Artists Jamie Cole and Murat Urlali use euphemisms and visual linguistics to challenge societal rhetoric, politics and stigma in Misplaced and Dangling, currently showing at Camperdown's Artsite Galleries. Part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2020 celebrations, the exhibition addresses ways of moving forward while still reflecting on the past. Cole's pop art-inspired works are bright and powerful, using a mix of collage, comic and stencil-art styles to cover everything from first loves to discrimination towards people with HIV. Urlali, on the other hand, draws on ancient Persian enamel techniques in his kitsch and overtly camp representations of the city of Rome. The exhibition is open from 11am–5pm every Thursday to Sunday until Sunday, March 1.
Despite what's being said about social media right now, it's still difficult to find a better constructed echo-chamber than a talkback studio. Talk is an attempt by Jonathan Biggins, one third of The Wharf Revue gang, to make sense of an ever-quickening news cycle and to find where shock jocks, the founding fathers of the age of alternative facts, will fit in their new utopia. John Behan (John Waters) is nothing out of the box when it comes to talkback hosts. As happy chatting about neighbours who have let their plum trees get out of control as why climate change doesn't exist on cold mornings, Behan is incendiary and loves it. The play begins as he falls afoul of the law for revealing the criminal record of a man being tried for sexual assault. "I think there's a little right-wing person hiding inside all of us," John Waters told ABC Radio. If that's true and yours is due for an outing, get yourself to Talk. There'll be more than enough vitriol to go round. Image: James Green.
“Industry has moved abreast of art & we now trade culture as capital, Enthusiasm is currency, and here is no better Petri-dish for new forms & expressions of the contemporary than the warehouse. ...a return to the village ...except the candlestick maker, the butcher & the blacksmith are now the zinester, the permaculturalist & community theatre director.” While the vast majority of us get up every morning, go to work, and earn money to pay the rent or mortgage, some others opted out. Inspired by artistic ideals and the bohemian movements of days gone by, artists, performers and assorted creatives have been reclaiming warehouses and setting up counter-cultural enclaves where they can work among like-minded souls, and by the looks of things, throw some pretty awesome masquerade balls. Bohemianism is thriving, especially in Melbourne. This City Speaks To Me is the work of British music photographer Luke David Kellet, who spent several years living among Melbourne's bohemian community. Inspired by the artists and their lifestyle, Kellet has created a photobook which is both a documentary of, and dedication to the raw, wild energy and enthusiasm of the culture and its characters. The fluid, gonzo-esque text from poet Si complement the images and give them a hallucinatory life of their own. It’s good to see that alternative art and culture are thriving, and even better to see it portrayed so eloquently. As well as the full, print version, a shorter version of the book is available as a free download (NSFW). This City Speaks To Me
Melbourne artist Sayraphim Lothian doesn't make art that hangs on walls in galleries. You're more likely to find her work hiding in a tree, resting on a bench or nestled under a bush. She likes to leave people little gifts, just to make their day that little bit more special and fun. This March Sayraphim's mission is to bring guerrilla kindness to Christchurch, which is still rebuilding following the horrific 2011 earthquake. Journey - The Kakapo of Christchurch is a two-week public art project that uses the Kakapo's journey to recovery as a metaphor for Christchurch's journey to regeneration. A native of New Zealand, the Kakapo is the world's heaviest flightless parrot. It's population dwindled to a mere 18 in the 1970s, and since then, the Kakapo has been on its own journey of healing thanks to conservation group Kakapo Recovery. Even though the Kakapo is still endangered, there are now 124 birds alive and well in the wild. "I want to do this project to celebrate the resilience and unity of the people of Christchurch after the earthquakes and the recovery of the Kakapo from near extinction," Sayraphim says. "Neither of these things could have happened without the resourcefulness and kindness of the people involved." From March 13-23, 2014, the artist will travel to Christchurch to install 124 soft sculpture Kakapos around the city. These birds will be left for people to find and move, hide, remove, adopt or throw away. Part participatory art project, part game, part scavenger hunt and part social media check in, Journey invites people to get involved with an art project on a personal level. Each soft sculpture bird will have a tag attached, introducing it to the finder as well as having Journey's website address to provide more information about the project. There will also be a hashtag for social media so people can follow the Kakapos' journey around the city. You can help make this project happen by contributing your own act of guerrilla kindness. In exchange for your pledge you will receive a reward, which could include your very own handmade Christchurch Kakapo.
Legos: the colourful building blocks that adults pretend they don't miss. They began as toys for children to use their imagination to create miniature houses and spaceships, but have become tools for the construction of life-size sculptures across the world. Who claims the glory of building the largest Lego masterpiece? Brazil, as of April 10, has triumphed over cities across the world in building the tallest Lego tower. In a shopping centre parking lot in San Paulo, Brazil, over 6000 children and parents spent four days putting together the tower, which now stands at 102 feet and three inches, breaking Chile's latest record set in 2008 by 9.8 inches. Children assembled over 500,000 individual Lego pieces which were later stacked together by a crane and held together with wire supports for stability against strong winds. The World's Tallest Lego Tower has come a long way since London's first attempt in 1988, which resulted in a 50 foot structure. Since then, Toronto, Moscow, Tokyo, Munich and our very own Sydney have held the coveted title. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qvRIcASivqQ [via Nerdist]
These days, a simple flash of your smartphone can let you pay for stuff without tapping your debit card, see a gig without a hard-copy ticket and even split dinner bills without carrying around a heap of cash. And, thanks to legislation that's just passed through State Parliament, NSW residents could soon leave the old drivers licence card at home, if an imminent Sydney trial of digital licences is successful. The trial, which is set to start in November this year, will be only available for eastern suburb dwellers — namely Bondi, Bondi Junction, Bronte, Clovelly, Coogee, Randwick and Waverley. According to a statement released by the NSW Government, those willing to participate will have to register for a MyServiceNSW account and install a yet-to-be-released trial app. This will allow them to manage and renew their licence, and show it as proof of identity and age at police roadside checks, bars and clubs. For the trial, the digital licence can only be used in the suburbs listed above. If the trial is successful, the digital system will roll out across the state in early 2019. This means that any NSW driver would be able to access a digital version of their licence via the Service NSW app on their phone, eliminating the need to carry the original card. How exactly the government will curb the circulation of fake IDs is not yet known, but the statement says it is using "cutting edge technology" to do so. It will be an opt-in service, and all drivers will still be issued with a card regardless. Plans for the switch to digital were first announced back in 2016, which was followed by a successful trial of the digital licences in Dubbo and subsequent legislation being entered into Parliament earlier this year. The technology is still being developed by the NSW Government, but similar system was rolled out in South Australia in late 2017.
Concrete Playground is taking the edge off the death of daylight saving by giving you the chance to experience Sydney's best cultural events for an entire month. One lucky person will win $1500 worth of fun, including: Dinner for two at Grasshopper to the value of $150 Double passes to two Vivid LIVE 2011 shows at Sydney Opera House Double passes to Baal and Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness at Sydney Theatre Company Double movie passes to Incendies and Source Code (plus a pack of 10 Hopscotch DVDs) A double pass to see Guineafowl play live A pass to all events and talks at the Creative Sydney 2011 festival Two cocktail jugs and entry for two to the gig of your choice at Goodgod To enter, just make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name to hello@concreteplayground.com.au. Entries close Friday, April 9 2011 at 5pm. https://youtube.com/watch?v=14e1507YOLs
Throughout the history of Australian film and television, plenty of movies and shows have thrust their characters into the Aussie outback. That's exactly why the country's sunburnt expanse is so recognisable, with our dusty ochre-hued deserts common on-screen fodder. Upright follows the trend, but it also carves its own path through a crowded field — with Lucky Flynn (comedian Tim Minchin) trying to take his family's upright piano from Sydney to Perth, and crossing paths with runaway Meg (Milly Alcock) in his eventful travels. Minchin also helped develop Upright, co-wrote the eight-episode show and co-directed two episodes, so he's part of the series in a big way. He's in stellar company behind the scenes, too, with Upright created and co-written by Chris Taylor from The Chaser, and co-directed by Noise, Felony and A Month of Sundays filmmaker Matthew Saville.
Family dramas are always told best with a bit of humour, especially when wrestling is involved. Set in New Jersey, Win Win director Tom McCarthy delivers an offbeat comedy-drama about Mike Flaherty (played by Paul Giamatti), a family man who tries to stay afloat of financial and familial woes by volunteering as a wrestling coach at the local highschool. Flaherty attempts to keep his law practice from going under by posing as the legal guardian of an elderly client Leo Poplar (Burt Young) while coaching a team of high school wrestlers. But when the client's grandson Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) shows up looking for somewhere to stay, Flaherty's plans are altered; Timmons proves to be an asset to his wrestling team. But things take another turn when Timmon's mother turns up to claim him. McCarthy's directing caliber includes indie films The Station and The Visitor and critics are calling his latest installment a funny and humane portrayal of American suburbia. Win Win opens on August 18. Concrete Playground has twenty double passes to giveaway to our readers courtesy of Fox Searchlight. To get your hands on one, simply make sure you're a CP subscriber then email us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ci_I6n2j5Uw
Are you the type of person who comes up with names for the animals you spot on your daily travels? Does the list of monikers you have for your pets outnumber the actual four-legged critters currently scampering around your house? Have you picked out titles for every dog, cat, bird, fish and lizard that could possibly share your home for the next five decades or so? Would you like to put your penchant for naming things to good use to support a worthy cause? Picking monikers for fluffy, feathered and scaly pals isn't a straightforward task, but it is fun — and, if you're particularly skilled at it, you can deploy your talents to help Assistance Dogs Australia. The not-for-profit organisation has teamed up with flea and tick treatment brand Bravecto to launch a 'name the pup' competition. You'll put forward your name for one of its puppies, obviously — and if your name is chosen, you'll win access to one of the organisation's puppy training sessions, a $500 Visa voucher and a one-year supply of Bravecto for your own doggo. Assistance Dogs Australia provides support dogs for people with disability, and trains them before they go out into the world. All of their pups are given names, usually chosen by ADA, before they're placed with a family to look after for around a year. After that, the dogs move on to their advanced training at ADA's national training school in Sydney, then graduate and become helpful four-legged companions. A few caveats apply to ADA's naming competition, unsurprisingly. The name you choose needs to start with the letter B, and have two syllables — so Boaty McBoatface (or Doggy McDogface) is out. You're also required to write a 25-word explanation outlining why your name should be selected, so you'll need to put more than a couple of seconds of effort into your submission. And, you'll need to follow the Bravecto Facebook page, too, and like the entry post. Then, you'll have to enter your suggestion via a comment on the post, and do so before 12pm AEST on Wednesday, May 19. To enter Assistance Dogs Australia's name the pup competition, head to the Bravecto Facebook page before 12pm AEST on Wednesday, May 19.
Does the phoney joy and tacky commercialism of Christmas make you want to vomit? If so then boy, has Zach Clark made the movie for you. Depressing and darkly funny, White Reindeer, not to be confused with this 1952 Finnish horror film of the same name (as so many of us would, right?), is a raised middle finger to holiday cheer. Anna Margaret Hollyman plays Suzanne Barrington, a real estate agent whose December vitality is flattened after finding her husband murdered in a break-in. Worse still, at the funeral she learns from one her husband's colleagues that he'd been having an affair with a stripper. So begins Suzanne's yuletide descent into shoplifting, cocaine abuse and compulsive online shopping, all in an attempt to raise her wilted Christmas spirit They say that more people kill themselves during the holidays than at any other time of the year. White Reindeer shows exactly why that is, juxtaposing the aggressive merriment of the festive season with the sad banality of loneliness. Suzanne's discovery of her husband's bloodied body is accompanied by carols. Later, at the police station, a detective gives her a candy cane in a pathetic attempt to offer solace. Intentionally abrupt editing keeps us from ever finding our footing, and makes the world feel fake more often than it does real. Eventually, Suzanne decides to track down her husband's lover, who turns out to be a 22-year-old single mother named Fantasia (played by Laura Lemar-Goldsborough). This plot turn feels a little bit contrived, but ultimately you buy it thanks to the strength of the actors' performances. A scene in which the two discuss their feelings for the late Mr Barrington is surprisingly poignant, despite some occasionally on-the-nose dialogue. Even though it's only 82 minutes long, White Reindeer does feel padded out. The most obvious example of this is a bizarre sequence in which Suzanne attends a swinger's party hosted by her new neighbours (played by Lydia Hyslop and Drinking Buddies director Joe Swanberg). The scene doesn't have any real bearing on the plot, other than to perhaps suggest that Suzanne has sunk to a new low while also hammering home Clark's overriding point, about the perverseness that lurks behind baubles, knit sweaters and jolly smiles. Still, White Reindeer is well worth the ticket price. Even an apparent Grinch like Clark can't help but offer a glimmer of hope in the end, suggesting that, beneath the artifice and hideous plastic reindeer, the true spirit of Christmas isn't dead. White Reindeer will play exclusively at the Golden Age Cinema & Bar. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8qyzpGdu_v8
Don't you wish you could spend two-plus weeks closing out summer and welcoming autumn at the first WorldPride ever held in the southern hemisphere? In 2023, that's set to become a reality, all thanks to Sydney WorldPride. Don't you wish you could see a feast of big-name talent take to this stage for what's basically a mega Mardi Gras? That's coming true, too — and if you now have 'Don't Cha' stuck in your head, Nicole Scherzinger has just joined the bill. The Pussycat Dolls lead singer will headline the already-announced Bondi Beach Party on Saturday, March 4, which will turn the famed stretch of sand into an openair club. For one afternoon and evening only, a casual 12,000 people can dance by the water from dusk to the aforementioned 'Don't Cha', 'Buttons' and more tracks from across her career. As well as Scherzinger, the massive party will feature Australian DJs dameeeela, Jarred Baker, Jacqui Cunningham, DJ Charlie Villas and DJ Dan Murphy — taking to the decks and the sand. Unsurprisingly, the event already proved a hot ticket before the lineup announcement; however, there's a last batch of tickets on-sale now. Scherzinger's addition to the Sydney WorldPride bill slots in alongside Kylie Minogue and Charli XCX opening the festival, MUNA and G Flip closing it, Kelly Rowland headlining the Domain Dance Party and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will return to Oxford Street. Also on the lineup from Friday, February 17–Sunday, March 5 around Sydney: more than 45 rainbow artworks all around town and a monumental pride march with 50,000-plus people walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as part of a hefty program boasting more than 300 events over 17 days. This is the largest-ever LGBTQIA+ festival ever held in the region — and yes, it just got bigger. Sydney WorldPride will run from Friday, February 17–Sunday, March 5, 2023, with Bondi Beach Party happening from 3pm on Saturday, March 4. For more information, head to the event's website. Top image: Destination NSW.
Sydney's picnic baskets have had quite the workout so far in 2021, but one of their biggest moments to shine is about to arrive for another year. When Moonlight Cinema sets up its outdoor screen in Centennial Park from early December, it's officially cheese, snack and openair movie-viewing season. The end-of-year mainstay returns from Thursday, December 9–Sunday, April 3 with an impressive batch of films gracing its outdoor setup. Get ready to catch a heap of recent blockbusters, a smattering of brand new flicks and a lineup of Christmas movies. You can't run an openair cinema at the jolliest time of the year without the latter, obviously. The Suicide Squad opens the bill, with the lineup including Cruella, Free Guy and Red Notice as well. Also screening: Edgar Wright's new movie Last Night in Soho, animated sequel The Boss Baby: Family Business, Disney newbie Encanto and the family-friendly Clifford the Big Red Dog. Among the retro fare, The Greatest Showman and Dirty Dancing are on the program; it would't be a Moonlight Cinema season without them, either. And, for your merry outdoor movie-watching pleasure, the Christmas selection includes Love Actually, The Holiday, Elf, The Grinch, Die Hard and Home Alone. It's also worth remembering that Moonlight Cinema is BYO — and there'll be food, snacks, a bar and (if you'd like to pay for them) bean bags as well. And, in great news for movie-loving pooches, you can bring them along, too.
It's not exactly news that a beer and a barbecue represent one of the holiest unions known to man. But having a cold one in-hand while rotating the snags in the other isn't the extent of the pairing. It goes a whole lot further than that, my friend. We've already explored the beautiful possibilities of battering, stewing and baking with beer and made one killer beer, bacon and cheddar dip — and now, we're spiking our marinades. Yep, this summer we'll be making beer marinades for our barbecued meats. After all, the ultimate way to make your food more beery is to soak it in beer (come on, we know you've thought about it before). Not only does beer add a depth of flavour to your cooking, it also contains enzymes that break down the fibres in your meat, giving it that sweet, sweet melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Willing to give it a go? We've collected four of the best beer-based marinades for you to try at the next barbecue you're hosting, collated by the crew at James Squire. [caption id="attachment_555155" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dollar Photo Club[/caption] CHICKEN: GARLIC BEER MARINADE This little beauty from The Slow Roasted Italian is relatively quick and easy to whip up — but its true value comes from how long you leave it to marinate. While even half an hour will get you a decent flavour, if you can manage to wait a whole day like the recipe recommends, your tastebuds will reap the rewards when it comes to dinner time. Try pairing this one with a James Squire Swindler Ale; the light fruity aroma pairs well with lean meats like this, as the delicate flavours of each don’t overpower each other. [caption id="attachment_555157" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dollar Photo Club[/caption] BEEF: BEER AND BROWN SUGAR MARINADE This recipe from Yummly is 100% guaranteed to get your mouth a little watery. With a mixture of sugar, teriyaki, salt and pepper, the marinade is sweet and salty with the added caramel of a dark beer. It's easy as anything to whip up, and will take your average barbecue steak to the next level. [caption id="attachment_555156" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dollar Photo Club[/caption] SALMON: BEER AND LIME MARINADE If you really want to impress your mates, you can’t go past this beer and lime salmon from Food.com. Using the usual salmon marinade suspects — lime, soy sauce, ginger and garlic —this one steps it up a notch with the addition of your favourite beer. Chuck it on the barbie like it's a shrimp, cook for ten minutes and reap the rewards when you tuck in. These recipes were originally published by James Squire. Head to the James Squire website for more recipes.
You know the drill: Anzac Day arrives and you know you're going to do something, and you know it is likely going to leave you with a hangover and empty pockets that were previously filled with gold coins, but you never actually seem to know exactly what. Well let us here at Concrete Playground help you plan this second most Australian of days with our round-up of the ten best things to do in Sydney this April 25, which at both the going down of the sun and in the morning, you will remember. 1. ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE An Anzac Day tradition. Wake up early to commemorate both fallen and serving military men and women in the Anzac Day Dawn Service. Be at the Cenotaph in Martin Place before the 4.15 commencement of the ceremony and be there as the bugle brings up the sun. 2. ANZAC DAY PARADE The Anzac Day Parade will commence at 9am, with veterans, descendants of veterans and serving personnel marching through Sydney's CBD up George, Pitt, Bathurst, Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets before reaching its destination and concluding at the Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park, where the Commemorative Service will commence at 12.30pm. 3. PLAY A NATIONAL SPORT: TWO-UP Take advantage of one of only two days where this national sport is legal and flock to one of many Sydney pubs and bars that will be hosting this Anzac Day tradition. Make sure you convert those notes into gold coins, place your bets and watch those coins fall. We recommend hitting one of Sydney's best pubs in The Rocks, Surry Hills or the Inner West for a spirited crowd and brilliant beers. Head to The Glenmore or The Argyle in The Rocks, The Norfolk in Surry Hills, Dick's or The Exchange in Balmain, or The Courthouse in Newtown 4. WATCH A NATIONAL SPORT: NRL Head out to Allianz Stadium, Moore Park to watch the NRL's traditional Anzac Day clash between St George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters. Watching these sporting warriors crash into each other for 80 minutes and channel the Anzac spirit is a great way to spend the public holiday afternoon. 5. ANZAC DAY AT THE VIC For an Anzac Day experience all in one venue, head down to The Vic in Enmore as they host their inaugural Anzac Day car park party at their new outdoor venue, The Projects. There will be plenty of drinks. There will be plenty of meat, on spit roasts. There will be plenty of Anzac biscuits. There will be plenty of Two-Up. There will be plenty of music from Spurs for Jesus, Handsome Young Strangers, Jay Katz and DJs. Plus entry is free. 6. SUNSET SERVICE If you are not an early riser (or you want to add some symmetry to your day by ending it as it began), there is a sunset Anzac service at the Cenotaph in Martin Place. Make your way there for the 5pm start. Image credit: Greg O'Beirne 7. RELAX AT THE MOVIES: IRON MAN 3 After spending the day on your feet, why not sit down at the cinema. With Iron Man 3 being released the day before, what better way to close out the day than with the dry wit of Robert Downey Jr and a big ol' tub of popcorn. 8. ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS - SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY The Anzacs fought on the same side as the British, so that is a good enough justification to head down to Sydney Theatre on Anzac Day and watch One Man, Two Guvnors. This hilarious hybrid product of British humour styles is arguably the funniest play on the planet that lest you forget. 9. THE ROCKS POP UP WINDMILL: REEL FOOD NIGHT The four-storey windmill that has popped up in The Rocks provides the perfect place to unwind after a long day honouring our Anzacs. Taking it over on Thursday, April 25 is Reel Food Night, an evening of film that will provide plenty of food for thought and eating for only $20 per person. 10. SEE THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS AT UPSTAIRS BERESFORD Close out your Anzac day in style with a musical feast from the guys that did the Malcolm in the Middle theme. They are playing an intimate gig at the Upstairs Beresford, playing their classic album Flood all the way through, just for you and 399 others.
Food. Wine. Art. If any of these words pique your interest, Sydney's four-day celebration is for you. Uniting people in the spirit of Bastille Day, the event (previously BBR Festival) is back for a fifth year, with a new name and a killer lineup to boot. This year's street fest will see over 100 performers grace Circular Quay — from fire twirlers and magicians to opera singers and salsa dancers. All that wandering and watching is hunger and thirst-inducing, so a delicious assortment of specialty food, beer and wine offerings will keep guests fed and watered. Visit the Latin village for a woodfired pizza or catch a cabaret show at the French and emporium villages before relaxing into the Nordic quarter with a degustation at Electro Beer Garden. As the sun sets, head to the open-air cinema to watch an award-winning film from the comfort of an inflatable mattress, and grab a glass of sparkling from the Champagne bar. If previous years are anything to go by, Bastille Festival will be an epic showcase of food, wine and art. Are you ready to join the revolution? Image: Bastille Festival, the Food Wine Art Revolution.
'Do you even shoot in manual?' It's a barbed query aimed at a generation of iPhone-wielding Instagrammers and DSLR-brandishing Canon kids. Its cry has echoed across the walls of empty darkrooms, across the pictorial kingdoms and queendoms of Tumblr and lands right in the heart of our confused artistic identity. For this rhetorical accusation stems from a deeper concern: If everyone is a photographer, is anyone really a photographer? Yes, we went there. These are the hard-hitting cultural questions we posit here at the internet's hardest-hitting cultural magazine. But, rather than ponder this any further, we thought it would be much easier to point you to 10x8's new photo-walk program, which begins next week in Surry Hills. Led by master street photographer Marco Bok, the monthly photo-walks will be a brilliant opportunity to connect with other budding shutterbugs, explore Sydney's various visually rich suburbs, learn street paparazzo etiquette and sharpen your photographic skills (including how to shoot in various light conditions... in manual!). The first photo-walks will begin at 10x8 itself, where Marco Bok will share some basic tips before letting you loose on the general public. The walks are all about building the growing 10x8 community — so much so that the crew has already planned to grab drinks at Shakespeare's afterwards. And you're welcome to join. Isn't that nice? So stop feeling ashamed of your nice camera. Get along to a 10x8 photo-walk. Photo Credit: Rev Dan Catt.
Back in 2012, when Daniel Radcliffe was initially trying to shake a certain boy wizard from his system — before everything from Swiss Army Man and The Lost City to Miracle Workers and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story firmly helped — he stepped into a different kind of supernatural thrills. His first post-Harry Potter role saw him take on The Woman in Black, a gothic-horror tale that pitted him against a curse and a ghost. And yes, the latter did have quite the fondness for wearing dark clothing. The film adapted the 1983 novella of the same name for the second time. But before The Woman in Black made it to the screen, it spooked out the theatre courtesy of Stephen Mallatratt back in 1987. Because hauntings often keep coming back, this play is doing so again, this time in a new Australian production starring John Waters (Blaze) and Daniel MacPherson (Foundation). [caption id="attachment_950670" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Reiser[/caption] If you don't like scary tales about sinister spirits seeking revenge for past ills, then you might want to sit this one out. If you love them, then prepare to put your nerves to the test. We're betting that Theatre Royale Sydney will be at its unsettling best for the occasion — it's not every day that it hosts a show that ranks among West End's longest-running productions, second only to Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, after all. Sydney's season will kick off on Tuesday, July 30, spanning till Saturday, August 17. The Woman in Black is set in Eel Marsh House in England's north, which sits at the heart of a story that Arthur Kipps recounts about his stint as a young solicitor overseeing Mrs Alice Drablow's funeral. The place isn't just filled with secrets, thanks to the titular figure. Waters plays the elder Kipps, with MacPherson plays an actor who agrees to perform the role of his younger guise. Top image: Justin Nicholas.
Taking its cue from period dramas Downton Abbey and Gosford Park, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding plunges us into the eccentricities and delusions of upper-class Britain between the wars. Adapted from a 1932 novella by Julia Strachey, the film is director Donald Rice's debut feature. On her wedding day, Dolly Thatcham (Felicity Jones) is preparing to walk down the aisle with the bland but reliable Owen Bigham (James Norton) when the sudden appearance of her former lover, Joseph Patten (Luke Treadaway), throws her into a fit of confusion. Holing herself up in her room, Dolly gets stuck into a bottle of rum, trying to mitigate the now torturous process of final preparation. Meanwhile, her matriarchal, widowed mother (Elizabeth McGovern) strides about the manor, patronising any relative within arm's length and sending particularly scathing barbs in the direction of the troubled and seemingly regretful Joseph. The other members of the wedding party — a parade of oddball yet likeable Brits — dart in and out of the narrative, provoking an array of subplots. Dolly's sister Kitty (Ellie Kendrick) spends her time protesting about the lack of eligible bachelors on her radar, eventually making a comical effort to pursue the chauffeur. Cynical, sharp-tongued bridesmaid, Evelyn (Zoe Tapper), becomes the inappropriate target of Uncle Bob's (Julian Wadham) affections. Mackenzie Crook and Fenella Woolgar team up as Helen and David Dakin, a distanced married couple struggling to control a naughty son with a penchant for blowing up firecrackers. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding aims to satirise the upper class's sacrifice of emotional impulses for social control and the hypocrisy of obsession with appearances. However, while these intentions are clear, the script does not explore them with much depth, being neither gut-achingly witty nor gut-wrenchingly penetrating. Sure, moments of situational and verbal humour inspire laughs, and the storyline rolls along at a jolly pace, but the overall impact is entertaining and amusing rather than overwhelming. Flashbacks employed to depict Dolly and Joseph's love affair tend to come across as a little contrived and predictable. That said, the set is lush and the costumes have everyone looking their dapper-est best. McGovern and Treadaway offer particularly strong performances — McGovern for her charismatic, commanding interpretation of the ruler of the roost, and Treadaway for his vulnerable, multi-shaded take on the uncertain ex-lover. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding might make for some gentle Sunday afternoon escapism, but the Thatcham household is a long walk from Downton Abbey.
It all gets a bit much sometimes, doesn't it? With global warming, economic collapse in America, riots in London, population explosions in India, the destruction of forest in Indonesia, the cost of housing in Sydney (in fact, the cost of everything in Sydney), even the optimists among us would have to agree that we have some serious challenges to meet, and we will need some seriously good ideas to meet them. So it is nice to know that there are people like Polish architect Aleksander Krasinski, a man whose foresight might prove to be as far reaching as his imagination. Krasinski, who already has a enviable architectural career, has developed and designed the concept of the floating artificial island in response the potential threats of rising sea levels. The artificial island, which resembles a giant skyscraper, would be approximately 1000 metres in height and diameter and would include luxury apartments, office spaces, an airport, a sea port, gardens and pubic areas, all of which would centre around inner atrium, which would be dedicated to commercial and recreational pursuits. It is also remarkably beautiful. Housing up to 52,096 people, the artificial island might be the antidote to some of the world's future potential geographical and ecological problems. And while realistically, it may not be something we see in our lifetime, it nice to know the grandkids might have somewhere nice to live.
If you're looking for more dance parties and free events to hit up this Mardi Gras, look no further than the Absolut X takeover of the House of Music and Booze. Across three days, the booze brand is teaming up with three of Sydney's most boundary-pushing queer party crews — Heaps Gay, Xaddy's Door List and Angels Only — to throw three massive day-to-night events. Think of it as a three-day music festival with a different curator running the show each day. It all kicks off on Friday, February 23, with the Heaps Gay: Hot Mess party. Running from 4pm until midnight, the takeover of the St Peters venue will start with an afternoon social club featuring an LGBTQIA+ networking session and a photography exhibition. As the sun begins to set, the multi-space bar will be transformed into a hot and messy nightclub, with legendary London party crew Pxssy Palace and Jessey club superstar Cookie Kawaii on headlining duties. Crescendoll, Pa777ience, Club Chrome, Charlie Villas, Ruby Teys, Stelly G, Pea Oh Ma and the Heaps Gay DJs round out the lineup for the first day of Absolut X at the House of Music and Booze. [caption id="attachment_912312" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The House of Music and Booze, Sophie Joyce[/caption] Then it's Angels Only's turn on Saturday, February 24. Billed as Haven, the event promises eight hours of joyous dance floors celebrating community, house, techno and vision, with Madami, Jason De Cox and Isa all on the lineup. If you get down early, you can enjoy a yoga session to get you appropriately limber for an evening on the dance floor. Finally, on Sunday, February 25, Xander Khoury, the founder of House of Silky, will be bringing his renowned Xaddy's Door List parties to the festivities with Xaddy's Day 2 Night. Throughout the day, there will be a post-Sissy Ball recovery sesh with a free drink for anyone part of the ballroom community, before the party well and truly kicks off with sets from Aotearoa's Atarangi, Oscar Nñ on their Australian tour, and Japan's Nasthug for their only Australian stop on a huge Asian tour. Basically, it's going to be a weekend full of debaucherous DJ sets and joy-filled dance floors — all for free. So, if you're looking to fill your Mardi Gras schedule with more party energy, here's one to have on your radar. If you're planning to head along, make sure to RSVP.
In their stories and themes, Pixar often play in the same territory over and over. Generally, they take an object, animal or concept – say a toy, a fish or a car – and instill it with consciousness and emotion. And yet when it comes to visuals, they rarely do the same thing twice. Each new Pixar movie might feel somewhat similar, but they always look different. The Good Dinosaur, the animation studio's latest effort, demonstrates both extremes. "What if lumbering prehistoric creatures had feelings?" is the question the feature asks, then attempts to answer in heart-warming, lesson-learning fashion. A green, long-necked apatosaurus by the name of Arlo certainly has plenty, mostly of the melancholy variety. As a child (voiced by Jack McGraw), he's worried about his lack of size, strength and skill around the family farm, particularly in comparison to his bigger siblings. A few years later (now voiced by Raymond Ochoa), those self-doubts are put to the test when he wanders far from home and has to find his way back again. Director Peter Sohn (short film Partly Cloudy) and writer Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) take Arlo through well-worn territory — and not just for Pixar, but for many other animated movies about talking animals. Arlo is forced to face his fears, come of age and survive in the wild, with only a scampering, growling, primitive human boy, who he names Spot (Jack Bright), for company. They forge a connection despite having some initial troubles, and help each other through episodic encounters with other dinosaurs and creatures. Yes, it's a routine narrative, and it's mostly told as such, hitting all the expected beats. In fact, The Good Dinosaur is the kind of film that will cause your eyes to wander away from the main action — although given the artistry on display around the primary characters, that's a good thing. It's not often that the background proves more engaging than the figures at the centre of the frame, or that the direction makes sure you're noticing that peripheral beauty. Yet that's frequently the case here. The photorealistic details evident in images of fields, mountains, waterfalls, trees and other natural features are the real stars of the show, and provide the picture with a distinctive, eye-catching appearance. Of course, the film isn't without its other modest pleasures. For starters, there's its alternate timeline, one that sees dinosaurs not only roaming the planet long after an asteroid should've hit, but living an agrarian lifestyle. There are nods to the western genre, a brief but inventive hallucinatory sequence, and enjoyable voice-acting by Frances McDormand, Sam Elliott and Steve Zahn in smaller parts. Like the familiar story though, they simply pale in comparison to the splendour that surrounds them. Sure, the movie might be about a good dinosaur, but what it best serves up is great, gorgeous visuals.
Everybody wins — you, me, our fair nation — when six experienced winemakers join forces to create unique vintages out of the Hunter Valley and then take their finest drop on the road. Caravan of Courage, the ingenious pop-up wine bar creation of Next Generation Hunter Valley, enjoys its third incarnation this year with the apt title One More for the Road, boasting a selection of 24 wines to titillate the palette. Formerly setting out northwards from Melbourne in a big green bus to secret locations all over Australia, this time around Next Generation have taken to the skies. Having left Brisbane on May 3 and visited Newcastle on May 4, they're setting up camp in Sydney on Friday, May 10, before heading south to Canberra (Thursday, May 16) and Melbourne (Friday, May 17). What makes Next Generation Hunter Valley special? It's a collective of six prized stables (David Hook Wines, Thomas Wines, Meerea Park Wines, Mistletoe Wines, De Iuliis Wines and Margan Wines) that share a commitment to the future of the Hunter Valley, melding old, well-established vineyards with contemporary winemaking practices. In true Aussie style, Caravan of Courage embodies the larrikin spirit, and you can get to know the wines better by meeting the personalities behind them — David Hook, Andrew Thomas, Rhys Eather, Nick Paterson, Mike De Iuliis and Andrew Margan will be in attendance. Ever broadening the scope of their imperialist tipple agenda, they're rumoured to have their sights set on Adelaide, Perth and Tasmania for upcoming pop-ups. Tickets to One More for the Road are $35 (available here). The Sydney event takes place on May 10, 6-9pm at the S.H. Ervin Gallery (Watson Road, Observatory Hill, Millers Point. Access via Agar Steps on Kent Street). Updates are available by following @nextgenhv #COC2013 on Twitter and becoming a fan on Facebook.
Nigella Lawson, Adam Liaw or David Chang? When all this time inside, at home, away from bars, pubs and restaurants comes to an end, which culinary whiz will you most resemble? We know you're getting plenty of practice, hopefully making something other than just sourdough — and we're betting your kitchen skills are stepping up a level with each iso meal you whip up. We're also certain you're eager for culinary inspiration. This isn't the time to live on two-minute noodles, grilled cheese on toast or that one dish that's always been your speciality ever since you moved out of home, after all. Whether you're eager to emulate one of the aforementioned chefs, focus on a certain type of food or just have some fun with your cooking, there's plenty available to stream to help — not only tempting your tastebuds, but your cooking abilities, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ1Rd5HOEK4&list=LLV8ReLqD50OV_hnTTQgFFZg&index=417 NIGELLA AT MY TABLE AND NIGELLA FEASTS More than two decades since Nigella Lawson published her first cookbook and hosted her first cooking show, Britain's kitchen goddess is still going strong. That means she's racked up more than two decades worth of fantastic recipes and excellent culinary TV series — so you could probably make a different Nigella dish for every day you spend in quarantine. It also means there's plenty to watch, whether you fancy heading back to 2006 for Nigella Feasts or catching her most recent series, 2017's Nigella at My Table. The former will give you dinner, leisurely weekend and all-day brekkie ideas, while the latter features puddings, brownies, waffles, lamb kofta and chicken marsala. Nigella at My Table is available to stream via ABC iView, while Nigella Feasts is streaming via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wKIOTJtLdQ CHEF'S TABLE Scrolling through Netflix, you might start feeling hungry. While the streaming service is known for many things, it has also become a hub for culinary-themed docuseries over the past few years. There's nothing quite like the original though: Chef's Table, the platform's first step into the foodie game. Created by Jiro Dreams of Sushi filmmaker David Gelb, each of the series' 30 episodes to-date focuses on a different chef, a different restaurant and a different place around the world — taking your stomach on a global tour. Watch Massimo Bottura do what he does best, spend time behind the scenes with Attica's Ben Shewry, and journey everywhere from Argentina and Sweden to Slovenia and Turkey. The US also features heavily, but this acclaimed show never repeats itself. Chef's Table is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxlVVL-Hzks DESTINATION FLAVOUR Once, he was a lawyer. Now, Adam Liaw is one of Australia's top culinary talents. The winner of MasterChef Australia's second season back in 2010, he's become a mainstay on TV and in various publications' recipe pages for a good reason: his dishes aren't just delicious and creative, but they ensure that even the most complex-seeming meals are a breeze to make at home. And, he celebrates international cuisine, as his SBS program Destination Flavour demonstrates. While the first series, as co-hosted with Renee Lim and Lily Serna, kept a local focus, Liaw has since taken the show to Japan, Scandinavia, Singapore, China, and then back to Australia and New Zealand — and it's the perfect travel/food series hybrid. Destination Flavour's original season, as well as its Japan, Scandinavia, Singapore, China, and Australia and New Zealand-focused seasons, are all available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb7CBZ952zs NAILED IT! Admit it: while you've been spending all your time indoors, you've put your oven to good use. And, you've whipped up more than just bread — because who hasn't been hankering for cakes, brownies, muffins and all manner of other sweet baked goods? If you've been trying to take your cake-making to elaborate extremes, or you've always wanted to, then Nailed It! is the show for you. In each episode, the competitive Netflix series tasks three amateur bakers with creating complex cakes, then watches as they succeed and/or fail. As hosted by comedian Nicole Byer and pastry chef Jacques Torres, the show proves particularly fun when the contestants don't hit the mark. In fact, ensuring that the series is incredibly relatable, Nailed It! focuses on bakers who definitely aren't going to be jumping over to MasterChef anytime in the near future. Nailed It! is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxKrJYsZnCU THE PIZZA SHOW AND THE ICE CREAM SHOW One can be topped with almost any ingredient you can think of, tastes divine when it's fresh out of the oven and also goes down mighty well eaten cold for breakfast. The other is the ultimate in frosty, creamy desserts — and it's just as versatile. Obviously, we're talking about pizza and ice cream. Yes, they pair nicely together, too. Thanks to the aptly named Viceland duo that is The Pizza Show and The Ice Cream Show, you can devote your hours to learning all about each dish. Spend your time feasting your eyes on everyone's favourite Italian meal, and you'll be hanging out with Brooklyn Pizzeria owner Frank Pinello as he ventures across the US and Italy. Opt for a chilled sweet treat, and you'll follow third-generation ice cream maker Isaac Lappert around America as well. The Pizza Show and The Ice Cream Show are available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eyFq3addMs UGLY DELICIOUS Food and travel: if there's a combination that's better suited to today's current situation, we're yet to find it. Any TV show that combines both not only provides viewers with a whole heap of culinary suggestions, but lets everyone cooped up at home indulge their wanderlust. That's the case with Ugly Delicious. It's the case with the bulk of Netflix's cooking shows, including fellow David Chang-hosted series Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner; however Ugly Delicious' focus on a different type of food per episode is a winner. Chang also weaves in the history of each dish in the spotlight, so prepare to learn more about tacos, Korean barbecue, fried rice and Indian cuisine — as well as steak, fried chicken, skewered meat, and shrimp and crawfish. Ugly Delicious is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4fx6V7ura0 DISHMANTLED Given that Dishmantled's episodes clock in at less than ten minutes each — it's a Quibi show, and that's what the new streaming platform specialises in — don't expect a step-by-step walkthrough explaining how to make each dish in detail. Instead, this amusing spin on the culinary TV genre's competitive strand literally throws food at its blindfolded competitors, forces them to guess what kind of meal they're now covered in, and asks them to make said dish in 30 minutes. Expect quick meal ideas, an entertaining and enjoyably over-the-top concept, and plenty of attitude, with the latter coming from host Tituss Burgess. If his Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt character Titus Andromedon hosted a silly cooking show in bite-sized pieces, it'd look exactly like this (although it could use more pinot noir). Dishmantled is available to stream via Quibi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzSTqVUWEzU THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF Fifteen years ago, if someone had suggested that Noel Fielding host a cooking show, you would've started laughing. Or, you would've thought that they were dreaming up a hilarious scenario for a new episode of The Mighty Boosh. But co-hosting The Great British Bake Off is exactly what Fielding has been doing since 2017. He's great at it, too. And, if watching British cooks compete for glory by baking up a storm isn't entertaining enough for you, then Fielding's involvement will be. Combined, though, you're in for a big dose Fielding being Fielding, plus oh-so-many delicious-looking baked goods that you'll instantly want to whip up at home. The Great British Bake Off is available to stream via Foxtel Now. Top images: Chef's Table, Ugly Delicious and Nailed It! via Netflix; Destination Flavour: China via SBS.
Some people drink coffee, and some people drink beer. Now, everybody can drink both with the release of OkTobyfest — coffee beer from Toby's Estate coffee and Young Henrys brewery. The two Australian-born connoisseurs of our favourite beverages have combined to create a beer and a cider using cascara, the leftover husk from the cherry that yields the coffee bean. A traditional Bock is fermented with the cascara and finished with coffee, giving it a “malty sweetness, tangy acidity” and “depth and complexity,” says Young Henrys head brewer Richard Adamson. He says that the fermented apple juice in the cider is passed through the cascara, which creates “a cider like no other.” The idea came about from the fact that workers on the Toby’s Estate farm in Panama use the cascara to make tea, which, according to Ryan Spinoglio of Toby’s Estate, creates a “sweet, cherry-like flavour with raisin and plum notes”. Instead of discarding the wastage left over from the production of one of Australia’s most popular coffee beans, the two companies have combined to create a drink that appeals to a huge slab of the population. Feel like a coffee? Feel like a beer? Now you can have both. At the same time. OkTobyfest will be sold at the Young Henrys Brewery in Newtown and limited other venues, so get in damn quick to sample this intriguing concoction of these two beautiful beverages.
Remember that time when NSW Premier Mike Baird dismissed concerns over the effects of the lockout laws as "hysteria"? Well, it turns out all those 'crackpot' business owners may have been onto something after all. Figures released today by APRA AMCOS via the Live Music Office reveal a staggering 40 percent drop in live performance revenue at venues located within the Sydney CBD lockout zone. But it's probably just a coincidence, right? The damning statistics also show a 19 percent drop in attendance figures at nightclubs and dance venues since the lockout laws came into effect in 2014. Live Music Office policy director John Wardle addressed the connection between the controversial legislation and the drop-off in revenue. "There are important measures that need to be put into place to reduce the impacts to the live music sector that are now being experienced in Sydney, whilst still ensuring public safety is paramount." The Live Music Office offered a number of recommendations to try and combat the dwindling numbers, including an exemption from both the 1.30am lockout for live music venues and the liquor freeze for venues presenting live entertainment, including theatres, galleries and live music venues. It also called for the establishment of a live music regulation roundtable between various government agencies and members of the live music sector. Seems like wishful thinking... unless of course you've got the backing of a multi-millionaire casino owner, in which case you may find the government a tad more willing to compromise. Image: John Price
Sung in its original Italian, Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro is full of romance. In English it may be less pretty, but you have the definite advantage of not having to crane toward the surtitles to know what's going on. Knowing what's going on is pretty important in this instance, because The Marriage of Figaro, as part of a grand tradition spanning from As You Like It to The Hot Chick, is a comedy of complicated capering, crossdressing and mistaken identity. It takes place on the heady wedding day of young Figaro (Joshua Bloom), personal valet to the count, and housemaid Susanna (Taryn Fiebig). Not unlike many weddings, this is a day of obstacles and escalating madness: the count (Michael Lewis) expresses his own, determined and dishonourable intentions toward Susanna; the meddling Marcellina (Jacqueline Dark) tries to recoup debts from Figaro through forced marriage; Bieber-esque pubescent Cherubino (Dominica Matthews) crushes on everyone; and plots are hatched all around. This is a classic opera, but one that's always contained a note of subversion. Along with the smartly translated libretto, it's been made relevant and accessible with a modern setting in a privileged gated community, where a servant subclass and the antics of a grabby, entitled elite still resonate. Opera Australia have given it to director Benedict Andrews (Gross und Klein, The Seagull) and a Belvoir-based crew (set designer Ralph Myers, costume designer Alice Babidge, choreographer Lucy Guerin) to head probably their most experimental, hippest opera of the year, and it successfully speaks to a broader — and younger — audience. The creative team have updated both story and spectacle. The ambitious, mechanised set is a distinctly sleek realisation of the pomp we expect from a night at the opera, and as the white, minimally adorned rooms slide past and give way to the next, we get a witty image of how the insides of cloistered mansions must appear to those hired to clean them. The movement stops before it outstays its welcome, but powerful visual elements — including a deer carcass, several ribbon twirlers, and a tonne of confetti — keep the aesthetic lively, comic and slightly crazed. The Marriage of Figaro is a chance to see some of opera's finest flex both their comic timing and captivating voices. Fiebig's Susanna is charming and matter-of-factly independent, and backed up an ever-entertaining Matthews and surprisingly deep and sorrowful countess (Elvira Fatykhova). If you like theatre but struggle to relate to opera, see this show. If you like opera but want to see it live in the modern world, see this show. And if you like to watch a rainbow of confetti stream from the roof for an hour, see this show.
The AFL Women's (AFLW) season is now in full swing, with big crowds relishing the inclusive atmosphere as the best in the business go to work. Yet now the post-game experience is set to rise above the usual affair, with Bunnings and the AFLW teaming up to elevate footy fever with live music and community fundraising included with the price of your match ticket. Kicking off in Adelaide and Sydney, Bunnings Afters will keep the celebrations rolling long after the final siren sounds, combining local musical talent, family-friendly fun and, of course, sausage sizzles. First up on Saturday, October 11, South Australian singer-songwriter aleksiah will be joined by soul act The Sundials as Adelaide takes on West Coast at Norwood Oval. Then, in Round 11, Bunnings Afters heads to Sydney's Henson Park on Saturday, October 25, soundtracked by the indie-pop hooks of Ixara and multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter MYMA. What's more, proceeds raised from each event's sausage sizzle and merch sales will go towards Headspace — a mental health charity supporting young people around the country. While a little outside Bunnings' usual niche, it's not their first foray into music. Just last year, Peking Duk went viral hosting a 'rave' at Bunnings Preston. "As women's footy continues to surge, we're proud to help grow AFLW crowds while shining a spotlight on emerging artists and grassroots talent," says Bunnings Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Melissa O'Neill. [caption id="attachment_928655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josh Ryan via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption]
Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck trying to save the world from an asteroid? That's so 1998. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence attempting to stop a comet from wiping out life as we know it? That's the premise of Netflix's new disaster comedy Don't Look Up, which thankfully isn't a sequel to the aforementioned Armageddon. Instead, it's the latest film from The Big Short and Vice director Adam McKay — and it's set to hit the streaming platform in December. If it sounds familiar, that's because Don't Look Up was one of the big-name movies on Netflix's lengthy list of new flicks heading its way in 2021, as it start teasing back in January. And yes, while plenty of the films named back then have already hit the platform given the year is now nine months in — movies such as Malcolm & Marie, The White Tiger, The Dig, The Woman in the Window, Army of the Dead and Moxie — the streamer really is making us all wait for its starriest picture of 2021. DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Lawrence (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) play astronomy professor Dr Randall Mindy and his grad student Kate Dibiasky, who discover that a Mount Everest-sized comet is orbiting our solar system — and that it's on a direct collision course with earth. So, with just six months left until impact, they endeavour to tell everyone they can about the planet's impending demise, all by embarking upon a media tour. But the President (Meryl Streep, The Prom) and her son and Chief of Staff (Jonah Hill, The Beach Bum) barely seem to care, and neither does the public. Also featuring on-screen as the former "king of the world" and Katniss Everdeen try to save the world: Timothée Chalamet (Little Women), Cate Blanchett (Where'd You Go, Bernadette), Mark Rylance (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Tyler Perry (Those Who Wish Me Dead), Ron Perlman (Monster Hunter), Himesh Patel (Tenet), Melanie Lynskey (Mrs America), Kid Cudi (Bill & Ted Face the Music) and Ariana Grande. Yes, as seen in the just-dropped teaser trailer, this film does have quite the cast. Don't Look Up will hit Netflix just in time for your Christmas break, dropping on Friday, December 24. It'll also screen in some cinemas before that, if you'd like to see it on the big screen. And if you're wondering how the film will fare tonally, McKay looks like he's in The Big Short and Succession mode, rather than harking back to his Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers days. That said, Blanchett does play a TV host, so maybe the filmmaker will have audiences thinking about Anchorman as well. Check out the teaser trailer for Don't Look Up below: Don't Look Up will be available to stream via Netflix on Friday, December 24, and in selected cinemas earlier in December. Image: Nico Tavernise/Netflix.
SoCal is making boozy lunch affordable. At the Californian-inspired Neutral Bay eatery, you can get endless rosé or rosé sangria with some spicy snacks for just $65 a person. Hopefully you won't find the bottom of the rosé, but either way it's the budget option for enthusiasts. All you need to do is grab three other rosé-loving friends to meet the four-person minimum for two hours of free-flowing rosé. It's on offer every Wednesday to Sunday between noon and 3pm. So what do you get to eat with your sweet, sweet rosé? Truffle mushroom and chickpea fritters, guacamole with tortilla chips, salmon tiradito with coconut emulsion and shoestring fries with spicy aioli. Also as part of the banquet: achiote chicken quesadillas with Oaxaca cheese — or a vegetarian option if you're meat-free — and a taco per person (you can choose from brisket, pork, fish and tofu). With limits on capacity, bookings are highly recommended and can be made over here.
When Christmas rolls around each year, some folks go all out, decking every hall and wall with every decoration they can find. Others are lucky to remember to drag out their stockings on Christmas eve. Whichever category you fit into, and however you choose to show your festive spirit — or not — super-cute tiny trees should suit just about everyone. They're small, adorable, 100-percent living, suitable for homes of all sizes, and you can plant them in your garden afterwards. These trees hail from Australian plant delivery service Floraly, which focuses on sustainable blooms. Since 2019, it's also been doing a Christmas offering — and yes, it really is that time again, with pre-orders open now for deliveries starting in the second half of November. The big drawcard: those gorgeous living trees. If you're happy with a pint-sized version — because the traditional towering ornament-adorned showpiece isn't always practical, or wanted — then this tiny plant is about to make your festive dreams come true. 'Tis the season to order a 45–50-centimetre-tall tree that comes with decorations, fairy lights and a pop-up pot; then wait for it to be delivered; then feel mighty jolly. Sourced from farms in Victoria and New South Wales, and able to be sent Australia-wide, Floraly's trees also arrive with soil, baubles, bells and a tree-topper — so they really do look like miniature versions of the usual Christmas centrepiece. There are two versions available, so you can opt for red baubles and a gold star for the top, or go with white decorations and a silver star. In line with Floraly's eco-conscious mindset, its trees still have their root system intact. That means that once Christmas is over, you can replant them, keep them for some year-round merriment and then enjoy their splendour next year. The trees also come in fully recyclable packaging, further reducing their environmental impact. If you're keen, you can order a small bundle of greenery from the Floraly website for $95. Fancy sending a tiny tree as a gift? You can do that too, adding in wine, champagne, beer, bottled cocktails, candles, skin care products, chocolate, cookies, Christmas puddings and more. Floraly's tiny Christmas trees are available to pre-order now by visiting the service's website, with deliveries starting in the second half of November.
To the surprise of exactly no one: many of us are looking to upgrade our home comfort level at the moment. Aussie furniture brand Koala is keen to help you do just that, with its sixth birthday sale. Nab up to 20 percent off mattresses, sheets, sofas, desks and armchairs to help you upgrade your pad or improve your night's sleep. A heap of products from across the brand's range are on sale from Monday, September 20 through until Sunday, September 26, including Koala's new range of mattresses. You can take your pick from the freshly unveiled range of mattresses which are 15 percent off and have your new sleep set up delivered to you later that day with free express delivery. Also on offer is the WFH desk, which is made from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood, easy to assemble and designed with a home office in mind. If your home office set isn't quite doing the job, you can pick up the desk for a sweet 15 percent off. Comfy Koala armchairs, sofas, silky bed sheets, dining tables and more are going with a 20 percent discount, too, so you can give your whole house a makeover. And everything comes with a 120-night trial — though, it might be hard to give any of these up after four months of comfort. The party doesn't stop at the sale though, with Koala collaborating with Jimmy Brings to put on a birthday giveaway, hosting a cupcake class and a whole bunch more on the brand's Instagram account.
Show your love for the nation by being front and centre for top notch local live music this Australia Day. For nix. Between 12.30pm and 6.30pm, The Rocks will be taken over by a free, live music invasion. There'll be two outdoor stages, where ten local acts will deliver their original goods all afternoon long. On the Warrane Stage at First Fleet Park, up-and-coming R&B vocalist Thandi Phoenix will get proceedings going with her brooding, soulful sounds, including tunes from her debut EP, Come Around, inspired by a recent trip to Africa. If you caught Phoenix at Splendour in the Grass last year, you'll know this is a set to catch. Also on the bill are Torres Straits rapper Mau Power, songwriter Katy Steele (better known as Little Birdy's fearless leader), and the impossible-not-to-dance-to Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Meanwhile, on Tallawoladah Stage on Atherden Street, Robbie Miller, winner of triple j's 2013 National Indigenous Music Awards, will get the show rolling with his incredible falsetto and poetic lyrics. Hot on his heels will be nostalgic electronica duo Left., super-hyped folktronica artist Gordi, old-school soul and beats duo JONES Jnr. and hip hop headliner Tuka, whose third solo album Life Death Time Eternal scored a 2015 ARIA nomination. Between sets, you can kick back on George Street, which will be turned into a bit of an activity space. There'll be a croquet green from Croquet NSW, a caravan playing the triple j Hottest 100, an instant photo booth, and more.
2023 is almost upon us, and the team at Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art's (MONA) is getting ready in a big way. Already this year, the venue has locked in dates for the return of its sinister winter arts and culture festival Dark Mofo in June 2023; however, it hasn't forgotten about summer fest Mona Foma — which'll be back in February with some mighty impressive names on the bill. The dates to get excited about: Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19, 2023 in Launceston, and Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26, 2023 in Hobart. The onstage talents to get even more excited about: Pavement, Bon Iver, Bikini Kill, Angel Olsen and Peaches, just for starters. [caption id="attachment_874262" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Graham Tolbert. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.[/caption] Bon Iver has already locked in an Australian tour for 2023, and it includes Mona Foma's Hobart run — well, an early show on Tuesday, February 21, before the fest kicks off in the city properly that Friday. Pavement already has an Aussie tour on the books for 2023 as well, and will play Mona Foma in Hobart on Saturday, February 25 with Missouri singer-songwriter Olsen. Actually, the Hobart leg of the fest is looking incredibly enticing, because that's where Bikini Kill will pop up, too. Girls to the front, because the iconic Kathleen Hanna-fronted, Washington-formed, Riot Grrrl movement-instigating group will perform their first Australian show in more than 25 years. (Yes, either watching or rewatching exceptional documentary The Punk Singer, about Hanna, should be on your must-do list right now. Fun fact: when Hanna spray-painted "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit" across her pal Mr Cobain's wall, the name of a certain grunge anthem was born.) [caption id="attachment_874264" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tarina Westlund. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.[/caption] Peaches is also heading to Hobart, joining the Pavement and Angel Olsen, and Bikini Kill gig, as part of the MONA Sessions — aka summery evening gigs on the MONA lawns. Launceston will get its own batch of impressive talent. Get ready to see Perturbator, The Chills and Kae Tempest in the northern Tassie city; again, that's just the beginning of the full lineup. That complete program will be unveiled on Monday, November 28, with tickets for Bon Iver on sale now, and all other currently revealed gigs going on sale at 9am AEDT on Monday, October 24. [caption id="attachment_874265" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hadley Hudson. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.[/caption] "We are effusively launching back into international artists big-time in 2023," said Mona Foma Artistic Director Brian Ritchie, announcing the lineup so far. "The intellectual, spiritual and partying life of Tasmania cannot help but be enriched by such a diverse range of artists as renaissance person Kae Tempest, provocateur Peaches and her raunchy mob, storyteller Angel Olsen, pioneers and forerunners Bikini Kill, venerable Antipodean philosophers, The Chills and the enveloping miasma of Perturbator. This in addition to already announced Bon Iver and Pavement, plus a whole lot more to come. Stay tuned." MONA's summer event was originally held in Hobart, where MONA is located, but made the move to Launceston in 2019. [caption id="attachment_874267" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mona/Adam Gibson. Image Courtesy Mona, Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] Already keen to get booking? Fancy a Tasmania trip in the interim? Our Concrete Playground Trips Hobart getaway might also be of interest. Mona Foma will take place from Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19, 2023 in Launceston, and from Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26, 2023 in Hobart. We'll update you when the full program is announced on Monday, November 28 — but head to the festival website in the interim for further details. Top image: Debi Del Grande. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Whether you're battling a hangover or looking to refuel for the rest of a big weekend, Chin Chin's new limited-edition yum cha series is worth a spot on your activities radar. After all, what better pick-me-up than a flavour-packed dumpling feast, enjoyed with your mates by your side? Kicking off on October 5 in the restaurant's Gogo Bar, then happening every Saturday and Sunday throughout the month, the new series has all the makings of a weekend winner. For just $39.50 per person, you'll get to chow down on a parade of southeast Asian-inspired plates, including Chin Chin favourites like steamed mud crab dumplings with its 'hellfire' chilli oil, mixed mushroom fried rice and crisp prawn spring rolls. Of course, this being Chin Chin, you can expect plenty more good vibes in the form of lively disco tunes, courtesy of a weekly rotation of resident DJs. And, as an added bonus for long weekenders, Chin Chin's yum cha offering will even be available on the Labour Day holiday, next Monday, October 7. It's recommended that you book ahead of time, but you can try your luck and walk in on the day. Food images: Steven Woodburn.
There are plenty of reasons to run at night. It might be the only time you can get some exercise into a busy schedule, or maybe you prefer the cooler air and the opportunity to wind down after a full-on day at work. Whatever the reason, if you're a fan of pounding the pavements at night, you're going to need the right gear to keep you safe, warm and looking good. So, we've teamed up with Adidas to bring you some essential activewear that'll help motivate you to keep moving, even when the days get shorter and cooler. ADIDAS ULTRABOOST 21 ($270) No matter when or where you're running, you're going to need good support while you do it. That's where Adidas has your back — and foot — with the brand's new performance running shoe, Ultraboost 21. Made with high-performance recycled material (created from plastic found in the ocean), each pair of runners is designed to cushion impact, giving you a more responsive run with every step. Choose between cloud white, core black or solar yellow — we recommend the latter for amplified visibility at night. These super lightweight shoes will make you want to lace up and hit the streets with added vitality. FAEBELLA NOVA SERPENT LEGGINGS ($109) Just because you're running at night doesn't mean you can't look good while doing it. Grab yourself a pair of Faebella Nova Serpent Leggings, made in Brisbane from recycled lycra by a company that's wholly Indigenous owned. Part of the brand's Clarence River Serpent collection, the Nova Serpent design was inspired by the artwork of Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl woman 'Jingalu' Melissa Craig. They're super bright, making you more visible on your night run, and long enough to keep you warm. Plus, when you buy a pair, you'll be supporting artist Melissa Craig; Faebella ensures its artists receive sweet royalty fees for their work as well as an initial fee for the design. REFLECT360 ARM/ANKLE BANDS ($30) To truly make sure you're seen in the dark, strap on some reflective gear before you head out. We've picked these REFLECT360 arm and ankle bands as an easy accessory to add to your outfit that will reflects vehicle headlights or other lights you pass along the way. The bands come as a pair and you simply strap them on using the velcro fastening. They're also waterproof and durable, so if you find yourself in a little rain you'll still stay nice and visible to other runners, cyclists or traffic without the bands loosening or damaging over time. RED DUST ACTIVE REVERSIBLE HEADBAND ($29.89) This headband, made from a merino wool blend, will keep your ears warm on those colder nights and keep any long hair out of your face as you move. Plus, it'll absorb the sweat off your brow, keeping you dry too. It's also breathable, antibacterial and odour resistant so you don't have to worry about any pong as you fly past. The Australian company, Red Dust Active, designed the headwear with temperature regulation in mind — and, as it's reversible, you can wear it however you please. FITBIT FITNESS TRACKER ($179.95) A fitness tracker is a great way to keep a log of your running routes and fitness levels, especially if you're working towards any fitness goals. There are heaps to choose from, but we like the compact Fitbit Inspire 2, which fits snuggly around your wrist and connects to your phone's GPS to track real-time pace and distance. It'll buzz to let you know when you're entering your target heart rate, so you know how you're tracking while keeping a firm eye on the ground in front of you, which is especially important when you are running at night. NIMBLE RUNNING BUM BAG ($29) When running after dark, you're going to want to take your phone with you — and, it's a good idea to pack ID too. You'll also probably need an array of other essentials like cards, keys and maybe some chapstick. A running bum bag, like this one by Aussie activewear brand Nimble, will help you store all your goods around your waist and stay tight around your body, keeping in place while you hill sprint. It's small and sleek too, and comes in black, navy or taupe to suit your activewear wardrobe. Find out more about the new Ultraboost 21 runners and order your pair here.
Ichi, ni, san — SAKE BOMB! Remember how that night ended? Me neither. Or maybe you prefer some kind of lychee-infused-sake cosmo situation. But the elusive Japanese speciality of sake is more than capable of standing alone, as Black Market Sake co-owner Matt Young explains to Concrete Playground. Young and co-owner Linda Wiss started the groundwork for Black Market Sake some five years ago while they both worked at Sydney's Aria. Today they import from about 16 Japanese producers and have a standout reputation. And Australia's having a burgeoning love affair with sake; we are now the second largest sake importer, behind the United States, and can boast an impressive annual growth rate of 12 percent in the market. But let's set the figures aside and get you brushed up ahead of Sydney's next drinking trend. What is sake? C'est simple! It is a Japanese alcohol brewed from specifically grown rice, water, yeast and koji-kin. But, in the great tradition of Peking duck and Mumbai vs. Bombay, we have a few things to clear up. Firstly, sake just means booze in Japanese, and while that was once near-exclusively what we call sake, in the modern era of Japanese whisky, beer and wine the locals call it Nippon shu, meaning Japanese drink. Our next erroneous assumption is rice wine — this Western shorthand ignores that being brewed from a grain not from fruit makes sake closer to beer than wine, and its booze content puts both to shame, with most sakes coming in just under the 20 percent mark. Wait, koji-kin? Koji-kin is the magical ingredient, which is very unique to Japan and it is what helps break the starch in the rice down into sugar — so the sugar is then fermented into alcohol. It is also used in the production of many other products, notably soy, mirin miso and so on. It is a kind of mould, but the good kind, Young is quick to explain, "like the kind you find in cheese". He even likens the glossy texture koji-kin gives the rice to Camembert cheese. Is it big in Japan? Sake consumption within Japan has steadily decreased over the last hundred years; the number of breweries has halved since the 1970s to about 1500 today, and it did the same from the 1930s to the '70s. "The consumption in Japan has been on the slide for a long time. The younger generation got into beer and whisky and gave up on sake as an old man’s drink." Does sake exist outside of Japan? Production of rice-wine started in China and — along with Korea — it is still made today. However, in both instances large quantities of additives and distilled alcohol go into the product. “So, Japan has the most refined drink — although you can trace it back to the Chinese.” What's in a name? Sake menus have an anxiety causing reputation amongst even the most seasoned diners, and a lot of that is due to their lengthy naming system, but the truth is all the information you need is right there in front of you. "The more words that are on the label the less has been done to the product — so no charcoal filteration (muroka); not-pasteurised (namazake) that sort of stuff is always on the label, but if they do it than there won't be anything on the label,” says Young. Here are a few keywords to help you unlock a sake list, first up: junmai. This is your producer telling you that they have made a pure sake, i.e. no distilled alcohol or flavour additives went into the brewing process. Some 80 percent of sake made in Japan fail this first test and are categorised as futsu-shu, which is essentially an inferior, cheaper drink. The next consideration is how much they polished the rice, in layman terms: as you remove more of the grain; the more expensive the sake becomes. “The more you polish away the more aromatic it will be, the less you polish away the more kind of palate weight (it will have) and (the more) textural it will be.” The most polished sake is called daiginjo, where at least 50% of the rice has been removed and then ginjo comes in at least 60%. (For a full list of common sake terms check out the glossary on the Black Market Sake website.) How do I spot a good sake? "Quality for me in sake is balance and complexity on the palate," says Young. "Often you'll see sake that is quite fragrant and elegant and pretty, but it doesn't have a lot of texture or weight on the palate, and coming from a wine background I prefer that more textural sake. So something that has lovely balance a little bit sweetness and something that finishes dry — evenness when you taste it.” Characteristics he finds more dependent on the skill of the toji (master-brewer) and the quality of the ingredients than whether 70% or 60% of the grain has been removed. Hiroshima, Kyoto and Chiba are all top sake-producing regions. Which cuisines match well with sake? Other than the obvious, "French techniques have a lot in common with sake," says Young. So, consommes and broths are easily matched, while more robust sakes (ask for spice and high levels of acidity) stand up to heavier dishes like braised pork. But, if you want to hear Young wax a little lyrical, mention the marriage of cheese and sake. To spite the well-worn tradition of cheese and wine, this sommelier pairs Swiss mountain cheeses, parmesan and other hard cheeses with the Japanese beverage (to apparently elating effect). Also, try a dark chocolate match, as per Young's suggestion. Hot or cold? “The Japanese believe that every sake has a sweet spot, and that could be chilled, room temperature or warmed," says Young. "And when we say warmed, we mean gently warmed, 'cause you don't want to boil it but heat it to body temperature, essentially.” That being said, there are two reasons heating sake became popular. Quick warning: it is embarrassing if you never guessed reason A. Japan is a cold country, and sake breweries are generally about 4-5°C (brewing often takes place in winter — fun fact), so sake brewers would heat up their knock-off sake to heat them up. Similarly, when sakes have had alcohol, sugars and enzymes added to them (remember that is 80% of sakes), there's nothing like a bit of gentle heat to mask the inferiority of the product. For those playing at home, that means futsuu sakes are likely best served warm, while unpasteurized sakes are almost always best chilled. When is sake traditionally drunk? The short answer is all the time, but Young notes that in Western culture it has garnered a reputation as an aperitif (that's before the meal, guys). Where to enjoy sake in Sydney? Momofuku. Although Young concedes the food is pretty good, too. Top image, What is sake image, Koji-kin image, How do I spot good sake? image and What's in a name image courtesy of Black Market Sake.
When a festival as bold and colourful as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras turns the big 4-0, as it will next year, you can rest assured there will be no skimping on the birthday celebrations. And indeed, the iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House will light up hot pink this Friday, November 3, to help launch the festival's milestone 2018 program. "Mardi Gras is 40 years young and we can't think of a more fabulous way to announce our full program than by painting the most iconic building in Australia pink," said Terese Casu, Mardi Gras Arts CEO. While this unmistakable (and well-timed) message lights up the skyline at sunset, there'll be equally dazzling scenes down on the Opera House Forecourt, as the full 2018 Mardi Gras lineup is unveiled at an invite-only launch party. Since its first historic outing in 1978, Mardi Gras has grown into a 17-day celebration of equality, self-expression and pride, recognised the world over. See the Sydney Opera House sails light up hot pink at about 7.40pm this Friday, November 3. Tickets to Sydney Mardi Gras 2018 go on sale the same day — grab yours here.
Shakspeare's comedies can be a little confusing. As You Like It disguises its women as men, banishes dukes, romps in the forest and has quite a lot of sheep and their shepherds. Siren Theatre's production of the play starts slowly, but soon finds it's momentum. It accumulates comedy pat by pat, as much as the actors cake on makeup as the play rolls on. The cast start dressed in more sober 1940s gear. Getting deeper into the play, and deeper into the forest, the actors' faces become more dolled and more clown-like. The make up exaggerates and deepens their expressions, and red noses become a feature of the production. Shauntelle Benjamin's Rosalind, in drag, becomes a grinning extra from Deadwood, and Julian Curtis' Orlando gets messy attacks of David Tennant hair. In the background for most of the play is a trio of musicians. Ali Hughes sings, David Manuel percusses and Daryl Wallis plays piano. Music flows behind this prodcution — it's surprisingly well-fit. Unwinding awkwardly at first, but soon making a cool counterpoint to the action on the stage with songs echoing jazz or Kurt Weil. Other moments are deftly spanned by spare percussion. The three musicians barely enter the play, but as it progresses they become the soil on which the other action spreads. As usual in Shakespeare's comedies, the juiciest roles are the funniest ones. Kate Worsley and Alice Cooper are particularly good as shepherds Phoebe and Silvius. Cooper overflows with a thousand dorky points as the unhappy lover, and Worsley is perfectly broad-voiced, expressive and ungrateful. Anthony Weir has something of the Fisher King's Perry in him, swaying enjoyably from melancholy to wit as the sad-faced Jacques. Nick Meenahan is extra comfortable with his Elizabethan lines, delivering an effortless Touchstone the fool, with a fit and functional ocker accent.
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
Obsession-worthy desserts and Gelato Messina go hand in hand, whether you can't get enough of the brand's revolving ice cream lineup or you're especially fond of its one-off treats. Here's one of the latter to tempt your tastebuds, and take you all the way back to your tuckshop days: a new cookie pie, this time in a honey joy version. No need to eat cereal for breakfast — instead, you can get your fix in this indulgent dessert, which'll also clearly serve up plenty of nostalgia. It features a choc chip cookie base, vanilla custard and crunchy honey joys. The word you're looking for? Yum. It's been a couple of years since the gelato chain first introduced its cookie pies to the world in 2020, and it sure does love bringing the OTT dessert back over and over. No, we're not complaining. We all need an extra dose of sweetness every now and then, clearly, including during a particularly frosty winter. Hang on, a cookie pie? It is indeed a pie, but it's made of cookie dough. And it serves four-to-six people — or just you. You bake it yourself, too, whacking it in the oven for 20–25 minutes at 160–180 degrees , so you get to enjoy that enticing smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through your kitchen. This time around, the Frankenstein's monster-style honey joy cookie pie really is exactly what it sounds like — and you can buy it by itself for $28, or in kits with some of the cult ice creamery's famed gelato to go along with it. You can opt for a 500-millilitre tub for an extra $12, a one-litre tub for an additional $21 or a 1.5-litre tub for an extra $23. If you're keen to get yourself a piece of the pie, they're available to preorder online on Monday, August 1. And, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand staggers its on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.15am, and New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (with pies from Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick and Miranda on sale at 9.30am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 9.45am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Norwest, Rosebery and Penrith at 10am). The catch? You will need to peel yourself off the couch and head to their local Messina store to collect your order. The pies will be available to pick up between Friday, August 5–Sunday, August 7. You can preorder a Messina honey joy cookie pie from Monday, August 1, to pick up from all NSW, Victoria and Queensland Gelato Messina stores.
Food and drink substitutions are generally associated with 'healthy' changes. But that doesn't always have to be the case — they can make the dish (or drink) more sustainable, less ordinary, or just more fun. On this list, we've highlighted some of the most unusual food and drink swaps that really shouldn't work, but do. They push the skill of chefs and cocktail makers into new territory and shake up classic dishes and drinks, all while maximising sustainability in the food industry by using up kitchen waste. We've partnered with Patrón to reveal that traditional isn't always best. By mixing things up, you may develop a love of a whole new flavour profile that — like with tequila — meets you at the intersection between refinement and craftmanship. [caption id="attachment_642741" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Middleton[/caption] MAKE AN OLD FASHIONED WITH PATRÓN TEQUILA INSTEAD OF WHISKY Why not make your next old fashioned with Patrón? The Patrón Añejo — a blend of silver tequilas aged for at least one year — gets the same high-quality treatment as your favourite whiskies but offers a different flavour depth that complements the citrus of the orange zest we all know and love in an old fashioned. Just take 60 millilitres of Patrón Añejo, add ten millilitres of simple syrup and a dash of bitters. Make sure to squeeze the oils from two strips of orange and stir with the biggest ice cubes you can find. [caption id="attachment_666149" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matinee Coffee by Arlo Pyne[/caption] LEAVE OUT THE EGG FOR VEGAN (AND NOT-SO VEGAN) ALTERNATIVES More and more we're seeing egg being replaced in popular dishes for unusual trade-offs. Don't worry, your favourite cafes will still serve eggs on toast — brunch is sacred — but sometimes it doesn't hurt to give an alternative a try. Sydneysiders can try it out at Marrickville's Matinee Coffee — the cafe does vegan and gluten-free takes desserts you might find at a milk bar or diner, like the traditional lemon meringue pie made with aquafaba (that's the juice from chickpea cans, foamed up like egg whites). Or, swinging the other way, try the very un-vegan, pasta at Peter Gilmore's Quay, which uses bone marrow in the pasta instead of egg yolk. [caption id="attachment_601484" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Nikki To[/caption] EAT CARAMEL SLICE MADE WITH COD FAT (YES, REALLY) Here is one food swap that we bet has never crossed your mind: a caramel slice made with fat from a Murray cod. Chef Josh Niland from Saint Peter in Paddington, the revered fish restaurant enjoyed by Nigella Lawson and Jaime Oliver, has redefined the very genre of desserts with this luxurious caramel treat. The top layer of the dish sees the salty caramel's butter component switched with cod fat, and the accompanying biscuit is made with Hapuka roe, to create an unexpected delicacy that really is impressive. An added factor that will make you feel even better about the swap is the promise of waste-reduction — the chefs are using every part of the fish. POP YOUR BACON AND EGGS IN A BOWL OF RAMEN Newtown's Rising Sun Workshop is in itself — the cafe is situated inside a motorbike workshop. That means you can bring your wheels in and enjoy coffee and brekkie at the same time. But the real treat at Rising Sun Workshop is the breakfast ramen. Ditch the avo toast for delicious noodles swimming in buttered toast broth, topped with bacon and fried egg. SWAP GIN FOR PATRÓN SILVER IN A NEGRONI As with the old fashioned, swapping out tequila as the hero alcohol profile in your favourite cocktails can shake things up a little. Try Patrón Silver instead of gin. The smooth, clean spirit uses 100 percent of Weber Blue Agave, and is a number one tequila for bartenders across the world — you'll be set to impress your friends at your next dinner party. For the negroni, trade-in gin for Patrón Silver, and simply add equal measures of Martini Bitters and Martini Riserva Rubino Vermouth. Stir with ice and strain over fresh ice cubes in your favourite tumbler, and add an orange twist. BE DONE WITH BORING JAFFLES There was a time when a jaffle was about simplicity — ham, cheese, maybe baked beans if you were feeling fancy. But times have changed, and the jaffle has been reinvented with depth and flavour profiles that'll match even Patrón tequila cocktails. We first fell in love with the idea with Super Ling's ma po tofu jaffle in Carlton. More recently, Cavalier 2.0 in Sydney has popped a beef tongue bolognese lasagne-inspired jaffle on its menu. And you must take a visit to Potts Point for Ms.G's curry puff jaffle, complete with Malaysian-style chicken. [caption id="attachment_738008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] SWAP YOUR MARGHERITA FOR A SLICE TOPPED WITH CHINESE BOLOGNESE Tucked away on Grattan Street in Carlton is the ultimate food mash up, combining Chinese food, pasta and pizza. Chef Nick Stanton first married bolognese with the flavours of Hong Kong in a Chinese pasta dish at the now-closed Ramblr, but he's taken that beef-based sauce with him to Leonardo's Pizza Palace, and popped it on a chewy, doughy pizza base together with a creamy white sauce. The team used gochujang — a fermented chilli paste — Shaoxing wine, and stock infused with soy sauce for the oozy bolognese that'll go down in Aussie food history. Vegans can grab a plant-based version at sibling venue Leo's By The Slice at the old Ramblr site in South Yarra. Top image: Chris Middleton.
Many of Australia's annual cinema showcases focus on one particular country; however, that definitely isn't the Jewish International Film Festival's remit. Surveying the past year in movies with ties to Jewish culture, it fills its program with flicks from around the globe — in 2022, when it returns to Sydney cinemas, with 31 feature films, 25 documentaries, six short films and even episodes from episodes a TV series, in fact. That lineup will hit the Ritz in Randwick from Thursday, March 3–Monday, April 4 and the Roseville Cinemas from the same starting date through until Wednesday, March 23, and it clearly isn't short on highlights. That obviously includes its bookending titles, with the event opening with Simone Veil: A Woman of the Century and paying tribute to the French feminist icon, then closing with period melodrama Beauty Queen of Jerusalem from Israel. Other standouts and must-sees include The Painted Bird, as based on Jerzy Kosinski's novel and featuring Harvey Keitel and Stellan Skarsgård among the cast; Tahara, a coming-of-age story starring Shiva Baby's Rachel Sennott; the Cannes-premiering A Radiant Girl, which steps back to the Occupation in Paris in World War II; and satire Let It Be Morning, which picked up Best Film at the 2021 Ophir Awards (aka the Israeli Oscars). Or, there's also Haute Couture, which dives into French fashion; Tiger Within, about an unlikely friendship between a Holocaust survivor and a teenage runaway; the Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish-starring Here Today; documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, focusing on the singer-songwriter and that immensely popular song; and fellow doco Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful, which turns the lens on the prolific German Austrian photographer.
Designer stationery company Moleskine are getting into the hospitality game, with the launch of their first ever café, library, retail store and art gallery in Milan. With an aesthetic inspired by the brand's iconic notebook (think clean layout and plenty of neutral colours), the Moleskine Café is split into two levels. The ground floor will be home to the café and exhibition space, along with shared seating areas and an 'experience table' (yeah, alright guys) laden with various Moleskine products. The mezzanine level will be more secluded, featuring private seating and sofas for reading and studying. "We will provide our guests with an innovative retail experience, bringing the socialising dimensions of food, creativity and shopping to a single space designed to reflect the distinctive, clean aesthetics of Moleskine," said Moleskine CEO Arrio Berni. "I believe this vision fully reflects the growing interest people show for retail formats that go beyond the sheer act of shopping and I look forward to validating this concept for global expansion." The café in Milan comes on the back of a trial café in Geneva Airport. The brand is planning to open a number of other locations in major cities around the world, although they're remaining tight-lipped as to exactly which. Via Daily Coffee News and Design Week. Image: Moleskine/Interbrand.
What do Sydney Film Festival, Taiwan Film Festival in Australia and Africa Film Fest Australia all have in common, apart from worshipping cinema and sharing that love with the Harbour City's movie fans? In 2025, each has films flickering in Sydney's most-famous venue. Australia's dedicated showcase of contemporary African cinema is the newest event of the three, only debuting in 2024. For its return this year, it's opening at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday, September 4, then also playing at the iconic Circular Quay site on Friday, September 5 before hopping to Riverside Theatres in Parramatta until Sunday, September 7. Nigerian comedy-drama I Do Not Come to You by Chance is kicking off the second Africa Film Fest Australia, with the feature based on Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani's novel, telling of a university graduate and his uncle's email scams, and making its Aussie premiere at the festival. Also showing at Sydney Opera House: Fanon, which is similarly being seen Down Under for the first time, with Martinican-born philosopher and psychiatrist Frantz Fanon in the spotlight. Another impressive title on the bill is closing night's The Fisherman, also an Australian premiere, and the Ghanaian comedy that became the first film from the county to score official selection at the Venice International Film Festival. Before it wraps up the fest, audiences can catch the likes of biopic Samia, about Somali Olympic runner Samia Yusuf Omar; Berlin award-winner The Heart is a Muscle; documentary Nteregu, focusing on music in Guinea-Bissau; and fellow doco Sudan, Remember Us, with Sudanese youth activists at its centre. An initiative by Arts & Cultural Exchange, AFFA spans two short film programs, too — one animated and featuring a Q&A with Nigerian filmmaker Somto Ajuluchukwu — alongside a pre-screening opening-night Afrobeats shindig with DJ GNGR on the decks. Or, you can hit up a Screen Industry Forum. For African Australians aged between 16–25, there's also a two-day workshop about comics and visual storytelling.
The hit rock musical based on Green Day's iconic album American Idiot returns to Australian shores in 2018 for a national tour, which will see it visit Melbourne and Sydney for the first time. Following a hit season in Brisbane earlier this year, this next run of Green Day's American Idiot will see Grinspoon frontman Phil Jamieson reprise his lead performance as St Jimmy — a role played internationally by the likes of Melissa Etheridge, Chris Cheney and Green Day's own Billie Joe Armstrong. The acclaimed Aussie musician will again be joined on stage by Phoebe Panaretos, whose performance as Whatsername during the show's Brisbane run scored her a Helpmann nomination. Hailed as a bold and explosive production, the Tony and Grammy award-winning show features every song from the band's eponymous album, along with a number of tunes from Green Day's follow-up record, 21st Century Breakdown. It's the tale of three lifelong mates, torn between remaining in their safe, aimless ruts, and challenging the status quo to embark on a journey of self-discovery. The American Idiot 2018 tour will begin with a brief season at the Sydney Opera House, before runs in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. AMERICAN IDIOT 2018 TOUR Sydney — Sydney Opera House, January 11–14 Adelaide — Adelaide Festival Centre's Her Majesty's Theatre, January 18–28 Perth — Crown Theatre, February 2–11 Melbourne — Comedy Theatre, February 23 – March 11 Brisbane — Playhouse Theatre, QPAC, April 13–21 Tickets to Green Day's 2018 American Idiot tour go on sale from next Monday, October 9. For more info visit americanidiotlive.com.au. Images: Dylan Evans.
Name says as name does. This is really, truly, your chance to eat dinner in a moving Ferris wheel. And it's not just any dinner, by the way — nor just any Ferris wheel either, for that matter. We're talking a three-course banquet, created by Michael Roper, executive chef at The Deck, and delivered to your private car in Luna Park's 40-metre high fairground attraction. So, you'll be getting five-star harbour views to go with your five-star meal and matching wines. We can't pretend it's not going to set you back a motser, but it's a three-course dinner in a Ferris wheel. A Ferris wheel. Did we mention the Ferris wheel? Tickets are $399 and include the carriage, a three-course meal and matching wines for two.
A restaurant that takes bookings basically has unicorn status these days. Not that we're fully against this walk-ins only business — it's been known to work in our favour — but sometimes you just want to be confident you'll be able to take your Dad to dinner without a grumpy one-hour wait. For those times, you'll need to find a restaurant you can book. Helping out with that conundrum will soon be San Fransisco-based restaurant booking service OpenTable, which will be launching in Australia later this month. OpenTable has been around since 1998, and while it's an international service — they're present in Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico and the UK — they take up the most space in the North American market, where it supposedly facilitates 52% of restaurant reservations through its mobile app. The app is something of a cross between restaurant finder Zomato and reservation site Dimmi, which was bought out by TripAdvisor earlier this year. The OpenTable desktop site and mobile app lets you search restaurants with available tables, view the restaurant's menu, user reviews, and any other restaurants nearby you might be interested in. And while it isn't all too different to Dimmi in terms of functionality, it certainly looks a lot nicer and has some handy integrations for the hospitality industry, such as the Guest Centre booking management app for front-of-house staff. "Whether it’s at a cafe, neighbourhood bistro or hatted restaurant, Aussies love to dine out and we're committed to empowering what that experience means for people," says APAC VP and Managing Director Adam Clarke. "OpenTable's growth has been driven by our ability to develop products that cater for the changing needs of restaurants and diners. Here in Australia, we will continue to innovate by providing insight into dining trends and behaviours, and building on all we have learned over the past two decades." The OpenTable app is set to go live mid-December, and will allow you to make bookings at restaurants including Rockpool and MoVida. Of course, this service only works if your restaurant of choice doesn't work on a no-bookings system — no one can help you there, I'm afraid.
Sustainable Table is a not-for-profit organisation that wants to turn our money into a more sustainable and responsible system of food consumption. From October 7-14, they’re inviting you, and some big-name restaurants near you, to Give a Fork!. The inaugural event's focus ingredient is seafood, and over 150 dinner parties have been registered, at which each diner will donate what they would normally spend on food to Sustainable Table. Given that "60% of our personal eco-footprint [is] embodied in the food that we buy", a number of restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne are also throwing their hat into the sustainability ring, donating a portion of profit from selected dishes to the organisation. Some restaurants have even gone the whole hog, writing menus specific for the occasion. Participating eateries include The Commons in Sydney and Lamaro's in Melbourne. Longrain in both Sydney and Melbourne will be cooking up fishy delights and giving away a bit of dosh for the cause. By encouraging people to host their own sustainable seafood shindig, or enjoying a delicious meal at certain, ethically aware restaurants, Sustainable Table are inviting us to help save the environment, before it gets too forked up. To register, find out more about the restaurants involved or simply discover more about the cause, visit Sustainable Table's website.
Since Mr Liquor's Dirty Italian Disco at the Tennyson Hotel drive-through bottle-o closed in April, the people of Sydney have been waiting and watching for news of the next pop-up. As of today, we – at long last – can bring you good tidings. Merivale, the hospitality powerhouse that, among many other things, owns the Tennyson, has announced that it'll be teaming up with Rushcutters Bay restaurant ACME to give you Kingdom of Rice: a pop-up dedicated to Cambodian street food. As of early October, you'll be able to feast on share plates loaded with seafood, meat and vegetables, with traditional flavours, such as kreung (a paste of lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, galangal, garlic and chilli) and prahok (crushed, salted and fermented fish paste). Expect, too, handfuls of fresh herbs, lime and Kampot pepper. Like last time, you'll be selecting and collecting your own drinks from the Tennyson's bottle-o fridge. But, unlike last time, you can count on a selection of Cambodian and Asian beers, as well as cocktails inspired by Southeast Asia and natural wines. As anyone who's eaten on the Cambodian streets would testify, the atmosphere is crucial to the experience. With this in mind, the pop-up will take on the feel of a mini-Phnom Penh laneway, with miscellaneous furniture and massive communal tables. "It's a real sensory overload," says ACME co-owner and chef Mitch Orr in a statement. "There's laughter and noise of people everywhere, the smell of food cooked over charcoal, colours of fresh tropical fruits and an amazing sense of community." Orr will be working with head chef Lillia McCabe, who has just returned from a stint at Singapore's Blackwattle, alongside ACME co-owner and maître d' Cam Fairbairn and head of front-of-house Sophia Thach. Thach is of Cambodian descent and spent time living in working in Phnom Penh, and will be bringing her first-hand experience of the region to the pop-up. Kingdom of Rice will open in early October at the Tennyson Hotel, 952 Botany Road, Mascot. Images: Nikki To
