Sydneysiders looking to get their culture fix this summer should make tracks to the Sydney Living Museum's Culture Up Late nights, taking place every Thursday till the end of March. The arts and cultural program is taking over three CBD institutions — the Museum of Sydney, Hyde Park Barracks and Justice and Police Museum — each Thursday from 5–8pm and until 9pm at Hyde Park Barracks. And they aren't just staying up late — each is offering half price entry, too. At Museum of Sydney, check out the upcoming installation Narcissus Garden by the internationally lauded artist Yayoi Kusama, which is on display from February 20. Or wander through the temporary exhibition Paradise on Earth (running till March 25) and check out the museum's impressive film and craft activities programs. Entry to Museum of Sydney is just $7.50 for adults with the half-price deal. [caption id="attachment_763830" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hyde Park Barracks, Brett Boardman[/caption] Over at Hyde Park Barracks, enjoy an immersive, time-bending experience through a self-guided tour for $12 a pop thanks to the discount. Or, if you visit on February 25 or March 11, you can check out its After Dark program instead. Plus, every week there'll be a food truck, pop-up bar and a local DJ spinning tracks. The Justice and Police Museum has heaps on as well — think exhibitions, films and even a Murder in the Museum talk — where you can dive into Sydney's criminal past. Entry to the Justice & Police Museum is also $7.50. Sydney Living Museums' Culture Up Late program is running till Thursday, March 25. For more information, check out the website. Top image: Justice and Police Museum
Hitting December means we’ve officially hit the silly season, which in turn switches on the green light for some serious sweat-soaked partying. Now, you could take the 'pace yourself' route, sticking with sensible diets, 'just the one drink tonight' and 'nothing on a school night' rules. Alternatively, you can just bust right into it, umbrellas in cocktails blazing. We suggest you cross December 1st off your calendar with a bang. Little Hero presents Kamikaze Surf Hoedown, a night of loud music and louder costumes. Turn up in your ‘Surfabilly’ finest (straw hat? Novelty shirt?) and enjoy the live summer twang of bands Richard In Your Mind, Belles Will Ring and Atom Bombs. Plus Spod, Conrad (RIYM), Yo Grito! and Ray (Little Hero) will be hitting the decks throughout the night. With one month of the year left, let’s squeeze every last drop out of it.
Summer is nearly upon us. To celebrate, the good folks at the Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel are throwing a festival dedicated to the perfect summertime beverage — cider. Sitting on the Watsons Bay foreshore, this establishment knows a thing or two about hosting chilled summer events, even in spring. Their Cider Festival will feature a large variety of local and imported ciders. Making good use of the fact that cider rhymes with slider, snacks in slider form will be available all day (as will non-rhyming paella, beef brisket reubens and poke bowls). Live music will be plentiful, as will dessert — there'll be a gelato cart on hand for the sweet-toothed. But things get serious when you join the cider trail. The cider trail will travel along Military Road and culminate at the hotel's breezy Beach Club. This is the kind of walking trail we can all firmly get behind. To partake, you'll need a ticket ($30), available from the venue on the day or here. The cost of the ticket includes 15 tasters of cider, which you find at the many stalls, and a whole bottle of whichever's your favourite.
Brave the cold weather this month with a trip to the Hunter Valley. Aside from the excellent vinos you'll be sipping, you'll also get the chance to explore Australia's (and the Southern Hemisphere's) largest display garden — Hunter Valley Gardens. And, this chilly season, the gardens have been transformed into a winter wonderland. Running until Sunday, July 21, Hunter Valley Garden's Snow Time in the Garden is the perfect addition to a weekend getaway to the Hunter. Kidults, you can expect ice skating, a toboggan slide, wintry carnival rides and snowy activities aplenty. And, we're giving you the chance to enjoy it all — and then some — without spending a dime. You and a mate will score a double pass ($68) to Snow Time in the Garden, which includes free access to the outdoor ice skating rink and a 40-metre ice toboggan course. You can also check out the igloo cave and the snow play zone, which will ensure plenty of snowman building, snow angel making and friendly snowball fights. You'll also have unlimited access to the Gardens' four carnival rides, including a 25-metre-high ferris wheel, flying swings, the Venetian carousel and a giant slide. And, when all this snow time gives you a chill, head to the cafe, where you'll be treated to a complimentary lunch. If you're keen to treat your date (or a mate) to a wintry weekend getaway, enter your details below to be in the running. [competition]730680[/competition]
After a sold-out run of shows over summer, Zetland's newest outdoor music nights are returning for autumn. Every second Friday throughout April and May, the folks at 107 Projects and the Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA) are filling the stage at the gorgeous Joynton Avenue Creative Centre with with talented local musicians. The program will include jazz guitarist Ben Hauptmann and his siblings Zoe and James on Friday, April 23, vocalist Kate Wadey with her trio on Friday, May 7 and crowd-pleasing horn players Queen Porter Stomp on Friday, May 21. Apart from the tunes, a full bar will serve drinks and nibbles. For the full program and to book, head to the SIMA website. All tickets cost just $15, or a tenner for SIMA members and concession card holders. Images: Ruby Summer Social by Arthur Washington / Joynton Avenue Creative Centre by Rhiannon Hopley Photography
2009 may have begun with confronting news coverage of the Israeli incursion into Gaza, but it shall draw to a close with more heartening images from Palestine. For the second year, the Palestinian Film Festival is shining a light on their widely unknown national cinema. From the first Palestinian animation, to a hip-hop documentary, this year’s varied program shows the depth and breadth of their local talent.Opening with the Cannes selected film The Time That Remains, from celebrated director Elia Suleiman, the festival is also hosting an advanced screening of Amreeka, winner of a FIPRESCI (critics’) Prize in Cannes. This crowd-pleaser from debut director Cherien Dabis tells the tale of an intractable mother who moves from the West Bank to America in search of a better life for her teenage son. Other highlights from this impressive program include Edward Said: The Last Interview, surely a must see for anyone who came across the seminal Orientalism in their university studies. The Heart of Jenin is another intriguing documentary, about the Israeli organ recipients of a Palestinian child donor, shot by Israeli soldiers. Feature film Pomegranates and Myrrh also tackles Israeli/Palestinian relations in a story about land rights, imprisonment and dance that reunites Lemon Tree stars Hiam Abbass and Ali Suliman. Taking place at the Palace Norton Street cinemas, the Palestinian Film Festival is a unique window into the cinematic world of this troubled territory. https://youtube.com/watch?v=IZbSkcrT6EU https://youtube.com/watch?v=WqFz6D38QTE https://youtube.com/watch?v=NgofDQxSGRQ
Is there anything better on a hot summer day than a refreshing beverage? Sippin' on a 7-Eleven Slurpee is a time-honoured tradition for surviving a road trip, beach day or really any day when the mercury skyrockets. So, however your 2019 is going so far, it's time to celebrate all that is good in the world — and by that we mean limited edition Slurpee flavours that'll give you all the nostalgic feels. Slurpee has partnered with the much-loved lollipop brand, Chupa Chups, to release two classic lollipop Slurpee flavours. You can sip the strawberry and cream flavour, or lose your mind with refreshing watermelon. And if you thought the news couldn't get any sweeter, guess again, because they're completely free. Yep, zero dollars for these flavour-filled treats. There's just one small catch — you've only got four hours to hunt these babies down. The limited-edition flavours will be available exclusively from the Broadway store this Saturday, February 23. Get in there quick. 7-Eleven's Free Chupa Chups Slurpees will be available from 12–4pm at 7-Eleven Broadway. One free large Slurpee per customer.
Sydney, we know you love a food pop-up. Right now you're gearing up for the final Burgers by Josh pop-up at The Annandale and Sydney's first fried chicken and wine festival this weekend. And we've got another one for you to add to your list. After a sold out two-day burger and ice cream pop-up last month, Gelato Messina is bringing their own mini food festival, Messina Eats, back for a second edition. And this time it's all about the bao. Messina has teamed up with Melbourne bao geniuses Wonderbao to create a menu as dreamy as the soft, doughy pillows themselves. Along with traditional pork buns, they'll also be steaming their cult gua bao stuffed with pork belly, fried chicken or fried tofu. Because every good bao needs an accompaniment, they'll also be serving up potato gems with kimchi, spam (?) and melted cheese on top with PS Soda to wash it all down. And for dessert? Deep fried ice cream stuffed with egg custard tart and served with mango pudding and passionfruit caramel. Yep. The whole thing will go down over two days on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30 in the carpark at Messina's Rosebery HQ. They'll be open from noon for lunch and dinner until sold out. The last Messina Eats sold out quickly, but we're told they'll be better equipped this time round. Messina Eats will run from noon until sold out on July 29 and 30. Find more information here.
Pocket City Farms is hosting a new monthly talk series that aims to push the conversation around food sustainability to the next level, all while showcasing local craft beer and food. Farm Chats will unite experts in panel discussions, with a focus on ethical and fair food trade, young farmers, food growth and waste, native foods, plant-based eating and farm-to-table. The series will kick off next Wednesday, February 7 from 6–8pm with a discussion on urban farming and will feature international guest Michael Ableman, founder of Vancouver's Sole Food Street Farms, North America's largest urban farms project. PCF co-founders Emma Bowen and Michael Zagoridis will round out the panel with permaculture expert Nick Ritar (Milkwood) and do-gooder Jon Kingston (Wayside Chapel). March's Farm Chat will focus on women who farm in conjunction with International Women's Day. April will be a discussion on sustainable chefs, with the panel including teams from Three Blue Ducks, Alfie's Kitchen and, of course, Acre Eatery. Farm Chats will run on the first Wednesday of every month at Camperdown Commons. Tickets are $20 a pop and also get you one round of Young Henrys beer, along with vegan snacks provided by Maker Sydney. For future events in the Farm Chats series, check out the Pocket City Farms what's on page.
Some comics like sound. They paint themselves with frantic lines of motion, bombastic shockwaves and large-lettered noises. Others have none of that. They draw out silent scenes trapped at the moment of action, the sound effects left to your ready imagination and all the louder for emerging from such silent tableaus. Hugh Ford's paintings draw on that second tradition. Sound drawn only from their incongruous titles, his images draw out moments of life and near-life fantasy raucous with vibrant visual noise. In his first solo Sydney exhibition in some time, Ford brings his silent cacophony to life in the Ian Dawson Gallery on Oxford Street. The pictures seem incomplete at first. Colours settle along the background of the canvases, highlighting, wandering and embracing the actors of the exhibition. Despite their faceless abstraction, his subjects all shine their fierce and unmistakeable gaze on ambivalently loved dogs, ridden turtles and caught cannonballs. Self-contained, self-assured and surreal, they beg for attention as they look right through you. The images capture frozen moments, and themselves don't seem to hurry to their imminent conclusion. But Ford's exhibition has limited time to it, so hurry in and gaze upon its instants. Image by Hugh Ford
The image of Tibet in the popular imagination often amounts to either the beatific face of the Dalai Lama, or the giant, fierce peaks of the Himalayas feathered with prayer flags. The first ever Tibetan Film & Arts Festival gives Sydneysiders a chance to dig deeper: to explore the diverse creative output of the Tibetan people in the face of political and cultural oppression. The festival kicks off in Sydney at the Opera House this Thursday with a lush music-arts-ideas mash-up in Raga Shambala: For Tibet with Love. Led by traditional musician and vocalist Tenzin Choegyal, whose compositions invoke the fast-disappearing nomadic world of Tibet, the concert promises a fusion of Tibetan song, Indian tabla and Western classical guitar. The music will interact with the images of accomplished Tibetan artist Karma Phuntsok. The second half of the evening will see a change in pace, with a lively debate led by charismatic Tibetan poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue on the topic 'Is Tibet a Lost Cause?'. The films on offer during the festival, many of them Australian premieres, will give audiences the chance to discover the diversity of voices coming from modern Tibet. The documentary Summer Pasture provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of a young family of Tibetan nomads under pressure from rapid modernisation, as government policies force nomads into permanent settlement. Sky Dancer is a portrait of a female teacher in a remote part of Tibet: Khandroma Kunzang Wangmo is both Buddhist master and beloved matriarch, and she also loves to listen to techno in her SUV. Journey of a Dream is about one individual's struggle with faith and politics; the documentary tells the story of a Tibetan refugee and how "heavy metal saved [his] life". The Tibetan Film & Arts Festival promises to be a festival of discovery as well as a creative interrogation of ideas about the nature of freedom, freedom of expression and the cost of silence.
The next Messina Eats event is getting a "cakeover". For one day only, Saturday, September 28, the Messina HQ store in Marrickville is opening its doors for a gelato party, mixed with baked goods to bring a sugary twist. Alisha Henderson and Alice Bennet, two Melbourne-based cake connoisseurs, are gracing the Marrickville store to supply fellow ice cream and cake lovers with their ultimate dream. Their cake slices are inspired by popular Messina gelato flavours. Visitors can indulge in Milk Choc Peanut Fudge, Super Dulce, and more. The store will also be serving gelato sundaes such as the Tirumasuki, which is a generous scoop of Tiramisu gelato sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies and topped with rich coffee frosting. Shadow Baking, Messina's bakery spinoff, will be on deck providing savoury treats, including sandwiches and brekkie pizzas on the day. A pop-up bar will be serving Mango Mimosas, Blood Orange Marmalade Breakfast Sours and Nitro Coffee to help wash down the tasty treats on offerr. Get it while they're cold — this event will only be running from 10am–3pm or until sold out.
'Have I got a story for you?' The uttering of this simple question is simultaneously charged with boundless potential, designed to pique interest and loaded with promise. Will the tale be hilarious, harrowing or just plain entertaining? This year, the Sydney Writers' Festival (the local wordsmith's answer to Glastonbury) has put grandiose, pompous conceptions of what truly great literature means aside to focus on the simple joy that can only be brought forth by a cracking yarn, plain and simple. Whether you're a book club aficionado who knows her Shakespeare from her Tolstoy or just a fan of The Breakfast Club, the dynamic program of events has something to make you lean in with anticipation. "Stories lie at the heart of our lives. We need them to understand ourselves, to understand others and to make sense of the world around us. In 2013 we look at the breadth of storytelling from Australia and around the world," explains Jemma Birrel, who debuts in her role as artistic director this year. Reckon you've heard it all before? Let the festival's astonishing stable of prominent orators, including Molly Ringwald, Naomi Wolf, William Dalrymple, Robert Green, Ruby Wax, Anita Desai, Archie Roach, Edward Rutherford, Hannah Kent, James Wood, Joe Rospars, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Kate Atkinson, Kate Mosse, Michael Sanders and Gillian Meares prove you wrong. These voices of our generation (minus Hannah Horvac of Girls, der) will wax lyrical on everything from the Future of Activism, to What Money Can't Buy and the question on everyone's, um, lips — I'm a Feminist, Can I Vajazzle? In a new addition to this year's program, a series of live storytelling events will see the likes of Claudia Karvan, Brendan Cowell, Jacqueline McKenzie and William McInnes hold court. Topics include personal passions and obsessions as told in 15-minute increments, true stories with the literally loco theme Lost the Plot and the sharing of specially written love letters by authors to their other halves in People of Letters. Gather round children, the Sydney Writers' Festival has a story for you. Can't get through the novella of a program? Check out our picks of the ten best events at the festival. Image via Sydney Writers' Festival.
I never thought I would say this, but there’s a serious issue with the programming and funding of independent theatre. Or at the very least, that’s the depressing conclusion I came to when leaving the performance of SEETHrough at the Malthouse. Through the eyes of two young Australian men — one white, one indigenous — the play fails to decide whether it wants to tell a story of cultural disparity or gender expectations. It follows the two as they grow up to face the world in a small town somewhere presumably in the middle of nowhere. They apparently share a strong bond, which is at breaking point when one character, with distractingly strange facial hair, decides to leave for the big smoke. Cue city lights and confusion. There is a forcibly painful push to explore what it means to be a man, with almost no depth to the monologues or abrupt wrestling scenes. This, combined with clichéd culture contrasts (“I was born an Emu”/“I’m an Aquarius”) sets the pace for a confusing and ultimately clunky show. Between lines about water and blood, the stars, and city lights, the script forces a rather obscure and outdated motif in our face. Over and over again. While it is important to explore ideas of masculinity in theatre, the structure of this show was so convoluted that it was almost impossible to redeem any actual meaning beyond 'It’s hard being a guy in a small town, but sometimes we go to the barber'. What the production lacked was solid direction. As a devised piece, both performers (Gavin Walters and Colin Kinchela) were not given any substance to their performances and the blocking was awkward and static. The language was full of flowery hyperbole that made it difficult to access exactly what the motivation or meaning behind the dialogue was. The stage was drab, and though there were moments of well-designed lighting, the overall production design was underwhelming. I was disappointed by the show, and frustrated that it hadn't had further development. What can only be described as a theatrical hot mess, does not bode well for the rest of the Malthouse’s Helium season. This show is part of Next Wave 2014. For more on the festival, check out our top ten picks.
Despite our country being stereotyped as 'always sunny', us Aussies know it can get pretty cold mid-year. So, if you're currently trying to warm up your toes next to your office heater, dreaming about the return of summer, you're in luck. We've teamed up with travel company Klook to give away a four-night getaway to a tropical oasis: Bali. If you're the lucky winner, you and your partner in crime will be heading off on a short flight headed for Bali's stunning beaches, hot weather and next-level food. As well as flights and four nights of four-star accommodation in Seminyak, Klook — being an activities and tours booking platform — will also organise day trips for you and your bestie, plus airport transfers to and from your hotel and SIM cards. So, all you'll need are your cossies, sunscreen and a good read. It won't be your typical Bintang-fuelled Bali trip, either. The folks at Klook work with local vendors to uncover hidden gems and offer trips to many of the surrounding islands (there are more than 17,000 in total). So, expect plenty of off the beaten track adventures and get ready to unearth some undiscovered parts around the island. One day, the two of you will be heading off to West Nusa Penida and its crystal clear waters, so you can expect plenty of swimming and snorkelling. The next, you'll be trekking up an active volcano — Mount Batur — to watch the sunrise over the island. An early morning start will reward you with sweeping mountain views and a visit to a coffee plantation afterwards. Plus, don't forget all the poolside cocktails and Balinese feasts you'll be having. You'll be on holiday, after all. You've got anytime before the end of the year to go, so you can escape Australia's cooler weather ASAP. If you're keen to head off on a trip to Bali — which obviously you are — enter your details below to be in the running. [competition]731537[/competition]
To be at Jingle Jangle is to be transplanted to a different time and place. Maybe the dimly lit walk through the dingy Spanish restaurant La Campana into Good God Small Club is a portal, as you are removed from any signs of 2010 or of Sydney's vacuum of decent club nights. The music policy is strictly 1920's- 1960's and it's all about well dressed, capable dancers drinking Pimms and lemonade for refreshment before tearing up the dance floor. The gracious hosts Smokey La Beef and Smart Casual usually hold down the decks, inviting special guests to play their selections. This month sees Melbourne Garage/Rhythm and Blues rockers The Frowning Clouds tripping up The Hume to provide a live soundtrack, Owen from Straight Arrows dropping 45's, as well as the resident DJ's. So put on your dancing shoes and get down to the best portal in town.
With brands in store like Missoni, Fornasseti, Kenzo, Paul Smith, Bouvier and Jasper Conran (and many more), Macleay on Manning is interior design with a little va va voom. Curating the shop with Andy Warhol prints on your crockery and eery ghost-like faces engraved into the bottom of your whiskey glass, owners Jill and Rod Ordish have handpicked both local and international designs in furniture, art, jewellery and books, among other homeware treats.
Put down your So Fresh CD. Crack open your teenage piggy bank. Keep practicing your Usher slide glide. Because a full-blown R&B frenzy is set to sweep the nation this November as live party tour RnB Fridays returns for five mammoth shows. Descending on Spotless Stadium on November 17 (not a Friday, mind you), the event has managed to pull a pretty serious lineup of international music legends straight from the 90s and early 2000s. Heading the bill is none other than singing, songwriting, dancing superstar Usher, in what will be his first Aussie shows since 2011. He'll be joined by hip hop queens Salt-N-Pepa, rappers T-Pain and Lil Jon, mononymous ladies Eve and Estelle, Grammy Award-winning trio Naughty By Nature, Fatman Scoop and 'Pony' Ginuwine. All of them. Together. In one show. Ticket prices are as momentous as the lineup, with each one starting at $109.90. If you fancy really splashing out, you can opt for $349.90 platinum package — it comes complete with a commemorative lanyard, express entry, front-row real estate and the chance to meet Usher himself. Image: Mushroom Creative House.
The first half of 2013 saw the world contract Gatsby fever as the literary classic received a visually stunning reinterpretation, and its lingering effects are clearly evident from the moment the audience enters Burley Theatre's latest production, The Importance of Being Earnest. The green light lending a haunting luminosity to the theatre and the modern melodies transplanting the timeless tale to the present parallel Gatsby, and director Brandon Martignago successfully rides this wave to present his own hilariously witty and visually excellent adaptation of this other famous text. No expense has been spared to convey the ugly side of the supposedly beautiful upper classes of high society. The clashing pastel colours, garish astroturf and fake flowers that occupy our vision for the show's majority remind us of the faux beauty embodied in the upper echelons of society, and how we should not be seduced by its charade of sincerity. It is beautiful in an incredibly ugly way. There is nothing ugly about the acting though. The Importance of Being Earnest is an inherently funny play but the cast takes the laughs to another level with their earnest (it had to pop up at some point in this review) portrayals and electric relationships. The interactions between Algernon Moncrieff (played by Kurt Phelan) and John Worthing (Michael Walley) are a laugh a minute, from Moncrieff's inability to discuss marriage to the duo's memorable muffin dispute. Their respective amorous relationships with the captivating Cecily Cardew (Katie McDonald) and flirtatious Gwendolen Fairfax (Paige Gardiner) are also very believable and consequently hilarious. However, the show is stolen by the vibrant boisterousness of Lady Bracknell (Andrew Benson). The decision to cast a male as the infamous female seneschal of Victorian high culture lends her an added formidableness that is impossible to withdraw your attention from. Benson performs Bracknell with perfect timing and detail, to the point that even the most ambiguous of entrances draws a torrent of anticipated laughter. What makes this production captivating is the abundance of energy that the cast radiates. Despite its modern refurbishment, the production cannot escape the staging difficulties of the dialogue-heavy script — it often becomes talking heads. Whilst this often leads to tiresome renditions of the play, this production avoids any potential lull thanks to the cast's exuberance, which transfers to the audience and animates them from beginning to end. It truly finds the modern importance of being earnest.
This article is sponsored by our partners, Sydney Festival. It's that time of year again. Department stores are decked out in red and green tinsel, buskers are playing those earwormy jingles, and we're all reminded of the mammoth task of Christmas shopping in the weeks ahead. This year, skip the homewares and DVD box sets and, instead, treat the important people in your life to the gift of an unforgettable experience. With Sydney Festival 2015 set to kick off in January, what better gift to give than tickets to our city's summer celebration of local and international creative talent? Choosing between the 200 events on offer could get tricky, so we've done the hard work for you. Here are the Sydney Festival gifts we think are sure to please all the special somebodies in your life . For your parents: The Kitchen Tickets to this multisensory spectacle by Indian director Roysten Abel will impress any hard-to-buy-for parents. Twelve drummers on copper mizhavu drums provide the background soundtrack to a wordless performance that brings new meaning to the ritual of cooking. Visual effects, smells and sounds come together as a man and woman make payasam, a traditional Indian dessert, in this unique show that fuses folk traditions and dramatic performance theatre. And yes, you do get to eat the fruits of their labour at the end. More parent-pleasers: Consider tickets to the Grammy-award winning Latvian Radio Choir, a screening of The Artist accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra or an intimate show with songwriter Archie Roach. For your significant other: Disco Dome Here's something weird and wonderful you two should try out together after dark: a walking tour of Parramatta's lost disco days. Disco Dome is your chance to travel back in time together. Enjoy cocktails and supper before taking to the streets, grooving through the music and history of the mirror-ball era. Multimedia artworks will be on display throughout the suburb's streets and laneways, featuring mind-bending installations by the likes of Justene Williams, Khaled Sabsabi and Liam Benson. Other hot dates: Go for the balletic finger puppetry of Kiss & Cry, the sexy circus-cabaret Limbo, Irish-French chanteuse Camille O'Sullivan or RnB artist How to Dress Well. For your best friend: Atomic Bomb! Take your best mate out for a night of dancing to the irresistible beats of synth pioneer William Onyeabor. The futuristic Afro-funk sound of this cult musician who spearheaded new wave electro in the early '80s (before turning to born-again Christianity instead) will be brought to life with an 18-strong ensemble in Atomic Bomb!. Led by Sinkane, Money Mark, Luke Jenner (The Rapture), Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) and Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem), the show will also feature special guests Gotye and Mahotella Queens. More fun times: There's more music to enjoy at triple j's 40 year anniversary celebration Beat the Drum, or join in the joie de vivre at So Frenchy So Chic. Also check out acrobatic ensemble Gravity and Other Myths in A Simple Space and cabaret provocateur Yana Alana in Between the Cracks. For your niece or nephew: Masquerade Join your favourite little person — and delight your own inner child — at this adaptation of Kit Williams' much-loved children's book, brought to life onstage by playwright Kate Mulvany. With music performed live by Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, Masquerade follows the courageous adventure of a little boy and his mother who find themselves in an imagined world where the moon loves the sun and hidden treasure, riddles and talking hares collide. It's sure to be a beautiful adaptation by Mulvany, who credits the book with helping her through her own childhood experience with cancer. Also for the littlies in your life: The stunning giant puppetry of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, French-Canadian circus troupe Cirque Alfonse in Timber or the comedy-adventure story The Luck Child. For your secret santa: Client Liaison Usually the hardest person to shop for, this year the gift for your office colleague is sorted. Opt for the very reasonably priced tickets to Client Liaison, the Melbourne duo known for their synth-pop interpretations of classic '80s disco and '90s house beats. Nostalgic, excessive and very tongue-in-cheek, the show is topped off by its setting inside The Famous Spiegeltent, one of the last remaining Belgian-made travelling pavilions, complete with mirrors, velvet and brocade. Other budget-friendly people-pleasers: The darkly humorous performance piece Falling Through Clouds (from the creators of The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik), the contemporary Irish play Have I No Mouth and New Zealand's country-soul trio Tiny Ruins. For those people who are truly impossible to buy for, Sydney Festival also offers gift vouchers, valid across the entire program. The festival runs from January 8-26. See the festival website for the full program.
Court is being called in northern Sydney next month, as the annual St Ives Medieval Faire returns on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23. Ladies, lords, kings, queens and knights will descend on St Ives Showground, transforming it into some sort of Game of Thrones-meets-A Knight's Tale realm — though sadly, there'll be no joust between Jamie Lannister and William Thatcher (but wouldn't that be a show). There will, however, be a feast fit for royalty and plenty of medieval theatrics —and we're giving one lucky lord or lady access to a rather noble faire experience. As the chosen winner, you will receive the royal treatment for yourself and three of your most loyal ladies- or lords-in-waiting. Upon arrival at the front gates, you'll be led by horse-drawn carriage to the Royal Court VIP marquee tent. You'll get $100 to spend at the private bar, plus a drinking horn to fill with mead or one of three brews, which Victorian craft beer legends Two Birds have custom-made for the Faire. There'll be an all-day grazing table available when you get a bit peckish, but don't go overboard on the bellytimber: a kingly, long table lunch awaits. Noble guests will feast on a buffet meal of old-world delicacies including hock and pea soup, chicken, parsnip and fig pies, spatchcock, suckling pig and cherry torte. You'll also get top-notch seating for the premier event of the day: the jousting tournament. (Yes, it's still a thing.) Jousting masters from across Australia and Europe will don full armour and compete in the only solid lance jousting competition in the Southern Hemisphere. After experiencing all the medieval gallantry, you can then meet the jousters post-match, including Lady Caroline from Sweden — the first female to take part at St Ives. Make sure to also leave time to explore the rest of the Faire to really immerse yourself in the festivities, which feature birds of prey and archery demos, markets, folk music and a Trebuchet catapult. To enter, see below. [competition]684393[/competition]
If you've had the pleasure of tasting one of Tokyo Lamington's desserts since it opened in Sydney, you know they don't make just any old lamington. These inventive cubed sponge cakes come in an array of exciting and nostalgic flavours ranging from fairy bread and tiramisu to yuzu meringue. While the cult dessert store has been kicking around the harbour city for several years now, the brand has just taken the leap south and — like many Sydney icons in the past, from El Jannah to Black Star Pastry — has finally opened a Melbourne outpost. If you're new to Tokyo Lamington, it's a big deal in the cake game, all thanks to founders Min Chai and Eddie Stewart. After starting life overseas, introducing places like Singapore and Tokyo to some innovative riffs on the humble lamington, the brand settled in Newtown and has been impressing Sydneysiders with its creative desserts ever since. And now, for the first time ever, it's setting up shop permanently down south. [caption id="attachment_774463" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tokyo Lamington x Koko Black collaboration[/caption] Tokyo Lamington popped up in North Melbourne earlier in 2022, in a collaboration with Le Bajo, but that was only temporary. As of Tuesday, October 18, however, the dessert legends have opened a permanent bricks-and-mortar Carlton location from which to pump out those beloved lamingtons — so you can still get your chocolate and coconut fix next time you're down visiting Melbourne. Just like the Newtown joint, this new Elgin Street store boasts an extensive range of vegan cookies alongside savoury favourites like onigiri, pies, quiches and sausage rolls, too. And for caffeine addicts, it's pouring coffee from Single O seven days a week as well. Melburnians will also have their fingers crossed for some more local collaborations. In the past, Tokyo Lamington has teamed up with the likes of By George, Circa Espresso, Stitch Coffee, Koko Black and KitKat. For Chai and Stewart, who also founded N2 Extreme Gelato, there are clearly endless ways to transform the Aussie favourite into something new and exciting. Get your tastebuds ready for whatever they dream up next. Find Tokyo Lamington at 258 Elgin Street, Carlton. It's open 7am–3pm daily.
This global pandemic might have us cooped up at home, but it sure hasn't dulled our penchant for online shopping. Without the bottomless brunches, bar hopping adventures and retail therapy sessions of regular life, many of us have a little extra in the savings fund and a whole lot more time for scrolling. And of course, those package deliveries are all the more thrilling when your social life is taking an enforced hiatus. An offshoot of Bendigo and Adelaide Banks that's built for the digital world, Up is one of the new kids on the banking block. Its focus is on offering a primo mobile banking experience — the kind that fits into your real life with minimal hassle, leaving you more time to worry about the important stuff (like which of the 19 items in your basket will be making it to the checkout). As an online shopping companion, Up's ticking plenty of boxes, thanks to a suite of features designed to keep things simple. For example, it'll show actual business names, locations and company logos in your spending history, so you're not left doing mental gymnastics trying to guess the story behind that $45.50 you dropped at 3am last Saturday. It's also got an automatic transaction categorisation function, to help keep your balances and budgeting in tip-top shape, without too much effort. https://www.instagram.com/p/Btw0EVqn2fE/ Shopping on international sites can normally be a bit fraught, what with the extra charges and conversion dramas. But Up is being a mate and passing on zero fees on all overseas purchases, both online and IRL. It displays both the local and foreign currency on your receipt and app, and will even send you an immediate purchase notification in Aussie dollars. Throw in a bunch of nifty savings functions — like the ability to instantly round up your spare cents — plus upcoming bill predictions and a 1.85-percent interest rate, and you've got yourself one nice, breezy banking situation. For more information about Up and to sign up for an account, jump over to the Up website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. General advice only. Please consider your personal circumstances before making a decision to join Up. Conditions https://up.com.au/hook_up_a_mate/. Product issuer Bendigo & Adelaide Bank.
UPDATED: JULY 29, 2020 — NSW Health has extended its public health alert for The Apollo and is now advising anyone that attended the restaurant between Wednesday, July 22 (previously July 23) and Saturday, July 25 to get tested and quarantine for 14 days. The Apollo will remain closed for two weeks while it undergoes a deep cleaning. On July 29, NSW Health also updated the potential exposure periods for both Mounties in Mt Pritchard and Pritchard's Hotel. You can check the updated times here. NSW Health last night, Tuesday, July 27, sent out a public health alert warning Sydneysiders who visited a Potts Point restaurant and two venues in the city's southwest to self-isolate immediately after positive COVID-19 cases were linked to the locations. Those who visited Greek restaurant The Apollo between Thursday, July 23 and Sunday, July 25, must quarantine for 14 days since their visit and get tested. A staff member who works at the The Apollo has since tested positive and the restaurant has been closed for cleaning. NSW Health is encouraging those who visited the restaurant outside of those dates to get tested if they develop any, even minor, symptoms, too. A positive case has also been linked the Mounties flagship club in Mt Pritchard and the bistro of Pritchard's Hotel, with NSW Health advising those who visited the venues at various times between Wednesday, July 22 and Saturday, July 25 to immediately isolate and get tested. The health alert comes as 17 new cases were identified in NSW in the 24 hours leading up to 8pm on Sunday, July 26. Eight of those are in hotel quarantine, seven are linked to known clusters and two are under investigation. https://www.facebook.com/NewSouthWalesHealth/posts/1355435587989112 The three venues join a growing list of restaurants and pubs across NSW that have been linked to positive COVID-19 cases, including An Restaurant in Bankstown and Cabramatta's Tan Viet Noodle House, as well as Paddington's Love Supreme and The Village Inn, Parramatta's Milky Lane and Thai Rocks in both Potts Point and Wetherill Park. There are currently 70 cases associated with the Wetherill Park restaurant and 56 with Casula's Crossroads Hotel. NSW Health is continuing to update its list of venues associated with positive cases, and its advice on whether you should self-isolate immediately or monitor for symptoms. As has been the advice for months now, those with symptoms — coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath or loss of smell or taste — are encouraged to get tested and self-isolate while awaiting results. You can find out closest testing clinic over here. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: The Apollo via Google Maps
Four years after opening its doors, Merivale's American-themed Manly eatery Papi Chulo is set to close. In its place, the hospitality group will open its second Queen Chow — saying goodbye to smokehouse meats with a view, and hello to harbourside Cantonese feasts. "We have had a lot of fun at Papi these past four years, but felt the time was right to evolve the space and its offering," said Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes. "Queen Chow has been a tremendous success in the inner west, so we're going to take the very best bits from there and create something really special for Manly." Papi Chulo will shut up shop on April 29, with the East Esplanade space then undergoing a small refurbishment before reopening as Queen Chow in winter. Before it bids farewell, however, Papi Chulo is dedicating its last month to a "best of" menu of old favourites and classic dishes. Think pea guacamole, mushroom and spinach croquettes; roast cauliflower with romesco brown butter crumbs and parmesan; hot wings with comeback sauce; Papi Chulo burgers; and sweets such as chocolate chip and macadamia cookies, salted caramel brulee tarts and tres leches with grilled stone fruit. When Queen Chow settles in, executive Chef Patrick Friesen and dumpling master Eric Koh will oversee the kitchen, with roast meats, live seafood and diverse dim sum on offer. Visitors to Enmore should know what to expect, aka delicious twists on traditional Hong Kong street fare such as salt and pepper cuttlefish, silken tofu and prawns with chilli bean mayo, whole roast duck with plum sauce, and typhoon shelter crab, which is deep fried and served with garlic, chilli, black bean and pulp from soybeans. Find Papi Chulo at Manly Wharf, 22-23 East Esplanade, Manly until April 29 — and Queen Chow in the same space at a to-be-determined date.
Staring at that blank space on your bedroom wall and feeling uninspired? Or maybe you've got some big present-shaped shoes to fill this holiday season. Either way, there's no need to fret, because The Other Art Fair is back. The celebrated global event returns to Sydney from December 2–5, and will showcase thousands of artworks from emerging artists in the stimulating surrounds of The Cutaway in Barangaroo. The creative works of more than 110 artists, each selected by a prominent panel of industry experts, will be up for sale — and starting from as little as $100. Plus, the artists will be on-site, so you can chat with them and hear the stories behind your chosen piece. The vast four-day event is complemented by art activations, hand-poked tattooing, workshops and immersive performances, plus street food and DJ sets. So, you can get a big dose of culture alongside purchasing some A-class (and affordable) art. To celebrate this year's event, we've teamed up with The Other Art Fair to give one lucky Sydneysider the chance to win an art-filled night out. Should you win, you'll score $250 to spend on any artwork your heart desires at the fair. Not only that, but you'll also get two tickets to the opening night on Thursday, December 2, as well as two drinks on arrival and a fun tote bag. We've also got two tix each for 20 runners up, which will give you access to The Other Art Fair on the Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Usually, entry costs $20 a pop (or $30 on the door), so you can pocket that and put it towards your new art piece. Keen to get your culture kicks for free? Enter details below to be in the running. [competition]831426[/competition]
It has been four years since the Sydney Film Festival closed out its 2014 fest with What We Do in the Shadows, giving the event one of its most memorable nights yet. To open this year's 65th anniversary celebration of cinema, SFF is once again showcasing a top New Zealand comedy — this time it's The Breaker Upperers, which Taika Waititi executive produced. The flick tells the tale of two cynical best friends who turn their romantic woes into a thriving business. Yes, as the movie's moniker suggests, they break up unhappy couples for cash. It's written and directed by its stars, Kiwi comedians Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami, both of whom actually appeared What We Do in the Shadows and Waititi's Eagle vs Shark. The former also popped up in New Zealand TV series Funny Girls and 800 Words, and the latter featured in Sione's Wedding and its sequel, plus the first season of Top of the Lake. On-screen, van Beek and Sami are joined by Boy's James Rolleston and Rosehaven's Celia Pacquola, while off-screen, their debut collaborative effort is produced by the same team behind Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The film premiered at this year's SXSW Film Festival to positive reviews, and will open in Australian cinemas on July 26 — but those heading to SFF's opening night on June 6 will get to see the movie early, obviously, with the cast and crew in attendance. Tickets for opening night will go on sale here at 9am today, Monday, April 23 — and if you're purchasing online, you'll notice the fest's website has a had a revamp. It's set to include a new discover function that'll offer up recommendations, plus a visual planner so that festival-goers can better map out their schedules. The Breaker Upperers joins SFF's growing 2018 slate, with 26 other new titles announced earlier this month, plus a David Stratton-curated retrospective focused on Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki. If you're hankering for the full lineup for the event, which runs from June 6 to 17, all will be revealed at 11am on May 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-phMlkRiWIg The 2018 Sydney Film Festival will run from June 6 to 17. Buy a ticket to opening night here or check out the currently announced titles by heading to the festival website. The full program will be released on May 9.
If there are two surefire things that are going to get us through the rest of this year it's wine and ice cream. Whether you're celebrating being on the other side of 2020 or commiserating the year that's been, a bottle of prosecco and a tub of cookie dough ice cream are the perfect accompaniment to whatever mood you're in. Luckily, all the hassle of heading down to the shops to pick up your after-dinner treats has been taken care of thanks to Jimmy Brings, which has teamed up with Ben & Jerry's to offer up a delicious delivery combo. From Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 29 you can order pints of Ben & Jerry's through the Jimmy Brings app and, if you live near the CBD, have it delivered in under 30 minutes. On offer is Ben & Jerry's dairy or non-dairy cookie dough ice cream, available in single tubs for $10 a pop or in a range of special combo deals perfect for any grand plans you may have this week or for an indulgent night in. You can go with the Fancy Hippie pack, which contains a tub of Ben & Jerry's, Fontavera organic pinot grigio and a block of Lindt chocolate for $29.99 or go all out with the Munchies pack which includes ice cream, Red Rock Deli chips, pork crackling and bottles of chardonnay and shiraz for $49.99. The combos are also perfect for summer adventures as all orders come with a 'tubby holder' which is a special stubby holder designed to keep your ice cream cold on your sunset picnic. There's even a Sunset-ready pack containing two bottles of wine and a tub of ice cream for $29.99. The offer is only available this week so take this as a sign to live out your summer dreams a week early with vino, snacks and dessert supplied. Head to the Jimmy Brings website to check out all they have on offer and get your orders in. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Lazing on the beach all summer might flood your vitamin D levels and calm your heart rate, but it does nothing for your mental faculties. For that, we have the Sydney Festival, our summer side dish of culture, new music worth listening to, mind-bending public art and general brain food. Spiegeltents, labyrinths, The Life Aquatic cameos and unlikely Japanese team-ups — it's the kind of substance that makes the whole season stick in the mind for years afterwards. The festival is on from January 8-26, but if you want to enjoy those bright 2.5 weeks, it's best to get booking now. Here are just ten of our favourite things to see from the nearly 200 events across music, performance and public art. ATOMIC BOMB! THE MUSIC OF WILLIAM ONYEABOR William Onyeabor is perhaps the most mysterious man ever to have fused Afro-funk with space-age jams. After powering through the creation of eight albums over just as many years, he suddenly decided to stop talking: about himself or his music. However, it's a well-known fact that it takes an awful lot to 'stop the funk'. So, in what's certain to be one of the hands-down most epic musical events of Sydney Festival, an 18-strong band made up of artists from all over the world are getting together to jam on Onyeabor's music at the Enmore Theatre. Led by Sinkane, Money Mark, Luke Jenner (The Rapture), Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) and Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem), the performance will feature special guests in the form of Gotye and the legendary Mahotella Queens. 16 and 17 January, 8pm at Enmore Theatre. Tickets $85/77. INSIDE THERE FALLS UK artist Mira Calix teams up with the Sydney Dance Company's Rafael Bonachela for this stunning installation, combining sculpture, dance, spoken word and music. Over the past year or two, Calix has been busy in her studio, shaping vast sheets of paper into an ethereal labyrinth, which will be transported to Carriageworks for the Sydney Festival. On entering, visitors will find themselves immersed in a surreal, shimmering world, where they'll hear snippets of poetic prose spoken by actor Hayley Atwell, strains of classical music and, every now and again, catch sight of a dancer. Even though the dancing has been choreographed, performances won't be scheduled: it'll be a matter of taking your chances. Sounds like the perfect, dreamy summer escape. 8-17 January at Carriageworks. Free. DAN DEACON If you're heading to Dan Deacon's show, don't forget your smartphone, whatever you do. Because it's your key to becoming an actual, live part of his gig. Before rocking up, audience members are asked to download an app, which will enable them to play an active role in his spectacular, synchronised sound and light extravaganza. Deacon, who hails from Baltimore, will be in rare solo form and is set to deliver one of his wildest, most chaotic and most fun performances yet. 22 January, 11.45pm at Festival Village. Tickets $39. KISS & CRY The hands can say so much. Think of all the gestures of welcome, surrender and (perhaps most memorably) offence we use when words fail us. Yet what we didn't expect to see is a stage show entirely starring two hands, communicating that complexity we all know so achingly well: love. An old woman reflects back on the encounters that shaped her life in this poetic ballet, puppet show and live film experience, performed in a miniature set. Presented by Belgium's Charleroi Danses, Kiss & Cry comes from the bonafide talents of choreographer Michele Anne De Mey (a founding member of Rosas dance company) and filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael, director of 2009 sci-fi film Mr Nobody. 22-25 January at Carriageworks. Tickets $59-75. CORNELIUS PRESENTS SALYU X SALYU All the way from Japan, this collaboration between noise pop guru Cornelius and enigmatic J-pop vocalist Salyu will make its Australian premiere at the Sydney Festival. They're a potent match: while Cornelius has the beats finesse to keep any crowd on its feet until the wee hours, Salyu has the vocal skill and dynamic to keep him on his toes. She is, after all, the artist responsible for 'Kaifuku No Kizu', from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Expect plenty of surprises. 23 January, 5.15pm at Festival Village. Tickets $49. HIGHER GROUND Home to much of the festival's music, two Spiegeltents will be anchoring the expanding Festival Village, one of the real successes of last year and a true hub for hanging out in. Also within it will be a huge-scale art work from Ireland's answer to Banksy, street artist Maser. The maze-like, colour-splashed, two-storey-high installation, called Higher Ground, is said to be "a dream come true for those who always wished they could step inside a painting", and will be the focus of everyone's Instagramming this festival (which for the first time in two years, is Rubber Duck-less). Maser will be the artist-in-residence at the Village, though as he operates in anonymity, we don't expect to see too much of him. January 8-25 at Hyde Park North. Free. NOTHING TO LOSE When Kevin Bacon stood up in Footloose and said, "This is our time to dance. It is our way of celebrating life." What he didn't say was "but only for slim, athletic people". And yet, that seems to be what we mean these days. Fat dancers and performers aren't often seen, and so many people seem to have so many opinions on fatness and how fat people move through our society. Well, fat activist and artists Kelli Jean Drinkwater and resigning Force Majeure artistic director Kate Champion want us to broaden our outlook on the body and the act of dancing. This work is important, topical and, coming from dance-theatre masters Force Majeure (Never Did Me Any Harm, Food), sure to be powerful and original. Read our chat Kelli Jean Drinkwater and Kate Champion here. 21-25 January at Carriageworks. Tickets $59-65. SEU JORGE There's not many a cover artist can teach David Bowie about music. But when the art-rock king heard Seu Jorge perform his hits acoustically, in Portuguese, for The Life Aquatic, he said he heard a whole "new level of beauty". That is certainly no easily earned praise. Seu Jorge, who cut his deep yet irresistibly tender voice in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will make his debut Australian performance at Sydney Festival. He'll be playing an array of his famous, unique interpretations, as well as a bunch of originals, accompanied by a delicious mix of Latin and Caribbean beats, in both live and electronic form. Read our chat with Seu Jorge right here. 10 January, 8pm in The Domain (free) and 11 January, 8pm at The Star Event Centre. Tickets $45-89. ADRIENNE TRUSCOTT'S ASKING FOR IT It's a longstanding qualm some people have with female comedians that they're always talking about their genitalia. Those people might not enjoy this show. Returning to Australia for the second time in 2014, US comedian, performance artist and one half of the Wau Wau Sisters Adrienne Truscott is quite literally bearing all in a one-woman show about rape culture. Dressed only from the waist up, Truscott is taking aim at the likes of Daniel Tosh and his controversial comments of 2013, and is dragging the art of the 'rape joke' to breaking point. After five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe, this is likely to be one the most-talked about shows of the festival (for better or worse). 14-18 January at Seymour Centre. Tickets $35. https://youtube.com/watch?v=p1uwQVtHHOQ WATERFALL SWING "This interactive waterfall swing won't make you wish you're a kid again, it will make you forget you're an adult," wrote Techly earlier this year, after Dash 7 Design's Waterfall Swing made waves in Rockefeller Plaza and across the US and Europe. And we wouldn't be Concrete Playground if we didn't get a bit excited by a souped up piece of play equipment in the middle of the city. Waterfall Swing sends you flying towards a curtain of water that, thanks to the work of sensors, parts just before you hit it. Magic. 8-24 January at Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour. Free. By the Concrete Playground team.
For those of you who want to feel luxe but have limited funds, Neil Perry has you covered. Sort of. He's got you covered in a classic I-just-sold-my-restaurant-empire-for-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-and-am-going-casual kind of way — he's rolling out a bar menu at his fine dining establishment Eleven Bridge. In case you missed it, Eleven Bridge is the new, more 'casual' iteration of Rockpool est. 1989. Perry changed the concept last year (before selling his other restaurants to UPG), although we found that it was still very much fine dining in all its glory. But the addition of a bar menu means that Eleven Bridge is no longer just three-course, white tablecloth, $200+ territory — from this week, you'll be able to drop in for a drink and a bar snack. Executive chef Phil Wood's new menu is an excellent opportunity to try Eleven Bridge's fried chicken ($30 for five pieces), perhaps matched with a gin, elderflower and basil cocktail. Or how about some Sterling caviar with blinis ($50 per ten grams), or honey and spelt bread with kombu butter and ricotta ($6) — that's the Neil Perry version of coming home drunk and half-cooking a Coles-brand garlic bread loaf. The steam bun sangas (see, casual), come in flavours like sweet pork and kimchi ($25) or 'hot and numbing chicken' ($24). What exactly is a 'hot and numbing' chicken steam bun sanga? It would be gauche to ask, just order it and see. And what casual bar menu would be complete without a baked crab stuffed with milk and salted duck egg for a whopping $47? No bar menu would be, hence the surging trend of milk-and-duck-egg-stuffed crabs at dive bars. Jokes aside, this bar menu sounds divine. Read our Eleven Bridge review.
Weekends are for taking it easy and unwinding after the week that was. On a hot summer's day, there's nothing quite like heading down to the beach, kicking your shoes off and dipping your toes into the water. Take these relaxing vibes a step further at Sunglass Hut's next Face the Sun Sessions' 'Relaxer' event at Clontarf Beach. On Saturday, November 30, you can head down to a beachside soiree for just $30. The ticket will get you a pampering session, platters of fresh, gourmet treats and access to the pop-up coconut and mocktail bar, plus you'll score a complimentary pair of shades that are perfect for days at the beach this summer. Then, kick back to some live music. This one-day-only chill session will run from 11.30am–3pm, but if you've reached a state of deep zen, there's nothing to stop you from staying put all afternoon. The Relaxer is one of four Face the Sun sessions taking place this summer, with other the other events dubbed 'The Explorer', 'The Raver' and 'The Indulger'. To see the full event details of this limited-edition series, head here. Images: Sunglass Hut, Graeme Churchard and Michael Woodhead.
First, Australia got a Harry Potter-themed brunch and dinner. Now, we're getting a wizarding beer festival. If the boy who lived's flicks were still gracing cinemas, exploring his adult life, we're certain he'd be keen on this magical festival. Whether you're still not over Harry or you just wish you'd had the chance to attend Hogwarts because you know you're destined to be in Gryffindor (and to be seeker on the quidditch team, obviously), you'll want to make a date with this event. You'll sip brews in a wizarding wonderland, while making your way between wand-making classes, DJs and tarot card readers. There's no word yet on exactly what beers you'll be drinking — local numbers? international favourites? alcoholic butterbeer? — but your ticket does include a 12-ounce (355-millilitre) brew on entry, and five tokens you can use on beers and the aforementioned activities. The Wizard's Beer Festival is set to hit Sydney at a soon-to-be announced location on March 1, 2020, then do the same in Melbourne on March 8, 2020, before heading to Brisbane on March 15, 2020. Folks in costumes pretending to be Hermione, Dumbledore and others isn't really our idea of a magical HP experience, but perhaps a few boozy butterbeers will get you in the right mood. And if not, you can organise a trip to see the Cursed Child stage show in Melbourne, if you haven't already. The Wizard's Beer Festival will hit Sydney on March 1, 2020, then Melbourne on March 8, 2020 and finally Brisbane on March 15, 2020. You can sign-up via the website to be notified when tickets go on sale. Top image: Wizard's Brunch UPDATE, NOVEMBER 16: This article was updated to include details of The Wizard's Beer Festival's planned events in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Good news! Firstdraft Gallery – that tireless incubator of emerging art – will survive the notice of compulsory renovations recently served to them (reeking of impending doom). Sound the Hurrah!Their recent fundraising auction was a roaring success and as a result the gallery will close on October 18 until early next year - all exhibitions postponed till then. Except the one opening Wednesday September 30.And what a trio of shows to go out on for the year!Sarah Contos, in her first Sydney exhibition, will transform the gallery into ‘a sort of abstracted house’. Great Expectations is an installation inspired by a fusing of Charles Dickens’ literature and Australian urban legends.Danielle Clej, Ruth McConchie and Sarah Byrne in collaboration promise obsessive collection, collision and fragile spatial order.Rachel Scott, fresh from a Firstdraft studio residency, is showing her most recent project Knife Edge. If you haven’t encountered Scott's work yet, then I suggest you get along to this.Image: Sarah Contos
Sydney's laneways, roofs and walls could soon be filled with plants, and hundreds more trees could be added to the streets each year, all under a new strategy announced today, Wednesday, March 17, by the City of Sydney. Set for further council discussion this month, the Greening Sydney 2030 plan outlines a heap of greenery targets to work towards over the next nine years — and others to hit by the time that 2050 rolls around. The big aim: to cover 40 percent of the city with vegetation and greenery by the time this century reaches its halfway point, including 27 percent canopy cover. There's also a target of 23 percent canopy cover by 2030, to be aided by the planting of 700 trees a year over the next ten years. The City of Sydney is proposing to commit $377 million over the next ten years to the strategy, which also spans more shrubbery and plants in general — and it wants to put them in all types of places. More than 38 hectares of narrow laneways have been identified as prime sites for greenery, for instance. Adapting current city planning controls to make it easier for green roofs to be included in new developments and retrofitted to existing buildings is also on the cards. Working with the local Indigenous community on cultural and practical principles that should be considered has been highlighted as a key part of the plan, too. So has encouraging Sydneysiders to take part in greening activities through education programs, citizen science programs, community gardens, the Sydney City Farm, bushcare and landcare groups, and footpath gardening projects. And, to ensure that the entire city benefits, the City of Sydney has been analysing the existing streets, parks and properties to work out the current greenery footprint and canopy distribution. From there, it'll move forward with an aim of spreading the project equitably across town. Announcing the plan, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that it builds upon the previous Greening Sydney 2012 strategy, and the planting of 15,052 street trees over the past 15 years and 816,363 plants since 2009. "In the past ten years alone, we have seen a 23 percent increase in canopy cover, a 13 percent increase in parks and green spaces, a 180 percent increase in expanded and restored native bushland, and 23 community and verge gardens established across the city," said the Lord Mayor. The Greening Sydney 2030 will be put to the council at the Environment Committee meeting on Monday, March 22 and, if endorsed, the draft strategy will go on public exhibition between Monday, April 19–Monday, May 24. The later period is when the community can provide feedback and comments — so if you feel strongly about having more greenery around the city, take note. The City of Sydney's Greening Sydney 2030 strategy will be put to the council at the Environment Committee meeting on Monday, March 22. For more information, head to the meeting's online agenda. Images: Mark Metcalfe, City of Sydney.
Last Monday, teenager Thomas Kelly died following a random attack in Kings Cross, and it was tragic and affecting. Not a day has passed since without the 'problem' of Kings Cross making the headlines. We've now entered a state of moral panic, where the Kings Cross of public fantasy is a grotesque inflation of the Kings Cross of reality. The reality is that Kings Cross is not a pretty place, it has plenty of problems to face in terms of both safety and urban development, and most of us would rather face torture than its main drag on a Friday or Saturday night. Ultimately, the biggest challenge for the Cross might be one of community. As gentrification continues apace, it needs the inputs and interventions of a community of locals who care about each other, the area's history, and its future, and compared to the inner-city suburbs around it, Kings Cross is divided. As an alternative hangout to big bars, small bars and cultural centres aren't the whole solution, but they're an important part of the solution, and certainly our favourite one. These are the places shaping the culture of the Cross right now in a very positive direction. 1. Barrio Chino It's on Bayswater Road, so Barrio Chino can still get a bit chaotic on Friday and Saturday nights, but the place is basically the last bastion of level-headed fun on that strip. The taqueria and tequileria serves elegant Mexican food, switching out the humble burrito with tuna and avocado tostada and the tequila shots with a cucumber, agave and jalapeno chilli salt margarita. Barrio Chino really notched up its Sydney scene points back in January, when it hosted a pop-up outlet for American cult fast food chain In-N-Out Burger. It may have been the first time Kings Cross has seen an entrance queue in the daylight hours. 2. FBi Social FBi Social brings a steady stream of navel-gazers to the centre of what you'd expect to be a nightclub strip that's hostile to them. Run by radio heroes FBi, the second level of the Kings Cross Hotel hosts great indie music Thursday through Saturday nights as well as special art, performance, and film events with a cosy feel when opportunity arises. 3. Griffin Theatre Company Griffin is the long-time resident theatre company at the SBW Stables on Nimrod Street, and it has its offices in a neighbouring terrace. Given its location, it probably could attribute its address as Darlinghurst, but Griffin chooses to identify as a Kings Cross-based company. They program an array of new Australian writing, but its always particularly exciting and constructive when they produce works that respond to the immediate environment of the Cross, such as the experience-seeking teens of Silent Disco, the studio-apartment-situated This Year's Ashes, and the site-specific sprawl of short works held in various Kings Cross locations Lovely Ugly. 4. Wilbur's Place Wilbur's Place seems determined to convince passersby that it's in a cute, sweet suburb and that its shabby alley is Puddleduck Lane. And it kind of works. Its communal tables sit on the footpath, demanding sun and peace come out to meet them. It's a neighbourhood restaurant that conjures a neighbourhood, and its heartwarming fare is both reasonably priced (less than $20 for even the fancy mains) and available to takeaway. Another treasure from the Bourke Street Bakery team. 5. Alaska Projects Alaska Projects brings to the commercial club precinct a touch of the underground — the literal underground. Situated a few floors down in a car park, the artist-run initiative transforms the disused and haunting place with petite exhibitions that inspire. Recently, these have included Siouxzi Mernagh's stairwell to the subconscious and Samuel Hodge's banal-made-moody everyday moments. The space opens on Thursday and Friday nights and weekend afternoons and was nominated for a SMAC Award in its very first year (2011). 6. Gastro Park Every neighbourhood needs a fancy restaurant you can stare in the windows of and aspire to eat in one day, right? Gastro Park serves that purpose particularly well with its inimitably playful approach to food. Their recent themed feasts extended a hand to the strongest community around — Game of Thrones fans — with their tasty interpretations of eyeballs, arrows, ravens' feet, dragons' eggs and liquid gold.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales will be staying open after dark until the end of January, maximising access to its summer blockbuster, Pop to Popism. Swing by before 10pm on Wednesdays and 9pm on Thursday to Saturday for the opportunity to not only take in the exhibition — a survey of pop art to which we gave a big thumb's up — but also the Pop shop and Pop twister. Dinner at Chiswick at the Gallery kicks your night up a fancy notch, and there’s even a special event combining the culinary inventiveness of Matt Moran with a talk from exhibition curator, Wayne Tunnicliffe. After all, these balmy summer nights are for cramming in as much culture as you can. The gallery's regular Wednesday late-night event, Art After Hours, is going retro for the occasion, with a series of colourful parties organised around different decades' subcultural rivalries and soundtracked by suitably nostalgic live music. On January 28, the spotlight will be turned towards the '80s with its stage-stealing New Romantics and Yuppies. The heyday of pop music and outrageous fashion, nothing screamed look-at-me like the '80s. Reminiscing on this loud and proud decade, Romance Was Born designer Luke Sales will be speaking about the influences that have filtered into his creative process. It was also the era that launched slick art stars like Jeff Koons, who is still going strong, and conceptual photographer Cindy Sherman. Rock up with shoulder pads and big hair to be in the running for best dressed.
Being an assistant in a technical field can have something of the Igor about it. The feature photographer goes on with their showy job, while the assistant toils day-by-day providing touch-ups, grunt work and an occasional spark of lightning. Sun Studios has been running an award to bring Sydney's photographic Igors out of the shadows, and is bringing you the results at an upcoming exhibition in its Alexandria gallery. The Sun Studios Assistants Award aims to recognise photographers working their way up through the industry, helping push less established artists on to hopefully greater things. The Award has been open to entries since March, and on Thursday images from the six finalists will be shown some light. 'Uniform' is the theme for this year's competition, be it costuming, camouflage or sameness. The winner and runners-up will be announced at Thursday's opening night (open to the public, but RSVP essential), and all of the finalists stand a chance of turning up in an upcoming issue of sponsor Monster Children. If you can't make it Thursday, the exhibition continues until June 30. Original image by Alexandre Vialle.
Prepare to meet the edges of human physical skill with TAO Dance Theatre's Australian premiere of Weight x3 / 2. Rather than an obscure mathematical equation, this double-bill is a study in precision, synchronicity and exceptional athleticism by the Chinese choreographer Tao Ye. A big word here is minimalism — a necessity to focus the audience's attention onto the virtuosic quality of the TAO dancers' movements. It is such craft that has led Rafael Bonachela, curator of Spring Dance 2012 and artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company, to observe that these master movers are "at times seemingly floating on air". Scoring Weight x3 and 2 are the legendary composer Steve Reich and the haunting Chinese folk-rock composer/musician Xiao He. Though each composer creates a very different sound, their own minimalist scores are a sublime accompaniment to the measured choreography, allowing for a performance so in sync as to be hypnotic. Audiences are best urged to keep this last word in mind as Tao Ye believes that "a good dance has the power to let the viewers temporarily forget who they are". Given how successful TAO Dance Theatre's recent world tour has been, let's hope that Spring Dance give out name tags with every ticket. Image by Matthew G. Johnson https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zdq6KftAdsQ
The Seafarer is an example of dramatic tension at its finest: an uncomplicated plot, few characters, and a dark, unnerving twist at the end of the first act that settles on you like a cold hand on the back of the neck. The entire play is set in the living room of a house shared by two brothers on the northern coast of Ireland: Richard (Maeliosa Stafford), who is blind, demanding, and in need of a wash; and 'Sharky' (Patrick Dickson), cantankerous but attentive to his brother's needs. Their hopeless but cheery friend Ivan (Patrick Connolly) hangs around worrying about his wife's impending anger and swigging Irish whisky with Richard when Sharky's back is turned. The humorous but repetitive to-and-froing between them paints a picture of isolation, middle age, and the burden of family. The scene is mildly depressing despite the lively banter and the pleasure of Christmas. On Christmas Eve, a friend of Richard's (John O'Hare) pops in for a dram of whisky and brings a mysterious guest (William Zappa) in a sharp suit to play cards. Sharky is left with him momentarily as the others are outside chasing off the winos, which is when the stranger reveals his identity. Suddenly, the stakes are far higher than Sharky thought and a back-aching, drawn-out tension grips the second act. The characters bumble around, losing their drinks, knocking over furniture. Blindness is a recurring affliction: Richard's recent loss of sight from an accident, Ivan's short-sightedness from the loss of his glasses on another drunken night, the state of blind drunkenness they all eventually reach to forget everything for a while because it's the holidays, after all. The actors fit the characters like a smelly foot into a pair of thick woollen socks, and the set is perfectly homely and shabby, which makes the Christian mythology feel contemporary and (for an atheist) kind of believable. The happy turn of events at the end is surprising, like a weak but hopeful ray of light that peers through the window after a dark, endless night. It is the light of redemption, a second chance. Suddenly, as one does when they are forced to reappraise everything that is important to them, things don't seem so bad. Mistakes have been made in the past but it's the things like smoked salmon on rye at Christmas and the unbreakable bonds of family that make life worth living, the second chance worth grasping with all your might and never letting go. The Seafarer is inspired by an eighth-century Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name, and it is an incredible feat of theatre that it continues to work so well for a modern, secular audience. Written by Conor McPherson in 2006 and put on in Sydney for the first time by director Maeliosa Stafford, The Seafarer is definitely worthy of the numerous awards it has bagged.
In recent years Moroccan-Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has bewitched Sydney audiences with his major works Sutra (2010) and Babel (2012), and now he summons desert landscapes for Spring Dance 2012 in Dunas. Joining Cherkaoui is the formidable Spanish bailaora Maria Pages, whose command of flamenco once led Jose Saramago to declare that "nor the sky nor the earth is the same after [she] has danced". Such an elemental pairing leaves no doubt as to the epic scope and atmosphere to be found in Dunas, where the relentless shifting of sands swallow humanity both ancient and modern. The desert evoked in Dunas is not of the New World, but that of the Middle East and North Africa. Szymon Brzoska, who previously composed the score to Sutra, joins with guitarist Ruben Lebaniegos to create music that fuses the flamenco rhythms with Arabic sounds, providing a sinuous accompaniment to the piece. What will Cherkaoui and Pages eventually unearth from their dunes? The conceptual strength of Cherkaoui's previous work is found at the point where cultures press against one another, and Dunas continues this theme when the strong form of Pages meets Cherkaoui's flow. Whether this meeting is the totality of their collaboration or the beginning of a deeper cultural duet is an exciting prospect for audiences at Spring Dance. Image by David Ruano. https://youtube.com/watch?v=sBn1LwYjIT0
A band whose lyrically deft and jangly pop sound saw them propelled into worldwide minds after just one album with movie and TV soundtracks, the Shins are returning to Australian shores for the fifth time, with a visit to Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. Formed in 1996, the Shins, whose style knows no restrictions by genre, released their debut album Oh, Inverted World, along with the seminal single 'New Slang', to critical acclaim, and have since gone on to create further soundtracks to seasons, with songs that reflect the mood, ambition and startling ability of frontman James Mercer. Back with new material off the five-years-in-the-making Port of Morrow album, the Portland quintet will be supported by Melbourne's Husky. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fweNLKBCh5A
Applespiel have a way of taking something familiar and turning it on its head. At this year's You Are Here festival in Canberra, it was the commercial breakfast radio show. The artist collective performed and broadcast three hour-long Kyle-and-Jackie-style programs in various public venues, involving audiences in their own twisted take on the format. Now they've moved onto the Rock Band. Applespiel Make a Band and Take On the Recording Industry sees the collective transform into a band, cut an album, go on the road, and package the imaginary results in a live show that's described as a lethal cocktail of performance art, gig, and rockumentary. A manufactured non-band playing non-music — sounds oddly familiar, right? It's part of Performance Space’s Show On short season of contemporary performance from around Australia focusing on audience participation and the intersection of art, life and popular culture. If, like me, you're inherently cheap, grab a $15 student rush ticket on Friday, July 25, (from box office on the night only) or the free green matinee on Saturday, July 28, (by riding your bike or catching public transport to the show).
Trevor Powers is the man behind the Youth Lagoon moniker, under which he explores precious memories of the past, personal thoughts and feelings via his unique brand of melancholic pop. His first collection of songs became known as The Year Of Hibernation, Powers’ strong debut, which saw drifting melodies flirt with sample-heavy rhythms. His lyrics are highly evocative with such expressive lines as, “When I was seventeen my mother said to me, 'Don’t stop imagining, the day that you do is that day that you die'”. Powers was last in the country in February where he played a string of sold out shows. He now returns to Australia for Splendour In The Grass as well as a couple of sideshows, bringing with him a stellar line-up of supporting artists, including Sures and Bearhug.
We've adopted her as one of our very own, and now, the ARIA Award winning songstress Ladyhawke (real name Pip Brown) has embarked on an Australian tour in support of her latest release, Anxiety. The New Zealand-born singer/songwriter made a name for herself back in 2007, with her stunning collaboration on PNAU's single, Embrace. She went on to release her explosive self-titled record – featuring stellar hits My Delirium, Paris Is Burning and Back Of The Van – which saw her receive a number of accolades. Her second record continues with the brand she created for herself on her debut, lush, '80s-inspired electronic pop, as heard in the first two singles Black, White & Blue and Sunday Drive. All The Colours will be supporting her at her Metro Theatre show. https://youtube.com/watch?v=RAX3yqiCqTE
When Die Hard first appeared on screens back in 1988, it instantly set the new gold standard against which every action movie would be held. Sparkling dialogue, an intelligent plot and enormously charismatic leads, both as villain and (anti)hero, proved top-shelf action could absolutely exist alongside conventional storytelling elements rather than at their expense. Four sequels and 25 years later, Die Hard remains that gold standard, but sadly its latest manifestation, A Good Day to Die Hard, looks decidedly dull by comparison. Set in Moscow, it sees John McClane (Bruce Willis) team up with his son Jack (Aussie Jai Courtney) to take on a corrupt oligarch and his seemingly endless supply of expendable goons. That fact alone represents both a major and perilous departure from the franchise's initial winning formula. In the original Die Hard, even the minor henchmen were defined characters with names, looks and distinctive personalities. When it comes to A Good Day To Die Hard, the only name I can remember isn't even a name; it's just 'the Dancer' — and that's about as close as we get to knowing any of its characters, both good and bad. On the action front, things do at least begin well, with a tense and heart-thumping terrorist assault to set in motion the remainder of the day's chaos. From that moment on, however, while the action never slows down, it also fails to offer even a passing nod to plausibility. Again, in the original Die Hard, all it took were a few shards of glass to seriously impede its hero and imbue him with a genuine sense of fragile mortality. Here, now in round five, characters leap unprotected from 20-storey buildings and plough through countless panes of glass with little more than dust and one-liners to show for it. All signs point to the future of this franchise resting in the hands of Jai Courtney, with his Jack McClane taking over from John as the man who repeatedly finds himself in the wrong places at the wrong times. That raises the question, though: can it survive without Willis, whose charm and playful bombast cannot be overstated. Even in A Good Day To Die Hard, Willis exudes more charisma in a largely semi-comatose state than most of the cast combined. Courtney definitely looks, acts and sounds like a conventional action hero, and he plays the role well; however, it's John McClane's disarming smirk and New York swagger that will forever underscore much of Die Hard's enduring appeal. Without Willis at the helm, it's hard not to think this latest instalment may indeed be a very good day for the franchise to lay itself to rest and whisper 'yippee-ki-yay' no more.
Art plus bar. This almost universal gallery opening deal is a pretty tasty mix already. But the MCA adds extras to this time-honoured tradition with its now SMAC-winning series ARTBAR. They're evenings of strange and interesting things at play among the art, recurring monthly and curated by a rotating cast of local artists. This month, art-constructor extraordinaire Michaela Gleave (whose installation work was recently seen on stage near the climax of I Love Todd Sampson) borrows the reins of the building for the night. She's bringing her ongoing art-yen for the heavens down to earth, including indigenous astronomy from Ray Norris and a pocketable solar selection.
Not a single rock 'n' roll lover in Australia will want to miss this upcoming performance by Wanda Jackson. Before performing at Bluesfest over Easter weekend Jackson will be performing a string of sideshows, one of them landing her at Sydney's Factory Theatre, where she'll be supported by Ezra Lee and his band. Jackson is internationally known as the Queen of Rock and the First lady of Rockabilly and has been inducted into the Rockabilly and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fames in 2009. Her music career has been ongoing for over 50 years, and she is best known for the songs 'Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine', 'Fujiyama Mama', 'Heart Trouble', and 'I Remember Elvis'. She worked closely with Elvis Presley and has garnered admiration from artists including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
