Leichhardt's quiet Norton Street is now home to a small bar and restaurant heroing Aussie ingredients thanks to The Little Guy owner Dynn Smulewicz and its longtime bartender Daniel McBride. They've joined forces to bring a much needed new player to the suburb. And, after opening its doors just last month, Golden Gully is already looking to be a hit with locals. "The demographics have changed pretty rapidly over the last few years [in Leichhardt]," says McBride. "There are a lot of young people — including our friends — in the area, so we feel a neighbourhood small bar has its place now." At first glance, the bar has bit of a Little Guy vibe — the two-storey terrace is squeezed into a commercial strip, the narrow ground level has a long bar to one side and the large bi-fold window overlooking the street is lined with stools. But, as McBride assured us, the Gully is no Little Guy 2.0. "The Gully is really 'Australiana' with a focus on all-Aussie products and a full service vegetarian kitchen upstairs," says McBride. The two-storey, 100-seat venue is decked out with tropical green walls and brass accents throughout. Downstairs, you'll find a sleek timber bar and aged leather-backed booths, while the upstairs restaurant is clean and simple, with a pitched roof and exposed beams. The bar runs on a 'something for everyone' mentality, and the team takes this mantra seriously with a rather extensive drinks list to choose from. "We don't want to alienate anyone and we're trying to communicate that through all of the menus," says McBride. "We had to have a big Aussie shiraz for mum, for example." Apart from shiraz, the bar also pours more than a few drops for natural wine lovers, including a few pét-nat and biodynamic numbers. Regions span Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Hunter Valley, Orange, Yarra Valley, Margaret River and Tumbarumba, to name just a few. There's also a long list of Australian-made gins, vodkas and whiskies, and a seven-strong cocktail list using those same Aussie spirits. On it, you'll find the Norton St Sour ($19) — made with Sydney's Mobius Distilling Company vodka, Adelaide Hills' Italian bitters, lemon and aquafaba — and the Aussie Negroni ($19), a concoction of Poor Toms Gin, sweet vermouth and Applewood Okar (a South Australian take on Italian amaro). [caption id="attachment_707936" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt.[/caption] The Gully is also just as much a restaurant as it is a bar. In the kitchen is Emma Evans, who hails from Woolloomooloo's plant-based eatery Alibi. She's creating an elevated vegetarian menu and is "a real boss lady", according to McBride. "Dynn and I are both vegetarian and we hate when people forsake flavour in vegetarian or vegan food," says McBride. "Emma is really good at playing with flavours and creating food that you wouldn't even notice is vego." Evans is turning out European share plates using all-Australian ingredients. Favourite menu items include the almond-based ricotta gnocchi with crispy oyster mushrooms and wattleseed in a wild mushroom broth ($24); tea and pepperberry-smoked potatoes with chives and parsley aioli ($11); and roasted pumpkin wedges, dusted with a native dukkah spice mixture and doused in herb cucumber yoghurt ($19). [caption id="attachment_707934" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] "Australia is very internationally inspired, and now you can get European-style wines and American-style gin and whisky, but all produced in Australia," says McBride. "The same goes for produce. If you want a burrata on the menu, it doesn't make sense to import it from Italy when there's a Marrickville factory that makes it." And they do have that burrata ($17) on the menu, too, topped with balsamic, a side of sliced figs and served with sourdough. "We tried to make the venue be as comfortable as possible, so people can get stuck in — we're not trying to just turn over tables," says McBride. "You can eat at the bar or go upstairs and smash a bottle of wine without getting any food. There are no set rules." Find Golden Gully at 153 Norton Street, Leichhardt from 4pm–midnight, Wednesday–Friday; midday–midnight, Saturday; and 4–11pm, Sunday. Images: Trent van der Jagt.
For seven years, Melburnians have inhabited the world's most liveable city. But that reign has come to an end — the Victorian capital has been dethroned by Vienna for the top spot on the The Economist Intelligence Unit's global 2018 Liveability Index, which was announced today. The index ranks 140 cities on stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture and environment, giving each city a rating out of 100. Last year, Vienna (97.4) and Melbourne (97.5) were incredibly close, but this year the Austrian capital has pipped the reigning champions. While none of Melbourne's ratings dropped — its overall ranking actually climbed to 98.4 — Vienna's stability and culture and environment ratings increased, which The Guardian is attributing to downgraded threat's of militant attacks in western Europe and the city's low crime rate. The Economist said, "Although both Melbourne and Vienna have registered improvements in liveability over the last six months, increases in Vienna's ratings, particularly in the stability category, have been enough for the city to overtake Melbourne. While Melbourne dropped, Sydney managed to climb the ranks (huzzah) — coming in at fifth this year, compared to last year's eleventh. Rounding out the top five were Osaka at third and Calgary at fourth.
Vivid is one of the best times of the year to be in Sydney — and also one of the most crowded. The festival of light, music and ideas has returned for 23 days from May 25 to June 16, and its tenth-anniversary program is sure to draw the biggest crowds yet. Want to see all of those glorious CBD light shows without packing into the streets like sardines? We know the best spots where you can get in on all the Vivid action — drink in one hand, phone in the other snapping shots from a unique vantage point. We've also partnered with our mates at Samsung to ensure we've selected bars with the primest of views, so you can use that new Galaxy S9 and S9+ with it's specially developed low light camera to snap the best evening shots. So whether you're into authentic margaritas with views of the Harbour Bridge, DJ sets with a front row seat to the new Luna Park installations or glowing gin cocktails with rooftop panoramas of those illuminated Opera House sails, we've picked out five of the best spots to hit for epic Vivid sights. MCA ROOFTOP BAR The MCA Cafe's rooftop boasts quite possibly the best Vivid vantage point the city has to offer — sans the heaving crowds. Panoramic sights of nearly all the festival highlights are visible from here (apart from the MCA itself, of course), so it's an ideal spot for snapping wide-angle pics. This year, Bombay Sapphire will be running the pop-up bar, which is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 5–9pm during the festival. Here, you can sip on glowing gin cocktails while taking in unobstructed views of the Opera House light show. The MCA has also extended its Lights on Later program to coincide with the Vivid hours; so in between drinks up at the bar, you can catch the last days of its 21st Biennale exhibition, running until Monday, June 11. THE GLENMORE Since being refurbished back in 2012, The Glenmore terrace has become one of our go-to spots all year 'round — especially during Vivid. The heritage-listed pub's rooftop offers 180-degree views over Sydney Harbour, featuring up-close sights of the Harbour Bridge light show. Tuck into some pub grub favourites and raise a glass to snagging one of Sydney's very best views of the festival. Our tip? Get in early (pre-sunset) so you can get a front row seat to all the glowing action come sundown. SMOKE No matter what you decide to snack on, this is really food with a view, as Smoke at Barangaroo House was designed to lead the eye out over the harbour. Thanks to Vivid Sydney, it's a prime location for a little light spotting. Barangaroo becomes a magical bushland of lights with The Liminal Hour, featuring the fiery six-metre high Marri Dyin, Eora for 'great woman'. You'll also surely catch a glimpse of the Australian National Maritime Museum rooftop, which will be projecting the underwater delights of BBC Earth and David Attenborough's Blue Planet II. Between sips of an Autumn Spritz — which blends Martini Riserva Abrato with pink grapefruit, St Germain elderflower liqueur, juniper and prosecco — you'll also be able to aim your lens at floating light boats and the beams of Skylark, an interactive custom-built laser, controlled out of nearby Pier 8. GOLDIE'S MUSIC HALL AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE Along with the Sydney Opera House's massive Vivid lineup comes its annual pop-up bar. This year, Goldie's Music Hall has taken over the northern foyer — brought to you by the team from Newtown's The Midnight Special. Themed 60s and 70s, the bar features a black and gold fit-out complete with beaded lampshades, plush furnishings and peacock chairs. DJs including Gonz, Mama Disquo and Rusty and Boonge will be spinning playlists of funk, soul and R&B, while you relax with signature cocktails like the Golden Years (a boozy concoction of cognac, rye whiskey and amaretto with whisky barrel bitters and orange zest), plus craft beers from The Grifter and Young Henrys, liquor from Poor Toms and Archie Rose and decadent small bites. Of course, you also get prime viewing of the Harbour and can snap all the waterside shots you want from the comfort of the bar. Goldie's is open daily from 6pm–late and runs until Monday, June 4. BLU BAR AT SHANGRI-LA Set on the 36th floor and fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, the Shangri-La Hotel's Blu Bar boasts sky-high panoramas of the Harbour. So, if you want some sprawling overhead shots of Vivid, this is the place to be. From here, the technicolour lights dance below while you enjoy the late-night menu with an extensive cocktail list, featuring both classics and inventive signatures (like the chamomile sour or a yuzu-thyme vodka concoction), plus refined bar snacks that you can nibble on while watching the show below. Escape the crowds, opt for exclusive sights from some of the best bars with Vivid views and snap some seriously professional-looking shots on the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, designed especially for low light. Images: Cole Bennetts.
Black Star Pastry has reached institution status after more than a decade creating world-class, Instagram-famous delicacies. The popularity of Black Star's singular pastry creations has seen the brand expand across multiple Sydney outposts, a Melbourne shop in St Kilda, as well as a flagship patisserie in Shanghai. But the ever-growing butter-fuelled empire started right here in Newtown back in 2011. The intimacy of this space belies its pedigree. Christopher Thé, of Claude's fame, is at the helm of this project, which takes classic delights and reworks them through inventive experimentation. The results remain whimsical, sometimes challenging and a sweet tooth's fantasia. Favourites from the menu include the now-iconic strawberry watermelon cake, the orange cake with Persian figs, and the lemon myrtle chiffon cake. Like all good things, the only fault of Black Star is its popularity. Outside seats and take-aways are always an option though — it's not worth missing out on, no matter how busy this little shopfront happens to be.
There's nothing like the feeling when everything falls into place. We’re talking about those pure moments when the ordinary becomes extraordinary, or when something great and unexpected happens, leaving you with a smile on your face. Luckily these moments normally don't stun you quite so much that you forget to whip out your smartphone, because if you've got photographic evidence, then social-media-savvy beer masters Pure Blonde are offering to deliver the unexpected to your bank account. There's $10,000 in cash up for grabs, and for the chance to win a share of it, just upload a photo from Facebook or Instagram via the competition app on their Facebook page. You'll also get the chance to see your fleeting moment live a longer life in a crowd-sourced video montage using the campaign's best images. Check out the competition here, start digging through your favourite photos, and get your entries in before May 10. Here are a few of the shots we will be entering. Concrete Playground photography by Nick Fogarty
What's creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky, has been around for 84 years now, and just keeps scampering around screens big and small like a mischievous severed limb? The Addams Family, of course. What's finally in the hands of Tim Burton, aka the director who could easily be one of the altogether-ooky crew's long-lost relatives, and has spent his entire career channelling their gothic aesthetic? Yep, that'd be The Addams Family again. It's time to get a witch's shawl on and a broomstick you can crawl on, because Netflix — and Burton — are gonna pay a call on popular culture's most famous supernatural brood. The show in question: Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega as the titular figure. Indeed, it's turning out to be quite the year for the actor, especially when it comes to horror, with this new take on The Addams Family following her roles in Scream, Studio 666 and X already in 2022. Wednesday will clearly focus on its namesake, aka the Addams' eldest child, who plenty of teenage girls with long black hair have been compared to for decades. Wednesday is indeed a teen in the new series — a high schooler, in fact. As seen in the just-dropped first trailer for the show, she has been terrorising her way through schools, hopping through eight of them in five years. The sneak peek starts with the plait-wearing figure getting the boot from another, too, with some help from a couple of bags of piranhas, then ending up at Nevermore Academy. Her father Gomez (Luis Guzmán, Hightown) and mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Prodigal Son) met at Nevermore, and think that she'll love it — but clearly Wednesday's storyline isn't going to be that straightforward. While she's there, she'll have a monstrous killing spree to stop, and a supernatural mystery linked to her parents a quarter-century ago to solve. Sleuthing, high school antics and all things Addams Family: that's the spell that Wednesday plans to cast when it arrives this spring Down Under (Netflix hasn't announced an exact release date, but you could put money on it dropping in October for obvious reasons). The trailer looks like Burton is filtering his Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands vibes through Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children — so, it looks exactly like a Tim Burton-directed version of The Addams Family was always going to. Wednesday treads in huge footsteps, though, given that this isn't the first time that The Addams Family has made the leap from a beloved cartoon in The New Yorker to the screen. The 1960s TV series is a gem of the era, and 1991's live-action film The Addams Family and its 1993 sequel Addams Family Values are two of the best movies of that decade. (The less said about the recent animated flick and its own follow-up, however, the better.) Netflix's eight-part series also stars Isaac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time) as Pugsley and George Burcea (Comrade Detective) as Lurch, while Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie is also set to pop up. And, although exactly who she'll be playing hasn't been revealed, the 90s Wednesday Addams, aka Yellowjackets' Christina Ricci, is also on the cast list. Check out the first teaser trailer for Wednesday below: Wednesday will start streaming via Netflix sometime in spring Down Under — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Images: Matthias Clamer / Vlad Cioplea / Netflix © 2022.
When SXSW arrives in Sydney for the first time ever, it'll give Australia perhaps the biggest tech, innovation, screen, music, games and culture festival that the country has ever seen. It's fitting, then, that the event has just added one of the nation's most famous acting names at home and in America: Nicole Kidman. 2023 marks 40 years since Kidman starred in BMX Bandits, but that's not why she'll be taking to the SXSW Sydney stage as part of its massive speaker lineup. Instead, she'll be chatting with her producing partner Per Saari about her production company Blossom Films. On its resume: the Nickers-starring Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Undoing and Rabbit Hole, as well as this year's Elizabeth Olsen (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)-led Love & Death. [caption id="attachment_921120" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ryan Pfluger[/caption] Among SXSW Sydney's latest additions, Kidman is joined by a few fellow Aussie talents who also know more than a thing or two about working in Hollywood. Indeed, in a separate session called Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, actor Jason Clarke and filmmaker Phillip Noyce will get talking about working in America's showbiz mecca. Jason Clarke has Oppenheimer, Zero Dark Thirty, First Man, Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty, playing John Connor in Terminator Genisys and more on his resume. Rabbit Proof Fence helmer Noyce's US credits include Salt, The Quiet American, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Saint and Revenge (and no, he won't be joining forces with Kidman to dig into Dead Calm). As well as Clarke and Noyce, this session features actor Charmaine Bingwa from The Good Fight, plus Crazy Rich Asians 2 screenwriter Amy Wang. [caption id="attachment_921123" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Warrick Page/HBO[/caption] The two new SXSW Sydney sessions hail from the Los Angeles-based Australians in Film, which is about developing screen talent, and add to an already-hefty lineup of speakers. Charlie Brooker is on the bill, diving into Black Mirror of course, while Chance The Rapper will talk about 50 years of hip hop, Coachella CEO Paul Tollett clearly has his own fest to discuss, and Future Today Institute founder and CEO Amy Webb also sits among the big names. "Over the past 20 years, AiF has created a unique and supportive community of Australian screen talent in Los Angeles, from emerging actors and filmmakers through to our most revered screen icons. We are excited to have this opportunity to bring the spirit and energy of AiF and our Hollywood community to SXSW Sydney, together with our partner Screen Australia," said Australians in Film Chair Emma Cooper. "From the team at SXSW Sydney, I'd like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Australians in Film and Screen Australia for their ongoing support. We appreciate the time everyone is taking to travel and join us in our first year — our story will be about these visionaries, and about the diverse and compelling voices emerging alongside them," added SXSW Sydney Managing Director Colin Daniels. Also on the SXSW Sydney lineup: a 700-plus strong bill of talent, covering over 300 sessions. The event will feature more than 300 gigs across 25 venues, too, including an array of music highlights and must-attend parties. Its dedicated gaming strand will feature a tabletop game expo. And, the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival will open with The Royal Hotel, then host the world premiere of Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles among a heap of other standout flicks. The entire event — the festivals within the bigger fest, exhibitions, talks, networking opportunities and streetside activations — will happen within a walkable precinct in the Sydney CBD, Haymarket, Darling Harbour, Ultimo, Chippendale and more, with the SXSW Sydney's footprint operating as a huge hub. Venues include Powerhouse Museum, ICC Sydney, UTS, Central Park Mall, the Goods Line Walk, The Abercrombie and Lansdowne Hotel. [caption id="attachment_910713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brittany Hallberg[/caption] SXSW Sydney runs from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues, with the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival running from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21 at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and more venues to be announced. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. Top image: The Undoing, Niko Tavernise/HBO. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
Ahead of the much-anticipated opening of Redfern's The EVE Hotel, hospitality group Liquid & Larder (The Gidley, Bistecca) has officially launched the hotel's two stunning venues, each with its own fascinating concept. Situated amid The EVE's stunning rooftop oasis, Lottie is a contemporary Mexican restaurant and mezcaleria that combines the familiar with more than a few surprises. Guided by head chef Alejandro Huerta, his time spent working in acclaimed kitchens like Copenhagen's Noma and Mexico City's Pujol has made him the ideal candidate to lead Lottie's culinary experience. Alongside group executive chef, Pip Pratt, the duo's uncompromising commitment to quality ensures Mexico's rich heritage will be displayed with passion and care. What's more, the entire menu is gluten-free. "I feel like I'm exactly where I'm meant to be. I've loved working closely with Pip to help bring this menu to life, showcasing some of the best Mexican flavours and local ingredients that will challenge what Sydneysiders think of Mexican cuisine," says Huerta. "I'm excited to showcase new dishes, some inspired by my upbringing, and continue to evolve the Lottie dining experience as we welcome our first guests to our rooftop haven." Yet this place is only half of the story when it comes to The EVE Hotel's food and drink offerings. Liquid & Larder have looked to another continent to conceive Bar Julius – a European-inspired neighbourhood bar. Nestled into leafy Baptist Street, visitors can expect dawn-to-dusk dining where a midday martini or a 3pm espresso is a welcome order. Led by head chef Will Francis, it's the kind of place you can fritter away a weekday with only the occasional glimpse across to your laptop. But don't expect to drag out your work day here – a no laptops after 5pm policy makes sure Bar Julius is ripe for good cocktails and good times with friends. You'll be knocking off early anyway, as daily happy hours from 4–5pm feature top-notch specials like $2 oysters, $12 negronis and $6 Tanqueray gin and tonics. If you're more of an early starter, breakfast is just as good, with menu highlights including croque madames, French omelettes and pork hock toast soldiers. Designed by local architecture practice SJB, there are hints of European charm throughout, with a rich palette of burgundy, marble and leather fostering a warm but lively ambience. Meanwhile, Australian timbers, bold patterns and playful artwork bring a local flavour to the design. Together, this inviting combination makes it a natural fit for those hanging out for breakfast or checking in for cocktails with post-work pals. [caption id="attachment_988198" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] [caption id="attachment_988199" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] [caption id="attachment_988195" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] [caption id="attachment_988189" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] [caption id="attachment_988190" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] [caption id="attachment_988191" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] Lottie and Bar Julius are located in The EVE Hotel Sydney at 8 Baptist St, Redfern. Head to the website for more information.
Everyone loves cheese, but it's rare that it takes centrestage in a restaurant. It's usually one of so many sandwich fillings or pizza toppings, or it might be a pre-dessert course if you're somewhere extra fancy. But everyone's favourite dairy product is about to get the recognition it deserves at The Stinking Bishops, a cheese bar and retailer set to open in Newtown later this month. Kieran Day, who co-owns the venture with Jamie Nimmo, says he was inspired to open his own cheese shop after seeing similar places while travelling through Europe. "I have worked in the food industry for a number of years now, from delis to restaurants, and thought that the concept would work really well, combining a cheese shop with a dine in aspect," he said. Day plans on stocking a range of local and international cheeses and is "looking towards holding a nice supply of raw milk and specialty cheese". There'll also be bread, pastries, cured meats and house-made pickles available for purchase. The dine-in menu is still undergoing "rigorous taste testing processes", according to the Stinking Bishops' website, but will mainly consist of cheese and cured meat boards, pate, salad and various 'Mr. Crispy' toasted sandwiches (pictured above), matched with carefully selected wine, beer and whiskey. The Stinking Bishops will be located at Shop 5, 63-71 Enmore Road, and Day is aiming to open in mid-March. Images from the The Stinking Bishops' blog and Facebook page.
Filling your stomach with warm, toasty things to get you through the cold months is a tried and true method for surviving winter. We're talking veggie soup and ramen right through to hot chips and cheesy bowls of pasta. And not to mention booze — spirits like rum are often a good call for your cold bones, particularly they have a bit of wintry spice to it. As such, The Kraken Black Spiced Rum isn't too shabby a choice to liven things up and make you feel warm and cosy on your insides. At a recent Christmas in July event in Sydney, Kraken whipped out a a selection of dark wintry cocktails made to warm even the most cold-blooded, all made with its signature Black Spiced Rum. We learnt the tricks to some new fancy spiced rum cocktails that may just be our lifeblood until the sun comes around again — and we've nabbed the recipes. Here are four recipes to get you playing along at home. SPICED EGG FOGG A twist on the standard Christmas classic, this eggnog is much more appropriate for winter. Too often you've got the summer (and meat) sweats on Christmas Day, so this Egg Fogg might be the perfect way to warm up to Christmas in July — Kraken Black Spiced Rum provides the kick needed. Ingredients 700ml of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum 24 egg yolks 12 egg whites 3 cups of sugar 2 litres of milk 2 litres of cream 1 tablespoons of orange marmalade 3 cloves 4 star anise 2 cinnamon quills 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon nutmeg Method Combine cream, milk, marmalade and all spices in large pot over heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl, slowly adding the rum bit by bit. When it's all mixed in, add the cream and milk mixture, then serve into rocks glasses. To finish, mix egg whites until they've formed soft peaks and top the eggnog mixture with the peaks. If you want to go the whole hog and just happen to have a kitchen blowtorch lying around, toast the tops of the peaks. Garnish with a star anise and serve (maybe while wearing a Christmas jumper). SUCKER PUNCH The Sucker Punch has more of a fruity vibe, with orange liqueur, lime juice and fresh pineapple on the go for one big hit of vitamin C. Along with The Kraken Black Spiced Rum, this one straddles that very important cocktail line of sweet vs sour, and will have you forgetting you're not on a tropical holiday. Ingredients 30ml of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum 15ml of Italian bitter orange liqueur 15ml of fresh pressed lime juice 15ml of demerara sugar syrup or agave syrup 60ml of fresh pressed pineapple juice Method This one's simple: chuck all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass, or any cocktail glass that makes you feel fancy. SEA SPECTOR The Sea Spector is one of those 'the simpler the better' cocktails, with just three ingredients and a lemon peel garnish. Using falernum — a Caribbean syrup made of sugar cane syrup, lime, almond and cloves — the Sea Spector is a bit of a taste of the ocean (just without all the salt). Ingredients 30ml of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum 10ml of falernum syrup 3 dashes Creole bitters 1 swathe of lemon peel Method Stir all ingredients over ice in a glass then strain straight over ice into a frosty rocks glass fresh from the freezer. Pop the lemon peel in and wham, bam, thank you ma'am you've a pretty civilised cocktail on your hands. KRAKEN ESPRESSO MARTINI Of course, no cocktail menu is complete without the requisite espresso martini — and this one's a corker. Give yourself a treat in the form of a rum cocktail that will also wake you up and have you raring for the rest of the night with the coffee, chocolate bitters in a glass rimmed with coffee beans and salt. Ingredients 30ml of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum 15ml of coffee liqueur 60ml of espresso coffee 15ml of agave syrup 2 dashes chocolate bitters A mix of smashed coffee beans and salt Method Grab a coupette glass, wet the rim, and coat with a mix of smashed coffee beans and salt. Combine all ingredients and shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into the glass, sip through the caffeinated rim and enjoy that sweet, sweet kick.
We all know it's never too early to start planning your summer – especially the bits that involve scouting out new drinking destinations and loading up on art and culture. Handy then, that the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia will again combine two of Sydney's favourite past-times for its third annual exhibition-themed summer pop-up bar, opening the doors to Colour Fields on November 3. As the name suggests, this year's project is set to inject the MCA's harbourside terrace with a healthy dose of colour, inspired by Pipilotti Rist's bold Sydney International Art Series exhibition Sip My Ocean, which is in town from November 1 until February 18. Not only will the rainbow-hued bar offer modernised classic cocktails and summery share plates to echo Rist's bold installations, but the team from Work-Shop will be hosting a series of Wednesday night classes on topics like DIY perfume-making and rosé appreciation – perfect for when that art gazing leaves you itching to unleash some creativity of your own. And, as the icing on the cake, local record label Future Classic has again jumped on board to serve up some awesome aural treats. Colour Fields will feature their handpicked mixtapes throughout the week, while weekly Sunday sessions will see the likes of Andy Garvey, Le Fruit, Freda & Jackson and Moving House DJ's gracing the decks. Find Colour Fields at the MCA, 140 George St, The Rocks, Wednesdays to Sundays starting November 3. For more information, go here. Image courtesy Scoundrel Projects
2015 brought you a cornucopia of hideous yet good for you root veggies, international restaurant swaps and bargain basement lobster, among other gustatory revelations. So, what's in store for 2016? Well, the restaurant transplants are set to continue with Copenhagen's Noma popping up later this month, and not-so aesthetically appealing foodstuffs are sticking around (see: algae). But just when you thought chefs and food technologists couldn't invent anything weirder, they come up with the goods. Then again, with the likes of Bompas and Parr setting up food museums, we shouldn't be surprised. This year is set to deliver a slew of culinary adventures, from cocktails you can inhale to niche food festivals, to more dishes featuring native Australian ingredients. Here are ten trends we've got our money on. [caption id="attachment_555266" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Attica[/caption] NATIVE AUSSIE INGREDIENTS Kylie Kwong's been caramelising wallaby tail and stir-frying native greens for a few years now, while Melbourne's Attica offers a dish of salt cured red kangaroo with bunya bunya (pictured). By and large though, Australian chefs have been slow to capitalise on Australia's indigenous produce. That might change when Copenhagen's two Michelin-starred restaurant Noma pops up in Sydney on January 26 for ten weeks. Head chef Rene Redzepi is passionate about expressing an area's unique environment through his cooking, and is sure to use our best native ingredients while he's here. Read more about the incredible potential of native foods over here. [caption id="attachment_555499" align="alignnone" width="1280"] blumblaum via Flickr[/caption] ALGAE Kale's still kicking around, but algae is closing in. In October, an upmarket Californian store put the world's first ever algae cooking oil on its shelves. With scientists warning us off other veggie oils due to their toxicity, this new product promises "goodness to your heart, the kitchen and the planet". Expect it to be added to foods and beverages to reduce fat and cholesterol and add a bit of extra protein and antioxidants. Meanwhile, a design collective has imagined a futuristic opera, in which singers grow algae with their breath during the show and give it to audiences to eat afterwards. But maybe that belongs under theatre trends. [caption id="attachment_555557" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hunter and Barrel[/caption] PLAYING WITH FIRE Lucky we've been giving you inside info on Sydney's best caves, because your troglodyte skills are about to come in handy. When electricity arrived, we cast aside one of humankind's oldest technological developments, but, as any dedicated hiker knows, there ain't no potato like a campfire-cooked potato. So expect to see a lot more cooking with fire this year, whether it's at Hunter & Barrel, Firedoor or Hartsyard. Just don't think you can go wandering into any of these pubs with your marshmallow on a stick. [caption id="attachment_555568" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Stefano via Flickr[/caption] DNA MATCHING Not as in, would you like a chardonnay or a cup of genes with that salad, but choosing foods that best suit your DNA to avoid unpleasant symptoms and improve your health. Yep, it's a thing. It turns out your wheat intolerance mightn't be just about gluten, it might be linked to a plethora of factors, especially your DNA. Old mates Bompas and Parr are already onto this, having worked on a project that created bespoke cocktails based on your DNA last year. And Dr. Fredric Abramson, founder of Digital Nutrition, is already offering a service that helps you match your diet to your genes. So get on it. [caption id="attachment_555298" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Fir0002 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] GETTING GOATY With bacon having some copped some bad press for its carcinogenic qualities, goat sales are on the rise. It's profitable news for Aussie farmers, who are the world's biggest exporters of goat meat. Long a staple of Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Indian diets, the horned creature will be making its way onto mainstream menus more and more often . In London, Aussie-born chef Brett Graham is already on the bandwagon at The Ledbury. NICHE FOOD FESTIVALS So, it happened before processed meat was added to WHO's top five most cancerous items, but Sydney hosted its biggest ever bacon party in August 2015. And Pinot Palooza, a touring festival devoted to the mighty pinot noir, is now a mainstay on the annual calendar. Last year also saw Melbourne host its first gin festival, Juniperlooza, and a festival 100 per cent dedicated to Nutella will be hitting Adelaide in April. Food festivals have been around for thousands of years, but we reckon they're going to get more and more specific in 2016. [caption id="attachment_555572" align="alignnone" width="960"] Master's 'Roast Potato' by kseet via Instagram[/caption] SWEET AND SAVOURY DESSERTS Everyone knows what a decent dash of salt can do for a good chocolate. And the ebullient marrying of sweet and savoury flavours is likely to feature in desserts all over the planet in 2016. New Yorkers are already sampling beetroot, carrot and sweet potato yoghurts, courtesy of Blue Hill founder Dan Barber, and here in Sydney Master is pushing the sweet-savoury envelope with their roast potato ice cream dessert. In Melbourne, Lume is going down the same lines with their beetroot cake dessert, and Mammoth is confusing everyone's tastebuds with their sugary doughnut lobster burger. INHALABLE COCKTAILS Many of our favourite bars look to the cocktail's 'golden age' for inspiration. And with good reason — an old-fashioned or a martini is hard to beat. But the inhalable incarnation of the cocktail is bringing the drink into the 21st century. This is thanks to Bompas and Parr, who ran a pop-up bar named Alcohol Architecture in London last August. Visitors were invited to walk into a 'cocktail cloud', created with enormous humidifiers. Inspired by the duo, Brisbane Festival got on this last year, creating a breathable gin and tonic room as part of their 2015 program. We can't wait to see where this goes next. LEAVES OF ALL KINDS Your iceberg lettuce just won't cut it anymore. And neither will your cos, rocket or radicchio, for that matter. Your salads are about to get much, much fancier and more diverse. Heston Blumenthal was onto it at 2015's Fat Duck pop-up in Melbourne — he organised exclusive access to a source of local oyster leaves, which he combined with chicken, grilled onion emulsion and spiced celeriac sauce. [caption id="attachment_555270" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Superfood Sushi[/caption] GOING VEGAN Veganism is nothing new, but this year looks like it might be the one to firmly cement it as a full-blown cuisine. And for a while there, it looked as though the whole of Sydney's King Street might go vegan. It added vegan superfood sushi and Bliss 'n' Chips — where soy-based protein and konjac are transmogrified into incredibly convincing deep fried seafood dishes — to the strip, and and then, in news that shocked many, Gigi announced it was taking animal products out of its pizzas. All three businesses seem to be thriving, so we're banking on more vegan openings and conversions this year. But for now, here are our top ten vegan joints. Top image: Bompas and Parr
When Normal People became the streaming sensation of the pandemic's early days, it made stars out of leads Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and swiftly sparked another Sally Rooney adaptation from much of the same behind-the-scenes team. It wouldn't have been the hit it was if it hadn't proven an exercise in peering deeply, thoughtfully, lovingly and carefully, though, with that sensation stemming as much from its look as its emotion-swelling story. It should come as no surprise, then, that cinematographer Kate McCullough works the same magic on The Quiet Girl, a Gaelic-language coming-of-age film that sees the world as only a lonely, innocent, often-ignored child can. This devastatingly moving and beautiful movie also spies the pain and hardship that shapes its titular figure's world — and yes, it does so softly and with restraint, just like its titular figure, but that doesn't make the feelings it swirls up any less immense. McCullough is just one of The Quiet Girl's key names; filmmaker Colm Bairéad, a feature first-timer who directs and adapts Claire Keegan's novella Foster, is another. His movie wouldn't be the deeply affecting affair it is without its vivid and painterly imagery — but it also wouldn't be the same without the helmer and scribe's delicate touch, which the 1981-set tale he's telling not only needs but demands. His focus: that soft-spoken nine-year-old, Cáit (newcomer Catherine Clinch), who has spent her life so far as no one's priority. With her mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Shadow Dancer) pregnant again, her father (Michael Patric, Smother) happiest drinking, gambling and womanising, and her siblings boisterously bouncing around their rural Irish home, she's accustomed to blending in and even hiding out. Then, for the summer, she's sent to her mum's older cousin Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley, Extra Ordinary) and her dairy farmer husband Seán (Andrew Bennett, Dating Amber). Now the only child among doting guardians, she's no less hushed, but she's also loved and cared for as she's never been before. Clinch is another of The Quiet Girl's crucial figures, courtesy of a downright exceptional and star-making performance. If you were to discover that she was a quiet girl off-screen, too, you'd instantly believe it — that's how profoundly naturalistic she is. Finding a young talent to convey so much internalised, engrained sorrow, then to slowly blossom when fondness comes her way, isn't just a case of finding a well-behaved child who welcomes the camera's presence. Clinch makes Cáit's isolation and sadness feel palpable, and largely does so without words: again, this is The Quiet Girl in name and nature alike. She makes the comfort and acceptance that her character enjoys with the instantly tender Eibhlín feel just as real, and kicks into another still-composed but also visibly appreciative gear as a bond forms with the tight-lipped Seán. Pivotally, Clinch plays Cáit like she's the only lonely girl in Ireland, but also like she's every lonely and mostly silent girl that's ever called that or any country home. That astonishing performance, and the empathetic and absorbed gaze that beams it into the film's frames, tap into the lingering truth at the heart of this soulful picture: that overlooked and disregarded girls such as Cáit rarely receive this kind of notice on- or off-screen. The warm way that the movie surveys her life, and is truly willing to see it, is never anything less than an act of redress — and, even with dialogue sparse, The Quiet Girl screams that fact loudly. It gives the same treatment to loss, which is an unshakeable force in Eibhlín and Seán's home despite remaining unspoken. "There are no secrets in this house," Eibhlín tells Cáit, but that doesn't mean that the type of pain that defies speech doesn't haunt the place, as it does the lives lived in it. Grief, too, is usually pushed aside, but The Quiet Girl sees how it persists, dwells and gnaws even when — especially when — no one is talking about it. The Quiet Girl, and Bairéad and McCullough with it, sees everything with attentive eyes: chaos at home, bullying at school, and uncertainty mixed with relief when Cáit cottons onto why she's taking such a long drive with her dad, for starters. It watches as the girl's summer getaway teems with promise and wonder — on the farm, in its woods, in the gleaming rainwater well, simply watching Eibhlín in the house or shadowing Seán outside — and as her relationship with her surrogate parents has the same fantastical allure. It spots the tentative curiosity that Cáit has about the train wallpaper in her new bedroom, as well as the boy's clothes she's given to wear. And, it can't avoid the gleeful gossiping-slash-interrogating by neighbour Úna (Joan Sheehy, End of Sentence), when she gets her chance to spill Eibhlín and Seán's past, and also grill their new charge about their present. Viewers peer on intently as well; using the Academy ratio, the almost-square frame that was once the cinematic standard, has that effect. That stylistic choice can say more than words when a character feels boxed in or trapped — see Happening and The Tragedy of Macbeth — which The Quiet Girl uses to its advantage in its earliest scenes. The tighter canvas also hones focus, which is this film's entire purpose anyway. Thanks to the straightforward but nonetheless riveting narrative, and the emotional journeys that it charts, Bairéad didn't need to restrict the movie's visuals so blatantly. The Quiet Girl would've captured its audience's undying attention anyway. But a closer look begets a closer look, both at otherwise-shunned children and at the minutiae they only start to spy themselves when their lives get cosier and kinder, yet also bigger and more assured. When it premiered at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival, The Quiet Girl made history as the first Gaelic-language film to compete at the prestigious event, and also won an award in the process. When it reached Irish cinemas midyear, along with those elsewhere in the UK, it broke box office records for Gaelic-language movies, too. Small things, big impact: that's this wonderfully heartrending, deeply resonant, exquisitely fleshed out feature over and over, within its poetic images and beyond.
Presenting Wilhelmina's Liquid + Larder: Starring the food talents of recent MasterChef finalist Jamie Fleming, it’s the third instalment from James Bradey and Warren Burns, the producers who brought you cosmopolitan kitsch at Grandma's Bar and Irish folk fun at The Wild Rover. At Wilhelmina's, there’s no theme or gimmick to get you in the door; it’s just local, fresh, seasonal and sensational. Located on Balmain’s Darling Street, Wilhelmina’s celebrates the local community through food, drink and design. Recycled materials from the timber yard make up the back bar and walls, local pottery hangs from the ceiling, and then there’s the vibrant mural by local artist Anya Brock. While bar menus are typically crowd-pleasing and cholesterol-inducing, Wilhelmina’s opts for fresh and thoughtful selections that change with the daily market offerings. Today, there’s a plate of kingfish ceviche ($14), where twirls of raw kingfish sit with piles of crumbed pistachio and pickled cucumber, garnished with translucent slivers of radish. There’s little resemblance to the traditional Peruvian version — will these fusion flavours spell disaster for Jamie? The music is tense and we cut to an ad break where George Calombaris spruiks Swisse Vitamins. Fortunately, the flavours are inventive, intelligent and it “packs a punch”. Jamie is safe for this round. Cue uplifting music. So there's that. But for a more substantial evening meal, the Newcastle pippies ($23) are a mariner’s paradise. These butterflied beauties swim in a buttery white wine broth, served with a great hunk of sourdough sourced from Sydney's Bread and Butter project. If it's a beer-friendly bar snack you need, don't go past the Berkshire pork cheek croquettes ($8) or a cup of Wilhelmina’s spiced nuts ($5). If you’re sceptical about beetroot’s place on a dessert menu, you’ll be left red-faced after trying the delicious lemon posset ($9.50). It balances with precision a tangy lemon curd with a sweet beetroot gel and it’s finished off with an almond crumb topping for textual crunch. Wilhelmina’s doesn't drop the ball in the drinks department either. There’s an extensive list of local boutique wines, craft beers and inventive cocktails to ponder over. The Thyme Me Up cocktail ($16) mixes rum, banana, apple and thyme into a marvellously herbaceous creation. As this episode draws to a close, it’s time to hold up our scorecards. Wilhelmina's is a winner, and what's more, Balmain’s masterful new bar is sure to score high ratings with the locals.
You may have thought bringing the chefs behind the World's 50 Best Restaurants to Melbourne next year was enough. But Wine Australia, Tourism Australia and The World's 50 Best have decided to take it one step further and bring the world's top sommeliers along with them. If you had access to that calibre of people — wouldn't you? Last month, we waxed lyrical on the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards and the week of foodie fun that surrounds it — industry events, workshops and eats that will go down between April 1-17. The news that the greatest wine minds in the world are tagging along for the celebration is the cherry on top of an already delicious sundae. The pool of sommeliers are from restaurants already in the top 50 and the Best Sommelier in the World competition. They're the biggest wine nerds from around the world, and they'll be treated to trips to our most important wine regions, as well as specially tailored tastings that show off the best that Australia has to offer. The point is to bring together the most influential people in the wine game from around the globe and really show off what's available in our Great Southern Land. So while we won't be able to attend any of these exclusive industry events, they will bring light to the Australian wine industry and hopefully encourage more chefs to explore what's available food-wise in Australia. It ties in perfectly with the restaurant awards and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, which is celebrating its 25th birthday this year. These sommeliers will sample the best wines our shores produce in conjunction with the best food in the world, which hopefully, according to Wine Australia CEO Andreas Clark, will help them to "walk away with a refreshed perspective and love of Australian wine". The wine list throughout the events will be curated by some of Australia's sharpest wine minds, with the panel being drawn from a pool of wine writers, sommeliers, winemakers and consultants with the aim of showcasing the quality and diversity of Australian wines. Panelists include Franck Moreau of Merivale, Amanda Yallop from Quay and the editor of Gourmet Traveller Wine, Judy Sarris. As the world becomes more and more connected, the unique gastronomies and wine cultures from all around the world are becoming more apparent, and more available, on a global scale never seen before. This event and others like it are the embodiment of a spreading and sharing of these cultures and their individual bold flavours. William Drew, Group Editor of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, said: "Wine is a key aspect of the overall gastronomic experience and Australia boasts some of the finest wine producers in the world, so this collaboration makes perfect sense." And while we blush with a feigned modesty, we truly can't help but agree.
As 2024 winds down, the sound of jingling sleigh bells can be heard just over the horizon. The silly season is upon us, which brings with it fond memories of fireside stories, heart-warming food and snowy landscapes (even in the southern hemisphere). While it probably won't be a white Christmas for Sydneysiders, Surry Hills restaurant NEL is nonetheless transporting diners to a winter wonderland, summoning classic yuletide flavours in clever and surprising ways. Patron Chef Nelly Robinson and the team at NEL are once again giving Sydney an early present with their annual The Story of Christmas menu. This year, the menu hopes to capture classic Christmas imagery but with a few Aussie winks. "It's equal parts childhood memories and traditions from across the globe," says Robinson. This nostalgic 11-course degustation pays homage to Aussie ingredients — sourced sustainably from local producers. The prawn and mango course, for example, offers a refreshing prawn mosaic marinated in native spices and topped with mango "snow". For a more classic taste, the duck dinner course delivers rich, roast dinner flavours, prepared both confit and with crispy skin. Diners can also pretend they're Santa biting into a Christmas cookie, but with a savoury spin, courtesy of two Red Leicester and Pyengana cheddar custard cookie sandwiches served in a wooden cookie tin. In a nod to traditional beverages of the season, the menu also reinterprets the seasonal flavours of mulled wine, spinning it into a layered Christmas trifle. Make sure to leave room for dessert as you won't want to miss the edible snowflake course, starring a vanilla Victoria sponge coated in white chocolate mousse, strawberry compote and chocolate popping candy. And at NEL, even those in Santa's bad books can have some fun, with a dish titled Naughty Child, trippy plating featuring a pumpkin and carrot croquette with macadamia hummus and honey made to resemble a lump of coal. "I'm just a lad who loves Christmas," says Robinson. "Each dish is designed to spark joy and conversation."
While festivals and concerts around the world have been cancelled and postponed (Bluesfest, Dark Mofo, gigs at the Sydney Opera House and Splendour in the Grass to name a few), a bunch of Sydney mates have created their own virtual gig: Room 2 Radio. Dubbed Sydney's first online nightclub, this party is letting you get your groove on even if you're stuck at home. Bringing the club to your bedroom, this online boogie kicked off in March and sees local DJs perform on your screens every Friday. This week, the night is aptly dubbed Pretty over it and will see the likes of Johnny Lieu playing early 2000s garage and bassline bangers, DJ, R&B artist and FBi Radio host Latifa Tee and eclectic Sydney-based selector Papi Chulo. So, expect more than just a video of someone hitting play on Spotify. Room 2 Radio is scheduled to run every week until further notice, with each week's program being announced via Facebook. To add to the good times, there'll be disco lights, drink recommendations and a live chat going so you can socialise with other partygoers. Room 2 Radio even played a sneak peak set to get things started, which you can check out here. Is this the future of nightlife? Who knows in these wild times, but at least for now we can party together, at home. To check out upcoming programs, head here. Updated, July 31, 2020.
Diane Kruger returns to her German roots with In the Fade, a tense, moving portrait of tragedy and vengeance, and the winner of the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Helmed by German-Turkish director Fatih Akin, the film stars Kruger as Katja, a mother whose son and husband are murdered in a terrorist attack. It's an incredible performance, with the actress slipping into the empty, hollow-eyed space of insurmountable grief. She abuses drugs, alienates her family, and even attempts to take her own life. But she's eventually lifted out of her sorrow by the burning desire for revenge. For lack of a better category, In The Fade is a revenge story, one driven by Katja's personal mission to deliver justice for her family. We soon learn that the crime was committed by a pair of neo-Nazis, who are eventually acquitted after a lengthy, emotionally charged trial. We watch as Katja sits behind the plaintiff's desk, just a few short metres away from the accused, and feel her internal world becoming more and more pressurised. Kruger's performance is more than deserving of the Best Actress award she scooped up at Cannes. She's also stated that the process of making the film wore her out, to the point that she took six months off after filming. It's easy to understand why. Beyond Kruger's performance, what works best about the film is the format Akin employs. The narrative is split into three separate segments, set in three different environments, with three distinctive looks. In "Family" we see Katja cordoned off in her house, drowning in an ocean of grief, even as rain buckets down outside. Then there are the fluorescent lights and straight lines of the court room in "Justice". Finally we get to "The Sea", in which a softer, sunnier aesthetic belies the chapter's actual function – Katja has bid goodbye to her old life and is now bent entirely on vengeance. Perhaps less successful is the minutiae of the film's actual plot, including the fact that the two perpetrators are acquitted despite all the evidence against them. Nor are we given much insight into their twisted psyche. In The Fade provides a thorough study of its protagonist's state of mind, but could have benefited from doing the same for its villains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyjnzhXJlHU
Circus advisor Preston Jamieson has a unique perspective on the musical Pippin, having performed in the first Broadway production and during the US national tour before working as a circus coordinator for the show's tour in Japan. "I've been involved in every single production," says Jamieson. "This is the first time I've done a new Pippin with completely new acrobats — and I'm really excited about that. They're champions, and I know we're going to wow." When Concrete Playground spoke with Jamieson, Pippin was only in its first week of rehearsals — and, unusually, the rehearsal studio for the show is precisely where you'll get to experience it: on stage at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. It'll be the first show to open at the Lyric in Sydney since the theatre temporarily closed due in March 2020. Its cast includes locals like Ainsley Melham (Aladdin), who plays the titular role, and Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who plays his grandmother. The role of Leading Player will be performed by US actor Gabrielle McClinton (pictured, below), who knows the story inside out from performing in its Broadway and US tour productions. [caption id="attachment_789195" align="alignnone" width="1920"] US actor Gabrielle McClinton plays the Leading Player, photographed during rehearsal by Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] The 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin was lauded for having a woman of colour cast in the Leading Player role, and it's now part of the show's tradition. The same production also won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. But, though the Sydney version is based on the Broadway show, it doesn't mean you'll get to see a carbon-copy of the Broadway production when it opens on Tuesday, November 24. "Every iteration is unique because of the skills the acrobats bring to the table," says Jamieson. "Sydney's will be slightly different than any other version we've ever done before." [caption id="attachment_789193" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Though it's too early to confirm exactly what we can expect to see on stage, we do know there'll be hand-to-hand (partner) acrobatics, plus aerial and silk acrobatics, and a guy who can clamber up a ladder without any support. "If it's in the centre of the room, he can get to the top of the ladder," says Jamieson. During his time with the show, Jamieson has learned knife-throwing, as well as how to set the acrobatics within the key 'spots' allocated to each song, which includes tunes like 'Corner of the Sky' and 'Magic to Do', all composed by Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked and Godspell). "We're also trying to find a spot for some hair hanging, too. One of our acrobats has hair-hanging experience, and, as crazy as it seems, they suspend themselves by their own hair. It's a [Pippin] first." There'll also be "a 67-year-old dangling by her feet, so there's going to be a lot of death-defying," he says. [caption id="attachment_789198" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ainsley Melham as Pippin, Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] On the surface, Pippin's medieval storyline might seem a little dated for 2020. But Jamieson says the most surprising thing about the production — no matter what stage it's on — is "how relevant and touching" the show is. Pippin is a prince struggling to find his identity and purpose in a life destined for the throne. "And, to have a show that has the wow-factor, but also the personal, intimate touch, is really hard to pull off. "It's everything that's been missing from our lives right now," Jamieson adds. "And, this show, more than any other, has the relevance of finding your fulfilment; doing something because it fulfils you. And we need a lot more of that in the world today." Images: Cassandra Hannagan
On the lookout for a dope new denim jacket? Or do you want to be rid of that weird-looking lamp taking up space in the living room? Then, by golly, you're in luck. The Garage Sale Trail works with local council partners Australia-wide to get as many trash-and-treasure troves happening on the same day as possible. More than 8000 garages opened their doors to bargain hunters in previous years, and they're doing it for the seventh time on Saturday, October 22. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the Trail is all about sustainability. Instead of ending up in landfill, unwanted clutter becomes a fantastic find. So get that tight pair of sunnies for peanuts and help the environment at the same time. The Garage Sale Trail began humbly in Bondi in 2010 and is growing bigger every year. There's a right slew of sales happening all around Sydney, with everyone from an ex-Vogue editor to the Rose Bay Community Gardens joining in on the festivities. You can views the best Sydney sales here, or register online to make a quick buck from your old junk and hang out with the friendly folks in your hood.
As a generation, we've watched the internet emerge from its fledgling beginnings to its modern state, where nearly a third of Earth's population is logged on. In mere decades, the internet has gone from nonexistent to a necessity. We are a population obsessed. And then came Facebook. The ever-expanding social network debuted in 2004, turning us all into Facebook-stalkers and using up any free time we had left. It's hard to remember the internet before Facebook, let alone any of the computer technology of yesteryear. Squirrel Monkey's video tutorial, which imagines Facebook if it had been designed in the 1990s, will bring you right back to the horrendous colour graphics and primitive Windows versions of the technology's start. The video, a humourous how-to, takes a new user through the nuances of "the Facebook". The concept of Facebook, set against the simplistic '90s graphics, suddenly seems very ridiculous. And perhaps that is just the point. The subsequent videos, which imagine Twitter in the '80s and Draw Something as an old PC game, similarly put social media into perspective, reminding us not to take our status updates and tweets all too seriously. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xrYRH3PYYT0 [via Flavorwire]
The tournament turns six this year and is set up to be better than ever. It goes down on February 22 at the newly resurfaced Bat and Ball Park in Moore Park and kicks off at 9.30am for a day of community and family fun. Hosted by the Sydney Rangers FC, Sydney’s first football club for gay men, and the Flying Bats FC, the world’s largest lesbian football club, the event will have qualified referees, a men's and ladies' tournament, a field set up for the kids and a good ol’ BBQ. The tournament forms part of the slew of sporting events teed up for this year’s Mardi Gras Sports Festival, including the Rainbow Run in Sydney Park on February 8, and the City Hoops 3 on 3 basketball tournament at Prince Alfred Park on February 9. Want more Mardi Gras events? Check out our top ten picks of the festival.
Perched in the treetops above Cockle Bay Wharf, Hunter & Barrel's setting is a kind of upmarket rustic retreat, with a spacious room stocked with stacked whisky barrels, fur throws, a large-scale hanging greenery and a roaring coal pit fire. On a summer night, you can sit outside on the deck and watch the people passing over nearby Pyrmont Bridge. Overseen by ex-Danks Street Depot supremo Jared Ingersoll, it’s a welcome addition to an often indifferent dining strip, showcasing a love of meat, smoke and all things pastoral — a kind of concept restaurant offering a slice of the outback in an urban centre. Kick things off with the hearty Hunter's Platter ($28), which comes piled with bresaola, Italian coppa, honey-glazed ham, pickles, eggs and olives. Starters include mussels ($16), which continue the theme of smokiness, being lightly steamed in smoked porter. The drinks list includes the likes of a well-balanced Solena Negroni ($16), which blends both the barrel-aged and fresh, benefitting from the spice and botanicals of the McLaren Vale Settlers Gin. The Chieftain brings the sweetness of prosciutto to a watermelon and vodka-based cocktail, while the Devoted Squire (both $16) boasts a citrusy, fresh taste. The smoked margarita ($28, serves two) offers butter-washed tequila and glasses rimmed with Himalayan rock salt. There are also unusually good mocktails, like the Queen Regent — which is dessert-like with berries and white chocolate syrup — and the very fresh Masquerade, made up of hibiscus, elderflower and hints of stone fruit (both $8). The centrepiece of the restaurant though is its flamed-cooked offerings, which include the likes of braised kangaroo tails ($24). You get the feeling it's the kind of tender, tasty stew early settlers probably dreamed of enjoying around a campfire after a long day of labour. The coal-roasted rump ($29) is a moist piece of meat elevated by a black pepper and garlic sauce, which makes the winning choice to go for bold flavour over subtlety. Still on beef, the slow-roasted rib ($34) benefits from being cooked overnight; it's fall-apart tender and you won't leave a morsel. Each main comes with a choice of sides (also available separately for $8), including juicy roasted corn and grilled cauliflower, which comes soft and creamy like mashed potato. The desserts (all $10) go for a kind of campfire comfort. Golden syrup dumplings are sweet and sticky, while the chocolate and marshmallow roast comes with McVities digestive biscuits to scoop up the mallow and chocolate sauce — kind of like a s’mores deluxe. Overall, this is a winning update of a particularly rustic and Australian brand of dining. Staff are unfailingly enthusiastic about the restaurant — and, chances are, you will be too.
For fans of beautifully made things, there can never be too many design markets. Now, the women behind Authentic Design Alliance and Factory Design District have announced another. DESIGN-MADE will span over three days from October 27–29 and focus on genuinely original, accessible and sustainable design pieces. For co-founders Kobe Johns and Anne-Maree Sargeant, the market has been some time in the making. They have each been in the sustainable design scene for years, both in various capacities. Johns is the one-woman show behind Factory Design District, a three-day exhibition of new and established Aussie designers which has formed the basis of DESIGN-MADE. Sargeant, a designer herself, has been attending and curating design markets since 1987. In her position as director of the Authentic Design Alliance, she's a strong advocate for originality in design and the ADA is also attempting to outlaw the grossly prevalent counterfeit trade that is hamstringing the Aussie furniture design scene. The event will be held across two venues — SUNSTUDIOS and the Fisher and Paykel Experience Centre — and is more than just a market. While the phrase 'a celebration of Australian design' is a little cheesy, it's probably more accurate. You can expect educational talks, book signings, workshops, installations and 'meet the maker' forums. Of course, there will also be craft beer, organic wine, yum cha and food trucks to fuel your browsing. Exhibitors include: CULT, Designer Rugs, Dinosaur Designs, Hava Studio, MUD Australia, Spence & Lyda, Archer Objects, Fresh Prince, Ilanel, Jonathan West, Tom Fereday and Tom Skeehan, along with installations from LOCAL DESIGN and Interpretations V, a design collective created by Andrew Simpson featuring eight leading Australian designers. Image: Fiona Susanto.
Wellington Paranormal is back for its fourth and final season, Rose Matafeo's rom-com sitcom Starstruck has just returned for its second batch of episodes, and now Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby's HBO Max pirate parody is less than a month away — yes, it's proving a fantastic time for TV comedies either made in New Zealand or starring NZ talent. And if you're particularly keen to say "ahoy!" to Waititi and Darby's Our Flag Means Death, here's some more great news: its just dropped an unsurprisingly hilarious full trailer. Sometimes, the world just handily delivers answers to questions you didn't even know you ever had. You might not have actively wondered to yourself "what'd happen if NZ treasures Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby played pirates?", for instance, but we're betting you're now keener than a buccaneer searching for a bottle of rum to discover how it turns out. And, arriving on Thursday, March 3 on Binge in Australia and Friday, March 4 on Neon in NZ, Our Flag Means Death will firmly answer that query. The ten-episode sitcom sees Darby lead the show as Stede Bonnet — who was a real-life pirate who took to the seas in the early 18th century. The reason that his story is getting the streaming treatment? Bonnet was a 'gentleman pirate', as both the initial teaser and just-dropped full trailer for Our Flag Means Death dubs him. He left his life of privilege to rove the oceans, which this comedy is set to have plenty of fun with. [caption id="attachment_840021" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aaron Epstein/HBO Max[/caption] As the show's sneak peeks so far demonstrate, Bonnet has some bold ideas about how life onboard should run — bold compared to the usual pirate stereotypes, that is. And, that sees him clash with a very famous name from pirate history: Blackbeard, which is who Waititi plays, and who appears far more traditional with his views on the whole pirate caper.. The two immensely funny NZ talents are joined by a long list of co-stars that includes Ewen Bremner (First Cow), David Fane (Paper Champions), Nathan Foad (Bloods), Joel Fry (Cruella), Samson Kayo (Truth Seekers), Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die) and Leslie Jones (Death to 2020). And, while Our Flag Means Death is the brainchild of writer, showrunner and executive producer David Jenkins (People of Earth), Waititi directs the pilot — and executive produces, lending his name and support to another up-and-coming comedy after doing the same with Reservation Dogs last year. And yes, that means he's directing Darby yet again, as he's already done in everything from Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows to Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Our Flag Means Death will drop three episodes on March 3, another three on March 10, then two episodes on both March 17 and March 24. Check out the full trailer for Our Flag Means Death below: Our Flag Means Death will start streaming in Australia via Binge on Thursday, March 3 and in New Zealand via Neon on Friday, March 4.
For those of you in the audience who love a movie adaptation, there's one that should be on your roster in 2024. The Color Purple is set to make a resounding return to the silver screen, and this time, it's been reimagined as a musical. The decades-spanning tale tells an extraordinary story of love and resilience, and a woman of colour's journey to independence and the bonds of sisterhood. Before you head to a cinema to see it for yourself, here are the five things you should know about The Color Purple — which is poised to captivate a new generation of viewers. 1. THE CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT STORY WAS FIRST A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING NOVEL Penned by American writer Alice Walker, The Color Purple made its mark as a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel when it was published in 1982. Told through letters, the narrative explores the complexities of race, gender and sexuality — themes that weren't widely written about at the time, let alone in a piece of popular fiction. The story follows the life of Celie, a Black woman in the early 20th century in Georgia in the USA's south, as she navigates oppression from society and patriarchal family structures and discovers the power of sisterhood. Merely two years after the novel was published, movie producers were knocking down Walker's door to adapt it for the big screen. This would mean the story would be brought to the attention of even more people, highlighting the struggles of women of colour. This latest version aims to bring a more hopeful and lifted atmosphere to the story. It has already been certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and smashed the US box office when it was released on Christmas Day. 2. STEVEN SPIELBERG AND OPRAH WINFREY RETURN TO BRING THE STORY TO A NEW GENERATION Alice Walker herself was highly involved in the first movie adaptation; she wrote the initial script draft and insisted on the film being produced with mostly Black talent in front of and behind the camera. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg in a departure from the blockbuster adventure and sci-fi flicks that had made him famous. It was also only the second movie that Spielberg made without his regular musical collaborator John Williams (who had composed the legendary scores for Jaws and the Indiana Jones movies), instead working alongside pop legend Quincy Jones on The Color Purple's musical score. Walker was initially sceptical, as was Spielberg, as he lacked the life experience of a person of colour in the deep south. But he did know how to make a damn good movie. The rest is cinematic history. This iteration of the story also saw the big-screen launch of Whoopi Goldberg and featured the first cinematic role for Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey has been a staunch supporter of The Color Purple and has been involved in most adaptations of the story for stage and screen. The trio of Spielberg, Quincy Jones and Oprah are all returning to breathe new life into this classic, this time as the film's producers (but keep an eye out for a brief onscreen return for one of the original film's main stars). 3. IT TELLS A POWERFUL COMING-OF-AGE TALE OF SISTERHOOD At its core, The Color Purple weaves a poignant and universally meaningful coming-of-age tale centred around the bonds of sisterhood. As Celie navigates her challenging journey, the connection she has with women in her life — her younger sister Nettie, the songstress Shug and the outspoken Sofia — becomes a source of strength, resilience and empowerment. In every adaptation of the tale, each of these women goes on their own journey. They each struggle and overcome their struggles with help from one another, help that is unasked for but gratefully received. Celie faces unfathomable hardships in her life, but through her relationships with these women, she finds her own way and, ultimately, her independence and sense of self. 4. THIS VERSION IS BASED ON THE BROADWAY STAGE MUSICAL Prepare to be swept away by soulful melodies because this adaptation is based on the acclaimed Broadway stage musical. Director Blitz Bazawule — a Ghanaian multimedia artist who was co-director of Beyonce's Black Is King and made his feature debut with the Afrofuturistic The Burial of Kojo — takes Walker's original novel and the screenplay by acclaimed playwright and WGA Award winner Marcus Gardley (I'm a Virgo), and incorporates elements from Spielberg's film adaption including an original song sung by the character Shug in the juke joint. The film's other songs woven throughout come from the hit musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2005 and won two Tony Awards for its revival in 2016. 5. YOU'VE SEEN ITS STARS BEFORE — AND YOU WILL AGAIN The ensemble cast of The Color Purple boasts a lineup of wildly talented familiar faces that have graced both stage and screen. Grammy- and American Idol-winner Fantasia Barrino is making her major motion picture debut and reprising her 2005 role from Broadway as lead character Celie. Joining her from the Broadway production is Danielle Brooks as Sofia (you'll probably recognise Brooks from her role as Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson on Orange Is the New Black). She received a Tony nomination for her portrayal. Grammy-nominee Halle Bailey joins as the younger version of Nettie, Celie's younger sister. Bailey made literal waves as Ariel in the Disney live-action retelling of The Little Mermaid. The film also stars Oscar-nominee Taraji P Henson (Hidden Figures) as songstress Shug Avery, Tony-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Colman Domingo (Euphoria, Rustin) as Celie's abusive husband Mister and the film's main antagonist, and Tony Award-nominee Corey Hawkins (The Walking Dead, Straight Outta Compton) as Sofia's husband Harpo. Finally, rounding out the central cast is Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist H.E.R. (Judas and the Black Messiah). Other notables on the roster include Oscar-nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard), the legendary Louis Gossett Jr (An Officer and a Gentleman) and Oscar-winner Jon Batiste (Soul). Book your tickets now to see The Color Purple — only in cinemas from Thursday, January 25.
Maybe you lived through the 90s rave scene. Perhaps you spent every weekend enjoying club life in the 00s. Or, you might just wish you were old enough to have ticked both boxes. Ministry of Sound was around to see both, and now it's revisiting the experience — bringing back its massive Testament parties for another year, this time touring them around Australia over two weekends. If cutting loose like you've travelled back in time is your ideal way to mark absolutely anything, then you'll want to make a date with Testament when it hits up six Australian cities. For two nights each in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, plus one-day-only stops in Adelaide and the Gold Coast, the event will have you making shapes to 90s and 00s bangers. [caption id="attachment_799510" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Jones[/caption] More than 90 DJs will be hitting the decks between Friday, August 4–Sunday, August 13 across the tour. It's a choose-your-own-adventure type of affair, so fans of old-school tunes can hit up the session dedicated to 90s house, rave, trance and garage tracks, and lovers of 00s electro and breaks get their own shindig. Leading the bill at the 90s parties are Barbara Tucker, Inner City, Phil Hartnoll and Tall Paul, while The Bloody Beetroots, Digitalism, Freq Nasty and Stanton Warriors are their 00s counterparts. The roster of local DJs varies per show and per city, too, including everyone from Alan Thompson, Jason Digby, Barking Boy, Mark Dynamix and Jen E on the 90s bill, plus Groove Terminator, Goodwill, Kid Kenobi, Bang Gang Deejays and Andee Van Damage on the 00s lineup. MINISTRY OF SOUND: TESTAMENT 2023 DATES: Saturday, August 5 — 90s session at Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney Sunday, August 6 — 00s session at Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney Saturday, August 12 — 00s session at The Timber Yard, Melbourne Sunday, August 13 — 90s session at The Timber Yard, Melbourne Friday, August 4 — 00s session at Warner Laneway, Brisbane Saturday, August 12 — 90s session at Warner Laneway, Brisbane Saturday, August 5 — 00s session at Metro City, Perth Sunday, August 6 — 90s session at Metro City, Perth Friday, August 4 — 00s session at Unibar Adelaide, Adelaide Sunday, August 13 — 00s session at Miami Marketta, Gold Coast MINISTRY OF SOUND: TESTAMENT 2023 LINEUP: Barbara Tucker Inner City Phil Hartnoll [Orbital] Tall Paul The Bloody Beetroots Digitalism FreQ Nasty Stanton Warriors + 85 local DJs around the country Ministry of Sound: Testament 2023 will tour Australia in August. For further details, and to buy tickets — with pre-sale registrations until midnight on Monday, May 29, pre-sales from 8am on Tuesday, May 30 and general sales from 8am on Wednesday, May 31 — head to the event's website.
He's one of the most critically acclaimed and successful hip hop artists of our generation. He has 14 Grammys to his name, plus an Academy Award nomination for one of his contributions to the Black Panther soundtrack. He won the 2017 Triple J Hottest 100, and also became the first ever artist to take out the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for contemporary music in 2018. His last stadium shows Down Under, back in that same year, sold out ridiculously quickly, too — and he's coming back to Australia and New Zealand to play five huge gigs before 2022 is out. We're talking about Kendrick Lamar, of course, who has just announced a huge 'The Big Steppers' world tour in support of his just-dropped fifth solo studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers — his first since 2017's DAMN., and also his first full-length release since 2018's Black Panther soundtrack. The Compton rapper will be heading to Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland in December, to close out a global jaunt that starts in the US in July, then ventures through Europe before coming our way. The word you're looking for: alright. While fans can expect plenty of tracks from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Lamar's extensive catalogue is sure to get a whirl — including tracks from 2011's Section.80, 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2015's To Pimp A Butterfly and, obviously, DAMN.. Lamar won't be taking to the stage solo, with Las Vegas rapper Baby Keem, aka Lamar's cousin, in support on all dates. Just like his last trip Down Under — when he also headlined Splendour in the Grass — expect tickets to get snapped up quicker than Lamar can bust out lyrics when they go on sale at 12pm local time on Friday, May 20. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers literally just dropped yesterday, Friday, May 13, too, so there's your soundtrack sorted while you celebrate the tour news. KENDRICK LAMAR'S 'THE BIG STEPPERS' 2022 TOUR AUSTRALIA AND NZ DATES: Thursday, December 1 — RAC Arena, Perth Sunday, December 4 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Thursday, December 8 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Monday, December 12 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Friday, December 16 — Spark Arena, Auckland Kendrick Lamar's 'The Big Steppers' tour will hit Australia and New Zealand in December. Tickets go onsale online at 12pm local time on Friday, May 20. Top image: Renell Medrano (@renellaice).
With Australia's borders firmly shut, international travel has been relegated to the realm of dreams, and it looks like it'll be staying there for a good long while. But if you're happy to pretend you're taking a getaway, Qantas has been offering up several products to help. First, it sold its pyjamas, amenity sets and other in-flight goodies. Then, it moved onto fully stocked bar carts. Now, the Aussie airline has released a luxe range of athleisure wear — the type of thing you'd don if you were heading off on holidays, obviously. Launched in collaboration with Australian designer Martin Grant, the new collection has a retro feel, too — because fondly recalling better times gone by is another thoroughly 2020 pastime. A number of Qantas' vintage logos are splashed across range, so you can choose between old-school lettering or the famed kangaroo motif. The collection spans a cashmere jumper, a hoodie, sweatshirts, t-shirts and a beach tote. Colour-wise, the range highlights the company's red and navy colour scheme, as well as grey and wattle yellow. And yes, it's definitely designed to make you feel nostalgic. "This collection is all about classic shapes, comfortable styles and materials that are kind on the environment. But the hero of the designs are the iconic logos that evoke so many fond memories for Australians," said Grant. If wearing an airline logo will make you feel like you've jetted far, far away, a word of warning: this limited-edition collection doesn't come cheap. If you're paying cash, you can expect to fork out $425 for a yellow or navy sweater, $275 for a navy hoodie, $250 for grey sweatshirts, $150 for a navy or grey t-shirt, and $350 for a navy beach tote — or part with a heap of Qantas points. You can buy Qantas' athleisure-wear collection online, using cash or points.
In news that everyone already knew, no one will be dancing in North Byron Parklands this winter, with Splendour in the Grass moving to November this year instead. Thanks to New South Wales' current COVID-19 outbreak, the lockdown to prevent its spread and the growing number of cases in other Australian states, no one will be making shapes in Sydney this July, either. That's when the fest was planning to host Splendour in the City, a nine-day Sydney pop-up slated for SITG's usual midwinter spot — but organisers have announced that the event has now been cancelled. In a statement on Monday, June 28, the festival's team pulled the plug on the mini fest, which was set to take place at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal from Saturday, July 10–Sunday, July 18. "With Greater Sydney currently in lockdown until 9 July and COVID-19 outbreaks now evolving in other states, it has become impossible to progress with plans to move artists and staff around the country, and also to build the event in Sydney," the Splendour crew noted. "Organisers also acknowledge the health and safety of staff, volunteers and ticketholders is the foremost consideration in line with the health advice from authorities." Splendour in the City has been completely cancelled, rather than rescheduled, too — a decision made due to "uncertainty around venue and artist availability in coming months, and IRL Splendour in the Grass scheduled for November." Ticketholders will start receiving refunds automatically via Moshtix from today, Tuesday, June 29. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Splendour in the Grass (@splendourinthegrass) Splendour's virtual festival Splendour XR will still run online across the weekend of Saturday, July 24–Sunday, July 25 — and, at this stage, Splendour in the Grass itself is slated for Friday, November 19–Sunday, November 21. It's been a rough year or so for the music and events industry, for festivals in New South Wales and for Splendour. 2020's SITG was postponed from July until October, then completely scrapped. Also, plans to proceed in July 2021 as usual were pushed back, leading to the current November date. Splendour in the City was planning to host an array of beloved Australian artists such as SITG mainstays like Violent Soho, Illy, Vera Blue, Dune Rats and Tash Sultana, as well as two stacked nights of stand-up comedy and a whole heap of extras — all aiming to recreate as much of the OG Splendour experience as possible. If the full-sized Byron Bay edition of SITG goes ahead in November, it's set to do so with headliners Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes and Gorillaz; however, that's obviously all reliant upon COVID-19 restrictions allowing the event to take place. Splendour in the City will no longer run from Saturday, July 10–Sunday, July 18 at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal. Ticketholders will start receiving refunds automatically via Moshtix from Tuesday, June 29.
It seems a pretty hard task to follow Hannah Gadsby's international smash-hit show, Nanette. After all, the one-woman stand-up performance copped serious praise on its 18-month travels across Australia and the UK, even scooping the top honours at both the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It also spawned its very own Netflix special. And when Gadsby used the show to announce she was quitting comedy for good, we thought that was it. But indeed, the beloved Aussie comedian gave the follow-up a red hot crack when she returned to the stand-up stage with her latest work, Douglas, named after her own pet pooch. While Nanette pulled apart the concept of comedy itself, dishing up an insight into Gadsby's past, Douglas takes you on a "tour from the dog park to the renaissance and back". Gadsby took Douglas to stages across Australia and New Zealand in late 2019 and early 2020, and now, to the delight of house-bound people across the world, is bringing it to Netflix next month. Available to stream globally from Tuesday, May 26, the show will bring us all some much-needed comic relief. As Gadsby says: "mark it in your socially-distant calendars...then wash your hands". https://twitter.com/Hannahgadsby/status/1249668347693654019 Hannah Gadsby's 'Douglas' will be available to stream globally on Netflix from Tuesday, May 26.
The world's first wandering institution dedicated to showcasing the creative efforts of ordinary folks is coming to Australia. That'd be the Museum of Everything, which will head to Tasmania for a ten-month stint filled with pieces that you won't find in any other gallery. Launching during MONA's Dark Mofo in June, then running through until April 2, 2018, the Museum of Everything, the exhibition will feature over 1500 works in themed spaces, taking visitors on an informal journey through human making. Drawings, sculptures, paintings, ceramics, collage, photography, assemblage, found objects and installations will all be on display during its first trip to our shores. Starting in London in 2009, and touring to Paris, Venice, Moscow and Rotterdam since, the Museum of Everything aims to improve the profile of art that falls outside of the usual channels. Forget famous names — you won't find them here. Instead, lining its walls are works crafted by untrained, unintentional, undiscovered and and otherwise unclassifiable artists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Indeed, the people responsible for the kind of pieces favoured by the travelling display are compelled to channel their creativity into new, different and experimental works, but they don't fit the conventional definition of artists. As founder James Brett explains, "our artists do not create for the markets or museums. They make because they must and— from Henry Darger to Nek Chand Saini — have something vital to say about the essence of their lives". The Museum of Everything will exhibit at MONA from June 11, 2017 to April 2, 2018. For more information, visit the MONA website. Image: George Widener, c. 2007, Courtesy of The Museum of Everything.
It's about to be a whole lot easier to get your hands on Berkelo's crowd-pleasing breads and baked goods, with the bakery adding two new retail sites to its stable. Having clocked up two years in its original Brookvale space, owners Tom Eadie and Matt Durrant are gearing up to take a even bigger bite out of Sydney's Northern Beaches. The pair has opened the doors to a second cafe, on Mosman's Military Road, with a Mona Vale location soon to follow. Open daily, the new Mosman space is built around that same passion for simple, healthy fare that's made its sibling such a hit. It's slinging a range of revamped breakfast classics and seasonal lunch dishes, most of them starring Berkelo's legendary, long-fermented sourdough breads. Think, smashed avo with fermented vegetables, and duck served with mushrooms, onion jam and potato focaccia. You'll also find freshly baked croissants, a daily-changing lineup of generous sandwiches, and coffee made using Single Origin beans. And of course, there's plenty of that beloved Berkelo bread available to go, all naturally leavened and crafted with all-Aussie, unbleached stone-ground flours. Find Berkelo at 8 William Street, Brookvale, and 2/557 Military Road, Mosman. A third venue will open soon at 1/7 Bungan Street, Mona Vale.
Everyone's favourite uncle has moved to Sydney — and what's more, he bought cake. With over 70 stores worldwide, Australia has finally made the cut for the world famous, best-selling Uncle Tetsu's Japanese cheesecakes. So stick a spoon in your back pocket, fashion yourself a paper napkin pocket square and get in line for a slice of the action. The queue, of course, is long. Stupid long. There are crowd control barriers set up and dedicated staff with clipboards managing the flow. Sounds like overkill, but the precautions are necessary. People can do crazy things when made to wait for cake. On my first visit, I'm invited to join a pre-line a few doors down. A line to join the line? Sydney, take a good look at yourself. Ordering is straightforward. There are just two items on the menu: the famous Uncle Tetsu cheesecake ($17.99) and the honey madeleines ($4). If you had planned to stock up wartime-style on cheesecakes, think again — these babies are strictly limited to one per person. Like all serious foodies should — and if you've just waiting in two lines, chances are you're dead serious — we take our box immediately to the park to enjoy a still-warm slice. We carefully free the cake from its sheath of protective paper — inside is a snow-white cake with a golden burnished top, branded with the signature Uncle Tetsu stamp. We gasp. We clap. The cake is revealed to be incredibly light and fluffy. There is no biscuit base, as the style dictates, and having been baked in a water bath, the sides are moist like pudding. As for the taste, it's eggy and pancakey, with little sweetness. Resist the temptation to eat it all at once. When you cool it in the fridge it grows denser and crumbly, with a soft, sweet cheese flavour. In my humble opinion, it improves. One thing that will strike you is how overwhelmingly understated it is. It's refined and pure — a real backlash to the more is more, over-the-top desserts that Sydney has grown accustomed to (*cough* cronut *cough*). Butter, milk and eggs become distinct and delicious flavours, while complexity is delivered in the form of its ethereal lighter-than-air cotton consistency. Uncle Tetsu, methinks you're going to need another store. Image: Ryan La.
If you tuned into MasterChef last night, Monday, April, 13, you would have noticed a few things. Firstly, the show has three news judges: food writer Melissa Leong, Orana founder Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen of Three Blue Ducks. Secondly, Gordon Ramsay is weirdly nice (?). And lastly, Reynold Poernomo makes a damn fine dessert. Those familiar with the long-running show — which is now in its 12th season — will already know this, of course, with the Dessert King whisking and foaming for the cameras in the seventh season. Last night, though, Poernomo gave us a nice little reminder with his White Noise dessert — made with whipped coconut ganache, strawberry gun jelly, yoghurt gel and strawberry pebbles — which Ramsay called "breathtaking" (see, nice). Instead of Googling 'how to make Reynold Poernomo's all-white 'MasterChef' dessert', then realising you actually need liquid nitrogen and titanium dioxide to make it, you can order one of the Dessert King's cakes to your house. Yes, Poernomo has two Sydney dessert shops, in Chippendale and Ryde, called Koi, which he runs with his brothers Arnold and Ronald. In these COVID-19 times, both shops are offering Koirantine Cake Delivery, which means they're dropping off delicious desserts to a whole heap of suburbs across inner-city Sydney and the northern suburbs. Convenient. You know what's even more convenient? That White Noise dessert is on the menu, available for pick up or delivery from this Friday, April 17. We're sure it's not a coincidence in the slightest, but we're still excited. Also on the menu is a spiced chocolate brownie, a mascarpone tiramisu and a Red Fortune Jar layered with lychee pear, strawberry compote, rose and yuzu. You can order Koi Desserts for pick up or delivery over here.
In Australia, we remember the devastation of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami even more than most of the world. It was right there, just over the Timor Sea, in places we've been to, or come from. Nearly 10 years later comes The Impossible, a film based on the experiences of a Spanish family who were holidaying in Khao Lak, Thailand at the time of the tsunami. They survive the impact but are separated and have to fight for their survival while trying their utmost to believe the rest of their family is alive somewhere, too. The film has earned Oscar and Golden Globes nominations for star Naomi Watts, and Ewen McGregor and newcomer Tom Holland are also said to impress. If drama doesn't sway you, go for the special effects, which use a stunning mixture of digital technology and real water surges created in a tank. The Impossible has not been without its controversy, specifically, for being a film about the South Asian tsunami that has basically no Asian people in it. And for making the Spanish family it's based on even whiter. But a bit of controversy just piques our interest at this point. See it and see it early, so you too can take a side. Concrete Playground has five in-season double passes to give away to The Impossible. To be in the running, make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter and then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. https://youtube.com/watch?v=HU4mXJRHIcQ
Elisabeth Moss has been on our screens for more than three decades, dating back to when she was just eight years old — and she's amassed an enviable resume that spans everything from The West Wing and Mad Men through to Girl, Interrupted and The French Dispatch over that time. But of late, from Jane Campion's Top of the Lake onwards, the two-time Emmy-winner has been loving thrillers. So, it should come as no surprise that her latest series falls firmly within the genre. Joining Moss' resume after The Handmaid's Tale, Queen of Earth, High-Rise, Us, Shirley and The Invisible Man, Shining Girls sees the acclaimed actor play the victim of a violent attack — a traumatic assault that saw her character, Kirby Mazrachi, put her plans to be a journalist on hold. Now, she's a newspaper archivist in Chicago, but her old terrors and dreams both get pushed to the fore when she hears about a new murder with similarities to her own incident. Soon, she's teaming up with experienced reporter Dan Velazquez (Wagner Moura, Narcos) to hunt down the culprit. That's just part of the new Apple TV+ show's setup, however. Also a key aspect of the story, as the just-dropped trailer shows: a blurring of reality, which unsurprisingly gets in the way of Kirby's quest. In the first sneak peek, she thinks she has a cat, then suddenly she has a pet dog instead — and that's just the beginning of the tale's mind-bending chaos. Where the show goes from there will start to be revealed from Friday, April 29, with the first three episodes dropping all at once, then future instalments arriving weekly. And if it all sounds familiar, that's probably because you've read Lauren Beukes' best-selling novel of the same name. Moss executive produces as well, and is also joined on-screen by Phillipa Soo (Hamilton), Amy Brenneman (Goliath) and Jamie Bell (Rocketman). Of course, the latter has been part of the film and TV landscape since he was a kid, too. Here, though, in a trailer that's both twisty and eerie — and instantly gripping — he looks worlds removed from Billy Elliott. Been obsessing over Apple TV+'s exceptional Severance lately? This might help fill the gap when its first season wraps up. And, obviously, it'll help tide you over until Moss' The Handmaid's Tale comes back as well. Check out the trailer for Shining Girls below: Shining Girls will start streaming Down Under via Apple TV+ on Friday, April 29.
Shaping up to be a standout exhibition is Chromatic Syncopation, opening at Firstdraft on March 3. It will feature three of our best contemporary artists — Reko Rennie, Ross Manning and Rebecca Baumann (of last year's Romance Was Born exhibition) — brought together for the first time. Harnessing a range of different media, each artist engages with processes of reproduction and mechanisation. They also share a deft understanding of patterns and colour schemes. Curated by Consuelo Cavaniglia, this show aims to explore points of harmony and discord. You can probably expect whirring colours and kinetic sculptures — a bit like a deconstructed rainbow. Odds are it will be a dynamic and stimulating experience. This event is one of our top ten picks of Art Month. Check out the other nine here. Image: Rebecca Baumann, Motion Study II (2009), wire bound books, industrial fans, dimensions variable, photography: Bewley Shaylor, image coutesy of the artist.
No one went to Splendour in the Grass in 2024, after the Australian music festival announced its dates and lineup, then ditched its plans. No one attended Groovin the Moo this year, either, after it went through the same cycle of reveals and cancellations. Harvest Rock hadn't gotten to the stage of unveiling its bill, but it is now the latest Aussie fest to pull the plug on its event for this year, also joining Spilt Milk, Summergrounds Music Festival and Dark Mofo. "After two years of eating, drinking and dancing in Adelaide, we've made the difficult decision to postpone Harvest Rock 2024," announced the festival team in a statement on both the event's website and its social media channels. "This decision was made to ensure that Harvest Rock continues to deliver the experience that our local, national and international fans have come to know and love into the future," the message continued. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Harvest Rock (@harvestrockfest) If you're wondering when Harvest Rock will be back, there's no confirmation of that as yet. "We look forward to delivering another amazing Harvest Rock in the future," the statement also advises. It was back in 2022 that Secret Sounds, the crew behind Splendour in the Grass, gave Australia another massive multi-day music festival. The big aim: to get everyone dancing in a park in Adelaide each spring, including interstaters heading to South Australia to enjoy the fest's travelworthy lineups. The first year welcomed Jack White, Groove Armada, The Avalanches, Crowded House and Courtney Barnett, for starters. 2023's second spin featured Jamiroquai and Beck doing Australian-exclusive shows, plus everyone from Sparks and Nile Rogers & Chic to Bright Eyes and Paul Kelly. [caption id="attachment_969733" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ian Laidlaw[/caption] A two-day blend of music, food and wine — well, it is in SA — Harvest Rock has also spanned Adelaide's top restaurants and eateries serving up dishes, a culinary-focused stage and wine tastings in the two years that it has taken place. Upon debut, it instantly proved a success, attracting 15,000 attendees per day; however, that hasn't made it immune to Australia's spate of recent music festival cancellations. While Harvest Rock hadn't revealed its 2024 lineup, it did make tickets available for this year in 2023. If you snapped some up, you'll receive an automatic refund via however you purchased them within 14 days. Harvest Rock 2024, which was set to take place at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina, Adelaide, is no longer going ahead. Head to the festival's website for further details.
If you're a Queenslander who is currently in New South Wales or the Australian Capital Territory and you've been thinking about heading home, the Sunshine State has put a timeline on your return. The same applies to NSW and ACT residents pondering a holiday up north, or to anyone who has been in the two areas in the past 14 days and plans to mosey up to Queensland sometime soon — with the state implementing new border restrictions from 1am on Saturday, August 8. When the weekend kicks in, Queensland will completely close its border to NSW and ACT, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today, Wednesday, August 5. Both regions have now been declared hotspots by Queensland's Chief Health Officer, which means that all visitors from NSW and ACT will be denied entry to Queensland, except for rare exemptions and returning Queenslanders. If you fall into those categories, you'll have to fork out for a 14-day stretch of mandatory hotel quarantine. The Premier advised that exemptions will be limited, however, including for compassionate reasons. During the shutdown, the aim is to only allow folks who live in border communities and essential workers such as truck drivers to cross. Anyone who fits that description will need to obtain a pass, with those who reside in the area requiring proof of address and photo identification to do so. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1290786409465278464 The move comes in response to rising COVID-19 case numbers down south, and follows earlier decisions to ban visitors from Victoria, as well as several parts of NSW — once Queensland started reopening its border in mid-July to interstate travellers, that is. The restrictions on NSW visitors started with the Campbelltown, Liverpool and Fairfield City local government areas, then spread to include the entirety of Greater Sydney, a limit that came into effect this past weekend. "I know it's going to be tough on Queenslanders," Premier Palaszczuk explained. "But your health comes first. We need to protect not only our health, we need to protect the families, we need to protect our economy. We've seen what's happened in Victoria. We don't want to see that happening here." The Premier also stressed that Queenslanders shouldn't be thinking about travelling south. "It's also very important that Queenslanders stay in Queensland. Now is not the time to travel to New South Wales. Now is not the time to travel to Victoria," she said. The border closure with NSW and the ACT will be in effect at least until the end of August, when the Queensland Government will undertake a review. From 1am on Saturday, August 8, anyone who has visited New South Wales or the Australian Capital Territory in the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter Queensland unless they are a returning resident or are entering for one a few essential reasons. For more information, head to the Queensland Government website. Image: Yun Huang Yong via Flicker.
Campbell Parade mainstay Hotel Ravesis has muscled its way back onto Bondi's new cocktail spot radar, reopening with a bold new look and completely revamped offering. Gone are Ravesis' dated silver trimmings and stark grey walls, the hotel's new summery shake-up capitalises brilliantly on its beachfront address, showcasing panoramic ocean views from its Art Deco windows, and a coastal-chic fitout of flamingo pink and dazzling white. The two-storey stunner's sprawling wraparound terrace has been spruced up, and the space's assortment of breezy dining and bar spaces adorned with a healthy dose of wicker and greenery. Hotel Ravesis is currently restyling its collection of 12 boutique suites and rooms. The hotel will remain open throughout the process with all rooms due for completion by mid-2017. Chef Peter Streckfuss (The Lemon Tree, Catalina) is on the pans, delivering a Mediterranean-accented menu full of fresh, lively flavours. He's letting the top-notch local produce do all the talking, throwing down a variety of great seafood options, and shucking oysters fresh to order. The perfect match to some post-beach cocktails, we'd say. Even the entertainment program has been given a big old overhaul, pulling together a rotation of midweek solo artists and bands, and DJs throughout the weekend. On Wednesday nights an eight-piece superband of Sydney musicians called The Elements, made up of artists from The Whitlams, Skunkhour and the Bernard Fanning band, has the stage. Images: Nikki To and Katje Ford.
Running events in the arts and hospitality industries is hard enough at the best of times, let alone when your city is drifting in and out of restrictions and lockdowns. Despite this, 2021 had plenty of shining lights. The lockout laws were finally rolled back in Kings Cross, there was an avalanche of exciting new restaurant and bar openings, and some adventurous, thought-provoking and all-round joyous events took place over the year. From stunning plays to citywide festivals, 2021 still managed to deliver — and we've compiled a list of eight of the year's most memorable events. While many fantastic gigs, festivals and shows were cancelled due to the pandemic, these are the ones that, thanks to hard work and a whole lot of luck, managed to go ahead and fill our year with good food, music, art and culture.
When word arrived that a new version of Scott Pilgrim was on its way, it felt as inevitable as the person of your dreams having a complicated romantic past. That nothing ever truly dies in pop culture is old news. So is the fact that nothing fades into memory, especially when respawning can capitalise upon a fanbase. Turning Scott Pilgrim into a TV show is the latest example on an ever-growing list of leaps from the big screen to the small; however, sight unseen, making a Scott Pilgrim anime series felt more fitting than most similar jumps. Thanks to manga-style aesthetic that filled Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, the video game-esque plot about battling seven evil exes and the cartoon vibe that Edgar Wright brought so engagingly to his 2010 big-screen live-action adaptation, imagining how O'Malley and co-writer/co-producer BenDavid Grabinski (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) — plus Wright (Last Night in Soho) again as an executive producer — could bring that to an eight-part animation was instantly easy. Called Scott Pilgrim Takes Off rather than Scott Pilgrim vs the World, the Netflix series that streams from Friday, November 17 begins as a straightforward Scott Pilgrim anime, introducing the same tale that's been spread across pages and cinemas — and played through via a video game, too — right down to repeated shots and dialogue. Meet Scott Pilgrim again, then. The Michael Cera (Barbie)-voiced twentysomething bassist is once more fated to fall in love with literal dream girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ahsoka), who first appears to him as he slumbers, then fight the seven folks who dated her before him. When sparks fly, he also has his own amorous mess to deal with, including that he's dating high-schooler Knives Chau (Ellen Wong, Best Sellers) and remains heartbroken over being dumped by now-superstar singer Envy Adams (Brie Larson, The Marvels). Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's debut episode still has its namesake living with Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin, Succession) in a one-room Toronto flat, and regularly having the ins and outs of his life recounted by his roommate to his sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick, Alice, Darling). Scott is reliably one third of Sex Bob-Omb! alongside his friend Stephen Stills (Mark Webber, SMILF) and ex Kim Pine (Alison Pill, Hello Tomorrow!), with Stephen's housemate Young Neil (Johnny Simmons, Girlboss) always watching on. And, when he first talks to Ramona IRL, it's at a party thrown by the acerbic Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre). Then, the band plays a gig that Scott invites Ramona to, and the first of her evil former paramours interrupts Sex Bob-Omb!'s set to throw down — with Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha, Sense8) still hung up on the girl he dated for a week and a half in seventh grade. Beating Matthew will mean needing to vanquish the rest of Ramona's past loves next: movie star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans, Pain Hustlers), vegan fellow bassist Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh, The Flash), Ramona's college roommate Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman, Good Girls), twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi (Julian Cihi, Only Murders in the Building), and record-label head Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes). Accordingly, just like Kim shouting "we are Sex Bob-Omb!" at the beginning of a set, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off starts with comfortable familiarity. But at the end of the initial instalment, after every detail looks like the graphic novels and film given the anime treatment to the point of feeling uncanny, in drops the first twist. There's reimaginings, and then there's this playful take that adores the comics and movie, pays homage to them, riffs on and even openly references them, but charmingly shirks the idea of being a remake. So, what if that narrative didn't follow the path that viewers have seen before? What if there's a reason that this series' moniker mentions Scott not being around? What if that's just the kick-off point for a brand-new, gorgeously dreamy, wildly inventive and infectiously heartfelt Scott Pilgrim remix? This is still a story spun from a slacker fantasy while bubbling with sincerity and intensity about navigating love and life when you're working out who you are, but every new turn in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off deepens its tale, emotions and delights. It still dwells in a world where Scott orders a delivery from the rollerskating Ramona on a boxy computer (she slings Netflix DVDs, aptly), yet it feels even more divorced from time. Although still abounds with pop culture nods and throwback vibes as well — albeit without zero sounds from The Legend of Zelda, but with added lines of dialogue straight out of 90s tunes — this isn't the exact same Scott Pilgrim. Prepare to get meta, and also for an angle that Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs the World didn't have, putting the focus on Ramona not as the object of eight people's affections but as Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's protagonist. As she endeavours to work out what's going on, she's the audience's guide in a whodunnit (because alongside slotting into the film-to-TV trend like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, this series embraces its mystery angle as A Murder at the End of the World has also been doing of late, plus plenty of other shows before it). As Ramona's other exes still need confronting, it's her rather than someone she's casually seeing that's wading and soul-searching through her history. If O'Malley, Grabinski and Wright had chosen to call their Netflix effort Ramona Flowers vs the World, it would've fit; that said, not only Ramona but the full slate of characters beyond Scott all benefit from the big shift. Accordingly, while the ex-by-ex structure stays — plus the fight scenes bursting with on-screen onomatopoeia — each episode builds upon Ramona, Wallace, Knives, Kim, Young Neil, Stephen, Julie, Stacey and Envy, as well as Matthew, Lucas, Todd, Roxy, the Katayanagi and Gideon. If re-enlisting the movie's massive supporting cast seemed like a mammoth achievement, expanding their characters' place in the story must've been a prime way to entice everyone back. What makes Ramona's exes tick, hopes and neuroses alike, cannily and cathartically helps shapes the show's sleuthing. More than that, unresolved emotions and struggles colour every battle. Bouncing ingeniously through an array of film genres in a video store-set fray is a particularly memorable and meaningful move. As brought to the screen with Science Saru's now-expectedly beguiling animation (see also: the big screen's Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, Lu Over the Wall, Ride Your Wave and Inu-Oh, all from filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa), different instalments also take their tone and approach from different sources. A Lucas-centric chapter that turns Liam Lynch's 2002 track 'United States of Whatever' into its anthem is a treat, for instance, and another episode is a self-referential marvel. Where Scott Pilgrim vs the World looked outward to dive into its characters, using its gaming and pop-culture nods as shorthand to explain who they are, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off peers inwards to get its mood, themes, intricacies and slant. Like Scott with Ramona, this series is something to tumble head over heels for, and one of the best examples yet of pressing play again on a beloved treasure. Check out the full trailer for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off below: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off streams via Netflix on Friday, November 17.
In what could be a nice new trend for the Australian music scene, a small British invasion is taking place and the first group riding the wave is the psychedelic indie band, TOY. As part of a new live music series, Bulmers Underground, TOY are on their way to Australia to headline shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. The band, formed in 2010, have wasted no time over the past 3 years making a name for themselves, woth various members coming from moderately successful bands in the past. The music that TOY creates are distorted rock’n’roll concoctions that evoke the psychedelic peaks of the 70’s, but are contorted and refined so as to make the music contemporary and refreshing. TOY’s debut album sold out of its initial pressing not long after release, and have since gone on to perform with The Horrors and Primal Scream. Be sure to grab a ticket before they are all snapped up, and keep your eyes peeled for more international guests from Bulmers Underground.
You asked — and Cadbury has gone and delivered. The confectionary giant has responded to hordes of over-eager fans and brought one of its most beloved creations back onto Aussie shelves: the humble but widely worshipped Caramilk. Cadbury has confirmed that its former fan favourite, with its golden-hued concoction of caramel and white chocolate, will indeed be making a comeback, returning to local supermarkets across the country from tomorrow, Wednesday, October 2. And, if you fancy being one of the first to get your mitts on the relaunched Caramilk, you can even nab a freebie this Wednesday, October 2. Cadbury will be handing out 1000 free Caramilk blocks at Town Hall and Central stations from 7am. Understandably, there are plenty of sweet-toothed Aussies who are salivating at the prospect — not least of all, those in the Facebook groups dedicated to requesting its return — and the blocks are expected to move quickly. The first 500 sold on eBay last week in just 28 minutes, so you better get to Woolies early tomorrow. They'll be available to buy for $4.80.
Lana's highly collaborative Chef Series returns in 2025, featuring a host of new one-night fusions between some of Sydney's best culinary talent. Executive chef Alex Wong and Restaurant Ka's Zac Ng are kicking off the event this year, drawing from the former's stellar reputation for seafood-driven, Asian-Italian cuisine and the latter's contemporary Cantonese cooking. [caption id="attachment_991075" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leigh Griffiths[/caption] Ng is set to be the ideal partner, bringing decades of experience from many of Sydney's most respected restaurants. Building his reputation at Flying Fish, Sepia and XOPP by Golden Century, he now leads Ka – an innovative 10-seat chef's table where he blends Cantonese-style flavours with modern techniques and flair. For this exciting event, the duo will produce a fascinating sharing menu for $129pp, featuring dishes like mud crab tart with silken tofu, pork jowl with abalone, and scallop tortelli with coral prawn and trout roe. Make this lavish feast even more special with a Mercer Wines pairing for $65 extra. Presented in Lana's dining room in the converted Hinchcliff Wool Stores building on March 4, this bold collab is the first of several to come. [caption id="attachment_991077" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Top image: Yusuku Oba
Sydney's Art Gallery of NSW has taken its weekly after-hours session online — and the next two editions are all about NAIDOC Week, a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and achievements. On Wednesday, November 11, you can join a discussion between author and presenter Yumi Stynes, Aboriginal rights activist and proud Bundjalung woman Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, and four-time Archibald Prize finalist Blak Douglas (aka Adam Douglas Hill). Douglas' 2020 portrait of Dujuan Hoosan, star of the documentary In My Blood It Runs, is on show at the AGNSW until Sunday, January 2021, alongside Vincent Namatjira's award-winning depiction of sporting star Adam Goodes — the first-ever portrait by an Indigenous artist to take out the top gong in Archibald Prize history. The following week, on Wednesday, November 18, curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art Coby Edgar will chat with artist and Arrernte woman Marlene Rubuntja, whose stunning sculptures feature in the gallery's new exhibition entitled Joy. Both sessions will be streamed on the AGNSW's Facebook page and Youtube channel. If you're in Sydney and can make it to the gallery, you can also head along to a free Indigenous-led guided tour of the Yiribana Gallery. [caption id="attachment_789035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Blak Douglas, 'Writing in the sand' (2020). Copyright the artist. Photo by Felicity Jenkins, AGNSW.[/caption]
Trailblazing graffiti artist Nychos is on his way to Australia. Gracing our shores in late February and early March, the Austrian artist who recently took New York City by storm will split his time between Sydney and Melbourne, presenting exhibitions, hosting workshops and leaving his unique mark on walls around town. In Sydney, Nychos will head a graffiti art workshop at Work-Shop on February 25. He'll also present a screening of his street art documentary The Deepest Depths of the Burrow. In Melbourne, the workshop and screening will take place on March 11. He'll also launch a pair of exhibitions, showcasing his new sculpture project, Vienna Therapy, featuring the three-foot-tall Dissection of Sigmund Freud in Federation Square from March 8-12, and his solo exhibition, MONOCHROME ORGANISM, at Juddy Roller Gallery in Fitzroy from March 10-24. In between his various public engagements, Nychos plans to create original wall art in locations around Sydney and Melbourne. Here's hoping it's as eye-popping as his Oakland T-Rex. Detail of the Oakland Tyrannosaurus Rex . Full wall coming soon. #translucenttyrannosaurus #nychos #isliceforaliving #anatomy #oakland #bayarea #lordscrew A photo posted by nychos (@nychos) on Jan 14, 2017 at 8:37pm PST Images courtesy of the artist.
HBO's Cordyceps infection isn't going anywhere soon — not for the seven more weeks that The Last of Us' first video game-to-TV season has left to air, and not for a further season after that either. In excellent news for fans of the PlayStation title, the Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent)- and Bella Ramsey (Catherine Called Birdy)-starring show it has inspired, and both, the US network behind it has officially announced that its first massive hit of 2023 will return for a second season. This development is hardly surprising, but still obviously hugely welcome. When it comes to mashing buttons, the 2013 game also inspired a 2014 expansion pack and 2020 sequel. Also, even just two episodes in so far, HBO's version has been attracting viewers faster than any sudden movement attracts zombies. When the series' debut episode aired on Sunday, January 15 in the US and Monday, January 16 Down Under — where it screens and streams via Foxtel and Binge in Australia, and on Neon in New Zealand — it became HBO's second largest debut ever. The first? A little show called House of the Dragon in 2022. In America alone, The Last of Us' movie-length first instalment has notched up more than 22 million viewers, while its second episode earned 5.7 million viewers just on one night — more than a million than that premiere chapter, and giving HBO its largest-ever growth from week one to week two of any series it has ever made. In other words, even after leaping to television with a huge gaming fanbase behind it, The Last of Us' popularity is spreading. Given how impressive the HBO series' first season is — how thoughtful, character-based, well-cast, and committed to exploring not just what's happening in its contagion-ravaged dystopian world but why life is worth fighting for — that too is unsurprising. For newcomers to the franchise on consoles and as a TV series, it's set 20 years after modern civilisation as we know it has been toppled by a parasitic fungal infection that turns the afflicted into shuffling hordes. Pascal plays Joel, who gets saddled with smuggling 14-year-old Ellie (his Game of Thrones co-star Ramsey) out of a strict quarantine zone to help possibly save humanity's last remnants. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey. As a television series, The Last of Us hails from co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a hellscape to HBO (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Alongside Pascal and Ramsey, the series also boasts Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate) as Joel's younger brother and former soldier Tommy, Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene and Aussie actor Anna Torv (Mindhunter) as smuggler Tess. And, Nico Parker (The Third Day) plays Joel's 14-year old daughter Sarah, Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (The Resort) feature as isolated survivalists Frank and Bill, Storm Reid (Euphoria) pops up as Boston orphan Riley, Jeffrey Pierce (Castle Rock) plays quarantine-zone rebel Perry and Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey also guest stars. HBO hasn't announced when season two will arrive, but cross your fingers that it drops early in 2024. Check out the full trailer for The Last of Us below: The Last of Us screens and streams via Foxtel and Binge in Australia, and on Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of the first season. Images: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
