Guess who's blowing out the candles this coming Saturday? In the three short years they've been on the Sydney music scene, Astral People have become synonymous with sourcing burgeoning local talent and curating club nights to remember. In the past, they've brought out international stars who otherwise could not have made it to our shores, amongst them acid-house visionaries Phuture, co-founders of London's innovative Night Slugs label (L-Vis 1990, Bok Bok), and the enigmatic Laurel Halo. But birthdays are always remembered best by the company of our nearest and dearest. And this time, Astral People are gathering a host of Sydney's finest musicians to celebrate with us in a full venue takeover of Goodgod Small Club for the night. The (huge) line-up includes Alba, Ben Fester, Black Vanilla, Cliques, Collarbones, Cosmo's Midnight, Dro Carey, Huggs, Jonti and the Astral Kids, Levins, Modern Fairytale, Moon Holiday, Preacha and Rainbow Chan. If Astral People's past events were anything to go buy, this massive birthday shindig should be one to mark in the diary. Dancing shoes, check; good times, check. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_W0SaUlGUS0
Shopping around for Sydney music? The annual Surry Hills Festival is back this September in a celebration of everything there is to love about the inner-city suburb. Dropping its music line-up earlier today, this year's festival promises to be a big one. Headlining the pack is Donny Benet, his eccentric tunes harking back to a time of kitschy disco meets funk (his new track with Kirin J. Callinan is everything you'd expect from the duo; an '80s throwback to perfection). Also headlining are Sydney psychedelic rockers, The Laurels, who have recently toured alongside the likes of Tame Impala and The Black Angels. There's also Spookyland — helmed by Marcus Gordan — aptly named thanks to their haunting folk tunes. For dancing after dark, Sydney electronic outfit Canyons will be playing a DJ set, as will Goodgod's rock 'n' roll dancehall favourites, Yo Grito!. Indie-pop band The Lulu Raes, electro-rock two-piece Tales In Space, singer-songwriter Little Fox, and the fantastic genre defying Spirit Valley (think Brian Jonestown Massacre but with chaotic drone) will also be bringing good vibes to the 'hood. For a chance to support local up-and-comers, AIM will be showcasing some of the best musical talent from its tiers. If you still can't think of an excuse to come down, proceeds raised will go towards a fundraiser for the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre for vital community projects to keep the suburb alive and going. But also, Donny Benet. Come on.
Underground inner west rave cave Tokyo Sing Song has reopened its neon-lit dance floor, running events every Friday and Saturday. Hidden underneath Marly Bar, the King Street club has enlisted the help of Sydney party crew Picnic. If Picnic's name rings a bell, the team of dance music enthusiasts has been behind dance floors at the likes of Picnic Social, Fellr's Pop-Up Seltzer Bar and CC:Disco's show at the Roundhouse, as well as international tours from Peggy Gou, Jayda G and DJ Harvey. For these weekly events, Picnic is always dipping into Sydney's trusty community of local DJs — lining up the likes of Tornado Wallace, Bria, Deepa, Isa, Kato and Ben Fester — as well as pulling in special guests from interstate. For each week's lineup, head to Picnic's website where you can see all their pop-up raves and parties. Ticket prices vary depending on the night but are generally between $15-40, with free entry before 11pm for some events. [caption id="attachment_828929" align="alignnone" width="1929"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Top image: Katje Ford
Twelve of Australia's best chefs are getting together at OzHarvest's HQ over ten nights to, firstly, bring you delicious feasts and, secondly, raise money for people in need. Each evening a new chef will take over the kitchen to create three courses (matched with wines) for just 40 ticket holders. A seat at the table costs $200 — and every sold out event will provide 16,000 meals for others. Choose from a whole slew of chefs from Sydney's best restaurants. See the full delicious lineup below. Bennelong's Rob Cockerill (10 October) Sixpenny's Aaron Ward (11 October) Otto's Richard Ptacnik (12 October) Nomad's Jacqui Challinor and Ash St Cellar's Zac Ahrens(13 October) Paper Daisy's Ben Devlin (14 October) Firedoor's Lennox Hastie (17 October) Oakridge's Matt Stone (18 October) OzHarvest's Travis Harvey (21 October)
Do you wish you could mix up an Old Fashioned like Don Draper? Do the words “Tiki Safari” make your mouth water in anticipation of the magical Mai Tai? Do you spend your days weighing up the pros and cons of gin and vodka or pondering how tequila can break free from the shackles of salt, lemon and shot glasses? Whether you answered “yes” to all of the above or whether you just like to enjoy the odd cocktail, you will probably be excited to hear about Bar Week. The formerly trade only drinks show is now throwing its doors open to the thirsty public after a decade of showcasing the best in brews, bottles and fancy garnishes to industry professionals. Sunday, 23 September is when the week’s flagship event will be staged in the form of Drinks Fest (tickets $25 for either the morning or afternoon session). Amongst those happenings stirring up connotations of the word “seminar” are a pre-noon Tiki Safari, an Irish Whisky Tasting, masterclasses on libations ranging from Cuba’s Mojito to Don’s Old Fashioned and a hands-on lesson in creative mixology intended to break rules and introduce cocktails back into Aussie households. Many of the day’s events are aimed at breathing new life into spirits commonly brought down by false stereotypes. A class called ‘Why Everyone Should Love Tequila!’ will take skeptics on a taste-test south of the border. To celebrate the broadening of mind and palette, the day will culminate in a sunset BBQ at Cruise Bar next door, offering free entry to all ticket holders. Plenty of other boozy events will be taking place outside of the Overseas Passenger Terminal too. Saturday’s CBD Speakeasy Tour will take you back to the 1920s for three hours as you’re escorted from one secret small bar to the next, whilst Tuesday's Sailing With Single Malts cruise offers whisky lovers the chance to enjoy their favourite tipple on the high seas. Saturday night will also see the festivities kicked off with a night of sophisticated slurping doused in New York hospitality at the freshly overhauled Morrison (read: fresh oysters, live jazz and classic bespoke cocktails). Concrete Playground has 10 double passes to give away to Drinks Fest on Sunday, 23 September. For a chance to win, make sure you’re subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au Sydney Bar Week will run from 22 to 25 September 2012. For the full timetable of Bar Week events visit www.barweek.com.au/timetable.
Now in its 14th year, the Independent Games Festival recognises some of the most innovative leaps in video game development, all coming from independent publishers and developers from around the world. Though based in San Francisco, the IGF has teamed up with Sydney Opera House's Graphic Festival to present the pick of this year's featured titles. The first thing you'll notice when you arrive at the western foyer of the SOH is that the Best of the IGF is laid out with almost no ceremony. Large monitors sit at tables scattered around the foyer, with tiny little printouts detailing the rules and publishing information for the games you can play at each station. If you weren't looking specifically for this, you'd miss it completely, which is a real shame because the games on show here are an inspiring vision of the evolution of the art form. It is disappointing as well to notice that not much care seems to have been given to the maintenance of the layout — several games were not working when I came to play — and there is no easily found information about where you can purchase those games that have been commercially released. Having said that, the Best of the IGF offers a fantastic taste of ingenuity. One noticeable feature of the games on offer is that they have taken an established genre — such as 2D platformer, dungeon crawl and first-person horror survival — and switched their emphasis from a basic hack/slash to immersive problem-solving. Pick of the bunch for me is the terrifying Amnesia: The Dark Descent (see video), produced by Frictional Games in Sweden. You play as Daniel, an amnesiac who wakes up in a collapsing castle with the imperative to reclaim your memory and get the hell out of there. The only way to do this is to solve complex, object-based puzzles and read scraps of information left around the castle. But...oh...fa...the castle is crawling with psychotic, brain-melting horrors that will hunt you down and render you into gristle. These nightmares stalk you relentlessly, and poor Daniel's mind can only handle so much insanity before he becomes a whimpering sack of catatonia. Without any way of fighting these monsters, you must run and hide, huddle, close your eyes and pray that it'll be over soon. The soundtrack is so detailed and real that it's only a matter of time before a player has an actual heart attack when first chased through the dark corridors. A close second, and with a very different vibe, is Alexander Bruce's Antichamber. A koan, an exploration of non-Euclidean space; I am not sure exactly how to define this treasure. Again using the first-person perspective, you are given the option to navigate through a metaphysical space where all of your previously held understanding of video game conventions must be put aside. Parts of this game seem like Portal 2, but without the ability to make your own portals, and the puzzles are open-ended with even the most dire-seeming failures consoled with a continuing path. Also worthy of note is Playdead's Limbo. Using some very simple, but intuitive, physics, you guide a silhouette boy through a two-dimensional limbo. There is a dark, twisted sense of humour throughout the game, with the boy capable of grim, cartoon death at the hands of bear-traps and Burtonesque spiders. Ignore the poor layout and occasional malfunction — take a trip to the western foyer and play these games. Then support the indie scene by chasing them up online and purchasing your favourites. https://youtube.com/watch?v=yyHtk_ZhZAk
Second-hand bonanzas don’t get any simpler than this. Introducing the Suitcase Rummage. To get involved, all you have to do is register online, throw everything you don’t want into a suitcase (or two or three) and head for Victoria Park on Saturday, November 14. There, you’ll meet similarly equipped de-clutterers. Happening between 11am and 4pm, the event is a market, but without the hassles of trestle tables, clothing racks or fancy arrangements. Instead, it’s all about buyers sorting and seeking for themselves. Suitcases will be loaded with all manner of goods, from bric-a-brac and vintage pieces, to CDs and vinyl, to jewellery and artworks. The Suitcase Rummage is a national event, which has taken place in Queensland, Victoria and the ACT. This is its first trip to Sydney. Those exclusively interested in buying — rather than selling — need not register. Just turn up on the day, ready to explore.
Update: December 14, 2018 — This event has unfortunately been cancelled and tickets are being refunded. Originating as part of Vivid Sydney 2017 and 2018, Ignite sees a symphony orchestra perform popular dance anthems from the 90s–now alongside electronic musicians and live vocalists — all synchronised to a light, laser and fireworks show. Taking place at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday, December 15, the show will feature recreations of well-known house and trance songs, such 'Sandstorm' by Darude, 'One More Tim' by Daft Punk and 'Children' by Robert Miles — along with current pop singles by the likes of Sia, Lorde and Beyonce. Sydney's Ensemble Apex chamber orchestra will act as the show's backbone, with surprise local and international guests taking the stage throughout the performance. Dance floor tickets start at $89.95 and will certainly be the best spot in the house, though seated tickets are also available, starting at $69.45.
Whether you're a stirrer or a shaker — or a sipper or a slurper — World Class Cocktail Festival is dedicated to you. For ten glorious days between Friday, September 9–Saturday, September 18, cocktail events will be taking place throughout Sydney's inner city, with dozens of different drinks on the menu. If you're a whisky fan, you can head to Quay for a series of cocktails presented by London's Lyaness with award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) playing host and Peter Gilmore providing the snacks. More of a margarita fan? Hickson Road Reserve will be hosting the Don Julio Food Truck Fiesta, with cocktails from Cantina OK! and food trucks from Ricos Tacos, Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Truck Dos. And, from The Connaught in London, aka the world's best bar for 2021, martini maestro Ago Perrone is hitting up Bennelong for one night, too. Also on the lineup: Norwegian bartender Monica Berg of Tayer + Elementary flexing her stuff at Shell House; Re's sustainability champion Matt Whiley doing a tour of the city, creating cocktails at hotspots like PS40 and Old Mate's Place using food and bar waste from other CBD venues; and all sorts of events popping up at local favourites like Earl's Juke Joint, Frankie's Pizza, Maybe Sammy, Hickson House and Dean & Nancy on 22. You can browse everything that's been announced so far at the festival's website, with even more events set to slide into the schedule closer to the date — and also pop-up unannounced during the festival. [caption id="attachment_814399" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dean and Nancy on 22, Steven Woodburn[/caption] Top image: Maybe Sammy, DS Oficina.
Tackling the subject of mental illness on screen is tough, especially if your chosen genre is romantic comedy. Tread too carefully and you risk trivialising the subject, lay it on too thick and you might end up with an over-drawn caricature â€" either way potentially offensive and inaccurate.Fortunately writer/director Max Mayer negotiates this fine line with some finesse. Adam is an atypical rom-com whose leading lad (Hugh Dancy) suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, impairing his ability to empathise and understand human relations. Adam’s insular existence is dismantled when sweet-natured Beth (Rose Byrne) moves into his building, and after a few awkward exchanges their undeniable chemistry presents the pair with the challenge of navigating a relationship.What is ultimately endearing about this film is that it refuses the fairy-floss predictability of its genre in favor of a more grounded approach. This is due in part to Dancy’s layered portrayal of Adam as a complex blend of infant, genius and troubled young man. Peddling neither high drama nor cheap laughs, Adam is an understated and simply told tale plumped by solid performances.https://youtube.com/watch?v=wnoNQa_qUm4
Art + Soul is an exhibition with a voice. Coinciding with a soon to be aired 3-part documentary series on the ABC that explores indigenous Australian art and culture, this showcase of over 100 works and objects is more than just paintings on a wall. Both the exhibition and documentary use three major themes — 'home and away', 'dreams and nightmares' and 'bitter sweet' — to explore the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders, with contemporary artistic expression. Featuring 40 artists including Destiny Deacon, Richard Bell, Mervyn Bishop, Tommy McRae, Ricky Maynard, Ginger Riley Munduwalawala, Judy Watson, Brenda L Croft, Emily Kam Ngwarray, John Mawurndjul, Naata Nungurrayi and Rusty Peters, Art + Soul aims to honour the past with a keen eye on the future. In the words of Hettie Perkins: "my father once said 'we know we cannot live in the past, but the past lives in us'". https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nrp0Cy0ooVM
Pop-up bars are no stranger to Sydney's streets — and neither is Trash Tiki. Operating waste-free, endeavouring to draw attention to over-consumption and single-use ingredients in the craft cocktail industry today, and travelling the world showing customers and bar owners how to do it too, it's the brainchild of UK bartenders Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths. And, the pop-up is coming back with its eco-conscious message. Once again, Trash Tiki aims to be a launchpad for a conversation on waste as it continues its global tour, with Europe, Asia, South America and the US among its previous destinations. Returning to Sydney after a stint serving up drinks last December, this time more than just beverages are on the menu. In fact, it comes with dinner. In celebration of World Bartender Day, the duo will settle in at the Four in Hand Hotel on February 28 and host a four-course meal that comes complete with four anti-waste cocktails. The drinks selection will be created using a combination of fresh local ingredients and things from the kitchen or bar that'd otherwise end up in the bin, including a special one-off Wild Card concoction that uses waste items from the dinner itself. Also on the menu: the Black & Tan Sour, which features Jim Beam Black Label, honey cream, lemon juice and stock, wattle seed syrup, whey, lemon husks and egg yolks. Image: Steven Woodburn.
Okay, everyone, get out your Laura Marling Cliche Bingo cards: Precocious! Songstress! Wise beyond her years! Waiflike! Preternatural! Used to date that Mumford guy! Ethereal! Joni Mitchell! Stripped-back! Wise beyond her years again for good measure! Now we've got all that rubbish out of the way, we can write about Marling as the serious, wonderful, once-in-a-generation songwriter and performer she is. Her new album, Once I Was An Eagle (yes, it's a Bill Callahan shout-out) is, like both its predecessors, already being chiselled onto Best of 2013 lists everywhere. It is indeed wise, but it's also guileless and sweet and true and the best possible kind of gut-punching. She's performing in Sydney on July 22, 23 and 24 as part of the Heavenly Sounds series, at St Stephen's Uniting Church on Macquarie Street, and there are still a handful of tickets available for the third show. If, for some reason, you haven't copped tickets, please allow this video — and her voice, with its clean-sheets clarity and woody warmth — to convince you.
Louis Vuitton's stamp of luxury (that popular LV) and Supreme's iconic red and white boxed logo are joining forced for their first collaborated pop-up shop — and they've picked Sydney to launch. From Friday, June 30 until Friday, July 13, the Bondi beach pop-up will feature coveted LV-stamped apparel paired with the Supreme logo accessories as seen in the men's autumn/winter 2017 line, which was announced at Paris Men's Fashion Week in January. Count yourself lucky, Sydney, this pop-up shop request was denied in New York City. The pop-up will stock the duo's new collaborative baseball caps, t-shirts and backpacks. And if you're feeling bold, the collection also features denim baseball jerseys, leather jackets, cross-body bags and much more. The store will also offer exclusive pop-up shop pieces that you'll have to check out for yourself. While the two brands were established 140 years apart, their collision of high fashion and New York City streetwear is a world-first — and a huge coup for Australia. The pop-up store will be open Monday to Sunday 10am–6pm, and Thursday 10am–7pm.
Jose James blends sexy jazz with drum 'n' bass. But stay with us — this isn't Skrillex with a saxophone. It's more like Gil Scott-Heron with turntables and a time machine. James makes jazz for the electronic and hip-hop generation, fusing '70s jazz soul with modern influences, new technology and his own smooth vocals. Last year James made a fleeting visit to Australia to play Melbourne International Jazz Festival and Sydney's Future Now show, and this month he's returning to command the dumpling-scented and beer-stained Standard. It's a fitting venue for the musician to present his brand new album No Beginning No End, an album which has really allowed James to dust off the remains of the jazz singer tag and show him for the genre-blending spearhead that he is. If you like your jazz dirty and your DnB barely recognisable, expect only good things. https://youtube.com/watch?v=5Gz2kqOupCI
No matter how much the term 'post rock' may still continue to irk, Tortoise are the influential people to blame for forcing some underpaid music journo to unleash it onto the post-Krautrock-progressive-experimental-instrumental world all those years ago. A band comprised over time of members of Slint, Sea & Cake, The For Carnation and many more (let's no-one mention Zwan), Tortoise remains one slow, amazing beast. Formed in 1990, they rose rhythmically to the forefront of the Chicago/Thrill Jockey scene, releasing only six full-length albums over the last twenty years, but each one a gem. Cycling through different interests and moods, Tortoise have explored jazz and electronica and, moving away from their noticeably non-vocal music, released a covers record in 2006 with Bonnie Prince Billy. Their twists and turns have won heapings of critical praise and a rabid (more mature nod-along than Bieber fever) fanbase. Tortoise curated an early All Tomorrow's Parties festival and are scheduled to play the New York version later this year by way of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. In the meantime, they play one show in Sydney, touted to be a truly special occasion. https://youtube.com/watch?v=6zRJftR_508
Toby Schmitz — actor, playwright, director, darling of Australian theatre scene — is taking a break from his life in South Africa playing pirates to take the helm (ha ha) of the Sydney Independent Theatre Company and Red Line Productions' production of Irish play Howie the Rookie by Mark O'Rowe (writer of Terminus). The play is a sometimes hilarious, often grotesque tale of the bizarre feud of honour between two friends/enemies, set in a Dublin of nightmares. The Howie Lee and The Rookie Lee get themselves into some absurdly amusing situations — from the scabies-infested mattress that starts it all off to the murder of a prominent and terrifying gangland figure's pet fish. And, to transport you all but literally and physically to the streets of the Irish capital, The Old Fitzroy Theatre will be serving Irish beer and Irish whiskey and playing host to a string of bands who all hail from the land of leprechauns, stodgy food — and did we mention whiskey?
After spending time at Gelato Messina Rosebery, Rocker and Grifter Brewery, Toby Wilson and his adored Sydney taco truck Ricos Tacos have found a permanent home in Chippendale. Located on Meagher Street, the new bricks-and-mortar outpost sees Ricos expand its always-reliable menu, and allows Wilson to experiment with new dishes and flavours. If you're looking for a recovery dinner from your Easter long weekend, the new Chippendale restaurant is hosting an al pastor party on Tuesday, April 19. Wilson and co will be bringing out the rotating meat to create al pastor tacos alongside hash browns and corn chips for a special one-night feast. For those out of the loop, al pastor is spit-grilled, marinated pork that is often found at street food vendors in Mexico. The tacos will be available for dine-in or takeaway from 5pm until they are sold out, so it's best to head over for an early dinner to make sure you get to try these tasty creations.
Beats allowed but not compulsory? What are they gonna use then? Well Michaela Davies uses electric muscle stimulation to control the limbs of her Involuntary Quartet, and Christian Moraga makes 'noise washes' created by fiddling around on a guitar synthesizer. FBi Utility Fog presenter Petter Hollo loops and layers cello as his alter ego Raven, and you’d better believe Julian Knowles has something other than softsynths up his sleeve after 20 years in the field. These are the four artists heading up the inaugural Pretty Gritty, a bimonthly experimental electronica night at Redfern's 107 Projects. It's a place where music shoved under the 'ambient electronica' umbrella can let loose and spit uneven shards of broken melody all around the room, or strip back the layers and bare its quietly reverberating soul. Because electronica can be pretty too.
Is there a better way to round out your work week than hitting the pub? What about hitting the pub for a Friday lunch and scoring a free beer? Surry Hills stalwart Forrester's is facilitating just that with 100 free pints for International Beer Day. The first 100 people to head to Riley Street from 1pm on Friday, August 4 will score a free pint of Hawke's Brewing Co's Patio Pale Ale. That's right, head to the pub this Friday for a late lunch and the first round is on the house. The promotion is limited to one beer per person for the first 100 patrons to order a Hawkes after 1pm, but if you miss out (or you arrive too early), don't worry. You can score pints for schooner prices at Forrester's all day on August 4. So, you can knock off work and save a few dollars on your Friday beers in Surry Hills. Head to the Forrester's website for all the details and to make a booking. Top image: Kitti Gould.
Somewhere in the multiverse, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is terrific. In a different realm, it's terrible. Here in our dimension, the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe teeters and twirls in the middle. The second movie to focus on surgeon-turned-sorcerer Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog), it's at its best when it embraces everything its director is known for. That said, it's also at its worst when it seems that harnessing Sam Raimi's trademarks — his visual style, bombast, comic tone and Evil Dead background, for instance — is merely another Marvel ploy. Multiverse of Madness is trippy, dark, sports a bleak sense of humour and is as close as the MCU has gotten to horror, all immensely appreciated traits in this sprawling, box office-courting, never-ending franchise. But it stands out for the wrong reasons, too, especially how brazenly it tries to appear as if it's twisting and fracturing the typical MCU template when it definitely isn't. Welcomely weirder than the average superhero flick (although not by too much), but also bluntly calculating: that's Multiverse of Madness, and that's a messy combination. It's apt given its eponymous caped crusader has always hailed from Marvel's looser, goofier and, yes, stranger side since his MCU debut in 2016's plainly titled Doctor Strange; however, it's hard to believe that such formulaic chaos was truly the plan for this follow-up. Similarly, making viewers who've long loved Raimi's work feel like their strings are so obviously being pulled, all for something that hardly takes creative risks, can't have been intentional. It's wonderful that Multiverse of Madness is clearly directed by the filmmaker who gave the world Army of Darkness and its predecessors, the Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man movies and Drag Me to Hell. It's fantastic that Raimi is helming his first feature since 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful, of course. But it's also deeply dispiriting to see the filmmaker's flourishes used like attention-grabbing packaging over the same familiar franchise skeleton. Multiverse mayhem also underscored Multiverse of Madness' immediate predecessor, for instance — aka 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. That's the last time that audiences saw Stephen Strange, when he reluctantly tinkered with things he shouldn't to help Peter Parker, those actions had consequences and recalling Raimi's time with Spidey came with the territory. Strange's reality-bending trickery has repercussions here as well, because Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen, Sorry for Your Loss) isn't thrilled about her fellow super-powered pal's exploits. Yes, Multiverse of Madness assumes viewers have not only watched all 27 past MCU movies, but also its small-screen offshoots — or WandaVision at least, where the enchantress that's also Scarlet Witch broke rules herself and wasn't still deemed a hero. Multiverse of Madness begins before its namesake and Wanda cross paths after their not-so-smooth moves, actually. Strange's latest escapade kicks off with monsters, moving platforms, a shimmering book, and a girl he doesn't know and yet wants to save. It's a dream, but said teen — America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez, The Babysitters Club) — is soon part of his waking life. Hailing from another dimension and possessing the ability to hop through the multiverse, she's still being chased. Interrupting Strange's brooding at his ex-girlfriend Christine's (Rachel McAdams, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) wedding, rampaging critters reappear as well, while a sinister tome called The Dark Hold also factors in. The mission: save the girl and all possible worlds, aided by Strange's old friend and now-Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong, Nine Days), and via a run-in with nemesis Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Locked Down). An evil book, basically being dragged to hell, reanimated corpses, a scrappy young adventurer, wisecracks, a leading man with the initials BC: they're all Raimi staples, and they're all accounted for in Multiverse of Madness. So is a signature casting move that's to be thoroughly expected, and remains as delightful as ever. Michael Waldron, the writer/producer behind Loki, has scripted the feature with its filmmaker firmly in mind — or tinkered with the screenplay after OG Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson left the sequel — and Raimi has taken those nods and run with them. But magic isn't about conjuring up the easily apparent, as the flick's cloak-wearing protagonist has learned over his time. Off-screen, that's something Marvel rather than its creatives-for-hire need reminding of, and what makes Multiverse of Madness a strategic exercise above all else. (It doesn't help that an inventive, clever and bold blast of multiverse movie, unrelated to the MCU, has beaten the latest Doctor Strange to cinemas by mere weeks. Everything Everywhere All At Once is inescapably chaotic, but gloriously, entertainingly and revealingly so, and never in a checklist-marking way.) Marvel has a pattern, though. It hires directors with distinctive styles and vibes, uses them to differentiate any given MCU instalment from the last, and hopes that counteracts the formula at work. And, it can. Even this many pictures in, great films eventuate that don't completely feel squeezed through an assembly line in every frame; see: Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, Cate Shortland's Black Widow and Chloé Zhao's Eternals. If Multiverse of Madness wasn't also saddled with other well-used, patently recognisable Marvel tactics, that might've proven true here, too. If only it had. But when a new MCU entry leans on multiple versions of its main figure (again), plus wholly fan-servicing cameos (again) — going for more is more several times over (yes, again) — and then attempts to freshen itself up by splashing around a famed director's beloved touches (again), it's always going to struggle to be convincing. Gleefully pushing obvious buttons and trying to incite easy cheers was No Way Home's main aim as well; Multiverse of Madness fares better, thankfully. It's a lesser auteur-helmed MCU movie and a lesser Raimi-directed film, but it still benefits from the latter doing what he's able to within company-controlled confines. Danny Elfman's (The Woman in the Window) moody score always sets the right tone, and the kaleidoscopic imagery has its dazzling moments — albeit with too many pixels showing in the name of serving up a shiny spectacle. And, in all of its key roles, Multiverse of Madness is still extremely well-cast. Indeed, the scenes that linger are those shared by Cumberbatch with either Olsen, McAdams, Wong or Gomez that call for genuine emotion rather than dwelling on superhero schtick, nefarious villains, multiverse mechanics, incursions, surprise guests and the like. Alas, being gifted more of that, and more of anything that doesn't have to tick 75,000 of Marvel's usual boxes along the way, sadly and frustratingly isn't a reality for this film in our caped crusader-worshipping universe.
A converted warehouse that's both a bar and restaurant, dog-friendly and offers live music — yep, No. 5 Restaurant & Bar sure ticks a lot of boxes. While many in Alexandria already call this their local, for most, this hidden warehouse space has been flying under the radar. But with an updated menu that has moved from low-key, burger-type fare to sophisticated and experimental dishes from chef Emrys Jones that hero local produce, now's the perfect time to drop by this inner-city gem. KINGFISH CEVICHE AND A LIVELY COCKTAIL It's clear from the outset that the McCauley Street venue has fun with its dishes and decor. Entering No. 5, you're greeted with an industrial bar that runs half the length of the warehouse — a throwback to the space's previous life as an old gem factory — and a collection of colourful armchairs. The area is at once eclectic and inviting — it asks you to sink in to savour a cocktail and a couple of snacks. To oblige, nibble house-made pickles and a creamy chickpea and gremolata dip. Then, sip something fresh, like the Lively Up Yourself with white rum, elderflower liqueur, lychee, lime and mint ($19) and shake of the day that was. BEEF TARTARE AND BEER Creamier than most, No. 5's beef tartare ($18) features rich, chunky pieces of lean Australian beef, a generous handful of herbs and pretty little dollops of cured egg yolk. While the dish comes with herb-infused crackers, we think the fluffy sliced white bloomer ($5) with cultured butter — both made in-house — is great for mopping up the final bits of beefy juice left on the plate. The bar has a couple of Fremantle-made Gage Road brews on tap. We'd recommend the classic US-style Atomic pale ale — it's refreshing yet punchy, countering the richness of the tartare perfectly. POACHED LING WITH A GLASS OF PINOT GRIS When No. 5 made the call to revamp its offering and move away from pub grub staples, the new chef set his sights on a menu that made quality local produce the centrepiece. These top-notch ingredients shine in bigger plates, like the blue cheese risotto or charred lamb ribs, which can be tackled solo or shared with friends. If you're looking for something a little left of centre, tuck into the poached ling with a light and creamy lemon thyme velouté ($28). The dish, which is described as having 'sea flavours', pairs well with a crisp and acidic drop. We suggest the 2017 Black Estate Circuit pinot gris from New Zealand; it's extremely drinkable and cuts through the creaminess of the velouté with ease. FLANK STEAK AND A BOTTLE OF RED A prime example of letting good produce do the legwork, the 300-gram Riverine flank steak ($36) is moist, delicate and speaks for itself. (The chimichurri and accompanying roast baby capsicums are an added, but non-essential, bonus.) The dish deserves a bold red to accompany it and the 2014 Tumblong Hills 'J Block' syrah from Gundagai fits the brief. This tasty drop is one of only two Aussie reds on the list — so while the food hails from Australia's outback, the vino takes you further abroad to France, Spain, NZ and Italy. ROSEMARY MOUSSE AND A FRUITY COCKTAIL No. 5 is all about marrying high-quality food with booze — and that doesn't stop at dessert. To finish the night on a high, treat yourself to this dreamy duo of creamy mousse and tart sour. The rosemary yoghurt mousse with fresh fig and sable cookie goes swimmingly with the subtle Fox Is Berry Sour, made with gin, ruby rose, elderberry, lemon, sugar and egg white ($19). Cheers, sweet teeth. Grab some mates, or a date, and check out the new summer menu at Bar No. 5 in Alexandria.
Turning 30 isn't so much a birthday as it is the crossing of a threshold. With the clear-cut idealism of your 18-year-old self nowhere to be found and nothing but the joyful wreckage of your 20s to show for three decades on the planet, the occasion can seem more like a mugging by Father Time than a celebration of maturation. So it is with the characters in Griffin Theatre's last play for 2018. Written and performed by Susie Youssef and Phil Spencer, The Smallest Hour is a romantic comedy about two people quietly mortified by the lives they lead. Shelly's running the quiz for a hen's night and Chris is a stripper who's ashamed of his body. When they reconnect many, many years after high school, shared disappointments and missed opportunities pile together to create another chance for both of them. Velcro pants also come into it at some point — we're not quite sure, either. Griffin Theatre's going out on a heartwarmer and Youssef and Spencer are just the performers for this oddball love story. See it before 2019 sneaks round and reminds you that you're another year closer to (or further from) the big 3-0. The Smallest Hour will run nightly (except Sundays) from Wednesday, December 5 to Saturday, December 15. All tickets cost $35 per person, plus there'll be $20 Monday rush tickets (available from noon for that evening's performance).
In need of some new procrastination material? Well, you're in luck. Google image search 'Banff' and spend a few minutes (or half an hour) taking in the gorgeous pictures of snow-capped mountains, aqua water and towering pines. It's impossible to not daydream about holidaying somewhere far-flung and exciting while ogling these picture-perfect views, as we're sure you'll agree. Thankfully, you'll have the opportunity to slip into this magical world without ever leaving Sydney. A selection of venues are hosting Banff Mountain Film Festival's 2021 tour — the event's latest stopover, after beginning back in 1976. Its stunning cinematography attracts film buffs and adventurers alike, making the festival mighty popular across the world today. Every November, hundreds of films enter the competition with the cream of the crop chosen to entertain and amaze festival goers. Some of the featured flicks battled it out in categories including Best Film on Mountain Sport, Best Film on Mountain Environment, Best Film on Mountain Culture, Best Film on Exploration and Adventure, People's Choice Award and more. Check out nine of them at Cremorne's Hayden Orpheum between Wednesday, May 4–Friday, May 6, the Randwick Ritz on Wednesday, May 11 and Chippendale's Seymour Centre between Wednesday, May 26–Friday, May 28.
The Liverpudlian indie pop stalwarts have returned to our shores to showcase their latest album Glitterbug, which was released in April. There's plenty of Australian love for these marsupial-inspired lads; this is not the loveable Liverpudlians first trip to Australia this year. In February, they played a handful of secret gigs to offer up a taste of Glitterbug, and needless to say the response was overwhelmingly positive. Haven't heard the album yet? The Wombats' new material sounds fresh and intricate while still maintaining their infectious and hook-ridden sound; look out for tracks such as ‘Give Me A Try’ and ‘Greek Tragedy’. For purists out there who can’t let go of memories of thrashing around a house party to ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’, don’t fret. You can bet your right hand they’ll be keeping the party going with their dancefloor fillers from days of yore such as ‘Jump into the Fog’, ‘Moving to New York’, and ‘Kill the Director’.
For those who like cruising around on two wheels, this year's Sydney Festival could prove just as much a cycling adventure as a cultural one, thanks to the release of a nifty new hop-on, hop-off bike map. Available via Google Maps, the free Sydney Festival Moon Map takes you past six lunar-themed installations and galleries that are part of this year's festival. The 7.8-kilometre bike path stops at key sites like the Sydney Observatory, where punters can check out free attractions and visit the Planetarium, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which has its fair share of moons hidden throughout its collection. Stick to the Moon Map route and you'll also get to explore an assortment of Sydney Festival installations. There's the Fly Me To The Moon at World Square — where cyclists can engage in some more pedal power on the Lunar Velocipede flying bike sculpture — as well as the mind-bending Moon Drops work at Darling Harbour, featuring super-sized bouncy droplets that'll send you floating through the air. [caption id="attachment_704105" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moon Drop, Shake Lee.[/caption] And then, there's the series of eleven free artworks and interactive lunar-inspired experiences dotted through the Barangaroo Dining Precinct, as part of a city-wide homage to Apollo 11 and the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. To make your ride count, register at Love To Ride for Sydney Festival's Fly Me To The Moon challenge. You can 'donate' kilometres from individual bike rides, which'll count towards an attempted 384,400 kilometre cycling effort — the distance from earth to the moon — and put you in the running to win a prize. If you don't have your own bike, you could jump on one of the green Lime E electric-assist bikes dotted around the city. Moon Map participants can also pick up a Lunar Passport at World Square, Darling Harbour or Barangaroo and tick off the stops — the first 100 to do so, and to present theirs to the World Square ticketing booth, will score a free Sydney Festival bag of treats. You can check out more free things to do at Sydney Festival here. Image: Fly Me to the Moon; Apollo 11; Moon Drops, Shake Lee.
In an entirely virtual meeting on Monday, March 30, Councillors at the City of Sydney voted on a new financial assistance package specially created for cultural and creative industries. Lord Mayor Clover Moore says the grants are to ensure the creative community is "ready for the renaissance" following the COVID-19 crisis, when we're all ready to see live music, go to the theatre and attend arts and culture festivals again. Though it feels like we're a world away from packing out a sweaty gig venue or sitting side-by-side in the cinema, that time will come and when it does we'll want to get out and support our local arts community — which means they need cash now in order to develop new work, pay supporting workers and keep the lights on for when we're ready for a socially intimate world. As part of a two-round relief package worth $72.5 million, the City of Sydney has set aside $3.25 million for local arts organisations, individuals, sole traders, artist collectives and small businesses. So who can apply? The new Cultural Sector Resilience Grants provide up to $10,000 for sole traders, and up to $20,000 for not-for-profit arts organisations with less than 20 full-time employees. That means performing arts organisations, creative producers, arts festivals, dance schools and galleries can apply for support with wages, admin costs or training and professional development. Artists, creative producers and other creative workers can apply for support from the Creative Fellowships Fund. Individuals and artist collectives who can demonstrate a significant loss of revenue during COVID-19 — such as cancelled events or closed venues at which they were due to perform — can apply for up to $20,000 to pay for materials or equipment, to pay themselves for their time to develop future projects, and to pay additional workers. The City of Sydney says they're looking for "innovative ways to keep creative professionals collaborating and working during restrictions on public gatherings," as well as other initiatives. When's the deadline? Applications close at 5pm on Monday, April 27 for both grants. The Council will meet on May 18 to discuss the grant applications and funds will be available from June 1, 2020. Is that all? No, there are more relief grants available to individuals and small businesses that have quicker pay-out times, too. The Quick Response Grants are available to individuals, community groups and organisations that can provide innovative, speedy responses to the COVID-19 crisis. You can apply for between $2000–5000 for programs that support vulnerable groups, deliver performances or classes online, or help people feel connected. These grants are available now until funds are allocated so get in quick if you're able to take action right now. There are also Community Service Grants of up to $50,000 per application. Not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises, or individuals and groups, can seek funds to help provide food, digital assistance and social connection to vulnerable people during the current crisis. The City has also made donations of $250,000 to Support Act NSW, the Artists Benevolent Fund and the Actors Benevolent Fund, who provide emergency relief and mental health support for cultural workers. It's provided $1 million-worth of rental support for artists and childcare tenants by waiving rent for the next six months. And it has donated $1 million to non-profit OzHarvest to help adapt its service model to continue to feed people reliant on the food rescue program. Where has the money come from? The Lord Mayor says the City will experience a significant financial dent from the crisis but that the aid has come as a result of 16 years of "sound financial management". Find out more about the City of Sydney's COVID-19 grant and how to apply, here. Top image: Destination NSW
Sydney-based artist, designer and musician Annie Hamilton recently spent two months in Iceland on an artist's residency. Immersed in frosty mornings, low sunlight, isolation and incredible natural beauty, she found inspiration for her new clothing collection, Equinox. And this week you can see it in the flesh at Annie's pop-up shop, which will be taking over Blank Space Gallery in Surry Hills. As always, the pieces feature her signature hand-illustrated prints — but, this time, their shapes, feel and intricate details come from Icelandic wildflowers. There's also a collection of silk and woollen garments to keep you warm through winter. Every piece in Equinox is made ethically and sustainably in Australia, and is designed to last. Annie is a passionate advocate of local, ethical fashion, having co-founded Locally Made, an online platform dedicated to growers, makers, designers and menders, in 2016. The pop-up shop will be open from 10am till 6pm between June 2 and 6.
It's hard to talk about The Darkside. It's a collection of true Aboriginal ghost stories. It's the follow-up to Warwick Thornton's first feature, Samson and Delilah. And it's unlike any other feature film — in format, in feeling and in content. It's a bit like The Turning by Robert Connolly — an anthology of mini-films rather than a long narrative that arcs forward in a straight line. So you have to take it for what it is; there's no suite of regular characters who change or interact or grow or hug or learn together, there are no subplots, no tricks, no twist at the end, no irony, no winking cleverness, definitely no CGI. In 12 small chapters, an encounter with an Indigenous ghost is recounted, usually by an actor, straight into the camera in leisurely, long takes. It's a simple and honest approach to pure storytelling without the cinematic gimmicks we're used to. That makes The Darkside a film to approach with total trust and zero skepticism. Thornton put a call-out all over the country for people to tell their stories of interactions with spirits and the inexplicable. The fact that the stories are real is important. The fact that you may not believe in ghosts is unimportant. After all, you don't need to believe in zombies to enjoy a horror movie. I engaged less with the spiritual side of the film, and more with its sincerity and its unique Indigenous cultural perspective. Thornton's detours from the direct-to-camera thing are highlights: we watch artist Ben Quilty painting a symmetrical, roaring landscape with the spirit of a small, lost girl floating sideways (it is astonishing, and a rare insight into this painter's creative process). We see a long-limbed Claudia Karvan meets the rainbow serpent and dances into Massive Attacked oblivion. And we see quietly distressing archival footage of 1900s colonialists' anthropological studies into Aboriginal people, who were once thought of as the missing evolutionary link between 'legit' humans and apes. There are a few sneaky laughs and a few sneaky creeps. This new tide of Indigenous filmmakers — Thornton, Wayne Blair, Ivan Sen, Rachel Perkins — are speaking for themselves, making Aboriginal stories for all audiences, and showing that black culture cannot be compartmentalised into the past or into the margins of non-white populations: this is not Australia's heritage, this is Australia's present. This film may be in limited release in theatres, festivals and galleries, but it deserves to be seen by everyone. The Aboriginal ancestors of Australia are still here and they're living on in The Darkside. https://youtube.com/watch?v=AUQ-8MBFjjE
The Historic Houses Trust's service-entrance festival Sydney Open 2012 was launched this week by HHT Director Kate Clark at the minimalist Strelein Warehouse in Surry Hills. The festival invites Sydneysiders to have a look behind the scenes at private spaces and buildings around Sydney November 2-4, for a Friday to Sunday three day weekend of upcoming sanctioned nosiness. The festival throws in its first free event this year, indulging in a Festival First Night-style Sydney Open Night on Friday night, turning the key on five buildings at no charge. Parliament House, the Barracks, On Seven at DJs, St James Church and the Chief Secretary's Building (backdrop to the Chaser's accidental APEC over-achieving) will be the first venues to be thrown open to the looming crowd, with the rest of the festival's 50 plus venues to follow over the weekend. Saturday sees a series of smaller-grouped Focus Tours. These single-serving jaunts take detours to more narrow, private or subterranean parts of Sydney, including the iconic Tank Stream, old favourite the Central Station Ghost Tunnels, the cavity around of the QVB dome, Catalanista Rosly Street Commerical and the colour-coded, sparse Strelein Warehouse itself. Sunday opens the CBD to the wandering multitude, as the bulk of the properties open their doors at the price of a city pass, including the newly-circular 1 Bligh Street, Hong Kong House, the Tetsuyas-fronting Old Judge's House, Government House, the Great Synagogue and a repurposed Woolloomooloo sewer. On the move, you can orient yourself with a mobile site or a new, handy-looking iPhone guide. Like the Biennale, Underbelly Arts and the better seasons of True Blood, this city-wide show pops up only once every two years. Tickets go on sale Thursday September 27, and they regularly sell in advance. So, if the Saturday or Sunday legs of this look behind the city-wide curtain grabs your interest, get booking. Image: Queen Victoria Building Dome, Photograph courtesy The Queen Victoria Building.
While Sydney's bars are empty, Monkey Shoulder is bringing cocktails to the streets. The scotch brand has created Australia's biggest cocktail mixer truck called Monkey Mixer — which looks a little like a cement mixer truck, but shiny — and is delivering free cocktails to homes across the city. The giant orange and silver truck will hit the road in time for World Cocktail Day on Wednesday, May 13, and will roll around Sydney until Sunday, June 7. It'll park itself at a different bar for five days at a time, starting at The Roosevelt in Potts Point (May 13–17), moving on to Paddington's The Unicorn (May 20–24), then Donny's Bar in Manly (May 27–31) and finishing at the award-winning Maybe Sammy in the CBD (June 3–7). Each bar is able to supply free cocktails to the surrounding suburbs during its stint with the truck. On the menu: The Espresso Monkey — a scotch-spiked take on the espresso martini — and a boulevardier, which is made with Campari, sweet vermouth and Monkey Shoulder. To get your hands on a free cocktail, you'll need to head to the partner venue's website on the week the Monkey Mixer is there and enter the code #madeformixing. MONKEY MIXER The Roosevelt, May 13–17 (Potts Point, Double Bay, Rose Bay and Bondi) The Unicorn, May 20–24 (Paddington, Redfern and Waterloo) Donny's Bar, May 27–31 (Manly, Fairlight and Queenscliff) Maybe Sammy, June 3–7 (CBD, Surry Hills and Newtown)
While for some clowns are the stuff of nightmares, the black-nosed trio in The Long Pigs take the horror stakes to new heights, leaving their red-nosed cousins quite literally for dead. In this debut production from physical theatre group We3 (Clare Bartholomew from Die Roten Punkte, Derek Ives-Plunkett and Nicci Wilks), playing as part of the Sydney Festival, the darkest side of human nature is explored. Inspired in equal parts by the Three Stooges, Samuel Beckett and George Orwell, the performance mixes traditional moments of carnivalesque buffoonery and slapstick with the grim and gruesome. An eerie soundtrack and dim lighting set the scene for suspense, as the murderous gang begins to turn in on itself in a fatal and funny climax.
At 74 years of age, the current incarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the most inspirational leaders of our time. A champion of Buddhist values, he travels relentlessly to better human rights in communities everywhere and is an inspiration to all those who meet him. But for those of us without the chance, a recent documentary reveals how 40 western thinkers plus the one Dalia Lama come together to attempt to solve many of the problems the world faces today. Dalai Lama Renaissance has won 12 awards in its own travels around the globe, and its next stop in Sydney will be a great opportunity for those who missed the Dalai Lama in 2009. The innovative thinkers who travelled to Dharamshala in India include: quantum physicists Fred Alan Wolf and Amit Goswami, radio host and author Thom Hartmann, revolutionary social scientist Jean Houston and social activist Vandana Shiva. The smooth narration of Harrison Ford is a great medium for director Khashyar Darvich to tell the story of the visitors hoping to solve global problems but who must first address the problems within themselves. Q&A sessions with the director will follow screenings in both Manly and Chauvel cinema screenings.
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein after lounging around the shores of Lake Geneva with a bunch of creative types, telling stories. Naturally it was made into a scary B-movie. When Lanfranchi's Memorial Discotheque closed in 2007, artist favourite variety night Cab Sav moved on to run the Imperial Panda Festival — an experimental performance festival rattling around the back alleys, galleries and warehouses of inner Sydney. Sydney doesn't feel at all short on festivals this year. But before the Sydney Fringe or the Oxford Art Festival, The Imperial Panda Festival helped to keep strange Sydney performance artists up and running. Fresh from a successful staging in Melbourne, Imperial Panda will be running a macabre Fright Night at the Red Rattler this Saturday to help get a third Festival going next year. Toby Schmitz, Nick Coyle, Rita Kalnejais and Claudia O'Doherty will each be reading spare, gloomy tales. Miles O'Neil will host the evening, with late-night dance to follow. With general ghoulishness promised on the night, who knows what stories will be born and which rough bodies will be sewn together into life.
Every summer since 1990, Sydney's northside dwellers have been relaxing into their weekends with good food and live music at Ted Mack Civic Park. Now in its 31st year, the Twilight Food Fair is back post-lockdown from Friday, December 4 through till March 5. Head down on Friday nights between 4.30–8pm to enjoy dishes from all over the world. Each week the lineup will change slightly, including Turkish gozleme, gelato, pizza, dumplings from Bamboo Story, Indian street food snacks and paella from Ola Lola. For the moment, because of COVID-19, there will musical performances from the likes of Greg Byrne, but no kid's entertainment. There'll also be a focus on takeaway good rather than dine-in, with plans to resume regular market programming when restrictions ease. Keep an eye on its Facebook page for updates. Twilight Food Fair runs from 4.30–8pm.
Say hello to my little friend, Australia. Academy Award winning Director Oliver Stone, the maestro behind such influential films as Scarface, Midnight Express, Platoon, Wall Street, Natural Born Killers, JFK, Nixon, and The Doors, is coming to Australia, appearing exclusively at Vivid Sydney. The highly respected director will join the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer talks series (already featuring street art icon Shepard Fairey), and join the Semi Permanent lineup while he's at it. Not one to veer away from controversial subjects, Stone will be joining equally no-bullshit Australian legend Margaret Pomeranz AM on stage at City Recital Hall on Sunday, May 28 for a rare, behind-the-scenes insight into Stone's career and his polarising films. "Interviewing Oliver Stone?" says Pomeranz. "One of the most significant filmmakers of the past 40 years to trawl through our political and cultural history! It's intimidating, exciting and absolutely unmissable. If I weren't on the stage with him I would be in the audience." Stone will also be speaking 'in conversation' at Semi Permanent at Carriageworks on Friday, May 26 — you'll need a full-day festival pass for that. In the meantime, we'll be playing Smokey Robinson all day: Image: Getty Images.
This month you'll struggle to find cheaper fried chicken in Sydney than at NeNe Chicken's Brookfield Place outpost. The beloved chicken chain is offering up $1 Korean-style original-flavoured wingettes and drumettes from 3pm on weekdays for the duration of March. To sweeten the deal, the restaurant is also pouring $3 beers from 4pm to 7pm each day of the promotion, meaning you can you can enjoy a few wingettes, drumettes and a beer for under a tenner. The deal is available at NeNe's new opening that's opened as part of a four-in-one venue alongside a Papparich, Hokkaido Cheese Tart and Kurimu. The four stores have all cut the opening ribbon inside the multimillion-dollar Brookfield Place Sydney that also houses a huge Romeo's market, the multi-storey mega venue Shell House and a Gojima and Edition Coffee.
Great news, comedy-loving cheapskates: some of our favourite Aussie comedians are bringing their very best jokes to a one-night-only gala event, and tickets are only $25. Presented by best mates Becky Lucas and Cameron James — of being funny on the internet fame — Comedy(ish): The Bits We Kept will feature the likes of Matt Okine, Demi Lardner, Susie Youssef, Tom Walker, Bonnie Tangey and Jen Carnovale. Over two hours, they'll run through the funniest bits from their most recent festival shows, before retreating back into the dark, damp caves they all live in ten months out of every year. It all goes down on Friday, June 13 at Giant Dwarf in Redfern. Doors open at 7:30pm for an 8:30pm start ‚ and if you don't nab a $25 in advance, they're $30 on the door.
Your favourite Byronian beer brewers are kicking off spring with a garden party, bringing their backyard to yours by serving their Beers From Our Backyard range. The good people at Stone & Wood have paired up with The Oaks Hotel to throw a craft beer smorgasbord with generous meat elements from 2-5pm on Sunday, October 23 in their indoor-outdoor Garden Pavilion. You can pair Stone & Wood classics with The Oaks' beef brisket and pulled pork burgers or Salumi's famous 'meat cones' (which is what all meat should come in, really). And when you're good and full of craft beer and various meat bits, take a crack at the Giant Jenga set. It's the perfect opportunity to check out The Oaks' recent upstairs renovation. The upper levels of the pub have been transformed into a 1930s art deco haven by design queen Sibella Court, compete with fabulous gaudy wall paper, dramatic mirrored surfaces and a serious amount of drapery. Tickets to the afternoon event are $33 but include five tokens redeemable for beers and food — but you can pay with cash too. And best of all? The money you spend on their Pacific Ale will all go to local charities. Get in quick — tickets are almost sold out.
When Riceboy Sleeps charts the passage of time from 1990 to 1999 partway into the movie, the Canadian film does so with Dong-hyun at its centre. As a six-year-old (played by debutant Dohyun Noel Hwang) navigating his initial taste of school from behind his large round glasses, he's shy, sensitive, and constantly reminded that he's different by teachers and classmates. As a 15-year-old (Ethan Hwang, The Umbrella Academy) with bleached-blonde hair and faux blue eyes, he's adopted a coping mechanism: trying to blend in. Riceboy Sleeps isn't just about Dong-hyun, who takes the anglicised name David in his attempts to assimilate. It's as much about his mother So-young (fellow feature first-timer Choi Seung-yoon), who relocates him from South Korea to North America after his soldier father's suicide. Writer/director Anthony Shim's sophomore release after 2019's Daughter hones in on the act of seeing, too — gleaning what's around you, who, why, the past that lingers, the stories that echo — as Dong-hyun and So-young survey where they are, where they've been, and how their history keeps dictating their present and future. In that aforementioned time jump, Shim — who helms, pens, edits and acts — and cinematographer Christopher Lew (Quickening) make eyes the focus. When Riceboy Sleeps dwells in the first year of the 90s, Dong-hyun's spectacles are frames within the frame, giving the boy his own windows to the world that he fidgets with, seems burdened by and, in an act of bullying by his peers, has dinged up and taken away. When the movie hits the end of the decade, Dong-hyun is putting in his contacts, therefore making the lens with which he perceives his existence invisible. Semi-inspired by his own childhood as a South Korean arrival to Vancouver Island in the 90s, including attending a school where he was the only Asian student, Riceboy Sleeps is this thoughtful at every level. The movement, and later lack thereof, of Lew's camerawork is just as loaded with meaning: in Canada, it's restless in long wide shots, careening around gracefully but noticeably and finding points to fixate on; back across the Pacific Ocean in the picture's bookending segments, it's still but just as observational. Riceboy Sleeps' opening unfurls a tale, with narration in Korean explaining that a baby girl was found at a temple in 1960. She'd grow up to be strong, flee the orphanage as soon as she was old enough, then fall for the son of a rice farmer. When her love took his own life, she had a newborn, wasn't married and attracted social stigma for both, hence shifting across the sea. The mountains and water that take centre stage during the film's introduction are dreamy and hazy. In Canada, even though greenery instantly awaits, the view is sharper and crisper. Again, Shim layers his 16-millimetre-shot feature with symbolism and significance everywhere that he can, ensuring that how So-young and Dong-hyun feel sweeps through every moment whether or not they're in sight — and especially when they're doing what settlers beyond their homeland do often, holding back their true thoughts and emotions. Inhabited with steeliness and deep-seated sorrow in equal parts by Choi, a dancer- and choreographer-turned-actor, So-young takes a job at a factory in her quest to give Dong-hyun the best life in their new surroundings that she can. She sends him to school with flavoursome Korean lunches. She makes his favourite kimchi at home. She's also anything but withdrawn when it comes to being treated fairly, reprimanding sexist colleagues at work and rallying against discriminatory decisions by Dong-hyun's principal. But with her son, she avoids answering when he asks about his dad. Alone, she scolds herself for her tears. She advises the younger Dong-hyun that there's only three times in a man's life that it's permissible to cry; being taunted by other kids in the playground, then singled out for punishment afterwards, isn't one of them. Shim spies the effort that's always coursing through So-young: to hide her pain, persevere, make the most of her new life, bring her boy up right, fit in but not be a victim and perhaps cement a fresh family dynamic with Korean Canadian Simon (Shim himself). He also spots the uncertainty streaming just as potently within Dong-hyun, who wants desperately to make sense of his place in the world, but isn't sure who he sees when he reflects upon himself. There's stubbornness to the boy as a child, as he ignores his mum when he's not getting what he wants and has tantrums in the car. Rebelliousness swirls in his teens, when getting stoned and tussling with fellow students are his forms of acting out. Riceboy Sleeps is patient in its pacing and visuals, even the latter frequently roams, and yet it's also a jittery film in its midsection to again mirror So-young and Dong-hyun's internal states. The Farewell, Monsoon, Minari, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Past Lives have probed the immigrant experience eloquently, expressively and weightily, not to mention recently, putting Riceboy Sleeps in excellent company rather than making it overly familiar. That the first two titles listed above also explore homecomings, complete with the intricacies and whirlwind of complicated emotions when the place that you're returning to isn't the place you really know, has the same impact. As with The Farewell, Monsoon, Minari and Past Lives particularly, this touching film never feels anything less than personal. That's accurate in its third act as well, when tragic news hits, South Korea becomes the movie's setting again and lingering hurt is confronted. There's a vast difference between trading in cliches and accepting life's inescapable reality — and when a feature is this lived-in, there's no tropes, just universal sensations. Riceboy Sleeps' dénouement is exceptionally affecting for its willingness to sit and contemplate. It's impossible not to garner that the frame stops roving and searching, as the characters do — and that valuing connection, time with the ones you love and small details, including in tough circumstances, comes tenderly to the fore. Of course, minutiae is important in every second of Shim's movie. Indeed, thematically, this is also a film about valuing what you have, and who, but mightn't properly understand or appreciate. It's a picture of acceptance and gratitude, too, and of realising when you're finally seeing the whole picture constructed from its various parts.
Iconic images of David Bowie, photography that revolutionised the pages of Vogue and a series that documents Sydney's city beaches through three heatwaves are just three of the many exhibitions you'll need to check out at this year's Head On Photo Festival. The free photography exhibitions will take place in various galleries from Bondi to Manly between May 4 and 19 — and while they are certainly must-sees for avid photographers, the range of subjects (from La Sape fashion subculture in The Republic of Congo to the Rohingya refugee crisis) make them interesting and topical for any viewer. To complement this, a program of artist talks will take place at Paddington Town Hall. Since it started in 2008, the non-profit festival has traveled to 98 countries worldwide promoting photographers of all ages through several awards evaluated anonymously to promote equity across the board. The festival's annual awards draw a large number of entries from grade-school students to seasoned professionals filling three categories: portrait, landscape and mobile. It all kicks off after work on Friday, May 3 with a party and official opening at UNSW in Paddington. It's free but you'll have to register before heading along. Images: Roni Ben, David Dare Parker, Muchael Jularu Torres, Paul Blackmore, Helmut Newton.
You'd never guess from the popularity of its fried chicken that Johnny Bird was once a lobster roll joint. Luckily, it ditched the crustacean earlier this year in favour of free-range fried chicken, and it has been serving it up in droves every since. And, on the last Saturday of every month, its fryers are extra busy, when it hosts an all-you-can-eat fried chicken party. For $30, you'll get unlimited brined and fried chook with one of eight different sauces — Nashville hot, sticky Szechuan, chipotle mayo, blue cheese, Johnny sauce, gravy, house tomato sauce or Detroit smoky barbecue — and a side of fries, mash and gravy. Downing all that fried fare is thirsty work, so the lower north shore eatery will also be slinging tins of Yulli's Brews for $6. Yulli's has recently launched a slew of new brews, which coincided with the opening of its new Alexandria brewery and taphouse, so this may be a good chance to try some of them on the cheap — alongside a hefty, bottomless, serving of fried chicken, of course. To make a booking, head to the Johnny Bird website. Johnny Bird's all-you-can-eat fried chicken fest runs from 5–10pm.
Yabun Festival is an annual event held on January 26 at Victoria Park in Camperdown, on Gadigal Land. It's the largest one-day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia. This year's festival will be a closed event due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions. Despite this, it'll be more accessible than ever, as it will be live streamed online, allowing people from across Australia and the world to tune in. This year, Yabun (which means "music to a beat" in Gadigal language) is taking place across three venues. The Yabun Stage, located at the Seymour Centre, will host performances from 12–5pm, featuring the likes of Vic Simms, Barkaa, Emma Donovan and Kobie Dee. As well as being live streamed, the event will have a small crowd in attendance — tickets can be won in the lead up to the event via Koori Radio. At its usual home of Victoria Park, Corroboree will feature a Welcome and Smoking Ceremony, as well as dance performances from groups Gawura, Koomurri, Buuja Buuja, Gomeroi Dancers and Ngaran Ngaran. It'll be live streamed from 11am–4pm. The Speak Out stage will be live streamed from the New Law Building at the University of Sydney from 12.30–4.30pm. Speak Out will host three panel discussions on themes of love, justice and success, with panelists including Pastor Ray Minniecon and Lynda June Coe. Another core part of the annual festival is the market stall, which have been taken online, too. Here, you can shop for art, jewellery, food and drink from storeowners that would usually set up within the festival. You can also shop for merchandise from the past three years of Yabun and support the festival and Koori Radio by donating to help ensure both continue to operate for years to come. To access the live-stream, head to yabun.org.au. Top image: Yabun Festival 2017
Two distinct visions lifted from the endless possibilities of science fiction invade Roslyn Oxley9 gallery over the next month. These concurrent exhibitions feature totems and armour, letters from the dead and cardboard boxes, money plants, dirt and reclaimed materials in affirmations of strength and attempts to survive the future.Mikala Dwyer’s Outfield is a collection of symbols arranged in a circular ‘safe space’: tools, forces and memories to protect against the uncertain and threatening world. These pieces are highly tangible and filled with exploratory details, while appearing to be both immense and miniature at the same time. Most materials and objects are reused and reinvented - a protest against a culture that throws away and destroys what it needs to survive. While Dwyer focuses on protection, Justene Williams’ FEMMZOIL is a manifestation of triumph and victory. What appears to be armour or the shell of a robot is manipulated by overlayed images and motion to become fluid, hypnotic and heavenly.Image: Justene Williams Femmzoil legs: Roslyn Oxley9
The sun is peeking out from behind the clouds, the birds are thinking about swooping, and now we really know winter will soon be out of here because summer's Sydney Festival 2015 has made its first lineup announcement. It's a show called Tabac Rouge by acclaimed circus mastermind James Thierrée, and in true festival style, it's a medium masher. The dance, theatre and acrobatics fusion is described as a "feast of visual poetry" by Sydney Festival director Lieven Bertels, who saw it in London earlier this year. "The show explores a world somewhere between the silent cinema classic Modern Times and a Jeroen Bosch painting — sometimes dazzling and funny, sometimes alienating and grotesque, but always hypnotic," he says. An adventurous recent work with a thumbs up from Europe (less so the UK), Tabac Rouge revolves around a disillusioned dystopian king trying to make sense of the world. Frenchman Thierrée plays the lead role, surrounded by a cast of agile performers, a junk shop aesthetic, an imposing scaffold set and plenty of smoke, mirrors and dramatic lighting effects. It sounds weird and enigmatic, but hopefully not quite so weird and enigmatic as this year's mostly impenetrable signature event, 'underwater opera' Dido and Aeneas. The grandson of Charlie Chaplin and great-grandson of Eugene O'Neill, Thierrée was raised in his parents' circus troupe, Le Cirque Imaginaire. Needless to say, his understanding and flexibility with the circus arts is right up there. He's a Sydney Festival veteran too, having brought us Junebug Symphony (2003), Bright Abyss (2006) and Au Revoir Parapluie (2008). You won't be able to miss Tabac Rouge; it plays at the Sydney Theatre for the whole duration of the festival. Tickets for the Australian exclusive start at $85/$72 concession, and premium tickets ($119/$109) are on sale now through the Sydney Festival website. https://youtube.com/watch?v=VH2MmpE9THc
White rabbits, tea parties, royal megalomaniacs — outside Lewis Carroll's gloriously twisted imagination, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is meant for the stage. And this year, you'll be able to see this dark, surreal and twisted tale as a ballet. Headlining the Australian Ballet's 2017 program, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will complete the season in Melbourne in September and Sydney in December. Spearheaded by legendary choreographer Christoper Wheeldon and scored by Joby Talbot, Alice will be brought to life by the Australian Ballet in what they're calling "magnificent detail". Think Broadway-level. Designer Bob Crowley will throw as many immersive digital projections, wigs and masks, puppets and intricate costumes as he can at this one. Alice is one of three mainstage shows for the Ballet's 2017 season featuring female leads, joined by the return of artistic director David McAllister's highly opulent production of The Sleeping Beauty and radical modern reworking of Nutcracker – The Story of Clara. "It's a season defined by exquisite performance and the adventures of three extraordinary women," says McAllister. "We fall down the rabbit hole with Alice in Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, we follow the life of a Russian ballerina who arrives in Australia in Graeme Murphy's Nutcracker – The Story of Clara, and then Princess Aurora leads a cast of fairytale characters as she searches for her Prince in The Sleeping Beauty."
It may be hot outside, but it's not quite 'our city in summer' until the Sydney Festival starts up on January 9, bringing with it a tidal wave of performance, music, art and other festivities. Its 2014 program is a massive conglomeration of 104 events, featuring 722 artists from 80 companies across 17 countries. Look out for a much bigger festival garden (so big, in fact, it's now the Festival Village) in Hyde Park, the return of music venue Paradiso at Town Hall and everyone's favourite duck, and a version of Stonehenge that you can bounce on. Yes, bounce on. But above all, Sydney Festival is about getting the most appealing, innovative and agenda-setting international performing arts works to visit our town. This year there's nothing topping the spectacle of Dido & Aeneas. This 'underwater opera' starts with a dance in a 7500L water tank and moves on to sumptuous feats of dance, costume, singing, music and stagecraft. But La Voix Humaine promises to floor with conversely little — one woman pleading down the phone line to an ex-lover. There are plenty of other acclaimed international theatre, dance and circus works with experimental, thrilling or just plain WTF twists. Magic/theatre show Bullet Catch calls for you to pull the trigger, Othello: The Remix is a charming "ad-rap-tation", Tim Crouch's I, Malvolio puts a Shakespearian underdog in the limelight (we recommend going on the adults-only late show on January 18), La Cucina Dell'Arte comes from a sixth generation carnie clan, and Forklift features dancers who also hold heavy machinery licences. Leading the music program, Amanda Palmer will be playing ten solo shows in the intimate surrounds of The Spiegeltent, in the middle of all-hours hangout the Festival Village. Palmer has become an object of much debate after her incredible success at crowdfunding her latest album, but whatever you think of that whole deal you cannot deny she is a fascinating performer. Another headline event is Big Star’s Third, where the cult album will be played in all its broken, twisted beauty by an all-star band for one night only. Guitar hero Kurt Vile is playing in two formats at this year’s festival: a solo “special midnight performance” in the Circus Ronaldo Tent, and again with his band, The Violators, at Paradiso at Town Hall. And then there's Amadou & Mariam’s Eclipse (a “live, multi-sensory experience in pitch darkness telling the amazing story of the blind couple from Mali that includes scents inspired by Mali and their second home Paris pumped into the building”), a collaborative performance with Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc), and dozens of other exciting acts. Even the classical music program is phenomenal. Finally (and almost entirely free!) is the visual art program. The focus is on large-scale, multimedia and installation-type pieces that pack an impressive visual punch. Christian Boltanski’s mega installation Chance will make full use of the architecture and size of Carriageworks and will chart births and deaths across the globe. Slovakian artist Roman Ondak is teaming up with Kaldor Public Art Projects to present a trio of performative works, including his 13 Rooms hit Swap. And that life-size bouncy Stonehenge hogging Hyde Park? That's Sacrilege by Jeremy Deller, direct from the 2012 London Olympics cultural program. For full details and to buy tickets see the Sydney Festival website. And don't get despondent if your show of choice is sold out — last-minute $25 tickets to nearly all events are available at the Tix for Next to Nix booth on the day. Want more Sydney Festival events? Check out our top ten picks of the festival. Or follow what we're seeing as we see it in our Sydney Festival Diary. By Rima Sabina Aouf, Hugh Robertson and Rebecca Speer. Image by Prudence Upton.
After first setting up shop in Brisbane last year, and then announcing plans to open more Australian stores last month, Taco Bell has revealed the location of its second Australian outpost: Robina on the Gold Coast. The US Tex-Mex chain is headed to a spot adjacent to Robina Town Centre later in 2018, with construction currently underway on its new digs. While the exact opening date hasn't yet been revealed, fans of burritos, quesadillas, nachos and, of course, tacos, can expect to start munching away before summer hits. Taco Bell's Queensland expansion will come as no surprise to anyone who's seen the lines at the company's existing Annerley store, and it doesn't look as though the company is done with the region yet — with job listings presently open for not only Robina, but for Brisbane and the surrounding suburbs. In good news for those eager for a Mexican-inspired bite in Sydney and Melbourne, more Australian shops are planned by the end of the year. It'll be a case of out with the old and in with the new, actually, with previous reports indicating that Taco Bell will take over old Sizzler spots. Find Taco Bell at a to-be-confirmed Robina location near Robina Town Centre later this year. We'll keep you updated on the opening.
Under the rubric 'Read, Rethink, Respond' this year's Sydney Writers' Festival brings together authors across cultures and continents to cast a light on what's happening right now, and they seem to be a pretty confronting and contentious lot. It's not a competition to see who's the most ink-stained, it's about interesting and well-expressed opinions and what light they cast on what's important culturally and socially and politically. The masses of events are roughly categorised according to a set of five icons, symbolic Sydney landmarks tying the sessions together as events and to the city itself as a discursive site. Walsh Bay will be full of poets and economists and polemicists and historians and Christopher Hitchens and a guy who knows Woody Allen really well. There'll be talks, launches, panels, readings, workshops and basically any other format that involves words, plus a whole bunch of other people who will totally elbow you to make it into the free sessions and then ask really long questions that end up being statements. (It might be worth bearing in mind that area restaurants have deals going so you can at least be sufficiently well-fed and wined that your satiated look might be confused with wisdom. Just saying.) See more of our Festival picks at our blog. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0MUgS5x8R3k
It seems unlikely that David O. Selznick, the legendary Jewish filmmaker who produced Gone With The Wind, and Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, would agree on much. That both were avid fans of Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin is a testament to the film’s raw emotional power. A pure slice of pre-Stalinist Soviet propaganda, this silent film pioneered new editing techniques in order to elicit maximum sympathy from audiences, and is universally acclaimed as a cinematic masterpiece. Considering the recent Russian revival, few films could be a more appropriate next step in the Sydney Symphony’s Movies Over Music series.The posthumous soundtrack is supplied by Shostakovich: another brilliant Russian who was fascinated by the film. While this doesn’t strictly sit with Eisenstein’s rules – that the soundtrack should be rewritten every 20 years in order to stay relevant and hip – it will be, perhaps, more appropriate to the current cultural climate than the version composed by the Pet Shop Boys. In honour of, if not quite according to, Eisenstein’s wishes, conductor Frank Strobel presents a newly arranged score for the occasion.
