Representatives of more than 40 whisky distilleries from around the world will descend upon the Sydney CBD this September, bringing with them samples of 150 single malts from around the world for you to taste. The Sydney Whisky Fair will take place at The Oak Barrel on 6 and 7 September, and will give you a rare opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the biggest names in the trade. According to The Oak Barrel's spirits buyer and educator Dave Withers, an important focus of this year's fair will be the diversity of flavour and character brought to life by the emergence of innovative new micro-distilleries. "In recent times, we have seen a rye whisky from Tasmania, a whisky smoked with Texas scrub oak and even whiskies made with spelt," he says. "These small producers are pushing the envelope and represent the cutting edge of what is being done with whisky. Needless to say, we will have them on taste." A small number of VIP tickets will give connoisseurs access to some of the rarest expressions being poured at the fair, while newbies will have the opportunity to learn the ropes from Withers, the distillers and the many die-hard whisky aficionados in attendance on the day.
If your childhood even vaguely resembles mine, the slightest mention of ATYP can set off a chain of school-holiday-memory reactions and suddenly you are back in that spiral of self-doubt, resentment and, well, what I am guessing are more than a few of the themes in the upcoming ATYP Under the Wharf and Stories Like These co-production, Fireface. Just under 20 years ago this 94-scene play (yes, you read that right) was German playwright Marius Von Mayenburg’s breakthrough, and now director Luke Rogers is taking a plunge into the adolescent with Mayenburg’s sibling protagonist duo, Kurt and Olga. Like most people blundering towards maturity, these two want to be anything but their parents and are bluffing their way through a sexual awakening. Judging by bro's reaction to his sister getting a boyfriend, we can expect a touch of Bertolucci’s The Dreamers in this one, and the leads are almost as banging. (That sounded less creepy in my head.)
If your childhood was filled with love, it's hard to imagine having gone without. But it's important, sometimes, to be shown what that path looks like, because it's a determinant for the future a person can expect to have. In Belvoir's Forget Me Not, a coproduction with Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, 60ish-year-old Gerry (Colin Moody) drinks to obliteration, is mistrustful and belligerent and gets disorientated when his daughter holds his hand. His life has been beleaguered and lonely. And all this time, he had a mother who loved him, halfway across the earth, and he didn't know. Gerry is representative of the some 3000 British children who were removed from their (usually single, underprivileged) mothers between 1945 and 1968 and sent, for some barely comprehensible reason, to Australia, to live in institutions. It's tragic to realise, but the iconic Australian story might be one of stolen children. In Gerry's case, it's his daughter, Sally (Mandy McElhinney), who contacts the family restoration fund and makes Gerry an appointment with Mark (Oscar Redding), a case worker who tracks down Gerry's sweet Liverpudlian mother, Mary (Eileen O'Brien). The last plays from both writer Tom Holloway and director Anthea Williams, And No More Shall We Part and Old Man, each met with general acclaim — and many tears. Their respective themes of ageing and absent parents seem to merge in Forget Me Not, although it's actually a far more multidimensional, measured and impressive play than its predecessors. There are so many tiny details woven into the script that reveal bit by bit the devastating reality of growing up without love, or of growing old without the one you love. The sight of an adult man being unable to eat a slice of cake has never been so heartbreaking. It's also a script about saying a lot with silences, and Williams has been able to realise those wondrously, filling them with tension and longing. It pays to sit close so in these moments you can study the actors' faces, pinched and pulled by subtle prompts. Both marshmallow-in-a-hard-shell Moody and sparkling survivor O'Brien quickly win your sympathy, so you want more than anything for mother and son to connect and get something back from their years of separation. Forget Me Not also has a nice, lazy Susan-utilising set from designer Dan Potra, which creates a repeating language of homeliness and which Moody never seems to fit. Forget Me Not is a real knockout, and the punch lands even if the history seemed previously distant to you.
It's always a big year for our local offshoot from the the global ideas-fest TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design). TEDxSydney is in its fourth year of bringing thinkers and listeners together. And this year it's grown from its usual venue at the Carriageworks to drag its thinkers and listeners to the airier spaces of the Opera House Concert Hall. It comes, as usual, in three parts: a cavalcade of awesome, expert and/or entertaining speakers, an audience of interesting, rich and/or powerful people paying to sit in the the main auditorium and the public at large outside, looking in. We had our turn with rich and/or powerful when we talked to TED-runner Chris Anderson last year, but most of the fun from a TED event comes from ignoring the glitterati and focusing on the speakers on stage. There's a long list of free satellite events at large around Sydney this year, if you'd like to follow the action from outside the Concert Hall. UPDATE: An earlier version of this article said that the Opera House Studio would be a screening site open to for public viewing on the day. It won't be. Concrete Playground apologises for the error. Customs House will be hosting a live site, outdoors on the day.
Art plus bar. This almost universal gallery opening deal is a pretty tasty mix already. But the MCA adds extras to this time-honoured tradition with its now SMAC-winning series ARTBAR. They're evenings of strange and interesting things at play among the art, recurring monthly and curated by a rotating cast of local artists. This month zine-maker, artist and architect Keg de Souza helps the MCA celebrate the moveable bar's first anniversary. Helping her throw this Weird Science-themed party will be glass-muncher Justice Yeldham, weed lover Diego Bonetto and former director of Eastern Bloc and robot-maker, Wade Marynowsky. Image by Amy Loves Yah.
Do you want to work in the entertainment industry? "Uhhh, is Blue Ivy Carter going to be the first ever black female baby president?" you reply. Okay, mate, no need for the attitude — you'll need to learn to schmooze nicely. You'll also probably need to learn about a bunch of other stuff, too, but luckily for you, young padawan, the Australian Institute of Music is starting a forum series called TILT that's packed full of people with pickable brains. Based on the forum structures of TED and Q&A, the inaugural TILT (which stands for Tomorrow's Ideas Leading Today), hosted by James Mathison, will feature Rdio CEO Colin Blake, National Live Music Coordinator Dr Ianto Ware, and Gizmodo editor Luke Hopewell as well as staffers from Google and Foxtel, plus more to be announced. Make sure you get in early — tickets won't last long.
Put simply, In Possible Worlds is a fantastic exhibition. The show brings together recent works by Elly Kent, Claudia Nicholson, and Tianli Zu, three artists who work in unique blends of traditional and contemporary styles. The trio were chosen by Carriageworks CEO Lisa Havilah and 4A Director Aaron Seeto as part of 4A’s early career artists initiative. The exhibition "encourages us to think of our acceptance of commonplace understandings not as a fixed reality, but as a constant process of exchange and negotiation that opens up possibilities of seeing the world in different ways". And it does so beautifully. Tianli Zu’s works are the highlight. She cuts intricate patterns into sheets of paper, then projects light and "sound animations" onto them. Sort of like the paper cut outs you made as an 8 year old, only way better. The filigree designs cast dark shadows onto the ground. It’s a hypnotic effect. The artist is strongly influenced by Chinese philosophy and the dynamics between dark and light are a central focus in her work. Canberra-based printmaker Elly Kent creates works on paper that incorporate everyday objects found in her home. Her art is heavily inspired by Indonesian Batik techniques, a traditional form of fabric patterning that’s conceptually derived from Javanese understandings of the universe. She blends this with a contemporary approach and the finished product is gorgeous: colourful, almost sculptural works that rise out from the wall. Claudia Nicholson is a Colombian-born, Australian-raised artist. Adopted as a child, her video works are preoccupied with ideas of kinship, cultural dislocation and the construction of a lost identity. They’re filled with a strong sense of nostalgia but the effect is very unsettling. I loved them. 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is a non-profit organisation that supports contemporary Asian and Australian art, encouraging an active dialogue between the two cultures. 4A collaborates with a bunch of organisations internationally to champion the work of Australian and Asian artists. Their programs are consistently thought-provoking, engaging and just plain great. The mix of cultures, media and styles of In Possible Worlds is awesome. This is one exhibition you really shouldn’t miss. Image: Plunge by Elly Kent.
Almost ten years ago, Slashdot gushed about the alternate reality game promo experimenting with games that cross the boundaries of internet and reality. More recently, we’ve gotten excited about augmented reality overlays onto real life cities, from literary adventures to popup art. Troy Innocent’s addition to the 19thInternational Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) conference (huddling under Vivid Ideas umbrella) will be a giant, competitive public treasure hunt, with a sideline some minor civil rearrangement. Zydnei divides its players into three factions — Codex, Oeknos and Dæmon — fighting to repurpose our city’s streets to a greater plan of their own. Volunteers will place coded tags around the city, before players track them down, take them off the walls and claim the tag for their own team. The game is free and runs eight weeks, with new tags added all the time. In Melbourne the winning team regrew the city to their own plan. How will you help reshape Sydney, if you can? Zydnei is free, but you'll need to register here.
It is always great when emerging artists are giving a platform to share their work. And when that platform is one of the best stages in the country? Well, that's even better. Last year, a bunch of independent artists and small-to-medium arts companies got to perform to crowds as part of Sydney Opera House's UnWrapped series. It was such a success that UnWrapped has been upgraded to Festival status for 2019. In May, five more indie theatre gems will take to Sydney Opera House's various stages. William Yang's PARTY (verb) hauls us back into the heyday of Sydney's queer underground scene, while My Urrwai is a very personal retracing of Torres Strait Islander artist Ghenoa Gela's family and political history. Ali McGregor's Yma Sumac: The Peruvian Songbird uses cabaret to resurrect a wild Peruvian soprano and The Director gives us a humorous peek under the coffin-lid of today's funeral industry, courtesy of Scott Turnbull and Lara Thoms. Finally, PYT Fairfield's Playlist blasts pop hits to propel us through the experiences of five young women from western Sydney. Alongside the performances, there'll be a pop-up bar serving show-inspired cocktails throughout the festival season and meet and greet sessions with the artists. Plus, on Saturday, May 18, the artists will gather for a panel discussion on how their life experiences impact their performances. Festival UnWrapped not only gives you the chance to support independent theatre, it gives you the chance to watch it in one of the city's most iconic buildings. Catch these shows while they're at the Opera House so you don't need to find them in the wild. Festival UnWrapped will run from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 19. For more information on the program and to book tickets, head this way. Images: My Urrwai, supplied; PARTY (verb), William Yang; Playlist, supplied; The Director, Bryony Jackson; Yma Sumac, Rich Hardcastle.
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to wake up next to George Gershwin, this show just might be the sweet relief you've been waiting for. Set in the roaring 20s and the probably-would-also-be-roaring-if-not-for-the-Depression 30s, Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin is a beautiful production that mixes tap, ballet, hip hop and contemporary dance against a backdrop of Gershwin's beloved Broadway classics and his opera Porgy and Bess. These guys think they can dance, and they are correct in thinking that. The company is Laurence Olivier Award–winning Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu. These people aren't only amazing dancers, they're also French! Choreography is by José Montalvo and Dominique Hervieu, with music, obviously, by Georgie G. The Financial Times described Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin as "life-enhancing"; I don't know about you but I can really use some life-enhancement, especially if all it takes is to sit quietly in a dark room for a few hours and clap every once in a while, not a downward dog in sight. “Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin! Enhance away.”
Tucked away in The Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, The Gallery is known for its lavish high teas. While we were all trapped inside last year, the venue provided some much-needed at-home indulgence with a lockdown-friendly high tea, and now that we're all back out in the world, it's serving up in-person extravagance with a regularly changing menu. Right now, the current limited-time menu is a truffle-heavy feast. The Truffle and Chocolate High Tea is available 10am–4pm, seven days a week until Sunday, August 7. The treat-filled feast will set back each guest $89, which includes savoury dishes like black truffle and mushroom panna cotta, chicken with truffle rillettes and a salmon and truffle leek tart. Of course, no high tea is complete without a fair share of sweets. Dark chocolate and orange jaffa tart, white chocolate cannoli and mascarpone and chocolate cake are all included in the tea, plus your choice of coffee or tea. Those that want to add a glass of Vranken Diamant Brut NV champagne on arrival can for an extra $20. Head to The Gallery website to reserve your spot. Images: Yusuke Oba
Get ready to go another round with your favourite pansexual, wise-cracking, mass-murdering mercenary. To celebrate the release of Deadpool on Blu-ray on May 25, Fox Home Entertainment are throwing a massive party at The Standard Bowl complete with bowling, DJs and chimi-fucking-changas. It all goes down on the evening of Sunday, May 22 from 6pm. It's invite only and there'll be food and booze, as well as Deadpool-themed giveaways, plus everyone will get a copy of the Blu-ray to call their own. In the words of the man himself, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. [competition]573058[/competition] Image: Fox.
The man behind two of the smartest, sweariest shows on television will open this year's Sydney Writers' Festival with a talk about spin and satire in the world of modern day politics. Armando Iannucci is best known as the creator of two of the funniest political comedies in living memory: the BBC's The Thick of It and HBO's Veep. Both shows have been lauded for their uncomfortably accurate portrayal of contemporary politics. In fact, they're so accurate that Malcolm Turnbull even accidentally adopted one of Selina Myer's slogans during last year's federal election campaign. Whoops! Both shows also beloved among fans for having some of the most entertaining profanity ever uttered on television… and for very good reason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUky4_A7Zw4 Iannucci will be at the Sydney Town Hall on the evening of Tuesday, May 2 with local journalist and screenwriter Benjamin Law, for a conversation that has been appropriately titled 'Swearing In'. Tickets are available now, and are $30 for students and pensioners, and $45 for adults. The full Sydney Writers' Festival program will be announced on April 6. The festival runs from May 22-28.
IKEA might be your go-to for snuggly new sheets and doonas, but now the Swedish retailer is keen to help our four-legged mates get a good night's sleep, too. And you can help the cause, simply by donating some old linen. From July 6 to 14, IKEA Tempe is hosting a textiles take-back program, collecting old and unused bedding to be upcycled into comfy beds for animals in need of adoption. Pop in store and drop off any of your pre-loved blankets, towels, sheets, quilts and quilt covers, as long as they're washed, clean and in acceptable quality. You can find the full guidelines here. The textiles will then be distributed to RSPCA shelters across the state. Just think: you'll get to clear out the back of that linen cupboard and make a dent in the 500,000 tonnes of textiles that end up in Aussie landfill every year, all while helping some cute fluffers sleep a whole lot easier this winter. If you're keen for a cuddle, drop off your old wares on one of IKEA Tempe's pet adoption days. On Saturday, July 6 and Thursday, July 11, from 11am–2pm, you'll get to meet some of the cute NSW cats and dogs currently in search of their forever homes.
In many ways the world of Nosferatu speaks for itself. As soon as the screen is filled we're immersed in an unsteady shadowland of shifting angles and skulking menace. The origins of the film are less well-known. Pinned as the first vampire film in the history of cinema, director F.W. Murnau based his story off Bram Stoker's Dracula, changing the names and locations, since rights to the book were not granted. Despite Murnau's tactfulness, Stoker's widow sued and a court ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed. I mention this only because it's a fact that seems to imbue the film with all the more power, as though we're watching something that escaped history's protocol. Simply put, Nosferatu is a tale of a monster in search of a throat, told through the lens of a German Expressionist. The story takes place in the fictitious city of Wisborg, where elongated and gaunt figures move, fall and are lured through an impossible world of dungeons, doors, coffins and dreams. Like other modernist movements, German Expressionism was one of several trends around the turn of the century that disposed of realism in search of a different version of the truth. Practitioners like Murnau favored distorting the external world in order to express an inner emotional state. This film characterises one of the great examples of this kind of storytelling, holding its own in the sea of schlocky lesbian vampire films and teenage-angst ridden TV-blood suckers. The film is also screening at 2pm Wednesday 7 and Sunday 11 of September. Entry is free, but depending how crowded it is you may need to get tickets in advance. Nosferatu part of a series of films screening in conjunction with Mad Square: Modernity in German Art 1910-1937, an exhibition currently at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
If you're new to golf, head to Finley Golf Club, around 20 kilometres outside of Tocumwal on the southern border of NSW. With no bunkers or hills to worry about on this course, beginners can let loose on the fairways as much as they like. And with daily tee times available for non-members, getting involved couldn't be easier. Head to the website to plan your day on the green. Image: Visit Victoria
American singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne, who put pensive folk back on the charts in a big way in 2004 when his single 'Trouble' hit number four on the US charts, is returning to Australia — after ten years of absence. His Just Passing Through tour will take him to Bluesfest in Byron Bay, then down the highway for gigs in Sydney and Melbourne. All shows are in acoustic format, with Ray performing in duo mode, alongside Wilco's legendary bassist John Stirratt. Expect new tunes and a selection of hits. Even though we haven't seen Mr LaMontagne for so long, he's been busy. His seventh album Part of the Light came out in May this year, and, back in 2010, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise picked up a Grammy for Best Folk Album Of The Year. As you might've guessed, mad, long-tortured fans have already nabbed most tickets. But, thankfully, a second run of shows has been announced. If you've been cursing your luck, jump in quick. LaMontagne will play the State Theatre in Sydney, on April 24 and 25. You can pick up tickets over here.
If more good music and delicious food are among your New Year's resolutions — which is completely understandable — then the CBD's Restaurant Hubert is ready to give you a helping hand. Nightly from Monday–Saturday throughout January, the French eatery is serving up all the favourites from its a la carte menu, soundtracked by live jazz. Yes, its Jazz January program is back for another year. The curated lineup will bring you jazz of all kinds, with musicians hitting up the venue's stage each evening to keep you entertained while you eat. As for the menu, Restaurant Hubert is renowned for its French fare. You'll find Restaurant Hubert specialties including escargots XO, duck a l'orange and chicken fricassée on offer, each of which will transport you to a classy Parisian eatery. Reservations are required, and Jazz January runs from 5pm till close each evening. [caption id="attachment_673758" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption] Top image: Daniel Boud.
Spooky season is creeping up quickly, which means it's time to make a dash to the costume shop and make Halloween plans stat. One event celebrating the haunted holiday is the Entertainment Quarter's family-friendly, three-day spook fest. Dubbed Halloween Family Fest, it'll have everything from carnival games to thrilling rides, haunted houses, a ghoulish disco, trick or treating, costume competitions and an openair cinema. Of course, there's a global pandemic to be mindful of, so pre-booking tickets is encouraged. You can also expect social distancing measures to be in place, plus numerous hand washing facilities and sanitising stations around the precinct. Halloween Family Fest is taking over the Entertainment Quarter from Friday, October 30–Sunday, November 1. Opening times are 5–9pm Friday, 10am–9pm Saturday and 10am–4pm Sunday. Pre-book your tickets here.
Staring at art is easy. Getting into collecting it doesn't always prove the case, however. You might have bare walls and empty shelves positively screaming to be filled, but you also may not know where to start. Our suggestion: Carriageworks' Cut N Polish: Artist Car Boot Sale, which is exactly what it sounds like. Actually, it's even better, because it's bringing together a whopping 140-plus Greater Sydney artists and collectives to sell their works directly to the public. When it returns for 2023 from 11am–4pm on Sunday, May 7 at Carriageworks' Blacksmiths' Workshop, no one will be standing in the middle of you and these supremely talented folks — and no one will be taking commission and reducing the funds that'd otherwise go to the artists, either. You'll also get to meet fabulous creatives, chat to them about their work and hear their stories while you're supporting their practices via a cash-and-carry setup. The brainchild of Consuelo Cavaniglia, Jonny Niesche and Brendan Van Hek, this year's Cut N Polish will feature emerging and established artists alike — such as Zanny Begg, Shahroud Ghahani, Wiradjuri artist Leeanne Hunter aka Wiradjuri Aura, Emma Maye Gibson (aka Betty Grumble), Campbell and Grace Unlimited and more. Entry is free, and prices for the pieces on sale vary — with everything from art, paintings, prints and sculptures to clothes, art books and ceramics on offer. And, because all that browsing and buying is hungry and thirsty work, AP Bakery, Broomfields, Kepos Street Kitchen and others will be on food and drink duty. Images: Jacquie Manning.
Once a year, Monster Fest treats cinemagoers to a weird and wonderful film festival filled with genre and cult movies — but that's obviously not often enough. So, behold Monster Fest Weekender, aka the fest that the Monster team hosts midyear when it's not rolling out the full shindig. Hitting Sydney's Event Cinemas George Street from Friday, May 13–Sunday, May 15, this three-day affair will screen the films you can't wait till later in the year to see — such as Sundance oddity Hatching, a body-horror flick about a girl nursing an egg: documentary The History of Metal and Horror, which spans everyone from Alice Cooper to John Carpenter; and monster- and OTT scientist-filled stop-motion effort Mad God. Other highlights: a 35th-anniversary session of Miami Connection, a cult martial arts movie that really has to be seen to be believed; a 4K restoration of 1985's Cat's Eye, a Stephen King adaptation starring a very young Drew Barrymore; and Pennywise: The Story of It, which takes a making-of look at the Tim Curry-starring TV miniseries that first brought the creepy clown to screens.
To those in the know, Michael White has long been the epicentre of the London entertainment scene, spreading his producing talents across the stage and screen in everything from Oh! Calcutta! to Monty Python and the Holy Grail to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. To those outside his orbit, his name remains unfamiliar even as his impact is inescapable. Documenting the untold story of his life and legacy, The Last Impresario dwells in the space between both extremes. Australian actress and filmmaker Gracie Otto once fell into the latter category, until spotting White at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. There he sat, surrounded by the who's who of the industry, and her curiosity was instantly piqued. They quickly made each other's acquaintance, formed a firm friendship, and the idea for the film was born. In keeping with her enigmatic introduction to the now elderly entrepreneur, it is not White that monopolises Otto's insider look at his influence, but the myth of the charming man and the many people and projects that came under its thrall. A septuagenarian with declining health, he has a limited ability to tell his own tale, but there is no shortage of famous faces — from John Waters to John Cleese, Kate Moss to Anna Wintour, and Australians Greta Scacchi, Naomi Watts, Lyndall Hobbs and Barry Humphries — able to regale viewers with amusing anecdotes. Of course, much of the fun comes in reliving his celebrity experiences with Jack Nicholson, David Bowie and the like, as meticulously photographed by avid snapper White and further catalogued in decades' worth of memorabilia. His life and the documentary that results is the ultimate act of star-spotting, filtered through a charismatic figure who should be better known than those he interacts with. Scacchi succinctly puts it best; he is "the most famous person you've never heard of". Making her first full-length effort after a series of award-winning shorts, Otto is a naturalistic documentarian afforded ample access undoubtedly aided by her own movie pedigree (in addition to forging her own career, she is the daughter of Bliss's Barry and the sister of The Lord of the Rings' Miranda), yet only occasionally does she overplay her hand. Her visuals are vibrant, her interviews probe, but it is her tone that best impresses, celebrating the feature's subject while never shying away from the underlying melancholy of his less-than-ordinary existence. Two areas skirted around — White's illness and finances — provoke unfulfilled intrigue; however, what does comprise the film paints a very interesting picture nonetheless. The feature's thesis, that they just don't make them like White anymore, is easily proven. In name and in nature, The Last Impresario colourfully charts the final remnants of dying breed. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mRbUZA161vc
Sydneysiders love a bake sale and, in delightful news for locals, a bunch of Sydney legends are teaming up for another edition of Bush's beloved pop-ups on Saturday, October 29. The Redfern favourite will be presenting special one-off creations from Donut Papi, Mapo Gelato, Good Ways Deli, Little Fern and Small Talk across a morning of next-level snacks, while also raising money for a good cause. On offer will be Good Ways' roo sausage rolls, plus saltbush focaccia with roo salami from Goose on the Loose, scamorza and lemon myrtle zucchini; coffee milk custard-stuffed doughnuts from Donut Papi; strawberry gum basque cheesecake from Little Fern; and all-native bagels with curried egg from Small Talk. If all of these tantalising creations weren't enough to get you to Redfern on Saturday, Bush is also rolling out a special bake sale menu which will feature wild boar pizza pockets, cheese and Vegemite swirls, macadamia and white chocolate cookies, and chocolate, pepperberry and marshmallow slices. The goodies will be available from 10am at Bush's George Street home, and a portion of all the proceeds are also going to supporting some amazing Sydney organisations. Ten percent of all the money made will be donated to Redfern Youth Connect, and 100 percent of the proceeds from Little Fern's cheesecake are being given to the Women and Girls Emergency Centre. Get in early as they're sure to sell out. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BUSH - 55 George st, Redfern. (@bush.sydney)
The close ties between Italy and Australian can't be ignored. Italians love pasta and wine, and we also love pasta and wine, after all. Accordingly, what better way to celebrate this joyful union than to head along to an Italian street festival on your Sunday. Returning for 2018, Ferragosto will bring a solid dose of Italian culture, food and general entertainment to Sydney's Five Dock on August 19, with food stalls hawking street eats and handmade goodness, as well as dance and music across five stages. Comedian James Liotta will headline — and if you've ever wished you were cruising across Florence on a vespa, there'll be a bunch of fancy Italian vehicles on display. Last year's event drew more than 100,000 people, so it seems that the people of Sydney enjoy Italian culture a fair amount: and with this being Ferragosto's 21st birthday, the obsession doesn't seem to be fading. What's to argue with when it comes to pizza and cannoli, really?
You’d be forgiven for thinking that feminism has stalled. Robin Thicke’s devastatingly catchy song Blurred Lines, which glamorises sexual violence towards women, has sold well over a million copies worldwide; women still aren’t being paid as much as their male counterparts; and even the Deputy PM agrees that Australia’s treatment of its first female P.M. was deeply disturbing. Cue JANIS, an ongoing initiative dedicated to promoting the work of female artists, curators and writers. Founded by Sydney-based artist Kelly Doley, the project was conceived as a way of reintroducing a dialogue examining gender inequality in the arts. JANIS II, the project’s most recent incarnation, is made up of a female power cabal. A joint exhibition between The Commercial gallery and MCLEMOI Gallery, the show is curated by Doley and Amanda Rowell and features works by Bonita Bub, Jenny Christmann, Sarah Goffman, Gail Hastings and Sarah Rodigari. Feminist agenda aside, the art is just plain terrific. The works are connected by a common focus on abstraction and minimalism. Bub’s hot pink, accordion-like structure greets you as you enter the Commercial. Stretching from floor to ceiling, the work eloquently explores the space it occupies. Another of her pieces sits at the front of MCLEMOI, prohibiting easy movement around the room. Sarah Goffman’s installations feature consumer detritus, decorated variously and then elegantly arranged on shelves. She has also produced a number of colourful drawings of food packaging that serve as a sort of culinary self-portrait. Gail Hastings offers small, wonderfully colourful architectural installations. Rigidly geometric, they feel like 3-Dimensional Mondrian paintings. The exhibition’s highlight is the inclusion of rare works by German-born artist Jenny Christmann. Her delicate, Dada-esque works are mischievous and whimsical. They’re an absolute delight to see. JANIS II is accompanied by a publication containing contributions from a wide array of female writers. Each writer was asked to respond to a range of topics relating to feminism and art. It’s a wonderful book, filled with articulate, thought-provoking, snack-sized texts. At $5, how can you resist? In the words of another power woman, Beyonce Knowles, whose thoughts open the JANIS II publication, "…let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous". Janis Joplin would be proud. Image Jenny Christmann, installation shot at the Commercial Gallery. JANIS II is also on show at the MCLEMOI Gallery.
Israel-born, UK-based choreography magnifico Hofesh Shechter will treat us Antipodeans to another visit this month with the Sydney premiere of Sun, which made a serious impact at the 2013 Melbourne Festival. His work last appeared before Opera House audiences in 2010, when Political Animal came to town. Described as a "visceral journey from perfect harmony to violence and change", Sun maintains Shechter's explosive, boundary-obliterating style and his preoccupation with major social and political issues. Torture, brutality, power abuse, repression and colonial domination are all confronted. "Sun bypasses both quiet contemplation and intellectual analysis," writes one Guardian critic. "It is experienced directly as an unrelenting series of visceral stimuli; the audience perched, breathless." Expect a mash-up of pretty much every dance style that's been invented since humans first started moving their bodies to music — from traditional religious routines to classical ballet to Balkan circle dancing to hip hop moves. https://youtube.com/watch?v=gLjTbvasEzo
It has been a couple of years since The Jungle Collective first started taking over Australian warehouses and slinging plenty of plants, all thanks to its huge sales in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. These leafy excuses to fill your home with greenery always have a bit of a celebratory vibe, so the outfit's next New South Wales outing should come as no surprise — it's hosting another plant sale house party. While all of those gorgeous green babies are the main attraction — and more than 170 varieties of them, too — browsing and buying in an old heritage building isn't something you get to do every day. It's happening twice, across the two days of Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7. You'll pick up everything from fiddle leafs and monsteras to giant birds of paradise and rubber trees, as well as oh-so-many ferns and hanging plants. You'll also be able to shop for designer pots, get expert advice from the horticulturalists onsite, listen to jungle tunes and even nab a $5 discount if you show up in double denim attire. It's all happening at 260 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, with two-hour sessions held at 8am, 10am, 12pm and 2pm on Saturday, plus 10am and 12pm on Sunday. While entry is free, you'll need to secure a ticket to head along — they'll be available from midday on Monday, April 1.
If you're a fan of the new and exciting, especially when it comes to what's in your wine glass, prepare to scope out some very fresh talent, when Young Gun of Wine's Uncut showcase hits Sydney next month. Taking place on the rooftop of North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday, November 10, the event's set to shine a spotlight on the bright young things and rising stars of Australia's wine scene. It'll offer the chance to sample 60 wines from 30 buzz-worthy winemakers, as chosen by the expert Young Gun of Wine crew — a group that champions groundbreaking, emerging winemakers and acts as an incubator for the country's up-and-coming wine stars. Uncut will see you quaffing all sorts of interesting Aussie drops as you cruise around soaking up the fresh, salty air — and there'll be some quality eats available, too. Surry Hills' Chin Chin is heading east for the occasion and will be serving up a solid selection of fiery, modern riffs on Thai street food. Tickets are $65, which includes all your tastings and a Riedel glass to keep for future wine appreciation sessions.
When well-loved Petersham stalwart Oxford Tavern reopened earlier this year, it brought an influx of quality local brews, natural wines and Aussie spirits to the neighbourhood along with it. Now the watering hole has teamed up with the best in the craft beer business — Marrickville's Bucket Boys — to open a co-op bottle shop onsite. Taken over by brothers James and Josh Thorpe, the duo behind Darlinghurst's The Taphouse and its sour ale and natural wine bar Odd Culture, the Tav now pours beers from independent breweries made within a five-kilometre radius of the pub. At the moment you can get your mitts on brews from The Grifter, Yulli's, Nomad and Wayward. If you don't want a beer, opt for an Aussie gin with tonic, a spritz or a cocktail jug made with soda from PS40 or a glass of Australian natty wine. Given the drinks list, the venue is a natural fit for a co-run bottle-o with fellow beer slingers (and lovers) Bucket Boys, offering up sought-after brews, wines and liquors for you to take home. Located in a custom-built area between the front bar and Oxford Tavern's lush beer garden, the bottle shop will feature a simple counter and display situation, decor-wise. It's the shops carefully-curated selection of neighbourhood brews, natural wines and Aussie spirits that'll be the impressive part. Like the Tav itself, the store will have a brewery focus on those within five kilometres — Batch, Young Henrys, Yulli's, Akasha, Wayward, Grifter and Wildflower will all cop a spot in the fridge, mainly available in four- and six-packs of tinnies as well as a select range of singles. In the spirit of mateship (and Australia's questionable drinking culture), the co-op shop will launch on Anzac Day — aka Thursday, April 25 — and run for at least a few months, with hopes for it to become a permanent fixture. The pub will also be celebrating the public holiday with a New Zealand versus Australia brewery tap showcase, smokey meats from the barbecue pit in the beer garden and two-up from noon, obviously. The Oxford Tavern x Bucket Boys co-op bottle shop will launch on Thursday, April 25 at 1 New Canterbury Road, Petersham and is slated to run for a few months. Keep an eye on the Bucket Boys Instagram feed for updates. Top image: Katje Ford.
Somewhere in the dark recesses of a record company, a phone rings in the jazz music copyright department. Five minutes later, an email begins to circulate around Hollywood: "URGENT: 1920s costumes required. Wooden tennis racquets also welcome. Destination not yet known, but assume Manhattan or France". Finally, casting agents receive a visit from a mysterious stranger with a very specific request: "I need a girl. Young. Sexy but approachable. Almost too young, without being obvious, if you follow?" He winks and disappears into the smog. The clues are unmistakeable. The conclusion, unavoidable. Woody Allen is making a movie. His 47th, in fact, and his most handsome in quite some time. Yet the eyes can deceive, and just as his characters learn throughout Magic in the Moonlight, beauty all too often masks a shallowness that will always, eventually, out. It is, to put it simply, very light fare across the board. Amusing more than hilarious, sweet yet far from moving, Magic in the Moonlight is as fun to watch as it is easy to forget. Set (once again) in the 1920s, the entire film is built around a simple, singular premise: esteemed magician Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth) is brought to the French Riviera to debunk the charming young American clairvoyant Sophie (Emma Stone). Her bewildering talents, however, quickly defy his every attempt to expose her, deftly penetrating every layer of his stoic scepticism. Faced with the possibility that real magic might exist, the insufferably rational and pragmatic Stanley finds himself questioning everything, from the meaning of life to the love of his soon-to-be wife. It's a romantic comedy of sorts, but the pairing of Stone and Firth fails to spark any real on-screen connection despite both actors ticking all the boxes individually. It's worth remembering there's almost 30 years between the two, an age gap (or chasm, rather) that Stanley acknowledges early on as 'preposterous'. It's perhaps less a joke than a symptom of the film's ultimate inability to resonate. Either way, you don't really care whether they get together or not, just as it matters little whether Sophie's talents are legitimate. The stakes are low, and for a film all about magic, the only genuine mesmerising comes from the scenery. https://youtube.com/watch?v=nzcPdGxuewU
Public House Petersham is going all out this ANZAC Day with a car park party outside their pub from noon on Tuesday, April 25. Two-up isn't the only highlight — they've invited some of Australia's best craft brewers along to make the day extra festive, including Batch Brewing Company, Willie the Boatman, Stone & Wood Brewing, Fixation Brewing Co. and Malt Shovel Brewery. Each brewery will set up a stall in the car park, pouring ice-cold brews to thirsty two-up players in masses. As an additional nod to the sentiment of the day, the proceeds of each brewery's first keg will support Soldier On Australia. In true Aussie style, there will also be a sausage sizzle, along with a charity bake sale by Daisy's Milkbar and the PHP kitchen will open its regular hours. Two-up will begin promptly at noon and the party will sashay into the night from there.
Medeski, Martin and Wood's music is lush, spooky, psychadelic and super cool. Like a soundtrack to a Jim Jarmusch film. Its improvisational free jazz, a musical genre who's very name would have warranted me hurling their albums across the room in disgust about two years ago. Now I love it, but I'm also suddenly really into real estate, so maybe my Saturn return is just kicking in. One of the best things about being in an improvisational jazz trio would be that you could really pump out the albums. Because they, you know, just, like, make it up. The trio have recorded over 20 albums since 1992. They're playing at the The City Recital Hall during the Sydney Festival. Oh, and also they're from Brooklyn. Like every, bloody, one else.
Unless you've spent the last two months living under a rock, it's safe to assume you'll have heard about The Lady and the Unicorn exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. Visiting from Paris' Musèe de Cluny – Musèe National du Moyen Âge, the exquisitely beautiful, richly symbolic tapestry cycle — otherwise known as 'the Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages' — is yours to gaze at until Sunday, June 24. It's only the third time the works have left France since their creation circa 1500, so we're pretty darn lucky to have them in Sydney. And even luckier, there's an incredible accompanying program designed to complement the exhibition's themes of art and the senses. So once you've soaked up the tapestries in all their mysterious glory, you can dive into a host of events including an impressive lineup of guest speakers, tapestry weaving, live poetry performances, panel discussions and weekly sessions on mindfulness and meditation. Here are some highlights. PRACTICE MINDFULNESS Intrigued by the Coming to Our Senses series but can't commit to the four-week program? Then put Wednesday, April 25 in your calendar. As part of that evening's Art After Hours program, artist and Zen Buddhist practitioner Lindy Lee joins mindfulness educator Steve Pozel for a free talk on the power of art to engage our senses, inspired by the five senses theme running through The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry cycle. Discussing contemporary artists ranging from musician John Cage to renowned performance artist Marina Abramovic, Lee and Pozel will explore the intimacy of mindfully engaging with performance, art and music, along with the potential for meditation itself to spark the creative impulse. Wednesday, April 25 at 6.30pm. Free. ENGAGE YOUR SENSES Whether you're an old hand at meditation or newly curious about developing greater mindfulness, you might be interested in the four-week multi-disciplinary program Coming to Our Senses. Combining a sensory exploration of artistic, musical and natural elements from the tapestry cycle (and other works in the gallery), the course guides an intimate group of 25 people through mindfulness practices and meditation, aiming to help participants cultivate awareness, restore focus, heighten engagement and deepen empathy. Led by mindfulness facilitator Steve Pozel, each week you'll also get to glean wisdom from guest artists, including Chinese-Australian artist Lindy Lee; Australian composer, producer and pianist Stu Hunter; and celebrated practitioner of the Japanese tea ceremony, Yayoi Maloney. Every Saturday from May 12 to June 2 from 9am–12pm. $420–450. [caption id="attachment_663767" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Taste' c1500, from 'The Lady and the Unicorn' series (detail) Musée de Cluny – Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado.[/caption] BECOME A TAPESTRY EXPERT Fans of tapestry-making and textile art in general will definitely want to come along to Weaving Histories. The event takes place across an entire day and will answer everything you've ever wanted to know about the context of medieval European tapestry, including the traditions and techniques that continue to influence the medium today. Spend a Saturday having an exclusive viewing of The Lady the Unicorn exhibition, hearing a talk from US tapestry historian Laura Weigert, refreshing yourself at morning tea, followed by an afternoon at the Australian Design Centre for a panel discussion led by Art Gallery of NSW curator Jackie Dunn with tapestry artists and scholars Valerie Kirk and Cresside Collette. The day wraps up following afternoon tea with the speakers. Saturday, June 2 from 10am–3.15pm. $55–65. SEE ART AFTER HOURS There's a stellar lineup across April and May for the Wednesday Art After Hours program, where you can visit The Lady and the Unicorn exhibition as well as enjoying drinks, guided Biennale tours, talks, workshops, film screenings and live music inspired by the tapestries. Upcoming highlights include a talk from celebrated soprano, actor, composer and playwright Deborah Cheetham on April 11, who'll be reflecting on the impact the medieval tapestries have had on her. April 18 sees wine educator Aaron Basher host a talk on taste, smell and the language of wine, and on May 9 you can catch award-winning Australian author Charlotte Wood discussing her complex response to the tapestries. That's your Wednesday nights covered for the next month or so. Wednesdays from 6pm. Free entry. HEAR SOME POETRY The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries have famously intrigued artists and writers throughout time, with everyone from filmmaker-writer Jean Cocteau to novelist George Sand and poet Rilke finding them a source of inspiration. Not averse to a spot of verse yourself? Then you'll want to time your visit to coincide with Poetic Threads, a live event of poetic performances taking place as part of Sydney Writer's Festival 2018. Enter the exhibition before public hours at 9am to join a small audience as much-loved Australian poets Mirrah, Candy Royalle and Scott Sneddon (AKA Scott Wings) share their own imaginative responses to the tapestries and their mysterious, mythical world. Friday, May 4 to Sunday, May 6 from 9am. $55–65 including exhibition entry. The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are on display at the Art Gallery of NSW until June 24.
If Frida Kahlo was famous for something besides her striking paintings, it was her ability to throw a killer party. In her bright blue house known as La Casa Azul on the southern edge of Mexico City, the hard-drinking artist fed and watered all manner of friends and celebrities. By way of contribution to World Class Cocktail Week, Playa Takeria is giving you the opportunity to feast like Frida. On Sunday, May 31, the eatery will be serving up an all-evening banquet, featuring a dishes that habitually made it onto Ms Kahlo's dinner party menu. Each course will be matched up with a cocktail, including at least one or two margaritas mixed with spirits from Don Julio. Tickets cost $95 a pop and cover both food and beverages.
For the ultimate post-work reward, head over to the new Loaded by BL. So much more than your standard burger joint, this new venture from Bar Luca is all about customisation. You're given a patty, and then you're left to your own devices to customise to your heart's desires. And you're not limited to just burgers. BL also offers other comfort food bases like mac 'n' cheese, tater tots, chips, hot dogs and mozzarella patties, which you can load up with 20 different sauces and over 70 toppings. Resist the urge to gobble up your cheesy, carby creation on the spot, and, instead, take your masterpiece over to Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, where you can do some doggo spotting while you eat. We've even heard tales of owners letting you pat their dogs if you say nice things to them beforehand. Image: Kimberley Low.
Each week as Thursday night rolls around, the motivation to cook is difficult to find. The meals you prepped on Sunday are long gone and the weekend feels so close, yet so far. Luckily, Surry Hills' French bistro LoLuk is handling the cooking for you and rewarding you for making it through the week with all-you-can-eat moules frites for just $29 every Thursday. Enjoy endless fresh cooked mussels and crispy golden-brown fries until you're so full, you'll skip brekkie and lunch on Friday morning. The moules frites are served with your choice of three sauces: roquefort (blue cheese, cream and white wine reduction); provençal (tomato, garlic, white wine reduction, thyme and rosemary) or marinières (white wine reduction, cream, garlic, shallots and thyme). LoLuk also ensure that all the sauces come mixed with a healthy dash of love. The mussel feast kicks of at the Bourke Street bistro each Thursday from 6pm and continues until 10pm. Bookings can be made via Loluk Bistro website or by contacting the team at booking@loluk.com.au or on 7900 6251.
At Firstdraft this month, Natalya Hughes is importing the decor of sleaze into her practice. Girls Girls Girls, taking its cue from the neon strip club slogan, presents the unlikely union of seedy nightclubs and geometric abstraction. This may be a continuation of a theme she initiated with her 2013 exhibition, Bachelor Pads, at Alaska Projects. Hughes’ works are often multilayered and almost kaleidoscopic. She disrupts binaries, such as clean and dirty or pure and impure. She reworks decorative styles of painting that sprang out of 19th-century aestheticism, bringing them into a post-human internet era. And once again, sexuality seems to be the current bubbling underneath these colourful and not-so-innocent works. Also exhibiting at Firstdraft this month is Henry Jock Walker, Justin Balmain and Sam Songailo. Join the opening party on Wednesday, June 3.
Have you ever promised yourself an ice-cold beer at the pub as motivation to workout? Well, the minds behind The Beer Run are on the same wavelength. They are quite literally combining brews with a five-kilometre fun run that stops at five inner west breweries along the way. The run will kick off at noon on Sunday, February 3, making its way around Marrickville and Enmore, going between Batch Brewing, Stockade, Sauce Brewing Co., The Grifter and Young Henrys. Punters will enjoy a beer at each location before running on to the next, with the whole event expected to take around two to three hours. The $55 ticket price includes the five brews, a bottle opener medal and a numbered bib for the run. Tickets are on sale now — and given that the Melbourne event sold rather quickly, you'd be best to get in quick.
You'll find big things in small packages at the St Kilda Film Festival this year. That's true every year, of course, even when Melbourne has been under lockdown. But in these pandemic-adjusted times, you'll also find bite-sized flicks gracing screens both big and small — because while Australia's oldest short film festival is very much happening in-person in 2022, physically descending upon St Kilda venues, there's also still an online option that screens to movie buffs at home and nationally. This hybrid version of the fest — the event's 39th outing, in fact — places the emphasis on the in-cinema experience, though. And, it's just as devoted as ever to showcasing works by some of the best up-and-coming filmmakers in the country. So, across ten days between Friday, May 27–Sunday, June 5, 13 out-of-the-house sessions will pop up all around St Kilda, kicking off with opening night at The Astor Theatre. As always, the backbone of the festival is Australia's Top Short Films, featuring filmmakers from every corner of the country competing for prizes. Also on the bill at ticketed screenings: programs dedicated to queer, documentary, student, horror-themed, family-friendly animation, Aussie animation, homegrown in general, Australian drama, female-directed, First Peoples' and Victorian-made shorts. And, for those playing along from their couches, online sessions include a couple of programs curated by the Scottish Documentary Institute, highlights from the Obu Short Film Festival in Japan (aka the City of Port Phillip's sister city) and the closing night awards. Plus, there's also a look at acclaimed Aussie filmmaker Warwick Thornton's (Sweet Country) early works as a cinematography student, and then cinematographer and director. [caption id="attachment_572561" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jim Lee[/caption]
Summer is well and truly on its way. It's high time you woke up from that lingering winter-hibernating, Netflix-worshipping body and got it moving. Luckily, Sydney is here to offer you a little helping hand, thanks to the MoVement Sydney, a five-day festival running October 19-23 dedicated to dance music in all its forms. Wherever you go between October 19 and 23, you'll stumble across, bars, venues and unusual spaces that have given themselves over to the groove. Expect secret warehouse shows, curated club nights, record swap meets, DJ workshops, dance cinema, live streams and more — from Australia's biggest music crews Astral People, Sugar Mountain, House of Mince, Siberia Records, Picnic, Motorik, Stoney Roads, FBi Radio, Champain Lyf, SASH, Heaps Gay and more. The program is a little on the massive side, so we did some research for you and handpicked ten of the best.
HSBC Sydney 7s is returning for another year from Saturday, February 1 to Sunday, February 2, taking over the Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta for the first time. The two-day party weekend spans heaps of high-energy rugby matches, a live music lineup and fancy dress aplenty. As always, 28 of the world's best international men's and women's rugby sevens teams will go head-to-head to be crowned the tournament champions. The tournament will also feature its very own music festival, with a stage set to host live acts across the weekend. At the Festival Stage, you'll catch headliners LDRU, DJ Tigerlily and Yolanda Be Cool, plus heaps of supporting acts. DJ Tigerlily will be bringing the good times in spades as will Sydney mainstay DJ duo Yolanda Be Cool — you know, the ones who did 'We Know Speak No Americano'. Topping it all off, ARIA-nominated DJ and producer LDRU will be pumping out dance and electro tunes, including his hits 'Keeping Score' and 'Tropics'. So, expect a party at this rugby match. Plus, one of the best aspects of heading to a Rugby 7s day is the chance to don a silly outfit. There's no theme this time round, so use it as an opportunity to show off as much team pride as you can muster. There'll also be a bunch of giveaways up for grabs. Round up your mates, start planning your get-ups and get prepared for a full on weekend of festivities. Single day passes start at $50 and weekend passes at $95. Both include entry into the stadium and festival area. Plus, you'll get free train travel to and from the stadium all weekend — just show your ticket at the barrier. To purchase tickets, head this way.
Why are French films so good even when they’re so bad? How does a mainstream drama masquerade as a classy arthouse film? Since the unlikely plot machinations of Gone Girl, there’s been much talk of preposterous thrillers; what Samba gives us is a preposterous romance. Charlotte Gainsbourg is an impossibly stylish yet under-confident social worker who falls in love with one of her clients, Senegalese immigrant Samba Cisse (Omar Sy), who’s in a detention centre and legal limbo despite ten years of work and life in France. A ridiculous scenario! So why do we buy it? And how exactly do the French do middlebrow cinema so well? Samba is co-written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the team behind the 2011 feel-good hit The Intouchables that introduced the world to French-Senegalese actor Sy. I’d be surprised if Nakache and Toledano ever let him go — Sy is a super charisma bomb and genuine movie star. Gainsbourg is typically lovely and captivating, but really, it’s all about Sy. The film’s comedic beats are sprinkled evenly, the intelligent and photogenic romantic leads dance awkwardly and endearingly around each other as expected, all the loose ends are tied — and every stereotype of a French film is fulfilled. It's all pleasingly predictable. An Australian or British filmmaker might play Samba as gritty social-realist cinema, but in French hands it's closer to a rom-com with a dash of humanitarian consciousness, with a perilously close move to melodrama in the third act. The opening scene lays out the film’s more serious themes beautifully. We open on a group of Gatsby-era dancers on stage, glittering and red-lipped, a swing remix playing, and as the camera pulls back indulgently, a giddy bride and groom in punch-drunk love cut a huge cake. We follow as the cake is whisked out of the ballroom, through swinging service doors and into the sweaty, stressful kitchen, to be cut, plated and served. Across that threshold, the Luhrmann-style extravaganza immediately gives way to a hospitality class of invisible, non-white, super-stressed labourers. This one long take gives us a perfect, efficient view of how racial segregation continues in contemporary democracies — that the luxuries of the upper classes are fuelled by the sweat of migrants who renounce many basic rights for the 'privilege’ of living in the developed world. A film about the immigrant’s struggle might seem overly dry, but Samba is drenched in that amazing French cinema slickness. It’s an easy date film, a stay-in-on-Friday-with-pizza-and-wine film, the type of socially acceptable, trashy indulgence you don’t have to feel humiliated about (the anti-Fifty Shades of Grey). It’s the filmic equivalent of Cafe del Mar easy listening: it’s watchable. The direction and music and cinematography are so seamlessly invisible, and the lead performances so natural, the film appears to be directed on autopilot. Most of all, Samba is neither a good nor bad film; it’s a disturbingly competent one. Still, it’s a minor victory every time a film for grown ups that's not part of a Marvel-ised 'story world' makes it to theatres. And you get to spend a couple of hours with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Omar Sy.
In need of an after-work de-stresser? Lululemon hears you. To celebrate its 20th birthday, the athletic apparel brand is offering a free Thursday night yoga class by the beach. The hour-long class will take over The Corso in Manly on October 4 from 6.15pm and invites yogis from all over Sydney to come decked out in their finest designer athletic wear. Brand ambassadors Phoebe Collins and Eliza Giles will lead the after-work class. While it's free to attend, you'll have stop by the Mosman or Warringah stores to grab a wristband for entry. The wristband will also get you discounts on booze and food at nearby Manly venues after the yoga session — including half-price food and drinks at Sugar Lounge, $6 beer and wine at Donny's Bar and $5 drinks at Bavarian Bier Cafe. You can register for the free event here, and don't forget to bring-your-own yoga mat on the night.
So your invites to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia got lost in the mail this year? Don't fret too much, unless one of your favourite things to do is stand in a long line getting high on complimentary San Pellegrino Aranciata. More orderly is Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Sydney. The successive sister event is "your ticket to the trends", which means that the focus is on pretty clothes rather than finding whoever stole your second-row goodie bag and fighting them to the death. MBFF's main ambition is to showcase the Spring/Summer collections of our big-name designers and hyped newcomers to the general public. The key 'Trends' show itself offers a Marie Claire-edited wrap-up of MBFWA's runway highlights, with Ksubi’s denim-on-denim spectacular and Akira’s contemporary-Oriental prints appearing alongside visual snippets from emerging talent like Christopher Esber and Bless'ed Are the Meek. Big ticket holders will be invited behind the red rope for post-show drinks and canapes, and with satellite events ranging from a 'Fashion on Film' night by Portable to styling sessions at Warringah Mall, there will be plenty more to keep you on your well-shod toes.
When David Bowie starred in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth, playing an alien who crash lands on our planet, it became one of the musician's iconic on-screen roles. It's also one that he returned to nearly four decades later, in a fashion — co-writing the musical Lazarus, as inspired by the Walter Tevis novel that the sci-fi film was based on. Written with playwright Enda Walsh, and one of Bowie's final projects before his passing in January 2016, Lazarus opened off-Broadway in December 2015. The production made the jump to London in 2016, and brought its otherworldly story — and its soundtrack of 18 Bowie tracks — to Melbourne in 2019. But if you haven't seen it yet, you can now do so from your own couch. When Friday, January 8, 2021 rolls around, it would've been Bowie's 74th birthday. When Sunday, January 10, 2021 hits, it'll mark five years since his death. In honour of those two occasions, a stream of the London production of Lazarus will be available to watch. It was captured live on stage during the show's run, and stars Dexter's Michael C Hall, who followed in Bowie's footsteps by taking on the part of Thomas Jerome Newton — and it's streaming at 7pm AEDT on Friday, January 8 and Saturday, January 9, and at 3pm AEDT on Sunday, January 10. Tickets cost $28.50. Those eager for a date with this starman — and to start loving the alien, again — can expect a sequel of sorts to The Man Who Fell to Earth. The enigmatic Newton remains on earth, unable to die; however, the arrival of another lost soul might offer the solution that he's been looking for. As for the familiar songs that this story plays out to, it's basically a best-of catalogue of Bowie's greatest hits. 'Heroes', 'Changes', 'Life on Mars?', 'The Man Who Sold the World' and 'Sound and Vision' all feature — as do four of the star's final recordings, including the title track 'Lazarus'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9iw6yoMk3I
Jazz music, perhaps more than any other genre of music, is a distinctly unruly beast. While the boundaries of musical genres are forever moulded and mashed by the whims of individual artists, no other genre has so reliably defied expectations and sent minds spinning into the musical unknown as jazz. With the 505 International Jazz Festival rolling into town on Monday, May 20, there is no better time to get your teeth stuck into jazz music's sonic unruliness. And as would be expected from Sydney's premiere jazz club, picking a favourite act is a bit like picking a favourite child. There is the jazz-rock-hip-hop fusion of Kneebody; Sting and Pat Metheny's Grammy Award-wining bass buddy Christian McBride; underground sax legends Tony Malaby and Dave Ades; and genre-hopping, multi-instrumentalist Nate Wood. With tickets starting from as little as $10, the two-week festival will be a unique opportunity to experience some of the world's finest jazz musicians.
The annual Parramatta Lanes festival is retuning this month, bringing the finest eats, beats and comedy seats to Sydney. The Paramatta palooza will include five nights of fun in a choose-your-own-adventure style festival. From Tuesday, November 16 to Saturday, November 20, you can catch musicians, DJs, artists and comedians performing live at venues throughout the Parramatta CBD. Let the Parramatta Lanes Art Trail app guide you to venues like Club Parramatta, Lola Cocina, Butter and Milky Lane to catch performances and dishes that are as impressive as the art you'll discover along the way. There'll be live sets from a variety of local musicians including neo-soul acts Rissa and Liyah Knight and hip-hop artists No Intent and Lil Spacely. Archie Rose is helping to transform The Heritage Courtyard Pavilion on Marsden Street into the Lil Lanes pop-up bar where you'll be treated to even more sonic delights. Here you can catch the warm, honey-glazed sounds of future-soul group Kyoshi; the tongue-in-cheek rhymes from hip-hop artist Phil Fresh; a poetic and powerful performance from Imbi; and the innovative beats of Planet Vegeta and Midnight Pool Party. If comedy is more your thing, make tracks to gigs from comics including Becky Lucas, Cassie Workman, Aaron Chen, Tahir and more. Ready to rediscover the Parramatta CBD? Parramatta Lanes runs from Tuesday, November 16–Saturday, November 20. For more information and to plan your night out, visit the website.
What's better than lamingtons? Free lamingtons, of course. And Tokyo Lamington, everyone's favourite purveyor of these delightful nostalgic treats, is giving away a heap of freebies for two days. If you head to Tokyo Lamington's Sydney store between Friday, July 21–Saturday, July 22, you'll have the chance to try a new flavour of lamington for free. All you have to do is purchase an item from the store and you'll be given one of 1000 free chocolate lamingtons — a simple new addition to the chain's offerings as part of its nostalgic Lamington Originals range. You can also score a free Firecracker Oatly and Single O latte or batch-brew coffee as part of the promotion. Single O is also getting in on the action at its Surry Hills cafe, handing out 50 free lamingtons to the first customers through the door on Friday, July 21. If you're wondering what you can purchase at Tokyo Lamington in order to qualify for your free cake and/or coffee, well, you could get another lamington, of course. But there are also plenty of other delectable items available, including onigiri and mushroom kombu quiches. [caption id="attachment_892035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Single O, Surry Hills[/caption]
Prancing through fields laced with the charm of provincial France? Casual summer weekendery. The ever-popular So Frenchy So Chic in the Park is waltzing back to Melbourne's Werribee Park Mansion for its sixth year running, while in Sydney it will be moving over to the Glebe waterfront at Bicentennial Park for its fourth instalment. If you haven't been before, expect an entire afternoon of French-inspired niceties — think gourmet picnic hampers, tortes and terrines, offensively good wine, furious outdoor chess, casual gypsy beats. So Frenchy hinges around a solid lineup of eclectic artists you may be yet to meet. There's '60s French pop-American art rock hybrid outfit The Limiñanas (think Serge Gainsbourg meets The Velvet Underground), Parisian funk-folk poet and musician Bertrand Berlin, and Nouvelle Vague, who are no strangers to the So Frenchy setup. Last, but in no way, shape or form least, there's six-piece ex-busker band Deluxe — they will be belting out their unique blend of pop, hip-hop, funk, soul and big band elements to get everyone up off their picnic rugs and dancing the blazes out of that lawn. If you're not the most organised of picnickers, So Frenchy is putting on the works again with their beloved picnic boxes and cheese plates from Ed Dixon in Melbourne and Simmone Logue in Sydney. Filled with buttery pastry quiches, salad jardinière and goose egg meringue, the picnic boxes are one to preorder if you don't want to miss out. But So Frenchy won't let you go hungry; there'll be a huge banquet of seafood, crepes, macarons and ice cream available on the day. And of course, there'll be plenty of Laurent Perrier Champagne, French beer, Provence rosé, Bordeaux reds and whites, and special cocktails at the SFSC vintage caravan. Don your best floral-headband-and-sundress-combo and gear up for un merveilleux après-midi. SO FRENCHY SO CHIC IN THE PARK 2017: Sunday, January 15 — Werribee Park, Melbourne Saturday, January 21 — Bicentennial Park, Sydney So Frenchy So Chic in the Park will return to Melbourne and Sydney in January 2017. Early bird tickets are on sale now until October 10 for $75. From then on, tickets will be $89 online or $99 on the door. For more info, visit sofrenchysochic.com.au.
You've heard the old adage that it's the little things in life that make us happy, right? Well, something as simple as a cheap but damn fine coffee certainly fits that bill — and given that new cafe Little Evie Redfern roasts theirs in house and charges an affordable $3 per cup, they must agree. Setting up shop on the corner of Bourke Street, the inner-west's latest boutique coffee spot will satisfy your daytime caffeine cravings every day or the week. They'll also serve up homemade cakes to go with it, because taking care of business on the premises is what this new eatery is all about. Fancy a just-baked peanut butter cookie with your fresh-roasted cuppa, anyone? If you're after something more substantial food-wise, expect banana bread with ricotta and strawberry, breakfast bruschetta with horizon and haloumi, and lemon myrtle-cured salmon with scrambled eggs on Little Evie's all-day brekkie menu. Lunchtime options include sandwiches, salads, burgers and soups, aka the perfect kind of homemade fare. And if you're not a coffee fiend — because they do exist — then jugs of house-made soda, six types of cold-pressed juices, a range of shakes and smoothies, a sizeable wine and choice of four Aussie beers should satisfy your thirst. Find Little Evie Redfern at 688 Bourke Street, Redfern. For more information, visit their website and Facebook page.
