Following the news that Merivale will be running the food and beverage outlets at the new Allianz Stadium — providing stadium-goers with the opportunity to enjoy lobster, oysters, negronis, Totti's pasta and Dan Hong's cheeseburger spring rolls while enjoying the footy or a concert — the Sydney hospitality giant is bringing back its 49-percent off promotion in the lead up to two blockbuster events relaunching the stadium. Previously, the promotion spanned all of Merivale's venues, but this time, it's limited to Allianz Stadium, giving fans the opportunity to explore the new ground and its vendors while enjoying nearly half-priced drinks. From 5–7pm on Friday, September 2 in the lead-up to the blockbuster match-up between rivals the Rabbitohs and the Roosters, all drinks at the stadium, ranging from craft beers to champagne and cocktails, will be 49 percent off. The deal will then pop up again the next day, in the two hours leading up to the Wallabies and Springbok test match. The offer applies to all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at the stadium under $200, and really, who's dropping $200 on a bev at the footy? While you're enjoying your discounted drinks, you can nab food from the range of vendors including the aforementioned Totti's as well as Bert's, El Loco, Jimmy's Falafel and Ms. G's. [caption id="attachment_864352" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption]
Wu-Tang Clan. A group who need no introduction nor, apparently, an extended lead-up to their Australian tour, are coming to Australia soon. Very soon. Really goddamn soon. For anyone who clocked the ambiguous 'Wu-Tang Is Coming' posters that have been up around Melbourne, your suspicions have been confirmed. The Wu-Tang tour is happening at the end of February and they’ll be gracing Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with their presence (sorry everybody else, but Canberra you never stood a chance). The lineup is still to be confirm but we can only hope they drop some numbers from Once Upon a Time in Shaolin as a big middle finger to Pharmaceutical Hitler Martin Shkreli who bought the unique record for $2 million and then kept the damn thing entirely to himself, much to the disgust of the entire world. Check out the dates and make the necessary arrangements to get work off. WU-TANG CLAN 2016 AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES: February 23 — Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne February 24 — Allphones Arena, Sydney February 26 — Riverstage, Brisbane Tickets go on sale on December 21, via Ticketek for Melbourne and Sydney and Ticketmaster for Brisbane, juuust in time for you to pick up a lil Christmas gift for yourself. Image: Jonathan Weiner.
Haymarket's Lunar New Year festival is ready for its next instalment, taking over the neighbourhood's multicultural streets for 18 days of celebration and tradition. Running from January 29 to February 16, the event rings in the Year of the Snake, with highlights ranging from dragon dancers and street food tours to contemporary art exhibitions and hilarious comedy club nights. Presented on Dixon Street, one of the headline events in 2025 is Snake Stroll on Dixon. Designed by award-winning creatives Basalt Studios, this special snake installation features three sculptures shaped from sustainably sourced marine plywood and reusable materials. Stretching up to eight metres long, the snakes' yellow bellies and red bodies symbolise prosperity and positivity. [caption id="attachment_839549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] City of Sydney[/caption] Held for one night only on February 1 from 5pm, Sydney Lunar Streets is the opening street party for the 2025 festival. Here, visitors will encounter more than 20 market stalls lining Sussex and Thomas Streets, with delicious Asian cuisine and specialty treats complemented by entertainment including lion dancers and contemporary musical performances. For even more culinary fun, take a wander with the award-winning experts at Local Sauce Tours to discover the history and secrets behind some of Chinatown's most beloved restaurants. Not only will you get a taste of numerous eclectic bites across the precinct, but you'll also learn about the immense contributions Chinese Australians have made to the local area. Alongside exhibitions celebrating diversity at 4A Centre for Contemporary Art, a deep-dive into communal dining at Blank Gallery and live performances at the Chinatown Comedy Club, this wide-ranging party offers a chance to get to know your local community while embracing the diverse tapestry of Asian cultures.
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, and they just keep coming, with the outfit's next Sydney outing happening across the weekend of Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 19. Gorgeous green babies are the main attraction — and more than 170 varieties of them, too. 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 and get expert advice from the horticulturalists onsite. Oh, and if you bring your dog with you in a bag — taking inspiration from New York's subway — you'll receive $5 off your purchase. It's all happening at Precinct 75, at 75 Mary Street, St Peters, with sessions held at 8am, 10am, 12pm and 2pm on Saturday, plus 10am and 12pm on Sunday. Entry is free, but you'll need to register for a ticket — which you can do from 12pm on Monday, January 13.
Crown Sydney is heating things up in a seriously opulent style with a one-night-only rooftop party on Thursday, November 27 — and it's bound to be one of the most exclusive events of the season. Set on the level five rooftop pool deck, the evening will unfold against the beautiful scenery of the harbour, flowing cocktails, world-class dining, and live entertainment. Presented by Patrón Tequila and Fashion House Missoni, the party brings together some of Crown's biggest culinary names — including Nobu, a'Mare, Icebergs Harbour Bar, Woodcut and Golden Century, each serving signature dishes from live food stations. Expect unlimited sashimi, tequila pasta tossed to order, and roaming yum cha bites, alongside crafted Patrón cocktails. Headlining the event is electronic duo Peking Duck, with support from Touch Sensitive, elevating the night. Tickets are $525 per person and include an unforgettable night of food, beverages, and entertainment. This is Crown at its most luxurious, an immersive, all-inclusive summer celebration designed for those ready to start the season with a splash. Tickets are $525 per person and include an unforgettable night of food, beverages, and entertainment. This is Crown at its most luxurious, an immersive, all-inclusive summer celebration designed for those ready to start the season with a splash.
Alaskan-bred, Portland-based indie foursome Portugal. The Man will be hitting the road for an epic string of Australian dates this November. We're talking a whopping 25 dates — and all free. Presented by Corona Extra, the tour kicks off in Western Australia on October 31 and travels through Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria before finishing up in Melbourne on November 30. With seven albums under their belt — including their most recent, Danger Mouse-produced, 2013 album Evil Friends — and playing up to 200 shows a year since they started, Portugal. The Man aren't ones to shy away from a long touring stint. They're big ol' festival favourites, making highlight lists at all the big guns from Coachella, Lollapalooza to Laneway Festival and Splendour. After their huge US tour wraps up, the foursome are going to bring their psychedelic, indie outdoorsiness to Australia's snuggly pubs and bars. Corona's last epic Australian tour saw Sydney's beloved Cloud Control hit the road for an unfathomable amount of free shows, so we'll see how the Portland locals go with such a schedule. Get along, burl out 'Got It All', 'Evil Friends' and 'So American' like you're front and centre for a P.TM festival set. It's freakin' free. Corona Extra Presents Portugal. The Man National Dates: Western Australia Friday, 31 October — Caves House 18 Yallingup Beach Rd, Yallingup at 6pm, then Settlers Tavern 114 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River at 10pm. Saturday, 1 November — The Left Bank, 15 Riverside Rd, East Fremantle at 3.30pm, then Northshore Tavern, Shop 66, Whitford City Shopping Centre, Whitfords Avenue, Hillarys at 6.30pm. Sunday, 2 November — The OBH, 1 Eric St, Cottesloe at 3.30pm. Queensland Friday, 7 November — Sol Bar, Ocean St, Maroochydore at 6pm Saturday, 8 November — Paddo Tavern, 186 Given Terrace, Paddington at 3pm, then Jubilee Hotel 470 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valleyat 9pm. Sunday, 9 November — The Boardwalk Hotel, Marina Village Shopping Centre, Santa Barbara Rd, Hope Island at 3pm, then The Coolangatta Hotel, Marine Pde, Coolangatta at 7pm. Friday, 14 November — Komune, 144-146 Marine Parade, Coolangatta at 7pm. New South Wales Saturday, 15 November — Hotel Brunswick, 4 Mullumbimby St, Brunswick Heads at 3.30pm, then Beach Hotel Crnr Jonson & Bay St, Byron Bay at 7.30pm. Sunday, 16 November — Park Beach Hotel, 84 Ocean Parade, Coffs Harbour at 5pm. Friday, 21 November — Towradgi Hotel, 170 Pioneer Rd, Towradgi at 7.30pm. Saturday, 22 November — Bucket List, Shop 1, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Pavilion, Bondi at 2pm, then Manly Wharf Bar, East Esplanade Shop 19, Manly at 10pm. Sunday, 23 November — Watsons Bay Hotel, 1 Military Rd, Watsons Bay at 3.30pm, then Old Joes, Crnr Kingsway & Erouera Rd, Cronulla at 8pm. Victoria Friday, 28 November — Torquay Hotel, Bell St, Torquay at 9pm. Saturday, 29 November — Westernport Hotel, 161 Marine Pde, San Remo at 9pm. Sunday, 30 November — The Deck, 2-4 Davey St, Frankston at 8.30pm. All tour dates are 18+ only and free entry. More info here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=EITwxJrZKj0
Footy fans rejoice FIFA is coming to town and bringing the Women's World Cup and an epic FIFA Fan Festival™ with it. But hold the line, this isn't just a festival for football fanatics. Anyone who loves a good time and free music events should also be interested. So why should you head down to the FIFA Fan Festival™ held in the iconic Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour from July 20 to August 20? Here are our top five reasons. LOVE OF SPORTS The first one is a no-brainer. The fans will get the most out of the FIFA Fan Festival™. It's here that attendees will be able to watch the games live on massive screens throughout the festival location. Across from the giant screens is where you will find the FIFA Store, where you can stock up on official merch from the tournament. We're talking jerseys, scarves, hats and – most coveted — the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ Official Match Ball. LOVE OF MUSIC Not content with just celebrating footy excellence, the festival is celebrating women's talents in the music world too, with Aussie artists ready to rock the stage between matches and as headline acts. Come on down to witness Jessica Mauboy, Jack River and many more. The stellar lineup of artists is set to support the ladies on the field. Even better, entry to the festival is free so you can enjoy all this excellent live music without breaking the bank! LOVE OF A GOOD TIME After seeing the professionals on the big screen, you might be tempted to show off your own skills. Thankfully, the festival organisers have considered this and have built the aptly named "playground". Put your best foot forward on the pop-up pitch for penalty practice shoot-outs. Or try football mini golf, football snooker – or the shooting speedometer, so you can see which of your mates has the most powerful boot. [caption id="attachment_855330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chef Josh Niland. Credit Rob Palmer[/caption] LOVE OF GOOD FOOD With all the dancing, singing and penalty kicks, you'll need to keep your energy levels up. Thankfully the festival is bringing the goods with delicious food offerings from the likes of award-winning seafood chef Josh Niland, who'll be slinging his signature tuna cheeseburger. Alongside Niland, there will be a diverse host of street eats, from pizza to gozleme to dumplings to the classic Aussie barbecue. And because it's winter, there will be mulled wine on offer to stave off the chill while the two festival bars will be serving beer and wine galore. LOVE OF HISTORY The FIFA Women's World Cup™ has been in operation since its inception in 1991. To those not mathematically inclined, that's over 30 years ago. It is the biggest women's sporting event worldwide. To commemorate this, the festival organisers have constructed the FIFA Museum. The epic history of this sporting institution is on display, with interactive team profiles, short films and historic items — like the FIFA Women's World Cup™ Trophy itself, which you can find in the Museum's display room. The FIFA 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.
What with Kmart selling tents for 20 bucks these days, festival grounds across the country are often left looking like enormous rubbish dumps for canvases, poles and pegs after the festivities are over. For many people, taking down a tent just isn’t worth the hassle — especially when it’s cost them next-to-nix. It's a pretty disturbing phenomenon, given that we are (or should be) sorta worried about the fact that we’re killing the natural environment right now. Enter KarTent: a 100 percent recyclable tent made of cardboard, created by a Dutch startup. We’ll get straight in and pre-empt the most obvious question: cardboard? How’s that going to fare in a mud-fest? Well, according to the company’s site, the KarTent is guaranteed to keep you dry throughout a three-day deluge. Besides that, the tent’s most spruikable aspect is its friendliness to the environment. A regular tent can’t be recycled easily, but a KarTent can go straight into the nearest paper recycling facility, making the post-festival clean up easier, quicker and more sustainable. Cardboard’s other benefit is its decorate-able-ness. You can go to town drawing pictures on yours, or get KarTent to print any photos or messages you want to adorn your temporary home. Or festival organisers can buy a whole stack and cover them in sponsor messages. At this stage, KarTent is in pilot mode. It's been tested at a few festivals in Europe, but the company is looking for “adventurous” and “spirited” types to get involved. They haven't appeared at any Australian or New Zealand festivals yet, but if you want to make it happen, you can get in touch over here. Via Pop-Up City.
As well as collecting 13 Emmy nominations, the largest haul of any Netflix series in 2025, Adolescence is also officially the platform's most-watched TV show from the first six months of the year. If it felt like everyone you knew has been talking about the excellent four-part British series since it debuted in mid-March, that's why, notching up 144,800,000 views. Netflix has just unveiled its January–June 2025 Engagement Report, which outlines exactly what everyone has been checking out on the streamer to within 99 percent of all viewing. Over that time, audiences caught more than 95-billion hours of the service's series and movies. The most-watched title overall: Cameron Diaz (Annie)- and Jamie Foxx (Tin Soldier)-starring action-comedy Back in Action with 164,700,000 views. Back to the small screen, the second and third most-watched shows will come as no surprise if you're a Squid Game obsessive who needed to know how the deadly contest continued after season one, then how it came to an end. Season two ranks second with 117,300,000 views, and season three — which only released on Friday, June 27, and broke viewership and ranking records in the process — is in third place with 71,500,000 views. Season one, from 2021, also made 2025's list so far, sitting 12th with 42,000,000 views. Political thriller Zero Day and Harlan Coben adaptation Missing You round out the top five TV-wise, followed by true-crime docuseries American Murder: Gabby Petito, then Ms. Rachel, Sirens, the second season of The Night Agent and the third run of Ginny & Georgia. American Primeval, Running Point, The Four Seasons and Cassandra also ranked in the top 15. From Netflix's film slate, STRAW, The Life List, Exterritorial and Havoc followed Back in Action in the top five, with The Secret Life of Pets 2, The Electric State, Counterattack // Contraataque, Ad Vitam and Despicable Me 4 all sitting in the top ten. From there came The Secret Life of Pets, Kinda Pregnant, Nonnas, iHostage and La Dolce Villa. And yes, family-friendly fare did particularly well — in fact, The Boss Baby, Minions, Shrek, Plankton: The Movie, Despicable Me 3, Despicable Me 2 and Shrek 2 are also in the top 25. As the fondness for older all-ages flicks illustrates, Netflix viewers aren't just checking out new releases. Across the platform's originals — which doesn't apply to the bulk of those animated movies, though — around half of the titles on the list, TV and film alike, initially debuted in 2023 or prior. Think: Orange Is the New Black, Ozark, Money Heist, Red Notice and Leo, for starters. Also, across new and older series and features, more than a third were titles in languages other than English — so if you caught South Korea's When Life Gives You Tangerines and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, Denmark's Secrets We Keep, Norway's Number 24 or Colombia's Medusa, for example, you had company. Check out trailers for some of Netflix's big January–June 2025 titles above and below: For more information about the most-viewed Netflix titles from January–June 2025, head to the Netflix website.
So far this year, Qantas has committed to phase out 100 million disposable items from 2020 onwards — and it's not done with the war on waste yet. This week, it took to the Aussie skies to notch up another milestone: the first zero-waste plane journey. On Wednesday, May 8, the carrier flew from Sydney to Adelaide. That's hardly news, but this flight removed or replaced around one thousand single-use plastic items. Sustainable alternatives were found where possible, and if an eco-friendly version couldn't be sourced, the relevant objects simply weren't included as part of the journey. Teaming up with packaging company BioPak, the airline used fully cups made from plant matter, food containers made from leftover sugar cane pulp, cutlery made from starch sourced from non-genetically modified crops and compostable napkins. It also ditched individually-packaged servings of milk and Vegemite — and collected all packaging for reuse, recycling or composting. At the airport, travellers boarding the flight also used digital boarding passes and electronic bag tags. If that wasn't possible, staff were on hand to ensure that any paper passes and tags were disposed of sustainably. To eliminate the journey's carbon footprint as well, the flight was 100 percent carbon offset. In total, 34 kilograms of waste were saved — with Qantas noting that the route usually creates around 150 tonnes of waste each year. The move comes as part of a widespread push to drastically reduce waste across the air travel industry, which has been gathering significant steam over the past year. In addition to Qantas' efforts, Portuguese charter carrier Hi Fly is aiming to become the world's first no-plastics carrier within the next 12 months, and Etihad flew the world's first long-haul flight free of the pesky products into Australia last month.
Viticulture specialists are always experimenting with new ways to develop fresh and exciting flavours of wine, producing sharper tastes and more expensive blends, and creating the perfect amount of tannins for that lovely bitter aftertaste. Another way in which wine inspires competition is in the race to develop the most lavish and novel wine cellar designs. Hotels and homes alike are installing increasingly glitzy wine cellars, whether taller, brighter, larger, or simply fancier than any other. Take a look at seven of the most impressive and outlandish wine cellars from around the world. Radisson Blu Hotel, Zurich At 16m high, this exotic wine cellar is the highest of its kind in the world. And the only way (well the most entertaining and novel way) to retrieve these bottles from the shelves to the customers? With acrobatic barmaids, called Flying Angels, who zip up and down the tower using a winch, of course. This enormous structure was designed by US-based Jeremy Thom Productions, weighs a massive 27.5 tons, and cost around 4 million Swiss Francs to construct. Modern Pacific Heights, San Francisco Tucked away inside a quiet set of charming townhouses on the streets of San Francisco lies a wine cellar not usually found in your everyday basement. The idea of the space is to provide a mix between a house and an art gallery, with rather unorthodox and innovative features. On top of a hidden, underground car lift, one of the key features of the townhouse is an expansive wine cellar constructed from lucite and stainless steel, giving the impression of an endless cellar — and therefore an endless supply of wine. Multimillion-Dollar Estate, Tennessee For owner of Beckwith Interiors Jamie Beckwith, having a seven-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom, 12,398-square-foot mansion was simply not lavish enough. It was, of course, missing an LED-lit wine cellar complete with individual wine holders and a transparent ceiling. The lights can change to any colour, adding a retro vibe to Beckwith's many parties, and the arches within the cellar perfectly match the gothic style of the rest of the estate. Spiral Cellars, UK The modern craze for storing your wine, which focuses on ease of access, low expenses, and decor integration, is installing a spiral cellar in the kitchen of your own home. First developed in 1977, the spiral cellar system is a proven success when it comes to storing the old vino, and design firm Spiral Cellar has taken this acknowledged method and modernised it. Matching the furniture or flooring of your home, these wine cellars can be easily and cheaply installed in any room of the home with a trap door which when closed seamlessly blends with the rest of the room. Yet when open, it leads to a spiral staircase descending into a huge array of your favourite wines, which thanks to the pipes and advanced ventilation system, will be fresh and the perfect temperature. Carlton-Ritz Hotel, Shanghai Named the world's best hotel in 2011 by Conde Nast Traveler, this glamourous and appropriately ritzy Chinese hotel prides itself on grandiose designs and furnishings and a particularly high-end dining scene. One of the centrepieces in this department is naturally the wine, which then requires an equally opulent area in which to store it. In its signature Cantonese restaurant, all 10 dining rooms contain their own private wine cellar, each as impressive as the next. World's Largest Wine Bottle 480L, Switzerland The small inn located in eastern Switzerland Gasthaus zum Gupf is home to the world's most incredible, record-breaking bottle of wine. Holding 480L of sweet world-class quality wine and with a height of 240cm and weight of 630kg, it is no mean feat. Just as exciting as this bottle of wine is the cellar in which it is placed, playing host to 25,000 other bottles, making up 2100 varieties of wine. The tactic of utilising the ceiling to store these many, and rather large, bottles of wine also makes this innovative cellar stand out amongst others. Biggest Wine Cellars in the World, Moldova Renowned for its flourishing wine industry and hugely popular annual wine festival, Moldova is the must-see place for all those wine connoisseurs out there. In the city of Milestii Mici, you can also find the world's biggest wine cellars, as recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records. You'll find almost any blend, colour, or taste of wine your palette could desire within the many walls of their underground cellars.
Danny Harley, the alternative electronic producer and performer better known as The Kite String Tangle, has just released his debut EP Vessel, which debuted at #8 on the ARIA charts and #2 on the iTunes charts. That's not a bad effort for your first solo release, not bad at all. TKST rampaged onto the Australian music scene last year with 'Given The Chance', which landed an impressive place at #19 on last year's Hottest 100. Second single 'Arcadia' — a tale of a relationship that is trying to go back to 'the way things were' with little success — was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. With his ethereal electronic sound and subtle but emotional lyrics, Harley creates a world that we're more than happy to get lost in. As of this week, Harley embarks on a massive national tour; with most of his shows sold out already. We had a chat with the super talented young man about songwriting, his musical influences and his favourite track from Vessel. Your music bas been described as emotionally-driven pop music. What comes first, the lyrics or the beats? Definitely the beats. I guess people wouldn't really expect that but it feels so natural to me to write beats and melodies on synths before writing lyrics. Lyrics almost always come last, which is kind of strange. You have been touring incessantly this year, where do you write music? At home or on the road? Pretty much wherever I can really. I try to write as often as I can on my laptop, which is obviously pretty portable so you can write in hotel rooms or at soundchecks. Whenever I get a big stint at home I try to translate those to the studio and fill them out a bit. That's probably another reason why I write beats first. Your EP debuted at #2 on the iTunes charts, and #8 on the ARIA charts, congrats! How do you feel? It's pretty awesome! I didn't really know what to expect, I haven't had a release like this. I had done one song and it gradually built over six months, so for this it was more like 'Today's the day!' I mean, it's just absurd; I didn't know that could happen. Before now you were in the band Pigeon, but before that, how did you get your start in music? I started playing bass in a band when I was twelve and we lived in the UK. We did Green Day covers and played songs, just generally being rad. I've pretty much been trying to do music ever since. https://youtube.com/watch?v=oMP-X1USOFE 'Given the Chance' was a hugely popular debut, was that reaffirming for you and your musical direction? Yes and no. I didn't exactly know what it was about it that people liked. I troubled myself with that for a little while, then I decided that I don't need to know that; I should just write music I like — if they like it, they like it. It's one of those weird things, it's unpredictable. Previously I had been in high energy bands, and then this one was my chill zone musically. Everything I write is more chilled out down-tempo stuff. In that respect, then yeah, for sure it was reaffirming that it was the right direction. Vessel is an extremely strong, considered EP. Any tracks that you are particularly fond/proud of? There's a track called 'What If' — it's actually one that I did start off with the melody and lyrics first, which I never do. Three months later I translated it into a song that was more stylistically appropriate for the project. It's one that has stuck with me and I still like it now, which usually means it has a bit of longevity. I'm waiting to see what other people think. It's probably more like what the album will sound like as well. Wait, have you already started working on your album? You just released your EP! I know! (laughs). I kind of finished the EP two months ago. I figured the sooner I get started on the album the more songs I'll have to choose from and it can be the best that it can possibly be. You're the triple threat, singer, songwriter and producer. Any plans for collaboration in the future? Yeah for sure, I love collaborating. I think it's really cool because you end up with something you wouldn't have if you were doing it on your own, even if you tried really hard. I'm always open to writing with other artists if it's the right fit, and I'm definitely teeing up a few right now, I want to approach it like 'If it's good, it's good.' Then we'll work out what we'll use it for. You do some cracking remixes, How do you chose what to remix? One or two that I've done I chose the song, and then I've done three or four because people approached me asking if I'll do it. I said 'Hells yeah. I'll do it!' I haven't done a remix in a while and I'm trying to make it more of a thing that I do, but I'll balance it with my original output. I don't want to release too many and I want to choose the right people to work with and to remix. You did a fantastic playlist for Indie Shuffle 'Music for people with feelings'. Would you include those artists as musical influences? Yes, all of those people are hugely influential on my music. I'm a big fan of all of them. For that playlist I tried to throw in a few Australian ones as well. I'm definitely influenced by the beatsy kind of dudes like Bonobo, Jamie XX, Four Tet and John Hopkins. Then from a songwriting point of view I love The xx, London Grammar, James Blake, SBTRKT; they're very song-based, less beatsy and have a really strong foundation of a song — good lyrics, good melody. Finally you're about to embark on a huge national tour next week, what are you plans for the rest of the year? At the end of the tour, which wraps up around September 20, we're just locking in USA tour dates and then hopefully UK tour dates shortly after that. Around mid-November I'll come back here; I have a DJ set in Fiji, then it's writing album time after that. The Kite String Tangle Tour Dates: Sep 6 — The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (SOLD OUT) Sep 7 —The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (SOLD OUT) Sep 12 —Manning Bar, Sydney (SOLD OUT) Sep 17 — Telstra Spiegeltent, Brisbane (SOLD OUT) Sep 18 —Telstra Spiegeltent, Brisbane (SOLD OUT)
Come with us now on a journey through time and space, as Matthew McConaughey takes the top spot as heroic protagonist in the new Christopher Nolan film, Interstellar. The brand new (awesome) trailer can only be watched at Interstellar's newly launched website. Once you get there, you'll need a special passcode — '7201969' — the date Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Badass. The film sees McConaughey and fellow astronaut Anne Hathaway travel through a wormhole with the simple goal of saving humanity. The newly-released trailer gives a tiny insight into McConaughey’s character — an engineer and widowed father with two children — as well as vast landscapes of alien worlds and a spaceship hurtling through empty space. We can tell this is not going to be a smooth-sailing intergalactic ride, as McConaughey philosophises in the opening lines, "We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt." Cue goosebumps. The highly-anticipated film also stars Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace and Matt Damon. That’s one stellar Interstellar line-up right there (#sorrynotsorry). This is Nolan’s first film since wrapping up the Batman trilogy with The Dark Night Rises. Interstellar will be in cinemas November 7 and has a pretty killer poster lurking around: Via The Verge.
This airy Avalon go-to is made for sipping tequila cocktails, feasting on fresh seafood and kicking back with mates. Located just metres from the beach, this spot is popular — and for good reason. It's got that casual northern beaches vibe, but it's the next-level Mexican fare that'll keep you coming back. The restaurant champions locally sourced produce and seafood and fresh, with a menu inspired by coastal Mexico. So, by no means is this your standard Tex-Mex affair. Kick things off with kingfish cured with lime, picked radish, avocado and pico de gallo ($18); charred sweet corn with parmesan cheese, grasshopper salt and guajilo truffle sauce ($10); and soft shell crab tostadas ($16). Then, order some tacos — choose from marinated chicken, fish, pork belly and agave jackfruit — and some mains like carne asada (grilled steak) for $39, octopus with dutch carrots ($36) and whole baby snapper ($34). There's also the $69 'Feed Me' menu, which is perfect for get togethers and birthday lunches — and you can opt to pair your meal with either tequila ($40) or mezcal ($65).
Gone are the days of crashing on your own filthy camp stretcher at Splendour, padlocking up every tenty inch at Falls or nursing a crick floor-torn neck at Meredith. Belgian music festivals have changed the festival accommodation game with this brand new pop-up hotel design, so you'll never want to take the townbound shuttle again. Structured around a Japanese-style capsule hotel design, the prototype pods have been popping up at Belgian music festivals of late, prompting winsome looks from poor ol' regular stuck-in-the-mud campers. Adorably dubbed B-and-Bee, the design is the winner of a recent competition in Belgium that sought out sustainable entrepreneurship bright ideas. Often also the case at Australian festivals, Belgian festival campers aren't the most environmentally friendly of guests; leaving their cheap tents in a heap post-festival for someone else to deal with. The B-and-Bee team, led by Diana Schneider, Raf Schoors, Tim Ruytjens and social entrepreneurs at Compaan and Labeur, wanted to combat this regular trashing of resources. "It’s an ecological nightmare," Schneider told Wired. "We wanted to provide a sustainable sleeping option." The B-and-Bee honeycomb structure kicks a few goals, both sustainably and as a space-saving device. Attempting to reduce the spatial footprint, maintain cushiness and privacy while accommodating as many festivalgoers as possible is no mean feat. Using a stacked, tesselated design was the key. "We were looking for the most effective way to stack cells so they strengthen each other," says Schneider. "If you stack a square on top of each other the structure won't strengthen itself, whereas if you stack hexagons, they fit into each other and stabilise the structure." Slipping into a tiny, capsule space might sound a tad claustrophobic for some campers, but the B-and-Bee pods actually measure 1.7 metres wide by 1.45 metres tall, with a king-sized bed that's able to transform into a seat. You've also got power in your pod to charge that receptionless phone of yours, along with a light — camping's most underrated ally. While the combs are still in prototype phase, the team are hoping to have the structures geared up for next year's northern hemisphere summer festival season. Fingers crossed for a southern export, these little hives would go down a treat with yoga mat-weary Australian festivalgoers. Via Wired.
If you're touring around the Central Coast in search of tasty treats, Burnt Honey Bakery is a must. You'll find it directly opposite Copacabana Beach, so you can enjoy your coffee and croissant with a side of spectacular coastal views.Burnt Honey has some of the best handmade pastries in the area, with wife duo Hayley Thorncraft and Joanna Fairall (both Black Star Pastry) behind it. It's got a strong community feel to it, with milk crates out the front for those who want to scoff their snacks there. The bakery uses local suppliers wherever possible and follows an eco-conscious ethos, too. You'll want to grab a couple of custard tarts (flavoured with cassia bark and lemon zest), a peach and vanilla danish and some of the shop's signature biscuits — burnt honey, salted almond and creamy milk choc chips — as well as a loaf of freshly baked sourdough and flaky croissants. Images: Jacs Powell
An often underrated and under-appreciated food and drink precinct, Darlinghurst's Stanley Street boasts a variety of tasty and affordable eateries, as well as an array of exciting bars. As part of Good Food Month, the street is hosting a night of al fresco dining and drinks on Saturday, January 15. A Taste of Stanley Street will encourage patrons to sample dishes and drinks from the venues, with each bar and restaurant serving up its own unique $20 meal deal containing a taste of its menu and a cocktail, beer or wine. Some choice selections from the night's lineup include a taco and margarita from La Farmacia; a basket of saucy chicken wings and a craft beer from Wings and Tins; a pork crackling slider and pint of Sapporo or Asahi from Dumplings & Beer; and rock oysters and a glass of Doom Juice's natty rosé from Bar Nina. Other participating venues that you can sample from as you enjoy the streets outdoor dining include Italian restaurant Bill & Toni's, French diner Bon Vin, tapas joint Bar Tapa, and America-style spot The Big Easy. Wings and TinsTop image: DNSW
Couple Crystal Bailey and Mitchel Lindsay work with concrete — but not in the usual way. Instead of laying foundations or paving footpaths, they make some pretty special concrete homewares, including lightweight pots and planters. These wares are sold in their St Peters store, along with a collection of Australian designers and brands — making it a one-stop shop for all the dream homewares to your dream home.
Take one glance at the chic, Paris-coded dining room of Capella Hotel's fine diner, Brasserie 1930, and you might reasonably assume that a meal here could break the bank. And ordinarily, there'd be some truth in that assumption — but not on Tuesday and Friday lunchtimes. Operated by Nick Hilderbrandt and Brent Savage's Bentley Group — the same legendary restaurateurs behind top city diners Monopole and King Clarence — Brasserie 1930 is offering a steal of a deal on these two weekday lunch services, offering half a barbecued Bannockburn chicken, cooked to charred perfection over a woodfired grilled, plus a side — either mixed-leaf salad, crushed cucumber salad, green beans or fries — for the very affordable price of $35. Discounted dining never tasted so good.
Psychic Synth is Pia van Gelder's newest work, presented by Performance Space at Carriageworks as part of their Score season of music, movement, noise and technology. In a dark room housing an immense multi-sensory interactive installation, viewers are connected (via headset) to van Gelder's machine. They then watch as it proceeds to react to their actual mental energy, creating correspondingly vivid and psychedelic sounds and visuals, and generally doing weird and wacky futuristic stuff, unique for each person. Van Gelder, the artist behind last year's Tetrasynth, makes installation art from custom-built technologies or commonplace devices she hacks and gets to act in new and surprising ways. She's also been known to curate festivals and exhibitions, and is a member of Sydney collective Dorkbot, the eclectically creative folk doing strange things with electricity once a month out of COFA. The weird futuristic environment of Psychic Synth explores our relationship with machines (something van Gelder calls 'machinic affinity'), and will be available to make psychedelic art out of your brainwaves for most of the month of August. Image from Tetrasynth by Pia van Gelder.
When Sydney's first Harry Potter-themed boozy brunches were announced, the city couldn't say "accio butterbeer" fast enough, with the first two stints selling out quickly. Due to massive muggle demand, a third round of feasts is now occurring on July 21 and 22 — across four sessions, spanning both brunch and dinner. Camperdown's MacLaurin Hall is the location that'll be turned into the Great Hall for the occasion, complete with an enchanted meal (Pixie Puffs, please), bottomless butterbeer (obviously), 'magic' potions (aka cocktails, we're assuming) and other wizard-themed beverages. There'll also be quidditch, a couple of sorting ceremonies and wand lessons — and Harry Potter characters mingling with attendees, if that's your idea of some perfect HP fun. Tickets are currently on sale, but they're not likely to stay that way for long, even though you'll need a bag full of galleons to head along. At $231 per head, you'll be hoping for a Yule Ball-type experience. Find more information about The Wizard's Brunch here. Tickets for the July 21 and 22 Sydney events are currently on sale.
In these tumultuous modern times — these times of Pottermore, Fantastic Beasts spinoffs and The Cursed Child — it's comforting to be able to take it back to basics. Basics, here, meaning the score of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone film played live by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. That's right — the SSO are taking us back to 2001 when the first of the eight Harry Potter filmscame out. It made us cringe (the acting — so bad but so good), marvel at how not hot Neville Longbottom was (boy, would we learn) and — most importantly — float away on a magical adventure thanks to the incredible score by John Williams. For two nights in April, you'll be able relive the magic all over again when the Sydney Opera House screen the film scored by a real, live orchestra in the Concert Hall. Maybe they'll release live owls! Maybe not because that would be chaos. Maybe they'll release live rats? Actually, absolutely not — we all know rats are secretly fat old criminals hiding from magical law enforcement and waiting for the Dark Lord to rise again (lookin' at you, Pettigrew). As you might imagine, tickets are selling like pumpkin pasties so get in quick or spend eternity griping about it like some Moaning Myrtle-type character.
After Melbourne's Mana Bar (the world's first ever video game cocktail bar) folded in August last year, it seemed the market for geek bars — not Timezones with bars attached, real D&D-encouraging nerd hubs — just wasn't there. Unlike successful models in Japan and the US, even the Aussie gaming community wasn't biting. But according to Gizmodo, Australian nerds are crying out for a space — and are about to get three new video game bars. "Lets face it... Most bars suck for people like us," says Melbourne's Power Up geek bar developer Edmund Mundlay. "We sit there with loud obnoxious music blaring in our ears while keeping a watchful eye on the bogans at the next table just hoping they don't start a fight. We want a bar for us. We want to build the hub of Melbourne's geek community." A motley crew of former Hobart EB employees and Melbourne hospitality workers have launched a Pozible campaign to raise $10,000 toward their dream bar, Power Up, “an open-source bar for geeks”. The group saw the closure of Melbourne's Mana Bar (and the alternate success of the Brisbane branch) as having more impact than people originally thought, seeing a hole in the market left by the venue's departure. Making a furious push to providing a safe, fun hub for geeks to socialise, the Power Up team realised gamers just wanted the main thing they're often accused of rejecting: a social life. "So many people would come and just hang out with us at EB, they just wanted to talk to like minded people," says Mundlay. "I wanted to build that home, a place where geeks and nerds citywide could just come and hangout, talk about games or anime, sci-fi or technology... With such a huge community of geeks, nerds, gamers and pop-culture fanatics doesn't it just make sense that there should be a centre for this community?" Punters will be encouraged to bring their weekly D&D meetings to the bar, participate in cosplay competitions and e-sports tournaments and make a whole bunch of buddies over beers and movie screenings. So what of the Mana Bar crew? The Melbourne alumni are currently working on a CBD geek bar to called BetaBar. This new space will hope to function as Melbourne's top spot for the indie game developer community to test out their newest adventures on the target market. Sydney geeks aren't left out either, Spawn Point Small Bar is currently getting ready to open on Clarence Street in the CBD. Choosing to set their sights a little wider than the hardcore gaming community, Spawn Point are hooking up retro consoles for Sydney nostalgics — we're talking NES, SNES, N64, PS1, PS2, MegaDrive and MasterSystem consoles. Furious Mario Kart and GoldenEye tournaments will inevitably ensue. The three bars will (hopefully) all open within the coming months, with one proviso to rule them all: No jocks, douchebags or teasing jerks. There's enough to deal with in Skyrim without dragons constantly roasting your backside. Via Gizmodo. Top image by Ben Andrews.
Breaking up with booze for a month to raise some funds for cancer research? Perhaps you want to reset after a few too many couch vinos in iso? Or maybe you're simply looking to embrace a more liver-friendly lifestyle overall? Whatever your reason for axing (or just relaxing) that alcohol intake, Dry July's as good a time as ever to dive in. And helpfully, you've got a swag of creative-thinking Aussie bars and locally-made booze-free tipples on your side. From zero-hangover beers crafted on native ingredients, to botanical-driven mocktails packing just as much of a flavour punch as their boozy counterparts, here are a few alcohol-free goodies to check out during Dry July. [caption id="attachment_775356" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Demetre Minchev[/caption] SOBAH Booze-free beer is nothing new, but one Gold Coast company is taking the concept to a whole new place. Aboriginal-owned Sobah is whipping up a range of non-alcoholic tinnies heroing sustainably-sourced native ingredients like davidson plum and finger lime. And these cans will quench your thirst for a cold, fizzy brew, even while that alcohol content clocks in at less than 0.5 percent. Right now, you can get your hands on crafty drops like a lemon aspen pilsner, a pepperberry IPA and a zesty finger lime cerveza, each housed in a bright, arty tin you'd be more than happy to whip out at that next barbecue. Sobah's also doing its bit to raise awareness and conversation around mindful drinking and healthy lifestyle choices, throwing support behind organisations like 101 Tokens. Find four-packs from $18 available at select bottle shops and online. MONDAY DISTILLERY If you fancy limiting carbs as well as that ABV, this premix tipple is about to become your new best mate. Port Fairy's Monday Distillery has created a series of non-alcoholic riffs on classic mixed sips like the gin and tonic and the dark and stormy. And not only are these beauties free from alcohol, but they're crafted with zero sugar and come packaged in some pretty elegant kit. A sophisticated step up from standard mineral water or super sweet soft drinks, if ever there was one. Right now, the Monday range runs from a classic dry G&T to a ginger-spiked rum-style concoction, though we're told you should stay tuned for more vodka and whisky-inspired goodies to come. Find four-packs from $24 from Victorian Dan Murphy's and online LYRE'S SPIRIT CO Need some reassurance that ditching the booze needn't also mean ditching flavour and creativity? Contemporary drinks brand Lyre's is all the proof you need, with its 13-strong stable of non-alcoholic concoctions, each nodding to a different classic spirit or liqueur. This broad-ranging lineup opens up a world of possibility for those wanting to nix, or limit, the alcohol, allowing you to create endless variations on much-loved mixed drinks and cocktails. There's a bitter orange creation reminiscent of Campari, a signature Dry London Spirit modelled on a classic gin, and even an homage to the Green Fairy. Swap out your usual booze of choice with one of these Lyre's drops and leave the FOMO far behind. And, if you buy a bottle now, you'll score a free private virtual bartending class. Find 700-millilitre bottles for $45 at select bottle shops and online. NON If you're breaking from the booze and looking to fill a wine-shaped hole in your life, you'll find a worthy alternative in Non — a series of alcohol-free drinks created in Melbourne by ex-Noma chef William Wade. The brand currently makes five different 0 percent ABV sips, carefully crafted with premium ingredients and rocking some grown-up flavour combinations. Featured in the lineup are a couple of wine-inspired creations — a salted raspberry and chamomile number that's similar to a pét-nat, and a nod to a sparkling shiraz with flavours of roast beetroot and sansho pepper. Otherwise, you can answer your cider cravings with the caramelised pear and kombu blend, opt for the gose-style hibiscus drink, or hit aperitivo hour armed with Non's toasted cinnamon and yuzu concoction. Find 750-millilitre bottles for $30 from select wine stores and online [caption id="attachment_775360" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dry Negroni at Gin Lane[/caption] DRINKING OUT IN SYDNEY GIN LANE, CHIPPENDALE Over in Chippendale, the botanical enthusiasts at Gin Lane are flexing their creativity with a whole lineup of non-alcoholic creations heroing the Lyre's stable. Here, some of your favourite gin drinks have been given a booze-free makeover, with options like the dry southside, a dry martini with a twist or olive, and a hangover-free riff on the negroni. TOKO, SURRY HILLS Sake might be the natural match to Toko's elegant Japanese fare, but if you're off the booze, you'll find the bar's lineup of signature non-alcoholic cocktails also stand up pretty darn well. Expect crafty creations like the Kodachi Spritz, made using Seedlip's Grove 42 blend, with coconut, lychee and salted grapefruit soda. THE BOTANIST, KIRRIBILLI This Kirribilli bar's botanical theme extends right through the drinks list to a selection of lively, alcohol-free sips that are every bit as satisfying as a regular weekend cocktail. Hold your own against the boozers with something like the Kirribilli Highball: a fruity fusion of Cedar's non-alcoholic gin, smashed pineapple, lime and basil. [caption id="attachment_775361" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Booze-free G&Ts at Covent Garden[/caption] DRINKING OUT IN BRISBANE COVENT GARDEN, WEST END West End bar Covent Garden might be best known for its sprawling gin selection, but it also makes a pretty mean mocktail. The kind that'll impress your taste buds and your Instagram followers alike. Signatures include the likes of the We're Out Of Rum — a blend of apple, mint and lime — or you can play mix and match with the bar's extensive range of specialty tonics. JUMPING GOATS, MARGATE A champion for all sorts, this neighbourhood bar not only boasts a hefty selection of gluten-free goodies, but is serving up a truly impressive list of non-alcoholic liquid treats. Head in for a range of booze-free brews, alongside house mocktails like the Margate Sunset: orange, bitters and fresh lime, finished with a splash of ginger ale. MECCA BAH, NEWSTEAD Mecca Bah is serving up a full-flavoured drinks offering to match its modern Middle Eastern and Mediterranean eats. Including a handful of fruit-forward mocktails that'll have you feeling as sophisticated a sipper as the rest of them. Join in the fun with the likes of the Iced Apple and Cinnamon Turkish Tea, or the Pink Fez, spiked with lychee, pineapple and vanilla.
Fresh from the success of their recent debut album, If You Wait, English indie-pop trio London Grammar are coming to Oz for Falls Festival, and even better, they're playing a couple of sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. Sick of listening to the same playlists? Looking for a new band to fall in love with? This could be it. They’ve already generated a lot of praise for their singles 'Wasting My Young Years' and 'Strong'. Perhaps most recognisable by the brooding vocal soarings of frontwoman Hannah Reid (whose ethereal yet earthy voice is like a melding of Adele and Florence Welch), they are definitely a band to watch. I’d advise you to see them for cheap(ish) while you still can. Tickets for both the Sydney and Melbourne sideshows go on sale at 10am, Wednesday, 9 October, at Metro Theatre and Ticketek for Sydney and at the Prince Bandroom site for Melbourne. Tour dates: Sydney: Tuesday, January 7 – Metro Theatre Melbourne: Thursday, January 9 – Prince Bandroom
UPDATE, January 23, 2023: Mister Organ is available to stream via DocPlay. Twitter has sparked many things for many people, good, bad and in-between, a trend that began well before its late-2022 ownership change and resulting fallout. Still, amid all the social-media platform's mayhem across its history, the chaos started by a single tweet by New Zealand journalist and filmmaker David Farrier has few parallels. That may seem a big call given all that's ever unfurled 140 or 280 characters at a time. Mister Organ lays bare why that's accurate in agonising detail, however. 'Agonising' truly is the word for it — not to describe this equally gripping and mystifying documentary, but the twisty tale it tells and the ordeal that Farrier endures. Every director's work lives and dies on their ability to tell a story, especially when they trade in facts, but his work both thrives and astonishes via his uncanny knack to find stories so wild that they can only be the unvarnished truth. In 2013, the Tickled and Dark Tourist filmmaker commented online about a bad customer-service experience, as every social-media user has at some point. Making such complaints is a rite of passage in the digital realm. Commenting after hearing about a pal's woes, as he did, also couldn't be more standard. Nonetheless, where Farrier's story has gone from there, devolving rather than evolving as he'd no doubt agree — his exasperation surges through the film like parody accounts through the current Twitter regime — is something that no one's most bizarre nightmares could've conjured up. Indeed, expect to watch Mister Organ with a jaw that keeps dropping. Expect to think twice the next time you publicly air a grievance, too, lest a local version of the film's eponymous figure pop up. The tweet that started it all was inspired by one of Farrier's friends, who parked their car at Auckland's now-closed Bashford Antiques, then weathered an unpleasant aftermath. Threats of towing and instant abuse are hardly commonplace or acceptable, and neither is an immediate demand for $250 in order to be allowed to leave. Accordingly, it's no wonder that Farrier took to social media in his mate's support. He next began writing articles about the situation, and what seemed like a clamping racket, in 2016. In his first piece, he covered being asked by his employer three years prior to delete his tweet, too. His own ordeal was only just beginning, though, because his ordeal involves Michael Organ. Or, is that Micheal Organ? Michael Organe? MDA Organ? Michael Organ O'Sullivan? Or, maybe it's Count Michael Andrassy-Organe? "You pay a soul tax for every minute you spend with him," Farrier notes of Mister Organ's namesake and man of many names, as well as his own latest disconcerting subject. Watching the documentary about the pair's run-ins, the feeling behind Farrier's observation makes itself starkly apparent — and only keeps solidifying the more the movie goes on. "I feel like I fucked up pitching the film in the first place," Farrier also advises during Mister Organ. It's a candid admission, particularly from a director in their own doco, and it's devastatingly astute. Making this feature forced him to keep interacting with Organ, his interest kept garnering a response from Organ, and the whole process — like time in True Detective — is a flat circle. The emotional and mental turmoil wrought by a tweet that became a few articles, then a film years in the making, is so blatantly evident and so forceful that Mister Organ's audience takes it on themselves during the documentary's 96-minute running time. If you spotted the 'Count' title in one of Organ's monikers, yes, claiming to be royalty is also part of this narrative. That's in addition to helping impose onerous conditions on folks parking outside an antiques store, becoming the owner's constant companion to a seemingly controlling degree and swiftly getting litigious with Farrier about his reporting on the topic. As well as assisting with bringing legal proceedings against others, Organ has also defended himself in serious court cases. As with everything about his life — as told in Mister Organ, at least — the out-there strands and revelations keep snowballing. His web of interpersonal dealings, as fleshed out through discussions with ex-housemates and old acquaintances, brings discombobulated and infuriated interviewees into the doco. Finding someone to say a kind word about him is almost impossible, other than the attention-seeking, energy-draining, endlessly talkative Organ himself. For newcomers to this very real scenario — something that needs stressing thanks to every swerve it takes — it's best to get the ins and outs while viewing, stolen boats and all, because no summary does them justice. The minutiae genuinely needs to be seen to be believed, as does Farrier's time trying to separate fact, fiction, lies, boasts and threats with Organ. Constant surprises come with the territory, even for veterans of the director's past filmmaking, which has never spun straightforward narratives. Of course, those familiar with Tickled and Dark Tourist will easily glean why Farrier was drawn to this tale, including at a visible cost to himself. This is another disturbing, perplexing, larger-than-life yet unshakeably authentic slice of life, and another piece of proof that humanity's worst impulses will always seep out any way they can. Knowing why this is classic Farrier terrain and knowing why he's claimed himself this patch aren't the same thing; the more he appears on-screen in Mister Organ, which is often, the more Farrier makes it clear that he doesn't necessarily understand the latter himself. One of Mister Organ's inevitable feats is getting its audience contemplating the why of it all — why Farrier keeps gravitating towards this space, and why people like Organ repeatedly grace his frames — because why is a persistent sentiment among the hefty list of talking heads that've had the same run-ins with the same man. Also, trying to explain why Organ does what he does is impossible. Endeavouring to make sense of how he's been able to notch up such a sizeable roster of impacted parties is no less simple, but it is both fascinating and revealing. Then there's Mister Organ's other key question: would this tale hit home with such sheer and overwhelming bewilderment if someone else told it? The answer is likely yes — but few people can investigate and interrogate the flummoxing figures of the world like Farrier.
If you've seen Hannah Gadsby's two Netflix comedy specials so far — smash-hit Nanette and follow-up Douglas — then you'll know that the acclaimed Australian comedian's sets and "feel-good romantic comedy" don't usually go hand in hand. But comedy, like life, changes. Indeed, Gadsby has been embracing exactly that on- and off-stage. And after getting married to their producer Jenney Shamash, new special Something Special is all about warm vibes. Well, mostly. "Just for the next hour, we're going to feel good together, and then we can head back out there and be the mass-extinction event that we are," Gadsby tells the audience in Something Special's just-dropped trailer. "I didn't say who it's a feel-good show for," the comedian continues, as they also noted when the special's streaming date was revealed by Netflix. Come Tuesday, May 9, Gadsby has a wedding to talk about, plus the politics around nuptials, homophobic bakers, queer domesticity and bunnies. Announced in 2022 and filmed at the Sydney Opera House that same year, Something Special is based on their recent stand-up show Body of Work. Even with the feel-good rom-com tone, expect Gadsby's usual wit, insights and sense of humour. It's been a huge few years for the Tasmanian-born talent, and they keep going from strength to strength onstage — and on-screen. In fact, when the time came for Gadsby to initially follow up international smash-hit show Nanette, that seemed a rather difficult task. After all, the one-performer stand-up set copped serious praise on its 18-month travels across Australia and the UK, even scooping the top honours at both the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe — and, of course, spawning its very own Netflix special. But, then Douglas was born, with Gadsby returning to the stage with a performance named after a pet pooch. While Nanette pulled apart the concept of comedy itself, dishing up an insight into Gadsby's past, Douglas took comedy fans on a "tour from the dog park to the renaissance and back". It made its way across stages around Australia and New Zealand in late 2019 and early 2020, and then hit Netflix in 2020 as well. After that came Body of Work — first as a live show again, and now as Netflix special Something Special, too. It's the first release in Gadsby's new a multi-title deal with the streaming platform that is also set to span a new multi-comic special featuring gender-diverse performers. Check out the trailer for Something Special below: Hannah Gadsby's Something Special Netflix special will be available to stream from Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Images: Jess Gleeson/Netflix © 2023.
If you're a fan of author, comedian and NPR humorist David Sedaris, then you'll know that he's a frequent visitor Down Under. Missed him on his last trip in 2023? 2025 is your latest chance to experience his snappy wit, as well as his discerning and astute ability to observe life's moments — both trivial and extraordinary — in both an observational and unique way. This is Sedaris' seventh trip Down Under, spanning stops in both Australia and New Zealand — including at Sydney Opera House on Monday, February 10–Tuesday, February 11. If you haven't seen Sedaris live before, his shows are part of the reason that he's built up such a following. Onstage, he regularly weaves in new and unpublished material, too — and the satirist will throw it over to the crowd for a Q&A as well, and also sign copies of his books. [caption id="attachment_862849" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anne Fishbein[/caption] Sedaris has more than a few tomes to his name, so you have options for him to scribble on, including Happy-Go-Lucky, Calypso, Theft by Finding, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice, Naked and Barrel Fever. Sedaris is equally celebrated for his constant This American Life appearances and must-read pieces in The New Yorker, and boasts everything from the Terry Southern Prize for Humor and Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor to the Time Humorist of the Year Award among his accolades. If you've been searching for a supportive environment to use the phrase "how very droll", this is it. [caption id="attachment_862850" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anne Fishbein[/caption] Top images: Jenny Lewis, Prudence Upton.
The 2012 Sydney Fringe Festival encompasses the full mix of commercial, community and creative output bubbling up from around the edges of the city's arts scene. This year's incarnation even sees Fringe artists staking out the airport to lure arriving tourists into explore the scattershot geography of this year's spread: laid out from Marrickville, Newtown, across the CBD, east Sydney, Chatswood, Rookwood and Parramatta. This swathe of so much emerging and newly-established talent can be tough to sort through. As it happens, Concrete Playground has put together this guide to help you come to grips with this year's program of alternative arts. 1. Fringe on the Streets The Fringe is getting out on the streets this year. It kicks off on the streets of Newtown with an opening night Free for All in Newtown Square (in front of the Hub Theatre), featuring headliners Itch-E & Scratch-E from 5pm on September 7. Bookending the month's activities is a closing night fiesta in the form of a suburb wide progressive party suggesting you test your celebratory stamina, taking you from Five Eliza, through the Sly Fox to the Factory Theatre closing party and on to the late night antics at Marrickville Bowling Club. This is far from the only attempt to get you to hit the pavement: Guided Fringe by Bicycle gets you around the best of the arts scene on Thursday nights, while the Pop Up Festival gives you some performance on the move and Decoration Wars gives you a whirl around made-over Enmore businesses. 2. Life in Minature It's the year for culture in close confines, with Brook Andrews' Travelling Colony at the Sydney Festival this year, and former Australia Council digital maven Fee Plumley funding her ambitious plan to bring arts to the country at large by kickstarting a bus. With this already in the works, Serena Chalker and Quindell Orton have brought their show and its caravan across to Sydney from the Perth Fringe. For dance act Life in Miniature, Chalker and Orton’s invites an audience of five to shuffle into said caravan’s interior while the two players dance around them. Not small enough? Umbrella Theatre’s show Captain My Captain also brings an even tinier puppetry space to the some of the Fringe’s outdoor venues. 3. In the Night Garden Last year's night garden at the back of St Peters' Tortuga Studios was one of the surprise finds of the 2011 Fringe. Returning after last year’s inaugural luminescent growth, In the Night Garden will make this back lane (roughly settled between Penguin Plays Rough and Mays Lane) into a low-key, glowing avenue of art. You can also wander down an iridescent May’s Lane to check out the Off the Wall light projections near St Peter’s station for most of the festival, curated by nearby I Heart Gallery. 4. Sydney Underground Film Festival The Sydney Underground Film Festival is an honest-to-God fringe festivity — an intelligently curated counter-culture weekend of weird, wack and unearthed cinephilia. The SUFF team pitches itself as "the purveyors of provocation, dissent and civil disobedience". And rightly so. They've pulled off some crazy-as-hell nights in the past, and this year's program looks just as great. Festival opening night is always excellent — not just great new films but a big party with delicious food and drinks. Francophenia (Or: Don't Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby is) is a hybrid doco/fiction which chronicles James Franco's work in General Hospital and the absurdity of celebrity culture. For politics junkies, there's Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies by UK director Patrick Forbes. And Mr Doodleburger, the murderous, redubbed alter-ego of Home and Away's Alf Stewart, will be unveiling his latest Summer Bay slaughter and doing a live Q&A. 5. Le Gateau Chocolat This Fringe Festival Sydney will be treated to a generous slice of Gateau when the operatic star of La Soiree returns to Sydney for his solo debut. Delivering moving renditions of songs branching everything from pop-rock and jazz to classical opera and fusing them with his own story, Le Gateau Chocolat manages to make the fact that he is a big Nigerian dude (one with a law degree, no less) dressed as a woman seem almost beside the point.It’s rare that a performer dressed in 160 pounds of false eyelashes and ostentatiously frothy tulle will be remembered primarily for mesmerising human stories rendered in an exquisite baritone voice, but Le Gateau Chocolat isn’t your average larger-than-life operatic diva with a penchant for glittery lycra. 6. Fringe Comedy The Festival is making it easier to pick your way through its packed comedy schedule by offering a series of compendium nights where you can get a parade of comedians at each others' elbows to try to lure you to their other shows. Jennifer Wong and Michael Hing headline A Series of Young Asian Comedians Not Doing Asian Jokes, the Fringe Comedy Showcase crams 8 acts into its four weekly nights of laughs, and Barely Legal showcases the comic talents of young stand-ups, former finalists in the Class Clowns competition down in Melbourne. 7. Fringe Music This year's musical line-up runs the gamut from silent film soundtrack with Stu Hunter's closing compositions to 1927 film Berlin, Marrickville Bowling Club's evening of underground electronic, Brouhaha!, and an Eastside FM takeover of former underground venue 505. Also on the cards, New Weird Australia takes a night of experimental tunes at Five Eliza, a little Tim Freedman and the Sonic Mayhem Orchestra perform Miles Davis performing Gershwin. 8. Fringe Theatre If the cramped theatre of Life in Miniature is a little too intimate, this year’s fringe is also running theatre across less crowded stages. 1980+ watches the lives of Chinese students in Australia bifurcate as some stay here and some return home in this english-subtitled, Mandarin production. Eclective Productions restage Philip Ridley's Pitchfork Disney, Erskineville performance space PACT program dance, luminescence and blood disorders, Gandhari offers up the Mahabharata in an hour and story teller Candy Royale helps take over the Rattler. In the Fringe's burlesque sideline, Esque will dress the form up in pretty words, while Bogan-Ville Burlesque does its level best to dress it down. 9. Mystery Bus The bicycle-free fringe tour on wheels returns for another year of busman's holidays around Sydney's grand festival of alternative arts. Mystery Bus invites you to board their omnibus at the Enmore Theatre before they whisk you away into a night of mystery and, inevitably, arts. The bus lays out (mostly) cryptic clues about its final destination on their fringe page, inviting you to guess about the evening's terminus. The adventures are listed as XXX (8 September), Editor's Choice (14 and 15 September), Cinematic Slap (20 September), Carnie Delight (22 September), Roll Em Girls (23 September), Dirty Diva (27 September) and Blind Tiger (September 29). Sharp-eyed attendees who know their local arts can probably work their cross-referencing magic against programs and listings to guess the destination. But really, wouldn't you rather be surprised? 10. Surprises When you land at the Fringe, you never knows how stunning, embarrassing or enigmatic its acts will be. Half the fun of turning up is finding gems in strange places: discovery is all. Will the Bard be better reinterpreted by Bard to the Bone or a steampunk Tempest? Will sometime radio star Anna Salleh lure you successfully to Brazil, or will understanding art finally leave you laughing? Perhaps you'll find an artistic match touring the Fringe's fringes in exotic Double Bay for Blue Beat Jazz, Chatswood for Urban Screen Shorts, Fringe Arts at the Forum in Leichhardt or another dose of dance in Annandale at Platform Shorts. There's only one way to find out, really. Leading image by Newtown Graffiti. Sydney Underground Film Festival by Lauren Carroll Harris. Le Gateau Chocolat by Hannah Ongley.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. RED ROCKET It might sound crazy, but it ain't no lie: Red Rocket's *NSYNC needle drops, the cost of which likely almost eclipsed the rest of the film's budget, provide a sensational mix of movie music moments in an all-round sensational picture. A portrait of an ex-porn star's knotty homecoming to the oil-and-gas hub that is Texas City, the feature only actually includes one song by the Justin Timberlake-fronted late-90s/early-00s boyband, but it makes the most of it. That tune is 'Bye Bye Bye', and it's a doozy. With its instantly recognisable blend of synth and violins, it first kicks in as the film itself does, and as the bruised face of Mikey Saber (Simon Rex, Scary Movie 3, 4 and 5) peers out of a bus window en route from Los Angeles. Its lyrics — "I'm doing this tonight, you're probably gonna start a fight, I know this can't be right" — couldn't fit the situation better. The infectiously catchy vibe couldn't be more perfect as well, and nor could the contrast that all those upbeat sounds have always had with the track's words. As he demonstrates with every film, Red Rocket writer/director/editor Sean Baker is one of the best and shrewdest filmmakers working today — one of the most perceptive helmers taking slice-of-life looks at American existence on the margins, too. His latest movie joins Starlet, Tangerine and The Florida Project on a resume that just keeps impressing, but there's an edge here born of open recognition that Mikey is no one's hero. He's a narcissist, sociopath and self-aggrandiser who knows how to talk his way into anything, claim success from anyone else's wins and blame the world for all his own woes. He's someone that everyone in his orbit can't take no more and wants to see out that door, as if *NSYNC's now-22-year-old lyrics were specifically penned about him. He's also a charismatic charmer who draws people in like a whirlwind. He's the beat and the words of 'Bye Bye Bye' come to life, in fact, even if the song wasn't originally in Red Rocket's script. Mikey's return after decades away isn't greeted with smiles or cheers; his estranged wife Lexi (Bree Elrod, Shutter Island), also his ex on-screen partner, is horrified when he arrives on her doorstep unannounced with $22 to his name. It takes him mere minutes to convince her and her mother Lil (Brenda Deiss) to let him crash on their couch, though — and just days to work his way back into Lexi's bed. The begrudging inevitability of their reunion echoes as firmly as Red Rocket's chosen anthem, and both keep repeating throughout the film. Unable to get a job despite his glee when explaining the big gap in his resume ("Google me," he exclaims, revealing his porn past to prospective employers), he's reluctantly given back his old weed-dealing gig by local dealer Leondra (Judy Hill), who clearly isn't thrilled. The two new connections Mikey makes — with a neighbour and a 17-year-old doughnut store cashier — also smack of the same feeling. Both relationships leave as much of an imprint upon Mikey's life as anything can — although, no matter what he contends about every bad turn he's endured, all the chaos plaguing his every waking moment is his own doing. With Lonnie (Ethan Darbone), he gets an adoring sidekick who thinks he can do no wrong and, most importantly, a driver to taxi him around town. With Strawberry (Suzanna Son, chief among the film's many first-timers), he hopes to turn his lust into a way back into the adult film industry, grooming her to make her own thrusts into porn. Both naive and aware of Mikey's brimming bullshit, Strawberry isn't quite as taken in with his promises as he imagines her to be, however. Still, she might quote "it ain't no lie, bye bye bye" about him, but she's also willing enough to go along for the ride. Read our full review. THE KING'S MAN When something shows you its true colours, believe it. The Kingsman franchise certainly did when it debuted in 2014, as viewers have been witnessing ever since. That initial entry, Kingsman: The Secret Service, gave the espionage genre an irreverent and energetic spin, and landed partway between update and parody. But, while making Taron Egerton a star and proving engaging-enough, it didn't know when to call it quits, serving up one of the most ill-judged closing moments that spy flicks have ever seen. Since then, all things Kingsman haven't known when to end either, which is why subpar sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle arrived in 2017, and now unnecessary prequel The King's Man. Another year, another dull origin story. Another year, another stretched Bond knockoff, too. Stepping from 007's latest instalments, including No Time to Die, to this pale imitation, Ralph Fiennes takes over leading man duties in this mostly World War I-centric affair. He looks as if he'd rather be bossing Bond around again, though, sporting the discomfort of someone who finds himself in a movie that doesn't shake out the way it was meant to, or should've, and mirroring the expression likely to sit on viewers' faces while watching. Simply by existing, The King's Man shows that this series just keeps pushing on when that's hardly the best option. It overextends its running time and narrative as well. But as it unfurls the beginnings of the intelligence agency hidden within a Saville Row tailor shop, it ditches everything else that made its predecessors work — when they did work, that is. Most fatally, it jettisons its class clashes and genre satire, and is instead content with being an outlandish period movie about the rich and powerful creating their own secret club. Adapted from Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar's 2012 comics, the Kingsman series hasn't cut too deeply in its past two movies, but it did make the most of its central fish-out-of-water idea. It asked: what if a kid from the supposed wrong side of the tracks entered the espionage realm that's so firmly been established as suave and well-heeled by 007? Finding out why there's even a covert spy organisation staffed by the wealthy and impeccably dressed for that young man to join is a far less intriguing idea, but returning filmmaker Matthew Vaughn — who has now helmed all three Kingsman films — and co-screenwriter Karl Gajdusek (The Last Days of American Crime) don't seem to care. Vaughn has mostly ditched the coarse sex gags this time, too, and for the better, but hasn't found much in the way of personality to replace them. It's in a prologue in 1902 that Fiennes makes his first appearance as Orlando Oxford, a duke travelling to South Africa during the Boer War — and soon made a widower, because The King's Man starts with the tiresome dead wife trope. Twelve years later, Oxford is staunchly a pacifist, so much so that he forbids his now-teenage son Conrad (Harris Dickinson, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) from enlisting when WWI breaks out. But the duke hasn't completely given away serving his country himself, overseeing an off-the-books intelligence network with the help of his servants Shola (Djimon Hounsou, A Quiet Place Part II) and Polly (Gemma Arterton, Summerland). That comes in handy when a nefarious Scottish figure known only as The Shepherd interferes in world affairs, with King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (all cousins, and all played by Bohemian Rhapsody's Tom Hollander) his targets. Read our full review. I'M WANITA In Amy, Whitney: Can I Be Me, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry and similar documentaries, audiences nabbed behind-the-scenes glimpses at music superstars. Via personal and candid footage not initially intended for mass consumption, viewers peeked behind the facade of celebrity — but I'm Wanita evokes the same feelings of intimacy and revelation by pointing its lens at a singer who isn't yet a household name. The self-described 'Australian queen of honky tonk', Wanita Bahtiyar hasn't given filmmaker Matthew Walker a treasure trove of archival materials to weave through his feature debut. Rather, the Tamworth local opens up her daily existence to his observational gaze. Following his 2015 short film about Wanita, Heart of the Queen, Walker spent five years capturing her life — and the resulting doco is as wily as its subject is unpredictable. I'm Wanita mightn't spring from a dream archive of existing footage, but it does dedicate its frames to a dream point of focus; its namesake is the type of subject documentarians surely pray they stumble across. Since becoming obsessed with Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn as a child, Wanita has chased music stardom. Her voice earned her ample attention from her teen years onwards, and her first album received rave reviews that she giddily quotes now; however, she's spent her adult life drinking, partying, and supplementing occasional gigs with sex work. Today, she's a legend in her own head, and also an erratic whirlwind. I'm Wanita charts her trip to Nashville to finally make the record she's always wanted, and yet it never paints her tale as a simplistic portrait of talent unrealised. At home with her beleaguered Turkish husband, rustling up the cash for her big trip with fellow muso and her now-stressed manager Gleny Rae Virus, and in the studio she's always fantasised about, Wanita consistently dances to her own song. She spits out frank and pithy quotes that Walker splashes across the screen as text a little too often, too, but her determination to succeed (and her certainty about her talent) isn't matched by any skerrick of willingness to take a plain, breezy and direct route. It's to Walker's credit that he lets I'm Wanita follow its eponymous figure on that messy and meandering journey, rather than simmering down her story to fit a neat narrative. A Star Is Born, this isn't — even with a glorious closing number that could easily cap off a Hollywood melodrama. Indeed, this is a film about challenges, clashes, contradictions, and careening from highs to lows, with every flat note in Wanita's quest for fame and acclaim largely stemming from the woman herself. It's as rich and engaging a character study that a filmmaker could hope for, because there's simply so much to examine and interrogate (be it Wanita's complicated relationship with her mother and the impact it had on her own efforts with her now mostly estranged daughter, or her belief that alcohol improves her performance versus the reality of seeing her sauced in the studio). Crucially, this is a documentary about pluck, passion, self-belief and self-sabotage, and it steadfastly sees every extreme and everything in-between with clear eyes. In other words, it's the music doco equivalent of a country song, turning hopes and heartbreak into affecting art. I'm Wanita opened in Brisbane cinemas in 2021, and now screens in Sydney and Melbourne. SHANE Paul Kelly named a song after him. Eddie Perfect went one better and wrote an entire musical. But if Shane Warne had lived out his childhood dream, he would've played AFL for St Kilda instead of becoming a tune- and stage show-inspiring star cricketer. That tidbit isn't new news; however, Warne talks it through in new Australian documentary Shane — an early inclusion that demonstrates the film's handling of its well-known central figure. Warne's sporting career rose spectacularly from his failed attempt at Aussie Rules, which he also chats through. It dipped via several scandals, professional and personal alike, which he takes to with considerably less glee. Warne is a candid and engaging interviewee and, while joined by other cricketing and celebrity figures in recounting his life to-date, he's Shane's main source of information, but the film still spins the story that he's happy to share. There's no shortage of details for directors David Alrich (Griff's Great Australian Rail Trip), Jon Carey (Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story) and Jackie Munro to cover, all of which they unfurl in chronological order. Warne was an AFL-obsessed kid who played under-19s and one reserves game, only to be told he wouldn't make it at the top level. He then considered tennis, but found his calling — and global renown and acclaim — in spin-bowling wickets. Even to viewers unfussed by cricket, Warne's achievements are common knowledge, as are his decades in the spotlight. So too are his controversies; the bookmaker situation, the match-fixing proposition put to him by Pakistani captain Salim Malik, the year-long suspension for taking a banned diuretic and the breakdown of his marriage all get a mention, and all earn Warne's current thoughts. He's also especially eager to discuss his prowess for sledging. Hearing famous faces tell their tales is a documentary format that'll never get old, but perhaps the most surprising thing about Shane is the balance between Warne's on- and off-field exploits. The second gets almost as much attention as the first, with his ex-wife Simone, children Brooke, Jackson and Summer, parents Keith and Bridgette, and brother Jason joining the roster of heads — and his kids are particularly frank about missing time with their dad when he spent nine months a year on the road while they were growing up. A film can be honest and also highly authorised, though, and there's never any doubt that this is an act of adoring portraiture. Like most such features, it even enlists pointless praise from unneeded celebs — in this case Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin, the latter introducing himself by explaining "I'm in the band called Coldplay". Actually, Shane does bowl another surprise viewers' way: its accessibility to the cricket-ambivalent. Even thrusting both personal and professional antics to the fore, sporting documentaries can be guilty of simply preaching to existing fans, rather than explaining why their subject has earned their own film; however, being a leg-spin fiend or spending your summers obsessing about runs and wickets isn't a prerequisite for getting something out of Shane. Indeed, cricket aficionados might even find it lacking in match footage, although the "ball of the century" — Warne's first-ever wicket with his first-ever ball in his first-ever Ashes test — unsurprisingly gets ample time in the spotlight. Also given plenty of focus: a seemingly never-ending array of former English captains sharing their takes on Warne, and the man himself doing his best 'loveable larrikin' act, because Shane knows its chosen pitch and sticks to it. THE ADDAMS FAMILY 2 In every generation, a new version of The Addams Family is born, or has been since the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky characters debuted in print in the 1938, then made the leap from New Yorker cartoons to TV in the 60s. That hit sitcom set the bar, leaving each subsequent take on this all-together ooky crew with a difficult task: tinkering with something eerie, madcap, macabre and widely adored. When two movies attempted the feat in the 90s, however, they became instant classics. Starring Raul Julia, Anjelica Houston, Christopher Lee and Christina Ricci, 1991's The Addams Family and 1993's Addams Family Values weren't just great three decades ago — they're still excellent now, and not just due to nostalgia. The less said about their woeful direct-to-video follow-up Addams Family Reunion, the better, although it bears more in common with the current crop of animated Addams Family flicks, all of which simply think that popping their titular figures into any situation is amusing enough. At a time when Ricci is killing it on the small screen in Yellowjackets, aka one of the best new shows of the past year, the strange and deranged characters that helped push her to fame when she was a child are sadly stuck languishing in their worst iteration yet. 2019's stop-motion The Addams Family was generic at best, and kept mistaking groan-worthily obvious jokes for humour — and thinking that viewers of these weird and wonderful folks wanted the standard serving of pop culture-themed gags, throwaway lines, non sequiturs and pointless jukebox-style needle drops — a strategy that The Addams Family 2 is happy to let bubble again. Here, though, it isn't the entire eponymous group that stands out against the world around them. They still do, of course, but the focus sits with teenager Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz, Tom and Jerry), who feels she doesn't fit in with her relatives even before she's told she might've been switched at birth. As its immediate predecessor did, The Addams Family 2 boasts a few stellar strokes of voice casting, but that can't save a film that's distressingly eager to be as bland, flat and lazy as possible. Once again, returning directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party) — who team up with first-time co-helmers Laura Brousseau and Kevin Pavlovic — only manage to make viewers wish that Oscar Isaac (Dune) and Charlize Theron (Fast and Furious 9) could've played Gomez and Morticia in a new live-action film, instead of lending their voices to this mess. The lines they're tasked with uttering, as penned by screenwriters Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) along with Ben Queen (Cars 2) and Susanna Fogel (Booksmart), have less life (and inspire fewer laughs) than a corpse. And, as with the first animated movie, they're still caught up in a flick that has Snoop Dogg cast Cousin Itt so that it can drop in his songs (and yes, that's supposed to be funny, apparently). Forget the dark humour that's always been the backbone of The Addams Family. Forget any sense of personality that isn't just "ooh, they're odd and they like grim things" — and forget anything that you wouldn't see in any other all-ages film, too. The script could've been written for any old characters, then had Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley (Javon 'Wanna' Walton, Utopia), Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll, Sing 2), Thing and company shoehorned in, although its family vacation setup does take all the wrong cues from the aforementioned Addams Family Reunion. It hardly helps that the animation style looks ghoulishly unpleasant, but at least the character designs nod to Charles Addams' original cartoons. Nothing else about this unwanted sequel even comes close, in a feature that proves the antithesis of its characters: mundane, safe, routine and only unnerving in how terrible it is. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26; and January 1. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Worst Person in the World, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and House of Gucci.
Birds chirp, rainbows form and the sun shines a little brighter when the Sydney Dog Lovers Show comes around. And it's returning for a sixth year of pats, licks and parades on the weekend of Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4. This year, it;ll take place at the Sydney Showgrounds — and yes, the dedicated puppy cuddle zone is returning. The Sydney Dog Lovers Show will see thousands of dedicated pooch fans celebrating the noble four-legged monarch of human companionship. There'll be dozens of furry friends available for adoption from dozens rescue groups across NSW in the adoption zone, where you can learn up on what's actually involved with the process. Plus, DockDogs is back, featuring a competitive long jump and high jump for talented dogs who want to flop into a pool of water. Dogs, amiright? But hold up — you came here to cuddle pooches. We're getting there. Punters can make their way to the Pat-a-Pooch zone to cuddle up to a wide range of Australia's most loveable and popular breeds from puppy to adult dogs — we're talking uppity dachshunds to fluffball samoyeds. This has undeniably been the main attraction of previous year's events, and gives kitten cafes a run for their money. There's plenty more happening over the two days of furry friended fun. Not sure which type of pooch is perfect for you? Sign up for a Perfect Match session where you'll be paired with your ultimate dog breed. Already found your tail-waggin' soulmate? Get some expert tips on training, behaviour, first-aid and nutrition in seminars by some of Australia's big name vets. Tickets are $35. Everything is free (including cuddles) once you have purchased your ticket, except food and drink.
Puff, puff, no — you won't be able to smoke cannabis at this two-day convention. Well, not this year. While the legalisation of marijuana for medicinal use is still in the works, the Australian government legalised the sale and consumption of hemp food products on November 12 last year — which, alongside a huge range of other hemp products and uses, is what the Hemp, Health and Innovation Expo is all about. A heap of exhibitors from around the globe will be selling and sampling hemp fabrics, textiles, clothing, food and beauty products. If you've spent enough time in health food shops, you won't be a stranger to hemp products — hemp protein, hemp chocolate bars and hemp milk — that were previously marketed as 'beauty products', ie — you weren't supposed to eat them. But, now you can. So, go forth and eat hemp to your heart's content. Alongside the expo, the Hemp, Health and Innovation Symposium will be taking place. Doctors, academics, entrepreneurs, authors and activists — all specialising in marijuana and hemp products — will be holding talks and Q&A sessions. Curious about the benefits of medicinal marijuana? Want to know exactly how sustainable hemp products are? Should you actually be listening to the 'wisdom' spouted by 'that friend'? The Mary Jane masters are here to answer your questions. Hemp, for the uninitiated, is a variety of cannabis grown for its industrial use. It has really low levels of THC (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis), so, no — you won't get high from smoking your hemp tote bag and we really don't encourage trying it. But the massive on-site crop at the Rosehill Hemp Expo will definitely be a site to see. The Hemp, Health and Innovation Expo will run from 9am–7pm on Saturday, May 12, and 10am–4pm on Sunday, May 13. Images: Craze Co & Ballin' On A Budget – The Hemp Health & Innovation Expo 420 Stunt Sydney
Since Australia started easing out of COVID-19 lockdown, the country's internal border restrictions have earned plenty of attention. With tactics to stop the spread of the coronavirus implemented at a state-by-state level, each Aussie state has navigated the situation in its own way when it comes to letting non-residents visit. In Tasmania, that has meant strict quarantine requirements — which, for non-Tassie residents who aren't classified as essential travellers, entails spending 14 days in government-designated accommodation. If you're entering from a location considered high-risk, such as Victoria, it also requires pre-approval from the Deputy State Controller. As announced on Friday, October 2, Premier Peter Gutwein revealed that Tasmania will start to relax its border restrictions, with changes set to come into effect from Monday, October 26. As part of step two of the state's current three-step plan for reopening, it'll allow travellers from "low-risk COVID states" to enter under eased conditions — although it's yet to spell out exactly what that'll involve for those visiting. Still, Tasmania has advised exactly where it'll be opening up to. If you're eager for a holiday that definitely involves crossing a body of water — or you're thinking about attending Mona Foma in January — the state will open its borders to most of the country. It currently considers Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory to fall in the low-risk category — and has noted that New South Wales might possibly be on the list, too, depending on case numbers in the state. https://www.facebook.com/petergutweinmp/photos/a.1710247719193660/2691774364374319/?type=3&theater Premier Gutwein advised that "low-risk jurisdictions are determined by Public Health [Services] based on a number of factors, which include the period of time they have gone with low or no numbers of cases, and the lack of community transmission occurring in those jurisdictions". With that in mind, the state will "review the situation in New South Wales over the next week". If you're in Victoria, sadly the changes won't apply to you just yet. Premier Gutwein also noted that "border restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future with Victoria until we are satisfied that the risk has reduced to a lower level". Of course, Tasmania's reopening to any state is dependent on case numbers remaining low. "If at any time the situation changes in these states and the advice is that the risk is too high — then I won't hesitate to change this decision," the Premier said. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Tasmania, and the state's corresponding restrictions, visit its online COVID-19 hub.
A lantern parade led by a moon goddess, a dancing lion and a cornucopia of international food stalls are all planned for Cabramatta's 2018 Moon Festival. The traditional event, which has been celebrated across South East Asian communities for thousands of years, marks the spring equinox — one of two days in the year when day and night are of equal length — and the coming of harvest season. Head to Cabramatta from 9am on Sunday, September 23, to join the free festivities, where you'll be in the company of more than 90,000 revellers. In between feasting to your heart's content, look out for live music, dancers, theatrical performances and a bunch of fun, food-related happenings, including a prawn-peeling competition, a chopstick challenge and a moon cake-eating championship. Moon cakes are round pastries filled with lotus seeds, red beans, orange peel and a yellow "yolk" that represents the moon. You can expect frivolities to finish up around 8pm, with an epic fireworks display.
UPDATE: APRIL 27, 2020 — Since it was released at 6pm on Sunday, April 26, over one million Australians have downloaded the COVIDSafe app. The government has previously said for it to be effective, it needs 40 percent of the population — around 10 million people — to download it. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined seven conditions under which Australia's social distancing and public gathering restrictions could be relaxed, at the earliest, in mid May. One of those was significantly expanding testing, which was rolled out on Friday, and another was a contact tracing app. The latter has been launched tonight, Sunday, April 26, by the Australian Government. Called COVIDSafe, the voluntary app is now available for Australians to download for Android and iOS. It works by keeping an encrypted log of the people you have been in close contact with, aiming to help health authorities more quickly trace potential positive COVID-19 cases and contain community outbreaks. To do this, the app, once downloaded, asks you to input four pieces of information: your mobile phone number, your name, your age range and your postcode. Then, if you're in contact with someone else who has the app for more than approximately 15 minutes and within less than 1.5 metres, it will via a 'bluetooth handshake' collect that person's encrypted app user ID, the date and time of contact and their bluetooth signal strength. Nothing happens to this data unless you're diagnosed with COVID-19. If you are, you'll be contacted by a state or territory public health official and you'll have to consent a second time before the data is sent to a national data store, which can only be accessed by health officials. If you're not diagnosed with COVID-19, the data on your app is deleted after 21 days. If you come into close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 21 days, and they consent to sharing their app data to the national store, a state or territory health official will give you a call, so you can self-isolate and get tested [caption id="attachment_768682" align="alignnone" width="1920"] COVIDSafe[/caption] According to Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, the information on the app is protected both physically and by law. It's encrypted and Hunt has "already signed into law on behalf of the government a biosecurity act and determination, which prevents access and ensures the data has to be kept on an Australian server". "It cannot leave the country. It cannot be accessed by anybody other than a state public health official," Hunt said in a press conference today. "It cannot be used for any purpose other than the provision of the data for the purposes of finding people with whom you have been in close contact with, and it is punishable by jail if there is a breach of that." The app also does not use geolocation and the Australian Government has also published a privacy policy statement for the app on its website. But there are some still some concerns about the app's privacy and security. In a joint statement released this afternoon, the Digital Rights Watch, Human Rights Law Centre and Centre for Responsible Technology urged the Australian Government to "fill in obvious gaps in the development of the tracing technology". "The tracing app will only be effective if enough Australians feel confident downloading and using it," the joint statement said. "However the alliance believes that won't happen unless the Morrison Government answers outstanding questions about the safety and privacy of Australians' information." Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously stated that the app would be effective if at least 40 percent of Australian downloaded it, while Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy today said he considered "a good uptake" as well over half of Australians. COVIDSafe is now available to download for Android and iOS. To find out more head to the Australian Government Department of Health website.
In the ongoing trend of activities that are made infinitely more fun with a little liquid courage comes BYO art. Brush and Sip is exactly what the name suggests: visitors enjoy a tipple (or two) as they create their artistic masterpieces. The studio, located in Newtown, encourages guests to bring along some beverages and put their brush skills to the test. Pack a bottle and a few snacks, and Brush and Sip will provide the rest: glassware, brushes, paint, canvas and an apron. Each session runs for three hours under the guidance of an instructor, who will have you painting like Picasso in no time - or so you'll think after a few pinot's.
Eternal award-winner Maybe Sammy is about to add an exciting new venue to its impressive roster of Sydney bars, launching the team's first Mexican-inspired haunt in the form of El Primo Sanchez. The Paddington opening will join the likes of the original Maybe Sammy, as well as Dean & Nancy on 22, Sammy Junior and Maybe Frank, as part of The Maybe Group when it opens on Oxford Street in December. El Primo Sanchez will take over the ground floor of The Rose Hotel, bringing a heavy dose of agave, mezcal and tequila to Maybe Sammy's world-renowned cocktails. At the street-level bar, these cocktails will highlight Mexican and Latin American produce, and will be served in traditional handmade clay jarrito jugs. "You can still expect the same high level of hospitality, playful energy, brilliant cocktails and attention to detail as our other bars. It will just be wrapped up into a Mexican environment with more of a laidback pub vibe than a high-end cocktail bar," says The Maybe Group co-founder Vince Lombardo. Complimenting the cocktails will be an array of contemporary Mexican eats. While the menu is yet to be revealed, there will be options for a range of different occasions. If you're popping in for a catch-up over a drink, you can opt for bar snacks and lighter dishes like tacos, or if you're arriving on an empty stomach, heartier lunch and dinner choices will be available. The bar comes in collaboration with Public Hospitality, who recently opened Paddington's new boutique hotel, restaurant and bar Oxford House just down the road from The Rose Hotel. "We are excited to begin our journey with The Maybe Group in our beloved Rose Hotel in Paddington. The Maybe team have developed world acclaimed products which we have admired for some time. El Primo Sanchez will complement our newly opened lifestyle hotel, Oxford House and add further energy to Oxford Street," says Anna Touhy, Group General Manager F&B for Public Hospitality. Maybe Sammy was recently named in The World's 50 Best Bars list for 2022 for the fourth year in a row. The innovative bar in The Rocks took out 29th place in the list, a drop from 2021 when it came in 22nd, and from 2020's 11th spot, but higher than in 2019 when it sat at 43rd. El Primo Sanchez will open at 27–33 Oxford Street, Paddington. It will initially be open five nights and two days a week. We'll update you when an exact opening date is announced.
Fans of Muji's minimalist homewares and consumer goods will be glad to know that the Japanese megastore isn't done with Sydney yet. With recent news of the newly opened Muji hotels in Japan and China, we were starting to feel a bit like their neglected middle child. But this week the north shore has scored its very own MUJI outpost. A sister store to The Galeries on George Street, the newbie is Australia's first multi-level Muji, and the place is big, covering a whopping 884 square metres at Westfield Chatswood. It's stocked with all the usual homewares, along with men's, women's and children's apparel and accessories, skincare products, stationery, back-to-school/work necessities and travel goods. The brand's simple designs are also eco‐friendly with minimal packaging, so you really can't go wrong here. The store opened on Wednesday, March 21, and is Muji's fourth Australian outpost. Here's hoping we finally get those flat-pack homes and tiny pre-fab huts that we've been waiting so very long for. Muji Chatswood is now open at Westfield Chatswood. It's open 9.30am–6pm Monday to Wednesday and Friday, 9.30am–9pm Thursday, 9am–6pm Saturday and 10am–6pm Sunday. For more info, visit muji.com.
When I was a kid I was convinced that everyday objects had lives of their own and got up to amusing hijinks whenever I wasn't looking. When things got lost, I used to imagine they'd taken themselves off to a kind of ramshackle clubhouse of 'stuff', where the chairs and the tables were having a fantastic party and exchanging witty banter about things I didn't understand. And in my mind that place looked exactly like Doug Up On Bourke. It's where industrial, commercial and rustic antiques all come together in one space, and where you can spend hours walking around in wide-eyed fascination. Doug Up On Bourke was established back in 2003, and sources items from all over Australia, with everything lovingly restored by hand. It's the place to go if you're after shipping trunks, industrial work tables, watering cans, church pews or old bakelite phones. The place is huge, so you need an hour or so to browse through everything, but you're guaranteed to find something amazing.
Sip on coffee, enjoy a gin cocktail and devour goat's milk gelato in a garden oasis. You can do all three at Bar Botanica: a new cafe, bar and gelateria on the Central Coast. Breathing new life into a rustic 70s hut in the middle of Distillery Botanica's garden, Bar Botanica is the brainchild of Julia and Dan Hughes, the creators of Mr Goaty Gelato. Dan has been making Mr Goaty's gelato in the distillery — known for its Moore's gin and Mr Black cold brew coffee liqueur — for the past two years, drawing inspiration for his gelato flavours from botanicals in the garden. Before his days scooping highly acclaimed gelato, Dan was a chef at Bronte's Three Blue Ducks. Centred around the old English concept of 'elevenses' — a light snack enjoyed just before midday, and an integral part of the hobbit diet — Bar Botanica is open from mid-morning to late afternoon for small bites, drinks and gelato. The menu is inspired by Dan's experience working in kitchens around the world, drawing on his classic French chef training and using fresh seasonal produce grown from the garden. Pair a chicken liver parfait with Distillery Botanica blackcurrant liqueur, enjoy a lazy afternoon with a ploughman's lunch featuring gin-spiked cheddar and olives, or down a quick chicken and tarragon sandwich matched with coffee roasted on-site (using the same beans as the aforementioned Mr Black). Once the cafe is licensed, it'll start selling gin, wines and local Six String beer, too. Of course, you'll need to leave room for dessert, too — there are 14 house-made gelato and sorbet to choose from (as well as freshly baked pastries, tarts and cakes). The flavours rotate often, but expect the likes of honeycomb and lavender and lemon myrtle macadamia. And, while Mr Goaty's original gelato is made using goat's milk, there are cow's milk and dairy-free options, too. This winter, the eatery will play host to a series of pop-up dinners — we'll let you know when they're announced. In the meantime, road trip to the revamped, plant-filled hut for a lazy Sunday picnic, a bite to eat and an award-winning gelato cone. Find Bar Botanica inside Distillery Botanica at 25 Portsmouth Road, Erina and open Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–4pm.
Already in its 24th year, the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest never ceases to amaze and excite with its stunning displays of photography from around the world. With the current increase in popularity of amateur photography and the pervasion of social media, this year's competition already has a whopping 12,400 entries. Flick through the entries at the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012 website and experience some of the most incredible and awe-inspiring sights, people and moments this Earth has to offer. This year's contest has four categories - Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, Travel Portraits and Spontaneous Moments - to cover a wide range of spectacular photo opportunities. Here we've collated just a sample of what we find to be some of the most remarkable shots from the 2012 contest. Keep a lookout for the winners, which will be announced in August. Northern Lights by Christine Peterson Location: Northern Iceland Monsoon by Enrique Lopez-Tapia Location: Sundarbands, Bangladesh The Rise by James Davies Location: Lizard Point, the UK's most Southerly location, Cornwall African Queen - Madagascar by Lisa Labinjoh Location: North West Madagascar Sun-Kissed Faces by Erwin Choachuy Location: San Remigio, Cebu, Philippines Tamblingan Lake by Agung Krisprimandoyo Location: Gubug Temple, Tamblingan Lake, Bali, Indonesia Up in the Air by Martin Fietkiewicz Location: Wreck Beach, Vancouver, BC, Canada Fox in the Grass by Kathryn Triplett Location: Kodiak Island, Alaska Butts by Laysa Quintero Location: Samburu National Reserve, Kenya Outside Pandora's Box by Johnathan Bareng Location: Ubud, Bali. Indonesia The Great off Isla Damas by Esteban Delgado Location: Puntarenas, Quepos, Isla Damas, Costa Rica
Everyone's favourite magical nanny is back — and if watching Mary Poppins Returns isn't enough of a nostalgic delight, then head on over to The Grounds of Alexandria. Until Sunday, February 3, the Sydney favourite has transformed its already impressive garden into a Poppins-themed wonderland. Think cherry blossoms, London lamps and many a kite, of course. The short-term makeover is inspired by Cherry Tree Lane, the street temporarily inhabited by Poppins when she floats down to care for the Banks family. You'll wander beneath pastel pink trees, spy more than a few umbrellas and find yourself expecting lamplighters to break into song. And yes, it's perfectly fine if you wander through the space humming the original flick's iconic tune 'Let's Go Fly a Kite' to yourself. Drop by at 10am, 12pm and 2pm each day to find bubbles filling the garden as well — and, whatever time you visit, you'll be able to tuck into a limited-edition Poppins cake made from lemon zest sponge, filled with cherry purée and cream cheese centre, and definitely featuring a spoonful of sugar. The Grounds of Alexandria is functioning as normal during the Mary Poppins Returns pop-up, and the Garden Bar, Potting Shed and cafe will be open.
Sydney's back in lockdown. This time the Greater Sydney region will be restricted to their houses for at least the next two weeks. As a result, bars, cafes and restaurants are required to shut their doors to dine-in customers — so they're adapting by beefing up their takeaway options, launching new delivery meals and even creating boozy care packages. That means that you can put down that fifth can of Aldi tuna and pick up the phone, knowing you'll be doing a local business a solid while also getting to eating a tasty, fancy, succulent meal. Here, we'll keep you updated on all the restaurant-quality eats you can order takeaway, or have delivered to your doorstep. [caption id="attachment_697657" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bella Brutta by Kitti Smallbone[/caption] TAKEOUT ONLY Al Aseel (Penrith, Castle Hill, Greenacre and Castle Hill) Lebanese eatery Al Aseel is offering Feed the Family meal deals and a special $25 lunch feast across all its stores during lockdown. Th epickup inly deal features shish tawook, laham and kafta mishwi, grilled Lebanese bread, garlic dip, hot chips, salad and a drink. Arthur (Surry Hills) The fine-diner has launched Arthur To-Go, with different meals available each night. The meal comes with a dessert and include the likes of pork and mushroom lasagne with truffle bechamel or black Angus beef short rib tacos. Avi's Kantini (Newtown) The Bank's new Middle Eastern-inspired eatery is launching a new takeaway service with housemade dips, fried kofta and sesame fried chicken pita. The King Street eats are available 5–9pm Wednesday–Friday and midday–9pm Saturday and Sunday. Bar Suze (Surry Hills) Surry Hill's newest spot for a tipple of wine or next-level bar snack, Bar Suze, has transformed into a fish and chip shop over lockdown. On the takeaway menu you'll find beer battered flathead, fried halloumi, crumbed sardines and a crispy fish sandwich. Browse the menu here and call or text 0431 180 389 to preorder. Bella Brutta (Newtown) The inner west spot is now serving up all its pizza, cured meats, tiramisu and coffee via takeaway. To sweeten the deal, its offering specials takeaway specials including two pizzas and four cans of Grifter for $60. Check out the menu and order online over here. Bella Vista Hotel (Bella Vista) This north-west Sydney Hotel is going all out to help out during lockdown. Not only is it offering cocktails and woodfire pizza for pickup daily, it's also launching a drive-thru warehouse with a bunch of food and drink goodies and running a two-day drive-thru food truck festival on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3 with burgers, Greek street food, waffles and chips on a stick. Bibo Wine Bar (Double Bay) The Double Bay bar is now a two-person snack box featuring smoked mackerel pate, mushroom rissois, meats and cheese for $60, as well as a range of mains and desserts takeaway. Pick up only — full menu and details on how to order over here. Bistrot 916 (Potts Point) The French bistro is improving lockdown with the Burger 916. Swing by Potts Point from 4pm each day to grab one, however be quick as the burger is limited to 50 per day. Pre-orders are available by calling 916 766 67. Catalina (Rose Bay) Catalina has brought back its popular at-home seafood boxes, family feasts and cocktails. To order a lobster box, lamb rack or signature Catalina cocktail from home, contact the venue on 9371 0555. Calita, Carbon, Taqiza and Sonora (Bondi and Potts Point) These four Mexican restaurants are all offering the same wild taco and margarita special throughout lockdown. Across all four venues you can order the fiesta for two, four or a bottomless fiesta. Each comes with guac, corn, tacos, quesadillas and between 500m millilitres and five litres of margarita. Chiswick (Woolahra) This Woolahra favourite is offering a selection of its winter menu for takeaway. While the experience isn't the same as sitting in Chiswick's sun-soaked and greenery-filled dining room, you can still make the most of the garden herb roasted chicken or the slow-roasted lamb shoulder with pumpkin and mint from home. Dear Sainte Eloise (Potts Point) This Potts Point wine bar is reinventing itself as a bottle shop and takeaway restaurant with a special lockdown menu available 12–8pm daily. Browse the menu which includes an angus beef burger with blue cheese and truffle, black pepper fried chicken and a whole bunch of discounts of wines. DOC (Surry Hills) Surry Hills' newest kid on the block, DOC is offering its full menu for takeaway 5–9pm, Tuesday–Saturday. You can view the menu and order online. [caption id="attachment_810487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Avi's Kantini[/caption] The Foxtrot Inn (Crows Nest) This Crows Nest cocktail bar is pouring craft beer growlers for $24–30, offering 30 percent off beer and wine, and serving up a takeaway food menu featuring $8 jaffles packed with bolognese or chicken curry. Find all the details on Instagram. Good Fella Coffee (Bella Vista) This north-west Sydney cafe is still serving its best-in-the-west coffee and bagels as well as takeaway Grifter for any craft beer lovers out west. North Bondi Nami (Bondi) North Bondi Fish has transformed into this Japanese pop-up bar and restaurant for winter. During lockdown its offering takeaway including a lockdown pack that includes two bowls of ramen, prawn gyoza and a half-litre bottled cocktail for $88. Suss the menu out here. Nomad (Surry Hills) Surry Hills favourite Nomad is brining fine dining into your home with a series of at-home banquets for two. Think black truffle and three-cheese croquettes or veal meatballs with wood-roasted tomato. Each day there are limited banquets so it's best to preorder. Pub Life Kitchen (Ultimo) After closing down in 2017, Pub Life Kitchen returned this year and it brought its iconic burgers back with it. There's a full menu of favourites available for pickup from the bottom of The Lord Wolseley Hotel. To preorder, call 0467 644 434. Public House Petersham (Petersham) The sunny neighbourhood pub is turning into a pop-up bottle shop for the duration of lockdown, with natty wines, craft beers and bottled cocktails. The pizza oven will also continue to fire and you can pick up a fresh pie. Want the whole lot? You can score two pizzas and a natural wine for $65 or a five-serving bottled cocktail for $85. View the menu and order online. Sample Coffee (St Peters) Whether you're just after your caffeine fix or looking for some brunch, the specialty coffee roaster's St Peters spot is doing takeaway coffee, beans, coffee making gear and food. Totti's (Bondi) Never fear, you can still cave to your Totti's cravings during lockdown as the always-popular Bondi spot is offering its full menu including its famous woodfire bread takeaway. Ume Burger (Barangaroo) Japanese burger joint Ume Burger has shifted to takeaway only from 11.30am–2.30pm on weekdays, so you can enjoy the signature Ume burger or a fish or chicken katsu burger with a side of lotus root chips from the comfort of your couch. Where's Nick (Marrickville) This inner west wine bar may be temporarily closed, but Where's Nick's new bottle shop at 234 Marrickville Rd is open seven days a week. You head in store or order online. Yulli's Brews (Alexandria) Vegan brewery Yulli's Brews is taking online orders for pick-up from its Alexandria warehouse so you can get a carton of Amanda mandarin IPA ($64), sixteen-pack of Dolly Aldrin watermelon and mint Berliner Weisse($64) or a Bloody Mary kit ($25) to help you through lockdown. [caption id="attachment_748494" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shwarmama by Kitti Gould[/caption] TAKEAWAY AND DELIVERY Belly Bao (Newtown) King Street's bao haven is running delivery through UberEats and DoorDash, and is offering $5 beers and 40 percent off bottle of wine with all pickup orders. BL Burgers (Darlinghurst and Parramatta) As well as continuing its outrageous weekly specials (and full menu), the team behind the legendary Blame Canada burger is offering its burgers for takeaway and delivery via Deliveroo from both its Darlinghurst and Parramatta stores. Butter (Surry Hills, Chatswood and Parramatta) Butter is cooking up all of its sandwiches, burgers and fan-favourite fried chicken and is continuing its Butter Ramen Club throughout the lockdown. You can order them for pick up or delivery online. Chatkazz (Harris Park and Bella Vista) The vegetarian Indian street food's western Sydney outposts are both offering their full menu for pickup or delivery via UberEats, DoorDash and Deliveroo. Cook and Archies (Surry Hills) This long-running Surry Hills cafe has made its entire menu, including cakes, breakfast wraps, burgers, salads and bowls available for pickup via Hey You or Hungry Hungry, or takeaway on UberEats. Crumpets by Merna and Pepe Saya (online) A visit to Carriageworks Farmers Markets is not complete without a steaming crumpet slathered in butter — and now you can keep up the weekly tradition at home. Pepe Saya and Crumpets by Merna are both offering their entire range 20 percent off when you use the code SYDNEY20, including breakfast boxes featuring buttermilk crumpets, Pepe Saya salted butter, passionfruit curd and creme fraiche. The Duke of Enmore (Enmore) The Duke of Enmore's new food and drink menu is available for pickup or delivery, including the eggplant katsu sandwich, pickleback shots and a range of meal deals to enjoy at home. Also, being the legends they are, The Duke team is offering free meals and drinks to hospitality workers out-of-work due to the lockdown. El Jannah (various locations) The cult Lebanese-style charcoal chicken chain is slinging its full menu including its legendary garlic sauce for takeaway, delivery via several outlets and drive-thru at its Smithfield store. Emma's Snack Bar (Enmore) This much-loved Enmore eatery has made the majority of its menu available for takeaway, including $26 snack boxes — filled with meat or falafel, salad, garlic potatoes and bread — and a bunch of sides. You can also order via UberEats or Deliveroo. Esteban (Sydney) Esteban has launched an at-home menu with a selection of five hearty set menus, as well as a range of bottle cocktails. Think Byron Bay pork belly, grilled carrot, smoked kipfler potatoes and a sweet potato tart all for $65. Fabbrica (Sydney) The pasta and produce shop from the team behind Ragazzi is offering sandwiches and lasagne as well as handmade pasta packs, pasta sauces and high-end pantry items takeaway, on UberEats or with free delivery on orders over $50. Find all the details here. Glebe Point Diner (Glebe) This longstanding local is currently offering a takeaway with 50 percent off house wine. Owner and chef Alex Kearns is also offering a home delivery service. The menu will change daily but includes the choice of three mains ($20), two sides ($12) and a soup ($12). Find more info here. Harvey's Hot Sandwiches (Parramatta) The Parramatta sub experts are offering their full range of sandwiches from pastrami to hot meatball for pickup and delivery via UberEats and Menulog. Henrietta Charcoal Chicken (Surry Hills) This Surry Hills spot is serving up all your charcoal chicken needs for pick up in-store or delivery via UberEats. Treat yourself to burgers, wraps, falafel or roast chook and corn for a family roast without the clean up. [caption id="attachment_694683" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rara by Luisa Brimble[/caption] Johnny Bird (Crows Nest) Lower north shore favourite Johnny Bird is available for pickup or deliver via Deliveroo, UberEats or DoorDash. Browse the menu and order online. Madame and Yves (Clovelly) When you're mostly living on pantry staples, a treat is more than deserved — and you can't go past this Clovelly patisserie's insane creations. You can order everything from savoury pies and bread to eclairs and chocolate-dipped croissants online or takeaway in-store. Nakano Darling (CBD) Nakano Darling is available for takeaway and delivery via UberEats and DoorDash including $15 chicken karaage, gyoza or wagyu shingureni bento boxes or take home frozen gyoza and reheatable karaage (both $15 for 15 pieces). The CBD spot is also running a small lockdown bottleshop with beers and yuzu highballs. Nutie (Balmain and Surry Hills) If you've burned through all your supermarket snacks already and need a quick sugar fix, Nutie is now delivering its gluten-free and vegan doughnuts, cakes, cookies (fresh or frozen) and muffins straight to your door with delivery options across Sydney. Plus, both stores are also still open for takeaway, and are baking up an array of limited-time Christmas in July goodies. Maiz (Newtown) Maiz is serving up its full menu of Mexican Street Food 11am–3pm and 5–8pm for takeaway and delivery via UberEats and Doordash during Sydney's lockdown. Those that pick up their order can also treat themselves to a section of Mexican beers, wines and boozy aguas frescas. Rara (Redfern and Randwick) and Lonely Mouth (Newtown) This super-popular ramen joint has just started delivery from its two stores and its Newtown sibling, so you can slurp the piping hot tonkotsu with black garlic and chilli or vegan shio ramen from the comfort of your living room. Rara Chan South Eveleigh is closed for the time being, but Eveleigh dwellers can head to the Redfern store to satisfy any cravings. You can place and order for pick-up here for Rara and here for Lonely Mouth, or delivery via UberEats. Saint Peter (Paddington) Oxford Street's seafood-focused diner is open with a limited takeaway menu including tarts and natural wine, and is cooking a dish a day available to pre-order via fishbutchery.com.au. A bunch of this weeks meals are already sold out so jump online quick if you want to secure one. Keep an eye on Instagram to see what dishes are announced next. Shaffa (Surry Hills) Surry Hill's latest Middle Eastern eatery is launching takeaway and delivery so inner city dwellers can enjoy its pitas from home. You can check out the menu and all the details at Shaffa's Instagram. Shwarmama (Surry Hills) The shawarma spot is doing all its sabich, kebabs, snack packs and beer available for pick up and delivery on UberEats and Deliveroo. Sonoma (multiple) You may have learnt how to bake sourdough last lockdown, but this time around its fair enough you just want to pick some up. Sonoma has you covered on that front. The artisanal bakery is offering both click and collect pickup and takeaway across every store. Timbah (Glebe) This neighbourhood bar has launched a lockdown takeaway menu available for pickup or drive thru. To order, ring the shop on 02 9571 7005. Head to Instagram to see the full menu, including caramalised charcoal pork skewers, pad kee mao and kaeng phet green curry with apple eggplant. [caption id="attachment_817101" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maiz by Debbie Gallulo[/caption] Have you come across one we've missed? Let us know at hello@concreteplayground.com Top image: Chiswick
Have you ever dreamed of spending the night in a giant transparent bubble, with the twinkling stars in full view above you? Well, now you can, thanks to Bubbletent's inflatable glamping tents. Sitting in remote pockets of a working farm between Mudgee and Lithgow, about 200 kilometres northwest of Sydney, Bubbletent has three totally secluded getaways — all named after star signs and all with 360-degree views of the countryside. Overlooking the Capertee Valley, these hi-tech bubble tents have a zero carbon footprint. But while they're off-grid, they certainly don't skimp on comfort, boasting plush queen-sized beds, cooking facilities and a separate bathroom area complete with compost toilet and a sink with pump water. There's even a telescope for late-night stargazing sessions from the comfort of your bed. As an added bonus for those chillier months, the tents have outdoor woodfired baths, too, which come with their own stunning views. While all three tents are located in the Valley, they're all hidden from each other — so the only other guests you're likely to spot are wombats, kookaburras and 237 different bird species. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_uSdX-j2kn/ With the NSW Government announcing that all intrastate travel (so no crossing borders just yet) is allowed from June 1, it's time to start planning your June long weekend getaway. Bubbletent bookings for June–September open at 1pm on Sunday, May 24, and we suggest you move fast — these bubbles are known to book out fast in normal times, let alone now. If you manage to snag a stay, here are some of our favourite things to do in Lithgow and surrounds. Bubble Tent Australia bookings for June–September open at 1pm on Sunday, May 24. Getaways start at $510 a night for two.
Set near Barrington Tops National Park, three hours north of Sydney, the Riverwood Downs campground offers riverside sites, hot showers, laundry facilities, a kiosk and — most importantly — welcomes your pup with open arms. Campers can choose between powered and unpowered tent sites, both of which sit near the mountain river that extends five kilometres through the Monkerai Valley campsite. Located 2.5 hours north of Sydney, this 750-acre, award-winning property lets your pet roam on- and off-lead, with plenty of mountains trails and watering holes in reach. There's also an onsite restaurant that offers a dedicated pooch menu to boot.
Some kinds of movie magic never get old, and Studio Ghibli's films are exactly that type. Understandably, a whole heap of Sydney cinemas have agreed with that idea over the years, hosting their own events dedicated to the Japanese animation house. We understand — who doesn't want to watch these animated delights over and over? In 2025, Hayden Orpheum is one such site, bringing Studio Ghibli's gorgeous features back to the big screen from 7pm on Thursday nights across Thursday, August 7–Thursday, October 2. Yes, you should make like a moving castle to see Howl's Moving Castle. And yes, you'll be palling around with My Neighbour Totoro, too. Other highlights include Spirited Away, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke and The Wind Rises, as well as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso. If you've missed these films in their limited cinema runs or fest appearances in the past, consider this your chance to catch up. Sure, you might've seen everything that Studio Ghibli has made before — but these movies really are something extra special when they're flickering across the silver screen.
Returning with another jam-packed program spanning natural, built and cultural heritage, the 2026 Australian Heritage Festival NSW features over 150 free and ticketed attractions. Themed around 'Change,' the latest edition asks audiences to consider how time shapes cultural, social and environmental heritage, and reflect on how these stories are remembered, forgotten and rediscovered. Decking out the NSW cultural calendar with an entire month of experiences and attractions, the festival launches on World Heritage Day on Saturday, April 18, and runs until Monday, May 18. Taking over both metropolitan and regional areas throughout the state, expect fascinating performances, special exhibitions, compelling talks and panels alongside walks, workshops and tours that bring people closer to history. In 2026, highlights include Paranormal Nights at Old Government House, an evening ghost tour of Australia's oldest public building, and Lindesay After Dark, where wine and canapes complement the manicured gardens of this remarkable 19th-century mansion. If you're more underbelly than upper crust, The Black Hand in Sydney delves into locations frequented by the city's early mafia kingpins. Beyond Sydney, the program remains just as fascinating. In Newcastle, historian Ed Tonks reveals the stories of Hunter Street, once home to 55 pubs. Then, rising to the Blue Mountains village of Faulconbridge, the Norman Lindsay Vintage Fair offers retro market stalls, classic cars, a vintage fashion parade and more throwback goodness. With hundreds more events to explore, this festival is the ideal opportunity to learn more about your corner of the world. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
Since Greater Sydney first went into lockdown towards the end of June, we've all been able to set our clocks by one constant: the 11am press conference that delivers New South Wales' new COVID-19 case numbers for the past 24 hours. For as long as the city — and, for a while, the whole state — has been under stay-at-home conditions, either Premier Gladys Berejiklian or Health Minister Brad Hazzard has fronted the media to chat through the figures and the situation. Sometimes they've both been there, and they've always had NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant or another NSW Health staff member for company. Often, other speakers take the microphone as well, including health workers, emergency services workers, members of NSW Police and other ministers. That all changed today, Tuesday, September 14 — after the Premier flagged last Friday that the NSW Government would be shaking up the usual press conference format. Berejiklian initially announced that it'd change from Monday, September 13; however, the Premier then spoke through the cases and COVID-19 situation as normal that day. Today, however, it was NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty who did the honours. Wondering what that means for tuning in and hearing the latest — aka that thing we've all been doing with our mid-morning coffees each day for almost three months now? Thankfully, you'll still be able to watch along, with NSW Health still uploading the briefings to its Facebook page. Today's session was still streamed live, actually; however, when the Premier announced the end of her daily involvement in revealing the new cases numbers, she advised that NSW Health would be doing daily videos. So, in the future, that might mean a return to the pre-recorded updates that were the norm before lockdown started — which were uploaded on both Facebook and Twitter. That's where you'll want to keep looking at 11am each day. NSW Health also posts the daily figures on its social media platforms at the same time, so you'll see the numbers there as well if that's all you're looking for. Whenever the cases are delivered via livestreams, you'll still likely find them on various news media outlets' websites, live blogs and YouTube pages, and usually on the ABC News channel as well. NSW recorded 1,127 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/QS809aYxhy — NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 14, 2021 The Premier has advised that she and/or other ministers will still be doing press conferences "intermittently" on a "needs basis". So, expect that to happen when there's a big announcement — such as future changes to lockdown restrictions, as have already been flagged when NSW reaches the 70-percent and 80-percent fully vaxxed mark. NSW Health posts the daily COVID-19 case numbers on its Facebook and Twitter pages at 11am daily, and you can find its livestreamed briefings on Facebook as well. For further details about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
Here's your latest excuse to pretend that it's the late 90s and 00s: The Offspring and Simple Plan are teaming up for a heap of 2025 Australian shows. After playing an Aussie gig late in 2024 as part of Victoria's Always Live music season — their only concert on that trip, which sold out in 30 seconds — the band is returning to hit up arenas in four cities. In Sydney, they have a date with Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, May 11. It's been a quarter of a century since The Offspring earned a claim to fame that every music fan Down Under should know: topping Triple J's Hottest 100 with 'Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)', a win that still ranks as the annual countdown's most-controversial result to date. 2024 marked four decades since the band first formed in the early 80s, and more than 30 years since it came to mainstream attention with hits like 'Come Out and Play' and 'Self Esteem' — and the Californian outfit isn't done belting out its catchy brand of punk just yet. While the band released albums Let the Bad Times Roll and Supercharged in 2021 and 2024, respectively, you can still expect to hear their famous tracks — including 'Gotta Get Away', 'Why Don't You Get a Job?', 'The Kids Aren't Alright' and the song that's forever cemented in Australian radio history, obviously. Still led by frontman and guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland — the group's only remaining member from its initial 1984 lineup, so you can definitely call him the original prankster — The Offspring will have company in the form of Canada's Simple Plan. From The Offspring alone, you'll get the words "gunter glieben glauchen globen" stuck in your head for another couple of decades. Images: Daveed Benito.
Sydney has had a saltbush cake-shaped hole since Kylie Kwong closed her Potts Point institution Billy Kwong in June. But, thankfully, Kwong is not quite done with our city. Today, it was announced that the famed chef will open her next venue within the huge new South Eveleigh precinct (formerly Australian Technology Park) — and that she'll also act as the precinct's ambassador. Kwong's new restaurant is slated to open in late 2020. While details are quite slim at the moment, we do know it'll focus on Cantonese dishes made with native Australian ingredients — similarly to Billy Kwong. So, we can only hope he crispy saltbush cakes and steamed warrigal greens dumplings will be making a triumphant return. We also know that the restaurant be smaller, slightly more casual and a daytime-focused venue. The chef will be working with and sourcing ingredients from the Yerrabingin Indigenous rooftop farm, too, which is run by Clarence Slockee and Christian Hampson and located just around the corner from the South Eveleigh hub. [caption id="attachment_750695" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Clarence Slockee, Kylie Kwong and Christian Hampson[/caption] In her duties as ambassador for the revitalised hub, set to be fully operational by 2021, Kwong will work to engage the local community through food, culture, events and other activations. As an ambassador for Carriageworks, the chef has curated night markets, held masterclasses and hosted Mad Mondays, a talk series that tackles the big issues in food, so expect Kwong to lead more of the same exciting events over at South Eveleigh. Also announced as part of Mirvac's huge new South Eveleigh project is a mega-venue by The Grounds group. The property developer is comparing South Eveleigh to its other relatively new precinct, Tramsheds Harold Park. If the new food, retail and recreational precinct is going to be anything like its Forest Lodge counterpart, expect a heap more big names to be announced in the upcoming months.The retail and public space will include cafes, dining, wellness and pop-up events. Kylie Kwong's South Eveleigh restaurant is slated to open in late 2020. The calendar of events will be announced early in the year. Top images: South Eveleigh Precinct and Kylie Kwong
