It's two decades since Cat Power (Chan Marshall) caught a plane from the US to Melbourne, where she spent 11 days in a recording studio with sound engineer Matt Voigt, guitarist Mick Turner and drummer Jim White of trio Dirty Three. The result was Moon Pix, the full-length album that became Marshall's breakthrough. She wrote most of the songs in one session, while staying alone in a farmhouse and waking up to terrifying hallucinations of dark spirits trying to break through the walls. "They were clear, black as night, trying to get into my soul. That's when I grabbed my acoustic guitar. I thought that if people found my body, I needed to leave a tape," Marshall told The Telegraph (UK). To mark Moon Pix's 20th anniversary and as part of Vivid Live, Cat Power is performing the entire album live in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. She'll be joined by Turner, White and a string section. This will be Marshall's only Australian show and the first time she has performed the album in full with its original collaborators.
The Rocks is a historic Sydney precinct, home to some of the best bars, oldest heritage buildings, cutest boutique shopfronts and now, a recently-refreshed weekend activity. You might be familiar with it: The Rocks Markets, a local cornerstone that brings together artisanal goods and their makers onto a bustling street for wanderers to delight in en masse. If you've ever been part of that crowd or aspire to be soon, you'll be excited to hear that the market has recently had a facelift and is coming back strong to invite your patronage and delight your senses. Head on down to the harbourside spot for the opening weekend on Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16 — or any Saturday and Sunday after that. What to expect? You can look forward to fruit-topped baked pastries; fresh, cheesy woodfired pizza; European bites aplenty — like paella, pastel de nata (from Tuga Pastries, pictured above) and lokma — and desserts galore. There's something for everyone on the drinks front; think coffee, juice, kombucha, lemonade and everything in between. Beyond the flavour, you can peruse the works of local artists and photographers, inject style to your life with eclectic homewares and shop around for a standout new 'fit for the coming season. Should you need a break from browsing, find a spot on the supplied picnic rugs in the shade of the Harbour Bridge and soak up the rotating roster of live music (all up-and-coming local artists, of course). And for something enriching, head to one of the ever-changing 'how to' workshops, which will have you learning from market stallholders in interactive sessions. The launch weekend includes sessions with Leather Trading Co, Emilio Frank Design, Jonima Flowers and Store Tresor. And as if you weren't spoiled for choice already, Sunday visitors will also see free yoga classes available in Dawes Point Park at 9.30am. The Rocks Markets relaunch on the weekend of Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16. Then, will run every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. For more information on the vendors, visit the website.
These days we have access to unprecedented amounts of information in a multitude of mediums. Gone are the days when organisations could just rely on a good story or startling statistics to get their message across. In our increasingly visual culture, a story just ain't a story and information just isn't newsworthy unless it's accompanied by some darn good imagery. The 2020 VISION project takes all of this into account. The multi-media conservation project, the most ambitious of its kind to date, has gotten together 20 of the UK's best professional wildlife photographers and assigned them an area of conservation to document using visual media. The photographers have been assigned areas all over the isles — sustainable fishing on the border between England and Scotland, restoring the wetlands at Somerset Levels and even an attempt to 'rewild' the River Thames. The work of these photographs will be assembled into a outdoor audio-visual multi roadshow at the end of this year. The project hopes to capture the visual imagination of the British public, making an emotional rather than a scientific argument for conservation, and to get the message across that the health of the natural environment has a significant impact on the health of the individual. Information worth remembering.
This limestone labyrinth, set within the remote south of the Blue Mountains National Park, is the world's most ancient open caves system, dating back 340 million years. There are numerous illuminated pathways to explore throughout the 40 kilometres of subterranean palaces, so you'll need to book specific show cave tours. Visit Lucas Cave to be challenged by more than 1000 steps that deliver you into the belly of the mountain to the system's largest chamber that hums with acoustic vibrations. Marvel at thick drapings of crystal formations and Jenolan's tallest stalagmite, 'Pillar of Hercules', in the Orient Cave, or see every angle of delicate crystal shawls and helictites that seem to defy gravity and grow greedily in every direction within the dreamy Temple of Baal Cave. Images: Destination NSW
The discontent of Robert Winter, a semi-successful actor, occurs in the twilight of his career. While preparing backstage for a show, a momentous recent event forces him to examine the choices and sacrifices he has made for his craft. William Zappa, an actor who has himself experienced many of the trials and tribulations retold in Winter's story, is both the performer and writer of this piece. This is a dissection of the cult of acting, and for this purpose all an actor's tools are employed: familiar stretches, motivational speeches, warm ups in gibberish and the famous lines of dead white males. Zappa clearly enjoys revealing these absurdities to an audience who may or may not be already familiar with them. Zappa's approach to his character begins with great subtlety — so much so that we are initially tempted to admit that Winter has perhaps made some wrong choices. However, as the plot thickens, Zappa reveals the extraordinary depth of his skill (as well as Winter's), and we long for nothing more than the benefit of watching his performance. Winter's Discontent is an incredibly honest piece which gives rise to some unpredictable and transcendent moments. Zappa's skill is irrefutable, and you should snap up the chance to see him perform this work at the intimate Darlinghurst Theatre.
Beloved Woolloomooloo drinking establishment The Old Fitz has been cooking up something exciting. The pub's charming upstairs dining room and perpetually well-populated front bar is getting a culinary overhaul under new head chef, Toby Stansfield. Bistro Fitz is the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin name of the revamped, second-floor restaurant and the menu reveals a compelling intersection of influences from Stansfield's previous gigs (most recently he was head chef at CBD pasta bar Fabbrica). In keeping with all the expectations that 'bistro' implies, there's plenty of fare faithful to the classic European bistro. An alluring beetroot tarte tatin with 'holy' goat fromage frais, for example, is a natural precursor to steak frites with Diane sauce or mustards, which will no doubt be a crowd-pleaser. Elsewhere on the menu things get a little more unexpected. The influences bypass the culinary cues of Paris and make a break for the Mediterranean with dishes like the Insalata di Maré where mussels, octopus and herbs are punched up with black garlic and ancho chilli. For Stansfield's carryover fan base of Fabbrica pasta heads, don't sleep on the bowls of handmade trofie with pine nut pesto, pangrattato and pecorino. It wouldn't be a pub menu without a few options that are unmistakably pub food. The confit rooster roll, roast chicken mayonnaise and dill — a more luxurious take on the classic hot chook in bread — is a signature of the front bar menu. Of his approach to running the new kitchen, Stansfield says, "I have a mixed bag of experience and I'm excited to get creative and draw on it in lots of different ways. The Old Fitz is always a good time and I want to make really approachable and fun food that reflects this." [caption id="attachment_858320" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Kitti Gould.[/caption] The Old Fitz has undergone many a transformation over the past decade. The one thing that remains consistent is the familiar yet elusive je ne sais quoi of any great pub: You always feel like you've made a good choice as soon as you step your feet on that carpet, perch your elbows on the bar and have a tap beer mid-pour. Toby Stansfield will officially take over as head chef this Friday, June 24. Bookings can be made at the website. The Old Fitz is open seven nights a week at 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo. Images: Kitti Gould.
This Is Spinal Tap set the benchmark for mockumentaries way back in 1984 and has reigned supreme ever since. Now it may finally have an equal with What We Do In The Shadows, a collaboration between writer/directors Taika Waititi and Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement. Billed as "a couple of interviews with a couple of vampires", it's a fly on the wall 'documentary' about four vampires sharing a flat in present-day New Zealand and is, quite simply, hilarious. Key to its appeal is the way What We Do In The Shadows presents the needs, problems and activities of vampires as entirely commonplace. The flatmates cruise the clubs of Wellington seeking victims like others seek a one night stand, they jeer each other on when a back-alley argument descends into a 'bat fight', and they projectile vomit blood when they absentmindedly eat actual food. Yes, they've their share of 'vampire' problems (sunlight, vampire hunters, etc), but also more normal ones, like having to tell your best friend you're the undead and suppressing the unceasing desire to kill him. What We Do in the Shadows is in cinemas on September 4. Thanks to Madman Entertainment, we have a What We Do in the Shadows prize pack to give away, with a double in-season pass and DVDs of Submarine, Bernie and Prince Avalanche. Eight runners up will also get double in-season passes to see the film. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Read our full review of the movie here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=Cv568AzZ-i8
The last two years might have been a little lighter on travel adventures than we're used to, but if you're keen to make up for lost time, Visit Victoria has come up with a beaut excuse to escape the city and hit the road again. It's just unveiled its latest touring off-grid accommodation experience championing the regions — a tiny home stay for two by the name of Stella the Stargazer. Similarly to Visit Victoria's Wine Down Pop-Up Hotel, which launched in mid 2019, Stella won't be tying herself down to just one location. Rather, she'll move between three idyllic regional settings for eight weeks at a time, starting with a sojourn at Maffra's Blue Gables vineyard from Friday, October 14. [caption id="attachment_869901" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Blue Gables Vineyard, Maffra[/caption] After its Gippsland stint, the environmentally sensitive pop-up will relocate to a spot along the Great Ocean Road for a couple of months, before seeing out its last leg nestled against the mountainous backdrop of the Grampians in April and May, 2023. The accommodation itself is a study in simple luxury, the off-grid tiny home the work of Port Fairy-based design and manufacture crew Ample. Inviting you to switch off, unplug and recharge, without forgoing comfort, it's kitted out with a queen-sized bed, complete with threads from Weave Home Australia, Society of Wanderers and Grampians Goods Co. There's a roll-out sleeping platform that's primed for stargazing, an indulgent shower surrounded by adjustable glass louvres designed to envelop you in the natural surroundings, and a central wood fire that doubles as a hotplate for cooking. Glass sliding doors open onto the modular deck and fire pit, and you'll find plenty of local wares featured throughout; from crockery, to Dindi Naturals toiletries. Meanwhile, famed chef Alejandro Saravia (Farmer's Daughters, Victoria by Farmer's Daughters) will ensure you're dining like royalty, with guests enjoying a curated welcome hamper, a bottle of wine and breakfast provisions showcasing top local produce. A dinner experience is also available to add on to your stay. Stella the Stargazer will make her home in Maffra, Gippsland, from October 14–December 15, 2022. She'll then stop in a new location along the Great Ocean Road from February 3–April 6, 2023, before moving to the Grampians from April 17–June 18, 2023. Rates are $330 per night Monday–Thursday, and $390 per night Friday–Sunday.
A quarter-century since the world first met Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe, TV's most famous friends are never too far from anyone's thoughts. When the sitcom's catchy theme tune promised "I'll be there for you", it seems these New York pals really meant it — not just about each other, but for the legions of viewers who watched their antics between 1994–2004, then kept rewatching them afterwards. Over the years, you've probably caught reruns on television, binged your way through boxsets or let episode after episode play on Stan — but you probably haven't enjoyed a marathon of standout eps on the big screen. To celebrate the series' 25th anniversary, a heap of Sydney cinemas are letting Friends fans do just that. There mightn't be an orange couch for you to sit on, but you'll want to gather the gang regardless. Prices and session times vary per cinema, but the lineup remains the same. On the bill are 12 of the show's classic episodes, including The One With The Black Out, The One With The Prom Video and The One Where No One's Ready — plus The One With Chandler In A Box, The One Where Everyone Finds Out and The One Where Ross Got High. Running for five hours, the screening will also feature new footage, interviews and bloopers — so you'll get an extra dose of Friends fun.
Two years since opening in Surry Hills, Bar Suze has announced that it will be taking part in a well-worn hospitality tradition: pivoting. The small Foveaux Street bar that's been specialising in natural wines and Swedish snacks will shift its focus and reopen as B.S. Pasta Palace on Friday, July 7. Expect the same great Bar Suze atmosphere with a no-fuss menu focusing on pasta and snacks. Thankfully, this means that Surry Hills isn't losing the bustling spot, but you do only have a couple more weeks to get your hands on the venue's toast skagen or eggplant galette. [caption id="attachment_907153" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Toast skagen, Nikki To[/caption] To celebrate the site's time as Bar Suze and mark its evolution, the team is throwing a Midsommar party on Sunday, July 2 before the bar shuts down for a four-day hibernation. This walk-in-only celebration will feature plenty of natural wine, signature Bar Suze Nordic snacks and DJs setting the soundtrack. Not content with just an overhaul of their original venue, Bar Suze owners Greg Bampton and Phil Stenvall are also opening a new outpost in Potts Point. Named Caravin, this 30-ish-seat French wine bar will arrive in the former Dumpling & Beer site next to Piccolo Bar on Ward Street. [caption id="attachment_808310" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bar Suze, Nikki To[/caption] Bampton and Stenvall will bring their learnings from Bar Suze over to this second venue, where they're aiming to really put their stamp on Sydney's wine bar scene. Expect a diverse list of vino partnered with an experimental menu of European snacks. The opening will solidify Potts Point one of the best spots in Sydney to find an understated haunt with a standout drinks menu. Caravin will join its neighbour Piccolo Bar — one of our picks for the 20 best bars in Sydney — as well as Piccolo's sibling Vermuteria, the Love Tilly Group's Dear Sainte Eloise, Bar Lucia, Chester White Cured Meats and Jangling Jacks, just to name a few, in the vibrant late-night suburb that has enjoyed a major comeback since the end of the lockout laws. [caption id="attachment_907152" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bar Suze, Nikki To[/caption] B.S. Pasta Palace will open at 54 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills from Friday, July 7, while Caravin will open at 9 Ward Avenue, Potts Point in spring 2023.
In 2022, scam culture was here to stay, as drawn-from-reality hits such as Inventing Anna and The Dropout repeatedly promised. In 2023, playing fast and loose with the truth sits at the heart of Apple TV+'s new Hello Tomorrow!, too, which tells a fictional tale about the deceptions people spin to chase their dreams. The show's beaming face: travelling salesman Jack Billings (Billy Crudup, The Morning Show), the regional manager for BrightSide Lunar Residences, and a passionate pusher of timeshares on the moon. He's this intriguing dramedy's version of Don Draper, but with Mad Men's 60s surroundings swapped for The Jetsons-style robot help and hovering vehicles. Streaming from Friday, February 17, the look of Hello Tomorrow! is retro-futuristic, steeped in 50s-era visions of what might come. The time and place is an alternative version of that decade, in a suburban enclave called Vistaville, where one of Jack's biggest fibs has its origins. He's summoned back with his crew of hawkers — the gambling-addicted Eddie (Hank Azaria, The Simpsons), promotion-coveting Herb (Dewshane Williams, In the Dark) and resident righthand-woman Shirley (Haneefah Wood, Truth Be Told) — by his mother Barbara (Jacki Weaver, Penguin Bloom) after his wife Marie (Annie McNamara, Severance) is injured by a self-driving delivery van. His son Joey (Nicholas Podany, Archive 81) is struggling to cope, a task made all the more difficult by Jack's absence from his family's lives for decades. He's skilled at sharing stories about his domestic bliss on the moon to customers, but being a happy head of a lunar household is merely one of his go-to falsehoods. One such spiel opens Hello Tomorrow's ten-part first season — an attention-grabber of a launchpad with a universe's worth of details about Jack, BrightSide, how both operate and what each trades in from the get-go. In a diner that's the picture of nostalgic Americana except for the android server behind the counter, Jack gets comfortable beside a fellow patron, then gets selling, selling, selling. In his line of work, Jack can pinpoint people's wishes. There's no preternatural talent involved — this isn't Poker Face, another 2023 newcomer — but he knows how to lock in what his potential customers yearn for. So, he packages up an underdome home on the earth's only natural satellite as a way of repairing a fractured father-daughter relationship. Throwing in faux tidbits about his own wife and kids to close the deal, a sale swiftly follows. When Jack is seen spruiking back in Vistaville, after decamping with his team to the Vista Motor Lodge, his inspirational rhetoric wavers. Rather, amid a mass presentation that features celebrity spokesman Buck Manzell (Frankie Faison, Till), TV's Space Sheriff, calling in from up above, his talk turns dark and the room's excitement plateaus. Joey is in the audience, however, and the earnest twenty-something is quickly sold. He also can't remember anything about his father, so doesn't spot the connection. Jack's solution: stopping his boy's purchase and giving him a job instead, still without revealing the bonds of blood. Of course, Joey joins the BrightSide fold just as aggrieved customer Myrtle Mayburn (Alison Pill, Star Trek: Picard) starts kicking up a fuss, her complaints falling on rule-touting bureaucrat Lester Costopoulos' (Matthew Maher, Our Flag Means Death) listening ears. There's a The Twilight Zone-meets-Leave It to Beaver feel to Hello Tomorrow! as its characters seek the same thing we all do: a better life. Creators Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen (both Bloodline alumni), also co-writers and showrunners with You're the Worst's Stephen Falk, zoom in further, focusing on the reasons anyone holds onto to hope their lot will improve. Jack hit the road to discover something more when he farewelled Marie and Joey all those years ago, but it's clear amid the poise, polish and patter that he hasn't found it. Still, he hasn't stopped striving, either. Eddie needs a big payday because he's bought into the BrightSide promise, aiming to turn his romance with the married Shirley into a new lunar existence — and escape his mounting gambling debts. And Herb's wife Betty (Susan Heyward, Orange Is the New Black) is expecting twins, hence his persistent push for advancement. Amid constantly whirling dialogue and a playful score by Mark Mothersbaugh (What We Do in the Shadows), selling the American dream — and buying into it — literally means shooting for the moon. As Hello Tomorrow! speedily establishes, both are frequently out of reach. Questing after something that never eventuates is one of the oldest stories under the sun, after all, and imagining a brighter future to make today's doldrums go down smoother is an ancient fact of life on this very earth. None of these notions are revelations in Hello Tomorrow!, but they are thoughtfully and stylishly unpacked. Take the show's pitch-perfect aesthetics, for instance; they're as shiny as can be, for the series' characters to interact with and its viewers to watch, but that gloss is never the be all and end all. Hello Tomorrow!'s colourful, curved, tailfin-heavy production design (by Maya Sigel, I Am Not Okay with This), art direction (Katie Citti, The Peripheral), costume design (Anna Terrazas, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths) and set decoration (George DeTitta Jr, Succession) are equally sublime and stunning — instantly transporting as well — but they wouldn't gleam as blazingly if its story and themes didn't hit home. The lies keep building, then being exposed, as Jack is forced to confront the fallout of vowing to deliver everyone their best lives. Crudup won an Emmy for his last Apple TV+ role and is in stellar form again, all intuition, optimism and persuasion on the outside, and regrets and loneliness within. "What's life without a dream to make it go down easy?" Jack opines, with Crudup saying it like every character in Hello Tomorrow! believes it. That sentiment also oozes from the fantastic Azaria as Eddie, the most forceful of the show's figures personality-wise and its most devoted to lusting after the BrightSide life. He makes an excellent duo with Wood as the canny Shirley, who puts her faith in people over easy promises — and both help sell a dramedy that's glorious in its world-building, with mobile phones absent but residing in the Sea of Serenity a normal possibility. Apple TV+ knows this high-concept, highly stylised, deeply engaging and resonant space, of course. With 2022's Severance, it traversed similar terrain in a wholly different way. Here's another dream that Hello Tomorrow! peddles, plus embodies: that our idylls borrow from everything we've seen and experienced, but we always make them our own. Check out the trailer for Hello Tomorrow! below: Hello Tomorrow! streams via Apple TV+.
What's better than Ability Fest, Australia's most-inclusive music festival, returning for another year? The fully accessible event, which launched in 2018 as the brainchild of 2022 Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott, taking its setup and live tunes to two spots around the country. The fest started in Melbourne, which is the only place that it has called home since — but in October 2024 it'll play both the Victorian capital and its Queensland counterpart. Melburnians, you have a date for your calendar. Brisbanites, so do you, for a music festival that's arriving in the River City for the first time ever. And for folks everywhere else, you have two locations to choose from if you're keen to book a weekend away to head along. [caption id="attachment_963996" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Chloe Hall[/caption] Ability Fest will first unleash its 2024 lineup — which hasn't yet been revealed — on Saturday, October 19 at Alexandra Gardens/Birrarung Marr in Melbourne. Then, the following week on Saturday, October 26, it'll make its Sunshine State debut at Victoria Park/Barrambin in Brisbane. "First and foremost, Ability Fest is a ripper festival at its core, but with the added plus that it can bring people of all abilities together," said Alcott about bringing the event north. [caption id="attachment_963997" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Glenn Hunt[/caption] "We'll have a completely accessible venue with elevated viewing platforms, pathways, quiet zones and sensory areas, ensuring that everyone has the ability to have an unreal day." "Gaining the support of the Queensland Government means we get to share our passion for great music and good vibes with the Sunshine State, and offer an inclusive and incredible festival experience for every single person," Alcott continued. [caption id="attachment_963992" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Ian Laidlaw[/caption] The Brisbane festival will cater to around 5000 people, and Ability Fest is committed to being financially accessible during the current cost-of-living crisis in both of its stops. Accordingly, tickets will only cost $60 plus booking fee, and carers will receive complimentary entry. The fest is also lowering the age of admission to 16 so more folks can head along. "For many Australians, the cost-of-living crisis has created significant financial strain. We believe that music has the power to unite communities, bring people together and lift our spirits, especially during challenging times," said Alcott. [caption id="attachment_963990" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Chloe Hall[/caption] From the get-go, Ability Fest has been carefully designed to be completely accessible and as inclusive as they come. It features ramps and pathways for easy access, Auslan interpreters working alongside the artists, and elevated platforms to give everyone a shot at seeing the stage. Plus, there's also quiet zones, dedicated sensory areas and accessible toilets. While dishing up primo live tunes and music experiences to Aussies of all abilities, the not-for-profit fest also raises money for the Dylan Alcott Foundation, with 100-percent of its ticket proceeds going to the organisation. Ability Fest 2024 Dates and Venues: Saturday, October 19 — Alexandra Gardens/Birrarung Marr, Melbourne Saturday, October 26 — Victoria Park/Barrambin, Brisbane [caption id="attachment_963995" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Chloe Hall[/caption] [caption id="attachment_963991" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Chloe Hall[/caption] Ability Fest 2024 will hit Melbourne and Brisbane in October 2024. Pre-sale tickets will be available from 12pm AEST on Wednesday, July 10 (register online), with general tickets selling online from 12pm on Thursday, July 11. Head to the festival website for more details.
If the insanely beautiful Field of Light installation had you ready to blow two months' wages on flights to Alice Springs, the latest addition of light-focused cultural events in the outback might just nudge you over the line. For the first time, Parrtyeme - a Festival in Light will illuminate Alice Springs for ten nights this September. Announced by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Adam Giles this week, Parrtyeme — which comes from the Arrernte word parrtma meaning 'light up' or 'lighting up' — will be the first Indigenous festival of its kind. Featuring both contemporary and traditional indigenous artworks, the festival will also be Australia's biggest light installation, covering 2.5 kilometres of the MacDonnell Ranges. Among the works, you can expect to see a series of large illuminated 1950s-style circle skirts based on the watercolour artwork of Lenie Namatjira, who's the granddaughter of artist Albert Namatjira. Vivid eat your heart out. The festival will run for ten nights later this year in the Alice Springs Desert Park (about a ten minute drive from the centre of Alice Springs), from September 23 till October 2. It's a collaboration between the NT Government, AGB Events (who are known for their work on Vivid) and local Aboriginal artists. And if all goes well, they hope that the Parrtyeme will become an annual event. Parrtyeme will take place from September 23 until October 2, 2016. To register your attendance, visit parrtyemeaustralia.com.au.
Ever wanted to enjoy sous vide (meat that's been vacuum-packed and carefully cooked in a water bath) at home? Ribs & Roast is an Australian-owned company, which wholly focuses on pre-cooked restaurant quality sous-vide meats. Rather than being a traditional butcher, they do half the work for you, carefully seasoning and cooking meats for its wholesale customers. Opt for Italian inspired saucy lamb shanks, tender three-bone-in chuck beef ribs or Portuguese-inspired chicken Marylands. Can't decide what to get? There are two pack offerings — a barbecue pack (complete with beef and pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken wings and beef brisket), or the burger pack (with pulled pork and shredded beef).
The Come Together festival is badly named; the two-day, Luna Park event splits the lineup stylistically into two separate days, so it's actually more about pushing things apart than coming together per se. Saturday June 12 features lots of bands that I really don't like, but maybe you do: Gyroscope, The Butterfly Effect (who names themselves after an Ashton Kutcher movie?), Frenzal Rhomb (okay, I don't mind them so much), Strung Out, House Vs Hurricane, MM9, The Loved Ones and more. If you love your metal and punk, that is your prerogative, and I wish you all the best in life; Saturday is your day. If you prefer your music on the lighter side, then you can get along to Sunday's lineup, which has bands that I do like, and you may like too: The Jezabels are a great band, Boy and Bear play really lovely melodic folk-rock, Ernest Ellis, fronted by Roland Ellis (not Ernest, though earnest), is a very good young band about to release their debut album, Horrorshow do quite good hip hop, and, although I don't really dig her music that much, Lord can Bertie Blackman sing, and she always puts on a good show. They're joined by Grinspoon, British India and Dead Letter Circus, among others. I apologise for my blatant disregard of journalistic objectivity and preference for righteous opinions. It's been my way of saying: there's something for everyone at this firmly established festival. Lots more bands are yet to be announced, but tickets go on sale before that, from Thursday, April 8, at 9am (pre-sales from Tuesday, April 6, at noon).
Beloved Inner West pub The Erko has given its menu a hyper-local revamp with the help of the new top dog in the kitchen, ex-Chiswick chef Ethan Robinson. Borrowing inspiration from Matt Moran's Woollahra favourite and its in-house garden, the new selection of eats at The Erko leans on fresh local produce — including ingredients from Erskineville's community garden — in order to reimagine classic pub fare. "We're making our own bread, hand cutting the chips, crumbing the chickens, fermenting and pickling in-house using surplus, blemished and oddly shaped produce, using herbs and veggies sourced locally, and composting our kitchen waste," says Robinson. "We have a little patch at the Erko Road Community Garden next door where we're growing herbs, native greens, chillies, cherry tomatoes, garlic chives, carrots, and Jerusalem artichokes. We're also using local honey and have locally made hot sauces too." If you're heading in for an afternoon beer and you're after some finger food, the zucchini fritti is our pick — a bowl of super-crispy little morsels paired with a creamy no-fuss herb mayo. Alternatively, opt for the fried chicken sliders that are brought to life with the addition of honey, hot sauce and a crunch of lettuce. If you want to get fancy, The Erko has jumped on the ceviche trend and added kingfish with dill, cucumber and a citrus dressing (see below) to the starters menu — plus, you can score $2 oysters every Sunday from midday. And, the salad selection has also been freshened up, with the standout being a vibrant octopus and chickpea salad that can work as a pesco-friendly main or a light share plate. The mains don't venture too far from what you'd expect from your local pub (nobody wants to head in with a parmi on their mind and not find it). What Robinson has done is add a little flair to these tried-and-true classics, with the schnitzel topped with parmesan and crispy capers, the steak paired with chimichurri butter, and the team is working with local seafood suppliers to provide a catch of the day that spotlights lesser-known wild-caught fish. "You can still just pop in for a burger or schnitty — but they'll taste so much better than a regular pub feed," says Robinson. The Erko is located at 102 Erskineville Road, Erskineville. Images: Steven Woodburn
He's the horror and thriller author responsible for bloody proms, haunted hotels, possessed cars, sewer-dwelling clowns and spooky animal resting grounds, not to mention literary stalkers, depression-era death row prisoners, a town plagued by unexplained fogginess and another trapped under a dome. Indeed, since coming to fame with Carrie back in the 70s, Stephen King has never proven unpopular — but the world sure loves the writer's work right now. The viewing world in particular seems to adore King at the moment, with page-to-screen adaptations of his books popping up thick and fast. In 2019 alone, a new version of Pet Sematary hit cinemas, as did IT: Chapter Two and The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep — while In the Tall Grass recently arrived on Netflix. On the small screen, Mr Mercedes is up to its third season, Castle Rock unfurled its second and Creepshow's first recently landed. Next year will see three more TV shows join them, too, all based on King's books — and if you like the author in murder-mystery mode, you might want to add The Outsider to your viewing list. HBO's addition to the fold is a ten-part mini-series taking inspiration from King's 2018 novel of the same name, which focuses on the gruesome death of an 11-year-boy. Little League coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman) is suspected of the shocking murder, with his fingerprints all over the scene; however, video footage places him 60 miles across town at the time the crime went down. Unravelling just what happened is a task for police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), who's also mourning the death of his own son. When nothing seems to add up, he brings in unconventional private investigator Holly Gibney (Widows and Bad Times at the El Royale's Cynthia Erivo) to help, despite him professing to have "no tolerance for the unexplainable". In case you're thinking that this all sounds like one of King's more straightforward tales, "an insidious supernatural force" is also involved according to the official HBO synopsis — it is called The Outsider, after all. And, while the show's first teaser focused on the murder case, its just-dropped full trailer plays up the creepiness, coincidences and the fact that something beyond the bounds of normal logic just might be going on. Mendo, Australia's favourite current acting export, also produces the show, as well as seemingly getting a rare chance to play something other than a blockbuster baddie of late (see Rogue One, Ready Player One and Robin Hood, for example). As for recent Emmy directing winner Bateman, he executive produces and jumps behind the lens on the series' first two episodes. Check out the new trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNDKWr3Xmjk The Outsider starts airing on Sunday, January 12 in America — we'll update you once viewing details for Down Under have been announced.
Seven years after they were first introduced to curb alcohol-fuelled violence, the lockout laws are set to be lifted in Kings Cross. In January last year, just weeks before the pandemic caused a mass closure of venues across the country, the lockout laws were repealed in the CBD and on Oxford Street, but they remained in place in the "high risk" Kings Cross area for the foreseeable future. Today, Tuesday, February 9, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced plans to repeal Sydney's final lockouts, telling the Sydney Morning Herald: "Kings Cross has transformed considerably since these laws were introduced. The precinct is now well positioned to continue to evolve into a vibrant lifestyle and cultural destination with a diverse mix of small bars, live music venues and restaurants." From Monday, March 8, Sydneysiders will be able to head into Kings Cross bars, pubs and nightclubs after 1.30am — and those same venues will be able to serve drinks until 3.30am. While rules on shots and the use of glass after midnight will also be rolled back, ID scanners will still be required in some busy venues as an "additional public safety measure", according to the SMH. [caption id="attachment_792049" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dean's Lounge opened in Kings Cross during the pandemic[/caption] Since the lockout laws were introduced in 2014, a reported 176 venues have closed, and a report by Deloitte Access Economics showed that the laws had contributed to NSW missing out on $16 billion in potential profits. A year-long parliamentary inquiry into the state of the Sydney's music and nightlife economy in 2018 also found that the industry was in "peril" due to the NSW Government's history of neglect, and lack of funding. This was all, of course, before the city's hospitality and nightlife industries were hamstrung again by the COVID-19 pandemic. In September of 2020, a Music NSW survey of 47 city entertainment venues found 85 percent predicted shutdown within six to nine months if crippling trading conditions persisted. These same businesses reported accumulated losses of $70 million due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Hopefully, the winding back of the final lockout laws — and the final COVID-19 restrictions — will allow Sydney's nightlife to flourish once again. There have been some early green shoots of hope, too. While the last few years have been peppered with closures, the last few months have seen flourish of openings across Kings Cross and Potts Point, including a gin distillery, a French bistro, a retro lounge and wine bar and pizza joint. The City of Sydney has also announced plans to reignite the nightlife in Kings Cross and Oxford Street, while the NSW Government has scrapped several archaic laws surrounding liquor licenses and live music. The lockout laws are set to be rolled back in Kings Cross on Monday, March 8. Top image: Luke-rative via Wikimedia Commons
When the news dropped earlier this year that Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck was coming to Melbourne, every local foodie quite rightly lost their mind. Packing up a three-Michelin starred restaurant and transporting it to the other side of the world for six months is no small feat. And, while Melbourne is treated to a great spectrum of culinary talent, the food wizardry of this sound-cooking, bacon ice cream-making legend really is next level. But, the question remained: how to secure a seat? After the announcement came in March this year, Crown received upwards of 40,000 requests to book a table. We'll give you a minute to let that number sink in. With a proposed service of 50 diners per night, and the space in operation for a mere six months, The Fat Duck would only be able to accommodate a third of those that enquired nearly a full year in advance. That's huge. "We were totally overwhelmed with the response, it's been unbelievable ... [it shows] just the complete, utter food obsession that has happened over here," Blumenthal said in a press conference this morning. Now, to cope with the astronomical interest (and to save the receptionists at Crown a world of trouble), a booking system has been decided. To eat at The Fat Duck, you will have to enter a ballot. Open from October 8 until October 26, the ballot will be run in a similar way to Meredith Music Festival (though we really can't say it will have the same no dickheads policy). Punters can register their ravenous interest, an independent third party will randomly select the successful diners, then both confirmations and rejections will be sent out on November 10. It's not yet clear whether you can pick the date and time of your reservation. Honestly, it seems unlikely. Unsurprisingly, the seat also won't come cheap. Dinner will be served as a set menu of 12–15 courses and will set you back a cool $525 (before drinks). This may well be the only lottery where the prize is a huge bill, but when we think about that bacon ice cream we can't help but feel it's worth it. The Fat Duck opens on February 3, 2015, but more importantly the ballot opens on October 8 at 9am. Via Good Food.
Australia is teeming with ace things to do every single week, which won't be news to Concrete Playground readers. It's also filled with stellar and stunning places to head, which won't be a revelation either. Still, every year, the Australian Interior Design Awards names and celebrates the best of the best when it comes to indoor spaces to hang out, live and work in. And, 2022's dazzling crop of winners have just been announced. Back in April, AIDA unveiled its 2022 shortlist, which was filled with impressive spaces in hospitality, residential, workplace, retail and public settings. Whittling down those contenders to a list of winners must've been a tough gig, but it's one that the judges clearly relished. Their picks are spectacular, naturally. [caption id="attachment_858619" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Troy Sivian's house. Image: Anson Smart.[/caption] Nabbing the Premier Award for Australian Interior Design: Clare Cousins Architects for Stable and Cart House in North Melbourne, which the jury said was "sublime in every way". Located within a 1920s brick warehouse, the home also took out the Residential Design category, and was singled out for the way it "beautifully balances the retention of an existing building with very bold and practical new insertions". If that's not enough home inspo for you, the 2022 Residential Decoration Award went to Flack Studio for Troye Sivan's house, also in Melbourne. Yes, you'll want to live there. Indeed, making sure that the tri-level abode, which has big London vibes and was originally a 19th-century hardball court, reflects its famous occupant was a big reason why it scored a gong. The home boasts a "strong sense of the client's character through a beautiful curation of art, furniture, lighting and objects in a way that doesn't feel forced or contrived," the jury said. [caption id="attachment_858637" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arkhé. Image: Timothy Kaye[/caption] Announced at a dinner the Hyatt Regency Sydney on Friday, June 17, AIDA's 2022 winners also include Studio Edwards for Finesse Shoe Store — still in Melbourne, this time in Collingwood — which took out the Retail Design field. As well as displaying and selling rare and limited-edition kicks, the sneaker store is clearly quite the covetable space itself. Up in Sydney, YSG Studio nabbed the Interior Design Impact gong for Edition Roasters in Haymarket, while Adelaide's Arkhé claimed the Hospitality Design Award for Studio Gram. [caption id="attachment_828028" align="alignnone" width="1920"] View of Eucalyptusdom showing commissioned work Pyriscence: After Fireby Anna May Kirk. Image: Zan Wimberley.[/caption] Back in Melbourne, the Monash Robotics Lab scored the Public Design prize, with Studio Bright doing the honours. Meanwhile, Sydney's Powerhouse Museum took out the Installation Design category for exhibition Eucalyptusdom, a win for SJB in collaboration with Richard Leplastrier and Vania Contreras. In that same field, one of the most luminous new additions to the Australian art scene also picked up a commendation: digital-only, multi-sensory art gallery The Lume, with Decibel Architecture behind its stunning design. [caption id="attachment_858618" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Lume.[/caption] For the full Australian Interior Design Awards 2022 winners list, head to the AIDA website. Top image: The Lume, Decibel Architecture.
After a fantastic year of programming that included works as diverse as the debut production of wonderful new Australian comedy Hubris & Humiliation and Edward Albee's provocative Tony Award-winner The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia, the Sydney Theatre Company's 2023 season is wrapping up with another undisputed theatrical classic. Anton Chekhov's 1886 slice-of-life banger The Seagull will play at the Roslyn Packer Theatre throughout November and December, bringing to life the funny and fraught production about romance, death, the purpose of art, and existential dissatisfaction. From a Russian playwright you simply cannot have it any other way! Set at a lakeside rural estate in the Russian countryside where the drama plays out, the original text has been adapted by Andrew Upton (former co-artistic director of the STC with his wife Cate Blanchett) and his interpretation is directed by Imara Savage who might just be one of the most impressively versatile directors of stage working in the country right now. The Seagull also welcomes Australian acting great Sigrid Thornton back to the STC stage in the role of glamorous ageing diva Irina Arkadina, alongside a terrific cast including Toby Schmitz in the pivotal role of Boris Trigorin, Sean O'Shea and Megan Wilding (both of whom previously featured in STC's The Importance of Being Earnest), and Arka Das and Mabel Li in their Sydney Theatre Company debuts. If you're looking for one last theatrical experience to round out your year, Sydney Theatre Company's The Seagull might be difficult to top.
In the quarter-century since Pokémon first burst into the world, its slogan has gotten quite the workout. The entire franchise is about catching 'em all, but that sentiment has proven rather adaptable. When it comes to Pokémon video games, you've gotta play 'em all. Love the cards and merchandise? You've gotta collect 'em all. Adore seeing pocket monsters on-screen? You've gotta watch 'em all. Like Pokémon-themed doughnuts? You need to devour 'em all. Hang on, Pokémon-themed doughnuts? Yes, they're a real thing that you can indeed munch your way through now, all thanks to Krispy Kreme. And, in the spirit of the franchise, you really do need to catch them separately if you're eager to get your fix in-store, with a different variety of doughy goodness dropping every fortnight from Tuesday, September 7. On the menu: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle and Poké Ball doughnuts, with each type decked out in the appropriate colours and decorations. Obviously, if you're saying "I choose you" to a Pikachu doughnut, you're tucking into yellow icing — atop a doughnut that's filled with choc crème, then dipped in white truffle, and then decked out with a Pikachu white chocolate plaque. If you're grabbing a Poké Ball variety, you'll find it covered in white icing and red sprinkles, and also with an appropriate white choc plaque. The Bulbasaur type features green apple icing, sand sugar and a crème swirl, while the Charmander kind is orange-hued and filled with vanilla custard. And, when it comes to the light blue-toned Squirtle, it's jammed with strawberry filling. You'll find the Pokémon doughnuts at Krispy Kreme stores across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Auckland — or, if you fancy catching 'em all in once, you can grab a 12-pack (featuring one Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle and Poké Ball doughnut, two Pikachu doughnuts and six original glazed doughnuts) online. And if you're wondering why you're now able to eat 'em all, that's because Krispy Kreme is celebrating Pokémon's 25th anniversary. If you want to bust out Pokémon Go while you're snacking, or watch Detective Pikachu, that's perfectly understandable. Krispy Kreme's Pokémon range is available from Tuesday, September 7 — with a different doughnut on offer in-store every fortnight (for $3.75 each) and the full collection available online (in dozen packs for $29.95).
Pairing hot dumplings with cold beer is one of life's simple pleasures, and it's one of the reasons that Harajuku Gyoza has become one of Brisbane and Sydney's go-to Japanese joints. When their sixth venue joins the fold in May, it won't just be bringing gyoza and brews to a 150-seat space in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast — it'll be setting up a microbrewery. Given the name Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium, it's the first restaurant of its type for the chain, and Australia's first Japanese microbrewery as well. And, it'll be offering plenty of tempting tipples for booze-loving dumpling fiends. Say hello to four 1200-litre red, black, silver and gold beer tanks pumping out six core Japanese craft beers from the Yoyogi Japanese Craft Beer range. Harajuku Gyoza has been brewing its own craft Yoyogi Pale Ale since 2015, but now they'll do so on-site at Broadbeach — and add five others to their regular menu. In addition to quenching Gold Coast diners' thirsts with their year-round selection and special seasonal releases, the new microbrewery will serve up yeasty brews that'll be sent to other stores, and sold wholesale. For anyone wanting more than just a pint, Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium will feature an entertaining table that comes with its own ten-litre keg, allowing you to fill up your own drinks as you sit and eat. And while the focus might be on beer, glorious beer, whiskey fans will find a range of rare Japanese varieties, available to purchase by the nip or individual bottle. If that's not enough booze and dumpling fun, the Broadbeach restaurant will also be Harajuku Gyoza's first to have a breakfast menu. Sounds smart — if you've been drinking fresh-made Japanese brews all night, you might want to head back the next morning for a gyoza pick-me-up. Find Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium at The Oasis Centre, Broadbeach from later in May. Head to their website and Facebook page for more information.
Alright, guys and dolls, ready yourselves for a night of risqué cabaret that's sure to get your heart racing. This summer, the Sydney Opera House will channel all the glitz and glamour of 1920s Paris during a fully immersive burlesque extravaganza. With toe-tapping jazz, beguiling burlesque, circus tricks, side-splitting comedy and amazing music, Blanc de Blanc Encore is the kind of party that would make Jay Gatsby jealous. If you attended the first iteration of Blanc back in 2016, you'll remember the infectious fun and frivolity which ensued in The Studio. If not, you best get a ticket this time around. Taking place from Friday, January 4 to Saturday, March 9, the show will feature some big international names, including singer Vanessa Renee Jordan (Postmodern Jukebox), aerial artist Reed Kelly (Cirque du Soleil) and Spencer Novich, an award-winning clown who's performed all over the globe. Wondering who to bring along? Take date night to cheeky new heights and treat your partner to a night of edge-of-your-seat theatre; or grab your ride-or-die girlfriends — of course, don your best flapper dress, feather boa and string of pearls — and get set for an evening of captivating cabaret. But if you're a little sensitive, you might end up clutching said pearls — nudity is involved so consider this your warning. Blanc de Blanc Encore will take place from Friday, January 4 to Saturday, March 9 at The Studio. Standard tickets start at $69 and are available for purchase from the Sydney Opera House website.
Bright lights aren't hard to find in Tokyo, and neither are gorgeous patches of greenery. And yet, the city's best blend of both sits inside a warehouse on an artificial island. Lengthy lines (another Tokyo hallmark) snake outside the seemingly average building from mid-morning until early evening, with the eager masses queuing beneath a giant ferris wheel. They've ventured over the famous Rainbow Bridge to get there, and possibly spied both a replica of the Statue of Liberty and a towering Gundam monument on their travels; however what awaits inside eclipses it all. Welcome to Tokyo's Borderless Digital Art Museum. Open since June 2018 in Odaiba, and run by interdisciplinary art collective Teamlab, it's an immersive playground teeming with kaleidoscopic digital works that move, shift, evolve and interact with each other. And we do mean teeming — this hefty collection of digital art spreads across more than 10,000 square metres, using 520 computers and 470 projectors for more than 50 works. Indeed, from the moment that patrons step through the museum's black curtains, the entire space is alive with pieces begging them to look and touch. And to sit in wonder and stare at as well. As you'll see if you scroll through the #borderless Instagram feed, it also invites audiences to take many, many, many photos. If some of them look familiar, it might be because Teamlab ran an exhibition at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum earlier year. Given the astonishing digital art on display, dropping your jaw and capturing the art on camera are completely understandable reactions. There's just so much going on. One instant, you're frolicking in a field of flowers. The next, you might be relaxing on a suspended net while watching fish swim, or wandering through a sea of glowing lamps, or feasting your eyes and ears on an astonishing concert of light and music. You could be relaxing as the ocean's waves come towards you, or spying flowers bloom from your cup of tea. It just might be the most vibrant place in a city filled with more stunning sights than anyone could see in a lifetime, and it's an absolute must-see on any trip to Tokyo, with more than a million people doing just that in the museum's first seven months. For those making the journey, we've run through seven of the dazzling delights that await in this digital art wonderland. WANDER THROUGH AN EVER-CHANGING FOREST OF FLOWERS If The Forest of Flowers and People was all that the Borderless Digital Art Museum had to offer, it'd still be a stunning achievement. The space's main section is a labyrinthine assemblage of halls, corridors and open voids where animated flowers grow, bud and blossom — and weave and wind their way around the huge room. Each bloom also withers, sheds its petals and decays, and responds to both the other works in the space (think butterflies, stampeding animals, waterfalls and more), and the museum's visitors. It's never the same work twice, with its cherry blossom hues proving equally calming and energising. You could walk around all day, never be bored and never see the exact same thing, although you will want to find your way to the cavernous Rock Where People Gather at the heart of it all. WATCH LIGHT BEAMS TURN INTO A SYMPHONY OF SCULPTURE It looks so straightforward: a darkened square room, with lights mounted on all four walls, as well as along the floor and across the ceiling. You scamper inside and find a spot to sit on the ground, and then look up. But what happens next is far from straightforward. Across ten pieces with names like The Haze, Light Vortex and Descent of the Gods, beams of light erupt through the space, building both monochromatic and colourful sculptures out of nothing more than their luminous rays. Each work is also set to a mesmerising soundtrack that's played loud to truly immerse you in the moment. While the entirety of the Borderless Digital Art Museum feels futuristic, this feels like being steeped in a sci-fi film in the very best way. LET THE OCEAN WASH OVER YOU Whether rushing towards the shore in stormy weather or lapping gently under the glistening sun, the ocean is an ongoing natural artwork. It's also a soothing sight, especially at a time when we all spend our days staring at screens rather than at the planet around us. Black Waves combines the best of both worlds, turning walls into a canvas and projecting a constant barrage of digital water across it. Unsurprisingly, people don't just sit here — they recline upon the island in the room's centre and simply let the waves wash over them. Prepare to feel vey calm — you'll want to get cosy and stay here for hours. WALK THROUGH A HYPNOTIC FOREST OF COLOURFUL LAMPS To enter the Borderless Digital Art Museum, there's a line. To then enter The Forest of Resonating Lamps, there's another — but both are worth it. Specifically, this walk-through installation lets you mosey through a mirrored room where suspended lanterns made of Venetian glass and hung at different heights are the main attraction. As you get close to a lamp, the colour changes, and then the whole space starts to cycle through a palette of eye-catching pastel views. Only a select number of people are allowed inside at a time, and you won't spend more than two minutes within the forest; however you will want to queue up for a second wander immediately afterwards. JOURNEY THROUGH A MOUNTAINOUS RICE FIELD First, you'll feel small. Then, you'll feel tall. Yes, playing with size and scale are what this piece is all about. You'll enter a room that resembles a mountainous rice field, wandering beneath a sea of plant sculptures and then towering above them, and you'll feel the enormity of the landscape. That said, that's just the structural part of the artwork. The Memory of Topography is located in a digital art museum, after all. While the main projection evokes life in a real field, complete with insects and flowers and changing seasons, another fish-fuelled effort flows across the space's varying elevations, painting with colour in reaction to whoever's in the room. BOUNCE BETWEEN BULBOUS FLOATING SCULPTURES Sometimes, the simplest things are the most thrilling, which is true in this interactive installation in Borderless Digital Art Museum's more active Athletics Forest. In The Weightless Forest of Resonating Life, bulbous sculptures float through a room as you — and plenty of other folks — roam between them. Some are weighed to the floor, and tip and sway when you walk past. Others rise into the air, heading towards the ceiling. Their colours change when someone touches them, which in turn influences all of the other 3D sculptures around them. If it's busy in here, which it always is, expect a rainbow of hues and a cavalcade of movement. ENJOY AN EXTRAORDINARY CUP OF TEA Walking around the Borderless Digital Art Museum is exciting and exhilarating. Given that you can spend hours inside, it's also a little exhausting. That's where the EN Tea House comes in, and it doesn't just serve up different flavours of both hot and cold green tea. While you're sitting at long benches in a dimly lit room, your cuppa will come to life thanks to Flowers Boom in an Infinite Universe Inside a Teacup. It all starts with a flower on top of your tea, then moves with your drink. When you've finished sipping, this gorgeous piece finishes as well. Find teamLab Borderless Tokyo: MORI Building Digital Art Museum in Odaiba Palette Town, 1-3-8 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan. It's open seven days a week — for more information, visit the museum's website. Images: Sarah Ward.
The monster in this show is very different from those you might have seen haunting the city for Halloween. This clever show from director Robert Chuter explores the self-sabotage of affluent Aussie millennials and the dangers they face in idolising their heroes. If that wasn't already enough to identify with, die-hard fans of The Smiths will delight in the seminal band's lyrics that are brought to life. This is the sequel of the highly-successful Half A Person: My Life As Told By The Smiths so, if you (like me) didn't see it, be prepared for Morrissey to meet Broadway on stage. As well as general generational concerns, Alex Broun's script reflects on the concept of 'disability' through its two main characters: William and Felice. Though Felice is confined to a wheelchair with cystic fibrosis and only present in William's reenactments, it's William's life choices that incite the most thought. Making us laugh and cringe, his performance eventually makes us question 'is it actually this fully-abled guy who keeps shunning happiness who's really disabled?' The joy is in the details of this production, like the 'Wonka' shirt William wears, suggesting a kind of Peter Pan Syndrome — a commentary on the 21+ dependency common to Gen Y? I saw more charisma in Wright’s improv due to a botched sound cue and his underhanded asides than in some of the scripted narration. It would be wonderful to see him play more as the season progresses and infuse his natural charm/cheekiness into the script and songs. As it is, Wright nails the balance of nostalgia AND connection to the audience, allowing William to energetically impersonate the people in his life, and unwittingly reveal his own ignorance and privilege. Having missed its prequel, I found the crossbreeding of The Smiths with a Broadway musical style sometimes jarring from the story — made worse by the thin, karaoke feel of some backing tracks. When William finds himself actually singing in a karaoke bar, the effect is great. Perhaps this is Chuter's intention all along: to reflect a young man’s delusions of grandeur and infatuation with fame. The presence of live music in this show would greatly enhance it. At the very least, the sound team should crank up the speakers and Wright's microphone for the songs. Benjamin Brockman’s set and lighting design creates a stylised, yet private space for William's memories. It simply, but effectively maintains the feel of a young man’s bedroom, even when it’s jumping from wealthy Toorak to debaucherous Chapel street. Brockman works closely with the script; his lighting creating the 'glows' that underpin much of Broun's writing. Mortality hangs over the stage, thanks to Brockman’s ghostly neons and the black soil crunching underfoot. His pièce de résistance is the use of vertical space: a cluster of fluffy clouds utilised for moments of epiphany, at once wonderfully magical and kitsch. November Spawned a Monster runs as part of a double bill at the Old Fitz. You shouldn't miss the second act: the hilarious one-woman show V.D.
Nestled in the sleepy suburb of south Sydney's Grays Point, Jack Gray is a cafe by day and a wine bar by night. Open for coffee seven days a week and drinks on Fridays and Sundays, the venue is an exciting opening for The Shire, with top-notch eats, an exciting wine list and live music all in one place. The venue is the passion project of owner Ben Coombes who wanted to turn his neighbourhood cafe into a community hub for Grays Point. "Our focus is to bring people together, and whether it be with coffee or wine," says Coombes. Located on the edge of the Royal National Park, the cafe is an ideal stop for breakfast for anyone heading towards local parks, hikes or the nearby Pork Hacking River, as well as a reliable pitstop for locals on the hunt for their morning coffee. The all-day menu features breakfast classics done well. There are scrambled eggs with caramelised leek, vintage cheddar and sourdough; bacon and egg rolls made with Ironbark bacon and house-made apple and tomato relish; or banana crepes with vanilla bean ricotta, maple toasted almonds and dulce de leche. There's also a selection of loaded deli rolls that won't set you back CBD prices. Pick up a takeaway ricotta, caramelised onion, manchego cheese and mushroom breaky roll or a smoked salmon bagel. Come wine bar afternoons every Friday and Sunday, the baristas transform into bartenders and the focus shifts to cocktails. The wine list balances crowd-pleasers and interesting varieties including regional NSW pét-nats and "funky" South Australian reds. Accompanying the drinks are share plates of bar snacks like hummus or a peach and burrata salad, and soft-shell tacos. Served on locally made corn torillas, the tacos feature toppings like barbecue chorizo with tomatillo chimi churi, and an irresistible vegetarian option that combines roast pumpkin, spiced cauliflower, avocado, salsa and pickles. Jack Gray is located at 110 Grays Point Road, Grays Point. It's open for 6am–2pm Monday–Friday, 7am–2pm Saturdays and 7am–1pm Sundays. Wine bar afternoons are held from 6pm Fridays and 4pm Sundays.
A New Year's Day tradition, Field Day is returning to The Domain to kick off 2023 and it's bringing an absolute slam-dunk of a lineup with it. Following an all-Australian program in 2022, the summer festival has enlisted some international heavy-hitters for its first full-strength lineup since the start of the pandemic. The festival will bring together a far-reaching mix of pop, hip-hop and just about all corners of the electronic music sphere, starting with Diplo, Denzel Curry, Kaytranada, Aitch and Dom Dolla atop the bill. On the dance-focused side of the lineup you'll also find Honey Dijon, Partiboi69, Charlotte De Witte, Holy Goof, SG Lewis, Patrick Topping and Bicep who will be performing their live show. Curry and Aitch will be joined by a host of fellow rappers including Shygirl, Tkay Maidza, JK-47, A.Girl and online sensations Yung Lean and Yeat. [caption id="attachment_864623" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yeat[/caption] Also on the lineup: Benee, Remi Wolf, Cloonee, JNR Choi, Ninajirachi, Jennifer Loveless and teenage duo Glaive and Ericdoa on their first trip Down Under following a meteoric rise over the last three years. Over the years, Field Day has hosted the likes of Calvin Harris, Tyler, the Creator, Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino and Disclosure. In 2022, the local lineup included appearances from Peking Duk, Hayden James, Hot Dub Time Machine and Mallrat. Tickets always prove popular for the January 1 festival, with registrations for pre-sale — which kicks off at midday on Wednesday, August 17 — open now. [caption id="attachment_864398" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Denzel Curry[/caption] FIELD DAY 2023 LINEUP Aitch Benee Bicep (Live) Charlotte De Witte Cloonee Denzel Curry Diplo Dom Dolla Glaive & EricDOA Holy Good Honey Djon JNR Choi Kanine Kaytranada Partiboi69 Patrick Topping Pretty Girl Remi Wolf SG LEwis Shygirl Sofia Kourtesis Tkay Maidza YEat Yung Lean A Little Sound A. Girl Jennifer Loveless JK-47 Ninakirachi Waxlily Field Day will hit The Domain on Sunday, January 1, 2023. Pre-sale registrations are available until 7pm on Tuesday, August 16, with pre-sale tickets on offer from midday on Wednesday, August 17. Top image: Mitch Lowe.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch did it. Kimmy vs The Reverend, You vs Wild and Cat Burglar, too. With these four titles and more, Netflix has actively embraced interactive content in recent years. Choose Your Own Adventure books have a lot to answer for, clearly, with being able to select your way through streaming picks — making choices about what happens next within a movie or show, that is, rather than simply deciding what to watch — popping up often enough that it's now just another viewing option. But only the streaming platform's new heist thriller series Kaleidoscope boasts 40,320 different ways to dive in. Here, that vast array of choices is indeed a gimmick, giving a familiar robbery narrative shiny packaging. Picking a route through Kaleidoscope's eight instalments is also automated, at least if you do what Netflix tells you. When each subscriber presses play on the series for the first time, they're given one of seven colour-coded instalments at random. From there, viewers move onto one of six chapters, any of which could roll next, and so on. The only inbuilt rule: White: The Heist, as the episode that shows the heist itself is called, always screens last. That whittles down the options to 5040, which is still a hefty number. Created by author and screenwriter Eric Garcia, whose novel Matchstick Men previously slipped him into the world of grifters — and was turned into a Nicolas Cage-starring film — Kaleidoscope also allows Netflix customers to make their episode choices manually. Whether you stick to the random order the platform throws your way or genuinely choose your own adventure, however, the result is identical. One narrative, eight chapters, thousands of outcomes: that's the show from a storytelling standpoint, with the plot itself remaining unchanged. Does one's interpretation of Kaleidoscope and perspective on its characters differ depending on which order you see its instalments? That's the aim, but the playful series proves ridiculously easy to binge no matter how you move through its Green, Blue, Violet, Red, Pink, Orange and Yellow chapters. Wherever viewers hop in, a crew of thieves awaits, all attempting to bust into an underground vault packed with $7 billion in bonds in the middle of a massive hurricane. Doing the pilfering: veteran criminal Leo Pap (Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul), his lawyer and longtime friend Ava Mercer (Paz Vega, 13 Minutes) and smuggler Stan Loomis (Peter Mark Kendall, Top Gun: Maverick), plus chemistry wiz Judy Goodwin (Rosaline Elbay, Ramy), her safe-cracker husband Bob (Jai Courtney, The Suicide Squad) and driver RJ Acosta Jr (Jordan Mendoza, ZIWE). Their target: SLS, a New York corporate security outfit run by Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell, Old). Kaleidoscope also throws SLS employee Hannah Kim (Tati Gabrielle, Uncharted), her sister and roommate Liz (Soojeong Son, Servant), and FBI agents Nazan Abbasi (Niousha Noor, The Accidental Wolf) and Samuel Toby (Bubba Weiler, Dopesick) into the mix — because family ties and law enforcement are heist genre staples. Anyone who has ever seen a film or show about stealing a big score already knows the drill, and Garcia and his team of fellow writers know it. Accordingly, of course the safe is ultra-secure, and extremely difficult to both get to and break into. Of course the job is also tied to an act of revenge, too. Also, of course Kaleidoscope slots into the eat-the-rich fold that Netflix also worked so well with Squid Game. And, while he doesn't play a fast-food shop owner who's secretly a drug kingpin, of course thinking about Esposito's time on both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul comes quickly as well. Past secrets, new rivalries, love triangles, close calls with pursuing cops, everything that can go wrong definitely going wrong: they all have a part, predictably so even amid all the shuffling. The just-keep-pressing-play hook comes from the overall puzzle, though, which is what Kaleidoscope's delivery gimmick serves up. Non-linear storytelling always involves sleuthing for clues and putting together pieces, which is why the heist genre loves it. It's also why, in these whodunnit-saturated times — Netflix did just gift the world Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, after all, and has another on its way) — this series goes all in. Consequently, Kaleidoscope's audience is instantly keen to know how everything fits together, sifting through each episode for clues and details alike as the show flits between timeframes. With the entire narrative spanning a quarter-century, chapters jump between 24 years, seven years, six weeks, three weeks and five days before the heist, plus the morning after and six months later. Although each instalment is tied to a hue, only Green — which perhaps makes the best entry point — lets its eponymous colour shine visually. That's disappointing albeit unsurprising; Kaleidoscope is slickly shot, but happy sticking to an aesthetic formula. The scrambled storytelling and Esposito do plenty of heavy lifting, and overtly; thankfully, the latter alone always makes for engaging viewing. Playing determined, authoritative but also vulnerable, it's hardly astonishing that the five-time Emmy-nominee is the standout among the cast. Similarly expected: that Courtney comes across as gratingly cartoonish. That said, that's just how one of Kaleidoscope's rotations pans out. Perhaps the other 40,319 (or 5039) treat the bluster-fuelled Bob more kindly — shifting perceptions on heroes and villains, and mysteries and revelations, is all part of the gimmick. That makes an interesting thought experiment, but maybe don't go thinking about how Netflix's algorithm is dictating each viewing path through Kaleidoscope, likely to keep everyone hooked based on their past watchlist, even if it works. Check out the trailer for Kaleidoscope below: Kaleidoscope streams via Netflix. Images: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
No one likes it when their phone rings from an unknown number, whether "no caller ID" or digits that you don't recognise flash up on your mobile's screen. Telemarketers isn't going to change that response. It won't dampen the collective ire that the world holds towards the pushy people on the other end of the line, either. HBO's thrilling three-part docuseries doesn't just reinforce what viewers already feel about the nuisance industry that thinks it can interrupt your day and life with a spiel that no one wants, and impact your bank balance in the process. In addition, it spins a true tale that demonstrates why a deep-seated dislike of telemarketing is so well-founded, and also why cold-calling operations can be so insidious. This true-crime story about the New Jersey-based Civic Development Group surpasses even the most call centre-despising audience member's low expectations of the field — and it's gripping, can't-look-away, has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed stuff. "Every other telemarketer who drives you crazy in the whole world is because of CDG," advises one of the series' interviewees. That might seem like a big claim, but co-directors Sam Lipman-Stern (Live From the Streets) and Adam Bhala Lough (The New Radical) step through its truth. The former knows the outfit's approach from experience, working there for seven years from the age of 14 after dropping out of high school, while the latter is the filmmaker cousin he wasn't aware of. Lipman-Stern is Telemarketers' on-screen guiding hand, too, but his ex-colleague Patrick J Pespas is its heart and soul. As seen early — with the show streaming its trio of chapters weekly via Binge since Monday, August 14 — Pespas is called a "telemarketing legend". Although he's happy snorting heroin on-camera in 2000s-era footage, he's switched on to CDG's shonkiness; more than that, he's determined to expose it even if it takes two decades. When Lipman-Stern began earning $10 an hour convincing ordinary Americans to donate to charities represented by CDG, he found himself at a place where anyone could get hired with few questions asked. The only requirement: bringing in funds while hitting the phone. As long as the company's employees kept making money, anything went. Those workers are a motley crew of vulnerable misfits in Lipman-Stern's low-res fly-on-the-wall footage, spanning not just dropouts and addicts but also ex-cons recruited directly from halfway houses and folks who didn't fit the usual nine-to-five grind. And their work environment? It "was like you was just going to a big-ass cookout every fucking day," one past staff member notes. Drinking, drugs, sex, nodding off on the phone, getting tattoos in the office, baby turtles crawling over keyboards, general seediness and raucousness that even telemarketing sitcom Workaholics didn't dream up: that was all a part of cashing a CDG cheque, as Lipman-Stern captured at the time, then uploaded to YouTube. Telemarketers' main pair and their boiler-room colleagues were paid to ring their way through the organisation's sales lists, rustling up financial support for police officers, their widows, veterans, firemen, dying children and cancer survivors. When it's the cops they're touting — typically under the Fraternal Order of Police, which is akin to a law-enforcement union — they also send out stickers emblazoned with the particularl lodge's logo. It usually goes unspoken, but those decals come with shifty promise: if you display them on your car, house or shop because you've slung some funds towards the police, you might get favourable treatment if an officer ever has cause to cross your path. Yes, that's dodgy. If only it was the most dubious aspect of CDG's gambit. Everywhere that Lipman-Stern and Pespas look, this tale gets worse. It's no wonder that Uncut Gems and Good Time filmmakers Benny and Josh Safdie are among Telemarketers' executive producers, plus Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green. Barely giving any of the money raised to any of the charities represented? Tick. Using underhanded and forceful tactics, flat-out lying and adopting voices resembling a "cartoon caricature of police officer", all to con people into donating? Check there, too. Unsurprisingly attracting legal attention across several states, and multiple levels of government, yet managing to keep operating? Tick again. Slippery founders — two sets of brothers, one of which includes the member of a Christian rock band — who aren't fussed about CDG's ongoing legal troubles? Check once more. Turning nonprofit fundraising into a complete sham? Keep on ticking. Constantly devolving, whether by letting fear-inducing convicted murderers loose on the phones, using artificial intelligence to keep calls going without needing staff or capitalising upon America's increasingly polarised political landscape? That's all part of this story as well. Making for jaw-on-the-floor viewing, Telemarketers is a wild portrait of greed, exploitation and corruption — and while screens aren't short of those of late, this isn't a Succession or Squid Game-style eat-the-rich effort. There's nothing luxurious or stylish here. All that's on display is pure predatory behaviour from CDG's owners and their cronies towards everyone below them, employees and folks picking up the phone alike alike. Lipman-Stern and Pespas are as much scam victims as the people they called. But, when a disguised player in the industry notes that "it's not the telemarketers you should be worried about", Telemarketers gets even more sinister. When the strikes end, expect Hollywood to pounce on a dramatised remake. The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bachrach could easily slip into Lipman-Stern's shoes, and Saturday Night Live and Mr Mayor's Bobby Moynihan into Pespas'. Fantasy casting aside, any future retelling of CDG's exploits needs Lipman-Stern and Pespas at its centre — because Telemarketers wouldn't be what it is without them, or even exist. As much as HBO's series is a takedown of a horrific swindle, it's also an ode to guerrilla journalism by a couple of average guys fighting back, and a character study of the pair as well. As the show jumps across 20 years, it surveys who Lipman-Stern and Pespas are, what changes in their lives, their evolving friendship, their commitment to exposing their old workplace and why they took up this battle. It also doesn't shy away from the fact that they're plucky amateurs doing what they feel compelled to. The Safdies were approached to direct Telemarketers, only to glean what audiences can now see: that authenticity couldn't be more crucial. When 2022 became a banner year for true-crime deceptions on-screen, unravelling real-life stories through Inventing Anna, The Dropout and more, polish reigned supreme. Getting an inside view from everyday sleuths taking on the crooks who gave them a gig, as chronicled through rough-around-the-edges footage and scrappy chats — that's a raw, like-you're-there experience, and it's both powerful and electrifying. So too is Lipman-Stern and Pespas' transformation as they get immersed in their investigation over the years. Initially, Lipman-Stern just wants to film office pranks, while the ever-earnest Pespas has his own personal tussles. Before our eyes, they become the tenacious duo revealing a billion-dollar fraud and bringing this stunning whistleblower documentary to the world. Check out the trailer for Telemarketers below: Telemarketers streams via Binge from Monday, August 14.
Last month, McDonald's spread some lockdown cheer for a few days, offering burger-loving customers free delivery for an entire weekend. From now until the end of June, it's doing the same. Sharing the fast food love, the huge chain is doing free home delivery on orders over $25 via UberEats — every single weekend. If you're craving a Quarter Pounder or a box of chicken McNuggets and you don't fancy leaving the house, that's obviously great news. To get your hands on a burg, some fries, a Happy Meal, McFlurry or a hot fudge sundae — or anything else on the chain's regular menu — with no extra delivery cost, head to UberEats' website or use the UberEats app and enter the weekly code. This week's code, valid until Sunday, May 11, is MACCAS2U; however it will change each week. To get the new details every Friday, you'll need to head to Macca's Facebook page. The entire transaction will be contact-free, including when it hits your doorstep. And, if you're after a few household staples, Macca's is also delivering milk, plus six-packs of English muffins and its gourmet buns. Or, of course, you can ignore whatever time of day it is and go straight for a McMuffin, hash brown and some hot cakes. McDonalds is offering free delivery across Australia on orders over $25 made via UberEats, with the special available every weekend until the end of June. To order, head here and use the weekly code. Until Sunday, May 11, the code is MACCAS2U, with new codes announced every Friday via the Macca's Facebook page. Images: McDonald's.
Most people don't imagine themselves making a career out of voicing Disney villains — but, of course, Jemaine Clement isn't most people. So did he see a Disney villain in his destiny? "If I was honest, I'd probably say yes," the comedian, actor and one half of Flight of the Conchords offers. And, lending his distinctive tones to the singing, scurrying character of Tamatoa in Disney's new film Moana, he has well and truly fulfilled that prophecy. Dwelling deep under the sea in the realm of monsters, Tamatoa is a swift-talking 50-foot crab with a fondness for treasure and a David Bowie-esque musical number in which he somewhat joyfully, somewhat menacingly declares: "I'd rather be shiny". He's also one of the formidable forces standing in the way of Moana's titular heroine (newcomer Auli'i Cravalho) as she explores the ocean to save her island-dwelling people, all with a shapeshifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) reluctantly by her side. Yes, Clement voicing a cheeky character and singing a glam rock track is the stuff that dreams are made of, and with his frequent collaborator and What We Do in the Shadows co-scribe and co-director Taika Waititi taking a first pass at Moana's screenplay — along with former Flight of the Conchords opening act and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda co-writing the film's original music — it just gets better. With Moana now in Australian cinemas, we spoke with Clement about working on Disney's Polynesian musical, voicing giant characters and channelling his inner Bowie. ON GETTING INVOLVED WITH MOANA Concrete Playground: How did you get involved with Moana? Jemaine Clement: A friend of mine, Taika Waititi, who I work with a lot, was one of the writers. And when he was doing his draft of the film, he told me that Disney, who I've worked with a couple of times before, wanted me to do something in it. It's a Polynesian story and they've gone for a mostly Polynesian cast — and I'm part Maori, so I think it was pretty natural. And I also, I've played a lot of animated villains. So who else would you get? ON PLAYING A LIGHT-FINGERED, SELF-ABSORBED, 50-FOOT CRAB CP: How did you go getting into character for the role of 50-foot crab Tamatoa? JC: Well, I guess I'm not 50 foot — I'm only just approximately six foot, just over. So I had to work on that. It's the second 50-foot character I've played this year. In The BFG, I was also 50-foot. So I guess I must sound pretty big. CP: People are obviously getting that idea from listening to you. JC: "How this big is this guy? He sounds huge." CP: And then they meet you in person, and they realise… JC: "Oh no, he's only about six foot." ON FILLING HIS RESUME WITH ANIMATED VILLAINS CP: You recently played Fleshlumpeater in The BFG — you've got quite the CV when it comes to playing animated villains now. JC: I hope I can get some use out of that. Maybe just telling my son it's bedtime. I'll do the voice. I always was interested in animation, that was the first job I ever wanted to do. When I was five, I remember seeing a thing on The Wonderful World of Disney about the animation process and I wanted to do that as a first job — I aspired to be an animator. And I imagined that I'd do all the parts, you know, like write it, voice it, animate it, — but I haven't gotten to the other two. ON CHANNELLING DAVID BOWIE — AGAIN CP: Between Flight of the Conchords and Moana, your Bowie impression is getting a good workout too. JC: I don't even think my impression's that good. But it stuck with people. In the TV show [Flight of the Conchords]...my comedy partner is having dreams about David Bowie, so I play David Bowie. But I wasn't supposed to play him. It was very last minute that I ended up playing that character, and I've been asked to do it a few times now. CP: You originally tried to get David Bowie to play himself? JC: We did, yeah. But I think that would've been nerve-wracking. I mean, it would've been amazing as well, but, you know. ON REUNITING WITH LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA CP: How was it working with Moana songwriter and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda again? JC: I'd remembered Freestyle Love Supreme [Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip hop comedy troupe], and I'd even seen them again not that long ago — and I hadn't connected him with the guy I had met [previously]. I didn't realise it was the same person until he said, "Oh we met. We met, we were doing that gig in 2004/2005". And yeah, suddenly it came back. Whoa. I've never seen any musical show have the reaction that Hamilton has. He deserves that. He's very clever, bright, and very talented. Moana is in Australian cinemas now. Read our review here.
For decades, if you wanted to eat a burger patty topped with cheese, there was only one way to do it. Then a number of hybrid culinary creations started popping up — like cheeseburger spring rolls, that now-popular pub menu inclusion, as well as cheeseburger dumplings and even cheeseburger soup. Or, at Banjo's Bakery Cafe, you can opt for a double cheeseburger pie. Part of the Aussie chain's signature range, it's back on offer to help simultaneously satisfy your cheeseburger and your pie cravings. Yes, the double cheeseburger pie is exactly what it sounds like. Encased in pastry, you'll find layers of burger patty, cheese, onion, tomato sauce and mustard. And, if you're wondering about that most controversial of cheeseburger fillings — yep, that'd be pickles — they're sandwiched inside as well. This isn't the first time that Banjo's, which has stores in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, has served up this foodie mashup. But when it does offer up items from its signature range — such Tasmanian scallop, bangers and mash, and chicken parmigiana pies — they're only available for a limited time. That's the case here, too, so you'll want to get in quick if you're suddenly, unsurprisingly feeling hungry. In NSW, you'll need to head north to Glendale to get your fix. In Victoria, stores are located in Mornington, Traralgon and Mildura. Queenslanders can pick from ten spots, including Darra, Cleveland, Park Ridge and Redcliffe, while pie-loving SA residents can hit up Glenelg — and there's 29 stores in Tasmania. Banjo's Bakery Cafe's double cheeseburger pie is currently on the menu for a limited time at the chain's store's nationally. To find your nearest location, visit the company's website.
Musical fans of New South Wales and Victoria, the iconic theatre shows just keep coming, including for return seasons — and the latest production heading the region's way again wants you to take a jump to the left, then a step to the right. After already starting its Australian comeback in 2023, which featured Sydney and Melbourne stints, The Rocky Horror Show has locked in return dates to both cities in 2024. For half a century now, this hit musical has been astounding. And, with the Richard O'Brien-created production lasting that long, perhaps time really is fleeting. Either way, whenever this sci-fi/horror musical hits the stage — and wherever — a glorious kind of madness takes its toll. Come February, Melburnians will be able to listen closely again. From the end of March, the same will be true for Sydneysiders. Jason Donovan will be back as Frank N Furter, too, putting his hands on his hips, then bring his knees in tight at the Athenaeum Theatre and Theatre Royal Sydney. The dates: from Friday, February 9 in Melbourne and from Sunday, March 31 in Sydney. The show is also doing a Newcastle season from Friday, January 12 at the Civic Theatre. On offer: the tale that theatre audiences have loved for five decades — and movie-goers as well, thanks to 1975's iconic big-screen release The Rocky Horror Picture Show. For the uninitiated, the story involves college-aged couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss getting a flat tyre, then wandering over to an old castle to ask for help. That's where they discover an extra-terrestrial mad scientist from the galaxy of Transylvania, plus his staff and his Frankenstein-style experiments. Spicks and Specks favourite Myf Warhurst will also be back as The Narrator. The show also features fellow returnees Ellis Dolan (School of Rock) as Eddie/Dr Scott, Darcey Eagle (Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical) as Columbia, Deirdre Khoo (Once) as Janet and Henry Rollo (Jagged Little Pill the Musical) as Riff Raff. Since initially premiering in London in June 1973, The Rocky Horror Show has played in more than 30 countries — and over 30 million people have seen songs like 'Science Fiction/Double Feature', 'Dammit, Janet!', 'Sweet Transvestite', 'Over at the Frankenstein Place' and 'Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me'. If you haven't been before — and missed the live broadcast from Sydney back in March — this is your turn to join in. THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW 2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: From Friday, January 12 — Civic Theatre, Newcastle. From Friday, February 9 — Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne From Sunday, March 31 — Theatre Royal Sydney The Rocky Horror Show's 2024 Australian tour will kick off in January, with tickets on sale now via the production's website. Images: Daniel Boud.
Having a crack at their very own theme-ception, Earl's Juke Joint are hosting an '80s Halloween themed shindig this Saturday, October 29. What's not to love about big hair, brightly coloured leather, over-the-top gory horror flicks, and delicious Earl's bevvies? And as if that wasn't enough, be sure to get jazzed up in your spookiest finery and bring a date, because it's prom night — the fantastic folk at Earl's will decide on the night who takes home to the soon-to-be coveted Best Dressed prize. Doors are open 4pm until midnight.
The lights drop, the cinema falls silent, and Channing Tatum's butt cheeks fill the screen. Either Ice Age 4 went in a bold new direction, or this is Magic Mike. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Magic Mike is a film about male strippers. It wants to be more than that; it wants to be a tale of temptation, immorality and even love, but at its heart (and butt) it remains all about the stripping, which is actually a good thing. Based largely on Tatum's own experiences as an 18-year-old football star turned stripper, Magic Mike follows the eponymous leading man as he teases and tantalises scores of screaming women inside Florida's raunchy Xquisite strip club. The costumes are outrageous; the routines, even more so; and every performer's body is sculpted, buffed, waxed, and spray-tanned to perfection. It's a film where, unlike The Full Monty, the stripteases are played to impress rather than amuse, and thanks to some exceptional choreography, they stand out as the best scenes. Tatum also produced Magic Mike, though he cast British actor Alex Pettyfer to play the semi-autobiographical role of Adam. Together they achieve a believable chemistry, with Tatum the charismatic mentor and Pettyfer the naive rookie first drawn to and then corrupted by the allure of sex, drugs, and Village People. The true star of Magic Mike, however, is club owner Dallas, played to ostentatious perfection by Matthew McConaughey. Maintaining his unbeaten run as 'most shirtless actor in Hollywood', McConaughey combines caricature with calculated menace in a performance that could well earn him an Academy Award nomination. Ultimately, there's not a whole lot of plot to speak of, and despite a few dark scenes, it's certainly one of Soderbergh's most lightweight pictures. That said, Magic Mike is also terrifically engaging and marks another big tick against Tatum's name, whose recent string of hits might finally have the naysayers biting their tongues.
Park yourself directly under the sails of the Sydney Opera House for this New Year's Eve experience. With traffic to Circular Quay restricted in 2020, you'll have exclusive access to the highly sought-after view of the Harbour Bridge from the Opera House when midnight strikes. Sip champagne on arrival and at midnight as you leave the last 12 months behind you. Throughout the night, you'll be served a five-course meal with wine pairings. Two dining options are available if you choose to spend New Year's Eve at Bennelong. Reservations at the Main Dining Room are currently available for $1690, while spots at the Cured & Cultured Counter are going for the slightly cheaper $1450 a head. The exact menu has not been unveiled just yet, but you can expect signature dishes from Exec Chef Peter Gilmore and hopefully that eight-texture chocolate cake. [caption id="attachment_721572" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brett Stevens[/caption] Top image: Nikki To
Market City's newly minted 1909 Dining Precinct has a fiery new addition: an upscale Korean BBQ offering named Kogi. Joining a fast-growing contingent of eateries in the new third floor food court — that already houses the noodle house from Mr Meng of If You Are The One and Japan's famed Yayoi — the 80-seat restaurant is plating up a contemporary Korean nosh punctuated by top quality local produce from today, Monday, April 16. Seoul-trained chef Hang Jun Chung has designed a menu of raw, fresh and marinated proteins and vegetables, headlined by 15 primo cuts of pork and wagyu beef. This one's a hands-on food experience, with diners invited to cook directly over charcoal — right there at the table. Expect to find yourself salivating over the likes of marinated beef spare ribs (galbi) while it cooks on the grill alongside authentic side dishes. Bibimbap will be on the menu too. With General Manager David Bae's father credited with opening Australia's first Korean barbecue restaurant in 1992, it's safe to say Kogi's got sturdy roots in the cuisine. It's the third venue to open in the food hub, with more to follow in the coming months. These include the first Aussie outpost of Macau's acclaimed hot pot chain Dolar Shop, modern sushi train Fugetsu, and Chinese restaurant Beijing Impression. Kogi is now open at the 1909 Dining Precinct at level 3, Market City, 9-13 Hay Street, Haymarket. For more info, visit marketcity.com.au.
Longed to see the grandeur and mythmaking of American drama combined with the British penchant to satirise, depict government by fools, strip away the stateliness of 'great men' and film people in bathtubs? This co-production between America's HBO and Britain's BBC Films brings the two worlds together — with surprising ease. The tone is pitch-perfect in The Special Relationship, screenwriter Peter Morgan's third film about British Prime Minister Tony Blair (after The Deal and The Queen — and he's been responsible for Frost/Nixon and The Damned United in between). It is an insightful portrait of the relationship between Blair (Michael Sheen) and US President Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid) that casts them as men of both action and accident, driven by ideals and petty personal proclivities. The 'special relationship' of the title refers to the close strategic ties that have bound their nations for over two centuries — although, as this film would have it, the ties between Blair and Clinton were so special that the whole George W. Bush thing is excised to a loaded epilogue. The film begins in 1992 with Blair learning to shape New Labour in the model of Clinton's New Democrats and follows the men through the Northern Ireland peace process, the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. It also explores the very different dynamics of the two first couples (with Helen McCrory and Hope Davis brilliant as Cherie Blair and Hillary Clinton respectively). You buy Sheen as Blair from the first moment; his Brit-toff everyman quality aids the transformation, as does the fact he's been Blair three times now, and when it counts, he copies Blair's cadences to the brittle letter. Beside him, it looks odd that Quaid does an impression of Clinton, with make-up as thick as his accent. It's possible that nobody naturally looks or talks like Clinton, but for the film, it means his character remains on the outer. Unfortunately, even the closest political friendships amount to little more than a few transatlantic, late-night phone calls; as a dramatic bromance, it falls a few beers short. That makes the film's central conceit a little flimsy and the narrative episodic rather than cinematic. The flipside of this is that, once settled, it is like watching a TV series — and these days, that's a compliment. Morgan's acuity for the political, personal and hilariously trivial (Clinton is a midnight snacker who thinks Blair is "an attractive man" — who knew?) could fill several instalments yet. https://youtube.com/watch?v=uWHjHMrRiE4
Oh bother indeed: Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, the slasher take on AA Milne's honey-loving, walking-and-talking teddy bear, has gotten its sticky mitts on the award that no film wants to win. Each year for the past 44 years, the Golden Raspberry Awards has named the worst movie of the past 12 months. 2023's pick is this horror twist on a childhood favourite, which attracted gongs like flies to, yes, honey. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was nominated in five Razzie categories. It won all five. So, according to the accolades that recognise that not all movies are great, good or even particularly watchable, it's the Worst Picture of 2023, as well as the Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel. And, it's home to the Worst Director, Worst Screenplay and Worst Screen Couple — the latter for Pooh and Piglet "as blood-thirsty slasher/killers". The film won big at the Razzies in the same month that sequel Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 will release in Australian cinemas, arriving on Thursday, March 28 — just over a year after the first film. The Razzies only gave gongs to four 2023 movies thanks to Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey sweeping every field that it was in. Expend4bles, which picked up the most nominations with seven, won both Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Supporting Actress. Sylvester Stallone received the former and Megan Fox the latter. Fox was a two-time winner herself, also collecting Worst Actress for Johnny & Clyde, which is about serial killers being chased by a demon after they try to rob a casino. Best Actor went to Jon Voight for Mercy, which has just as likely a premise: a battle against the Irish mafia when they take control of a hospital. Always timed to arrive in the leadup to the Oscars, which take place on Monday, March 11 in Australia and New Zealand, the Razzies chose this year's worst of the worst from a heap of other movies, with plenty of big-name flicks in contention but going home empty-handed — happily, presumably. They include The Exorcist: Believer, Meg 2: The Trench, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Fast X, Magic Mike's Last Dance, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. The Razzies also give out the Razzie Redeemer Award, recognising someone who was nominated for one of its trophies in the past but is in a far better situation now. This year's winner is Fran Drescher, who was a nominee in 1998, and now the current SAG/AFTRA President. The accolades awarded her "for her brilliant shepherding of the actors' guild through a prolonged 2023 strike with a successful conclusion". Check out the full list of Razzie winners and nominees below: Golden Raspberry Winners and Nominees 2023: Worst Picture: The Exorcist: Believer Expend4bles Meg 2: The Trench Shazam! Fury of the Gods Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — WINNER Worst Actor: Russell Crowe, The Pope's Exorcist Vin Diesel, Fast X Chris Evans, Ghosted Jason Statham, Meg 2: The Trench Jon Voight, Mercy — WINNER Worst Actress: Ana de Armas, Ghosted Megan Fox, Johnny & Clyde — WINNER Salma Hayek, Magic Mike's Last Dance Jennifer Lopez, The Mother Helen Mirren, Shazam! Fury of the Gods Worst Supporting Actor: Michael Douglas, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania Mel Gibson, Confidential Informant Bill Murray, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania Franco Nero (as The Pope), The Pope's Exorcist Sylvester Stallone, Expend4ables — WINNER Worst Supporting Actress: Kim Cattrall, About My Father Megan Fox, Expend4bles — WINNER Bai Ling, Johnny & Clyde Lucy Liu, Shazam! Fury of the Gods Mary Stuart Masterson, Five Nights at Freddy's Worst Screen Couple: Any two "merciless mercenaries", Expend4bles Any two money-grubbing investors who donated to the $400 million for remake rights to The Exorcist Ana de Armas and Chris Evans (who flunked screen chemistry), Ghosted Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum, Magic Mike's Last Dance Pooh and Piglet as blood-thirsty slasher/killers in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — WINNER Worst Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — WINNER David Gordon Green, The Exorcist: Believer Peyton Reed, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania Scott Waugh, Expend4bles Ben Wheatley, Meg 2: The Trench Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel: Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania The Exorcist: Believer Expend4bles Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — WINNER Worst Screenplay: The Exorcist: Believer Expend4bles Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Shazam! Fury of the Gods Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey — WINNER Razzie Redeemer Award: 1998 nominee and current SAG/AFTRA President Fran Drescher, for her brilliant shepherding of the actors' guild through a prolonged 2023 strike with a successful conclusion. The 2024 Golden Raspberry Awards were announced on Saturday, March 9, Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website.
Sydney Dance Company’s Frame of Mind drills a hole into your heart and brain and makes you leak emotion in that sneaky, visceral way only dance can do. It's in fact two short contemporary dance pieces: Quintett, choreographed by William Forsythe, then Frame of Mind, by Sydney Dance Company’s artistic director, Rafael Bonachela. The result is stunning contemporary dance — neither pretentious, nor attempting any grand narrative. These are simply short, genuine outpourings of life and feeling from two very different choreographers, made accessible by committed dancers. Understanding the context of Quintett’s conception is pivotal to the experience. Originally created in 1993 (this is its Australian premiere), Quintett was a love letter from Forsythe to his terminally ill wife. Despite these tragic circumstances, Forsythe's work celebrates the chase of love. It’s full of pulls, falls and negotiations; at once both whimsical and profound. The quintet of dancers (Cass Mortimer Eipper, Chloe Leong, David Mack, Jesse Scales and Sam Young-Wright) engage in explorative play. Each dancer seems to ask, “what can my body do when I look at it anew?” They defy the everyday constraints placed on the body, and provoke their fellow dancers — taps on the bum, grabbing, shakes and whiplash — all to see how far they can possibly go. There is no storyline to follow, or characters to orbit, but the unshakeable feeling they are dancing a memoir. This may be a thank you letter for the moments shared, but it has no final signature. Each extension is intersected and retracted, each posture never fully completed. The bodies constantly interrupt each other's trajectories, so that one must always surrender to another, relinquish and release. The captivating Leong is still running and reaching as the curtain falls. The music mashes up a frail male voice singing a hymn with the crying sounds of strings. It's a simple but catchy looping that makes us aware of the eternal life/death cycle, and humbles us for thinking our own lives so important. Another beautiful element of both Quintett and Frame of Mind is the inclusion of ‘the watcher’. When dancers are not engaged, they pause and watch their peers. Spectatorship being so integral to human behaviour, it’s nice to see dancers drop their guard. Frame of Mind has a turbulent and moody atmosphere, exploding into action with the unnerving, staccato song of violins — the contemporary-classical soundtrack comes from The National's Bryce Dessner. We see warrior-esque rituals, moments of bared teeth and risk-taking choreography that leaves no room for error. We watch dances of despair, reverie and entrapment. The lighting of Frame of Mind is breathtaking. Forsythe’s uses mirrors and projectors to cast Quintett into the refracted/reflected world of memory. Meanwhile, Benjamin Cisterne creates the daily cycle of sun/moonlight for Frame of Mind, within the cavernous abandoned warehouse that designer Ralph Myers has created. Cisterne alerts our eyes to unexpected shades and silhouettes, such that we begin to doubt the materiality of this world. Are those watermarks on the walls, or ghosts, or continents? Quintett aches with shared memories, and Frame of Mind rattles the psyche. Anyone willing to submit to a corporeal experience should attend.
Oxford Art Factory has been a cornerstone of the Sydney live music scene for years — 15 to be specific. The Darlinghurst venue is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary as a breeding ground for musical talent, both Australian and international, and a host of some of the best parties in Sydney. As part of the celebration, it's throwing a big free birthday bash on Saturday, October 8 featuring some of the team's favourite young artists. Heading up the mainstage will be disco duo Lazywax and beachy indie rockers Pacific Avenue, joined by psychedelic rock five-piece Nice Biscuit and local art-pop group Baby Beef, plus Peel and Abby Bella May. Next door in the gallery bar, you can catch a lineup featuring Sunfruits, Salarymen, Fig, Baby Cool and Liquid Zoo. Doors will open at 7pm, entry is free, and for the first two hours, guests can nab a complimentary drink. Oxford Art Factory's usual range of independent beers, wines and seltzers will all be available throughout the night, including DOOM JUICE's natty wines and craft brews from Grifter and Young Henrys. "I'm incredibly proud of what OAF has achieved in the past fifteen years and what it has given back through the fantastic array of artists, both local and international, that we've had the great fortune of hosting. May we all look forward to another fifteen years of providing the best of the best for the community of Sydney and the live music industry in Australia," Oxford Art Factory founder Mark Greber said. You can reserve your spot over at Moshtix. Images: Destination NSW
Two days before kicking off for 2024, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has announced that one of its beloved annual events has been cancelled, with Fair Day no longer happening this year. Usually attracting over 70,000 attendees, the free celebration was set to take over Victoria Park on Sunday, February 18, but has been scrapped after asbestos was found in the venue's mulch. "On Monday, February 12, following advice from the Environment Protection Authority about possible asbestos contamination in mulch, test results found bonded asbestos at Victoria Park," said The City of Sydney and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in a combined statement released on Wednesday, February 14. "The City and Sydney Mardi Gras have been working together closely over the past two days to coordinate cleanup of the affected areas while bumping in Fair Day infrastructure in time to hold the event," the announcement continues. "Following a more detailed investigation into the safety concerns at Victoria Park, it has become clear to the City and Sydney Mardi Gras that an event of the scale of Fair Day is unable to proceed this Sunday." A massive drawcard at the 17-day festival, Fair Day was due to see Melissa Tkautz break out 'Read My Lips'; talents from & Juliet perform; and LION, Paul Capsis, Royston Noell and DJ Nate also take to the stage. The doggywood pageant, karaoke cave, drag king games and First Nations circle were all also on the agenda. "This is an incredibly disappointing decision, as Fair Day is a pivotal part of the Mardi Gras calendar. But we have to put the safety of our community first," said Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore AO. "We will continue to work with Mardi Gras once the asbestos issue is resolved. Today's decision underscores how serious this is. The NSW Government and the EPA must make sure this never happens again." "Fair Day is one of our most loved events, and is attended by over 70,000 people each year. It breaks our heart to see this Sunday not go ahead, but given the safety concerns we must put our communities' wellbeing first," added Mardi Gras CEO Gil Beckwith. "This cancellation is a setback, however it presents us with an opportunity to unite and support one another more strongly. The rest of our festival continues unchanged, offering many chances over the 17 days for our communities to come together in celebration and solidarity." On Tuesday, February 13, The City of Sydney advised that asbestos had been found in mulch at not only Victoria Park, but also Belmore Park and Surry Hills' Harmony Park. Testing is being undertaken in another 32 parks in the local government area. Sydneysiders are urged to avoid the mulched garden beds at the affected parks, as well as mulched areas beneath trees. If asbestos is found, the mulched areas will be fenced off and signs erected. The below parks are currently undergoing testing: Arcadia Park, Forest Lodge AV Henry Reserve, Forest Lodge Bicentennial Park 1, Glebe Bicentennial Park 2, Glebe Blackwattle Bay Park, Glebe Chippendale Green, Chippendale Clyne Reserve, Millers Point Cook & Phillip Park, Sydney Creek Street Reserve, Forest Lodge Dr H J Foley Rest Park, Glebe Frog Hollow Reserve, Surry Hills Giba Park, Pyrmont Harold Park, Forest Lodge James Watkinson Reserve, Pyrmont John Street Reserve, Glebe Jubilee Park, Glebe Larkin Street Park, Camperdown Minogue Reserve, Glebe Munn Reserve, Millers Point Observatory Hill Park, Millers Point Orphan School Creek, Forest Lodge Paradise Reserve, Pyrmont Pirrama Park, Pyrmont Pottinger Park West, Dawes Point Quarry St Streetscape and Steps, Ultimo Robyn Kemmis Reserve, Glebe Seamer Street Reserve, Glebe St James Park, Glebe Stewart Street Glebe Reserve, Glebe Toxteth Park, Glebe Wentworth Park, Ultimo Wood Street Playground, Forest Lodge Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2024 runs from Friday, February 16–Sunday, March 3, 2024. For more information, or for tickets, head to the event's website. Fair Day will no longer take place on Sunday, February 18 at Victoria Park. Head to the event's website for more details. Images: Ann-Marie Calilhanna / Jeffrey Feng.
UPDATE 20 May, 2021: Concrete Playground has received confirmation beloved Hunter Street restaurant Malay Chinese Takeaway will be impacted by the new Metro West train station. No further details are available at this time. The iconic Sydney venue Frankie's Pizza is set to be acquired by the NSW Government to make way for the new Hunter Street train station. Last week, the NSW Government announced two new train stations as part of the new Metro West train line: Hunter Street and Pyrmont Station. In the announcement, NSW Minister for Transport Andrew Constance stated that 13 commercial buildings would be acquired as part of the construction, one of which is Frankie's Pizza. In a statement from Frankie's, the Hunter Street venue confirmed that the building would be demolished to make way for the new Metro train line. While the future of Frankie's is uncertain, the bar has confirmed it will remain open until at least mid-2022 and is planning to make the most of its final year in their original digs. The beloved bar is promising bigger and better live music bills throughout the next year, as the local music community is expected to rally around the venue. It's also expanding its happy hour to offer $1 slices of its fan-favourite pizza from 4pm–6pm, Monday–Sunday. Fortunately, its not all doom and gloom for Frankie's fans — the venue may be reborn in a new location. Minister Constance confirmed the beloved venue would be provided with support to find a new home. "Frankie's is an important part of Sydney's live music scene and we will make sure it is properly supported during this challenging time. Sydney Metro is assigning Frankie's a dedicated acquisition manager to guide them through this process and to help find another location," Minister Constance said. With live entertainment every night of the week, visits from rock 'n' roll legends like Dave Grohl and Debbie Harry and one of Sydney's best pizza slices, the bar has had a huge impact on Sydney's live music scene. Across its tenure at Hunter Street, Frankie's has played host to musicians of all sizes — from local rock bands cutting their teeth, to international acts looking for an authentic Sydney venue to visit while touring the country. Unfortunately, Frankie's may not be the only Sydney fan favourite affected by the new metro line. The fate of Malay Chinese Takeaway's Hunter Street location, which shares the building with Frankie's Pizza, is still unknown. Transport for NSW has confirmed that 312 George Street, the current address of Middle Eastern eatery Jimmy's Falafel, would also be acquired during the construction of the station. Jimmy's opened in July 2020 as Sydney's COVID-19 restrictions begun to ease around dining as part of Merivale's plans for a CBD Ivy precinct. Concrete Playground reached out to Merivale for comment, however, did not hear back at the time of writing. [caption id="attachment_775859" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] The news of the acquisition comes just as Merivale announced a new George Street venue named Jimmy's Underground. Described as a late-night disco bar, Jimmy's Underground is set to open next month, with more details to come in the coming weeks. Hunter Street Station will be located less than 500 metres from pre-existing CBD train stations at Wynyard and Martin Place. When asked why the existing stations couldn't be connected to the new Metro West line, instead of building Hunter Street Station, Minister Constance said: "There is so much infrastructure underground in Sydney, because of this government, we had to find a site which worked." If you want to head down to Frankie's before it closes, you can catch the Frankie's World Famous House Band perform every Monday, participate in TNT Trivia on Tuesdays, or head along to any number of gigs or events throughout the week. Hunter Street Station is set to be complete by 2030. Top image: Katje Ford.
Agreed to host a dinner party? Well, you're going to need seafood. In Greek, faros means lighthouse — so let Faros Seafood be your beacon to guide you. The freshness and quality at this beloved Marrickville fish market are impeccable, so you'll be able to prepare anything from prawn tartare to a baked snapper that'll blow your guests minds. And, it goes without saying that the customer service at this longstanding family business is always exceptional. They unsurprisingly love to talk seafood, so they'll happily assist you with ideas for dishes or serving suggestions. The market has been a staple of the Marrickville community for over 50 years. George and Dorothea Bananis, who emigrated from the Greek island Limnos, set up the oyster shucking business on Buckley Street in 1969 in the rear garage of their house. Over the years, it expanded to include all manner of seafood with the couple's son Peter now running operations.
There is something truly mesmerising about watching dance live. The way the performers twist and turn and push their bodies to the limits while making every move look effortless, the choreographers remarkable ability to convey emotion and story, and the way that costumes, lighting and music all come together to heighten a performance is nothing short of awe-inspiring. So then, why don't we go out and see more of it? According to the Live Performance Australia Ticket Attendance and Revenue Survey 2014, dance and ballet experienced a significant decrease in both gross revenue (16%) and attendance (21.3%) from 2013 to 2014. While there are certainly many issues at play here, those stats aren't great — and not at all reflective of the immense dance talent we have both locally and touring from overseas. Thankfully, major arts festivals such as Sydney Festival continue to celebrate the dynamic art form. This coming festival is once again upping the ante with world-class art spanning countless genres and forms. It will bring over 700 exceptional artists and performers to Sydney — and with over 100 events in this year's program, so there's no shortage of something spectacular to see. And coming all the way from Belgium is the contemporary dance company, Rosas. A magnificent highlight of this year's dance program, the company — led by choreographer and performer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker — will be performing two works at the festival: Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich and Vortex Temporum. Fase was first choreographed and performed in 1982 by De Keersmaeker, and will be performed by her again at 2016's Sydney Festival. The second performance, Vortex Temporum, is a collaboration between Rosas and music ensemble, Ictus. But before we give too much away, here's a few things you need to know about De Keersmaeker and Rosas — and what you can expect them to bring to January's Sydney Festival. DE KEERSMAEKER'S ROSAS After deciding to focus on dance, music and theatre in her last year of high school, De Keersmaeker went on to study performing arts at the Mudra School in Brussels and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She then went on to create two works, Asch and Fase — which have since been performed by the company— before founding Rosas in 1983 during the creation of Rosas Danst Rosas. One of the greatest things about Rosas' dance performances is that they manage to be both innovative and experimental without being intimidating or exclusive. De Keersmaeker does this through her selection in music, using contemporary musical sources rather than just sticking with the classics. For example, this year's debut performance of the dance company's Golden Hours (As you like it) incorporated both Shakespeare's comedy and Brian Eno's Another Green World. The relationship between dance and music is one that is most frequently explored in Rosas choreography, as is her keen focus on naturally occurring repetition and patterns found in geometry, numerical patterns, and the natural world. This is a feature of Rosas Danst Rosas, one of her earliest works that has gone on to be highly influential. So influential in fact that De Keersmaeker accused Beyoncé of plagiarism in 2011 for the choreography of her video Countdown due to its similarities to Rosas Danst Rosas and other work Achterland. Well, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery — and it's Queen Bey who's stealing your moves — you're clearly doing something very right. FASE, FOUR MOVEMENTS TO THE MUSIC OF STEVE REICH Considered a seminal piece in the evolution of contemporary dance, Fase has been engrossing audiences for over 30 years. As the name suggests, the performance is broken down into four sections: three duets and one solo. Each section — Piano Phase, Come Out, Violin Phase and Clapping Music — is set to a different minimalist piece by American composer, Steve Reich, and is matched so perfectly to the choreography that movement and sound combine with mechanical precision. Fase's strength lies in its embodiment of contrasts — from delicacy to chaos and back again. To this day, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker still performs this piece all over the world. Imagine creating something so profound so early in your career, and still performing it decades later? It's no wonder that this is perhaps De Keersmaeker's most performed piece. Fase will be performed at the Sydney Opera House with Rosas dancer Tale Dolven over three nights from January 9-11. You can buy tickets here. VORTEX TEMPORUM Created in 2013, Vortex Temporum explores Gérard Grisey's musical masterpiece in a way that combines dance and instrumentation on a whole new level. Seven dancers and six musicians take the stage, and proceed to entwine, as a designated dancer and their movements represent each instrument's sound. Both dancers and musicians move through the space as a vortex — even the piano is on wheels. The contemporary music ensemble Ictus have collaborated with Rosas in previous works Drumming (1998) and Rain (2001). The performance unfolds slowly as dancer and musician become more tangled. It really is quite a sight to behold. Vortex Temporum will be performed at Carriageworks over four nights from January 15-18. You can buy tickets here. For more information on performances and to view the full program, visit the Sydney Festival website.
Chinatown is set for a major revamp, after a plan to upgrade the beloved Sydney precinct was unanimously supported by the City of Sydney. The plan includes a $5-million investment to reinvigorate Dixon Street Mall, restoring the area's famed red gates, upgrading amenities and improving support for events. "Our community in Chinatown was one of the first and hardest hit by the pandemic, and it continues to suffer while international tourism and study has not yet fully returned," City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore says. "While we have been safely activating public places and inviting people back to experience all Chinatown has to offer since COVID restrictions were eased, we're excited to ensure its long-term future by reinvigorating Dixon Street as a dynamic space for people, daily life and culture." Among the other plans for the precinct are improved street lighting, expanded trading hours for local businesses, increasing the number of activations, more al fresco dining and more public art — all of which the City of Sydney hopes will help improve nightlife and foot traffic in the area while maintaining the reasons people adore Chinatown. [caption id="attachment_706664" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption] Over 1000 residents and businesses were consulted on the proposed plan. Contributors pushed for a restoration and refreshment of the area that would reflect its rich diversity and support Chinatown's renowned congregation of affordable restaurants and retail outlets. "We know an overwhelming majority of our residents want the diverse culture in Dixon Street preserved while increasing outdoor activities like alfresco dining and special events as part of the long-term vision for the precinct," Moore continued. "Our precinct activation grants have already facilitated events like the fabulous Neon Playground and we will continue working hard to draw people to and celebrate this wonderful and important precinct." This investment in Chinatown will go hand-in-hand with the transformation of the neighbouring George Street. The bustling main road has been converted from a space occupied predominantly by bumper-to-bumper traffic into a pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare fit for outdoor dining and expansive outdoor events. For more information on the City of Sydney's upgrades to Chinatown, head to the council's website. Images: Katherine Griffiths
In the 21st century — by virtue of the smartphone technology each of us carry around in our pockets — everyone's a photographer. And while of course your selfies still qualify as #art, we all know there's art and then there's art. The latter form is what you'll find at the Australian Centre for Photography, Australia's leading national organisation devoted to photography and new media. One of the longest running contemporary art spaces, the ACP was founded in 1973 and remains a strong creative influence within Australian cultural life. At any given moment the space plays host to a number of free exhibitions, from the finest in student photography to the skilful final products of the industry's ultimate boundary pushers. And if you're really looking to up your selfie game, ACP Workshop runs photography courses for all levels from total rookies to seasoned pros wanting to finesse their skills.
UPDATE, February 28, 2021: Rocketman is available to stream via Netflix, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes and Amazon Video. "It's obviously not all true, but it's the truth," says Elton John about Rocketman. Trust the British superstar to sum up his own lively, dreamlike musical biopic perfectly. Cinematic celebrations of beloved singers and bands often aim for little more than supremely skilled impersonations, toe-tapping greatest-hits soundtracks and broad rags-to-riches overviews; indeed, it's an approach that won Bohemian Rhapsody several Oscars. But there's a vibrant spark to Rocketman as it charts Reginald Dwight's transformation into Elton Hercules John. A glorious tone, too, which couldn't work better. Showing how fantastical the ups and downs of fame, fortune and rock stardom can be by sashaying through a sea of surreality, the result is a winning marriage of form and feeling. Bursting into a support group wearing wings, horns and a blazing orange devil costume in the movie's opening moments, an 80s-era John (Taron Egerton) lays bare his sins. He's an alcoholic, cocaine addict, sex addict, bulimic, shopaholic, fond of prescription drugs, dabbles with marijuana and, if that's not enough, he also has anger management issues. That's Rocketman's warts-and-all baseline — the unflinching description of its protagonist at his lowest point, in his own words. Of course, we all already know how things turn out, but the film spends its two-hour running time unpacking and explaining John's troubles. Two intersecting threads come into focus: his ascent to the top of the music world, and his simultaneous descent into depression, frustration and loneliness. From his therapy circle, John follows his younger self (Matthew Illesley) to his childhood home, with the singer stepping through his unhappy formative years as the son of bitter, bickering parents (Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh). When his talent for tunes starts shining brightly, the biopic traces his long quest for success, including teaming up with lyricist Bernie Taupin (a well-cast Jamie Bell), who becomes a lifelong friend. After a 1970 trip to the US shoots John into the music stratosphere, the film watches as he rockets higher and higher, chronicling the hits, glitz, raucous parties and romantic dramas — complete with his first proper romance, with his manager John Reid (Richard Madden). But what goes up must come down, with the movie charting John's personal crashes as well. Story-wise, so far, so standard. The familiar superstar origin tale and cliched sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll trajectory don't dissipate. But from the moment that John breaks into song while recounting his woes, then dances and sings his way along a visibly desaturated 50s suburban London street with the childhood Reggie by his side, Rocketman thoroughly eschews the standard approach. Biographical details guide the narrative as expected, with the film stringing together a timeline that spreads over four decades, however it's emotion that drives every scene in Lee Hall's (Victoria & Abdul) screenplay. As proved the case in Hall and John's first collaboration on Billy Elliott the Musical, blending sentiment and song couldn't be more pivotal, poignant or important. Nor could Rocketman's core creative decision, because this isn't just a music biopic. It's unashamedly a musical biopic, and those extra couple of letters make a significant difference. With structure and staging that brings Hugh Jackman's Peter Allen musical The Boy From Oz to mind — not to mention a standout central performance — Rocketman is presented with razzle-dazzle showmanship that could easily see the movie adapted into a live production. Sequins, glitter, shiny platform shoes, oversized glasses and over-the-top outfits have long been part of John's public persona, and it's that theatricality that director Dexter Fletcher draws upon. That said, he's not simply fashioning the film after John's flamboyant attire. The intention, and one that comes to life with as much deep-seated feeling as eye-catching flashiness, is to convey John's true inner state rather than slavishly sticking to the truth. How better to show how young Reggie saw music as an escape from his difficult upbringing than to make his success seem like a dream? To demonstrate just how electrifying and unreal John's breakout gig felt than to literally depict him and the heaving crowd floating in the air? From the song-and-dance highs of finally making it, to the boozy, woozy, literally sinking lows of feeling all alone when the world is at his feet, the list of vivid and expressive examples goes on. Not only set to all of the expected tracks, but using them to plot an engaging emotional journey, the final product takes more cues from Fletcher's last two official directorial credits — on the upbeat Proclaimers jukebox musical Sunshine on Leith, as well as the Egerton-starring sports biopic Eddie the Eagle — than his uncredited job taking over for the fired Bryan Singer on Bohemian Rhapsody. Without an ounce of surprise, Rocketman is all the better for it, even when it makes crowd-pleasing moves with some of its song choices, and doesn't dive as deep into its narrative and themes as it perhaps could. Still, the two biopics share a crucial element, apart from the obvious. It's unlikely that the Oscars will award two actors for portraying real-life stars two years in a row, but Egerton puts in a thrilling, multifaceted performance worthy of ample recognition. He's a candle in the wind and defiantly still standing, all while singing John's songs himself and soaring across this rousing movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTm5DWgL-MU
