Tequila is distilled from agave nectar, and, like champagne, it's only really Tequila if its drawn from some specific parts of Mexico. If you can't tell Jalisco from mescal, then early starters in the Sydney taco wars Mad Mex are eager to steer you down the smart path when it comes to downing this Mesoamerican delicacy. They're running two free Tequila Masterclasses in their King Street store, which should leave you ready to mix a better margarita and feel at home sorting out Hornitos from Patron. Read the rest of our top ten picks of the Sydney Fringe Festival 2013.
Off the Wall is an arty Sydney Street Art Project that is literally going to go off. Off the wall that is. But not before it goes on the wall. Off the Wall gives a public canvas for street-based artists to do their thing on. These exhibitions will explore the true nature of street art. Here one minute, gone the next. Either scrubbed off or painted over. Part one of the series opens Friday, featuring the art of Hules and the Dirt, with photography by Devlin Azzie (to capture the transient works before they disappear). With Dirt, expect loads of skeletal forms, with a lot of black and white. Whereas Hules is concerned with typography and design, using aerosol and various mediums plus a bit more colour. The show launches Friday, September 13 at 6pm. Art by the Dirt.
Oz Harvest are a charity that rescues food that would be wasted and redistributes it to local charities. To date they’ve rescued almost 6 million kilograms of food that would otherwise have been landfill. For this Good Food Month, they have a series of food trucks which will be dotted throughout the CBD. By day they'll be offering affordable Middle Eastern favourites like hummus, tabouleh and falafel ($5-15). For every $1 the trucks raise, Oz Harvest will be able to provide two meals to people who need them. By night, the trucks will serve free meals to the homeless or hungry. You can also purchase a meal 'forward', meaning it goes to those in need. Check out the rest of our top ten picks of Good Food Month here.
The Antenna Documentary Festival features the hardest-hitting and most provocative international documentaries created over the past 12 months. Now in its third incarnation, it's comprised of 37 full-length works, ten shorts and seven free Doc Talk sessions. This year will also see a Kim Longinotto Retrospective and a tribute to legendary filmmaker Dennis O'Rourke. Plus, the winners of three major awards will be announced: SBS Best International Documentary, Best Australian Documentary and Best Australian Short. With a fine field to select from, deciding on a top five was no easy task, but here are our picks of the pack nonetheless. 1. THE NETWORK Festival opening night (Wednesday, 2 October) will feature the Australian premiere of The Network. Directed by now LA-based Aussie Eva Orner, who produced 2008 Oscar-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side, it follows the establishment of the first television station in post-Taliban Afghanistan. It's a journey driven by hope, underpinned with fear and challenged by the horrors of endless warfare - from suicide bombings to sporadic street battles. 2. ARE YOU LISTENING! If there's something frightening about climate change, it's the potential for entire nations to be wiped out. Current predictions suggest that Bangladesh, for example, won't exist at all by 2113. Filmmaker Kamar Ahmad Simon explores what this means at grassroots level, following the struggles of a family who, along with 100 others, are forced to inhabit a dyke after their village is destroyed by a cyclone. Simon will appear at the festival as a guest, conducting a Q&A session after the screening of Are You Listening! 3. BA NOI (GRANDMA) This dreamy, at times otherworldly, work combines past, present and future. Vietnamese-born, Canadian-raised filmmaker Khoa Le travels to his homeland, where he speaks with his 93-year-old grandmother and explores New Year's rituals, examining the elements that influence our sense of cultural and familial belonging. Ba Noi (Grandma) won the 2013 Hot Docs Inspirit Foundation Pluralism Prize. Khoa Le will be in attendance as a festival guest, delivering a Q&A after the screening. 4. THE PUNK SINGER What Searching for Sugar Man has done for Rodriguez, The Punk Singer does for Kathleen Hanna. Fearless feminist icon and frontwoman for both punk outfit Bikini Kill and electronica trio Le Tigre, she vanished from the music industry in 2005. Filmmaker Sini Anderson reveals what happened. 5. THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF DORIS PAYNE This year's festival will close with the Australian premiere of The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne. Born into the USA's then segregated Southern States, Payne became a highly successful jewellery thief, having stolen $2 million worth of goods from Cartier and Tiffany's to date. She's now in her eighties and about to go on trial. Filmmakers Matthew Pond and Kirk Marcolina (a special guest of the festival) examine the complex history and identity of Doris Payne. Images courtesy of the Antenna Documentary Festival website.
When preternaturally handsome and implausibly named financial-whiz-kid-turned-Princeton-post-grad Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) loses his last twenty grand in an online poker match, he flies to Costa Rica and is immediately offered an eight-figure salary by preternaturally handsome and implausibly named shady entrepreneur Ivan Block (Ben Affleck). So it's safe to say that having a relatable character and storyline is not a priority for Runner Runner, a film which is largely about attractive wealthy people being attractive and wealthy at one another. As Richie discovers that running an online poker empire in Central America is more fruitful than working hard back in New Jersey, the seedier elements of Block's empire soon present themselves. The dangers, as with the successes, come far too easily, and Richie quickly learns the adage that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. This rather speedy film isn't quite edited in the hyperventilated manner of something like Now You See Me, but there are a number of odd jumps that suggest a fair bit of post-production tampering, and it's this tampering that shows Runner Runner at its most interesting. When Richie tries to convince Rebecca Shafran (Gemma Arterton) to let him into Block's impossible-to-get-into party, he stumbles over some strained charm before finally spitting out his request. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" says Arterton, and we slam cut to Richie strutting his stuff at Block's luxurious pad. Either the writers gave up at that point, or Richie's smooth talkin' jive as filmed wasn't remotely convincing. The lesson is that the quickest way to get into a high-end party is with a fast edit. The film is littered with awkward cuts such as these, and sporadic, clumsy narration from Richie attempts to paste over the cracks. The most prominent sign that these voice overs were written in a hurry comes from the film's absolute highlight, a laugh-out-loud moment in which Richie injects some faux-philosophy into the climax: "This isn't poker. This is my life, and I have one play left. Put all my chips in and-" Apologies for cutting it off there, but I couldn't hear the rest of the quote over my own laughter. To clarify: Richie's life is nothing like poker, and here's a poker metaphor to drive that point home. This is what happens when you write your dialogue the night before the premiere. Look, Runner Runner isn't terrible, and with a runner-running time of 91 minutes, it's far from an endurance test. The problem is that it's so very dispassionate as it goes through the usual rise-fall-redemption motions, it's impossible to really engage with it at all. Ultimately, Runner Runner is really just a movie designed to provide some background noise as you update your Facebook. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UFPqyNvNzvU
Representatives of more than 40 whisky distilleries from around the world will descend upon the Sydney CBD this September, bringing with them samples of 150 single malts from around the world for you to taste. The Sydney Whisky Fair will take place at The Oak Barrel on 6 and 7 September, and will give you a rare opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the biggest names in the trade. According to The Oak Barrel's spirits buyer and educator Dave Withers, an important focus of this year's fair will be the diversity of flavour and character brought to life by the emergence of innovative new micro-distilleries. "In recent times, we have seen a rye whisky from Tasmania, a whisky smoked with Texas scrub oak and even whiskies made with spelt," he says. "These small producers are pushing the envelope and represent the cutting edge of what is being done with whisky. Needless to say, we will have them on taste." A small number of VIP tickets will give connoisseurs access to some of the rarest expressions being poured at the fair, while newbies will have the opportunity to learn the ropes from Withers, the distillers and the many die-hard whisky aficionados in attendance on the day.
If your childhood even vaguely resembles mine, the slightest mention of ATYP can set off a chain of school-holiday-memory reactions and suddenly you are back in that spiral of self-doubt, resentment and, well, what I am guessing are more than a few of the themes in the upcoming ATYP Under the Wharf and Stories Like These co-production, Fireface. Just under 20 years ago this 94-scene play (yes, you read that right) was German playwright Marius Von Mayenburg’s breakthrough, and now director Luke Rogers is taking a plunge into the adolescent with Mayenburg’s sibling protagonist duo, Kurt and Olga. Like most people blundering towards maturity, these two want to be anything but their parents and are bluffing their way through a sexual awakening. Judging by bro's reaction to his sister getting a boyfriend, we can expect a touch of Bertolucci’s The Dreamers in this one, and the leads are almost as banging. (That sounded less creepy in my head.)
If your childhood was filled with love, it's hard to imagine having gone without. But it's important, sometimes, to be shown what that path looks like, because it's a determinant for the future a person can expect to have. In Belvoir's Forget Me Not, a coproduction with Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, 60ish-year-old Gerry (Colin Moody) drinks to obliteration, is mistrustful and belligerent and gets disorientated when his daughter holds his hand. His life has been beleaguered and lonely. And all this time, he had a mother who loved him, halfway across the earth, and he didn't know. Gerry is representative of the some 3000 British children who were removed from their (usually single, underprivileged) mothers between 1945 and 1968 and sent, for some barely comprehensible reason, to Australia, to live in institutions. It's tragic to realise, but the iconic Australian story might be one of stolen children. In Gerry's case, it's his daughter, Sally (Mandy McElhinney), who contacts the family restoration fund and makes Gerry an appointment with Mark (Oscar Redding), a case worker who tracks down Gerry's sweet Liverpudlian mother, Mary (Eileen O'Brien). The last plays from both writer Tom Holloway and director Anthea Williams, And No More Shall We Part and Old Man, each met with general acclaim — and many tears. Their respective themes of ageing and absent parents seem to merge in Forget Me Not, although it's actually a far more multidimensional, measured and impressive play than its predecessors. There are so many tiny details woven into the script that reveal bit by bit the devastating reality of growing up without love, or of growing old without the one you love. The sight of an adult man being unable to eat a slice of cake has never been so heartbreaking. It's also a script about saying a lot with silences, and Williams has been able to realise those wondrously, filling them with tension and longing. It pays to sit close so in these moments you can study the actors' faces, pinched and pulled by subtle prompts. Both marshmallow-in-a-hard-shell Moody and sparkling survivor O'Brien quickly win your sympathy, so you want more than anything for mother and son to connect and get something back from their years of separation. Forget Me Not also has a nice, lazy Susan-utilising set from designer Dan Potra, which creates a repeating language of homeliness and which Moody never seems to fit. Forget Me Not is a real knockout, and the punch lands even if the history seemed previously distant to you.
It's always a big year for our local offshoot from the the global ideas-fest TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design). TEDxSydney is in its fourth year of bringing thinkers and listeners together. And this year it's grown from its usual venue at the Carriageworks to drag its thinkers and listeners to the airier spaces of the Opera House Concert Hall. It comes, as usual, in three parts: a cavalcade of awesome, expert and/or entertaining speakers, an audience of interesting, rich and/or powerful people paying to sit in the the main auditorium and the public at large outside, looking in. We had our turn with rich and/or powerful when we talked to TED-runner Chris Anderson last year, but most of the fun from a TED event comes from ignoring the glitterati and focusing on the speakers on stage. There's a long list of free satellite events at large around Sydney this year, if you'd like to follow the action from outside the Concert Hall. UPDATE: An earlier version of this article said that the Opera House Studio would be a screening site open to for public viewing on the day. It won't be. Concrete Playground apologises for the error. Customs House will be hosting a live site, outdoors on the day.
Darlinghurst’s TAP Gallery welcomes back the Workhorse Theatre Co with their second ever production, Stephen Adly Guirgis's 2011 play, The Motherf***ker with the Hat. The play enjoyed one of those critically acclaimed-box-office-disappointment runs in New York but managed to pick up a Tony nomination for Best Play in 2011. Guirgis teases his audience through questions of fidelity and addiction centring on high-school sweethearts Jackie and Veronica, Jackie’s sponsor Ralph D and the hat that should not be in Veronica's bed. So, Shakespearean farce meets the dark years of Robert Downey Jr? Awesome. Plus the Workhorse Theatre Co's first production That Pretty Pretty; Or, The Rape Play made a bit of a splash last year, announcing their arrival as a subversive new voice worthy of your attention. So if you feel like seeing something fresh or potentially risk-taking or maybe just something without Toby Schmitz in it, head down to the TAP and catch The Motherf**ker in the Hat.
Jeff Wall has an eye for oddity and a knack for defamiliarising the everyday. This autumn to winter, the MCA continues its run of big-shot internationals with the Canadian photographer’s series of contrived documentaries and essays in light, in a survey spanning thirty years. The artist describes himself as a cinematographer, and though it sounds like Public Relations Artspeak, the description fits. Celluloid film is not a moving image but a cascade of stills, and just as film realises itself in the split second between frames, the heart of Wall’s work is in what carries on unseen. The works aren’t what they seem: they’re not photographic prints, but transparencies on lightboxes, and their content comprises highly constructed, oddly normal, domestic scenes. A man pushes against a door in a bricked-up urban space (Doorpusher, 1984), but the second image that we can only imagine is what’s behind the door. Double Self-Portrait (1979) presents a visual impossibility - two of the same man in the same frame. Just outside every frame are endless narrative possibilities, a kind of visual Choose Your Own Adventure where the viewer is made to build a story of the before and after. Many of the works are blown up to true scale. A tree is tree-sized, a human is me-sized, and the effect is that we look into the works rather than at them. Wall’s immediate debt is to Lynchian cinema, but his local painterly cousin could be Louise Hearman, another master of strange psychology. These are slippery ideas, painted on running water. You can hide things in words, but Walls’ images have an honesty and a purity to them, despite the amorphousness of their content. That’s what makes them so ordinary and extraordinary, so real and unreal.
Thisisfortunate.com presents the last instalment of #CROSSSECTION The Marketplace, the fortnightly fashion designers' market replete with music, eats and drinks in Angel Place. For the last couple of years, #CROSSSECTION has been placing emerging designers alongside their more established peers to sell direct to you. Think Project Runway meets The Grand Social at the foot of the Ivy — with a theme. 2013 was a big one for the recently rebranded initiative (formerly Bizarre Bazaar), who'll continue on in their bricks-and-mortar boutique at 62 Glebe Point Road. Make it a farewell party/shopping spree to remember on Thursday, May 9, which will feature wares by Kirsty Irwin and Plague of Man, among many other rising stars.
Art plus bar. This almost universal gallery opening deal is a pretty tasty mix already. But the MCA adds extras to this time-honoured tradition with its now SMAC-winning series ARTBAR. They're evenings of strange and interesting things at play among the art, recurring monthly and curated by a rotating cast of local artists. This month zine-maker, artist and architect Keg de Souza helps the MCA celebrate the moveable bar's first anniversary. Helping her throw this Weird Science-themed party will be glass-muncher Justice Yeldham, weed lover Diego Bonetto and former director of Eastern Bloc and robot-maker, Wade Marynowsky. Image by Amy Loves Yah.
Sydney Comedians Alistair Wallace and Tim Reuben are heading to the Old Fitz to perform their stand-up on the same night as each other. In the same venue. On the exact same stage. A double booking? Oh no. Don't worry, though, as this very deliberate coincidence provides the premise for their enjoyable double-act stand-up show, DoubleBooked. This 'mistake' allows the duo to compete for laughs, stage time and the approval of the audience over the course of the show, which comes to Sydney in its polished final form after successful sell-out runs at the 2012 Sydney Fringe and recent Adelaide Fringe Festival. The two have comedy credentials as well, with Alistair a founder of the thriving UNSW comedy scene and Tim a former RAW state semifinalist. Surely they will fire their seemingly incompetent manager after allowing this booking debacle to happen again, so see it while you can.
Do you want to work in the entertainment industry? "Uhhh, is Blue Ivy Carter going to be the first ever black female baby president?" you reply. Okay, mate, no need for the attitude — you'll need to learn to schmooze nicely. You'll also probably need to learn about a bunch of other stuff, too, but luckily for you, young padawan, the Australian Institute of Music is starting a forum series called TILT that's packed full of people with pickable brains. Based on the forum structures of TED and Q&A, the inaugural TILT (which stands for Tomorrow's Ideas Leading Today), hosted by James Mathison, will feature Rdio CEO Colin Blake, National Live Music Coordinator Dr Ianto Ware, and Gizmodo editor Luke Hopewell as well as staffers from Google and Foxtel, plus more to be announced. Make sure you get in early — tickets won't last long.
The famous Victorian writer Louisa May Alcott once said, "life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors!" Well Vaucluse House is offering you the chance to earn some by taking a trip back in time to experience life in the Victorian era at Vintage Sundays — Victorian. No 19th century stone is being left unturned, with authentic activities of the time available for enjoyment throughout the day including the slapstick puppet classic Punch and Judy, skittles and croquet on the lawn for Victorian sport aficionados, and waltz classes for anyone wanting to just feel as opulent as Queen Victoria herself. There will also be historical tours and discussions held across the property and live soprano and piano performances will aptly soundtrack the day, so you really can take your pick of what to do. Whatever you do though, make sure to try the hot cider punch being brewed on the day in the kitchens. The event is part of Vintage Sundays, which are held at different historical sites around Sydney on selected Sundays.
There are a few theories floating around about alt-pop Sydney singer-songwriter Andy Bull. The first (now proven) is that the shorter his hair gets, the more attractive he becomes. The man truly is a sort of mythical anti-Samson. The second is this: the reason Andy Bull hasn't become a household name in Australia has less to do with Andy Bull and more to do with the inhabitants of Australian households. You see, we don't quite know what to do with him. He's not shiny enough for our pop tastes; he's not weird enough for our alternative tastes. He's a little Regina Spektor/Ben Folds, but he's also just a little Justin Timberlake. The man refuses to be pigeonholed. But international superstars have ridden the Bull and concluded that it is an experience to be had. Music critics have done the same. He's been invited on the road with the likes of Joss Stone, Tim Finn and Duffy. When he wasn't busy touring with international superstars, he was releasing killer singles like 'Small Town Girl' and 'Young Man'. Then, upon dropping his debut album, We're Too Young, in 2009, Bull was showered with a Cyclone Zane of critical acclaim — including a 4-star review from Rolling Stone. Your chance comes on June 8. After 18 months off the road, Andy Bull returns to promote his newest Triple-J-dominating single, 'Keep on Running'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=JSGUxRWR_r8
The Tamarama Rock Surfers, formerly of Old Fitz fame, are one of the few truly local, truly committed to emerging work and artists, truly theatrical theatre companies out there, and just to prove it, they have given us Cut & Paste. A bi-monthly get-together of artists, attention seekers, actors and writers, these are the kind of nights that friendships are based on. There are no guarantees of what will end up stage; you could escape with a terribly civilised play reading or find yourself playing tonsil hockey with Bron Batten. What is guaranteed is a chance for smaller names to get some stage time, test out new works and showcase where they have been putting their blood, sweat and tears for $15 a ticket. Not a bad deal and they throw in a view — it's at Bondi Pavilion — free of charge. Photo by Lucy Parakhina.
What do Gertrude Stein, J.K. Rowling, Jack Kerouac, Rudyard Kipling, Sylvia Plath and Colonel Sanders have in common? On top of collectively penning a notable portion of the most memorable and well-known literature ever (the king of KFC came up with that song about Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut, right?) they are all familiar with the harsh sting of rejection, each having had their unpublished manuscripts rejected by people whose names no one remembers now. If only these seminal thinkers had been familiar with premier print-on-demand publishing company Blurb they could have cut out the middleman and saved themselves the heartache. The creative platform allows anyone with a computer (aka anyone with a pulse) to create, promote and flog his or her own seriously schmick looking book, photo book, magazine or e-book. This weekend Blurb hosts a series of free masterclasses and workshops run by photographers Daniel Milnor and Garry Trinh, who wax lyrical on the bookmaking process, the future of print and advancements in modern storytelling. Book now to avoid the kind of disappointment experienced by Stein, Rowling, Kerouac and co. Image Garry Trinh via Blurb
Put simply, In Possible Worlds is a fantastic exhibition. The show brings together recent works by Elly Kent, Claudia Nicholson, and Tianli Zu, three artists who work in unique blends of traditional and contemporary styles. The trio were chosen by Carriageworks CEO Lisa Havilah and 4A Director Aaron Seeto as part of 4A’s early career artists initiative. The exhibition "encourages us to think of our acceptance of commonplace understandings not as a fixed reality, but as a constant process of exchange and negotiation that opens up possibilities of seeing the world in different ways". And it does so beautifully. Tianli Zu’s works are the highlight. She cuts intricate patterns into sheets of paper, then projects light and "sound animations" onto them. Sort of like the paper cut outs you made as an 8 year old, only way better. The filigree designs cast dark shadows onto the ground. It’s a hypnotic effect. The artist is strongly influenced by Chinese philosophy and the dynamics between dark and light are a central focus in her work. Canberra-based printmaker Elly Kent creates works on paper that incorporate everyday objects found in her home. Her art is heavily inspired by Indonesian Batik techniques, a traditional form of fabric patterning that’s conceptually derived from Javanese understandings of the universe. She blends this with a contemporary approach and the finished product is gorgeous: colourful, almost sculptural works that rise out from the wall. Claudia Nicholson is a Colombian-born, Australian-raised artist. Adopted as a child, her video works are preoccupied with ideas of kinship, cultural dislocation and the construction of a lost identity. They’re filled with a strong sense of nostalgia but the effect is very unsettling. I loved them. 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is a non-profit organisation that supports contemporary Asian and Australian art, encouraging an active dialogue between the two cultures. 4A collaborates with a bunch of organisations internationally to champion the work of Australian and Asian artists. Their programs are consistently thought-provoking, engaging and just plain great. The mix of cultures, media and styles of In Possible Worlds is awesome. This is one exhibition you really shouldn’t miss. Image: Plunge by Elly Kent.
Whisked from her idyllic farm with the promise of a job cooking for a high-level government official, it is only when Hortense Laborie (Catherine Frot) gets to Paris that she learns the position will actually involve being the private chef for French president Francois Mitterand. She has a moment of faint surprise, but only a moment. The job offer is a bolt from the blue, but she knows she's up for it. Based on the true story of the first woman to be the president's chef, Haute Cuisine alternates between Hortense's time in the palace and a later spell as the inscrutable but beloved head chef on an Antarctic research station. In a clunky plot device at odds with the rest of the film's unhurried feel, an Australian journalist (Arly Jover, doing a deplorable accent) is making a documentary about the station and tries to unravel the enigma of Hortense, including why she left her high-profile role for such an unlikely and isolated outpost. Not unlike last year's similarly foodie-friendly Step Up to the Plate, Haute Cuisine is almost defiantly low-key, offering little in the way of revelation but instead opting for a detailed, quiet character study and a wealth of lovingly filmed food preparation scenes. Initially feeling isolated in her position, Hortense finds herself ill at ease in the rarified surrounds of the Elysse palace, all cavernous rooms and chilly stylishness. She is unsure of the tastes of who she is cooking for, is eyed suspiciously from the chefs in the much larger public kitchen and has running battles with bean-counting bureaucrats who can't understand the time and money she pours into sourcing the finest truffles and foie gras. Eventually she does meet Mitterand (played with sparkly eyed verve by Jean d'Ormesson, making his film debut at age 86) and the pair bond over the heartfelt, rustic food of his childhood. Working with the timid but capable sous chef Nicholas (Arthur Dupont) she becomes a favourite of the ageing president, only increasing the jealousy of her male counterparts. Haute Cuisine is a small story but it is an interesting historical vignette, and it is to the film's credit that it does not overstay its welcome a minute.
Lets face it, almost all of us are attached to our phones. We text, tweet, share, play and occasionally call at all hours of the day from all locations. That is the modern technological world for you where we are connected all the time, everywhere, even the theatre thanks to Blindscape, an innovative new piece of theatre presented by PACT that combines circus, performance and app technology. Whilst most theatre shows would give you the greasiest of glares for even looking at your phone, Blindscape is only possible to participate in by using a provided iPhone, pre-loaded with the specially designed Blindscape app. This app provides the primary illumination for the show, permitting the performers to infiltrate the virtual world this light source creates. It offers the audience fleeting fragments of circus which ultimately question our relationship with our personal technologies via exploitation of that affiliation. This first of its kind circus show can only house thirty a performance so bookings are pretty essential for this one.
"Abbe May plays a scorching guitar — she is the f***ing s**t!" -Nic Harcout, MTV USA Still riding high after the tremendous success of 2011's Design Desire, one of Australia's most criminally under-appreciated artists is back with a brand-new album. And she's launching it by way of a national tour, heading to every state to seduce you firsthand. Or maybe punch you in the face. Or maybe even seduce you by punching you in the face. Abbe May might come from a tiny coastal town in the very southwest of WA, but over the course of four records she has built herself up to the precipice of world domination. Her last album was nominated for the Australian Music Prize and was roundly praised by nearly every person with ears who heard it, its dark, gnarly guitars oozing sultriness, her voice shining in the darkness like a switchblade at midnight. But May promises surprises on her new album, abandoning the '70s-psych influence of Design Desire in favour of "synth-driven doom pop". As May herself declares, "Kiss My Apocalypse is unashamedly sexual and would almost be romantic if it weren't for the vitriol." "Pop is sexy when done well and it's incredibly difficult to do it well if you try too hard," she says. "We wanted to get away from music that took itself too seriously. I'm so tired of this whole shoe gaze, it-cost-a-lot-of-money-to get-a-haircut-that-looks-like-I-haven't-brushed-my-hair-in-months type shit. 'Artists' in denial that they are basically just entertainers. Being an entertainer is more meaningful if you ask me. It's not such a selfish pursuit." For almost any other artist, a major shift in sound away from the most successful album of your career would be a death sentence, crippling you just as you were poised to make a real splash. But Abbe May isn't just any artist. And when you consider that her first two albums drew heavily from (a) Deep South devil blues, then (b) Hawaiian-inspired rockabilly, a fourth major shift on her fourth album could be just what we were all waiting for. https://youtube.com/watch?v=bDJx-yLk3d0
Almost ten years ago, Slashdot gushed about the alternate reality game promo experimenting with games that cross the boundaries of internet and reality. More recently, we’ve gotten excited about augmented reality overlays onto real life cities, from literary adventures to popup art. Troy Innocent’s addition to the 19thInternational Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) conference (huddling under Vivid Ideas umbrella) will be a giant, competitive public treasure hunt, with a sideline some minor civil rearrangement. Zydnei divides its players into three factions — Codex, Oeknos and Dæmon — fighting to repurpose our city’s streets to a greater plan of their own. Volunteers will place coded tags around the city, before players track them down, take them off the walls and claim the tag for their own team. The game is free and runs eight weeks, with new tags added all the time. In Melbourne the winning team regrew the city to their own plan. How will you help reshape Sydney, if you can? Zydnei is free, but you'll need to register here.
It is always great when emerging artists are giving a platform to share their work. And when that platform is one of the best stages in the country? Well, that's even better. Last year, a bunch of independent artists and small-to-medium arts companies got to perform to crowds as part of Sydney Opera House's UnWrapped series. It was such a success that UnWrapped has been upgraded to Festival status for 2019. In May, five more indie theatre gems will take to Sydney Opera House's various stages. William Yang's PARTY (verb) hauls us back into the heyday of Sydney's queer underground scene, while My Urrwai is a very personal retracing of Torres Strait Islander artist Ghenoa Gela's family and political history. Ali McGregor's Yma Sumac: The Peruvian Songbird uses cabaret to resurrect a wild Peruvian soprano and The Director gives us a humorous peek under the coffin-lid of today's funeral industry, courtesy of Scott Turnbull and Lara Thoms. Finally, PYT Fairfield's Playlist blasts pop hits to propel us through the experiences of five young women from western Sydney. Alongside the performances, there'll be a pop-up bar serving show-inspired cocktails throughout the festival season and meet and greet sessions with the artists. Plus, on Saturday, May 18, the artists will gather for a panel discussion on how their life experiences impact their performances. Festival UnWrapped not only gives you the chance to support independent theatre, it gives you the chance to watch it in one of the city's most iconic buildings. Catch these shows while they're at the Opera House so you don't need to find them in the wild. Festival UnWrapped will run from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 19. For more information on the program and to book tickets, head this way. Images: My Urrwai, supplied; PARTY (verb), William Yang; Playlist, supplied; The Director, Bryony Jackson; Yma Sumac, Rich Hardcastle.
Summer always brings hot days to Sydney — and it brings more than a few must-see exhibitions to town, too. The MCA and Art Gallery of NSW have rolled out their blockbusters (David Goldblatt and art from the Hermitage, respectively), and, with Sydney Festival, a huge Star Wars showcase at the Powerhouse and a slew of great shows at smaller galleries, you really have a lot to see before the season is out. Hop to it.
If you're a dog person, being surrounded by wagging tails and beaming pooch faces is one of the happiest feelings in the world. Here's another: doing your part to assist animals in need. Each year — a pandemic hiatus aside — the RSPCA's Million Paws Walk combines the two, asking Sydneysiders and their puppers to go for a stroll to help raise funds for an obviously extremely worth cause. Come Sunday, May 26, this endorphin-sparking mosey returns for 2024, taking over Cathy Freeman Park within Sydney Olympic Park. Whether you're keen to dress up for the occasion — in a matching outfit to your four-legged bestie, of course — or just pop on your sneakers and usual workout attire, you can choose between a two- and four-kilometre walk from 10am. Tickets costs $15 for adults and $7.50 for concessions, with the money raised going towards RSPCA NSW's work rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals. In addition to the exercise, you and Rover can browse a heap stalls afterwards, and enter raffles, shop for RSPCA merch, listen to live tunes and score prizes. Can't make it to Sydney Olympic Park? Check out the full list of venues around NSW. Images: Call of the Wild Pet Photography.
Unleash your inner badass by tagging local walls, sans spray paint or legal consequences. Wallit is a new app that allows users to leave their digital mark wherever they may be. This 'graffiti' exists only in the virtual world, but the wall in question is connected with an actual, physical location. It's the self-proclaimed "only geo-social app connecting people to places through one-of-a-kind multimedia messages on augmented reality walls." Equipped with location awareness, Wallit lets you record a 'tag' (including text, or video or audio clips) on the virtual version of the actual place you left it. The tag is only visible to other app users when they arrive at the location themselves. With the upgraded 1.1 "super walls" version of the app, tags may also be visible to other users in a similar area; for instance, if you tag a McDonald's, other users will be able to see it as they munch on their burger at another McDonald's. Other users may choose to respond to your original tag, sparking interaction, or, in true street artist style, leave their own two cents to outdo yours. [via Fast Company]
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to wake up next to George Gershwin, this show just might be the sweet relief you've been waiting for. Set in the roaring 20s and the probably-would-also-be-roaring-if-not-for-the-Depression 30s, Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin is a beautiful production that mixes tap, ballet, hip hop and contemporary dance against a backdrop of Gershwin's beloved Broadway classics and his opera Porgy and Bess. These guys think they can dance, and they are correct in thinking that. The company is Laurence Olivier Award–winning Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu. These people aren't only amazing dancers, they're also French! Choreography is by José Montalvo and Dominique Hervieu, with music, obviously, by Georgie G. The Financial Times described Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin as "life-enhancing"; I don't know about you but I can really use some life-enhancement, especially if all it takes is to sit quietly in a dark room for a few hours and clap every once in a while, not a downward dog in sight. “Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin! Enhance away.”
Still trying to get your head around Tracey Moffatt's bold, brave (and sometimes obscure) art legacy? The good folks at the Art Gallery of New South Wales are giving you a helping hand this winter. And they're not charging you a cent for the pleasure. As the holders of the largest collection of Tracey Moffatt pieces in Australia, the Gallery has handpicked some of the legendary Australian artist's key works for display, in an exhibition titled Laudanum and other works. The selected artworks — on show until September 4 — will explore Moffatt's interest in melodrama and cinema through both her still and moving image works. Even though Laudanum (1998) and Plantation (2009) were created more than 11 years apart, their exploration of fear, desire and high drama is linked through the motif of colonial architecture. In between working on them, she joined forces with Gary Hillberg to come up with video montages Love (2003) and Other (2009). The former follows the turbulent journey from romantic love to cruelty, while the second records powerful chemistry erupting between races, sexes and genders.
Tucked away in The Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, The Gallery is known for its lavish high teas. While we were all trapped inside last year, the venue provided some much-needed at-home indulgence with a lockdown-friendly high tea, and now that we're all back out in the world, it's serving up in-person extravagance with a regularly changing menu. Right now, the current limited-time menu is a truffle-heavy feast. The Truffle and Chocolate High Tea is available 10am–4pm, seven days a week until Sunday, August 7. The treat-filled feast will set back each guest $89, which includes savoury dishes like black truffle and mushroom panna cotta, chicken with truffle rillettes and a salmon and truffle leek tart. Of course, no high tea is complete without a fair share of sweets. Dark chocolate and orange jaffa tart, white chocolate cannoli and mascarpone and chocolate cake are all included in the tea, plus your choice of coffee or tea. Those that want to add a glass of Vranken Diamant Brut NV champagne on arrival can for an extra $20. Head to The Gallery website to reserve your spot. Images: Yusuke Oba
Every actor has one, albeit in various shades, lengths and textures, but sometimes one single hairstyle says everything about a film. Wildly careening in whichever direction it seems to feel like at any point, yet also strikingly sculptural, the towering reddish stack of curly locks atop Penélope Cruz's head in Official Competition is one such statement-making coiffure. It's a stunning sight, with full credit to the movie's hairstylists. These tremendous tresses are both unruly and immaculate; they draw the eye in immediately, demanding the utmost attention. And, yes, Cruz's crowning glory shares those traits with this delightful Spanish Argentine farce about filmmaking — a picture directed and co-written by Mariano Cohn and Gastуn Duprat (The Distinguished Citizen), and also starring Antonio Banderas (Uncharted) and Oscar Martínez (Wild Tales), that it's simply impossible to look away from. Phenomenal hair is just the beginning for Cruz here. Playing filmmaker Lola Cuevas — a Palme d'Or-winning arthouse darling helming an ego-stroking prestige picture for rich octogenarian businessman Humberto Suárez (José Luis Gómez, Truman) — she's downright exceptional as well. Humberto decides to throw some cash into making a movie in the hope of leaving a legacy that lasts, and enlisting Lola to work her magic with a Nobel Prize-winning novel called Rivalry is quite the coup. So is securing the talents of flashy global star Félix Rivero (Banderas) and serious theatre actor Iván Torres (Martínez), a chalk-and-cheese pair who'll work together for the first time, stepping into the shoes of feuding brothers. But before the feature can cement its backer's name in history, its three key creatives have to survive an exacting rehearsal process. Lola believes in rigorous preparation, and in testing and stretching her leading men, with each technique she springs on them more outlandish and stressful than the last. As Lola, Cruz is a 'find yourself someone who can do both'-kind of marvel. She's clearly starring in a comedy, and her timing, rhythms and line delivery are as fine-tuned as any acting great who has ever tried to amuse an audience — and serve up a hefty reminder that viewers rarely get to see her in such a role — but she perfects the drama of the situation, too. The latter stems from Lola's male leads, who are caught up in a clash of egos, and from the director herself as she keeps eagerly but purposefully pulling their strings. Light, fluid, sharp, smart: they all fit this savvily portrayed character, and never for a second does Cruz feel like she's seesawing too easily, needlessly or temperamentally from comic to serious and back. Earlier in 2022, she was nominated for an Oscar for her sublime performance in Parallel Mothers — an award she deserved to win, but didn't — and although Official Competition couldn't be a more different film, she's just as much of a force to be reckoned with within its frames. Cohn and Duprat might have a little of Lola in them, as well as conjuring her up with fellow scribe Andrés Duprat (My Masterpiece). The Argentine filmmaking duo's rehearsal methods aren't part of the movie, obviously, and it's likely that they didn't wrap their cast in cling wrap as their protagonist hilariously does — but, whatever mechanisms they deployed, they obtain outstanding performances from their key players. This is Cruz's film, but Banderas revels in the chance to cleverly and cannily satirise his profession and industry as much as she does, with the two teaming up yet again after featuring side by side in plenty of Pedro Almodóvar's movies (see: Pain and Glory most recently). The playful teasing is ramped up a level, and there's a greater emphasis on his killer stare, which can flip from brooding to charming to pouting in an instant; however, the result remains remarkable. Martínez plays it relatively straight in-between his co-stars, but is no less compelling; Iván has his own ego battles. Getting Cruz, Bandereas and Martínez bouncing off of each other was always bound to spark something special. They're acting in the service of unpacking acting, and their pitch-perfect portrayals perceptively probe and parody in tandem. The arrogance that comes with fame, the quest for constant validation, the ridiculousness of being a celebrity — they're all targets for laughs, as is the gaping chasm between acting megastardom and everything else. None of these spark new revelations, but Official Competition isn't merely content to get three top talents turning in ace performances to merely state the blatant. Cohn and Duprat's work relies upon acting, and they clearly treasure it as an artform, even as they poke fun at it. The jokes land, but their film also has time to appreciate the emotional toll that goes into a dynamite performance and the sincerity summoned up by the best of the best, all as Lola wrings everything she can out of Félix and Iván. Her tactics, unfurled across their nine-day pre-shoot period, and designed to get the two men to discard their senses of self and become one with their characters, would do Wile E Coyote proud. They're more mischievous than torturous, though — and they're also shrewd and very funny. In one, Félix and Iván argue beneath a giant rock, suspended precariously above them, heightening their anxiety while Lola is thoroughly nonplussed. Another gets them practicing their kissing techniques in front of a bank of microphones so that every sound can be heard and critiqued, with their director ruthless in her scrutiny. In yet another, getting wrapped in plastic together, which both Félix and Iván unsurprisingly abhor, is part of a bold and drastic plan to get the pair to relinquish their reliance upon external approval. What images these three scenarios, and others like them, spark — capturing Cruz and that hairdo, naturally, and so much more. Plenty about Official Competition sounds surreal, and it's certainly how this spectacularly staged and shot feature looks at every moment. Eccentric and meticulous are words that describe Lola and, of course, her coif; they couldn't sum up the movie's production design or cinematography better, too. Here's another that fits: magnificent. Director of photography Arnau Valls Colomer (Lost Transmissions) operates on a Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul level of visual precision, spanning where the camera is placed, the angles it peers on from, the painterly composition of each and every image, and what that level of detail says about an industry that's all about detail. Like the gem it is, everything about this film gleams.
Get ready to go another round with your favourite pansexual, wise-cracking, mass-murdering mercenary. To celebrate the release of Deadpool on Blu-ray on May 25, Fox Home Entertainment are throwing a massive party at The Standard Bowl complete with bowling, DJs and chimi-fucking-changas. It all goes down on the evening of Sunday, May 22 from 6pm. It's invite only and there'll be food and booze, as well as Deadpool-themed giveaways, plus everyone will get a copy of the Blu-ray to call their own. In the words of the man himself, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. [competition]573058[/competition] Image: Fox.
Lightning Ridge might be best known for its enduring opal mining history, but the community's collection of bizarre museums is definitely a close second. Bottle House Museum is one such structure, constructed from 5800 bottles and featuring a wide variety of curiosities for sale inside. A short drive away, the Astronomers Monument is another kooky landmark dedicated to scientists like Copernicus, while the colourful Beer Can House does what it says on the proverbial tinnie. If you love off-the-wall antiques and unusual souvenirs, don't miss the Kangaroo Hill Complex. Perhaps the most emblematic of the town's unusual art spaces is Amigo's Castle. This 15-metre-tall structure, based on Italian ruins, was hand-built with ironstone boulders in the 1980s, and is home to a small gallery, underground cellars, a corner turret and no roof, while the grounds surrounding the castle contain all sorts of tongue-in-cheek oddities. Image: John, Flickr
Take Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and add it to the rare list of sequels that transcend their predecessors. Picking up the story around ten years after Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the opening titles paint a bleak picture of a world brought to the brink of extinction via the so-called 'Simian Flu'. Brink of extinction for humanity, that is, because the apes, by contrast, have flourished. Under the strict yet compassionate leadership of Caesar (once again made inconceivably lifelike thanks to Andy Serkis's performance and the remarkable team at WETA), the apes have now adopted a number of human traits and habits: communication through sign language, horse riding, spear wielding and even the establishment of some rudimentary written rules — chief amongst which is: APE NOT KILL APE. Given the descent into murderous anarchy by the scattered human survivors of the virus, that proclamation is intended as a critical point of difference for Caesar, a mark of pride and proof of primate primacy. It's also, unfortunately, delusory, and it is in that realm of 'innocence lost' that Dawn spends most of its time. With rivalries and jealousies brewing between both father and son and leader and lieutenant, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is something of a modern-day Richard III. What makes it so compelling is that none of the villains — ape or human — are without their justifiable reservations and prejudices. Koba, for example, is Caesar's unfailingly loyal friend and bodyguard, yet he bares the scars of cruel human testing and holds no affection for the survivors. On the human side, the leader of the survivors' colony (Gary Oldman) sees only the faces of his dead wife and children whenever confronted by apes, and his determination to restore power to the city has no room for the kind of simian compassion shown by his lieutenant (Jason Clarke). Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is smaller in both scale and ambition than Rise yet feels so much bigger and more satisfying. It's an 'us and them' tale, a prelude to war where neither side is as unified as they might think. The direction by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) is technical and delicate, aided by sumptuous cinematography and special effects that are nothing short of exquisite, with even the most intense closeup failing to betray even the tiniest flaw in design. If anything, the CGI apes outperform the humans in almost every scene in which screen time is shared. Tender, tense, intelligent and morally complex, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an outstanding film and a genuine contender for blockbuster of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=3sHMCRaS3ao
What's better than one happy hour? How about two? That's exactly what the Paski Vineria Popolare crew is offering up daily. And with Paski's close proximity to Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Oxford Art Factory, this is the perfect opportunity to grab dinner and a drink pre- or post-theatre shows and gigs. Head into the downstairs bar from Monday, September 4 and you'll stumble upon a set of exciting deals curated by Paski's chef Enrico Tomelleri and the Oxford Street pasta and wine joint's co-owners Giorgio De Maria and Mattia Dicati. But what exactly is on offer? Well, there are two options available. From 5–6:30pm, the Salatino happy hour reigns supreme, celebrating salty, crunchy Italian pastry snacks. Take your pick from $4 pesto-layered pastries and umami-forward anchovies and mortadella — or enjoy a mix for $10. Alongside the snacks, you'll find a selection of affordable drink deals that pair perfectly with the snacks on offer — like Paski's vermouth of the week for $10, a $12 glass of sparkling wine or an exclusive sake cocktail collaboration with Newtown's Ante called A Sicilian in Tokyo Fizz, on offer for $14. The second option, the Aglio e Olio late-night happy hour, will feature its namesake pasta from 9–11pm. The pasta is available for $15 and can be paired with an Amaro Rubino Sour ($10) or a mystery glass of wine hand-selected by the Paski team ($9). Plus, you can end your night with a scooping of tiramisu for just $8. The happy hours were inspired by the Italian tradition where guests are served a savoury snack alongside paired sips during the early evening before they proceed to cook a hearty pasta dish to curb those late-night cravings.
Feeling a little frosty? Can't find the motivation to leave your couch? Huddled under every blanket in your house? No, you're not just particularly susceptible to the wintry season — the mercury is plummeting, and Australia's east coast capitals look set to endure their coldest weekend of 2018. In fact, according to Weatherzone, Sydney hit just 6.2 degrees early today — which is the frostiest morning it has had so far this year. Suburbs such as Richmond and Penrith dropped even further, down to -2.2 degrees and 0.4 degrees. In other parts of New South Wales, records that have stood for decades are falling, with Dubbo's low of -5.8 marking the regional town's coldest night for a whopping 78 years. In Queensland, it's a similar situation. Brisbane Times reports that Brisbane has indeed just shivered through its coldest morning of 2018, with temperatures dipping to 6.7 degrees. That's just chillier than the previous coldest morning of the year, with the city hitting 6.9 degrees back on June 16. Elsewhere across the state, areas such as Applethorpe, Amberley and Toowoomba experienced their iciest climes in several years. For Victoria, widespread frost was predicted across the state by the Bureau of Meteorology, with temperatures dropping to 4.4 degrees in Melbourne and 2.4 degrees at the airport. The city didn't reach the low of three degrees that was forecast, however, which would've made it the coldest morning of the year. Alas, the colder temperatures aren't going anywhere for a few days — News.com.au reports that the east coast will be rather chilly until Monday. BOM's forecasts have Sydney hitting lows of five degrees on Sunday morning and then four degrees on Monday (with maximums of 17 and 18 respectively); Melbourne wavering between five and 13 on Sunday; and Brisbane will get down to six degrees again on Sunday as well. Via news.com.au / Brisbane Times / Weatherzone.
The recent fad for tilt shift photography meets its antithesis in Mirage by Anna Carey. Where tilt-shift made the real look miniature, Carey makes the miniature look real. At first seeming to be a series of photos of abandoned Gold Coast beach buildings, the buildings are in fact each miniature models photographed in situ by Carey. Just as Eugene Agtet documented Parisian buildings scheduled for demolition, Carey's art here gets interested in the Vegas-like rapid turnover of architecture on the Gold Coast. Though her buildings aren’t models of real places, they still feel real and adding location backdrops completes the illusion. The stilted house of Golden Palms is a green study of Queensland winds and shaggy heat. Sea Mist’s lonely, blue weatherboard building seems to sag, windows lolling open with humidity. Not unlike David Hockney’s Los Angeles paintings, which were real images polished to became portraits of a dream city, Carey has skipped ahead to land at the end of this same architectural dream, four decades later. The show also includes the original models used in Stardust, Crystal Pacific and Pacific Moon. Getting close to these cardboard and toothpick-wooden models, you can appreciate how much work went into the design of a rotten door or faded rail. And doubly so how much more work lay in covering up what flaws remained in photographic circles of confusion as Mirage manages to transfer dream to reality, documenting an older incarnation of the Gold Coast slowly making way for a newer version of same. Photo Star Dust by Anna Carey.
When you get right down to it, successful parenting is governed by one rule: try and make a better life for your kid than the one you had. So when are you allowed to make the call on whether you succeeded? And what do you tell your kids when they show an interest in pursuing the same career that morally bankrupted you? Sorting Out Rachel is David Williamson's latest play, in which he asks whether it's possible to dry clean a stained legacy. Bruce (John Howard) is a businessman at the end of a successful career. He has ushered through a few mergers, cut a couple of throats and kept his nearest and dearest fed and watered. But his daughter (Natalie Saleeba) isn't happy. Her husband (Glenn Hazeldine) is obsessed with their social status and his granddaughter Rachel (Jenna Owen) is veering closer to the sort of life Bruce is beginning to regret. Bruce knows how to fix these problems, but that would involve coughing up a secret he's been guarding for long time now. Thinking of starting a family? Liking the sound of a career in business? Head to the Ensemble Theatre and let one of Australia's most lauded social commentators explain why you haven't thought it through properly. Images: Heidrun Löhr
Sydney's FBi Radio are about to throw down a whole lot of beats, with their brand new digital station FBi Click set to launch on June 25. Showcasing the sweatiest, fuzziest and catchiest new dance and electronic music, the brand new offshoot station will broadcast beats, drops and build-ups 24 hours a day. "Dance music has always been an integral part of the FBi sound, and we’re stoked to be bringing together the scenes and communities we’ve been collaborating with for 10 years," say the FBi team. The digital sidearm was hinted at earlier this year, as the pet project of longtime legend and General Manager of Music, Dan Zilber. On the menu for FBi Click are ten new flagship programs hosted by some of Australia's favourite dance connoisseurs. Shows from the likes of Astral People, THUMP (by Vice), Good God Small Club, Sweat It Out, Purple Sneakers, Picnic, Halfway Crooks, Motorik, Body Promise (Mealo & Amelia Jenner), Sequence (Stuart Buchanan), Lazy Radio (Tony Chill) and Bare Necessities (Klue) will form the program schedule for the new FBi branch. Fans of FBi Radio's nightly Sunsets program will appreciate the beloved independent Sydney station's savvy with electronic music. FBi Click will see exclusive mixes from the existing roster of DJs and presenters including Simon Caldwell, Stolen Records with Shantan Wantan Ichiban and Mike Who, Kato & Bad Ezzy, Low Motion with Max Gosford, James Taylor & Murat Kilic and Future Classic DJs and more. If you've got a digital radio, FBi Click wil replace the current simulcast of FBi 94.5 on DAB+. Otherwise you can listen online at fbiradio.com/click from Wednesday June 25. For more information on the individual shows on FBi Click and for details on the official launch party at Good God Small Club, head to FBi's website over here. Party on dudes. Via FBi Radio. Image by Erik Bergan.
Following the release of their debut album, Howlin', earlier in 2013, Jagwar Ma have been on some kind of rampage of touring across Europe, playing all the biggest festivals and establishing themselves as a live act that you simply have to see. Their last Australian shows were at Splendour in the Grass in July, but reports out of the northern hemisphere suggest that this band has gone to a whole other level in just a few short months. And summer in Sydney is the perfect setting for their highly danceable tunes, full of great grooves and an irresistible energy. https://youtube.com/watch?v=K8KCPw9kYpo
Sydney trio Little May could be Australia's answer to folk warblers First Aid Kit. They've certainly been compared to the Swedish duo, and to New Zealand's Tiny Ruins, but at the moment they are carving out their own path. They've recently put out their debut, self-titled EP and are wrapping up an Australian tour with the legendary Rodriguez. But there's no rest for the wicked (or the wickedly charming, in this case). The Little May ladies are about to embark on a 12-date national headline tour to promote the EP. The group's sound has been described as 'ghost folk' — and it does indeed brim with haunting melodies and unapologetically personal and nostalgic lyrics. Watch the strange video for their track 'Dust' to get a sense of their style. It seems to be working. Hype is following Little May wherever they go — from appearances at Splendour and Laneway, to an intimate showcase in London, a string of shows at CMJ in New York, and now this tour back home. Tickets are selling fast (one Melbourne show has already sold out), so get on this. https://youtube.com/watch?v=HwV2GCooJlg
4:48 Psychosis is the last play penned by British playwright Sarah Kane before her suicide in 1999. That the manuscript was left in an envelope with her suicide note probably gives you a fair idea of what you're in for here. Variously described by critics as 'a deeply personal howl of pain' and 'written in the almost certain knowledge that it would be performed posthumously', Kane's final work, one imagines, is as difficult to stage as it is to watch. The script is a puzzle, with no setting, no characters and no delineations for dialogue. When the Royal Court first staged the play a year after her death, they had several different groups of actors gather for readings in an attempt to assign voices to certain segments. Regardless of how Red Line Productions choose to stage it, this is difficult material. One interpretation of the script paints a consciousness (with or without a body is unclear) in turmoil, raging against uncomprehending medical staff and itself in equal measure. But many reviews of past productions have also written of the playfulness of the text and a surprising humour. Kane never flinched from the grit and unpleasantness of existence, but almost two decades after being written, 4:48 Psychosis also burns with energy and ferocity. This one'll be hard going, but the rewards are there for those who can tough it out. Image: Marmaras Shoots.
Megan Washington redefines the act of wearing your heart on your sleeve. The Melburnian artist is performing for one night only at Oxford Art Factory as part of an intimate national mini-tour kicked off in Melbourne and finishing up in Brisbane. Crediting her time in London for reigniting the ol' songwriting flame, Washington will be promoting her first singles in two years, the recently released 'Who Are You' and 'Limitless', as well as snippets from her upcoming new album There There (due September). The 28-year-old's shows have a rep for selling out fast, so get in quick if you want to catch the multi award-winning artist belting out her heartfelt, brutally honest tunes. Since winning triple j's unearthed competition way back in 2008, Washington has gained a truly loyal following and massive critical acclaim thanks to her witty, sometimes acerbic lyrics sweetened by upbeat, compulsive, play-me-over-and-over pop. Her 2010 debut album I Believe You Liar was a colossal hit and casually went multi-platinum. Next month sees the release of her highly anticipated, second full-length album, with longtime Washington fans super curious to see how her recent collaboration with bigwig producer Samuel Dixon (think Sia, think Adele) has influenced her style. https://youtube.com/watch?v=R8LsswiDj_o
We hope the trend of hotels opening up their rooftop bars to the public is one that is long-lived indeed. The jaw-dropping vistas seen from the Intercontinental poolside bar are the same as those enjoyed by Princess Diana, George W. Bush (and his entourage of 300) and Sir Elton John, in its former life as the Ritz Carlton. Well, if it's good enough for those guys. And here's a sneaky tip – if you can't wait until sundown for a sip, they're doing Moet & Chandon brunches through the summer. Did someone say staycation?
We're called Concrete Playground; how could we not endorse a bit of childhood regression? Camp Super Happy Sunshine Fun is setting up at Newtown Neighbourhood Centre to help you shed the baggage of adulthood and get silly with games, arts and crafts, a 'Potato Olympics' and friendship circles. Camp director Maya Sebestyen has actually worked at US summer camps, so authenticity is a given. Read the rest of our top ten picks of the Sydney Fringe Festival 2013.
The man behind two of the smartest, sweariest shows on television will open this year's Sydney Writers' Festival with a talk about spin and satire in the world of modern day politics. Armando Iannucci is best known as the creator of two of the funniest political comedies in living memory: the BBC's The Thick of It and HBO's Veep. Both shows have been lauded for their uncomfortably accurate portrayal of contemporary politics. In fact, they're so accurate that Malcolm Turnbull even accidentally adopted one of Selina Myer's slogans during last year's federal election campaign. Whoops! Both shows also beloved among fans for having some of the most entertaining profanity ever uttered on television… and for very good reason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUky4_A7Zw4 Iannucci will be at the Sydney Town Hall on the evening of Tuesday, May 2 with local journalist and screenwriter Benjamin Law, for a conversation that has been appropriately titled 'Swearing In'. Tickets are available now, and are $30 for students and pensioners, and $45 for adults. The full Sydney Writers' Festival program will be announced on April 6. The festival runs from May 22-28.
The last known Tasmanian Tiger (or thylacine) died almost exactly 80 years ago — on September 7, 1936 — at Hobart Zoo. Although many Aussie species have been driven to extinction since then, none has lingered in our collective imagination with quite as much power. A new play from Human Animal Exchange takes this phenomenon as its dramatic starting point. Titled They Saw A Thylacine and showing at Q Theatre on April 23, the two-woman work stars Sarah Hamilton and Justine Hamilton. Taking on the roles of a thylacine tracker and a zookeeper's daughter, the two conjure up the Tasmanian Tiger's ghost out of death and darkness. Along the way, they reimagine the creature's vanished history, explore the meanings and ramifications of extinction, and reflect on humanity's survival. Following a highly successful run at Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre, They Saw A Thylacine is the first production in this year's Brave New Work, an annual season of new and innovative Australian theatre, presented at The Joan, Penrith. Image: Pia Johnson.
