Here's one of the greatest double features that you can stream right now: Emma Stone and Greek Weird Wave director Yorgos Lanthimos teaming up on 2018's ace The Favourite, then the duo working their combined magic again in 2023's Poor Things. The best film of last year is still screening in picture palaces; however, it's also hitting Disney+ on Thursday, March 7 so that you can soak up its delights at home. If you're wondering why this riff on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is dancing like it's never danced before into your streaming queue right now, you have the Oscars to thank. Hollywood's night of nights takes place on Monday, March 11 Down Under, with Poor Things collecting 11 nominations — coming second only to Oppenheimer. So, you can either rewatch or finally catch up with the awards contender, which is up for the big gongs such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Stone and Best Supporting Actor for Mark Ruffalo. Poor Things is also in the running for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score and Best Production Design. Even if it doesn't emerge victorious in all or even most fields, it's going to get plenty of attention at the Oscars whenever these categories come up. Poor Things doesn't actually use the f-word — Frankenstein, that is — but Stone is clearly playing a version of Frankenstein's monster. The film adapts Alasdair Grey's 1992 award-winning novel, with the parallels with Shelley's mother-of-all horror greats as obvious as a bolt of lightning. The focus: Bella Baxter, a woman resurrected by an unorthodox scientist, distinctive in her mannerisms afterwards and eager to learn about a world that isn't quite sure how to react. Continuing the movie's top-notch casting — and Lanthimos' in general, as seen in everything from Dogtooth and Alps to The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer as well — Poor Things boasts Willem Dafoe (Asteroid City) as the tinkering Dr Godwin Baxter; Ruffalo (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) as Duncan Wedderburn, a slick lawyer that Bella runs off with; and also Ramy's Ramy Youssef, plus On the Count of Three co-stars Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Abbott. It features just one of Stone's two stunning 2023 performances, too, with the end of the year seeing her turn in exceptional work in both this and TV's The Curse. She'd been away from the screen for a short stint beforehand; Cruella released in 2021, and only The Croods: A New Age, Zombieland: Double Tap and TV's Maniac also sat on her resume after The Favourite. Check out the full trailer for Poor Things below: Poor Things is still showing in cinemas, and streams via Disney+ from Thursday, March 7. Read our review. Images: courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.
Since 1921, the annual Archibald Prize has given Australasian artists the opportunity to showcase their portraiture talents — painting notable members of the arts, political and scientific communities, from famous faces to lesser-known local legends. Thanks to this year's regional tour, you don't have to venture to the Prize's home the Art Gallery of NSW to see the exhibition because all the works are travelling around Australia, taking up residence at Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, yapang from April 8–May 21. [caption id="attachment_853908" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Winner Archibald Prize 2022, Blak Douglas. Moby Dickens, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 300 x 200 cm © the artist, image © AGNSW, Mim Stirling. Sitter: Karla Dickens.[/caption] The painting by 2022 winner, Blak Douglas (Sydney-based artist with Dhungatti heritage), will take centre stage with his portrait of Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens who lives on Bundjalung Country in Lismore. The work makes reference to the disastrous floods that hit Northern NSW in early 2022. Among other Archibald highlights: a portrait of Skywhale artist Patricia Piccinini by Natasha Bieniek, Vincent Namatjira's self-portrait with a dingo, Felix von Dallwitz's portrait of Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott, Claus Stangl's 3D-style portrait of Taika Waititi, and Natasha Walsh's Dear Brett (the blue room), which references Brett Whiteley's 1976 Archibald-winning self-portrait. [caption id="attachment_852691" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Archibald Prize 2022 finalist, Vincent Namatjira, Self-portrait with dingo, acrylic on linen, 136.5 x 121.5 cm © the artist, image © AGNSW, Mim Stirling. Sitter: Vincent Namatjira (self-portrait).[/caption] This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see works from some of Australia's finest painters, each telling the story of a notable Australian doing something of significance within their community. It's also a great excuse to visit MAC yapang on the shore of Lake Macquarie — within the leafy surrounds of Sculpture Park. The Archibald Prize exhibition is just one of many high calibre shows and cultural events taking place up here. Head to Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, yapang from April 8–May 21 to see an eclectic collection of paintings that ranked at the top of 2022's Archibald Prize competition. Top image: Excerpt of winner Archibald Prize 2022, Blak Douglas. Moby Dickens, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 300 x 200 cm © the artist, image © AGNSW, Mim Stirling. Sitter: Karla Dickens.
If you didn't dedicate an autumn 2022 day to binging Heartstopper, then you probably weren't anywhere near your streaming queue or social media. As charming as romantic comedies, LGBTQIA+-championing tales, British series and coming-of-age stories can get, this webcomic-to-page-to-screen delight dropped all eight of its first-season episodes at once, became an instant Netflix hit and started many an obsession — regardless of whether you currently are or ever have been a queer teen trying to be true to yourself, navigating high school and riding the emotional rollercoaster that is falling in love. The great news: if you haven't seen it already, season one is obviously still there and waiting. The even better news: Netflix renewed the series for two more seasons last year because the first proved such a hit. And, the best news: the second season will arrive on Thursday, August 3. This winter, Heartstopper will be making tickers miss a beat again, and twice, with the graphic novel's author and illustrator Alice Oseman also back as the show's writer (and creator, obviously). It's easy to see why more Heartstopper is on its way — and not just because its narrative has continued past where season one stopped on both the web and in print. The first season hit the Netflix top-ten list in 54 countries, wowed audiences and earned the online attention to prove it, and made stars out of its delightful cast. Story-wise, Heartstopper heads to Truham Grammar School, where Charlie Spring (first-timer Joe Locke) was in year ten in season one. He found himself seated in his form class next to year 11 rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe) at the start of a new term, with sparks flying swiftly and overwhelmingly — at least on Charlie's part — and a crush and then a life-changing love story blossoming. Season two will see the pair in the thick of their new relationship, and coping with exams, the prom and a trip to Paris. Also, Charlie's high-drama best friend Tao (fellow debutant William Gao) and recently out trans pal Elle (Yasmin Finney) will work through their bond, while her school friends Tara (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) have their own challenges. There's currently four volumes, spanning five chapters, of Heartstopper on the page — and a fifth volume set to arrive in November 2023 — so fingers crossed there'll be even more seasons of the Netflix series in the future. Heartstopper season two doesn't have a trailer yet, but you can check out the date announcement video below: Heartstopper season two will stream via Netflix from Thursday, August 3. Read our review of season one. Images: Netflix.
Brazilian migrants landed in Sydney in two waves, so we have two Brazilian heartlands. The earlier wave of migrants landed in the 1970s, living around Petersham. The second wave landed in the nineties and settled in Bondi. The Bondi Pavilion South American Festival has straddled both eras, running as a celebration not only of Brazilian culture, but all things Latin American. Newly rebirthed by the White Party's high-fashion party aesthetic, and renamed as this year's 'Bondiesta', the festival brings this new style to its old digs. Bondiesta's inaugural run will see music across two stages from Clave Contra Clave winners Mi Tierra, Tribalismo's army of DJs and drummers, batucada provided by Rhythm Brazil and more. To go with the sounds, the festival also offers dance workshops, latin craft how-tos, South American food and art markets in the Bondi Pavilion. Also in the pavilion is Emmanuelle Bernard's black and white photo show Rio in Bondi, illustrating the parallels between the two famous beach cities. With a suggested dress code of "tropical vibrant colours and exotic allure" this will be an interesting festa, if only to see what Sydney's second wave Brazilian population make of 'exotic', given their own Brasileiro point of view.
Earlier this year, we introduced you to Unyoked, an Aussie startup that lets you stay in your own tiny house in the wilderness. Now we'd like you to meet Redleaf, a 280-acre property in the Southern Highlands where you can sleep in an 1890s train carriage surrounded by gumtrees and birdsong. "We wanted a way of sharing this beautiful life we've created — to give people an opportunity to spend a weekend in fresh air, enjoying nature," says Katrina Sparke, who's lived at Redleaf for nine years with her partner Sam and their four children. While the Sparkes were contemplating how to do just that, they stumbled across a disused train carriage in a collector's junkyard in Sydney's northwest. Two cranes and a truck later, it was delivered to their property, which was already operating as a free-range farm, supplying suckling pigs and eggs to some of Sydney's best restaurants, including ARIA and Chiswick. Katrina set about restoring the carriage, now called #343, to its former glory. "It was pretty old and derelict, and needed a huge amount of work," she says. "But much of the original timber, silky oak, was still inside." That meant a whole lot of sanding, polishing and patching up with local river oak. To that backdrop, Katrina added a tin-pressed ceiling a la the 1890s, premium linen, lush cushions, a velvet couch and a marble-tiled bathroom. The aim was to capture the carriage's history, but also to provide touches of luxury. Outside, there's a barbecue and a fire pit to keep you warm on cold nights. The set-up is entirely off-grid and solar-powered. If you'd like something a little more modern, there's a second carriage, born in the 1920s and now known as #1238. "It's quite stylised — a bit like something out of Harry Potter," says Katrina. "The main room is entirely taken up by the bed." At the other end, there's an original train seat, a kitchenette and a deck with a barbecue, overlooking rolling paddocks. When you're not relaxing in your carriage of choice, there's a creek, swimming hole and waterfall to explore, as well as nearby trails for walking and mountain biking. You can also find out a bit more about how the Sparkes run their independent farm. "I want people to come to Redleaf and experience a unique break," says Katrina. "There's no TV and no wifi. It's about getting back to the things that are important in life." Redleaf Farm is located 20 minutes south of Bowral, off Redhills Road in Fitzroy Falls. The carriages start at around $280 per night — #343 can be booked here and #1238 here. For more info on the farm, visit redleaf-farm.com.
Anyone who has spent time in London will know of Brick Lane. Located in east London, the cobblestone stretch of road is home to vintage stores, street art and the best subcontinental food you'll find in the city. So when Kiran Bains and Alistair French were developing their new Sydney venue, which would offer a contemporary twist on traditional Indian flavours, they knew where to look for inspiration. The finished product is their Darlinghurst eatery, which emulates the trendy London area in both name and vibe. The decor shies away from the stuffy curry houses of yore; exposed brick runs the length of the narrow venue and splashes of graffiti and pendant lighting give the space a trendy feel to match the modern menu. The kitchen presents traditional Indian flavours in unconventional ways and takes cues from culinary neighbours. Take, for example, tandoori chicken burger spring-rolls, bhaji baos and the naan-mi — Brick Lane's take on a banh-mi featuring pork belly and spiced pate wrapped in roti. Chai and chocolate mousse with fried roti and watermelon granita are among your sweeter choices. And just like its London cousin, you're able to snag a good food-and-drink deal here, too. We've sung the praises of the epic $55 banquet in the past. By parting with a pineapple (and a little), you will enjoy an eight-course feed with bottomless wine and beer. The deal proved so popular that the restaurant has decided to launch an even cheaper Friday and Saturday lunch version. For $20, you get two loaded roti tacos plus a glass of wine or beer. What a way to welcome the weekend.
Lucy Black by Paul Gilchrist is an idiosyncratic piece set in an unspecified Medieval time with the ambitious topic of burgeoning Renaissance knowledge. We follow two sisters' opposing responses to the plague that's killed their family, including their father, the local doctor. Lucy Black (Corinne Marie) reacts by helping people despite her lack of medical training, while her sister (Zara Zoe) responds by having lots of sex and being poetic. Chloe Lawrence-Hartcher's set is functional as well as evocative of a medieval apothecary come doctor’s surgery. The various jars holding potions and herbs are fetching indeed. Considering the Tap Gallery is a tiny space, Lawrence-Hartcher has done well to make it work. The world of the play is one where the medical orthodoxy was the reverse of today's: herbs and tinctures were legitimate, and dissections like the one Lucy Black is planning were seen as unnatural. It's interesting to see the argument on stage in reverse order to that which is playing out today between western medicine and 'alternative therapies'. Lucy's search for precise knowledge comes from her personal grief rather than some dry rationality. Renaissance epistemology was not about straight logic, but came in large part from some pretty kooky neoplatonic hermeticism as the late Frances Yates figured out through her impressive historical scholarship. Late medieval history is not a very sexy topic, and these people are certainly not trying to be cool. This is a new work and the edges of the piece are still a bit rough, but it's great to see such a foreign world on stage. Domestic Aussie drama this ain't.
Gauchito Gil is Argentina's Robin Hood. As such, it seems fitting that Australia's own Malbec Day has been borrowed from the South American country, where the majority of the world's malbec comes from. If this day is a donation from the grape god, it's one we're happy to accept. After a successful six years, Gauchito Gil is once again bringing Malbec Day to Sydney with a four-hour wine bonanza at Carriageworks on Sunday, April 14. The event comes from the organisers of the Pinot Palooza and Mould cheese festival, and mirrors the free-reign tasting set up. Your $60 ticket includes a wine glass, and from there you'll be able to move around, sampling over 60 Australian, French and Argentinian malbec varietals. Other events have been known to get a little boozy, so to soak up all that wine there will be top-notch empanadas from five local restaurateurs — who'll be vying for the prestigious Golden Empanada award. It really doesn't matter if you know everything there is about malbec or if you don't know much at all, because Malbec Day is about education and celebration of the Argentine grape. And what better way to celebrate than with an bottomless glass of wine? Gauchito Gil's Malbec Day has two sessions 11am–3pm and 4–8pm.
In 2022, two big fantasy shows, both part of existing hit franchises, arrived in short succession. First came Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. Then, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power jumped into Middle-earth's history. In 2024, the pair are each returning, both in winter. And in the lead up, they've each dropped trailers on the same day. House of the Dragon's new sneak peek at its second season is the latest of several. For The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, however, this is the first glimpse at the show's next batch of episodes. The latter has also revealed its comeback date: Thursday, August 29, 2024, which is when Prime Video will take the elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards and harfoots to your streaming queue again. Set in the fantasy realm conjured by up JRR Tolkien — as The Hobbit movie adaptations and OG live-action Lord of the Rings films were — and telling a tale in Middle-earth's Second Age, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power boasts familiar names among its key figures. In season one, a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud) had a mission to hunt the enemy, after her brother gave his life doing the same. She saw fighting for fate and destiny as the work as something greater. A young Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The King's Man) was part of that journey, and the big bad who needed staving off was Sauron (Charlie Vickers, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). With the show charting how the rings were forged, Sauron's rise and the impact across Middle-earth, season two brings the latter back after he was cast out by Galadriel. So, it's a battle between good and ascending evil, then, as the Dark Lord keeps pushing his shadowy influence — and sporting a different appearance. Also, more rings will be created. Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur , Coffee Wars), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards, Under the Vines) are among the returning characters on the Prime Video hit, which was unsurprisingly huge when season one debut, attracting more than 100-million viewers. The platform first announced the show back in 2017, then gave it the official go-ahead in mid-2018 — so if it feels like this series has been hovering around for several ages even though it only has one season so far, that's why. If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial emergence and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. The Rings of Power remains separate to the big-screen Lord of the Rings revival that was first announced in 2023 and now has new movie Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in the works. If you're a LoTR fan, there's no such thing as too much for this franchise, though — like breakfast for hobbits. Check out the first teaser trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two below: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two will be available to stream via Prime Video from Thursday, August 29, 2024. Read our review of season one.
Rumour has it, Prince is set to announce a nationwide tour in Australia for later this year. With two international superstars down under - that’s The Artist Formerly Known As (or, did he move on from that one already?) and the Lady herself - Concrete Playground is here to help consider your chances of actually getting to see them performing live. And, just for fun, seeing which of the two will leave the biggest impression. Ding ding! Round One: getting a ticket The odds are pretty slim for getting a ticket for Gaga now. If you’ve only just found out she’s touring, you’re already too late. Her ‘Born This Way Ball’ tour was an instant sell-out, even with the additional shows announced earlier this month. Unless you already have a ticket, fancy creating a flash mob of ‘Monsters’ to convince the promoters to stick on a few extra dates, or you don’t mind risking other (illegal/stupid/unlikely) methods of getting into an arena, you’re better off flexing your index finger ready for the online ticket-booking mayhem once dates are confirmed for Prince. His Australia tour will be announced this week. Round Two: who are you going to tell your grandkids about? One is a flamboyant singer-songwriter, known for their unconventional performances, controversial fashion style, and a larger-than-life stage persona. And the other... well, you get the picture. There have been comparisons before, even ones that delve deep into the penis/no-penis debate - for both musicians. But what we want to know, is which one will still make the ‘When I was a young hipster...’ bedtime stories that you’ll still be bragging about when you’re 80? Will it be Telephone Head? Or Raspberry Beret? Round Three: who will deliver the KO (gig)? Purple Rain, Kiss, U Got the Look, 1999... it’s likely that you can expect them all from the legendary 53-year-old singer who’s had decades to perfect his shows. Last year, Prince’s US tour, at which tickets sold for as little as US$25, was a beginning-to-end greatest hits mega show. Gaga’s worldwide ‘Monster Ball Tour’, on the other hand, was the highest grossing tour of all time - so, it’s fair to say she knows what she’s doing by now. But, after all that, we have to draw you back to the facts. Lady Gaga is coming, she’ll be here in June with zillions of supporters and, probably an amazing show. And Prince is coming (finger’s crossed), and - now that you’re prepared, you may actually get your hands on a ticket or two. So, we say, let Gaga have her Monsters - we’ll be rockin’ out with Prince.
2017 is proving to be a huge year for fans of horror master Stephen King. It has been creeping out coulrophobics and creeping its way to box office glory, The Dark Tower finally made it to the screen (even if it didn't come anywhere near close to doing the source material justice), and new TV series based on The Mist, Castle Rock and Mr. Mercedes have either premiered in the US, or are slated to later this year. There's even yet another Children of the Corn sequel — the tenth film in the series — headed straight to DVD. Add to that Netflix's new flick, 1922. It's the first movie adaptation of King's novella of the same name from his 2010 collection Full Dark, No Stars. Starring King veteran Thomas Jane, who also featured in the film version of The Mist as well as the terrible Dreamcatcher, it tells the tale of a Nebraska farmer unhappy with his wife's (Molly Parker) desire to move to the city. Things get gruesome and then also spooky, in a movie scripted and directed by Australian These Final Hours filmmaker Zak Hilditch. 1922 premiered at Fantastic Fest in the US overnight, and will pop up on Netflix on October 20. In the interim, the streaming platform has dropped a trailer for the suitably moody effort. Check it out below — and if you need something else to scratch your King-loving itch while you wait for the complete movie, they're also releasing the psychological horror effort Gerald's Game, based on the author's 1992 novel, on September 29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E_fT0aTsjI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twbGU2CqqQU
Aussie music sensation and multiple ARIA-award-winning artist Jessica Mauboy is set to grace the stage at the upcoming FIFA Fan Festival™ for one night only: Friday, July 21 at 8pm, at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. This is a free event for fans of soccer, sports and fantastic music. The Australian Idol alum has cemented her status as one of the nation's most beloved entertainers. She has released six Top 10 albums and 16 Top 20 singles and her music has garnered over 200 million streams worldwide. Recognised for her exceptional talent, Mauboy has been honoured with two ARIA Awards, 21 Platinum accreditations, and nine Gold accreditations. She made history as the first Indigenous Australian artist to debut at number one on the ARIA Album Chart. She's been praised for her stellar performances in The Sapphires, Bran Nue Dae, and as a coach on The Voice Australia. Plus, she has earned accolades such as the AACTA Award, APRA Award, Australian of the Year Award, MTV Europe Music Award, and MTV Australia Music Award — phew. Jessica is performing as part of the FIFA Women's World Cup Fan Festival™, entry to the festival is free but live music acts (especially Jessica's) are expected to be very popular so be sure to get in on time to catch her performance. The FIFA Women's World Cup Fan Festival™ takes place from Thursday, July 20 till Sunday, August 20 at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. Check out the website for the full schedule of events.
As if the shorter days and cooler evenings weren't already reasons enough to turn to comfort foods, these strange times are causing us to do so now more than ever. And up there with the ultimate belly-warming bites are those from Taco Bell. The Tex-Mex giant now boasts one Sydney store in Blacktown, so if you're a big fan of Mexican-inspired food, chances are you've already started to make your way through its extensive menu. And, in some very good news, you can keep the flavour fiesta going while stuck at home in isolation. Yep, Taco Bell has teamed up with Menulog to offer free delivery for a limited time from its western Sydney outpost. That means you and your housemates can get stuck into its signature tacos, cheesy quesadillas and the fan favourite Crunchwrap Supreme, which is stuffed with your choice of meat, nacho cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and crunchy tostada shell, without being stung with delivery fees. And don't worry if you live alone or nobody else is hungry as there's no minimum spend — not that we'd judge you for ordering all of those tasty items mentioned above solo anyway. So, if you're all tucked up in your blanket burrito and suddenly get a craving for an actual burrito, you can stay cosy and warm inside your home while the food comes to you. All you need to do is head to Menulog to place your order. Taco Bell is offering free delivery across western Sydney via Menulog with no minimum spend for a limited time only. To place your order, head here.
Watching the first trailer for Alien: Romulus, can anyone hear you scream? The answer to that question depends on where you are and who you're with, of course — we're presuming that you're not in space — but the sneak peek itself firmly wants to unsettle. There's an eerie derelict space station, screaming, blood and plenty of facehuggers in this initial look. Behind the lens, albeit producing rather than directing, Ridley Scott (Napoleon) is also involved. Alien: Romulus is the seventh Alien film, and the ninth including the Alien vs Predator movies, and will arrive in August just over seven years since Alien: Covenant. While Scott originated the space-thriller saga back in 1979, then returned to it with 2012's Prometheus and 2017's Alien: Covenant, now Evil Dead, Don't Breathe and The Girl in the Spider's Web filmmaker Fede Álvarez is on helming duties. Based on the debut glimpse at the flick, however, there's no doubting that he's taking his cues from Scott's work. The setup: when space colonisers go a-scavenging through an abandoned space station, they get more than they bargained for. Given Álvarez's background in horror, it comes as no surprise that he's tapping into the genre for his Alien effort, just as Scott did with his. Álvarez also wrote the screenplay, reteaming with Rodo Sayagues, who he worked with on Evil Dead and Don't Breathe — and who directed Don't Breathe 2. Priscilla's Cailee Spaeny leads the group of folks doing battle with vicious extra-terrestrials, starring alongside David Jonsson (Rye Lane), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Spike Fearn (Aftersun) and feature first-timer Aileen Wu. Separate to Alien: Romulus, the Alien franchise is also expanding to TV, with a new series from Fargo's Noah Hawley in the works, as set three decades before the events of the first film. Featuring Sydney Chandler (Don't Worry Darling), Alex Lawther (Andor), Essie Davis (One Day) and Timothy Olyphant (Justified: City Primeval), it isn't expected until 2025. Still, with all things Alien set to stalk across both the big and small screens, staying away from this saga isn't in anyone's futures. Check out the first teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus below: Alien: Romulus releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, August 15, 2024.
Apple is still set to call Melbourne's Federation Square home — and, after first announcing its new store late last year, then being asked to rethink the building's design due to considerable community backlash, the international technology behemoth has unveiled its latest plans. Gone is the pagoda-style structure that was first revealed in 2017, with the new Apple Global Flagship Store now a two-level rectangular-shaped building heavy on glass, mesh and white surfaces. From above, you could even say it looks like one of the brand's products. The new design, which has been formally submitted to Victoria's Minister for Planning for consideration, is the result of a series of workshops focusing on refining the original concept drawings. It now includes a publicly accessible second-floor balcony and outdoor shading, as well as the already-slated 500-square-metres of new public space, the Victorian Government announced. It's also designed to help Federation Square better connect to the Yarra River, opening up space for more cultural events. Apple itself will hold a daily program of free sessions, called Today at Apple, that'll feature local creatives hosting workshops and other tech, design, art and education activities. In the sustainability stakes, the new roof is capable of using solar power, plus new solar shading will improve the energy efficiency of the building. And while it definitely looks less like a Pizza Hut, it will still replace the existing Yarra Building — which will be torn down to make way for the Apple store — and displace the Koorie Heritage Trust in the process. It'll also still see public land sold off to a commercial retailer. The proposed site will be much bigger than Apple's other Melbourne stores, and stand alongside only four other flagship stores around the globe. If it gets the final go-ahead, construction is expected to start in 2019 for a late-2020 opening — forming part of the Victorian Government's revamp of Fed Square, which also includes a new LED big screen, a $36.6 million upgrade of ACMI and a new Melbourne Metro train station.
The Shins have announced two tour dates in Sydney and Melbourne for July 2012. The Portland-based band will be performing at Splendour In the Grass, plus they’ll be headlining a gig at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on July 25. Currently touring the US to celebrate the release of their fourth album Port of Morrow, The Shins will be supported by special guests Husky when they play at the Hordern, as well as at Festival Hall in Melbourne on July 23. Tickets go on sale here at 11am on Monday, April 30.
Not one to miss a party, Gelato Messina is joining this winter's black fungus craze by rolling out a country-wide truffle service. Launching across its Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane stores on Monday, July 1, it'll cost just $6 extra. For that six bucks, you can get a full three grams of the fancy fungi freshly grated onto any and all gelato flavours. Choose from classic flavour combinations like dulce de leche, salted caramel, hazelnut and chocolate — or add truffle to one of the more out-there combos. Truffled blood orange, pear and rhubarb gelato? Check. Rum and raisin topped with this decadent fungus? Sure. Fairy bread and truffle gelato? Why not. And, if you missed out on this year's fully sold out truffle degustations, this is a good budget way to still get your fix — the Messina way, of course. The truffle special will be available in limited stores and only while supplies last. Gelato Messina's truffle service will be available from July 1 at Messina in Melbourne's Fitzroy, Brisbane's Fortitude Valley and Circular Quay, Rosebery and Darlinghurst in Sydney. For other places to hunt down decadent treats this winter, check out our truffle guides for Sydney and Melbourne.
A giant gumball machine that you can climb inside. An igloo made of doughnuts. An adult-sized ballpit in bubblegum-pink hues. A mini-cinema dedicated to sweet-themed movies. Throw in a free ice cream, sweets and snacks; a dedicated fairy floss room with its own swing; and the ability to jump out of a giant birthday cake — and Melbourne's new pop-up dessert museum sounds like the kind of place Willy Wonka might own. Called Sugar Republic, it's actually a short-term exhibition on Smith Street in Fitzroy, bringing eight weeks of sugary delights to folks with a sweet tooth. Running until August 17, the pop-up features 14 spaces designed to immerse the senses in all things chocolate, confectionery and dessert-oriented. When you're not making yourself a soft serve and showering it in sprinkles, you'll be spinning a wheel o' treats. Other highlights include a sherbet-filled rainbow bridge, a forest of giant bananas, an interactive sprinkles wall, a neon art wall and other dessert-centric art, including a giant Bubble O' Bill sculpture. And it wouldn't be a celebration of all things sweet without a huge lolly store, of course. As for the location, Sugar Republic's site was once the MacRobertson's confectionery factory — aka the brand originally behind the Freddo frog and Cherry Ripe. The last room in the space pays tribute to the company's founder, Sir Macpherson Robertson, adding a dose of history to the sugar rush. Basically, if you missed out on visiting New York's Museum of Ice Cream back in 2016, this is Australia's equivalent. Typically these kind of places are designed to be as photogenic as possible, so expect plenty of pics to clog your Instagram feed. If you're keen to take some of your own, tickets cost $35 for adults, which includes free lollies, treats and ice cream over your 90-minute stay. Find Sugar Republic at 377 Smith Street, Fitzroy until August 17. For more information, visit the museum's website.
It's an ordinary day. You're sitting on the couch with your other half. The TV is on, and you're ready to escape into whatever your streaming queue holds. Then, you notice something odd yet familiar: a show about someone who looks exactly like you, but is played by Salma Hayek Pinault (Magic Mike's Last Dance). Welcome to one of Black Mirror's new nightmares, with upcoming sixth-season episode Joan Is Awful focusing on a woman (Annie Murphy, Kevin Can F**k Himself) whose life is adapted into a prestige drama without her knowing. Call them hallucinations. Call them rabbit holes. Call them mind fucks. Whichever fits — and Black Mirror calls itself all three in season six's just-dropped full trailer — there's more technology-fuelled chaos in store when this new whirlwind of existential dread makes a comeback. It properly teasing its audience about new episodes via Black Mirror's Twitter account in April, then dropped an initial trailer the same month, then unveiled its episode descriptions in May. Now, there's bigger sneak peek has arrived, plus confirmation that the show will return on Thursday, June 15. Charlie Brooker's dystopian series will indeed be satirising streaming — just because it's a streaming smash, that doesn't mean that's off the agenda — with Joan Is Awful also starring Michael Cera (Life & Beth), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven), Rob Delaney (The Power) and Ben Barnes (Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities). Also on its way in a five-episode new run: Netflix seeing the darker side of nature documentaries, which, like biographical dramas, it's mighty fond of making itself. In upcoming Black Mirror instalment Loch Henry, a sleepy Scottish town welcomes in a young couple, who are keen to follow in David Attenborough's footsteps. Then they learn of a shocking local story, in an episode with Samuel Blenkin (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Myha'la Herrold (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones), John Hannah (The Last of Us) and Monica Dolan (Empire of Light) in its cast. Viewers looking forward to Aaron Paul's (Westworld) return to Black Mirror after first being involved in 2017 will been keen on Beyond the Sea, where it's an alternative 1969, two men are on a high-tech mission and dealing with a tragedy's big consequences, and Josh Hartnett (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Kate Mara (Call Jane), Auden Thornton (This Is Us) and Rory Culkin (Swarm) co-star. In Mazey Day, the paparazzi hounds a troubled starlet who is coping with the aftermath of a hit-and-run, with Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Clara Rugaard (I Am Mother) and Danny Ramirez (Stars at Noon) featuring. And in Demon 79, it's 1979 and a sales assistant in Northern England is informed that she has to commit terrible acts or a disaster will occur — with Anjana Vasan (Killing Eve), Paapa Essiedu (Men), Katherine Rose Morley (The Syndicate) and David Shields (Benediction) starring. This chapter is co-penned with Bisha K Ali (Ms Marvel), and has been badged Red Mirror in the new trailer. Season six is being teased as "the most unpredictable, unclassifiable and unexpected season yet", which is saying something given everything that Black Mirror has thrown at the screen in past seasons (and in choose-your-own-adventure-style movie Black Mirror: Bandersnatch). And yes, Brooker does have quite the challenge this time around: making something that manages to be even more dispiriting than reality over the past few years. That's increasingly been one of the show's dilemmas — and noting that something IRL feels just like Black Mirror has become one of the cliches of our times — but this'll be the mind-bending effort's first round of episodes following the pandemic. Check out the full trailer for Black Mirror's sixth season below: Black Mirror season six will stream via Netflix some from Thursday, June 15. Images: Netflix.
In 1963, "muckraking" journalist Jessica Mitford (the staunchly left-wing sister-in-law to the UK's most famous pre-war fascist leader) wrote the seminal expose of the funeral industry: The American Way of Death. Mitford revealed funeral-parlour up-selling, lay-by burial rip-offs and a whole seedy underbelly that would sound pretty familiar to anyone who was scared of the undertaking competitors in Six Feet Under. For Matters of Life and Death, the Performance Space has pulled together a number of productions with a similar urge to pry into our fears of the workings of the unspeakable hereafter. Each ruminates on death and our anxieties about this looming personal apocolpyse. To get a better idea of how the undiscovered country has affected their mindset, Concrete Playground asked some of the people behind this season's productions their views on a few pertinent, eschatological questions. Unsettling Suite Is there a theory of death from life, myth or fiction that appeals most to your work? In Bone Library, which will be presented in Unsettling Suite as only a fragment of a much, much larger work. This work was inspired in its earliest stages by the historic repatriation of burial pouches, full of incinerated bone meal, to the Aboriginal people of Tasmania by the British Museum. Traditional Aboriginal burial rituals are really beautiful, I think, if it were still possible under Commonwealth law, which it isn't, of course, I'd love to meet my end in a traditional way. The body of the person is left out, above ground, inside a cave or a hollow log. The animals and insects feast on the remains, and after the bones have been picked clean, the skeleton is retrieved. The bones are regarded as objects of absolute preciousness, of course, they are the only physical remainder of your loved one. So the bones are distributed among the family, who carry the bone with them. One of the most shocking and irreconcilable things about death is the sudden and absolute absence of the person. Even if a person declines slowly, the moment of death is always sudden and always a shock to us emotionally and spiritually. I really think we have been stripped of whatever tools we once had to deal with this most basic fact of our humanity. I do wish that that I could carry the bones of the people I love, and that they could carry mine, with the knowledge that the rest of me has gone back into the land to nourish the continued cycle of life. Sarah-Jane Norman's Unsettling Suite is on February 23 to March 10. Photo by Penelope Benton. The Last Supper What is your production's view of death? It's odd that the word production is used in the same sentence as death — they don't sit well together. I'd never say that our Last Supper project is about death. It's about a lot of things: life, history, fame, executions, revolution, change, eating too much, eating too little. We serve last meal requests from prisoners who were on death row Texas. It takes the title of an event from a man who was also to be executed 2000 years ago, but we're serving food. And some of that food has meant the death of something else. If I start to get involved in this thought process, I find myself becoming stuck in a repeating cycle. You know the experience of experiencing this performance will die away, eventually. Or it will change. Or it might inspire another performance. I do hope so. Mole Wetherall answered on behalf of Reckless Sleepers. The Last Supper runs February 27 - March 9. NightTime: Live and Let Die Is there a theory of death from life, myth or fiction that appeals most to your work? Albert Brooks' 1991 Defending Your Life is my favourite movie about the afterlife. Purgatory is an LA courtroom where your life is examined to see if you're brave enough to go to heaven. Also Meryl Streep is really good in it. Our edition of Nighttimes will hopefully be a similar. People being as brave and adventurous as they can, while you sit back and judge them. With some death metal thrown in. Eddie Sharp is the guest curator for Matters of Life and Death's Nighttime: Live and Let Die on March 2. Photo by Lucy Parakhina. Mortality talking - Gas Bag What is your production's view of death? If we have an intimate relationship with the fact that our life — all life — will and does end, then this impacts on the choices we make, and the quality of our time in this fleshy envelope. This gasbag. This is why it's imperative to get the social and cultural practices around death (eg the funeral industry) and dying (as a medicalised experience) re-contextualised as the inevitable extension of our birthright. Back into our vocabulary, our thoughts, understanding and — for those who want to — our hands. How to create death literacy? That's what my practice as a death literacy educator, celebrant, artist and counselor is about and those are the ideas that Mortality Talking is playing with. Victoria Spence responded on behalf of Mortality Talking- Gas Bag. It plays on March 9. There's also a questionnaire feeding into the performance. Photo by Heidrun Lohr. Death (cha) Kucha What is your productions' view of death? At the Centre for the History of Emotions we are particularly interested in the emotional aspects of death and dying. One powerful example is suicide. Suicide is hard to talk about. It involves immense psychic pain, both on an individual level and amongst society more broadly. If we can uncover various forms of emotional response to suicide from various cultures across history, then we can begin to place our own understanding of that impulse and its consequences in perspective. This kind of historical understanding has the potential to inform current medical practices. At Death(cha) Kucha we will be discussing suicide, as well as executions, infanticide and other social taboos. Our aim is to critically engage our audience with their own attitude towards death; right before they sit down to Reckless Sleepers' The Last Supper. Gabriel Watts responded on behalf of the death-focused pecha-kucha, Death(cha) Kucha: with the Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, on March 8. Image of the Dance of Death. Performance Anxiety What is your production's view of death? Some of the characters die, some are killed, some kill, some stare death directly in the face; and some are consumed by the overwhelming sense of loss that the death of a loved one can bring. Performance Anxiety acknowledges that death is inevitable. Alongside this acknowledgement of death, though, it also seeks to embrace life,and especially an approach to life that is not unnecessarily encumbered by fear and anxiety. Brian Lucas's Performance Anxiety is on February 27 - March 8. Photo by Fiona Cullen. Desensitising Death: A Night of Film What culture do you think deals best with death? In comparison to other cultures, the Western World shrouds death in secrecy and still refuses to integrate it into our lives. This cannot be said when it comes to popular culture and the world of entertainment. Since the birth of cinema, death has been exploited on the screen for its entertainment value. Miss Death and Jay Katz's Desensitising Death: A Night of Film plays at the Clubhouse program, March 9. Image from Psycho.
Here's something to be thankful for: Thanksgiving isn't an Australian occasion, but Black Friday has made the jump Down Under, bringing sales upon sales with it. Maybe you're getting your Christmas shopping done early, and cheap. Perhaps you're treating yo'self to a major purchase at a discounted price. Or, you could be excited about making travel plans for the year ahead, which is where Virgin Australia's 2024 Black Friday sale comes in. A huge one-million-plus fares are currently up for grabs from the airline, covering both Aussie and international destinations. If somewhere beyond these shores beckons, Bali, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and Queenstown are among your options. Within Australia, so does The Whitsundays, Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Cairns, Darwin, Uluru, Hobart and more. Internationally, return deals are on offer. From Sydney, you can get to and from Queenstown from $435, Nadi from $569 and Denpasar from $609. Melburnians can holiday in the same spots from $405, $599 and $589, respectively, while the prices from Brisbane are $515, $589 and $599. Cheap fares from the Sunshine State capital also include hitting up Port Vila from $499 and Apia from $689. One-way domestic fares start at $49, which'll get you from Sydney to Byron Bay. As always, that's cheapest route. Other discounted flights include Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast from $109, Brisbane to The Whitsundays from $79, Sydney to Hamilton Island from $115, Melbourne to Darwin from $205, Brisbane to Uluru from $129 and Sydney to Perth from $209. Are you yearning to kick off 2025 with a holiday? Perhaps you're planning an autumn, winter or spring vacation instead? Travel dates span Monday, January 6–Thursday, September 18, 2025, all varying depending on the flights and prices. As normal when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick. Virgin's discounted fares are available until 11.59pm AEST on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 or sold out, whichever arrives first. Virgin's 2024 Black Friday sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Wednesday, December 4 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Celebrate the Year of the Snake this Lunar New Year with a series of compelling events at World Square. Running until February 2, visitors will catch a vibrant array of cultural performances and interactive experiences that might just inspire a healthy transformation. The headline attraction is a dazzling cherry blossom forest, where a kaleidoscopic display of neon-pink LED blooms will adorn soaring cherry blossom trees. Serving as a symbol of growth and renewal, this festive event is a whimsical adventure rich in cultural significance. At the centre of the forest is the customary wishing tree, where visitors are invited to attach their hopes for the coming year. Spend $15 at a nearby participating retailer if you're keen to get a custom wishing card. Also taking place in World Square throughout the event is a line-up of traditional entertainment. Lion dancing is bound to prove popular, with a Cai Qing ceremony featuring colourful costumes and captivating routines that bless those watching on with health and happiness. There's also the chance to learn traditional Chinese calligraphy. Fascinating artists will lead a live demonstration where they'll effortlessly shape auspicious characters and symbols. Meanwhile, talented musicians will add to the ambience with enchanting melodies. Best of all, the entire event is free.
While Messina's main jam is crafting supremely scoffable varieties of gelato, the brand's love of food extends far beyond the freezer, as proven through a series of pop-ups it's dubbed Messina Eats. Every couple of months, the cult gelateria teams up with a savoury-focused culinary hero and throws a big ol' food party in the carpark at its Rosebery headquarters. On February 16 and 17, it's teaming up with Melbourne's Wonderbao to create a special Chinese New Year menu as dreamy as the soft, doughy pillows themselves. . Along with traditional pork buns, the team will also be steaming their cult gua bao stuffed with roast pork, fried chicken or eggplant. Because every good bao needs an accompaniment, the pop-up will also be serving up kimchi, pork and cheese-topped fries and slushies to wash them all down. And for dessert? Thin pancakes filled with Messina's mango sorbet and whipped cream. The whole thing will go down over Friday and Saturday in the carpark at Messina's Rosebery HQ. They'll be open from noon for lunch and dinner until sold out. Images: Harvard Wang.
What do Melbourne, Sydney and Austin all have in common? Come August, they will have all been home to the Carnivores Ball, which will soon be having its first Sydney instalment. The Carnivores Ball is an extravagant soiree dedicated to the (over) consumption of meaty goodness. After sell-out events in Melbourne and Austin, organisers are heading to Sydney in a venture that is sure to make local meat lovers break out in happy, pre-emptive sweats. Brought to you by Melbourne food blogger and honorary Texan Jess Pryles of BurgerMary (not to be confused with beloved Newtownian burger institution Mary's), the event boasts the inclusion of meat with every course, including dessert. This smorgasbord can be washed down with some locally brewed Young Henrys craft beer. Participating chefs include Matt Fitzgerald of El Topo and the crew from Hillbilly BBQ. While you battle through the menu, BurgerMary has promised an array of meat-centric activities, including pop-up stalls, gift bags and live music, as well as a mechanical bull to really set the scene. So, if you started salivating at the thought of a four-course meat-fest, then this is certainly your scene. And considering you don't win friends with salad, the company should be pretty great too. The Carnivores Ball will be held at the Marrickville Town Hall on August 16. All this protein-infused goodness will set you back $78 per person. Tickets can be purchased via TryBooking.
Sydney Harbour's New Year's Eve fireworks are rarely a dull affair. But they're set to pack an extra punch this year, as the City of Sydney delivers a colourful celebration of both marriage equality and the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. As announced yesterday, 2018 will kick off in a blaze of glory, as a rainbow waterfall of fireworks tumbles from Sydney Harbour Bridge, capping off a momentous year for the local LGBTIQ+ community. As well as honouring those who marched for gay rights for the first Mardi Gras, Lord Mayor Clover Moore says the display is "a fabulous way to see out 2017 – the year that four out of five Sydneysiders said a resounding 'Yes' to marriage equality." The display will be the first of its kind for Sydney Harbour Bridge, sporting cascading fireworks in red, yellow, green, blue, purple and silver. The night's entire display, featuring over 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects, will take the team from Foti Fireworks International a solid 5,000 hours to create.
Gather your spoons and prepare to start throwing them at a screen: The Disaster Artist is nearly here. A behind-the-scenes recreation of the making of Tommy Wiseau's The Room, it's shaping up to be the best movie ever made about the worst movie ever made. Oh hi, instant cult classic (and Mark, Greg, Claudette and doggy). Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by the original flick's star Greg Sestero, and directed, produced and starring James Franco as Wiseau, the film takes almost every actor you can think of (Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Zac Efron, Hannibal Buress, Sharon Stone, Melanie Griffith, Megan Mullally, Josh Hutcherson and Jackie Weaver, for starters) on a tour of Wiseau's now infamous late-night favourite — and, in quite the change from The Room, it's garnering a massive amount of buzz and critical love. After premiering as a work in progress at this year's SXSW, it just screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and will hit Australian cinemas on November 30. A first teaser was first released back in July, absolutely perfecting the shooting of one of The Room's many, many memorable moments, with a full trailer now providing an even bigger glimpse into Franco's take on Wiseau's world. The awkward dialogue, the odd game of catch, Wiseau's greasy locks, a sex scene that defies human anatomy, "you're tearing me apart, Lisa!!!" — they're all there, in the expected so-bad-it's-hilarious fashion. Wiseau himself has given the whole thing his 99.9 percent approval, and pops up in the movie, of course. And if you need more convincing or you've never hurled a spoon in your life, we'll let Franco's version of Wiseau say everything else that needs to be said about The Room — and why you should be interested in The Disaster Artist. "So there's this guy Johnny. A true American hero — to be played by me. He has it all. Good looks, many friends. And also maybe Johnny is vampire. We'll see." Check out the new trailer below — and the original teaser too, because more The Disaster Artist is only a good thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMKX2tE5Luk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIXYaCWc2EM
Nothing has quite transformed the 'crowd funding' story like Kickstarter — and it seems they have just cryptically announced their arrival in New Zealand and Australia. "Kickstarter will open up to Australia — and New Zealand-based projects in the very near future," it says on their website. "Tell us what kind of project you're interested in launching, and we'll make sure you're the first to know when everything's ready." While not providing a wealth of detail, it indicates the imminent arrival of this global innovator, responsible for a wave of projects including; films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism and video games, funded entirely by donations from members of the public. Driven largely by the viral nature of the internet, Kickstarter allows those with an idea to connect with vast numbers of potential donors — pitching their topline concept to the world and receiving small (or large) amounts of financial support for varying promised degrees of return on investment — or none at all. A few recent-ish examples include Rob Thomas's Veronica Mars movie, or a film in the works by Zach Braff of Scrubs fame. Either way, given our relatively successful technology and film development market, we imagine there's more than a few mobile app, film or other assorted projects and people that will jump on board with creative concepts — ideally giving us another reason to brag overseas about our standing on the global stage.
Hurricane Bianca is coming to town — to nine cities Down Under to liven up our winter and spring, in fact. The fabulously quick-witted RuPaul's Drag Race season-six winner heads our way on her fifth global comedy tour, fittingly called Unsanitized!. The also supremely apt tagline: "she's vaxxed, she's waxed and she has more attitude than ever". If anyone can help us all make sense of the past couple of years — and look devastating and sling cutting barbs while doing so, naturally — it's the drag queen that became a worldwide favourite back in 2013. She had fierce competition during her season of RuPaul's Drag Race, including from Australia's own Courtney Act; however, Del Rio's devilish snark and timing are clearly impossible to beat. First hitting Brisbane's QPAC Concert Hall on Wednesday, August 31, Del Rio will sling her cutting insults — and her larger-than-life persona in general — across big theatre gigs in both Australia and New Zealand. Her next stops: Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, which'll take the Down Under leg of Unsanitized! through to mid-September. It's been a massive few years for the dimple-cheeked performer also known as Roy Haylock, with Unsanitized! following her last tour It's Jester Joke — which saw her become the first drag queen to headline Carnegie Hall and Wembley Arena. (Yes, she sold out both venues.) And, she hit the West End stage in the musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie, and also pops up in the film version as well. Watching that stage-to-screen flick, old Drag Race episodes, or 2016 comedy Hurricane Bianca and its 2018 sequel Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate is obviously fantastic preparation for Unsanitized! — but, as you'll know if you've seen her live before, there's nothing like seeing Del Rio in the flesh. BIANCA DEL RIO'S UNSANITIZED! TOUR 2022 DATES: Wednesday, August 31 — QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane Saturday, September 3 — State Theatre, Sydney Monday, September 5 — Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide Wednesday, September 7 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne Friday, September 9 — Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Saturday, September 10 — Astor Theatre, Perth Tuesday, September 13 — James Hay Theatre, Christchurch Wednesday, September 14 — The Opera House, Wellington Friday, September 16 — Auckland Town Hall, Auckland Bianca Del Rio's Unsanitized! tour heads around Australia and New Zealand in August and September 2022. For more information or to buy tickets from Friday, May 6, head to the tour website.
There's always something going on in Sydney's nightlife labyrinth, YCK Laneways. This September, the buzzing venues around York, Clarence and Kent streets are painting the town negroni red. To mark Negroni Week's 13th global celebration, the CBD precinct is teaming up with Italian aperitif, Campari, to bring Sydneysiders a month-long negroni festival. Across the month, participating venues throughout YCK Laneways will be slinging three creative spins on the world's best-selling classic cocktail, including a signature negroni, a non-alc take, and the bartender's choice. Wondering which bar to head to first? At PS40, they're known for unexpected cocktail concoctions that include their own house-made sodas. Around the corner at Since I Left You, hang out under the fairy lights in the bar's atmospheric courtyard, while soaking up live music on the Garden Stage. Or at Jolene's, you can enjoy a Nashville-style take on a bar, with live country and western gigs throughout the week. While you're exploring the bars and sipping your way through each cocktail variation, you'll also stumble across live jazz music, roving performers, a a chance to win prizes with every negroni purchase. Plus, the laneways will be lit up with Lightstream, a new public lighting artwork that transforms the area into an immersive playgrounds. It all leads up to the official Negroni Week — running Monday, September 22 to Sunday, September 28 — which raises proceeds for Campari's charity partner, the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund. This fund supports a range of scholarships, awards and grants, so you'll know every sip goes towards something greater. We've all seen the Italian aperitif on cocktail menus. But did you know the negroni — made with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, stirred over ice and served with an orange slice — dates back to 1919? The cocktail was named after Count Camillo Negroni, who asked a bartender to strengthen his Americano by swapping soda water for gin. Over a century later, the negroni remains a global favourite, loved for its bitter, sweet and botanical flavours. So, if you're going to raise a glass this spring, make sure it's red — because there's no Negroni without Campari. YCK Laneways' Negroni Month runs throughout September 2025 at Burrow Bar, Cash Only Diner, Esteban, Kahii Kissaten, Button Bar, Kuro, Next Door, Papa Gedes, Roast Republic, Since I Left You, Stitch Bar, The Barber Shop, The Duke of Clarence, Vinabar, Jolene's, Little National Hotel, PS40, Uncle Ming's. Head to the website for venue maps and drink menus. Please remember to drinkwise.
Summer nights mean warm air, good vibes and great company shared longer and later. One iconic summer experience is food markets, treasured events for communities around Sydney, and some experts in that field are launching a new series of markets this summer in Canterbury Park. Taking place at Kia Friday Racing in Canterbury Park, the Canterbury Summer Night Markets are the latest project of Cambridge Markets — organisers of similar events, day and night, year-round across Sydney. Now, the team is coming to Canterbury for this evening offering alongside events at the park. The markets are kicking off on Friday, November 17, and will run sporadically at Canterbury Park until Friday, February 23. Coinciding with the summer racing calendar, attendees will be able to take advantage of both events simultaneously. Expect free activities for the kiddos, like face painting, a petting zoo and a jumping castle. Plus, for all ages — there'll be local (and delicious) hot food, decadent desserts and cool drinks to beat the summer heat. The Canterbury Summer Night Markets will run alongside Kia Friday Night Racing throughout summer. For more information, visit the Cambridge Markets website.
One month on from A.P. Bakery arriving in a sleepy Newtown backstreet, another much-hyped Sydney baked goods hub is arriving in the bustling Inner West suburb. Humble Bakery, the popular Surry Hills (and more recently Circular Quay) spot, is opening an ongoing pop-up, bringing its cakes, finger buns and coffee to Newtown every Saturday and Sunday. The pop-up will be located next door to the inaugural Continental Deli Bar Bistro on Australia Street. Each weekend, it will open at 9am and offer fresh baked goods and 212 BLU coffee until sold out. Humble opened in Surry Hills in late 2020 from the team behind other hit Sydney venues Porteno, WyNo X Bodega and Bastardo. The bakery quickly built a reputation for its tasty croissants, toasties, cakes, bread and, most of all, its fluffy finger buns topped with a healthy serving of bright pink icing — one of our picks for the best finger buns in Sydney. Following the success of the original inner-city location, Humble expanded to Circular Quay earlier this year as part of the new Quay Quarter Lanes dining precinct alongside the likes of Hinchcliff House, Bar Mammoni, Besuto, Londres 126 and Marrickville Pork Roll. While an official menu for Humble's foray into the Inner West hasn't been revealed, you can expect all the classics from the other two bakeries. The best way to discover what this pop-up location will have on offer? Dropping down to Australia Street one weekend morning for a baked treat. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Humble Bakery (@humble_sydney) Humble Bakery Newtown will open on Saturday, August 5 at 208 Australia Street, Newtown. It will operate 9am–2pm — or until sold out — on Saturdays and Sundays.
When Reservation Dogs first breezed into streaming queues in 2021 — including via Binge in Australia and Disney+ in New Zealand — it did so with heart, style and purpose, delivering a rarity in the current TV landscape. Authentic depictions of life for Indigenous North Americans are scarce on the small screen, or any screen. Such shows that riff on a Quentin Tarantino movie with their moniker, start with a brazen and entertaining heist, unfurl their stories through creative cinematography, serve up a stunningly thoughtful coming-of-age tale and survey an entire community obviously are, too. And a series that does the above with Taika Waititi's (Thor: Love and Thunder) brand of deadpan humour, befitting his role as co-creator and executive producer, as well as co-writing the very first episode — doing so alongside showrunner and Seminole Nation filmmaker Sterlin Harjo (Mekko) — is genuinely unclaimed territory. In Reservation Dogs' first season, the end result was one of the best new TV shows of 2021. This year, its second season is one of the best and most moving returning shows of 2022. This gloriously heartfelt and perceptive series is dedicated to diving deep into the Indigenous North American experience today — as a teenager, primarily, but constantly broadening its focus to the parents, elders and spirits so instrumental and influential in its central foursome's life in Oklahoma's Muscogee Nation. It's no wonder that season one earned a Peabody Award, which celebrates US media's most powerful, enlightening and invigorating stories. It's no wonder, either, that the show has been picked up for a third run as well. Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Beans), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Cheese (debutant Lane Factor) are those restless adolescents at the heart of Reservation Dogs, and they've shared a California dream since the series' very first episode. But when the debut season wrapped up with a tornado, plus a figurative storm of hard truths and buried feelings, the gang's relocation fantasy didn't play out as expected. The lure of family and culture remained strong, as did holding onto a past that's brought happiness as well as hurt. While losing one of their best friends, Daniel (first-timer Dalton Cramer), to suicide was big motivation for wanting to head away — it was also his plan, too — actually following through proved a far trickier prospect when it became tangible. In season two, the more things change, the more they stay the same — until they don't. Elora still attempted to go west anyway to close out season one, but being on the road with enemy-turned-travelling companion Jackie (Elva Guerra, Dark Winds) gets tumultuous. For Bear, Willie Jack and Cheese, staying on the reservation requires facing life on the reservation and all that it entails, including the pain that no one wants to shoulder and plotting out a future that no one ever thought would exist without Daniel. Bear tries by getting a job in roofing, which ends up being beside Daniel's dad (Michael Spears, 1883). Willie Jack and Cheese feel like the group is cursed, and turn to town elder Uncle Brownie (Gary Farmer, First Cow) for assistance. Elora is called back, confronting loss, tradition and the friends she left behind. Reservation Dogs can be a series of side-splitting comedy. The lines that the writers find for Spirit aka William Knifeman (Dallas Goldtooth, Rutherford Falls), the warrior who died at (but not in) the Battle of Little Big Horn and is quick to dispense advice Bear's way, are comic gold every time he's on-screen. (Wanting him to get his own spinoff comes easily.) It's also a show filled with goofy capers, from the opening Flaming Flamers chip-truck heist through to a hilarious late season-two episode where lighthorseman Officer Big (Zahn McClarnon, Westworld) unwittingly takes acid, then stumbles upon a racist land-grabbing conspiracy that's fuelled a local myth, all with salvage yard owner Kenny Boy (Kirk Fox, Parks and Recreation) by his side. This is and always has been a sitcom about home, though, a term that's oh-so-loaded in a First Nations context. What does it mean to want to flee land that's been taken from Indigenous communities from centuries? That was one of the first season's key questions. What does it mean to rediscover that homeland, even knowing how much heartache lingers? That's a pivotal consideration in the second season. California — the oasis it represents, including fresh scenery, leaving everyday troubles behind and seeing the ocean for the first time — still can't be shaken, however. Sometimes, the only way to weather life's ups and downs is to realise how much you'd miss what you already have if it was gone, too. Made with such an evident commitment to minutiae, and to feeling lived-in at every moment, Reservation Dogs spins both its episodic stories and its long-running arcs, themes and emotions into something wonderful and insightful again and again. One season-two episode departs to the yearly Indian Health Summit with the Aunties, including Bear's mother Rita (Sarah Podemski, Resident Alien), who get their own time away. Another follows Cheese to a group home run by the misguided Gene (Marc Maron, Respect), where he's sent through no fault of his own — while yet another goes to prison, where Willie Jack visits Hokti (Lily Gladstone, Certain Women), her aunt and Daniel's mother. From the engaging cast and complex narrative to the incisive examination of everything it means to be an Indigenous North American right now, plus the crucial commitment to telling Indigenous stories with Indigenous on- and off-screen talent (every writer, director and series regular is Indigenous), Harjo deserves all the kudos that can be showered his way for this gem of a show. Seeing where each episode heads, what surprises are in store, and how it keeps giving the USA's First Nations people on-screen representation and a voice, is a continual and rewarding delight. Seeing how Reservation Dogs values both personal tales and fleshing out a community portrait, and excels equally in realistic and magical storytelling, is as much of a highlight. As for Waititi, his way with sitcoms shouldn't be astonishing. The Eagle vs Shark, Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople helmer is three for three in America — including not only this, but also Our Flag Means Death, which will return for a second season after 2022's debut run; and the What We Do in the Shadows TV spinoff, which just aired its fourth season and has a fifth and sixth on the way. Indeed, while there are many reasons to be thankful for the New Zealand filmmaker as his resume keeps attesting, using his fame to help bring the gift that is Reservation Dogs into the world is firmly one of them. Check out the trailer for Reservation Dogs season two below: Reservation Dogs streams via Binge in Australia and Disney+ in New Zealand. Images: Shane Brown / FX.
This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country could start relaxing some COVID-19 restrictions as early as mid-May, if certain conditions were met. But, according to one public health expert, festivals and big concerts could be off the cards until late 2021. In an interview with The New York Times Magazine in which five experts discussed what the reopening of America could look like, Dr Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives and chair of the department of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, said he thinks larger gatherings "will be the last to return". "Larger gatherings — conferences, concerts, sporting events — when people say they're going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that's a plausible possibility," Emanuel said. "I think those things will be the last to return. Realistically we're talking fall 2021 at the earliest." This doesn't bode well for Californian festival Coachella, which has rescheduled for early October 2020. While the US has so far reported a total of 632,548 cases compared to Australia's 6468, it could still mean mass-gathering restrictions may not be lifted in time for the 2020 festival season Down Under. Australia's ban on non-essential mass gatherings of over 500 people was one of the first restrictions implemented — way back on March 13, 2020 — so could, if we're to work backwards, be one of the last lifted. [caption id="attachment_636279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bec Taylor[/caption] Splendour in the Grass, which was meant to take place this July, is currently hoping to go ahead on October 23–25. Canberra's Spilt Milk, NSW's Lost Paradise, Vic's Meredith and Falls Festival all usually take place in November and December, too. And, even if Australia's mass-gatherings ban is lifted in time, festivals could be impacted by headliners not being able to enter the country, with Australia's borders currently closed. Splendour, for example, is set to host headliners The Strokes (US) and Tyler, The Creator (US). If festivals are impacted by COVID-19, it'll be the third year running in which the season has been marred. In early 2019, some NSW festivals were forced to cancel due to costs associated with the State Government's strict festival licensing regime, then, this summer, festivals — including Falls, Lost Paradise and Rainbow Serpent — were stopped by the country's devastating bushfires. Top image: Bluesfest by Andy Fraser
MOP is a good gallery - one of the best artist-run space's in Sydney in my opinion. Evidence of this can be seen in the artists that exhibit here, but it might also be due to the fact that the standardized curatorial hand does not press too heavily on the exhibitions themselves (after all, curators don't make art, artists do). To this end, established and emerging artists often exhibit together without it being a 'strategy' or 'generational connector', mediums do not have to match and each artist is often working from a different history or set of concerns. A good example of this diversity can be spotted in the upcoming lineup: Jai McKenzie, Gary Carsley and Kate Williams. McKenzie re-visits underachieving 20th Century utopian propositions in a new installation Used Future, Carsley expands on his very own brand of cosplay-inspired iconography in Display Sweet, and Williams presents her fractured sculptures that directly address our perception of space and self in Twisted Logic. It's certainly a varied group, but if there are links to locate here you'll be able to think through them yourself. This is art served straight up. Image: Jai McKenzie
One of Sydney's favorite cafes, Edition Roasters has added an exciting new element to its Haymarket offering. The sleek minimalist coffee shop has been serving up top-notch brews in Haymarket since it opened its second cafe in 2018 (before closing its OG Darlinghurst venue shortly after). Now, with more cafes in World Square and Wynyard, the Edition team has also introduced a new dining experience focused on sake and classic Japanese favourites. From 5.30pm four days a week at its flagship Darling Square cafe, the cafe puts away the beans and the oat milk — transforming into Edition Izakaya. This new nighttime venue is now open Wednesday–Saturday and joins a host of renowned dining options like XOPP, IIKO Mazesoba, Nakano and Tsuki Yo at Darling Square. On the menu, you'll find a range of Japanese favorites: garlic edamame, teriyaki fried chicken, kingfish sashimi, king prawn udon with black garlic butter and soy butter clams with crispy potatoes. There's also a specific charcoal grill menu frying up saikyo salmon ochazuke and an array of yakitori. Order your choice of chicken thigh, mb5+ Angus beef, king brown mushrooms and marinated quail eggs, all given the charcoal grill experience. Sake lovers rejoice, there's an extensive list on offer including spiced pear and orange hot sake — joined on the drinks menu by a reserved selection of Japanese whiskey and Asahi. Plus, the Edition team has also transitioned their cake and pastry experience to Edition Izakaya, creating a dessert menu that's sure to tempt you into making room for just one more thing. The basque cheesecake is infused with yuzu and the tiramisu is a miso, coffee crystal and chocolate delight — how could you say no? Edition Izakaya is open 5.30pm–11pm Wednesday–Saturday at 60, Darling Drive, Haymarket.
If your last holiday seems like a distant memory and you're yearning to get away from the bustle of city living, a new arrival to Aotearoa's tourism scene is set to provide some much-needed peace and quiet. Australian startup Unyoked was founded by twins Cam and Chris Grant back in 2016, as an off-the-grid experience bringing you the convenience and comforts of four solid walls, alongside the adventure, spontaneity and closeness-to-nature of camping. Since then, it's been a raging success, with a number of compact cabins located around NSW, Victoria and Queensland catering to burnt out city slickers looking for some R&R in remote — and sometimes pretty rugged — areas. It's all in the name of wellness: Cam and Chris believe spending time in the wild is beneficial to the body, mind and soul. The company's ethos is about total immersion in nature — something New Zealand has a lot of, making it a fairly natural fit as their next country to conquer. Launching next month, the company's first New Zealand cabins will be dotted around some of the country's most stunning and remote spots, including the tropical bush of the Bay of Islands, the rugged west coast of the North Island and around stunning Port Waikato coastline. The exact locations are still under wraps — and you'll be waiting to find out as Unyoked often only reveals the address of where you're headed until it's basically time to depart. It's all part of the adventure. You might choose to take yourself on a working retreat and let the fresh air and beautiful scenery spark inspiration — or leave the laptop at home and instead get around to finally reading that book. How you spend your time off the grid is up to you. And don't worry, it's not total Man Vs Wild vibes. There will be plenty of creature comforts to help elevate your time away. Unyoked promises they're working with some truly excellent local brands to prepare for the launch, including Raglan Roast coffee, McLeod's Brewery, J.M.R & Co, Webster's tea and Sleepyhead beds. That hints that there will at least be a good cuppa, a few brews and a damn comfy spot to lay your head during your getaway. Unyoked joins a host of other small hideaway-type booking accompanies including international juggernaut Airbnb, and local glamping specialists Canopy Camping. But the founders see it less as a site to nab accommodation, and more as a fully immersive experience beneficial to wellbeing. They say they hope users will treat a stay in nature as they do a fitness routine or meditation app. And to be honest, if our search for wellness sees us choosing between waking in New Zealand's breathtaking surroundings or sweating it out in a hot gym — we know which one we're choosing every time. Unyoked will launch its first New Zealand accommodation options in July 2022. For more information, head to the company's social media pages or the official website.
Disney's latest live-action remake will have you believing that elephants can fly — and, if the just-dropped trailer is anything to go by, it'll have you turning on the waterworks as well. The words "from the imagination of Tim Burton" mightn't elicit as much excitement as they once used to; however Dumbo could just be the film to change that. Based on the 1941 animated effort — which was only Disney's fourth-ever feature — the movie once again tells the tale of a pachyderm who is ridiculed for his oversized ears, but can also use them as makeshift wings. Expanding upon the original story, which was itself based on a tale written for a toy book, Dumbo follows circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito), as well as his former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins). The Farrier family care for the young elephant — but, after entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) takes an interest, they discover the darker side of life in the arena. Eva Green also features as a French trapeze artist and Alan Arkin as a tycoon, although the real star looks to be the movie's CGI. With Disney enthusiastically adapting their animated hits to live-action versions, Dumbo follows in the footsteps of Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book, with The Lion King and Aladdin also on the way. Prepare to get teary over the gorgeous trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NiYVoqBt-8 Dumbo releases in Australian cinemas on March 28, 2019.
As the Australian Government increases its efforts to contain COVID-19, Aussies are getting rather accustomed to spending time at home. Non-essential mass events have been banned, indoor gatherings are restricted, anyone arriving from overseas is required to self-isolate for 14 days, and the country's borders have closed to non-citizens and non-residents. As a result, festivals and gigs are cancelling and postponing in swathes, cultural institutions are shutting down and moving their activities online, restaurants and bars are transitioning to takeaway options, and Aussie airlines are suspending all international flights. So far, few limitations on domestic travel have been put in place; however that's now beginning to change, too. The Federal Government has already banned non-essential travel to 76 remote Indigenous communities, while both Tasmania and the Northern Territory have effectively closed their state borders by mandating 14-day self-isolation requirements for anyone arriving from interstate. Now, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is advising that all non-essential travel anywhere — not just overseas but interstate — should be cancelled. The recommendation came as part of the Prime Minister's latest press conference about the coronavirus, held on Sunday, March 22. It isn't a ban at this stage, but advice that the Federal Government is asking Australians to take seriously. And, with school holidays arriving soon, this recommendation is particularly timely. "Those holidays you might've been planning to take interstate over the school holidays — cancel them," Morrison said bluntly. The Prime Minister also advised that "more severe measures are coming", with local lockdowns under discussion — a topic that's also timely after Aussies have been seen flouting mass-gathering restrictions and flocking to popular beaches. However, such measures will only be made in line with medical advice. Also, what might work for one area of Australia at any given time may not work for another area of the country at the same time. With that in mind, when they next meet tonight, the national coronavirus cabinet will consider shutting down particular places to enforce social distancing tactics. "What may be necessary in a part of Sydney may not be necessary at all in rural NSW or in Perth or other parts of the country," the Prime Minister noted, also stating that a consistent set of measures and tools for the entirety of Australia are currently being worked on. After the national coronavirus cabinet convenes tonight, expect more updates tomorrow morning — with developments in Australia's response to COVID-19 happening not just daily, but hourly and even by the minute. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Maxim 75 via Wikimedia Commons.
Possibly the world's most beautifully located bookstore, can now be found in the form of Buenos Aires' El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a shop housed inside what was once one of Argentina's premier theatres. The theatre was originally built in 1919 by an Italian architect and used as a theatre for tango concerts and the like, before being converted into a cinema. Things began to get a bit tough, but instead of letting the beautiful building languish into disrepair, it was leased in 2000 by a publishing house and found new life in the form of a bookstore. Now over a million people come through it's doors every year. The private, velvet-upholstered boxes are now the reading rooms, the stage is an in-store cafe, and the shelves cleave perfectly to the theatre's original shape. Plus you have to admire a building that's calling itself both grand and splendid. I mean, what's not to like? In the wake of bookstores like Borders and Angus & Robertson going bust, and the threats to independent bookshops across the country from cheaper online books and other recession-related woes, places like the Ateneo might point towards a more sustainable future for the industry. By repurposing something beautiful and creating a space people actively seek out and genuinely want to be in, instead of somewhere beige, plastic and muzak-filtered, you can save not just books but the architecture that might otherwise go to waste.
Motoi Yamamoto’s sculpture is bringing a new meaning to ‘living in the moment’. The supremely disciplined artist from Hiroshima creates installations out of grains of salt. Using intricate techniques that involve layering, shaking, sweeping and infinite amounts of patience, he has made a labyrinth, a set of steps, a ‘corridor to remembrance’ and a series of complex patterns that imitate biological systems. When the works have run their course, he sends them back to the sea. Yamamoto’s engagement with salt as a form started eighteen years ago, when he lost his sister to brain cancer. She was just 24, and struggling to cope with the loss, Yamamoto sought a way to recall his memories through his art. His very first piece was a bed comprised of bricks and the second, a three-dimensional representation of the human brain. In Japan, salt symbolises the processes of cleansing and mourning. Its use forms an important part of funeral rituals. Restaurateurs and small business owners often place salt at their doors, in the belief that it deters evil spirits and magnetises forces for good. “I can’t tell if my feelings of death have been changed by the passage of time or by the process of creating my work,” Yamamoto told the Daily Serving in June last year. “I don’t have any way to compare to the two alternatives because I’ve only experienced this through my work, not through a more conventional mourning process. I would like to think that it altered my thoughts on loss gradually, but I don’t know.” Yamamoto’s salt installations have been exhibited in galleries all over the world, from the Ierimonti Gallery in Milan to the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, USA. Last month, they were on show at the Mint Museum in Charlotte.
When Banksy opened a hotel back in 2017, the famously elusive British artist did so with a purpose, satirising the industry while drawing attention to the political situation on the West Bank border between Palestine and Israel. Before that, when Banksy unveiled depressing theme park Dismaland in 2015, the artist also made a statement — as you'd expect in a place that featured dodgem cars run by the Grim Reaper, and a model boat pond filled with dead bodies and overcrowded asylum-seeker vessels. This time around, the well-known graffiti figure has launched an online art and homewares store, where customers can buy legitimate Banksy items straight from the source. It wouldn't be a Banksy venture without not only pressing a whole heap of topical points, but adding a few twists, of course. And yes, Gross Domestic Product delivers in both areas. Firstly, while there are currently 22 different items on the store's virtual shelves, you can't just click on everything you want, add them to your cart, type in your card details and wait for a delivery. As the site's opening statement explains, there's a registration system and a limit. Each customer (and each household) can only select one item in total — and before your purchase will even be considered, you'll need to answer a question: "Why does art matter?" Fans have until 11.59pm UK time on Monday, October 28 (9.59am AEDT / 8.59 AEST on Tuesday, October 28) to make their selection and come up with their response. Then, entrants will be selected at random and offered the opportunity to buy their chosen object. Your answer can't be more than 50 words, and it "must not be discriminatory or hateful" according to the terms and conditions. And, there'll be a judge — someone who is "impartial and independent, and a professional stand up comedian". https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ryrXJHbmy/ Yes, you're basically entering a competition to win the chance to buy Banksy pieces, which are "produced by a handful of people using recycled material wherever possible in a workplace culture of daytime drinking," the site explains. If you're still keen, each item has a fixed-price rate that Banksy deems to be well below market value — and wealthy art collectors are strongly encouraged not to apply. Everything comes with a certificate of authenticity and, as for what you can purchase, items range from the stab- and bullet-proof vest that Stormzy wore at Glastonbury, a Girl with Balloon t-shirt that comes pre-shredded, an ordinary wall clock from an office supplies store featuring a Banksy rat, and a home entertainment lighting system made from an old police riot helmet and around 650 small mirrors. With prices ranging from £10–750, perhaps you'd prefer a painted mug, a clutch bag made out of a brick, a TV with a painted Banksy piece over the screen (which "does substantially impair viewing quality", the sale description notes), soft toys caught in real beach debris and thenwall-mounted, a goldfish or a tombstone. As well as discouraging rich art folks from snapping up these goods — and noting that Gross Domestic Product reserves the right to cancel purchases if items are put up for re-sale on other sites — the store also links through to a venture called BBay. It's not up and running yet, but it describes itself as "the approved use Banksy dealership" and "your first choice destination to trade in secondhand art by a third-rate artist", so it might just be a new go-to to buy authentic Banksy pieces. Or, given how much the artist loves to rally against the unhealthy intersection of commerce and art (see last year's remote shredding prank, for example), the store and the site could just be Banksy's latest stunt. GDP does come with a disclaimer, after all: "You are advised that GDP may prove to be a disappointing retail experience — especially if you're successful in making a purchase." Image: The Art of Banksy, Olga Rozenbajgier.
President Obama just appeared on Zach Galifianakis's cult web series Between Two Ferns and it was everything you want it to be and so much more. If the slow jams, the college 'fro, and the fact he's best friends with Jay-Z didn't already seal the deal, Barack Obama officially just took out the title of Coolest President in History (and someone in his media department is quite clearly a genius). The five-minute clip which is currently exploding on Funny or Die naturally starts with Zach on the back foot. “When I heard that people actually watch the show, I was pretty surprised," says Obama. He then goes on to land the obligatory Galifianakis fat joke: "[In 2014] we’ll probably pardon another turkey. Was that depressing to you? Seeing a turkey taken out of circulation that you couldn't eat?" Up against past guests like Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Justin Bieber, President Obama stood his ground well. After all, the show works best when the guest is famous enough for the outrage to seem novel, but good-humoured enough to take it in stride; and Obama is well-known for being a good sport. Because of this, Galifianakis may be the only man to ever 'shh' the President or call him a nerd. Other favourite bits include Zach asking what the president was going to do about "North Ikea" and Obama taking a jab at The Hangover: "If I ran [for president] a third time, that'd kind of be like doing a third Hangover movie. That didn't work out very well, did it?" Obama's appearance was actually in an effort to plug his latest healthcare initiative to young Americans and, while it's a good cause, we don't mind either way. Anything that brings out this beautiful sassy face is well worth the time and effort.
One pair of Aussie pastry chefs are on a mission to make the humble lamington famous. Well, famous outside of Australian borders — just how Iranian-born jalebi and Italian cannoli are now found the world over. To do this, Min Chai and Eddie Stewart, founders of Australia's N2 Extreme Gelato, have launched Tokyo Lamington. Currently available in Singapore and Tokyo, the dessert brand doesn't just make traditional takes on the quintessentially Aussie chocolate- and coconut-covered cake. Instead, the sponge gets an international makeover with iterations in pandan, ube, lemon myrtle, black sesame, matcha and milk tea. While the duo has initially been focused on piquing the interest of overseas tastebuds, the chefs are heading back Down Under this July to the lamington's motherland for a one-day pop-up. [caption id="attachment_774462" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] On Tuesday, July 7 — and on Tuesday, July 7 only — the pair's untraditional lamingtons will be available at Koko Black stores across Sydney and Melbourne. The chefs have collaborated with Koko Black's Master Chocolatier Remco Brigou to create three flavours that are definitely luxe and a little Aussie. There's a sweet and sour davidson plum lamington made with dark fruity Sao Thomé Callebaut chocolate; a triple choc number with 80 percent dark chocolate ganache and finished with chocolate shavings; and a caramelised coconut sponge coated in white chocolate. On the day, you'll be able to buy these lamingtons in packs of three for $21 at the following Koko Black stores: The Strand Arcade and the QVB in Sydney; and Carlton, Chadstone, Como Centre, Doncaster, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Town Hall, Royal Arcade and The Glen Shopping Centre in Melbourne. Like all good things, we expect these sweets to sell out fast, so head in early if you can. Tokyo Lamington's limited-edition lamingtons will be available at select Koko Black stores across Sydney and Melbourne on Tuesday, July 7. Images: Nikki To
Following years of lockouts and lockdowns, the dance floor has finally made an emphatic comeback in Sydney. The past year had seen the reemergence of storied nightclubs Club 77 and Arq to name a few, as the city's nightlife kicks into the most vibrant it's been in years. One such club, The Abercrombie, is making full use of its 24-hour license and multiple dance floors for Sydney WorldPride by rolling out a stacked program of parties. Curated by DJ Kate Monroe and party-starter Xander Khoury, the venue has enlisted the help of party crews Heaps Gay, Kerfew, Barba, Sugar, Angels Only, Canned Fruit, Fur Ball, Queer Techno Collective and Queer House Collective to bring together three weeks of packed dance floors, thumping bass and joyous energy. Kicking things off is the Pride, Play & Party opening event on Friday, February 17. Throughout the weekend, Queer Techno Collective is in charge of a full venue takeover on the Saturday, and Heaps Gay and friends will be hosting kick-ons for this year's Fair Day on the Sunday alongside Sugar who will be bringing soul, funk and disco tunes to the bar's rooftop Casa Rosa. Fur Ball and Canned Fruit are keeping the good times rolling mid-week with a free Wednesday night hump day event. Queer House Collective is presiding over the tracks on Friday, February 24, followed by an all-inclusive community-led Parade afterparty on Saturday, February 25, which will rage on until 8am Sunday morning. Then Sugar returns later that day for a recovery rooftop party that promises to treat any sore heads with top-drawer tunes and hairs of the proverbial dog. The final week of the program features sex-positive dance party Show Us Ya Tips on Friday, a night curated by South Asian creative collective Kerfew on Saturday, and a final queer techno night from Barba on Sunday. Phew. On the consecutive Mondays of February 20 and 27, Irregular Fit is hosting a set of DJ masterclasses with one of Sydney's finest tastemakers, Ayebatonye. If you've always dreamed of being behind the decks this could be your chance to take the plunge. Keep your eyes on the Irregular Fit and Abercrombie Instagram pages for details on how to apply for a spot in the free classes. The full program features a swath of free events as well as a few ticketed nights — and all events are free for drag performers and First Nations attendees.
Love the beach but hate the crowds? Resolute Beach is your new sneaky fave. A drive through Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park and a short bushwalk rewards you with a mostly tourist-free taste of beach paradise. Park at the picnic ground and take the Resolute Loop Trail. You'll walk an easy two kilometres through bushland before the path descends, the trees break and there you see it: golden sands and emerald-sapphire waters stretching out to Barrenjoey Headland and the ocean beyond. Calm swells make for a perfect relaxed beach swim. As the only other way to reach this cove is by boat, it's a rare piece of unspoiled beauty. You can head straight back afterward, or carry on the loop track to West Head Lookout for more epic scenery. Image: Andrew Gregory, Destination NSW
When Jetstar launched a big domestic flight sale in mid-June, it sold 70,000 seats in just five hours. Today, July 3, the airline has just kicked off another one — so get your clickers ready. The Friday Fare Frenzy sale kicks of at 12pm today and runs until 8pm — if it doesn't sell out prior. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a heap of routes from destinations across NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia. But, before you book, we suggest you check in on when interstate borders are opening. NSW and ACT borders are both open to everyone except those from the 36 Victorian hotspots suburbs. Residents of those suburbs are currently under stay-at-home orders until at least Wednesday, July 29. Similarly, Victoria is open — but you can't visit the aforementioned suburbs. Queensland is reopening to everyone (except those from the hotspots) on Friday, July 10, as is the Northern Territory on Friday, July 17. Tasmania is working towards a July 24 reopening date (but this has not yet been confirmed) and WA has yet to announce anything. SA is open to those from Queensland, NT, Tasmania and WA, but has postponed its July 20 reopening for the rest of the country because of the spike in Victoria. A new date has not yet been announced. [caption id="attachment_774386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bannisters in Port Stephens by Destination NSW[/caption] Now you know where you can and can't go, here are the deals: Sydneysiders can snag tickets to the Sunshine Coast for $49, Cairns for $79 and Uluru from $99, as well as to the picturesque Whitsunday Coast from $69. Queenslanders, with their (almost) newfound freedom, can hop on a plan to Port Stephens for $45 or Hobart for $79 (and cross your fingers). Flights to and from Melbourne, because of the current situation, are not included in the sale. Tickets in the sale are for trips between July 28 and September 23, 2020. So, if you're keen to get away, book some now and start planning. Jetstar's Friday Fare Frenzy runs from 12–8pm (or until sold out) on Friday, July 3.
Fast forward to the end of December and we all know we're going to be committing to staying fit come 2021 for our New Year's resolution. We may not follow through, but a fresh sportswear outfit can be some good motivation. If you're looking to get in early, LSKD is lending a helping hand by taking up to 70 percent off its sportswear in its huge Black Friday sale. Formed in 2007, LSKD (pronounced loose kid) is an Australian-owned and operated clothing company specialising in sportswear, streetwear and accessories. The company produces high-quality, stylish clothes for both men and women ready for a trip to the beach, gym or a night out. From 6pm Tuesday, November 24 until Thursday, December 3, LSKD will be offering a heap of its threads wildly low prices, from women's tights, tanks and sports bras to men's tees, hoodies and shorts. This is the brand's only sale of the year so check out the store and maybe save a few bucks. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
If Neil Buchanan taught us anything on Art Attack it was that a toilet paper roll can be used to design an array of artistic works. Whilst the word 'intricate' may never be used to describe the toilet roll castles he helped us build, it perfectly describes the artworks created by artist Anastassia Elias using only toilet rolls and a scalpel. Since 2009, the French artist has sculpted 67 works from these rolls, with each as spectacular and beautiful as the next. She carves the detail of each scene from other rolls and then delicately inserts them through a slit cut into the roll that frames each individual piece. Her works include dancing ballerinas, a busy construction site, an incredibly detailed science laboratory and an amusement park spanning two toilet rolls. Rouleaux, the title of the series and the accompanying book, is available here. In the meantime, you can check out our favourites below. Via Huffington Post.
At two locations in Victoria, and over in New Zealand as well, the Peninsula Hot Springs crew have made bathing in relaxing warm water reason enough to book a holiday. Now, the team wants travellers to think about hitting the outback Queensland town of Cunnamulla in the same way. The spot has just become home to Cunnamulla Hot Springs, which the local Paroo Shire owns but Peninsula Hot Springs Group is running. If your idea of bliss is a lengthy soak in a stunning location, you have a new getaway spot to pop on your agenda, then. Perched right by Warrego River for the ultimate in scenic surroundings, Cunnamulla Hot Springs boasts seven geothermic pools. First announced in 2023, it launched at the beginning of February 2024. The $11.7-million, five-star site — which came to fruition with contributions from both the federal and Queensland state governments — is the largest-funded project that the Paroo Shire Council has ever undertaken. Getting Peninsula Hot Springs Group to look after day-to-day operations means capitalising upon its expertise honed elsewhere, however. As well as Peninsula Hot Springs, of course, it has Metung Hot Springs in East Gippsland to its name, plus Aotearoa's Maruia Hot Springs. In Cunnamulla, bathers slip into pools surrounded by native trees, and featuring mineral- and vitamin-rich water taken from and heated naturally by the artesian basin underneath. Learning about the latter around your soak is also part of the experience — calming your body and feeding your mind at the same time. Each of Cunnamulla Hot Springs's bathing spots sport different temperatures, so you can get steamy, opt for a stint in the chilled plunge pool or both. One has been specifically built to be shallow, so that folks sitting in it can gaze at the stars in the most immersive way possible. In the state-of-the-art complex, a sauna and a steam room is also part of the setup, as is an area for salt scrubs and clay masks. Fancy taking a dip by sunrise or sunset? That's on offer as well, to make the most of day's cooler temperatures. Dawn bathing starts at 6am, while a twilight soak is on offer from 5–9pm on weekdays. Patrons aren't merely surrounded by Cunnamulla's landscape as they sit; everything about Cunnamulla Hot Springs has taken its cues from its environment, with Cox Architects on design duties. Think: earthy colours, and using stone and ironbark timber among other natural materials — plus the thermal waters, of course. When it was announced last year, Cunnamulla Hot Springs was named as a highlight on the Outback Queensland Traveller's Guide, which is filled with things to do inland in the Sunshine State. Queensland isn't just about beaches, rainforests and the tropics, even if that's what it's best known for. So, the bathing venue joins everything from starlight river cruises in Longreach and Winton's Australia Age of Dinosaurs Museum through to the Southwest Queensland Indigenous Cultural Trail and a heap of national parks (and other outback spas and baths, including in Julia Creek, Bedourie, Quilpie, Mitchell and Yowah). If you're now planning a trip to Cunnamulla, it's around a nine-hour drive west from Brisbane, with flights via Rex, and also boasts an outback river lights festival; the Artesian Time Tunnel, which explores the Artesian Basin's history; and safari-style glamping — among other attractions. Find Cunnamulla Hot Springs at Lot 5 Ivan Street, Cunnamulla, Queensland — head to the venue's website for bookings and further information. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
The kitchen crew yell out 'orders up' while waitresses loudly greet their guests with shouts of kangei (welcome). Amid the noise, sounds of zuzutto fill the air, as patrons hunch over and lovingly slurp from the gigantic bowls in front of them. While the austere tables and bustling atmosphere set the scene for a classic Japanese ramen house, Ippudo is no ordinary noodle joint. The now global franchise had its humble beginnings in Japan in 1985 but since its international debut in 2008 has become a ramen mecca, with more than 100 locations worldwide. Nestled among the greenery of "Sydney's new downtown", Ippudo Central Park is a smaller, more intimate location than its "ramen brasserie" sister in the Westfield. The real draw of Sydney's second Ippudo, however, is the special miso-tonkotsu, a twist on the original tonkotsu broth, which isn't available in the CBD. The red miso blend is thicker and a bit nuttier than the classic pork-bone based cloudy broth. Succulent pork belly in the miso tonkotsu chashu is topped with an attractive mix of corn kernels, cabbage and pickled bamboo shoots that set the dish apart on the ramen menu. For first-timers, the shiromaru — Hakata-style ramen with juicy pork loin, crunchy bean sprouts and silky black mushrooms — is the speciality that put Ippudo at the top of the ramen trade. Add the nitamago, a delicious yet slippery whole flavoured egg, at your own risk. Whatever your ramen preference, order the noodles hard, as recommended. Part of the quality ramen joint's global success stems from its client-minded approach. The Ippudo Sydney locations combine local products with Ippudo flavouring and noodle concept; the Aussie patrons are also considered in the unconventional shojin, a vego option with seaweed and whole grain noodles that would not be present on a Japanese menu. While the famous Ippudo bun selection is not yet available, there are plenty of other entree options for those with an enormous appetite. Try the unconventional fish and chip, which is a lightly battered and perfectly golden salmon, served with a side of spicy tomato sauce and a blend of Japanese-style tartar sauce; the fried egg with a creamy yolk adds a truly unusual aspect to this dish. For those with the mightiest of appetites, the Kae-dama system will sit you with an extra serving of noodles for just $2 extra. So go on, zuzutto away.
