Sydney and London (16,983 kilometres), and an 18-hour and seven-minute journey from Sydney to New York. The airline has done its homework, analysing a decade's worth of wind and weather data to confirm the routes are actually possible — but it needs the planes to fly it. Those planes could come equipped with extra facilities — such as bunks and workout spaces — to help combat the lengthy time travellers will spend in the air in one stint. And, if and when the new routes are up and running, Qantas will look at direct connections between Australia and other places around the globe, with spots in the Americas, Europe and Africa on the company's list. Right now, the world's longest direct flight clocks in at around 18 hours and 14,529 kilometres, running between Doha and Auckland on a Boeing 777-200LR. That'll change in October, when Singapore Airlines launch its Singapore-to-New York route, which spans 15,322-kilometre and takes over 19 hours. Via Bloomberg.
Now in its 65th year, the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival features over a million tulips planted across 25 acres of farmland. This huge collection of tulips is the perfect excuse to wander through endless fields of flowers to celebrate the start of spring. There's heaps of stuff happening at the tulip farm throughout the month, which sits on the cusp of the Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley (east of Melbourne). For the food fans, we would highly recommend pencilling the Food, Wine & Jazz Weekend (September 27–29) into your eating plans. Boasting locally brewed beer, wine and a tasty snacks from the area — including warm, buttery fire-baked scones, mini dutch pancakes and loaded baked potatoes among the tulips. If you're still not convinced, entry includes complimentary wine and beer tasting. Similarly, the Dutch Weekend (September 20–22) will showcase the best that the Netherlands have to offer – other than tulips — with music, markets, unique crafts (wooden tulip-making, anyone?) and Dutch food available inside the festival. Or, head by on the Irish Weekend (October 11–13), where Irish pipers and dancing will perform (and plenty of Guinness and Kilkenny-drinking will take place) around the site's floral rainbow The Tesselaar Tulip Festival runs from Saturday, September 14 through to Sunday, October 13. Tickets are available at the farm, but you can buy them online in advance to skip the queue.
The Inner West Council's 2019 EDGE program, which is aimed at celebrating local communities and talent, is kicking off this month, with a one-day festival of art, culture and nature. On Saturday, March 30, locals are encouraged to explore this intersection between urban spaces, known as the GreenWay, through an afternoon of interactive installations, performances and tours. The immersive arts experience includes seven sensory 'eco-zones' based around the Lilyfield Road Pedestrian Bridge, all focused on the environment. Expect outdoor sculptures, art installations, local makers, live music and artist performances. The festivities will kick off with a plane-themed party in a vintage aeroplane. Meanwhile, Aboriginal elders and environmentalists will give tours on everything from sustainable design to microalgae species, a sunset lantern parade will usher in Earth Hour and there'll be an anti-gravity finale performance by physical theatre company Legs on the Wall. Apart from the arts program, you'll find food trucks and a pop-up bar, with complimentary botanical mocktails getting passed around. BYO picnics are also encouraged, so you'll have plenty of ways to stay fueled throughout the night. EDGE GreenWay will take place between 3–9pm on Saturday, March 30. For more information on the EDGE Greenway program and to check out the full list of upcoming festivals, visit the website.
The Sydney satellite of the world's biggest comedy festival, Just for Laughs, based out of Montreal, returns in October to the Opera House. Gear up for pick-and-mix galas, compelling solo shows, and dirtier, more daring club nights calling on some of the coolest names from the international and local circuit. Drew Carey makes his live Australian debut, hosting the All-Star Comedy Gala, while Adam Hills hosts the curated collaboration of his favourite local and international comics, the International Gala. And no-one but Rhys Darby could host the Kiwi Gala. Otherwise known as Murray Hewitt from Flight of the Conchords, Darby will take to the stage to introduce the comic stars from the land "with rivers and gullies and hobbits and toothbrush fences". One of the most anticipated guests in the fest is the always outrageously dressed Noel Fielding, co-creator of The Mighty Boosh, star of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and sexy deadpan conductor of characters and strange voices. Gracing the Australian stage for the first time in nearly 10 years, he'll be playing host to his own titular gala. It'll be an easy battle between logic and imagination on an acid trip. Joining these all-time faves is Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation), Gabriel Iglesias, Bill Burr, Ed Byrne, Dave Gorman, and Sam Simmons. Other highlights of the festival include The Nasty Show hosted by Jeff Ross, where crass and offensive comics fill out a club show set in the SOH Studio. With roasts, verbal assaults, and cringeworthy laughs, it's not a set for the fainthearted. On a lighter note, the Studio also plays home to Amp'd, the "music comedy show" for live music, improv, and skits.
It's the ultimate in work-life balance, an antidote to non-stop after-hours emails and Slack messages, and a guaranteed way to ensure what happens at work stays at work. In Apple TV+'s mind-bending new thriller series Severance — which plays like Black Mirror meets the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Wes Anderson's aesthetic if he designed soulless office complexes, plus sprinklings of everything from George Orwell to also-excellent 2020 TV effort Devs — switching off when clocking off at Lumon Industries is easy. There's a brain implant for exactly that, and it's a condition of employment on "severed" floors. Accordingly, when quittin' time comes for Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies), he physically steps into a tiny, shiny elevator to descend back into his after-hours life — but the version of him that works for Lumon won't recall anything beyond the company's walls. The instant that the one-person lift plummets at the end of the day, it goes back up for Mark's "innie", as his office-bound consciousness is dubbed. Voila, it's clocking-on time once more. For Mark's "outie", as the rest of his brain is labelled, the reverse occurs. Each day, he enters an elevator, hops out immediately, then drives to the suburban estate he calls home and repeats the process the next morning. Mourning the death of his wife, he's consciously chosen to separate his work and home selves in the most drastic of ways, giving him an eight-hour-a-day reprieve from his grief. But while it may sound like a dream escape — from Mark's pain, and for any employee eager to reclaim mental real estate from their job — this dark, twisty and instantly gripping series is firmly dystopian. Severance's attention-grabbing premise springs from creator Dan Erickson, a TV first-timer, and understands how most folks feel about office life. The show is knowing in its lead casting, too, given that Scott is best recognised for two workplace comedies: the joyous hug that is Parks and Recreation, as well as the acerbic, astute and soon-to-return Party Down. But as savvily and evocatively directed by Ben Stiller in its first three season-one episodes (and again in its last three, with Kissing Candice filmmaker Aoife McArdle helming three in the middle), Scott's new series dwells in 'be careful what you wish for' territory. For the part of Mark's brain that blanks out work, Severance initially seems like heaven. For the half that only knows the office, it's hell. The series begins with Mark two years into his time at Lumon, and newly installed as a division head after Petey (Yul Vazquez, The Outsider), his workplace BFF, leaves suddenly. One of his first tasks: onboarding Helly (Britt Lower, Future Man), who awakes in innie form for the first time sprawled atop a conference table. The camera gazes down, the eerie tone resembles leaping out of a nightmare but being unable to pick if you're still dreaming, and she hears Mark asking questions. Helly has queries herself, including: "am I livestock?". The severance process is jarring for newcomers, but they're expected to adjust swiftly. Innie Helly hasn't gotten that memo, however — and no, Party Down fans, neither her nor Mark are having fun yet. He grapples with his new role and the sudden loss of Petey, with his cold, unsevered boss Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette, The Act) and her omnipresent, also-unsevered assistant Mr Milchick (Tramell Tillman, Hunters) scrutinising every move, and his fellow severed MDR employees Irving (John Turturro, The Plot Against America) and Dylan (Zach Cherry, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) handling Lumon life by being controlling and competitive, respectively. As for Helly's innie, she starts waging war on the new world order she definitely didn't sign up for, including writing briskly denied resignation requests to her outie. From The Truman Show and The Matrix to The Office and Office Space, Severance's list of influences is lengthy. It's Kafkaesque and Lynchian, too, and wandering its labyrinthine hallways — corridors designed like a maze to keep Lumon departments apart — is like being trapped in a surreal workplace version of Twin Peaks' red room. Indeed, every production design and cinematography choice enhances the feeling of being trapped in an off-kilter and deeply unnerving corporate purgatory. It's there in the 70s- and 80s-style technology, the green-and-white colour scheme, and the camera placement that flits between claustrophobic and cooly expansive. Lumon's innies don't have the choice, but Severance is also a series to willingly get lost in. Apple TV+ is dropping episodes week to week, following a two-instalment premiere, but the compulsion to lap up more of its unsettling mysteries springs quickly. Just like other standout shows of the past few months, such as Yellowjackets and Station Eleven, the desperation to piece together Severance's puzzles echoes strongly while watching — but this meticulously made head-trip is in no rush to unveil its answers. Given the wealth of wonders to be found within its frames — and the allure of its slow-drip secrets, including exactly what MDR is doing as its workers sort through screens of "happy" and "scary" numbers — it's hardly surprising that Severance isn't in a rush. It also boasts Christopher Walken (Percy vs Goliath) putting his distinctive on-screen presence to great use as another of Lumon's severed wager-earners, and is home to stellar performances across the board, including Scott's latest everyman turn, Turturro playing the office pedant with aplomb, a compellingly icy Arquette and the mesmerising Tillman. And, crucially, equally calling out, questioning and satirising today's ideas about work is always on the show's agenda. With a wry sense of humour, Severance sees the nine-to-five grind as the hellscape it can be, probes the control we've relinquished for paycheques and pokes fun at everything that's become normalised about the modern workplace. The hold our jobs have over our lives, the cult-like worship that large companies demand from underlings, the awkward office exceptions and social conventions, and these always clocked-on times in general: none of them escape this perceptive and addictive series' attention. Not so fond of the corporate treadmill? As it immerses, engages and intrigues, Severance truly understands. Check out the trailer for Severance below: The first three episodes of Severance's first season are available to stream via Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly.
Get excited, cinephiles. One of the biggest film festivals in the world just wrapped up for another year, after unveiling a wealth of new movies from around the globe over a jam-packed 11-day period. And even if you weren't at this year's 69th Berlin International Film Festival — enjoying the brisk but not unbearably frosty German winter, and sneaking in a few schnapps and schnitzels while rushing between cinemas — this huge, high-profile annual fest always brings good news. Between February 7–17, the highlights were many, especially for anyone looking to add a whole heap of flicks to their must-see list. Among the official competition titles sat everything from blistering dramas to topical real-life tales, as judged by the likes of Juliette Binoche, Toni Erdmann actor Sandra Hüller and A Fantastic Woman filmmaker Sebastián Lelio. Elsewhere, the stars and stories kept flowing, including Jonah Hill's first stint as a feature film director, Tilda Swinton sharing the screen with — and getting outshone by — her daughter, and an essential music documentary finally seeing the light of day. And it wouldn't be a Berlinale without a few controversies, including the last-minute withdrawal of Zhang Yimou's Cultural Revolution drama One Second and the grim reception received by Fatih Akin's serial killer flick The Golden Glove, which earned a hefty amount of walkouts. After emerging from Berlin's many, many picture palaces, that's just the short version. Here's the long round-up — aka the ten movies that'll hopefully be headed to Australian screens. These are the films that stuck in our head beyond the hustle and bustle. Fingers crossed that they'll be hitting a local cinema sometime soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Al2nC0vzY THE SOUVENIR With The Souvenir, another Swinton becomes an acting powerhouse. Honor Swinton Byrne stars in this 80s drama about aspiring filmmaker Julie and her older boyfriend Anthony (Tom Burke) — and while Tilda Swinton also features as her kindly mother, this is the younger Swinton's show. Struggling to pursue her passion and falling hopelessly for someone who's not quite who he seems, Julie's tale might seem familiar. And yet, with writer/director Joanna Hogg turning her own life into this stunning fictional effort, and unafraid to take aim at love, life, ambition and middle-class privilege, the film becomes a deeply moving adult coming-of-age story. Elegantly and insightfully scripted, lensed and performed, The Souvenir also acts as its own memento, leaving an imprint that lingers long after its frames have stopped rolling. [caption id="attachment_710369" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] © Guy Ferrandis / SBS Films[/caption] SYNONYMS A highly worthy winner of Berlinale's Golden Bear, the festival's top prize, Synonyms refuses easy categorisation. It's a fish-out-of-water affair, following young Israeli Yoav (Tom Mercier) upon his arrival in Paris, but it's also a savvy take on today's fragmented world, a blistering character study about a man who refuses to be pinned down, and a ruminative reflection upon the difficulties of starting life anew, even by choice. Yoav is eager to put his Tel Aviv days behind him as quickly as possible, renouncing his homeland, refusing to speak another word of Hebrew and doing whatever it takes to become French; however, his transition is far from straightforward. Mercier is electrifying in his first acting role, while filmmaker Nadav Lapid draws upon his own experiences to cement his spot as a rising directorial star. [caption id="attachment_710361" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] © BBP LOML[/caption] LIGHT OF MY LIFE The world mightn't necessarily need a Casey Affleck-written and directed survivalist movie about a father, his pre-teen daughter and a post-apocalyptic world otherwise absent of women. It mightn't seem to need a mash-up of Leave No Trace, Children of Men and The Handmaid's Tale either. But that's exactly what the Manchester By the Sea Oscar-winner delivers in his first fictional helming effort (although mockumentary I'm Still Here almost counts), and Light of My Life lives up to its concept and the obvious comparisons it inspires. Thoughtful and heartfelt from start to finish, Affleck's feature uses its dystopian premise to ponder the struggles of parenting a child who'll eventually need to make their own way in life. On screen, the actor-turned-filmmaker is at his nuanced best playing a man trying to protect his curious offspring (Anna Pniowsky) from the harsh reality of her existence, while his young co-star brightens up the movie in a manner wholly befitting its title. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JywE77VYpWc BY THE GRACE OF GOD Exploring sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, By the Grace of God was always going to prove both topical and sorrowful, regardless of its timing. Based on a real-life French case, the film's ripped-from-the-headlines storyline has recently seen two figures portrayed within its frames take legal action, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to block its release. In Australia, the movie arrives hot on the heels of high-profile local legal proceedings; however, the anger, dismay and empathy the Silver Bear recipient inspires is all its own. Focusing on three men (Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet and Swann Arlaud) who were inappropriately taken advantage of by the same priest (Bernard Verley) as children, this is a measured, moving, sensitive and sobering picture from filmmaker François Ozon, who ventures worlds away from previous efforts such as Swimming Pool and Young & Beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO6avRMFGSQ MID90s Thanks to all-girl flick Skate Kitchen and Oscar-nominated documentary Minding the Gap, the past year has ushered in a new golden age for teen-focused skateboarding films. Mid90s falls happily in the middle of both — exploring the exploits of a group of kick-flipping guys in a way that's both dreamily nostalgic and tenderly clear-eyed — and firmly belongs on the list. Marking Jonah Hill's first full-length solo effort as a writer and director, it follows 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic). The shy kid wants nothing more than to ollie his way around LA with his new older pals Ray (Na-Kel Smith), Fuckshit (Olan Prenatt), Fourth Grade (Ryder McLaughlin) and Ruben (Gio Galicia), despite the wishes of his worried single mum (Katherine Waterston). As well as getting devastatingly naturalistic performances out of his cast, Hill directs this blast from the past exactly as it demands, with every inch feeling like the product of someone who's been there and seen it, even if he hasn't strictly lived through it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylJrxh-4MG8 VARDA BY AGNES Two years after gifting the world Faces Places, her delightful and insightful documentary about placing oversized portraits of villagers around the French countryside, Agnès Varda returns with another factual effort that's just as wonderful. While the cinema legend co-directed her last movie with much-younger artist JR, this time around she's back on her own, as the 90-year-old has been for much of her 65-year filmmaking career. Indeed, her lengthy life behind the lens is the subject of Varda by Agnes, with the inimitable figure taking viewers through her career as only she can. Spanning from her French New Wave beginnings to her adoption of digital technology, this is a self-portrait, a celebration and a masterclass — and, as always, it's an absolute pleasure spending time in Varda's company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPdqXdN-Xtg AMAZING GRACE Told on screen via text, the story behind concert documentary Amazing Grace is worth its own movie. Over two nights in January 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded her best-selling gospel album of the same name at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, with the Southern California Community Choir as backing singers, and with filmmaker Sydney Pollack on hand to capture the whole thing. But, due to both technical and legal issues — including Franklin suing to stop the movie's belated release before her death — the end result hasn't made it to the big screen until now. 47 years is a long time to wait; however, this doco is worth it. Amazing Grace is joyous for many reasons, from witnessing the Queen of Soul's talent, to paying tribute in an intimate fashion, to seeing the effect of faith and artistry on the on-screen audience. And when Franklin sings the title track for 11 minutes, its a moment no one will forget in a hurry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTWLFlWJEWs GHOST TOWN ANTHOLOGY There's an alluring mood to this French-Canadian film, which isn't quite a horror flick but certainly isn't a standard drama either. An atmospheric kindred spirit to the Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara-starring A Ghost Story from 2017, of sorts, Ghost Town Anthology enters the remote Quebec village of Irénée-les-Neiges, population 215. Suddenly, after an accident, that number drops to 214, and the townsfolk don't know how to cope. Grief is an immensely difficult feeling to convey on screen, but Denis Côté's haunting movie does a stellar job of capturing the deep-seated yearning to reunite with lost loved ones — and the unnerving impact when mysterious figures start popping up around the tiny locale. The grainy effect of shooting on 16mm certainly enhances Ghost Town Anthology's ethereal tone, as does its willingness to let images and actions speak louder than words. SKIN It has been 19 years since Jamie Bell danced his way into audience's hearts in Billy Elliot, with his character escaping a harsh home life and a narrow view of masculinity through ballet. In Skin, the British actor is covered in tattoos and sports a shaved head as real-life figure Bryon Widner — and while the American white supremacist doesn't take to dance, he's similarly trapped in a restrictive environment and subconsciously yearning to break free. Widner's path changes when he meets a single mother (Danielle Macdonald), turns away from the right-wing scene and tries to say goodbye to his hate-spewing pseudo parents (Vera Farmiga and Bill Camp). Directed by Oscar-winning short filmmaker Guy Nattiv, Skin might be blunt as it charts Widner's journey; however, thanks to a potent performance from Bell and his co-stars, it's always effective. [caption id="attachment_710366" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] © Rafael Winer[/caption] BUOYANCY In recent years, Australian filmmakers have explored the plight of refugees and immigrants in a variety of compelling ways — in hard-hitting documentary Chasing Asylum, in the more meditative Island of the Hungry Ghosts, and now in Buoyancy. Shot in Cambodia and Thailand, and spoken in Khmer, Thai and Burmese, this Aussie drama examines human trafficking, with 14-year-old Chakra (Sarm Heng) leaving life on the rice fields in search of something more, but finding himself tricked into slave labour on a fishing trawler. Informed by real-life experiences, Rodd Rathjen's feature debut doesn't pull its punches, as Chakra's time at sea proves bleak and brutal to say the least. Indeed, every moment and frame is designed to immerse viewers in the boy's despairing, a feat that the film achieves.
Uber might be stepping up its war on New York City’s famous yellow taxis, with the introduction of a pre-paid service last week. But it ain’t faring so well on this side of the Pacific. This morning, the New South Wales Road and Maritime Services (RMS) put the company on notice. Officially. And, as of midnight, September 30, 40 Uber drivers will have their vehicles suspended for three months. It's pretty serious stuff; if police catch any suspended vehicle on the road, they’ll view it as unregistered and uninsured. So, the owner will cop a $637 penalty on the spot and, if the matter goes to court, could be up for as much as $2200. As far as RMS is concerned, Uber is breaking the law. “Taxi and hire car services in New South Wales must be provided by an operator accredited by Roads and Maritime, in a licensed and insured vehicle, which is driven by an authorised driver,” Peter Wells, director of safety and compliance at the RMS, told the ABC. “Thousands of dollars in fines have already been issued to drivers offering illegal ride-sharing activities and compliance actions will continue.” Needless to say, the New South Wales Taxi Council welcomed the announcement. And the New South Wales Government has an independent task force looking into the future of taxis and hire cars. Its findings are set to reach the Government in October, so sit tight. Whether this will affect Uber in the long term remains to be seen. It's definitely not the first time the company has been hauled into an Australian court. Importantly, Uber's also been pretty open about their intention to simply pay the fine — the company has copped whopping fines in multiple countries, including a $1.7 million fine in Queensland in June 2015, and a hefty US$7.3 million in California, just to name a couple. And they simply paid the fine. Uber's likelihood to simply budget for these driver fines in the foreseeable future could prove problematic for the RMS, and the Australian taxi industry. Via ABC.
Every year, on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour focuses the world's attention on the planet via a vitally important symbolic gesture. Although carbon is saved by turning things off, the point is the unmissable demonstration — with a huge chunk of the world's population caring about the same thing at the same time. If we can manage this for Earth Hour, why not for grander environmental things? It all started in Sydney in 2007, and has become an international event in the years since, with hundreds of millions of people taking part in more than 7000 cities across over 180 countries. Of course, in 2020, things will be a bit different, with no out-of-home activities taking place — but Earth Hour is still asking everyone to join in by staying in the house and turning off the lights at 8.30pm AEDT on Saturday, March 28 (7.30pm AEST). While you're sitting in the dark, you can also live-stream a heap of performers thanks to Earth Hour Live, with Montaigne, Cody Simpson, Jack River, Polish Club, Bobby Alu, Ella Haber, Dulcie and Alice Skye all on the bill — and journalist Patrick Abboud on hosting duties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ZegTD4buQ&feature=emb_logo And, although you won't be able to see them yourself, local and global landmarks and tourist spots such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, the Wheel of Brisbane, Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, the Eiffel Tower, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Tokyo Skytree, Brandenburg Gate, the Colosseum in Rome, Taipei 101, the Petronas Twin Towers, the Ali Qapu Palace, the Akropolis and Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong are all getting into the Earth Hour spirit by switching their lights off for an hour, too. Images: Earth Hour 2019. Sydney. Luna Park, The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, photographed from Lavender Street, Lavender Bay. Photography by Quentin Jones. 30 March 2019. © Quentin Jones / WWF-Aus The Melbourne Star turns out its lights for Earth Hour 2018. © Alain Nguyen / WWF-Aus Story Bridge, Brisbane with lights switched off to celebrate 10 years of Earth Hour, Brisbane, 25 March 2017. © Anastasia Woolmington / WWF-Aus.
The stories we see on screen become the stories we tell ourselves as a person and a society. So it matters that the default story character is a dude — specifically, only 10% of protagonists in our major motion pictures, or a third of ensemble casts, is female (Bechdel test, drive this point home). It turns out there's one simple fix for this: have women direct, write, produce or edit the film. As the organisers of the Seen and Heard film festival point out, having at least one female director bumps up women's screentime by 25%, and one female writer by 33% — but only 38% of 2011's top 250 films had women in any major production roles. Jeez Louise. Seen and Heard is out to spread awareness in us filmgoers and simultaneously celebrate the achievements of women in film. At the Red Rattler over three consecutive Thursdays in March, they'll screen short, mid, and feature-length films that have a woman's (not necessarily gentle) touch. Included is Australian feature Black & White & Sex, which has eight actresses play the singular, seductive character of Angie; Puerto Rican Tribeca Film Festival selection Gabi, the story of an independent woman in her 30s who's tested when she has to return to her small town; and Ali Russel's study of the personal meanings of Native Title, Keeper. Image from Black & White & Sex.
Check out the full photo gallery It’s one-seventh the travel time to Woodford, one-fifth the number of Southern Cross tats at Field Day, as picturesque as Falls, and the local line up is without parallel. Yep, if you were among those who chose to bring in the New Year at Peats Ridge, I don’t have to tell you that you made a wise decision. For those of you who didn’t, here’s why you shouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Day One With open-air yoga classes, healing sessions and kids running amok, Peats Ridge feels more like a gypsy community than a music festival. The sheer number of workshops and craft stalls means you could spend a whole day without your children (win) and without seeing any music. Having said that, come mid-afternoon you would have been hard-pressed to go past Canadian rockers Yukon Blonde, who played like they were aiming to blow a speaker. For other reasons, it was difficult to overlook the Dum Dum Girls, whose indie-pop tunes came second fiddle to their strategic dress sense and homogenous hairdos. In the Chai temple, barefooted folk sprawled over colourful carpet and couches were treated to an electrifying Steve Smyth, who mesmerised his audience with a spine-tingling rendition of Harry Belafonte’s ‘Sylvie.’ If you missed him, you missed one of the best acts of the festival. Later back at main stage, golden boy Xavier Rudd and his hypnotic five-piece, one-man band sung songs about Mother Earth and the evils of mankind to an adoring crowd. A fitting reception for a man who plays the didge like nobody’s business. Day Two The morning after saw more than a few dusty revellers slumped over chai lattés and gözleme. However Friday’s bill didn’t pander to anyone’s hangover. Compounding a throbbing headache were Melbourne’s Graveyard Train, who proved that all you need is a few swashbuckling dudes, a guitar, and some basic hardware tools to rock out. San Fransisco’s Hanni El Khatib took a less humble approach, describing his music as being ‘for anyone who’s ever been shot or hit by a train.’ Right. Well that may have explained the small turn out. Nevertheless, Khatib’s punchy guitar riffs soon had the space packed. A solid blues rock act like that is hard to follow, particularly when you’re armed with a bunch of classical string instruments, but the Crooked Fiddle Band dished out their special brand of high-energy ‘chainsaw folk’ to a wildly appreciative crowd. As the night drew on, dorky-cool Japanese instrumental jazz group Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro had frenzied revellers chanting ‘baggy pants’ as if they were hip-hop heavy weights at an Up in Smoke Tour. Local boys Hermitude did a better job than the much-hyped Canyons at carrying the party vibe with their electronic hip-hop set and slow hip-swinging cover of MJ’s ‘Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.’ Day Three Dress up day. Luckily the music line-up today was a real slow-burner, which allowed campers ample time to adorn themselves in body paint or to join the queue at Fancy Schmancy costume hire. The Paper Scissors got into the masquerade theme early (on ‘em) and delivered a strong live performance largely thanks to Ivan Lisyak’s incredible drumming. At main stage, the Gold Coast’s Tijuana Cartel mixed breakbeat with some mean Afro-Cuban percussion and flamenco guitar solos. By the time they dropped ‘Letting it go’ the crowd was putty in their hands. In fact Tijuana would have been a far better way to end 2011 than the much-anticipated Gotye. The festival’s main event was a total fizzler. In the absence of any crowd banter and special guests, it boiled down to a lacklustre performer churning out his better-known hits. At the very least he could have done the whole thing painted in the nuddy. Thankfully the en masse midnight merry-making and after-party that carried on at the psychedelic Pirates’ Lair were more than enough to make up for it. At a time when Aussie music festivals are increasingly overshadowed by drug and alcohol-fuelled idiots, it’s great to see that Peats Ridge has managed to maintain a feel good eco- and family-friendly vibe. With a dome dedicated to artistic performances, a plethora of stalls selling local organic produce and crafts, art installations and a staggering variety of fresh food and high-quality drinks (fresh lime and ice with your vodka? Shut. Up.), it’s clear that a lot of love and attention has been put into the running of this event. And the results speak for themselves.
Over-the-top food and drink mashups might be popping up on seemingly every menu these days, but one has been around for much, much longer. That'd be the humble shandy, which mixes beer with something that's definitely not beer — something lemon-flavoured, usually — and makes for perfect summer sipping. Why just knock back a brew when you can also be drinking mango juice, ginger beer and squash? That's the thinking behind The Bavarian's summer shandy series — although no, you won't be downing all of the above ingredients at the same time. Instead, those tipples and a heap of others are featured in nine different shandies, which'll set you back between $10–15 each, come in 500-millilitre steins and are available all summer long. On the menu: the Summer Mango, which combines Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier with mango juice; the Michelada, a blend of 4 Pines Kolsch, bloody mary spiced juice and lime juice (with a chilli-salt rim); the Nightcap, which pairs Hofbrau Dunkel with coffee liqueur; and the Snake Bite, a mix of Bulmers apple cider, 4 Pines Kolsch and Chambord. Butterscotch, apple rye spice, whiskey and ginger, and a tequila concoction are also available — the latter called the Largarita — because these shandies can also include liqueurs and spirits. You'll find The Bavarian at Charlestown, Rouse Hill, Castle Hill, Shellharbour, Tuggerah, Manly, Penrith, Miranda, Macarthur, Green Hills, Entertainment Quarter, York Street, World Square, Wetherill Park and Chatswood in New South Wales.
The shock of unkempt hair, the Irish brogue, the misanthropic attitude: there's no mistaking Dylan Moran for anyone else. It was true in beloved British sitcom Black Books, when his on-screen alter ego abhorred mornings, ate coasters and claimed that his oven could cook anything (even belts). And it's definitely true of the comedian's acerbically hilarious live shows. Moran is no stranger to Australia, but if you haven't guffawed at his bleak wit live, he's coming back late in 2019 to give you another chance. This time around, expect the kind of deadpan gags, wine-soaked insights and blisteringly sharp one-liners that've kept him in the spotlight since 1996, when he became the youngest-ever winner of the Edinburgh Fringe's Perrier Award. From late October to early December, Moran will tour the country with his latest show, Dr Cosmos, bringing his grumpily lyrical musings on love, politics, misery and the everyday absurdities of life to 14 Aussie cities. Kicking off in Wollongong and coming to the Sydney Opera House for two nights in October, his upcoming visit marks his first Australian trip since 2015, when he was eliciting giggles with his Off the Hook tour. That mammoth effort took in a whopping 149 cities worldwide. As well as his stint as the world's worst bookshop owner in Black Books, Moran has popped up in films such as Notting Hill and Shaun of the Dead, should you been keen to get watching (or rewatching) before his new gigs. Nabbing tickets to his Dr Cosmos early is recommended — his shows usually sell out quickly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gy3C7cMNeg Image: Andy Hollingworth.
It's been almost two years since Stranger Things last graced our streaming queues, and left everyone wondering what might've become of Hawkins' beloved police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour, Hellboy). Just when the Netflix series is set to return for its fourth season hasn't yet been announced, but the platform knows that its viewers are all waiting eagerly — and, to keep us occupied, it has started teasing new glimpses at the long-awaited next batch of episodes. The platform initially provided a sneak peek at Stranger Things season four back at the beginning of 2020, which now seems like a lifetime ago. Given that things didn't seem to end too well for Hopper at the end of the show's third season — all thanks to the mind flayer, the Russian lab below Starcourt Mall and that pesky gate to the Upside Down — that initial glimpse picked up after the third season's Russian-set post-script. That said, while it did resolve the big cliffhanger, it also only ran for 50 seconds. This time around, the two new (and also brief) clips look backwards — and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs Kong) is the focus. Both sneak peeks take place in Hawkins Laboratory, with the first peering at security camera footage, and the second listening on as Dr Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal) performs tests on kids with special abilities. The latter video then works its way down a corridor to a door marked with the number 11, and then shows a quick look at Eleven's face. So, it seems that as well as hopping over to Russia, Stranger Things is headed to the past. It's worth remembering that, when the platform announced the show's renewal for a fourth season back in 2019, it did so with the catchphrase "we're not in Hawkins anymore". We'll have to wait to see what that all means for its cast of characters — including not only Hopper and Eleven, the latter of which was last seen leaving town with Joyce (Winona Ryder, The Plot Against America), Will (Noah Schnapp, Hubie Halloween) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton, The New Mutants), but also for Mike (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo, The Angry Birds Movie 2), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin, Concrete Cowboy), Max (Sadie Sink, The Last Castle), Steve (Joe Keery, Spree) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer, Things Seen & Heard). Check out the two new Stranger Things season four teasers below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRIpYFIlg5U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILwLN6hV-X8 Stranger Things season four doesn't currently have a release date — we'll update you when Netflix announces its plans. Top image: Stranger Things season three.
Venture down to the southernmost point of King Street and you'll find hot pinsa romana emerging five days a week from Newtown's newest Italian restaurant, Casa Mia Osteria. Pinsa romana is a contemporary reinvention of ancient Roman pizza that is growing in popularity across Italy — the fluffy oval-shaped pizzas have a distinctly different appearance from their circular Naples-style cousins, but that's not the most important distinguishing factor. That would be the flour and dough. Dough at Casa Mia combines three different types of flour, including rice and soy flour, and the team uses a ratio of 900 millilitres of water per one kilogram of flour. It means that the dough rises more when cooking compared to the Naples-style pizza base Sydneysiders are familiar with, and results in the pinsa romana's signature light and crunchy bases. Casa Mia Osteria comes from duo Andrea Nazzari and Valerio Boncompagni, who are passionate about bringing a fresh take on traditional Italian flavours to Sydney's inner west. The pair worked at Michelin star restaurants in their hometowns of Rome and Milan before moving to Sydney and meeting while working at Baccomatto in Surry Hills. From there, a friendship blossomed which would eventually give birth to Casa Mia Osteria. "It's our baby," Boncompagni tells Concrete Playground. "That's why it's called Casa Mia. Casa Mia means my home and this is going to be our home." When it comes to what's on top of the dough, the restaurant will have a new seasonal menu every few months. Currently, you can find a four-cheese and pear combo ($22), a puttanesca pinsa ($27) with cetara anchovies, olives, capers and stracciatella on a tomato base, or a zuvvhinem black olives and sundried tomatoes vegetarian option ($23). "When you go to an Italian restaurant you always find almost the same thing. You always find the caprese, the carbonara, the cacio pepe," says Boncompagni. "When we decided to open this restaurant, we decided to offer to our customers a different type of real Italian cuisine." "We're obviously doing something different from the rest of the pizza places," Nazzari adds. And the fun doesn't stop with the pinsa. An exciting mix of antipasti including garlic or rosemary focaccia ($10) and marinated mushrooms ($6), and a reserved pasta list featuring a beef and pork lasagna ($24) is accompanied by a collection of Italian and Australian wines. "We believe in a small wine list with good quality," says Nazzari, explaining that he is excited to introduce Sydneysiders to unique Italian wines. "Like the food, I want to give the people something different. Always try to surprise the customer." As well as its dinnertime menu, Casa Mia also offers lunch specials on Saturdays and Sundays. Swing by during the day and you'll find a spread of Italian treats ready to brighten what might otherwise be a gloomy lockdown weekend. You'll find a selection of baked goods including bomboloni, cakes and cannoli, plus fresh bread, cook-at-home lasagnas, bottled cocktails and mini lunch pizzas. Appears in: Where to Find the Best Pizza in Sydney
When writer Diablo Cody, filmmaker Jason Reitman and actor Charlize Theron first teamed up for 2011's Young Adult, it really couldn't have worked out better. Charting the exploits of a thirty-something ex-prom queen returning to her home town, their acerbic and amusing movie served up a perceptive portrait of arrested development. Joining forces again for Tully, the trio have another aspect of adulthood in their sights, this time exploring the ups and downs of motherhood. It's not Cody and Reitman's first stab at the subject, given that the pair initially worked together on teen pregnancy comedy Juno. But if they'd like to keep pumping out films about different life stages every couple of years, please, no one stop them. In Tully, Marlo (Theron) is a mum of two who's days away from giving birth to her third child. Unsurprisingly, she's already utterly exhausted. When her new bundle of joy arrives, she's even more stressed and tired, with her husband (Ron Livingston) hardly a hands-on dad. Enter a gift from her well-off brother (Mark Duplass), albeit one she's reluctant to accept at first. He's adamant that a night nanny will change her life, and when serene and soothing twenty-something Tully (Mackenzie Davis) arrives on her doorstep, Marlo soon discovers that he's right. Tully doesn't just take care of the baby each evening so that Marlo can sleep. From cleaning the house and cooking cupcakes for the kids to providing much-needed pep talks and sharing sangrias, Tully takes care of Marlo too. The scenario inspires rich performances from a particularly raw Theron and a suitably sparkling Davis — the former committed to conveying the hardships of maternity in all of its unglamorous glory, the latter calm and kind as Tully brings Marlo back from the brink of desperation. The pair complement each other perfectly, while fleshing out their characters with the type of detail that can only be drawn from reality. As Theron switches from weary to anxious to utterly fed up, the star couldn't offer up a more relatable picture of parenthood. As Davis embodies the caring yet carefree figure every woman has wished she could be, she helps show why such fantasies are ultimately just that. Indeed, while the film couldn't feel more authentic than when Theron is in unhappy wife and mum mode, it kicks into another gear when its two leads share the screen. Cody's script segues from relaying honest truths about being a mother to exploring the importance of female connections, and neither element should be underestimated. Few flicks lay bare the struggles of postnatal depression in such frank but funny terms, and even fewer present complicated, unconventional but unconditionally supportive bonds between women. The writer's usual cynicism is ever-present, recognisable to anyone who's seen the screenwriter's previous films; however if she actively set out to refute every mainstream depiction of idealised mums and stock-standard gal pals, she's nailed it. That said, Tully is likely to divide audiences, all thanks to one decision that this review won't spoil. A bold choice that initially seems like Cody and Reitman might be taking the easy way out, it's actually one of the movie's most astute moves, as well as a development that the director's naturalistic, roaming visual approach subtly builds up to. Tully shows that mums don't stop being people when they usher new life into the world. It firmly demonstrates that everyone needs support. It warmly depicts women looking after each other. More than all of that — and most importantly — the film probes society's willingness to believe that mothers can do it all, often single-handedly. Admitting how ridiculous that expectation is would upset the long-held status quo, but this movie happily takes aim at the idea in a smart, savage and still empathetic fashion. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Cody wrote the script after having her own third child, or that this excellent ode to self-care ranks among her finest, most mature pieces of work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9iVra2kdD4
End-of-year markets are always excellent for those of us who tend to leave gift purchasing until the last minute — and, thankfully, Etsy is bring its market back to Sydney in November. Etsy Made Local is a grassroots initiative that celebrates crafters, collectors and artisans in local communities, and provides them with the opportunity to sell their creations both online and in a physical space. So whether you're on the hunt for handmade wares or vintage goods, these guys have got you covered. Returning for the fifth year (and now open for applications if you're a crafty Etsy maker yourself), the market will take place at Sydney Town Hall from 9.30am–5.30pm on Saturday, November 23 — and because it focuses on the best local talent, every year is filled with different stallholders and unique creations. Supporting creative small businesses and scoring a killer Christmas gift is a win for everyone involved, so head along and get your festive shopping done early, for once.
In the two years since its opening in 2022, popular Potts Point Japanese diner Bones Ramen has become a trusted go-to for fans of soupy noods. Now, Bones' head chef Jake Riwaka is branching out with a month-long pop-up exclusively serving the ultimate golden, crispy, deep-fried Japanese comfort food, alongside his brothers Conner and Kyle. Much like its sister venue, Don's Katsu is an intimate space with seating for just 16 diners on Bayswater Road. This walk-ins-only concept has an unapologetically streamlined menu with just a single item: a katsu set featuring a pork loin coated in nama panko crumbs and fried till perfectly golden and crisp on the outside and juicy and succulent within. Katsu is typically served with cabbage or curry and rice, but Don's is more ambitious with its sides, adding a rich pork, tofu and seaweed miso soup, cucumber and kombu pickles, smoked chilli and grated daikon to the traditional fennel and cabbage salad, and Japanese rice. Loins from free-range Berkshire pigs, sustainably sourced from regenerative Bundarra Farm in the Murray River region, are the star of meal and echoing the Japanese tradition of dish personalisation, diners are also offered a choice of different katsu portion sizes to suit their appetite, budget or preference. The drinks selection is another highlight — floats blending ice cream with yuzu, cola and a striking Midori-hued melon are a must-try. Diners can also wash down their katsu with a selection of Japanese beers and saké. Images: Lily Austin
Sydney's annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is more than just the parade. In fact, the festival features over two weeks of events — both official and not. One such place that's getting the party going early is The Winery. This year, the Surry Hills' garden oasis is hosting the perfect warm-up shindig with four fun-filled nights of good tunes, tasty food, great booze and, of course, drag queens. Go along between Tuesday, February 26 and Friday, March 1 with your dancing feet and vocal cords ready as the queens from Sydney Drag Royalty engage in an old-fashioned drag battle. Each night there'll be three heats where the queens perform to classic pop hits — we're talking tracks from Elton John, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, Madonna and George Michael — to the whim of the crowd, who'll vote to decide who'll make it through to the grand final 'battle royale' on Friday, March 1. The nightly show will set you back $20, which includes an Absolut cocktail on arrival. Plus, $5 from that goes straight to the Black Dog Institute (a mental health research facility). While you're watching these fabulous renditions, you can snack on tasty treats including prawn skewers, chicken wings and wagyu beef sliders. A carb-free option comes in the form of a dress-your-own-lettuce-cup station with meats from the barbecue on offer — vegetarian options will be available, too. Food is not included in ticket price. And if you want to be close to the action, but not so close that you're actually stuck in the crowds of people, The Winery will be screening the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, March 2 on the big screen for free. The Mardi Gras Laneway Tribute Nights will run nightly from 5pm, Tuesday, February 26 to Friday, March 1. To purchase tickets, visit The Winery's website.
The CBD is undergoing a bit of sprucing with a collection of contemporary Australian artists adding some design to the streets as they brighten up construction sites across the city. The Site Works initiative saw the City of Sydney hold a nationwide call-out with more than 520 artists submitting considered, colourful and eccentric designs. From the hundreds of artists, just ten Aussie talents were selected to kick off the program and create the arty hoardings currently decorating our streets. What is a hoarding you ask? They're those imposing fences placed around construction sites to hide the demolition, drilling and excavating from the street. With this initiative, the chosen artists have transformed these featureless facades into vibrant, creative spaces, and have pushed the initiative to a much larger scale than what's similarly popped up in cities like New York and Toronto. Both established and emerging Australian artists were the focus of Site Works, with the diverse contingent chosen from across the country, each getting the opportunity to have their work viewed by thousands of passers-by daily. These colourful hoardings will bring to life areas of Sydney undergoing transformation and, on the whole, make the city a more evocative and engaging place to live and work. The lively hoardings are now mandatory on all high-visibility construction sites in the CBD, so you can say goodbye to boring building site coverings for good. To delve a bit further into the initiative, we had a chat with some of the selected artists to take a look at the eye-catching hoardings you'll see springing up across Sydney. [caption id="attachment_632104" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] OBSTACLE COURSE BY ELLIOTT BRYCE FOULKES Sydney-based designer Elliot Bryce Foulkes applied all his hometown expertise to produce his hoarding design. With the imaginative designs featured on the hoarding representing various existing and in-development Sydney architectural sites, the work is fittingly located at Wynyard Station, which is currently an obstacle course of development with the construction of the light rail. Foulkes' work typically employs strong typography, language, graphics and space to explore ideas around identity, publication, art direction and design — with Obstacle Course symbolically expressing the individual experience of wandering throughout the city. Find Obstacle Course at Wynyard Station. [caption id="attachment_632113" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA BY EGGPICNIC Bird-lovers Camila De Gregorio and Christopher Macaluso, aka Eggpicnic, merge spirited design with wildlife conservation to kickstart conversation around preventing animal extinction. Currently situated near the intersection of Kent and King Streets (and Bay Street in Glebe), Birds of Australia features an eclectic mix of iconic and endangered Australian birdlife species, serving to highlight the "uniqueness and ecological power of Australian birds". "The aim of our work is to open hearts and minds," explains De Gregorio. With their work already receiving a great reaction from city dwellers, De Gregorio says Eggpicnic hope their art can continue to "reconnect an increasingly disconnected human population with the environment we not only come from, but also rely on." Find Birds of Australia near the intersection of Kent and King Streets, also on Bay Street in Glebe. [caption id="attachment_632111" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] POLY UBIQUITOUS BY CYNTHIA SCHWERTSIK Finding the seemingly "endless trail of plastic pollution" was getting her down, Adelaide-based artist Cynthia Schwertsik went in search of beauty within the humble plastic bag. Located at 201 Kent Street, Schwertsik's Poly Ubiquitous appears at first glance to feature effervescent and abstract forms, but on closer inspection images of submerged plastic bags surface. "I am quite excited that this work is up and around in Sydney, and I really hope that it brightens up the streets," says Schwertsik. "But I do hope people discover the origins of the work and how there are landscapes full of plastic bags. In a way, this work is a recognition of a possible future — so we want to make more conscious decisions today." Find Poly Ubiquitous at 201 Kent Street. [caption id="attachment_632107" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] REAL MYTH BY CAPTAIN PIPE Inspired by the "bonkers shenanigans" of 15th century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, Neil McCann, aka Captain Pipe, presents his offbeat party scene at 71–79 Macquarie Street. Having recently been exploring how "our ideas shape the way we view the world around us" and how these stories can create meaning in our lives, McCann says he created his hoarding "in a style that was accessible and riotous to look at." "It was so weird seeing the work so tall — taller than me! The original drawings are only three-to-five centimetres high, so seeing them over two metres tall was confronting. I feel really proud to be part of the street." Find Real Myth at 71–79 Macquarie Street. [caption id="attachment_632100" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] DOUBLE-TAKE BY RACHEL HARRIS To create Double-take, South Australian designer Rachel Harris worked closely with the folks at the City of Sydney Archives, sourcing historical imagery of Sydney before photoshopping present-day objects into the frame. As her work currently occupies the busy corner of Bathurst and Sussex Streets, Harris explains how the brief was to create an artwork that would be viewed repeatedly, so it was really important to her that the audience uncover something new each time they view the work. "To me it was really important I created works that would engage viewers multiple times, and to offer them something new every time they saw it. Most importantly I wanted people to have some fun with the work and give them a game to play during their daily commute." Find Double-take at the corner of Bathurst and Sussex Streets. [caption id="attachment_632099" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] STONE JEWELS BY FIONA CURREY-BILLYARD Fiona Currey-Billyard is an emerging artist, whose films, photography and paintings utilise new media and experiment with the viewer's experience. Having long held an interest in Indigenous art and culture, Currey-Billyard illustrated Stone Jewels to showcase the vivid stone cutting tools that were made from materials quarried and shaped by various Indigenous populations and have been unearthed all throughout New South Wales. Crafted from materials like glass, basalt and greenstone, the luminous stone cutting tools are almost like precious jewels. So, Currey-Billyard depicted these tools as the jewels they are in their many striking colours. Find Stone Jewels on the corner of Bathurst and Sussex Streets. [caption id="attachment_634050" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Katherine Griffiths.[/caption] A SONG FROM NATURE BY DANLING XIAO Best known for her daily food-art creations on Instagram, Danling Xiao's work focuses on sustainability, ethical eating and leaving minimal waste. Through her Mundane Matters moniker, Danling hopes to use creativity as a means to reflect on how we interact and affect the natural environment. "I have complex feelings about construction. On the bright-side it is about progression and making our city more vibrant and accessible for our growing population. On the downside it creates noises, pollution and disruption," describes Xiao. "Through my design I am hoping to remind people of the bright side of our city life." Find A Song For Nature at 24-30 Springfield Avenue, Potts Point. [caption id="attachment_634768" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Katherine Griffiths.[/caption] SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE AT NIGHT BY EMILY CROCKFORD Capturing one of Sydney's most unmistakable icons, Sydney-based painter and visual artist Emily Crockford depicts the Sydney Opera House at midnight on New Year's Eve as glowing fireworks light up its famous sails. The use of colour is central to Crockford's paintings, sculpture and plush works, boldly combining delicate patterns with solid blocks of bright colours. Describing the Site Works project as "awesome and really exciting," Crockford is supported by Studio A — a local social enterprise dedicated to "providing creative programs with whole-life outcomes for adults with disability". Emily Crockford has previously worked as part of UNSW Art & Design's Cicada Press initiative, held a residency with prominent furniture and design brand Koskela and exhibited at the Underbelly Arts Festival. Find Sydney Opera House at Night 21 Bent Street. Top Image: Katje Ford.
In 2016, a French documentarian with Senegalese heritage attended the trial of a Senegalese French PhD student who confessed to killing her 15-month-old daughter, who was fathered by a white partner, by leaving her on the beach to the mercy of the waves at Berck-sur-Mer. The filmmaker was fixated. She describes it as an "unspeakable obsession". She was haunted by questions about motherhood, too — her mum's and her own, given that she was a young mother herself as she sat in the courtroom. That story is the story of how Saint Omer came to be, and also almost exactly the tale that the piercing drama tells. In her first narrative film after docos We and La Permanence, writer/director Alice Diop focuses on a French author and literature professor with a Senegalese background who bears witness to a trial with the same details, also of a Senegalese French woman, for the same crime. Saint Omer's protagonist shares other traits with Diop as she observes, too, and watches and listens to research a book. A director riffing on their own experience isn't novel, but Saint Omer is strikingly intimate and authentic because it's the embodiment of empathy in an innately difficult situation. It shows what it means to feel for someone else, including someone who has admitted to a shocking crime, and has been made because Diop went through that far-from-straightforward process and was galvanised to keep grappling with it. What a deeply emotional movie this 2022 Venice International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winning feature is, understandably and unsurprisingly. What a heartbreaking and harrowing work it proves as well. Saint Omer is also an astoundingly multilayered excavation of being in a country but never being seen as truly part it, and what that does to someone's sense of self, all through Fabienne Kabou's complicated reality and Laurence Coly's (Guslagie Malanda, My Friend Victoria) fictionalised scenario. As Laurence gets her time in court, Diop takes it all in. "It would make life easier" is the defendant's early characterisation of her crime, a gut-punch of a way to describe infanticide. But before Laurence unravels the minutiae of her life prior to and after moving from Senegal to study — and her daughter Lili's brief existence and death — Rama (film debutant Kayije Kagame) is dreaming, being comforted by her French partner Adrien (Thomas de Pourquery, Perfect Nanny), teaching and finally making the trip for the trial. When she packs, she grabs a sleeping bag. When she checks into her hotel, she replaces the bed's quilt with this small piece of home. It's a revealing gesture, conveying how intensely that Rama is already connecting with Laurence and her journey through the justice system; they're strangers but, as Rama gathers specifics for her book, which will compare Laurence's plight to Medea, this is never anything less than personal. The bulk of Saint Omer is chatter, as Laurence is questioned about what happened, why, her studies, her hopes and dreams, and her relationships with her mother (Salimata Kamate, Represent) and Lili's father (Xavier Many, Notre Dame on Fire). In France's legal setup, interrogating isn't limited to attorneys — the judge (Valérie Dréville, Wonder in the Suburbs) guides the proceedings, with Laurence's lawyer (Aurélia Petit, Rosalie) and prosecuting counsel (Robert Cantarella, My Best Part) inquiring sporadically. The defendant states from the outset that she killed her baby, but doesn't consider herself responsible. She wants the trial to inform not just the court but herself as to why this tragedy occurred. She brings up sorcery, and the immediate incredulity that hangs in the air in a room with only two other Black people, her mum and Rama, is among the plethora of ways that Diop calls attention to the contrast between France as a racially diverse nation and the truth of not being white in the European country. Befitting a movie about a writer, language is one of Saint Omer's stars, courtesy of a script co-written by Diop with the film's editor Amrita David, plus Marie N'Diaye (White Material). Often reworking text from Kabou's case, Laurence's story is told in such an evocative fashion that picturing what she's saying is a given. She talks, and cinematographer Claire Mathon (Spencer, and also Céline Sciamma's Petite Maman and Portrait of a Lady on Fire) hones in on that talking — always as Laurence wears skin-tone matching shirts that visually reinforce how invisible she feels; always standing against wooden panelling with the same effect; and always expressing as much in her stance, gaze and all the things she doesn't say. Occasionally, the judge takes the frame, or lawyers, witnesses or Rama, usually centred. Diop wants viewers to focus on their words, too, and the reactions betrayed by their faces and physicality. This is filmmaking at its most meticulous and emotional, with such carefully measured scenes proving puncturing and searing. As talk flows, so does judgement within the court and beyond. Rama begins querying herself — in her dreams, alone in her hotel, and via flashbacks to her childhood, where things with her mum (first-timer Adama Diallo Tamba) are complex and tense — but the scrutiny Laurence is placed under transcends her deeds. While Saint Omer doesn't excuse her actions for a second, it keeps illustrating how life in France has treated and continues to treat her, and why Rama can spy echoes between their otherwise vastly dissimilar predicaments. During a call after part of the testimony, Rama's editor (Alain Payen, Golden Moustache) notes that Laurence speaks "very sophisticated French". There's no doubting that that wouldn't be said about someone white with the same college background; Rama replies that she just "talks like an educated woman". When the judge also can't believe the claims of witchcraft, or entertain diving into what they mean, it too is a loaded response. There are no easy moments in Saint Omer, or easy answers. There can't be. Diop looks at this delicate situation with sensitivity and probing — and, in yet another parallel with Rama, questions why she's making the film, what she's saying about the situation, the role of myth in processing the incomprehensible, and motherhood's many intricacies and challenges. Indeed, this is a movie made with uncompromising rigour as well as understanding, as expected from a documentary filmmaker turning to fiction. It's a stunning legal drama that's as brilliantly crafted as Custody, another Venice standout from France about a grim situation. And, it's home to astonishing performances by Malanda and Kagame, each haunting in their own ways. Diop will never forget Kabou, and audiences won't be able to get her film, its extraordinary story or its exceptional lead actors out of their heads, either.
TEDxSydney is back for yet another year, and this time it's bringing you ten speakers at the forefront of thinking in the areas of energy, economic, politics, science and creativity. Each will give you their take on the event's theme, Three Horizons, looking at three aspects of the problem they present – triage (what's happening now), transition (how we're changing) and transformation (what the future might look like). On the program are human rights lawyer and Grata Fund founding Executive Director Isabelle Reinecke, who'll be discussing how law can challenge gridlocks in human rights, climate change and democratic freedoms, as well as climate philanthropist Simon Holmes à Court, who'll dive into how political independents can transform Australian politics. Look out, too, for rewilding adventurer Gina Chick, waxing lyrical on how connecting to nature and each other can improve our future; author and broadcaster Sarah Wilson on "what a former climate activist does in the face of collapse"; and Saibai Seisia Elder Aunty McRose Elu discussing how we can bring Indigenous knowledge lore into our legal system. Other speakers include Bega Group chair Barry Irvin; global ecology professor Corey Bradshaw; singer-songwriter Ruby Rodgers; insect ecologist Tanya Patty; climate finance advocate Tim Buckley; poet and performer Jessica Chapnik Kahn and singer-songwriter Luke O'Shea. Registration is open now.
