Cyclists, for a long time considered well behind the peloton in the fashion stakes, seem to be catching up. Leading designers are decking them out in fashionable threads, and now the helmet is even starting to look good. Perhaps fuelled by the rise in cycle chic, designers are now rethinking the humble lid and giving it a new look — after all, what’s the point of looking sharp in your $650 jacket if you cap it off with a Stackhat? Designboom have gathered together some of the more interesting takes on the humble helmet. Some simply add some quality materials to the traditional design, others take inspiration from the military, or nature. The more radical ideas start with a blank slate, and end up with something foldable that can be slipped in your handbag or back pocket. They might look great and suit your new outfit perfectly, but many of them wouldn’t meet Australian safety standards. Which is a shame, as it seems that a lot of cyclists would rather be a traffic-victim than a fashion-victim. [via Designboom]
If seafood and fries is your idea of a perfect culinary pairing, then drop by Surry Hills' Loluk Bistro on Thursdays to enjoy as many mussels and fries — or, moules frites — you can stomach for $29. The stuff-your-face food event may not be a Harry Potter or Willy Wonka-themed brunch, but hot and fresh mussels is a pretty great way to help cure the midweek blues. The Bourke Street bistro — known for its southern French fare — is piling plates high every Thursday with steamed mussels and pommes frites, of course. Mussels come with your choice of one of three sauces: provençal, with tomatoes, garlic and black olives; mariniere, with shallots and white wine; and bleu, with roquefort cheese and cream. And you can keep ordering (endlessly) until you're full. Well, until the clock hits 10pm. But four hours should be more than enough time for you to get your mollusc fix. If you prefer your all-you-can-eat on the cheesier side, head in between 6–10pm on Tuesday or Wednesday night. The bistro is serving up unlimited raclette (and profiteroles for dessert) for $49.
Finishing work on a Thursday afternoon, you can feel the weekend coming. You might want to hit the town, but you're looking for the right excuse. Enter: Powerhouse Museum, offering up a run of free late-night events happening every Thursday. The festivities are on till 9pm each week, and you can expect talks on music, art and design, alongside musical performances and exhibitions. On Thursday, September 29, Powerhouse Late will celebrate the launch of the Powerhouse's new Culinary Archive Podcast, a six-part audio journey through Australian culinary history with beloved local food journalist Lee Tran Lam. To commemorate the launch of the pod, the Powerhouse has pulled together a lineup of some of Sydney's best restaurants and craft breweries. Bush, Maiz Mexican Street Food and new Martin Place spot AALIA will all be running food stalls, while Wildflower will be hosting beer tastings. Tempeh tastings with Ferments' Lab, a coffee tasting led by Tinsae Elsdon of the Blue Mountain's Djebena Coffees and a discussion on brewing from members of the Grifter, Heaps Normal and Wildflower rounds out the program. On Thursday, October 6, the activation will explore the Powerhouse's sonic archives. There will be an Ableton Live School workshop centred around sampling sounds from the collection; live performances from Lucy Cliché, Moe Aung and Dakota Feirer; a talk on the archive and two screenings. Throughout the rest of October, other nights will focus on photography, Indian textiles and Pacific Island creatives. Highlights from these nights include Indian food stalls, live performances from Tongan-Australian dancer Sela Vai and Cook Island drummers, Mãori arts workshops, Pacific Island-focused hair-styling by Dan Tafeuni, Bollywood dance classes, and a screening of Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Come November, the Powerhouse will hold sessions revolving around music during its upcoming exhibition UNPOPULAR which will unearth historic images and footage of iconic 90s bands performing in Australia. It's all kicking off on November 3, with a huge punk and experimental rock showcase featuring performances from Loose Fit, Party Dozen and 1-800-Mikey, followed by FBi Radio's annual Sydney music, arts and culture awards ceremony on November 10. Check out the full program at the Powerhouse website. All events are free and each week there will be a Grifter beer bar on-site so that you can enjoy a pale ale or Serpents Kiss while you take in the festivities. [caption id="attachment_811875" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] Images: Jordan Munns Updated Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
Since Australia started easing out of COVID-19 lockdown, the country's internal border restrictions have earned plenty of attention. With tactics to stop the spread of the coronavirus implemented at a state-by-state level, each Aussie state has navigated the situation in its own way when it comes to letting non-residents visit. Queensland's decision to keep closed to date has become a particularly frequent political talking point, for example, although every other state apart from New South Wales and Victoria also shut their borders. Slowly, however, they're beginning to open back up — with South Australia the latest to unveil its reopening plans. In a press conference held today, Friday, June 12, Premier Steven Marshall revealed that SA will allow travellers from interstate back in from Monday, July 20. "South Australia has been doing particularly well," Premier Marshall noted, not only announcing the end of border restrictions, but that the state will move into its third stage of eased COVID-19 measures earlier than expected. That phase will now kick off from Monday, June 29. That means that, when folks from other parts of the country do head to SA for a holiday from the latter half of July, they'll enter a state with some of the most relaxed coronavirus measures in the nation (based on announcements at the time of writing). Premier Marshall also advised that stage three will no longer require a specific 100-person cap on the number of people in public places, but will revert to the overall rule of one person per four square metres. [caption id="attachment_679115" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Africola by SATC[/caption] That's a move that has been given the national stamp of approval, as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also revealed today. From July, Australia will allow socially distanced mass gatherings to return and won't require the previously proposed 100-person patron limit — with SA the first state to announce when that will come into effect following the day's national cabinet meeting. While receiving the tick at federal level, all states will need to implement the change separately. Regarding current quarantine requirements in SA, with anyone given permission to enter state at present required to self-isolate for 14 days, Premier Marshall said that further details are still being finalised. "We will be looking at some of the state borders with individual state borders who are doing particularly well," he noted. "We don't want to unnecessarily detain people for two weeks of isolation if they don't pose a health risk for us in South Australia." If you're now eager to start planning an SA getaway, we have suggestions — whether you're eager to hit up Adelaide, or sip and sightsee your way around the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Limestone Coast or the Clare Valley. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in South Australia, and the state's corresponding restrictions, visit its online COVID-19 hub. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: d'Arenberg Cube
If you're craving to know what the world's best supper tastes like, you’d best book yourself a flight to Denmark. Restaurant magazine has announced the World’s Best 50 Restaurants for the year and Copenhagen’s Noma has reclaimed the Number One position. Having topped the list in 2010, 2011 and 2012, it fell to second in 2013. Meanwhile, second place went to El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain and third to Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. So, how did we fare? The only Australian restaurant to have made the Top 50 is Melbourne’s Attica, which fell from 21 but still came in at 32; also named the Best Restaurant in Australia for the second year in a row. The judges laud head chef Ben Shewry’s "earthly flavours and foraged ingredients", describing the Attica dining experience as "simultaneously sophisticated and deeply grounded". They’re also impressed with Shewry’s commitment to "his principles of sustainability, to his family and to the cooking craft". Meanwhile, Sydney’s Quay, headed by chef Peter Gilmore, slipped from 48 to 60. (Despite the awards being titled ‘World’s Best 50’, the top 100 are named as well). Even though just two of our homegrown restaurants made the list, Aussies chefing abroad have been making an impact. Newcastle’s Brett Graham, who heads The Ledbury, London was pleased to secure tenth place. “It’s a huge surprise,” he said. “We’ve got a great young team, actually half-full of bloody Australians as well, from all over the country.” At the same time, David Thompson’s Bangkok-based Nahm ranked 13th. He expressed that it’s not easy for Aussie restaurants. "One of the difficult things for Australian restaurants is that it’s so distant – or so far away from the circuit of judges," he said. "It’s a matter of luck in the awards ceremony; it really is." Finally, Sydney chef Tetsuya Wakuda came in at 50th with his Singapore-based restaurant Waku Ghin, improving on last year's 68th ranking. Image credit: Ben Hutchison
Whether you're a dedicated poké fan, an occasional dabbler or you haven't yet tried the Hawaiian food trend, you're going to want to head to North Sydney's Nudefish on April 11. From 11.30am, free bowls are on the menu for the first 100 customers. While usually there's no such thing as a free lunch, that advice doesn't apply here. Hungry patrons can choose from miso sesame eggplant, marinated mushroom, spicy kale chicken and more, as drizzled with house-made sauces and pickles. It's also all gluten- and dairy-free, which means this Poké Party is for everyone. And, if you don't find yourself at the front of the queue before midday, don't worry — Nudefish is also serving up $5 bowls once their freebies have run out. Keep an eye on their Facebook page too, as they're promising other giveaways in the lead up to the main event.
We can only hope that one day, likely in a far distant future, documentaries will stop doubling as horror films. That time hasn't arrived yet — and as Collective demonstrates, cinema's factual genre can chill viewers to the bone more effectively than most jump- and bump-based fare. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature at the 2021 Academy Awards (only the second time that's ever happened, after last year's Honeyland), this gripping and gut-wrenching Romanian doco starts with a terrible tragedy. On October 30, 2015, a fire broke out at a metal gig in Bucharest, at a club called Colectiv. Twenty-seven people died in the blaze, and 180 people were injured as they tried to escape via the site's lone exit; however, that's just the beginning of the movie's tale. In the four months afterwards, as burn victims were treated in the country's public hospitals, 37 more passed away. When journalist Cătălin Tolontan and his team at The Sports Gazette started investigating the fire's aftermath and the mounting casualty list, they uncovered not only widespread failures throughout Romania's health system, but also engrained corruption as well. This truly is nightmare fuel; if people can't trust hospitals to act in their patients' best interest after such a sizeable disaster, one of the fundamental tenets of modern society completely collapses. Early in Collective, director, writer, cinematographer and editor Alexander Nanau (Toto and His Sisters) shows the flames, as seen from inside the club. When the blaze sparks from the show's pyrotechnics, hardcore band Goodbye to Gravity has just finished singing about corruption. "Fuck all your wicked corruption! It's been there since our inception but we couldn't see," the group's singer growls — and no, you can't make this up. It's a difficult moment to watch, but this is a film filled with unflinching sights, and with a viscerally unsettling story that demands attention. Nanau occasionally spends time with the bereaved and angry parents of victims of the fire, even bookending the documentary with one man's distress over the "communication error" that contributed to his son's death. The filmmaker charts a photo shoot with Tedy Ursuleanu, a survivor visibly scarred by her ordeal, too. And yet, taking an observational approach free from narration and interviews, and with only the scantest use of text on-screen, Collective's filmmaker lets much of what's said rustle up the majority of the movie's ghastliest inclusions. There's plenty for Nanau to cover, and to galvanise viewers in the way that Romanians have been since the Colective blaze. The club's lack of safety measures and the fact that it was permitted to run without fire exits were met by protests, which saw the nation's Prime Minister resign. Tolontan and his team enquired into a different matter, though. Their focus: the deaths after the tragedy, the hygiene standards in hospitals treating victims and exactly how the Romanian health system operates. First, they hear about diluted disinfectants — sold that way by a shady manufacturer, then watered down again onsite — that led to otherwise avoidable bacterial infections and then fatalities in burns patients while they were supposed to be receiving care. On that subject, the Gazette journalists discover bribes, profiteering, the government's awareness and its willingness to let the whole scheme proceed. Then, after a scandal erupts, Collective is given astonishing access to newly appointed Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu as he tackles the situation. A former patients' rights advocate and activist, he's rightly alarmed again and again as he learns how Romania's hospitals work from the inside, and vows to clean up the broken system. But the more he tries, the more corruption he uncovers, and the more resistance he's met with by folks within the bureaucracy who don't want anything to change. Collective is a dense, painstaking and information-heavy movie, and also a procedural one. Nanau follows the committed Tolontan and his often shocked colleagues as they chase leads, attend press conferences and receive information from whistleblowers. He captures their stakeouts, too, and their thorough conversations about the course and purpose of their investigations. And, when the film broadens its scope in its second half to shadow Voiculescu, it gives him the same treatment. Internal government discussions start to fill the screen, as do the Health Minister's speeches and meetings; when he admits to one group of survivors that "the way a state functions can crush people sometimes," it's an almost perturbingly candid moment. If almost any aspect of this tale was unfurled in a fictional feature, instead of in this tightly framed fly-on-the-wall style documentary, the audience would think that it's too much. A dramatisation is bound to happen, likely as a Spotlight-style Hollywood movie starring a well-known name, but it'll never be able to match the power of seeing and hearing these appalling real-life horrors. One particular shot — not of the fire, but of a patient in the months afterwards — is so potent that it's searing, in fact. Surprisingly given the strength of the Romanian New Wave, which has given rise to a spate of stellar fictional features — including The Death of Mr Lazarescu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days on the subject of health care, too — Collective is the country's first to garner any Oscar nods, let alone a couple. Shiny trophies don't make a great movie, of course, but this equally rousing and harrowing documentary is worthy of breaking that ground. A chronicle of cascading scandals, it's also an ode to the type of journalism that truly speaks truth to power and doggedly works to expose the cracks in society's foundations. More than that, it's a testament to the need for public scrutiny over all forms of authority, as well as a portrait of what can happen when the few are left to oversee the many unchecked and with only their own best interests at heart. Every second, and every revelation that comes with it, only adds to Collective's traumatising status. There's hope in this film too, however, because thankfully this confronting documentary and its compelling record of those toiling against entrenched corruption exists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5kkZAKjkiw
One of the most interesting fixtures on the increasingly crowded calendar of Sydney film festivals, Possible Worlds presents the best of Canadian cinema, and for the first time this year, the program has been expanded to also include some gems of American independent film. Run by Sydney non-profit company The Festivalists, who are also behind a series of film-related events including the excellent short film night Kino and Jurassic Lounge, this year's program is a strong and diverse selection. The lineup includes Greta Gerwig/Noah Baumbach comedy Frances Ha and Sarah Polley's constantly acclaimed documentary Stories We Tell. Read on for our picks of the five films to see at Possible Worlds.
UPDATE: MAY 31, 2019 — Merivale is kicking off its (almost) half-price happy hour early so you can score some cheap after-work drinks today. Yep, Friday night drinks just got a whole lot more affordable. The 49-percent off deal is now running from Friday, May 31 through till Sunday, June 30. Keep reading for more info on where and when you can find it. If last week's drastic drop in temperature has you dreading the blustery days ahead, fear not — Merivale is giving Sydneysiders a reason to push forward into winter. For all of June, the Sydney hospitality empire is once again saying "bottoms up, Sydney" with a whopping 49-percent off all the booze at 39 of its venues between 5pm and 7pm. No joke. For those two hours every day in June, its bars and pubs will be slinging all cocktails, mixed drinks, spirits, beer, wine and even Champagne at nearly half price. That's precisely $8.67 packaged Japanese cocktails at Ms. G's bar, $10.2 gin and purple basil drinks at Charlie Parker's and $7.65 margaritas at El Loco, plus really cheap mini cocktails at Bar Topa, bargain wines by the glass (less than $5, friends) at The Newport and The Beresford and even cheaper craft beers at the The Royal and The Paddington bar. The only catch is this: it doesn't apply to items over $200 (which is still pretty generous if you ask us). So, while you'll have to pay full price for a magnum of Veuve on the Coogee Pavilion Rooftop, a 750ml bottle of the orange-label bubbles will only set you back $81.6. Other high-end discounts you'll be able to snag during the month include a bottle of Bordeaux at the Felix bar for less than a pineapple, a glass of premium Chablis at Bert's bar for only $15.3 and a $10.2 whisky-heavy cocktail at Palmer & Co. If you were looking for an excuse to splash out, this is it. Merivale's 49% off deal will run every day from June 1–30 from 5–7pm. You can find the full list of venues here.
Australia is set to receive a healthy dose of 1920s razzle-dazzle, as record-breaking Broadway favourite Chicago shimmies onto stages across the country later this year. An Aussie production of the smash-hit musical will debut at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in August, before heading to Brisbane's QPAC Lyric Theatre in November and wrapping up at Arts Centre Melbourne from December. The longest-running American musical in Broadway and West End history, the original Kander & Ebb musical has reached the eyeballs of over 31 million people worldwide. Inspiring 2002's Academy Award-winning film of the same name, it tells the tale of a Chicago housewife and nightclub dancer who twirls through a whirlwind of murdered lovers, jail-time, fierce rivalries and tabloid sensationalism set in the decadent 1920s. Taking the stage for Chicago's local run is a cast of well-known Aussie names — catch acclaimed all-rounder Natalie Bassingthwaighte in the lead role of Roxie Hart, musical theatre veteran Alinta Chidzey as her rival Velma Kelly, and ARIA-winning superstar Casey Donovan playing Matron 'Mama' Morton. Based on a 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the production showcases music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and choreography by Tony Award winner Ann Reinking. Hot on its black patent heels are two more award-winning musicals heading Down Under. Saturday Night Fever will head to Capital Theatre in Sydney this August, before Waitress hits Aussie shores in 2020. Chicago premieres at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in August 2019, before heading to Brisbane's QPAC Lyric Theatre in November and the Arts Centre Melbourne in December. You can score tickets for the Sydney show or sign up for the Melbourne and Brisbane waitlists over at the website. Images: Paul Kolnik, Peter Brew Bevan, Jeremy Daniel
You'll need sturdy legs for this one; it's a steep, one-kilometre walk to Jingga Waterhole, a short trip from Campbelltown. However, the effort will be well rewarded, as you'll be picnicking alongside a freshwater rock pool, complete with waterfall — in Dharawal language, jingga is an adjective that means 'fresh' when referring to water. Several threatened species, including potoroos, have discovered the health-giving properties of this spot, so keep a lookout for them. Even though the water is fresh, drinking it isn't a great idea; be sure to carry in plenty. Also, always make sure to check for park alerts before heading out for a walk or swim. Supplied: National Parks NSW
When it comes to costumes, there are a few simple rules. Have fun. Be creative. Don't act like a twit. Unfortunately, some people still have trouble with that last one, with Native American headdresses and other culturally inappropriate garments still an all too common sight at festivals and dress-up parties alike. Thankfully, the team at Sydney's Secret Garden is here to clear up the confusion. Ahead of next weekend's festivities, they've released a short, helpful video about their costume policy, which you can check out below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ9Bhv1iJAk "Our happy place is in some elaborate costume, with a face full of glitter," festival director Clare Downes told Concrete Playground. "There are a ridiculous amount of costume ideas out there. We just want to make sure everyone feels welcome." Secret Garden takes place February 24-25, but bad luck if you don't have tickets because they're sold out.
Once, heading to Nambour was all about gawking at over-sized tropical fruit. Actually, that's still the case. Back in 2013, however, the giant pineapple-owning powers that be added another reason to head to the Sunshine Coast's biggest tourist attraction: an annual music festival with an ace lineup. Well, it's usually annual. The 2020 event has understandably changed its dates a few time in this COVID-19-afflicted year, and now it's moving the whole shebang to 2021. So, you can once again expect some top-notch entertainment across four stages, plus a ferris wheel, food stalls aplenty, arts, crafts and other activities, and camping, all when The Big Pineapple Music Festival returns on Saturday, May 22, 2021. It's enough to make you block out a weekend and start planning a few days spent in the shadow of one of the country's favourite big things. The 2021 lineup hasn't been announced yet, because it isn't as logistically simple as just sticking with 2020's bill — so watch this space regarding who you'll be dancing to. And, ticket-wise, all 2020 purchases are still valid. If you can't attend the new date, you can request a refund between September 9–October 12. If you don't have a ticket yet, fingers crossed that you'll be able to pick one up once the event has processed any returned tickets. [caption id="attachment_760926" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Charlie Hardy[/caption] The Big Pineapple Music Festival will take place on Saturday, May 22, 2021. For further details about the date change, ticketing and refunds, visit the event's website. Images: Charlie Hardie / Claudia Ciapocaa.
Adapted from Ken Kesey's beast of a book, Cuckoo's Nest is the tale of Randall McMurphy, a small-time criminal admitted to a mental institution for evaluation. A scoundrel and fierce free thinker, McMurphy befriends the other 'inmates' and begins to school them in the art of revolt. With sedition beginning to waft through the corridors, McMurphy's bid for freedom is opposed by Nurse Ratched, a character who has come to represent the unflinching evil of bureaucracy. Sport for Jove have set themselves a real task with this one. Kesey's book is filled with monstrous shadows, bending time and demons struggling to maintain a human form. But its nightmarish qualities are offset by characters and friendships defined by tenderness and an aching timidity. The film adaptation of Cuckoo's Nest is infamous for being one of only three films to sweep the big five – Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Its Broadway run was no less daunting, with Kirk Douglas taking the role of McMurphy and Gene Wilder playing Billy. Uplifting and a kick in the guts at the same time, Cuckoo's Nest is a great reminder that, as McMurphy points out, "You're no crazier than the average asshole walkin' around on the street and that's it!" Image: Marnya Rothe.
If your Easter routine usually involves a seafood feast, you don't need to alter your plans in 2020. While heading to the shops looks a bit different in these COVID-19 times — and going out for a meal is on hold indefinitely — Betty's Burgers is serving up plenty of prawns for the occasion. Combining four juicy fried prawns, the chain's special garlic mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato, Betty's new prawn roll is available for takeaway from its restaurants spotted across Australia. If your stomach is already rumbling, you can tuck into one for $15 — or order a meal for you and your housemate and get two rolls and two serves of fries for $35. You'll need to get in quickly, though, with the prawn roll only available for a week from Thursday, April 9–Thursday, April 16. And, if it's anything like the chain's lobster roll, expect it to sell-out — fast. Known for its Shake Shack-style burgs and frozen custard desserts (called concretes), Betty's foray into prawns is also a celebration of its beachy roots. While you can now grab a Betty's burger at over 20 locations across Australia, including six Sydney outlets, four Melbourne spots, four Brisbane outposts, one Toowoomba eatery and one location in Adelaide, the company first began in Noosa, and then expanded to the Gold Coast. Over the Easter long weekend, Betty's Burgers stores are open from 11.30am–9pm daily, with the following stores temporarily closed: Coomera and Pacific Fair in Queensland, Central Station and Market Street in NSW, and The Glen and Exhibition Street in Victoria. The rest of the chain's stores are open for takeaway and most of them offer delivery via UberEats and Deliveroo. To check what options your local has, head to the Betty's Burgers' website or download the app for iOS or Google Play. Betty's Burgers' prawn roll is available at all Australian stores — except Coomera and Pacific Fair in Queensland, Central Station and Market Street in NSW, and The Glen and Exhibition Street — for takeaway for a limited time. To order, download the Betty's Burgers app for iOS or Google Play. If you choose to pick up these burgers, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health.
I for one am sick of the pristine, elegant, squeaky-clean image of the circus these days. Cirque du yawne if you ask me. Where did the real performers go? In the olden days skills had to be mutated at birth, never learnt. Ogling was encouraged and the grotesque was some 'thing' in a jar. Midgets and strong-men would together run wild and free. Well, I am here to proclaim "roll up, roll up!" to the Tiny Top and enjoy all that was wholesome in ye olde circus; the bearded lady has been granted one last song. To achieve this amazing fete, Legs on the Wall have pulled in the most talented directors and designers from NIDA to recapture the true spirit of the circus. The Tiny Top includes not only a 'big' top of acts, but a side alley of shows including a beat box artist, a rodeo girl, acrobatic gypsies, an electric man, a psychic and a flamenco lover, while also bringing back the value of those useless gold coins sitting in your pocket. Entry is free; wander the sideshows and just pay a token for whatever you fancy. Finally, throw down a potent elixir at the bar and never wash your eyes again, this is a show you won't want to miss.
If part of you loves the long-haul flights of fancy of Discworld and the dynastic intrigue of The Bold and the Beautiful, chances are, you also love some Gabriel Garcia Marquez. But the author of classic Latin American epics Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude has a stash of lesser-known short fiction you may not have yet uncovered, and fortunately, director Netta Yashchin has dug out one fine example, I Only Came to Use the Phone, and brushed it up for a dashing public outing. Set in the dying years of Franco's Spain, the story homes in on a woman, Maria (Annabelle Stephenson), who is left trying to phone her husband, shelter from the rain and anxiously light damp cigarettes at a rest stop after her car breaks down. Dejected and drawn to join the shrouded women on a passing bus, she winds up inadvertently dispatched to a psychiatric institution, where, of course, no-one believes she only came to use the phone. Her path to escape — or acquiescence — makes up a wry and touching tale that captures the feeling of dislocation and parallels the very real experience of arbitrary imprisonment found under Fascism. Unusually, the story isn't adapted into a play; instead, the original text, rich and written in the third person, is delivered by an ensemble cast while they embody the characters to which the words pertain. The tack itself adds interest, and the result is surprisingly engaging. Stephensen, Julia Billington, David Hansen, Dorje Swallow, Fayssal Bazzi and (only occasionally appearing) Yashchin are all excellent and ultra-committed as they shift into their various roles, including those of inpatients, wardens, a magician and a house cat. It's a world away from a mere dramatic reading, as the story is completely brought to life through the depth of characterisation and physicality, the rich dialogueishness brought to the text, and a set (by Charlotte Lane) that breathes the scungy romance of Catalonia, even in confinement. Most brilliantly, this approach has allowed Yaschin to add cheeky inflections of irony and heighten dark subtexts that aren't the characters' own or aren't present in a surface reading of the material. Throw in the constant serenade of a live Spanish guitar (Damian Wright), and you've got a bewitching night of independent theatre.
When winter hits — and you know when it really hits — pressing command+A and delete on all your iCal entries seems like a rational thing to do. But hold your horses, cold one — there are a few festivals happening that you won't want to miss out on. In recent years, Australia has developed quite the winter events calendar. With Vivid's lights hitting every visible surface in Sydney, Melbourne's White Night moving to August for the first time, and hedonistic shenanigans happening down in Hobart for Dark Mofo, there is plenty to inspire a break from hibernation. So pull your calendar back up and block out a weekend to have a winter adventure out of town or interstate.
Catching a movie at one of Sydney's favourite outdoor cinema spots is a summertime tradition, combining new and recent big-screen flicks with spectacular panoramic views of the city, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. And, while little about the past year has been normal, Westpac Openair Cinema has announced that it'll definitely be returning for yet another stint of harbourside cinema. Every movie that graces the cinema's big screen has to hold its own against the stunning sights glittering away behind it, of course — and although Openair hasn't yet revealed the full lineup of flicks it'll be screening this time around, it has unveiled a couple of titles alongside its 2022 dates. It'll kick off on Thursday, January 6 and run through until Tuesday, February 22, all at Mrs Macquaries Point as usual, with a program that includes long-awaited Bond instalment No Time to Die, sci-fi sequel The Matrix Resurrections, Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, and the Adam Driver and Lady Gaga-starring House of Gucci. Sydney movie lovers, get ready for 48 nights of openair cinema — and 48 excuses to feast your eyes on the on the 350-square-metre screen that rises from the harbour for the occasion. Unsurprisingly, the event will run under COVID-safe guidelines, but exactly what changes will be in store are yet to be advised, including what it means for the event's usual food and booze spread. That said, Openair has revealed that Kitchen by Mike will be behind the cinema's meals, and DJs will be spinning tunes to set the mood. As happens every year, tickets are likely to go quickly when they go on sale. Across the summer of 2018–19, more than 40,000 tickets sold within the first two days of pre-sale — so put it in your diary ASAP. Westpac Openair 2022 runs from Thursday, January 6 –Tuesday, February 22. Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, December 8 — and we'll update you with further details about the lineup, and COVID-19 restrictions, when more information is revealed. Image: Fiora Sacco
Start your weekend right with a morning yoga class at LoveSweats. This for-purpose business uses yoga to tackle social issues like homelessness and poverty, so you can get your stretch on for a really good cause. Plus, at just $15 per session, these yoga classes are a total steal. Afterwards, stroll over to the Carriageworks Farmers Market to treat yourself to some luscious homemade crumpets. These fresh-out-the-oven babies are served with Pepe Saya butter and Carriageworks' own honey and are so delicious you'll be hard-pressed to stop at just one. Image: Mark Bond Photography.
We've seen plenty of iPhone camera extensions before but this one takes the cake. Don't go wild just yet – it's still only in concept stage – but with the optical zoom of a Leica lens combined with the functionality of the Apple iPhone, the Leica i9 is sure to take iPhoneography to new heights. This week Black Design Associates announced the Leica i9 concept, which lets you slip your iPhone 4 into a Leica camera casing. The result? A point and shoot camera with internal flash memory, a 12.1 megapixel sensor and 8x optical zoom. In developing the concept, BDA asked the question: "How do you combine a great smart phone with a great digital camera when your brands may speak to very different categories?" BDA approached the brief with the strategy of compliment without compromise, allowing the strengths of both Apple and Leica products to shine through in tandem. Sweet features of the Leica i9 include: Camera/iPhone Toggle: turns on your camera with an instant start-up time of 0.3 seconds, while simultaneously loading the Leica app on your iPhone 4 Flash and Light Meter: offers higher quality photos and videos in low-light conditions Camera Back Dock: harks back to traditional 35mm film, the back swinging open like a traditional film door to reveal the standard Apple 30-pin connector dock [Via Engadget]
If there are two things that all of Sydney can agree on, it is that this city gets very warm in summer, and that ice-cream is delicious. There is no denying the sensory excitement created by the meeting of this delicious cold snack and your mouth. Sitting atop the summit of this tantalising ice-cream mountain is everybody's cinema favourite, the choc top. After all, there's no better way to enjoy an ice cream than encasing it in chocolatey goodness. And what could make this choc top better? As a MasterCard® cardholder, you will receive a free choc top with the purchase of any full priced movie ticket at the Ritz Cinema in Randwick. Just swipe and enjoy your treat. Movie theatres are one of the last remaining habitats of this increasingly rare treat and the Ritz Cinema in Randwick is arguably the king of the choc top in Sydney. Hand-made for you by Ritz staff, the personalised touch will remind you of the pure joy the movie experience held for you as a child. With flavours changing regularly, you can keep returning to find your favourite. Once you've found it, come back for more of your favourite. This offer ends on April 22, 2014, so they have you covered for all of summer.
UPDATE, September 7, 2020: Emma is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Happiest when she's playing matchmaker, experienced at meddling in the affairs of others and accustomed to a comfortable level of standing in her village, Emma Woodhouse withholds judgement on no one. Since first popping up on the page 205 years ago, Jane Austen's heroine has always been a picture of youthful hubris. Case in point: the 20-year-old member of the upper class wouldn't dream of letting a friend marry a mere farmer. She eventually learns the error of her well-meaning arrogance, of course. That's the journey that Austen's Emma charts, following the titular character's evolution from unthinking snobbishness to genuine compassion. But if the fictional Miss Woodhouse was somehow asked to survey the latest film to tell her story, we're certain that her opinionated tendencies would still shine through. Renowned for eschewing the average and ordinary in the hope of a more romantic option, she'd at least arch an eyebrow at this dutifully faithful, perfectly palatable yet hardly spectacular adaptation. Emma may be stylised on its marketing materials as 'Emma.', as though it's putting a full stop on all big-screen iterations of Austen's novel; however it's unlikely to become the definitive book-to-film version of this tale. That title continues to belong to Clueless, a movie that modernised the details, played fast and loose with certain specifics, and turned Austen's comedy of manners into an even savvier delight than it already was. Devotees of the original text might consider that statement blasphemous, but Emma's musings on love, life, social status and human nature thrived under a bolder spotlight. Indeed, Clueless outshone the more traditional Gwyneth Paltrow-starring adaptation of Austen's novel that came out just a year afterwards, and did so easily. The difference a quarter-century ago, and now as well: Clueless engages with and re-interrogates the narrative and its insights, rather than just reverently recreating it. They all tell the same general story, though. For those who haven't committed the broad strokes to memory alongside Alicia Silverstone's 90s outfits, Austen's tale revolves around Emma (played in this 2020 iteration by Anya Taylor-Joy) and her current matchmaking mission. Her friend Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) receives a marriage proposal from local tenant farmer Robert Martin (Connor Swindells), with whom she's clearly besotted, but Emma is convinced that her pal can, should and must do better. So, she nudges Harriet towards seemingly kindly vicar Philip Elton (Josh O'Connor). As well as earning the disapproval of her neighbour George Knightley (Johnny Flynn), who she treats like a brother, Emma's interference causes significant ripples throughout the village. It doesn't help that the rich, handsome and vain Frank Churchhill (Callum Turner) has just returned to town, and the quietly accomplished Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson), too — with the former considered a potential match for Emma herself, and the latter the target of her palpable jealousy. Well-heeled chaos ensues — as much chaos that can ensue within stately and sprawling country manors, while compliant, silent servants are always on hand, and amidst polite conversation constantly tinted with gossip (although as Downton Abbey keeps demonstrating, that's plenty). Emma circa 2020 does everything it's supposed to, including using its sumptuous production and costume design to paint a vivid picture of Regency-era England, but it adds little of its own personality. Austen's prose, here shaped into a screenplay by The Luminaries' author Eleanor Catton, still sparkles with wit. Making her feature filmmaking debut, photographer and music video director Autumn de Wilde retains the novel's playful mood, and pairs it with a sweeping sense of visual symmetry that'd do Wes Anderson proud. And yet, this adaptation feels mostly indistinguishable from the many other unchallenging film and TV versions of literary classics that've reached screens over the years. In fact, the end result is fine, but in the passable rather than excellent sense of the word. It can be a strange sensation, watching a movie that hits plenty of marks and still feels just standard, but that's this iteration of Emma. The film's various parts boast a variety of charms, and yet they never manage to leave much of an imprint. The main outlier: The Witch, Split and Glass' Taylor-Joy. There's little in the way of purposeful contemporary parallels in this take on Austen's tale but, in Taylor-Joy's hands, Emma herself seems like she could easily be passing judgement on her peers and their love lives via Instagram. As the overly chatty, far less wealthy Miss Bates, Miranda Hart (Call the Midwife) also stands out, especially when her character becomes the target of Emma's withering comments. But it might be Bill Nighy, playing Mr Woodhouse, that encapsulates the movie best. He's as reliable as ever, trots out all his usual moves, and inspires more than a few laughs and smiles — but you always know exactly what you're in for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llt7-EQP6dg
If you'd rather sit at home with the lights off than watch the NSW election coverage, you're in luck. This year's Earth Hour starts at 8.30pm the night of the election, providing you with some alternative civic participation if you weren't looking forward to a night of margins and reported booths. The night started here in Sydney in 2007 and has become an international event in the years since. Earth Hours are now carried out in cities around the world, like Shenyang in China and Medellin near the Colombian coast. Earth Hour is a symbolic action. Although there is carbon saved by turning things off, the point is the unmissable demonstration that a huge chunk of the world's population can do the same thing at the same time. If they can do it for Earth Hour, why not for grander environmental things? This year, the focus sits squarely after 9.30. People around the world are pledging to keep doing the little things that add up — cycling to work, recycling more, refusing plastic bags at the supermarket. You can join in with the broader environmental message, or you can just go for the spectacle. But any of these small acts could lead to bigger things. Image of Earth Hour Switch Off 2010 by Sewell / WWF.
If you thought your Halloween costume couldn't be beat, then you, my friend, have fallen for a trick — not a treat. Because these dogs will trump you. On Sunday, October 28, The Beresford will host a Halloween-themed dog shot. The Merivale establishment is teaming up with premier pup institution Dogue to put on a day of fun for both human and hound. There will be live entertainment, market stalls and prizes for the best-dressed pups, so start your outfit brainstorming now. Vampire viszlas, ghoulish golden retrievers, alien alsatians, t-rex terriers, Jack the Ripper jack russells — the creepy costume ideas are endless for man's best friend. Even if you don't have a dog to dress, you can head along and have a gander — and maybe donate to the Sydney Cats and Dogs Home, too,
Want to sing along to a live version of "Emergency Contraception Blues" or do your Shuffle dance in a public place rather than in the shower (with lots of jumping involved)? Then here's your chance, because the Bombay Bicycle Club are going to be hanging out in Australia for a little while after playing The Falls Festival and a string of American gigs. It's time to learn their lyrics, perhaps eat a curry (the band named themselves after a curry chain) and practice those Northern Londonder accents ("you riiiiiiigh?") These guys sure seem like an interesting bunch in their music clips, frolicking around London and revealing a love for moon juice, space jellyfish and antennae growing out of heads, so surely the gig will be a hit. Three of the four in the band have been playing together since they were 15, their last two albums have gone gold in the UK and Triple J seem to like them a lot too. Jack Steadman (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Jamie MacColl (guitar), Ed Nash (bass) and Suren de Saram (drums) make their music a hard one to pin down in terms of classification, but British indie folk, indie rock and twee pop all seem apt. Local act The Paper Kites are going to be supporting them, if for some reason you needed another reason to go. https://youtube.com/watch?v=MgvBmEmtF-I
Hip hop used to be associated with overt displays of machismo, but there has been a steady evolution since those days. Arguably, this advancement and modernisation is represented nowhere better than with the rise to prominence of Cakes Da Killa. Originating on New York's queer rap scene, Cakes Da Killa has earned plaudits for his fusion of hip hop, house and dance over the last decade, alongside acts such as Mykki Blanco and Le1f. With the beats from his latest album, Killa Essentials (2021), in tow, the game-changing creative's impending trip to Sydney is sure to bring an unforgettable evening to Oxford Art Factory. Images: Ebru Yildiz
If you missed out on The Jungle Collective's previous warehouse plant sales, be sure to clear the weekend of April 21 and 22. Because there's another one on its way. The Jungle Collective is a Melbourne nursery that stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. After holding four wildly successful Sydney markets this year, it's tracking down new plants and throwing another two-day indoor plant party. This time, it's safari themed, so wear some khaki with a hat and binoculars. If you do, you'll get a $5 discount off of your purchase. While plenty of rare plants and indoor favourites will be on offer, philodendrons will be in the spotlight. Previous sales have had everything from hanging pot plants to palms to a giant Bird of Paradise, so prepare to welcome a few into your home. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. Taking place in St Peters, the sale run from 10am till 4pm on Saturday and 10am till 2pm on Sunday, with ticketed sessions. The good stuff tends to go first, so we recommend booking a morning session on the Saturday when bookings open at noon on Monday, April 16. Images: Mooikin.
A couple of years back, a ramen joint in Sydney served up $400 bowls of brothy, noodle-filled goodness, complete with a full lobster and a golden head as a garnish. If you wanted to give it a try, you clearly needed deep pockets. But it now looks positively cheap and affordable compared to Australia's new $15,000 gold-infused cocktail. Yes, you read that amount correctly. Yes, that's a ridiculous sum of money for a drink. No, we didn't add an extra zero, or two or three — because $150 or $1500 cocktails would still elicit the same reaction. The bank balance-crushing tipple — called the Woodford Gold Fashioned — will clearly be the most pricey old fashioned you ever come across, and has unsurprisingly been dubbed Australia's most expensive cocktail. It's also only on offer for a limited time at two Australian bars for Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Week. That celebration, as the name makes plain, hails from booze brand Woodford Reserve and is all about showcasing one specific type of boozy concoction. The fest itself is popping up at 200-plus bars Australia-wide, running from Saturday, November 5–Monday, November 14. Only Sydney's Dean and Nancy on 22 and Melbourne's Sky Bar will be serving up the $15,000 versions, though. What do you get for that hefty cost? An old fashioned made with Woodford's XO cognac-finished Baccarat Edition, as paired with a gold-infused Chateau d'Yquem reduction, plus handmade saffron and vanilla bitters. Even the ice that's popped in it is fancy — it'll be specially engraved — and the whole sip is poured into a hand-cut French crystal Baccarat tumbler. If you're wondering, the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo has a Diamonds Are Forever martini that costs US$19,000, so a more expensive drink does exist. The Woodford Gold Fashioned one comes in after that, making it the second-most expensive cocktail worldwide. Somehow manage to stump up the cash for a Woodford Gold Fashioned and you'll also get an at-home cocktail kit, which includes a pair of the same Baccarat tumblers and a bottle of Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition. If you're paying $15,000 for a cocktail, it really does need to come with freebies to enjoy afterwards. The Woodford Gold Fashioned will be available from Saturday, November 5–Monday, November 14 at Sydney's Dean and Nancy on 22 and Melbourne's Sky Bar for Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Week.
Turning a movie into a TV show can be a tricky prospect, but add What We Do in the Shadows to the list of series that completely nail the task. Crucially, it doesn't remake Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's hilarious New Zealand mockumentary. Instead, it expands upon it — peering inside a different share house, this time in Staten Island in New York, that's filled with completely different vampires. The television sitcom is set in the same universe as its predecessor, too, so keeping your eyes peeled for links and familiar faces is 100-percent recommended. And yes, both Waititi and Clement have been involved behind the scenes, so it all has their stamp of approval. Also, and we cannot stress this enough, getting the great Matt Berry to play a pompous bloodsucker ranks among the best TV casting moves ever made.
On June 1, life is going to look a lot different for Sydneysiders. Restaurants, cafes and pubs will be allowed to have up to 50 customers and regional travel will be back on the cards, as will visiting cultural institutions and beauty salons. In an announcement yesterday, Sunday, May 25, that NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard called "a big day for everyone in our community", Hazzard said that nail, waxing and tanning salons will be allowed to reopen from the first of next month. "Of all of the requests I've had as Health Minister in the last three months, this has been the one that I think has topped the barrel," Hazzard said. "I've even had text messages in the middle of the other meetings, telling me how bad acrylic nails were." Like all venues allowed to reopen, beauty salons must follow social distancing measures — with one person per four square metres — and have a COVID-safe plan in place before reopening. [caption id="attachment_761669" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Taronga Zoo[/caption] In a separate announcement yesterday, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet confirmed that the state's zoos, reptile parks would also be allowed to reopen from June 1. Once again, the venues will need to comply with the one person per four-square-metres rule, and Perrottet is urging Sydneysiders to pre-purchase tickets or give the animal-filled spots a call before heading in. "With the June long weekend and school holidays not far away we want to ensure they take appropriate measures to make this a success," Perrottet said. "For example, that might be only doing online tickets to control visitor numbers on busy days." For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
"Black..." growls Will Arnett's gruff hero from deep within the movie's opening darkness. "All important movies start with a black screen. And music. Edgy, scary music that would make a parent or studio executive nervous. And logos. Really long and dramatic logos". On and on he goes, making cracks at a production house whose contribution to the film escapes him, having a dig at both Superman and DC comics, quoting Michael Jackson and bragging about his huge pecs and impressive "ninth ab". All, mind you, before the first frame of the movie has even been seen. This is The Lego Batman Movie, aka Captain Meta, where the self-referential humour comes thick and fast from the opening minute to the last. It's a film that gleefully acknowledges the nine Batman flicks that preceded it, including "that weird one in 1966" (notes the hero: "I have aged phenomenally"). And yet, for all the in-jokes and winks to camera, The Lego Batman Movie is, at least thematically, somehow more of a Batman movie than Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin or Zack Snyder's Batman vs Superman, in that it faithfully explores its protagonist's single-most defining characteristic: his crippling isolation. Batman is a loner; a recluse; a vigilante misanthrope whose only joy (and, indeed, purpose) comes from battling criminals. So what would happen, then, if all the criminals were locked away and all of Gotham City were crime-free? Such was the premise at the opening of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, and here, too, it forms the basis of the entire story. It's hence rather a one-note narrative, but thankfully the (many) writers manage to extract enough out of it to fill an enjoyable hour and a half of screen time. Led by a terrific Will Arnett reprising his role from 2014's The Lego Movie, the cast of voice actors here is at once enormous and impressive. Alongside Arnett we find Zach Galifianakis as The Joker, Ralph Fiennes as Alfred, Michael Cera as Robin and Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon, the new Police Commissioner of Gotham City. There's also an extensive cameo list featuring the likes of Channing Tatum as Superman, Conan O'Brien as The Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Cat Woman, Eddie Izzard as Voldemort and even Siri as Batman's computer. Of course, there's no getting around the fact that this film represents crass commercialism taken to an extraordinary extreme. How many studios would ever deign to include their corporate sponsor in the actual title of their movie (Daniel Craig stars in…Aston-Martin Bond)? As with its predecessor, The Lego Batman Movie is designed to, and succeeds in, showcasing Lego's extensive catalogue of movie and TV-based products, ranging from Harry Potter and Doctor Who through to Godzilla, King Kong and The Wizard of Oz. On the other hand, the film is a funny, clever and engaging piece of cinema that holds almost as much interest for adults as it will the film's target younger audience. Not as finessed or layered as The Lego Movie, this superhero spinoff is nonetheless an entertaining and refreshing take on the big screen's most brooding hero, and proves well worth the price of admission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGQUKzSDhrg
Festival FOMO is real, and festival sideshows are one solution: the gigs you go to when you're not going to the main gig. Can't make it to Adelaide for two music-filled October days at Harvest Rock II? Loving the South Australia-only fest's lineup? Four of the event's highlights have just announced dates along Australia's east coast. Chief among them are Sparks, which will draw upon a whopping 57 years of making ridiculously catchy and smartly funny tunes on their first tour of Australia since 2001. Thanks to 2021's double of Edgar Wright-directed documentary The Sparks Brothers and Cannes Film Festival opener Annette, brothers Ron and Russell Mael have been everywhere of late — and that's now about to include Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, busting out tracks like 'The Number One Song in Heaven', 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us' and latest single 'The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte'. In a glorious move, they've been beginning their recent sets with 'So May We Start' from Annette, too, which won them the Best Composer award at Cannes. Fresh from releasing her fourth studio album Spirituals in 2022, Santigold will extend her trip to Australia with sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. 2023 marks 15 years since the genre-defying artist first demanded attention with her debut record Santogold, and sparked a career that's seen her influence and team up with plenty of others. Drake, Lil Wayne and Future have sampled the Philadelphia-born talent's tracks, while Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Karen O and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Basement Jaxx, Jay Z, Mark Ronson, Pharrell and Lykke Li have enlisted her as a collaborator. Following their fifth stint at Coachella earlier in 2022, Chromeo will also hit Sydney and Melbourne, bringing Dave 1 and P-Thugg our way almost two decades since their 80s-influenced electro-funk sound started echoing from intial album She's in Control. The Lemon Twigs are also veering beyond Adelaide, with visits to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario will draw upon their four-album span since 2016, as bookended by debut Do Hollywood and this year's Everything Harmony. All Harvest Rock sideshows will take place around the festival's dates, both before and afterwards, across Thursday, October 26–Thursday, November 2. And no, there won't be Jamiroquai and Beck gigs, with both playing their only Aussie sets at in Adelaide. To see either this October in Australia, only a Harvest Rock ticket will do. HARVEST ROCK II SIDESHOWS: SPARKS Thursday, October 26 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne Tuesday, October 31 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney Thursday, November 2 — Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane SANTIGOLD Friday, October 27 — Metro Theatre, Sydney Saturday, October 28 — Prince Bandroom, Melbourne CHROMEO Thursday, October 26 — Metro Theatre, Sydney Sunday, October 29 — 170 Russell, Melbourne THE LEMON TWIGS Thursday, October 26 — Corner Hotel, Melbourne Saturday, October 28 — Manning Bar, Sydney Tuesday, October 31 — The Outpost, Brisbane Harvest Rock 2023 will take at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina, Adelaide, on Saturday, October 28–Sunday, October 29, 2023. The festival's sideshows will tour Australia's east coast from Thursday, October 26–Thursday, November 2, with pre-sale tickets from 9am local time on Thursday, August 24 and general sales from 9am local time on Friday, August 25. Head to Concrete Playground Trips for a VIP Harvest Rock package for two, including tickets and accommodation.
So many movies, so little time. That's film festival life, including right now in Sydney. The 2023 Sydney Film Festival is happening at the moment, showcasing hundreds of movies in cinemas across the city — and, if you haven't been able to fit all your viewing into its 12-day run, you'll now have four extra days to help. As it usually does, SFF is hosting a Back By Popular Demand program in the days after the fest's official close. In 2023, those bonus screenings will hit Dendy Newtown and Palace Norton Street between Monday, June 19–Thursday, June 22. No, you're not done spending your nights in darkened rooms just yet. There's 13 films to pick from and, as the name makes plain, they're all flicks that've been proving a hit with crowds so far. That includes straight-from-Cannes titles May December, starring Natalie Portman (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Julianne Moore (Sharper); Perfect Days, with German filmmaker Wim Wenders (Submergence) heading to Japan; and Anatomy of a Fall, a drama about an author (Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann) accused of her husband's murder, which just won French director Justine Triet (Sibyl) the Palme d'Or. Also on the list: whistleblower docudrama Reality, starring Euphoria and The White Lotus' Sydney Sweeney; the obviously film-loving I Like Movies; environmentalist tale How to Blow Up a Pipeline; and kaijus via Shin Ultraman, which springs from the creators of Shin Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Or, there's Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, a documentary about an Estonian log-cabin sauna; fellow doco A Storm Foretold, focusing on Donald Trump's former adviser Roger Stone; and Beyond Utopia, about a family of five trying to escape from North Korea. Plus, Scrapper won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema Dramatic), Riceboy Sleeps follows a Korean single mother and her son as they start a new life in Canada in the 90s, and Sunflower spins a coming-of-age tale in the Melbourne suburbs. Some films have multiple sessions, while others are returning for just one — but, either way, your time at SFF for this year definitely isn't over yet. Sydney Film Festival's 2023 Back By Popular Demand bonus screenings hit Dendy Newtown and Palace Norton Street between Monday, June 19–Thursday, June 22. Sydney Film Festival 2023 runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18 at various Sydney cinemas — head to the festival website for further information and tickets.
Your winter Tuesdays just got a lot better with Chiswick. The garden-to-table restaurant in Woollahra is introducing weekly wine tastings and canapés. The best part? It's all completely free. From 6–7pm every Tuesday until July 24, Chiswick will showcase some of the state's best selections, educating your palate while promoting local winemakers like Larkhill Wine and Helm Wines. Top Australia and New Zealand producers will lead the tastings as you unwind from the work day in the restaurants leafy surrounds. The tastings are free, but you'll have to book in online to avoid missing out. After you've spent time enhancing your wine-keen tastebuds, you may as well stay for dinner (or at least another drink).
More than three decades since it was first published, the Watchmen series of comics is still considered one of the all-time greats of the medium. Brought to the page by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, the premise says plenty: in an alternative version of the world we all live in, superheroes definitely exist — but their presence has drastically altered history. Here, the Cold War turned out differently, caped crusaders largely work for the government and anyone else enforcing law and order while wearing a costume has been outlawed. Now, imagine that tale told with a satirical edge that deconstructs the superhero phenomenon, and you can see why it has hordes of devotees. Back in 2009 when comic book flicks were just starting to pick up steam — and when 22-film franchises were a mere dream — Watchmen was turned into a movie by Zack Snyder (who was fresh from 300, but hadn't made the jump to Batman v Superman or Justice League yet). Sequels clearly didn't follow; however, HBO is now hoping that the story will flourish on the small screen, enlisting Lost and The Leftovers co-creator Damon Lindelof to make it happen. Obviously, with Game of Thrones finishing, the network is in the market for a new pop culture phenomenon. This isn't just a straight adaptation. Apparently the series "embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name while attempting to break new ground of its own," according to HBO. An exact release date hasn't yet been revealed, other than fall in the US (aka spring in Australia and New Zealand) — but if you can't wait until then, HBO has dropped the first teaser for the new series. It's your first chance to catch a glimpse of the show's stacked cast, which includes Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, this year's Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Regina King, Hong Chau, Louis Gossett Jr and Aussie actress Adelaide Clemens. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zymgtV99Rko Watchmen will air on HBO in the second half of the year, with an exact release date yet to be announced. We'll keep you updated — including about air dates Down Under.
How many times have you thought about learning how to defend yourself, but never gotten around to doing it? Here is your reminder — and a chance to learn some kick-ass skills for free. The Sydney Jiu Jitsu Academy Ku Ring Gai is calling all women to bring their friends, mums, sisters, aunts and daughters to a free self defence workshop on International Women's Day. The one-hour class will run from 10–11am on Sunday, March 8. No-gi world champion Charles Negromonte will be taking attendees through all the techniques you need to fight like a girl. If you find yourself wanting more and sign up for future classes, you'll get free training for the rest of the month and won't pay for your uniform either. Spaces in the class are limited, so head to the Facebook event to secure your spot.
If you are thinking about planning a really big trip in the next couple of years, the sky may no longer be your limit. Space tourism has long been touted as the new frontier for the seriously adventurous traveller, and it looks like it may become more commonplace in the not-so-distant future. Orbital Technologies, Sierra Nevada Corporation and NASA have collaborated to develop the Dreamchaser Vehicle, a multi-purpose commercial space craft which will primarily be dedicated to scientific research and tourism. The Dreamchaser, which will also act as an emergency station for passing space craft, will include a space hotel with four hotel cabins to accommodate seven guests. And while guests will not be able to expect all the conveniences of home (internet access may prove a bit tricky), they will have access to zippered sleeping bags, waterless flushing loos, shower facitlities and gourmet meals —a little more luxury than your average astronaut is afforded. And, no doubt, the views from the hotel portholes will be entirely out of this world. Five nights in the space hotel will set you back about $165,000, and the transfer to and from your hotel another $826,000 - a pretty penny for an experience that gives a whole new meaning to sleeping under the stars.
Whenever anyone utters the words "Wakanda forever" in a Black Panther movie, they resonate, rippling with pride and power in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's franchise-within-a-franchise about the titular hero and their homeland. Expect those words, every other piece of dialogue and the rousing score behind them to echo with extra force at every Sydney Marvel fan's new must-attend event, however. That's bound to happen at a Black Panther in Concert performance, which'll pair the original film with a live orchestral score. Sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in cinemas right now, but this huge gig will screen the initial 2018 feature. That means getting emotional over the now-late Chadwick Boseman's excellent performance as T'Challa, watching the character cope with the passing of his father, and seeing him face off against old adversary Killmonger (Michael B Jordan, Just Mercy) over the future of Wakanda — and revelling in the rest of triple Oscar-winner's many other delights. One of those shiny Academy Awards went to Ludwig Göransson for the film's score, which will make the most of Sydney Opera House's renovated and relaunched Concert Hall across three performances from Thursday, July 27–Saturday, July 29, 2023. It'll be played by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, as conducted by Anthony Parnther and with percussion by tama player Massamba Diop, in what'll be Black Panther in Concert's Australian-premiere performance. SSO loves busting out big-screen classics and pairing them with its instruments of late, with The Princess Bride also getting the same treatment in 2023, and everything from Bond to Harry Potter and Star Wars doing the same in the past. Still, given the potent storyline, Boseman's passing in 2020, Ryan Coogler's (Creed) energetic and expressive direction, and the stacked cast that also includes Angela Bassett (Gunpowder Milkshake), Letitia Wright (Death on the Nile), Winston Duke (Nine Days), Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead), Lupita Nyong'o (The 355) and Martin Freeman (Breeders), this movie-and-music combination promises something extra special.
Navigating Australia's vaccine rollout hasn't been easy or straightforward throughout 2021 so far, thanks to changing messages around who can get jabbed and when, as well as the Federal Government's frequently shifting plans and timeframes. And, when it's your turn to roll up your sleeves, booking in isn't always simple either — especially if you're looking for a Pfizer appointment. Every state has their own booking system, although residents in New South Wales are first directed to the Federal Government's online vaccine eligibility checker. You answer its questions, and the site then points you in the right direction if you're eligible. Well, it directs you towards a list of individual spots where you can get the jab — state-run hubs and GPs alike — and then leaves you to contact them all and work things out from there. That's not the most efficient or convenient system, which is where new website Covid Queue comes in. Purely directed at Sydneysiders, it aggregates data regarding available vaccination slots at the RPA Hospital, St Vincent Hospital, Sydney Olympic Hub and Westmead Hospital. All you need to do is hop in line — virtually, by pressing a button on the site — and it'll sound a bell when an appointment is available. If you hear one bell, there's a single appointment on offer. If two bells ring, there's two appointments available within three weeks apart. You can then click through to register from there, although it is recommended that you log in to the RPA Hospital, St Vincent Hospital or Sydney Olympic Hub sites beforehand. That way, when you go to book because an appointment has popped up, you'll already have gone through that step. At present, the Pfizer vaccine is available to folks aged between 40–59 years, and to people between 16–39 in certain circumstances. The latter applies if you're from an Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander background; are an NDIS participant, or care for NDIS participants of any age; are pregnant; work in quarantine, health care, aged care, disability care or as a border worker; live in aged care or disability care; or have an underlying medical condition or significant disability — and if you're deemed a critical or high-risk worker because you're employed in defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing. The Pfizer vaccine is recommended for everyone under the age of 60, but Australia's vaccine rollout hasn't reached the stage of jabbing everyone under 40 yet. If you'd like to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, that's recommended for folks over 60 — but it's also open to all ages if you're informed about possible side effects. For more information about Covid Queue, head to the online tool's website.
Move over Babe, Piglet, Porky and Peppa. Thanks to monochrome-hued documentary Gunda, cinema has a brand new porcine star. Or several, to be exact; however, other than the eponymous sow, none of the attention-grabbing pigs in this movie are given names. If that feels jarring, that's because it breaks from film and television's usual treatment of animals. Typically on-screen, we see and understand the zoological beings we share this planet with as only humans can, filtering them through our own experience, perception and needs. We regard them as companions who become our trustiest and most reliable friends; as creatures who play important roles in our lives emotionally, physically and functionally; as anthropomorphised critters with feelings and traits so much like ours that it seems uncanny; and as worthy targets of deep observation or study. We almost never just let them be, though. Whether they're four-legged, furry, feathered or scaly, animals that grace screens big and small rarely allowed to exist free from our two-legged interference — or from our emotions, expectations or gaze. Gunda isn't like any other movie you've seen about all creatures great and small, but it can't ignore the shadow that humanity casts over its titular figure, her piglets, and the one-legged chicken and paired-off cows it also watches, either. It's shot on working farms, so it really doesn't have that luxury. It features animals destined to play their parts in the food chain, a fact that can't be avoided. But, surveying these critters and their lives without narration or explanation, this quickly involving, supremely moving and deeply haunting feature is happy to let the minutiae of these creatures' existence say everything that it needs to. The delights and devastation alike are in the details, and the entire movie is filled with both. Filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky (Aquarela) looks on as Gunda's namesake gives birth, and as her offspring crawl hungrily towards her before they've even properly realised that they're now breathing. His film keeps peering their way as they squeal, explore and grow, and as they display their inquisitive, curious and sometimes mischievous personalities, too. Sometimes, this little family rolls around in the mud. At other times, they simply sleep, or Gunda takes the opportunity to enjoy some shut-eye while her piglets play. Whatever they're doing, and whenever and where, these pigs just going about their business, which the feature takes in frame by frame. In one of the documentary's interludes away from its porcine points of focus, the aforementioned chook hops about. Whether logs or twigs are involved, it too is just navigating its ordinary days. In the second of the movie's glimpses elsewhere, cattle trot and stand, and their routine couldn't seem more commonplace as well. It doesn't take a particularly observant person to notice the tag through Gunda's ear, or the fencing surrounding her and her fellow cast of creatures. No one need listen intently, their own ears figuratively pricked, to discern the noise of the human world beyond the sounds of nature. Evidence of people — even without even the slightest glimpse of a single one — is always there for viewers to see and hear, with Kossakovsky's engrossing and meditative documentary presenting it as plainly as it does everything else throughout its duration. The audience knows that these stories won't end happily as a result. It's well aware that humankind's intended use for the film's animals will trump the critters' own urges, desires and clearly apparent emotions. Indeed, Gunda screams its abhorrence of eating flesh without saying a word; to the surprise of no one who saw his Golden Globes and Oscars speeches in 2020, Joaquin Phoenix is one of its executive producers. Everyone finds their own meaning in every movie, but patient, dialogue-free, near-hypnotic documentaries like Gunda enhance that sensation several times over. Staring at its intimate visuals — at the stunning, resonant and evocative sights it presents again and again — sparks a shower of thoughts, threads and questions, and, sans guiding words dictating what to focus on and why, each individual viewer will veer in their own direction. Some will be struck by the act of watching life come into the world, then shaken by knowing its ultimate purpose. Others might be shocked by the way that even the simplest trace of routine connects every living thing. Others still could come to think differently about their diet choices. All three and more are options here, because Gunda ensures that its audience isn't just seeing its pigs, chicken and cows in a strikingly realistic, authentic and compassionate fashion, but is also confronting and challenging their own personal choices around animals at the same time. Gunda is an immensely empathetic film — director/co-writer/co-editor/co-cinematographer Kossakovsky was inspired by his own childhood experience, when he had a pig for a best friend — and also a work of astonishing skill. So seamless are Kossakovsky and fellow writer/editor Ainara Vera's (Aquarela) efforts that it's impossible to guess that Gunda and her piglets' lives in Norway are interspliced with scenes from British and Spanish farms. Every shot seen on-screen is so gorgeously framed and lit by the filmmaker and his co-director of photography Egil Håskjold Larsen (When Man Remains), and so vivid and textured in its inky black-and-white colour scheme, that avoiding the lure of its imagery is unimaginable. It's no wonder that taking in the documentary's every second feels like an act of surrender — visually, intellectually and emotionally, and to its layered and immersive soundscape as well. This isn't just a nature doco; it's a poetic musing on what it means for every creature to be alive and an examination of humankind's display of force over the natural world, and it's as staggering as it is stirring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilNHPfOOeIs
If you haven't had the opportunity to see one of Lisa Reihana's innovative multimedia works, now's your chance. The renowned Aotearoa New Zealand artist's first Australian survey show features a collection of photographic and video works, including the much-talked-about In Pursuit of Venus [infected]. This massive panoramic video installation is a modern reimagining of the famous colonial nineteenth century wallpaper Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique. Spanning a width of 26 metres, the live action video uses cutting-edge digital technologies to animate and reinterpret the wallpaper, interrogating the complexities of colonisation, and historical and contemporary stereotypes. Image: Michael Hall
Australia's hospitality industry scene has done it tough over the past year — again — but it still boasts some of the best bars on the planet. Don't just take our word for it; according to this year's just-revealed World's 50 Best Bars list, we're home to four of the top 50 watering holes worldwide. Our highest-ranking spot to get sipping in 2021: Sydney's Maybe Sammy. It's the third year in a row that the innovative bar in The Rocks has made the list, taking 22nd place. That's a drop from 2020, when it came in at number 11, but higher than in 2019, when it sat at 43rd. Coming hot on its heels is another World's 50 Best Bars list veteran, Cantina OK!, which moved up from number 28 last year to number 23 in 2021. Next, Melbourne's Above Board earned a spot at number 44, while Sydney newcomer Re jumps in at number 46. So, whether you're a Sydneysider, Melburnian or a future visitor to either city, you now have an excuse to hit up a globally acclaimed venue. [caption id="attachment_714475" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cantina OK!, Kimberley Lo[/caption] For those yet to be acquainted with Maybe Sammy, its luxurious styling nods to old-school Vegas glamour, all blush pink velvet banquettes and lush indoor greenery, while the list of theatrical signature drinks pays homage to the classics. At Cantina OK!, you'll find a pint-sized mezcal bar in an old garage down a service laneway — complete with bright pink and purple walls, Mexican vibes and laneway seating. Collingwood's minimalist Above Board skews super-intimate, boasting only 16 seats and with no standing permitted — while Re, which is located in Sydney's ever-growing South Eveleigh precinct, hails from hospitality stars Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Ciccia Bella). The latter also has a zero-waste focus, and nabbed The World's Best 50 Bars 2021's Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award as well. [caption id="attachment_836460" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Above Board[/caption] While Sydney was better represented in the top 50 than Melbourne, the Victorian capital was the only Australian city to feature in the 51–100 list, which was announced late last week. Cocktail haven Byrdi scored a place on the extended rundown for the second year in a row. The annual World's 50 Best Bars awards are voted on by bar industry experts from around the world, including bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists. And if you're wondering what topped the list worldwide, that'd be London's Connaught Bar, which emerged victorious for the second year in a row — so there's somewhere to add to any future UK itineraries. For the full World's 50 Best Bars 2021 rundown, head to the list's website — and you can check out the 51–100 list online as well. Top image: Maybe Sammy.
For almost two weeks now, Greater Sydney residents have become reacquainted with every nook and cranny in their house — as have folks who live in the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong. And, that isn't set to change any time soon, with New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announcing today, Wednesday, July 7, that the regions' lockdown will be extended until midnight on Friday, July 16. This is the second time that the stay-at-home conditions have been extended during the current outbreak. On Friday, June 25, four Local Government Areas in Sydney went into lockdown, before the entire Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong region followed the next day. The requirement to remain at home was originally put in place until Friday, July 9; however, the Premier has now advised that the NSW Government has "made the difficult decision to announce the extension of the lockdown and the existing restrictions in the regions for one week further." Announcing the news, Premier Berejiklian said that "this Delta strain is a game changer. It is extremely transmissible and more contagious than any other virus — form of the virus that we've seen." She continued: "the reason why the NSW Government has taken this position is because we don't want to be in a situation where we are constantly having to move between lockdown, no lockdown, lockdown, no lockdown. What we want to do is give us our best chance of making sure this is the only lockdown we have until the vast majority of our citizens are vaccinated. We know the vaccine is the key to our freedom. The vaccine is key to saving lives and keeping the economy open. We appreciate and understand the stress this means for individuals, for families and, of course, for businesses — but what would be far worse is being in a situation where you have to live in and out of lockdown until that period of time when we have the vaccine available to us." New South Wales reported 28 new COVID-19 cases, 27 of them acquired locally, in the 24 hours until 8pm yesterday, Tuesday, July 6. The Premier also noted that a number of cases have been identified overnight as well, and that tomorrow's case number is likely to be higher than today's. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1412577131339468806 So, everyone in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong remains under the same conditions that've been in effect for the past fortnight — and were in effect when the state went into lockdown back in March 2020. That means that you can still only leave the house for four specific essential reasons: to work and study if you can't do it from home; for essential shopping; for exercise outdoors in groups of ten or fewer; and for compassionate reasons, which includes medical treatment, getting a COVID-19 test and getting vaccinated. Otherwise, everyone must stay at home. That said, there are no restrictions on when you can go shopping or go out for exercise, and there's no curfew. The Premier did single out the Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool Local Government Areas, which is where the majority of new cases have been concentrated, and advised that folks in these three spots really should not leave the house — or, if case numbers rise, the government will consider taking further actions in these LGAs. Throughout all of the areas remaining in lockdown, retail stores can stay open, but people are only permitted to go out for essential buying — not to browse or loiter. Hospitality businesses can open for takeaway and deliveries only. Weddings are still off the cards, but funerals can go ahead — with a maximum of 100 attendees and density caps of one person per four-square-metres indoors. As always, Sydneysiders are also asked to continue to frequently check NSW Health's long list of locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited. If you've been to anywhere listed on the specific dates and times, you'll need to get tested immediately and follow NSW Health's self-isolation instructions. In terms of symptoms, you should be looking out for coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste — and getting tested at a clinic if you have any. All of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will remain under stay-at-home orders from 11.59pm on Friday, July 16. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
2020 might've temporarily taken away our ability to head overseas, hit up big events and, for portions of the year, leave our houses; however, it hasn't robbed us of our collective fascination with Christmas lights. Luminous festive decorations really shouldn't cause such a fuss. They pop up everywhere every year, after all, and we're all well and truly aware of how electricity works. But those twinkling bulbs are just so hard to resist when it's the merriest portion of the calendar — especially after a 12-month period with a noticeable downturn in joy otherwise. Perhaps you're a casual Christmas lights fan, and you're completely fine just checking out whichever blazing displays you happen to pass in your travels? Maybe you have a few tried-and-tested favourite spots, and you return to them every year? Or, you could want to scope out the best and brightest seasonal-themed houses and yards? Whichever category you fall into, an Australian website called Christmas Lights Search is likely to pique your interest. It's as nifty and handy as its name suggests, and it covers festive displays all around the country. To locate all the spots that you should head to, it's as easy as popping in your postcode or suburb — or those of places nearby — and letting the site deliver the relevant options. Christmas Lights Search also rates the lights displays, if you want to either go big or stay home. And it's constantly being updated, so, like the best combos of glowing trees, sparkling bulbs and oversized Santas, you might want to check it out more than once. When you pick an individual address listed on the site, you'll be greeted with some key information, too. The level of detail varies per listing, but expect to peruse photos, the ideal hours to swing by, a date range, a description of what's on offer and even COVID-19-safe info. All that's left is to get searching, plot out where you'll be heading every night between now and Christmas Eve, and get ready to see oh-so-many reindeer, candy canes and snowmen. Check out the Christmas Lights Search online now.
If a mid-year holiday is on your upcoming agenda, you might want to make a date with one of the regions of Australia that usually depend heavily on overseas tourists. To encourage Aussies to enjoy a getaway at home, and to support areas of the country that have taken a huge tourism hit while the nation's international border is closed, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has today, Thursday, March 11, announced that the Federal Government is halving the cost of 800,000 flights to 13 spots over the next few months as part of a $1.2 billion package. Australians will be able to nab discounted fares to a range of scenic places. In Queensland, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Whitsundays and Cairns are all on the list; in the Northern Territory, the package focuses on the Lasseter region which includes Uluru, and Alice Springs; and in Tasmania, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie all feature. You can also head off to Broome in Western Australia, Avalon in Victoria, Merimbula in southern New South Wales and Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Exactly which routes will be included is still being decided, as is the number of tickets on each, but they'll be available from Thursday, April 1 through until July. It's expected that around 46,000 half-price flights will be on offer each week during that period, and that you'll be travelling with Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar. The tickets will go on sale via the respective airline websites and, if the demand is there, the Federal Government may add to the scheme later in the year — in terms of locations and routes. "I think we'll see more opportunities for this program," said the Prime Minister in today's press conference, when asked about future plans. As well as helping support the tourism industry in regions that usually rely upon international visitors — not just by getting folks there at a discounted price, but by leaving them more money in their budgets to spend on tours, attractions, venues, places to stay and hospitality, too — the plan will also provide an incentivised excuse for Aussies to take a local getaway while international travel is still off the cards. The cut in price will be delivered via a subsidy to the participating airlines, which'll receive government funds to cover the difference in fare. That's just one part of the overall package, with funding to keep 8600 of Qantas and Virgin's international flight employees in their jobs, extended financial support for zoos and aquariums, and loans for small- and medium-sized businesses also included. The 800,000 half-price flights will be available in weekly batches from Thursday, April 1. For further details, keep an eye on the Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar websites.
A favourite among inner west locals, the annual Mardi Gras Courtyard Sessions take place at dusk in the relaxed grounds of the Seymour Centre. Championing both established and emerging LGBTQIA+ artists, it's all about kicking back with a cold drink, some food, good people and live music. And it's free to attend. This year, the series is wrapping up with a night co-hosted by Sad Grrrls Club on Friday, February 28. Guests are in for an evening filled with funk, beats and pop, starting with progressive soul band Kadimakara. The Sydney-based trio is all about jazz, soul, funk and alt-rock. Then, hailing from Melbourne, self-proclaimed Queen daddy will bring smooth beats and vocals — and lots of daggy 90s dad vibes. Finally, Triple J Unearthed artist RACKETT will deliver energetic, experimental electro-punk. In between sets, Sad Grrrls Club DJs will keep the vibes going with classic R&B and hip hop tracks, while an outdoor bar and vintage games will keep you hydrated and entertained. The free courtyard gig will run from 6-9pm, when the Seymour Centre's Mardi Gras Festival Club will kick off its final night for 2020, with DJs, pop-up performances and dancing late into the night.
Put together in only nine days and watched by more than 1.4 million Australians, 2020's Music From the Home Front was the nationally televised music event created by late Australian music industry icon Michael Gudinski. Last year, the ANZAC Day home concert came about to bring live music into viewers' homes during the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown. Now, with Australians once again able to converge on concert venues together to watch music in-person, Music From the Home Front is not only returning to screens, but will also be happening live. Going down on Saturday, April 24, the live event will take place at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl and be broadcast via Channel 9 and YouTube. Folks that physically head along will be treated to performances from some of the country's biggest talents including Amy Shark, Vance Joy, Tash Sultana and Lime Cordiale, plus Bliss n Eso performing with Kasey Chambers. All these performances will be broadcast live across the country, with home viewers also being treated to additional pre-recorded streamed performances from the likes of Tina Arena, You Am I, Gordi, The Kid Laroi, and both Jimmy and Mahalia Barnes. Gudinski had been planning the live concert until his tragic passing on Tuesday, March 2. Newly appointed Mushroom Music Group Chief Executive Officer Matt Gudinski — who is also Michael Gudinski's son — said his father was working on the event right up until his last day. "That we can bring to life a broadcast concert version from his hometown of Melbourne, supporting the industry he loved, in a city he long promoted as the leading music capital of Australia, resonates deeply with all of us at Mushroom." Tickets for the Sidney Myer Music Bowl concert start at $69 and will go on sale from Friday, April 16, with pre-sales from Wednesday, April 14. More acts are set to be announced, but you can find the full lineup for both the live and streamed events at present — as well as ticket details — on the event's website. [caption id="attachment_806979" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lime Cordiale[/caption] MUSIC FROM THE HOME FRONT LINEUP Performing live at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl: Amy Shark Bliss n Eso with Kasey Chambers Budjerah Jerome Farah Lime Cordiale Mia Wray Tash Sultana Royal Melbourne Hospital Scrub Choir The Rubens Vance Joy Streamed performances: Ben Lee Dean Lewis Gordi Hayley Mary Jess Hitchcock Jimmy Barnes Mahalia Barnes Sam Fischer The Kid Laroi Tina Arena You Am I Music From The Home Front 2021 will take place at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and will be broadcast on Channel 9 and YouTube on Saturday, April 24. For further details and ticket information — and to buy tickets from Friday, April 16, with pre-sales from Wednesday, April 14 — head to the event's website. Top image: Wade Malligan.
Latest poster child for the makeover frenzy currently sweeping Sydney's pub scene, The Paddington Inn is set to reopen in early September, fresh from a six-month renovation. Following in the footsteps of other Oxford Street greats who've recently has refurbs, like The Unicorn, The Paddington and The Light Brigade, the Paddo mainstay has been given the full treatment and will unveil a brand new dining room, bar and open kitchen as part of its flash new look. Heading up the design is George Livissianis, who is renovating venues all over town at the moment — he was the one responsible for The Dolphin's cake icing design earlier this year, and he's also going to be redoing Matt Moran's Aria. Expect interiors that nod to the classic Sydney terrace house, with a traditional front bar leading through to a bright, modern dining space reflective of the contemporary food offering. One of Sydney's original and best-loved pub bistros back in the '80s and '90s (Moran actually worked in the kitchen for a time), The Paddington Inn is certainly shaking things up in the culinary department, with young gun Justin Schott (ex-Rockpool and Kitchen by Mike) rolling out a forward-thinking, seasonal menu that's as clever as it is unfussy. House-made goodies abound and interesting small plates make a case for sharing — you'll be tucking into the likes of a whole roasted Thirlmere duck teamed with fermented red cabbage, or potato bake fries jazzed up with a burnt onion mayo. The foodie fun continues on the bar menu, where tricked-up pub classics might include a new-school take on fish and chips, nostalgia-inducing jaffles, or salt cod pikelets. The drinks offering has enjoyed a spruce-up of its own too. The wine list a thoughtful mix of low-intervention drops and more interesting styles with a focus on NSW labels, while the cocktail offering heralds the impending arrival of balmier days, with a nice selection of aperitif-style drinks and small-batch Aussie spirits starring in a range of well-crafted classics. The Paddington Inn will open at 4pm on Friday, September 9 at 338 Oxford Street, Paddington. For more information including an exact opening date, keep an eye on paddingtoninn.com.au.
