Austrian photographer Paul Schneggenburger's fascinating body of work The Sleep of the Beloved has broken through closed bedroom doors to illuminate one of the most private and intimate of human interactions: sleeping couples. Sitting permanently in the photographer's studio is a bed where couples are invited to come and spend the night. Schneggenburger simply sets the stage, lights some candles, and leaves the room with his camera set to long exposure capturing all the movements of the couples over a six-hour period from midnight to 6am. The resulting photographs are a beautiful blur of tangled bodies and ghostly movements demonstrating how sleeping can often be an unconsciously intimate act of love and affection or a quite static experience designed only for resting and rejuvenation. As the photographer asks: “What happens to lovers while they are sleeping? Is it a nocturnal lovers' dance, maybe a kind of unaware performed tenderness, or does one turn their back on each other?" Check out some of the photographs below and head over to Schneggenburger's website to see more of these gorgeous and fascinating images. Via CNN World.
The temperature's rising, the footy's wrapping up and summer feels close enough to touch, which means it's time for Sydney Harbour's luxury floating venue Seadeck to set sail on its second season. After a quick stint in Brisbane, the 42-metre, 450-passenger beauty is returning to Sydney and kicking things off in style, taking advantage of the October long weekend to throw a couple of its signature sunset cruises. On both Saturday, September 30, and Sunday, October 1, you're invited to join Seadeck on the launch of its next run of floating adventures, enjoying an afternoon of eats and drinks, topped off with those top-notch, 360-degree harbour views. Setting sail at 3pm, each of the events will find you grazing through a customised menu by executive chef Drew Bolton (of the now-closed Vine and soon-to-open Ete), alongside cocktails designed by bar industry legend Jason Crawley. Tickets to Seadeck's long weekend launch cruises will cost you $45 for September 30 and $60 for October 1 and they're available here.
Elegant CBD eatery Bopp & Tone is finally set to reopen its doors, and is doing so with an opening night feast with a twist. The 'choose what you pay' banquet will raise money for Applejack Hospitality's Food Sales For Staff initiative, which supports staff members who lost their income due to COVID-19. For one night only, the restaurant will serve up its banquet menu and allow diners to pay what they want. On the nine-dish menu, expect yellowfin tuna crudo, garlic king prawns, bone-in rib eye steak and smoky paprika spatchcock. Plus, a side of roasted potatoes, a buffalo ricotta and pumpkin salad and a dessert Bookings are essential and can be made from 6.30pm on Friday, August 14. The banquet is normally priced at $83, but will cost whatever you choose on the night. All drinks must be paid for (at full price) separately. You're encouraged to dig as deep as you can to help out employees, many of whom were not able to work during the lockdown and were also not eligible for the government's JobKeeper payments This is the fourth event held in conjunction with Food Sales For Staff, with more planned across other Applejack venues. Keep an eye on the website for upcoming event details.
This year, the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards will be held in Melbourne, and will see the globe's biggest culinary names descend on Australia to shed some light on what goes into creating the world's best dishes. But what about the food that gets left behind? Well, none other than the world's best chef Massimo Bottura will tackle the issue of food waste head-on when he teams up with a slew of local chefs and food waste charity OzHarvest for an exclusive degustation in Sydney on Sunday, April 2. Bottura — the super affable renowned chef behind Italy's Osteria Francescana, which was again named the number one restaurant in the world last year — will host the eye-opening event at OzHarvest's Alexandria headquarters. While he won't be cooking, he'll be joined by a hand-picked team of local chefs who will, including Rob Cockerill (Bennelong), Josh Niland (Saint Peter), Monty Koludrovic (Icebergs, The Dolphin), Clayton Wells (Automata) and James Viles (Biota). They'll plate up a fine dining feast made with food that's usually destined for the bin, matched to some top Aussie wines. The 130 lucky diners will enjoy sharp service led by Rockpool Dining Group's food and beverage director Jeremy Courmidas, the sommelier skills of Icebergs' James Hird, and a stunning setting designed by George Livissianis and decorated with works from some leading Australian artists. Plus, with everyone's time and all produce and products donated, all proceeds from the night will head straight to OzHarvest, as well as Bottura's Italian food waste non-profit Food for Soul. It's set to be a once-in-a-lifetime dining event, so, naturally, it comes with a once-in-a-lifetime price tag. Tickets will set you back a cool $1000.
Started in 2007, Underbelly Arts is the festival weekend that's a fortnight, that's a biennial. Probably Sydney's leading event for fresh interdisciplinary and interactive art, it is better known to audiences as that one big day of playtime on atmospheric Cockatoo Island. But Underbelly Arts doesn't spend two years sleeping; it uses that time to foster the development of new work, which you can now sample. The festival is divided into two crucial parts. The second part — the Festival weekend — consists of two days of performances, art and adventure for the visiting public. But before that, you're also invited to the first part — the Lab — where you can see the artists put their work together, workshop, test and reassess their ambitions for the festival itself. The Lab runs July 24–31 and is free, with tours kicking off daily at 3pm. All the artists will have something to show, but one surely worth seeking out during the Lab is Warren Armstrong's Forms of Thought. Using a 3D printer in combination with sensors attached to your head to, yes, print out your thoughts, it's the kind of installation you'll have trouble getting close to at the Festival but might actually get to try at the Lab. Similarly, this is a good chance to examine Michaela Davies' Game On, which will let the audience control involuntary boxers being moved through electric muscle stimulation. The Festival weekend on August 3 and 4 is ticketed, and tickets are on sale now. The Festival sold out last time around and, all in all, it's an even bigger lineup 2013. Read more about eight pioneering Underbelly Arts projects in our feature. By Zacha Rosen and Rima Sabina Aouf. Image by Dylan Tonkin.
Gardening enthusiasts will be able to spend even more time with Mother Nature in this wonderful garden shed, a collaboration between architect Ville Hara and designer, Linda Bergroth. While greenhouses are usually inhabited by plants, this one is nice enough for you to sleep amongst the greenery. A prototype built at Bergorth's summer cottage in eastern Finland features a wooden floor and solar panels for power lighting. Bergroth also added a mattress so that the greenhouse can become a spare bedroom during the summertime, when she wakes up overlooking the water. Safety glass windows line the walls and roof, and have automatic openers to control the temperature inside. The back of the garden shed features a storage compartment where all tools can be placed compactly. Surprisingly, this entire garden shed can be assembled using a screwdriver. This neat piece of architectural innovation proves that simplicity is often the key.
If you're looking for a practical gift for your wine-loving dad this Father's Day, look no further than Good Pair Days. This year, the personalised wine delivery service has joined forces with sustainable retailer Manrags to bring you four wine and socks boxes — each of which was created with dad in mind. The man behind the wine offering is Sommelier Banjo Harris Plane (ex-head sommelier at Attica and co-owner of Melbourne's Bar Liberty), so you know you're getting some extra special drops for your pop. If your dad is well into his reds, go for the deluxe box ($164) — which boasts a New Zealand pinot noir, an Italian dolcetto and a Victorian shiraz mencia blend — or the the wine lover box ($123), with a malbec, a Barossa GSM (grenache, syrah and mourvedre blend) and cabernet merlot from Southern Highlands' Tertini. There's also a classic box ($84) and one solely dedicated to shiraz ($39). Along with the extra special bottles, each box also includes three pairs of Manrags socks, which are made from super-soft Egyptian cotton and are printed with funky Australian designs, as well as tasting notes, details on the winemaker, food pairing suggestions and a matching recipe card for each bottle. Shipping is included in all boxes and the packaging is 100-percent compostable to boot. And, for those last minute gift givers, Good Pair Days ships quickly within one-to-two business days. To order one of Good Pair Days' dad packs, head on over to goodpairdays.com. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Everyone knows that SXSW is a haven for music, including unearthing new talent. The festival's screen side, showcasing your new favourite movies and TV shows, is just as famous. So is the fact that all manner of well-known names take to its stages to get chatting — plus the event's all-round focus on tunes, tech, innovation, films, television, games and culture, as Sydney first experienced in 2023. SXSW's Down Under leg also lets the community get behind the microphone, via a part of its conference programming called Session Select. More than that, it allows you to choose what makes it into this portion of the fest's lineup. All you need to do is vote, which is now open for 2024. [caption id="attachment_923287" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney[/caption] It was in late 2023, after the inaugural SXSW Sydney proved a hit — and featured everyone from Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker and Chance The Rapper to Future Today Institute founder and CEO Amy Webb and Nicole Kidman onstage — that the Australian event confirmed that it'd be back in 2024. If you're wondering who'll be on the bill from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20, nothing else has been announced so far. But make your picks among the Session Select candidates and you can help shape the conference portion. You'll be choosing from proposed sessions from over 1000 organisations and folks, hailing from 35 countries. Whether you're interested in hearing more about and from Concrete Playground, TikTok, Reddit, Aussie airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia, Getty Images, or a bunch of Australian and international universities, you've got options. That's obviously just the start of a list that also spans Google, Meta, Leonardo.ai, Canva, Xero, Tourism Australia, the Australian Human Rights Commission and plenty more. [caption id="attachment_923316" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul McMillan[/caption] Whatever earns your vote, topics set to feature at the conference cover AI, the future of work, climate and sustainability, food, lifestyle and beauty, and the creator economy, for starters. In total, there's 23 tracks, all picked to reflect what's garnering conversation right now. The chosen sessions will start being announced from this month. Early-bird tickets to SXSW Sydney 2024 have also gone on sale, including platinum badges, which gets you into all SXSW Sydney events in the conference, and at the games, music and screen festivals; tech and innovation badges; and music, screen and game festival badges. There's also a new Under 25s option for the latter two — tech and innovation, plus music, screen and game — which offers a discount if you fit that age group. [caption id="attachment_923286" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney[/caption] 2023's SXSW Sydney notched up 287,014 attendances from 97,462 unique attendees. Those figures came from 34,975 total tickets, with folks from 41 countries heading along to 1178 sessions. Among its wealth of highlights, last year's SXSW Sydney featured Brooker chatting about his hit series and technology's future; Chance The Rapper talking about 50 years of hip hop; Coachella CEO Paul Tollett discussing his own fest; Kidman exploring her work as a producer on the likes of Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Undoing and Love & Death; the Australian premiere of Kitty Green's The Royal Hotel; and the world premiere of The Wiggles documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles. The full lineup spanned a 700-plus strong bill of talent, covering over 300 sessions, and featuring more than 300 gigs across 25 venues. From talks and concerts to films, TV shows and games, there was no shortage of things to see. That's all in store again in 2024. SXSW Sydney 2024 will run from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details, tickets and to vote for Session Select conference sessions. If you're be interested in attending Concrete Playground's panels, please visit the voting pages for New Rituals: The State of Socialising and Hospitality and Appetite for Distraction: Youth, Information and the Digital Age in 2024 to show your support. Voting closes on Monday, April 22, 2024. Images: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney.
With Irma Vep, French filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Wasp Network) retraces his own footsteps, turning his cult-favourite 1996 movie of the same name into an Alicia Vikander-starring HBO miniseries. There's more to that act both on- and off-screen, and Assayas couldn't be having more fun with the whole concept. But first, David Lynch's Twin Peaks deserves a mention. No, not just because it's always worth thinking about. When that cult-favourite series returned in 2017 after a quarter-century gap, it ended its 18-hour run by asking "what year is this?". That query made complete sense in the show's narrative with its Lynchian logic; however, it's also as perfect a comment on the state of entertainment today as anything could utter. In Lynch's hands, Twin Peaks was never going to feel like slipping cosily back into the past to rehash old glories. Almost everything else that's hit screens of late can't make that claim, though. Among 2022's big box-office successes so far sits the latest Batman flick, the 28th Marvel movie, a 36-years-later sequel, the 11th Wizarding World instalment, yet another Spider-Man film and more Ghostbusters; what year is this indeed? Irma Vep doesn't belong in their company, however. It slides into streaming queues knowing the everything-old-is-new-again status quo, and probing, challenging and satirising it. It also jokes about whether an episodic project aired on TV can really be a movie, playfully riffing on the chatter about Twin Peaks' third season — and it's one of the best things to reach television since that masterpiece. Streaming weekly in Australia via Binge since Tuesday, June 7, and in New Zealand via Neon from Tuesday, June 14, Irma Vep also requires some unpacking. The term 'layered' has rarely ever applied to a show quite as it does here. So, Assayas remakes his own film — and the resulting series follows a director remaking one of his own past flicks as a TV project, too. In all versions of Irma Vep, the movies and shows being made are also remakes of 1915–16 French crime effort Les Vampires. It was a ten-episode, seven-hour cinema serial, and it's supremely real. Indeed, by first helming a feature about remaking Les Vampires, and now a series about remaking a movie that remakes Les Vampires (which, IRL, is also a remake of a movie that remakes Les Vampires), Assayas keeps remaking Les Vampires in his own way. The nested dolls that are Irma Vep's meta setup just keep stacking. The 1996 Irma Vep starred Maggie Cheung, who'd later become Assayas' wife, then ex-wife — and the 2022 Irma Vep haunts its on-screen filmmaker René Vidal (Vincent Macaigne, Non-Fiction) with visions of his ex-wife Jade Lee (Vivian Wu, Dead Pigs), who, yes, led his movie. If you're a fan of word puzzles, you might've also noticed that Irma Vep is an anagram of vampire; that said, Les Vampires isn't actually about bloodsuckers, and nor is any iteration of Irma Vep. To add to the list, while Cheung played a version of herself, Vikander (Blue Bayou, The Green Knight) plays fictional American star Mira — a name that's an anagram of Irma. You can also take that moniker literally, because mirroring is patently a pivotal aspect of Irma Vep in every guise. This lengthy roster of links, nods and connections isn't done yet, with René clearly a fictionalised version of Assayas, and the latter finding inspiration for Mira elsewhere in his career. Two of his recent gems, the sublime duo that is Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper, both starred Kristen Stewart — and spotting similarities between her professional and personal lives and Mira's is oh-so-easy. In fact, Mira signs up for René's new Irma Vep after leading huge Hollywood hits, then yearning for more complex and substantial work. She also has a famous actor ex, Eamonn (Tom Sturridge, the upcoming The Sandman), and moved on with her now-former personal assistant Laurie (Adria Arjona, Morbius). As delightful as it is for diehard cinephiles, knowing all of the above isn't essential before watching Irma Vep 2.0. It helps put viewers on its wavelength, though — and this is a show that's all about wavelengths. René can't find his, with the production plagued by insurance woes, actors demanding either big sex scenes (Sorry Angel's Vincent Lacoste) or crack (Proxima's Lars Eidinger), and a financier who only stumped up the cash to get Mira to front his new perfume line. Amid that chaos, and after finishing promotional duties on her last blockbuster (and running into the now-married Laurie in the process), Mira attempts to plunge as deeply as she can into her role. She adores the black velvet catsuit that costume designer Zoe (Jeanne Balibar, Memoria) has fashioned — almost as much as Zoe visibly adores her — and, even under her new assistant Regina's (newcomer Devon Ross) watchful eye, immerses herself in playing Irma Vep far more than the script requires. Everyone's sinking their teeth into something here, or trying to, just as Assayas bites into a smart and savvy satire about the entertainment industry. Everyone's feasting on something, too, including Hollywood's insatiable need to devour itself one sequel and remake at a time. Irma Vep tackles these ideas, and parodies the incessant lust for more and more screen content, the perils and perks of fame, on-set antics and plenty of online discussion about cinema over the past decade, all while musing on the lines between art and reality as well. Oh, and while throwing in a wonderful Emily in Paris gag. But Assayas is an arthouse auteur above all else, and he's always grounded and naturalistic rather than campy and farcical — even when Irma Vep is hilarious, which is often. In contemplating why we consume art, or make it so that others can (and for others still to capitalise upon), he also revels in both dissecting and simply hanging out among behind-the-scenes shenanigans. If that wasn't all phenomenal enough — and equally thoughtful, playful and savagely clever — Irma Vep is hypnotically lensed like it belongs on the big screen. It also shimmers with the full force of Vikander at her absolute best (yes, better than her Oscar-winning turn in The Danish Girl). There's such an earthiness to her performance that it hardly feels like watching a performance at all. She's acting, of course — Irma Vep doesn't add that layer to its pile — but she inhabits Mira with relaxed effortlessness, whether she's projecting the cool, calm and collected movie-star persona, showing the character's vulnerabilities, or diving into the allure that the series-within-a-series version of Irma Vep holds. Macaigne, the always-impressive Lacoste and Eidinger, and Balibar and Ross also do their utmost, because this show isn't short on standouts. But that key combination of Assayas, Vikander and all things Irma Vep is what dreams are made of, as is one of 2022's most glorious new TV shows. Check out the trailer for Irma Vep below: Irma Vep streams week by week in Australia via Binge since Tuesday, June 7 — and in New Zealand via Neon from Tuesday, June 14. Images: Carole Bethuel/HBO.
Humanity's love for Nutella truly knows no bounds. We've had Nutella deep-fried ice cream, frozen custard, arancini, jaffles, calzones and doughnuts, among other edible items. There's a day dedicated to it, as well as a festival, food truck, dessert bar and restaurant. Here in Australia, we've even caused a country-wide shortage of the good stuff. And now, McDonald's in Italy is selling Nutella burgers. Given that burgers are one of the only others food items that are as popular as everyone's favourite hazelnut spread (alongside doughnuts and pizza), this really is the culinary mashup we had to have. And Maccas isn't messing around. Their Sweety con Nutella only features two ingredients: Nutella and a burger bun. In the words of the McDonald's Italy Facebook page, it's "soft bread with a creamy, indulgent centre". We can understand their thinking. Why complicate something as amazing — and simple — as the delectable substance we all love on bread? We can also understand why you might be contemplating an overseas trip right about now. Alas, as yet, there's no news of a local launch for this must-have addition to Maccas' menu.
Forget about that chill in the air, and head to Bondi this winter. Over a two-week period starting Tuesday, July 18, the fifth annual Bondi Feast will bring together Sydney performance artists, stand-up comedians and foodies to give you good reason to hit the beach — even though temperatures are low. From eats and drinks to all kinds of art, Bondi Pavilion will play host to a cultural feast bigger than before, with 40 shows and 158 Australian artists set to perform across six different stages, plus a pop-up bar and food vendors dishing out tasty eats all throughout the festival. Think of this year's Bondi Feast as a mini Dark Mofo, with plenty to keep you entertained. There'll be 24-hour plays, private storytellings in Bondi Pavilion lifts that last only as long as your ride, a cappella performances and comedic appearances by the likes of writer and actress Zoë Norton Lodge with her show, Story Club: Solo, Jack Gow who will publicly explore his quarter-life crisis, and female a cappella group Ginger & Tonic's brilliant For Love or Money. Your tastebuds won't be bored either with a different food vendor serving pop-up eats every night. This year you can expect Latin American snacks served up by Bondi Rumba, warming treats from Deutschland by The German Hut and fragrant paella whipped up by Paella del Mar. Tickets for each show range from free to $20, so the festival won't leave your wallet hurting, but will help cure any seasonal blues. The complete calendar of events can be found here. Image: Robert Catto.
Word Travel's literary festival Story-Fest is set to return this month. This three-day festival celebrates performing writers and the spoken-word. This festival will feature an eclectic line-up of creatives who manipulate the art of communication in powerful, innovative and unique ways by performing poetry, stories, lyrics and monologues. With spoken-word performances and talks throughout each day at The State Library, the Opera House and around The Rocks, the featured artists will include Afro-Latina feminist poet and current Australian Poetry Slam champion Arielle Cottingham, first-generation Sikh storyteller and Australia's Got Talent contestant Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa and two-time Canadian national slam champion Ian Keteku. And if you can only hit one event, then this one should be it. The star of the festival and main event, the Australian Poetry Slam National Final, will be held at the Opera House on Sunday October 15. The competition works by making the audience the ultimate judge, as the MC selects five members of the crowd at random to rule on each performance. The poets are given a microphone and just two minutes to capture the crowd's attention before the selected judges score the performance on a scale of one to ten. From these results the winner will be crowned and awarded an all-expenses paid tour to international writing festivals. Have a bit more time to spare? Other events to add to your calendar include Guffaw, where it'll be hard not crack a smile and have a little chuckle as up-and-coming Sydney comedians Annaliese Constable, Sabrina D'Angelo, Benny Eggmolesse and Fran Middleton take to the stage; Queerhyme, which features queer poets Arielle Cottingham, Emily Crocker and Gabrielle Journey Jones performing poems on the fly; and Spoken-Word Women, a celebration of the best female slammers who'll be breaking stereotypes and destroying gender norms with their powerful poetry.
One of the world's largest sporting events is coming to Sydney: FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™. Get ready to immerse yourself in a month-long celebration of football, food, music and entertainment at the highly anticipated FIFA Fan Festival™ held in the heart of Sydney's iconic Darling Harbour at Tumbalong Park from July 20 to August 20. Bonus: it's free to get in. Watch each match live on the giant screens and show off your own footy skills with your mates at the FIFA Fan Festival™ playground. There is a penalty practice, football minigolf, football snooker and even a shooting speedometer so you can find out who has the most powerful shot. Want to really put your skills to the test? Challenge your mates and other footy fans to a full-fledged match game on the festival's pop-up pitch — pitch is closed while the matches are streamed so make sure you check the schedule before you challenge your mates to a match. Just steps away from the giant screens, the FIFA Store awaits, with a treasure trove of jerseys and official merch. Don't forget to grab a ball and test it out on the festival pitch, to channel your inner football star. Delve into the rich heritage of the FIFA Women's World Cup™ at the on-site FIFA Museum. Explore the journey of this premier women's sporting event through captivating films, interactive displays and historic artifacts. Dive deep into team profiles, gaining insights into your favourite players and their rivals. Show off your creativity in the jersey colouring-in competition, and check out the trophy itself in the museum's display room. It isn't just celebrating football excellence here. There will be a whole host of musicians, singers and DJs performing throughout the month, including Jessica Mauboy, Jack River, Little Green and many more. Stay fuelled with an excellent culinary lineup, including acclaimed chef Josh Niland slinging his signature tuna cheeseburger. Beyond that, there's an array of street eats, like dumplings, pizza, gozleme and even classic Aussie barbecue, available. A range of Aussie wines and beers will be served from the two festival bars, as will mulled wine. The FIFA Women's World Cup Fan Festival™ takes place from Thursday, July 20 till Sunday, August 20 at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. Check out the website for the full schedule of events.
If you enjoy getaways of the pampering, wellness-oriented and soaking kind — you're in luck. Victoria is set to score the country's largest-ever hot springs experience at the majestic 12 Apostles, opening in 2026. The $200 million 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort project will be the biggest hot springs offering in Australia, sprawling over a 79-hectare site encompassing multiple onsite hospitality venues, 70 baths and a 150-room wellness resort. "Traditionally hot springs have been associated with places like Japan and Europe, but Australia has seen an enormous renaissance on natural bathing," Founder and Principle Design Consultant of Spa Sessions Naomi Gregory says. "I see this as being the premium bathing location in the country." [caption id="attachment_907721" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort, renders[/caption] Details on the new hot springs resort and spa are scarce at the moment, but will feature natural bathing sourced from geothermal mineral springs set approximately 1km below the site. Victoria is quickly becoming a hot spring haven, with future plans including a 900-kilometre trail filled with bathing spots dubbed The Great Bathing Trail to span along the Victorian coast. The latest announcement follows the recent opening of Mornington Peninsula's Alba Thermal Springs and Spa, Gippsland's Metung Hot Springs and Peninsula Hot Springs' huge, ongoing expansion plans. [caption id="attachment_907722" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort, renders[/caption] 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort is set to open in 2026. More to come. Images: Renders, supplied.
In 2003 two men painted NO WAR in big, friendly letters across the sail of the Opera House. Jailed, fined and applauded by Opera House staff, the two men — Will Saunders and Dave Burgess — were essentially 'culture jamming', a movement that interferes with public space the same way pirate radio jams public frequencies. Just as acrobatic in action as Saunders and Burgess, were the Sydney-based group the Lonely Station. Moran-winning photographer Dean Sewell got to know them over a number of years, at first only covering their actions. Culture Jammers, documents his transformation from observer to participant as he followed the Lonely Station's collective co-opting of commercial locations into art and politics. From the guerrilla plastering of art on Sydney's new Louis Vuitton shop, to a hills hoist planted in Sydney Park for political purposes, Sewell's photos show you this urban art action from the lens of a man in the middle of it. And if a window into a covert movement with overt messages to sell isn't enough for you, the Museum will be putting on an Art and Politics of Culture Jamming forum which presents you not only to Sewell, but a who's who of recent Sydney culture jammers: Lonely Stationer Neal Funnell, Opera House painter Dave Burgess and Peter Vogel from the culture jamming progenitor group BUGAUP. The forum will be held at the Museum on Sunday February 12 (11am, $30/25), Dean Sewell will give an artist's talk Sunday March 11, alongside curator Inara Walden (11am, free with museum entry). Image: Dean Sewell.
Your Friday night drinks will look a little different this week, as 40 venues across the city go on strike in support of Sydney's struggling night-time economy. The goal? To highlight various political party policies affecting our nightlife, before voters take to the booths for the NSW Election tomorrow Saturday, March 23. The bars won't be going dry for the entire night, but rather holding a brief pause in service at 6pm. They'll be shutting off the music, turning on the lights and allowing venue owners to get up and chat to their guests about the current threats to Sydney's nightlife. These include the lockout laws, which have led to the closure of 176 venues since they were introduced four years ago. Organised by the Night Time Industries Association as part of its Unite for The Night campaign, the strike (dubbed Unhappy Hour) hopes to encourage Sydneysiders to vote for parties with policies that prioritise the city's night-time economy — so that work can begin on reviving the industry and undoing some of the damage caused by strict new festival licences and lockout laws. You can read all about how the Coalition, Labor, the Greens, Keep Sydney Open and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers are all planning to tackle live music and lockouts in our extensive pre-election wrap-up over here. Bars all over town have jumped on board to take part in tonight's strike, including the Oxford Art Factory, craft beer haven The Taphouse, Darlinghurst's This Must Be The Place, Wild Rover and The Lord Gladstone. [caption id="attachment_684208" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marys, Sydney.[/caption] Here's the full list of venues involved: - Bistecca - Botany View Hotel - Bulletin Place - Button Bar - Cricketer's Arms Hotel, Balmain - Crooked Tailor - Dead Ringer - Duke of Clarence - Earls Juke Joint - Grandmas - Jacoby's - Lord Gladstone - Maybe Frank - Maybe Sammy - Mr Pocket - Odd Culture - Old Mate's Place - Oxford Art Factory - Papa Gedes - Pocket Bar - Pocket Terrigal - PS40 - Ramblin' Rascal - Stitch - Sydney Park Hotel - The Barber Shop - The Royal Albert Surry Hills - The Taphouse - This Must Be The Place - Venue 505 - Welcome Hotel Rozelle - Whirly Bird - White Cockatoo Petersham - Wild Rover - The Landsdowne - The Unicorn - Mary's - Soda Factory - El Santos - The Henson The above 40 bars will cease service temporarily at 6pm on Friday, March 22. For more information about the Unite for the Night campaign, head to uniteforthenight.org.au. Top image: Old Mate's Place.
When it comes to hotel bars, the vast majority of them fall into two categories — they're either martinis-on-black-marble swanky or they boast a great view and not much else. Somehow, Hilton Sydney's Glass Brasserie manages to be neither of these. Don't get us wrong, it's quite grand — the huge glass windows stretch right up to the high ceiling an impressive walled wine collection is just as tall — and you can certainly order a martini, but the place isn't unapproachable, stuffy or exclusive. Even if you're not a hotel guest, a post-work or pre-dinner glass of wine up at the bar is a great option. If you're looking for a peaceful place to perch amidst the Vivid madness, you'll not only be able to get a Midori margarita (yes, really — it has a chilli salt rim), but you'll have a great view of the lights on the QVB too. And if you want to sit down for dinner, Luke Mangan looks after the kitchen — so you're in good hands.
The Hunter Valley's music and wine festival Grapevine Gathering is gearing up to return to the vineyards of Pokolbin's Roche Estate in 2021 after taking 2020 off for obvious reasons. The festival pairs the very best drops with a vibrant music lineup full of local talent. Canberra party-starters Peking Duk and Brisbane indie-rock group The Jungle Giants are two of the bigger acts heading up the lineup. They'll be joined on the winery stage by Vera Blue, The Veronicas, San Cisco, CC:Disco!, King Stingray and Rest for the Wicked. It's going to be a big day of tunes, folks. Aussie sketch comedians and Instagram celebrities The Inspired Unemployed are taking on hosting tunes to keep you entertained between acts. In addition to the tunes, punters will have access to an array of first-rate food options and a heap of wines, of course. To help make commuting to-and-from Pokolbin a little easier, the festival has organised return buses from Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford, Maitland and Cessnock. You'll just need to add a (slightly pricey) bus pass to your ticket. Pre-sale tickets drop at 6pm on Wednesday, February 24 (you can sign-up for those here) with general tickets going on sale at midday on Thursday, February 25.
What was once a CBD institution for late-night revellers as the final stop on a night out before you were forced to head home, has reopened as a flash multi-storey and multi-concept pub. Jacksons on George reemerged after years in the wilderness in September 2023 following a multimillion-dollar renovation under the guidance of Maurice Terzini (Icebergs, Re-) and his DTL Entertainment Group partner Michael Broome. There are three distinct spacews in the new Jacksons on George: the ground-floor public bar, a flash new French bistro and the sleek cocktail-fuelled rooftop bar. Leading the charge across all three levels is Head Chef Steven Sinclair, who arrives at the venue with a wealth of experience in world-renowned kitchens. Alongside time spent overlooking Bondi Beach at Icebergs, he's also cut his teeth at two of Ireland's top restaurants, The Old Schoolhouse Inn and The Potted Hen. Wander in from George Street and you'll find a classic pub sporting a fresh fit-out from Sydney-based studio Richards Stanisich. Both here and up on the rooftop, you can expect the tried-and-true combination of pub feeds done well, house twists on classic cocktails and perfectly poured local beers. The ground-floor public bar even has Hard Solo on tap. Some of the unexpected turns you'll discover on the Jacksons on George pub menu include slow-cooked duck sausage rolls, tempura prawn rolls and roast chook cooked over charcoal. Plus, there's a signature dessert on offer: the Jacksons banoffee sundae. There's also a happy hour in the Public Bar every weekday between 4–6pm offering $7 beers and wine. Changing things up above the public bar is the 120-seat Bistro George, a European-inspired diner that champions local produce. Framed by a sea of high rises, this first-floor restaurant offers an abundance of charm and is an ideal date-night or pre-theatre destination. If you're heading to the bistro, our tip is to order a bunch of starters for the table. The wood-fired potato bread, clams casino, beef tartare, chicken liver parfait and salmon gravlax on a sourdough crumpet are all supremely impressive. Throughout Jacksons on George, you'll also find an impressive art collection including a series of works from Archibald and Sulman Prize finalist and Yankunytjatjara artist Kaylene Whiskey, who injects her award-winning blend of traditional Anangu art and contemporary pop culture into the space. And, if you're on the hunt for an intimate spot to host your work Christmas party or a milestone birthday, Bistro George has a 30-guest private dining room, translating the luxury of the restaurant into a secluded corner of the venue.
Whether you're hosting a barbecue or planning a steak night at home, this wholesale meat market sells an impressive selection of cuts. Don one of the insulated jackets at the door — the whole warehouse is refrigerated— and browse through the aisles. You'll find hefty vacuum-sealed packs of wagyu and kobe, plus meat from top Aussie producers like Bindaree Beef, Cape Byron Australian Angus, B.E Campbell's Bruemar Pork and Cowra Lamb. Alongside the usual suspects, it has some pretty phenomenal cuts from Brazilian rump caps to spliced marrow bones and caveman-sized tomahawks. If you need your meat cut a certain way, the on-site butchers are more than happy to carve it up for you. You can score some pretty lean discounts, too.
If you've got a pair of boots that were made for walkin' but not enough reasons to strap them on and eat up some pavement, there's an occasion coming up where you can do just that — and it's for a damn good cause. The occasion in question is Dusk to Dawn, a night walk event organised by UNICEF, taking place on Saturday, November 23. It's the newest and biggest night walk in Sydney's history, where participants will lace up and walk a 37km route from North Sydney to Bondi. It's not a race, there's no running required and it's a great way to see the city in a new (moon)light. The goal is for every entrant to raise $500 in donations for UNICEF (the world's largest children's charity organisation) which in turn goes towards lifesaving supplies for children in emergencies. Registrations are open now and are $75 until 11.59pm on Tuesday, October 8. UNICEF Dusk to Dawn will kick off at 8pm on Saturday, November 23. Registrations are open now, to register or find more information, visit the website.
Everyone should play tourist in their own town. For fans of horror movies in the Harbour City, everyone should see Sydney's historic spots in a whole new light while a frightening flick rolls and Haus of Horror throws a party. That's the immersive cinema outfit's setup, and it has both the winter solstice and the Old Darlinghurst Gaol in its sights next — plus getting eerie with the American remake of The Ring. In the past, for over a year, Haus of Horror has popped up everywhere from Parramatta Gaol and Camperdown Cemetery to Cockatoo Island, showing The Exorcist, the OG Scream, Beetlejuice, A Nightmare on Elm Street and more. Now, before you truly get into the winter spirit, you'll see The Ring inside a cellblock with a full moon in the sky outside. You have two sessions to choose from, both on Saturday, June 22 (technically a day after 2024's winter solstice, but this kind of event was always going to be more fun on a Saturday instead of a Friday). So, either head through the doors at 5pm for a 7pm screening, or mosey through at 7.15pm for a 9.15pm showing. Either way, a date with Samara is only a portion of the party. Prior to the movie flickering through the projector, you'll be given time to explore the site — a place that dates back to the 1820s, housed prisoners from 1841–1914, then became a technical college and later the National Art School. The old gaol has turned the former women's prisoner wing into a theatre, which is where you'll be watching. If you need to peel your eyes away from the screen, look out for remnants of the space's previous use etched onto the walls. Haus of Horror is also setting up scare zones, a photo booth, and markets selling handmade and vintage wares. A fortune teller will get clairvoyant with attendees, a DJ will be spinning tunes, good vendors will have bites to eat on offer and a bloody-themed cocktail will be available at the bar.
Our traveller's impulse to escape hordes of obnoxious tourists often sends us on wild goose chases in search of untouched, undiscovered beauty. We crave the chance to find the real heart and soul of a new land and not just the sanitised, postcard version. This is the great joy of seeing the world by train. With their routes often built to service even the most remote of locations, train travel allows tourists to see a side of the world that often remains unseen to your average Lonely Planet traveller. So in the interests of getting off the well-beaten track - and for people who know that the journey is always greater than the destination - here are eight of the world's most spectacular train journeys. Glacier Express Route: St Moritz to Zermatt, Swiss AlpsDuration: 7.5 hourswww.glacierexpress.ch While the Glacier Express holds the title as the world's slowest express train, it's hard to complain when the views are this spectacular. Connecting two major Swiss Alps resorts, the Glacier Express reaches a whopping altitude of 6,670 feet travelling across 291 bridges and weaving through 91 tunnels in its ascent through one of the world's most stunning winter wonderlands. The Flam Railway Route: Flam to Myrdal, NorwayDuration: 1 hourwww.visitflam.com This trip takes you into the very heart of the world's longest fjord and one of Scandinavia's great wonders, the Sognefjord. Beginning in a quaint, idyllic village, the Flam Railway mounts the world's steepest non-cog, normal-gauge railroad climb before taking a hair raising turn through raging rapids and waterfalls. With its perilously narrow passages and the sound of crashing water on all sides, the Flam Railway is as enthralling as it is beautiful. Pride of Africa Route: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and TanzaniaDuration: 14 dayswww.rovos.com If the majesty and mystery of the African plains entices you but your idea of a safari doesn't involve chasing wildebeest and constantly swatting flies then you can hardly do better than The Pride of Africa. The epic expedition takes you across some of the most awe-inspiring parts of Southern and Central Africa, revealing the hidden, often untouched beauty of the world's poorest continent. And the train itself? Pure luxury. The sumptuous interior has been painstakingly created to resemble an exclusive Victorian-era train, boasting the world's most spacious sleeping quarters, handsome wood panelling and first-class dining. Trans-Siberian Railway Route: Moscow to Vladivostok, Russia Duration: 19 dayswww.trans-siberia.com The big kahuna of rail journeys, the Trans-Siberian Railway is already engraved in travel folklore due primarily to its bewildering length. The 10,000 kilometre trip from the Russian capital to the Pacific Ocean crosses eight time zones coming to a distance just shy of one-third of the planet. While it takes a brave traveller to tackle the Cold War capital from side-to-side, those that do are richly rewarded not only by the great variety of beauty Russia has to offer but also by the famous hospitality of the Trans-Siberian commuters, who are always more than happy to share a shot of $3/litre vodka with you. Eastern & Oriental Express Route: Singapore, Malaysia and ThailandDuration: 3 dayswww.orient-express.com The Eastern & Oriental Express stretches from Singapore to Bangkok and provides a whirlwind tour of the range of tropical beauty that South-East Asia has to offer. The bustling modernity of Singapore soon gives way to the natural wonders of Malaysia and Thailand with the train zigzagging through dense rainforests, towering mountains and fields of frangipanis and sunflowers. The rich tapestry of South East Asian life can also be seen at the various stops the train takes, giving travellers the chance to explore golden temples and fascinating farm villages. The Eastern & Oriental Express is also reputed as one of the world's premiere luxury trains with fine dining and cocktails in the open-air observation car; this trip is perfect for those that like the finer things in life. Narrow Gauge Railroad Route: Durango to Silverton, ColoradoDuration: 3.5 Hourswww.durangotrain.com The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad twists and turns up winding canyons through the stunning and secluded wilderness of the San Juan National Forest - and all on narrow rails a mere three feet apart. The 45 mile track traverses upwards 3000 feet, eliciting breathtaking views of the surrounding scenery. The 1920s coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive was originally built to transport gold and silver ore and thus travels at the leisurely pace of 18 miles per hour, making the magnificent views all the more easier to take in. West Coast Wilderness Railway Route: Strahan to Queenstown, TasmaniaDuration: 4.5 hourswww.puretasmania.com.au The rich history of the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania is only the beginning of this mystifying and alluring adventure. Running from the port of Strahan to the mining town of Queenstown, this magnificent railway right here on our own turf provides a gateway to the untouched wilderness of Tasmania's heritage listed area. It acts as a window back to the year of 1896 when the pioneers laboured arduously through rain and mud to create this unique track and pinion system. The 35km journey travels through a number of stations of the past, crosses waters of the renowned King River and spans jaw-dropping rainforest gorges. Machu Picchu Train Route: Cusco to Machu Picchu, PeruDuration: 3.5 hourswww.machupicchutrain.com Departing from Cusco and passing through the ancient stone-built Incan village of Ollantaytambo, the Machu Picchu train then only goes up from there - both figuratively and literally. The three-foot wide track wraps around the steep gorges of the valley and wanders over the torrents of the marvellous Rio Urubamba. Originally constructed as a commercial line to exploit the lumber, cacao and coffee of the valley, the train is today used as a highly popular tourist trip to reach the extraordinary peaks of the infamous ancient Incan site, Machu Picchu.
If nothing says romance to you like a classic movie, a picnic and a night under the stars, then we've found your February plans: a week of romantic films at Moonlight Cinema. The summertime event in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth unveils its lineup in batches each season, with the flicks for next month freshly announced — including swooning over 10 Things I Hate About You, Twilight and The Notebook, plus a preview screening of Force of Nature: The Dry 2 among the broader program. Consider this your latest piece of motivation to sit on a bean bed under the evening sky while feasting your eyes on the big screen and filling your stomach — with your special someone if that's how you'd like to mark Valentine's Day. The Ryan Gosling (Barbie)- and Rachel McAdams (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret)-starring tear-jerker will do the honours on Wednesday, February 14, capping of a run of love-focused pictures that also features A Cinderella Story, The Princess Diaries, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Anyone But You. Away from getting hearts aflutter, Moonlight's February bill also spans Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins, animation Migration, plus Wonka and Ferrari in all cities — and that sneak-peek session of Force of Nature is happening everywhere as well. In Sydney and Melbourne only, All of Us Strangers with the internet's boyfriends Paul Mescal (Foe) and Andrew Scott (Fleabag) is back on the lineup. And in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, so is wrestling biopic The Iron Claw. Sydney will also host a Mamma Mia pride celebration screening. Other films doing the rounds, depending on the city, range from Poor Things, Barbie and Dicks: The Musical to Priscilla, Saltburn and the Joel Edgerton-starring The Boys in the Boat. Folks in Brisbane and Adelaide, take note: this is your last chance to head along for this summer, with the Queensland season in Roma Street Parklands ending on Sunday, February 18 and the South Australian stint wrapping up on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 in Botanic Park. The lineup always varies per place, as do the dates, and the films and the setting are just two parts of the Moonlight Cinema setup. Also on offer: an official Aperol spritz bar, which is new for 2023–24. Nosh-wise, the event lets you BYO movie snacks and drinks (no alcohol in Brisbane, though), but the unorganised can enjoy a plethora of bites to eat onsite while reclining on bean beds. There's also a VIP section for an extra-luxe openair movie experience, plus a platinum section that levels up a night at the movies even further in Sydney and Melbourne. A beauty cart is handing out samples, too. And, dogs are welcome at all sites except Perth — there's even special doggo bean beds, and a snack menu for pooches. MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2023–24 DATES: Brisbane: until Sunday, February 18, 2024 in Roma Street Parklands Sydney: until Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Centennial Parklands Perth: until Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Kings Park and Botanic Garden Adelaide: until Wednesday, February 14, 2024 in Botanic Park Melbourne: until Saturday, March 30, 2024 in Royal Botanic Gardens Moonlight Cinema runs through until March 2024, with dates varying per city. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the cinema's website — and we'll update you with further program details when they're announced.
An illuminated outdoor art gallery is taking over the Randwick Environment Park this weekend as the Nox Night Sculpture Walk returns from Friday, May 10 to Sunday, May 12. And it's not just art, either, expect live music, film, food trucks, an Archie Rose bar and a pinball arcade to boot. Artists from UNSW Art & Design are responsible for the art gallery, with the 1.5-kilometre loop open from 6–8pm each day. The entire gallery is lit by renewable energy sources, too. Alongside the art is a night cinema, brought to you by the UNSW School of Arts and Media, which will screen student-made short films and animations throughout the night — all based on themes of ecology and sustainability. For eats, there'll be food trucks aplenty serving from 5–9pm. Choose from the likes of El Taco Loco, Hut Dogs Catering, Agape Organic and Lambda Souvla Grill. And, never missing a beat, Gelato Messina will be there for your dessert needs. Don't miss this year's pop-up bar, where Archie Rose will be mixing and shaking its gin, vodka and whisky concoctions. If that's not enough, performances by local acts will also take the stage, including DJs Levins and Charlie Villas to Hot Potato and Danielle Lamb. And there's even an illuminated outdoor pin ball arcade for good measure. Entry and all its accompaniments are free, just bring some cash for the food and bevvys. Nox Night Sculpture Walk is open from 6–8pm each night, with films and food trucks running between 5–9pm.
Everybody on deck at Sydney's most glamorous floating venue for a New Year's extravaganza. After finally opening to the public after months of delays, Seadeck is gearing up for a big year next year – and what better way to start the next 365 days on the right foot than with the mother of all blowouts on Sydney Harbour? Sydney's hyped-up party ship is throwing their very first public NYE event. For a cool $595, ticketholders can enjoy astounding views of the New Year's fireworks while kicking back and enjoying the various amenities on board. With multiple decks, palm trees and cast iron fittings, it doesn't get much swankier than this – and that's to say nothing of the booze and roaming canapés. Live entertainment on the night (and into the early hours of 2017) will come courtesy of Kaz James, Kate Elsworth, Marc Jarvin and Jungle Snake.
Fists fly in Polite Society. Feet as well. When the latter aren't suspended in mid-air attempting to execute stunning kung-fu stunts, they just might be busting out their best Bollywood dance moves. Words are screamed and shouted, often between sisters Ria (Priya Kansara, Bridgerton) and Lena Khan (Ritu Arya, The Umbrella Academy), who are thick as thieves until they suddenly aren't. Schoolyard fights rumble like they've spilled straight out an action movie, which budding stuntperson Ria dreams of being in. Showdowns with Lena's future mother-in-law Raheela Shah (Nimra Bucha, Ms Marvel) could've burst from a Quentin Tarantino film. Espionage missions are undertaken by high schoolers, as are heists at a spectacular Muslim wedding in a lavish London mansion. Lena scoffs down a whole roast chicken on a public footpath like it's the only thing she's ever eaten. Ria and Lena free themselves from their angst by letting loose in their living room to The Chemical Brothers' dance-floor filler 'Free Yourself'. And being a dutiful member of her community is the absolute worst fate that could await an ass-kicking British Pakistani teenage girl. In other words, a little bit of everything happens in Polite Society, the anarchic and eye-popping debut feature from We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor. That includes nods to Jackie Chan movies and The Matrix, plus Bond-style antics and Ennio Morricone-esque music drops. Add in riffs on Get Out, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-inspired wuxia, video-game flourishes, musical dance numbers, and nudges in Jane Austen and Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan's directions. Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Kill Bill leave imprints. When it examines intergenerational pressure, so do Everything Everywhere All At Once and Turning Red. Whatever this high-energy charmer throws at the screen, it always serves the narrative. It also showcases Manzoor's lively and bold filmmaking eye. But more importantly, Polite Society is the spin-kicking whirlwind it is because that's what it feels like to be a schoolgirl training in martial arts, yearning to pack a literal punch, desperate to become anything but what society demands and tired of being dictated to — and saddled with cultural expectations but determined to propel along one's own path in general, too. At school, Ria is told that she should go into medicine. Other than her best friends Clara (Seraphina Beh, Top Boy) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri, Call the Midwife), her classmates mock her stunt-performer ambitions. Bully Kovacs (movie debutant Shona Babayemi) even gets brawling over them. Ria's parents Fatima and Rafe (We Are Lady Parts alumni Shobu Kapoor and Jeff Mirza) advocate for a more practical life goal, not just for her but for aspiring artist Lena. And yet, Ria is certain that she's going to make stunts her career, so much so that there's only two other things she believes in as passionately. She has zero doubts that Lena is meant to be a great painter, ignoring the fact that she's just dropped out of art school. Then, when a surprise invite to the Shahs' Eid soirée sees Lena start dating Raheela's doctor son Salim (Akshay Khanna, Chloe), the most lusted-after bachelor in their family's social circle, and get engaged amid plans to move to Singapore, Ria couldn't be more convinced that the whole situation is 100-percent shady. When We Are Lady Parts hit TV screens in 2021, it did so with a clear understanding of complicated sisterly relationships. Focused on all-female, all-Muslim punk rockers, the gem introduced the titular Lady Parts with quite the track: 'Ain't No One Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me'. In Polite Society, the film's central sibling feud gets physical — when Ria and Lena throw down in one frenetic fray, "Khan vs Khan" is emblazoned across the frame like this is Street Fighter — and, whether they're flinging limbs or hugging it out, their clash is complex. Battling sisters is a nice shorthand for one of writer/director Manzoor's key messages, stressing that there's no such thing as just one type of Muslim woman. Ria and Lena couldn't be closer before Salim's charisma splinters their bond, but even they don't know everything that each other is, wants, hopes for or fantasies about. There's no one straightforward description for Polite Society either, with its kaleidoscope of genres, bouncing between capers, coming-of-age journey, comic tone, sibling celebration and arranged-marriage satire — and its Bend It Like Beckham-influenced narrative, swapping soccer for stunts. As it bounds through Ria's world, as well as her fears about not realising her only dream and losing Lena to a conventional existence, it manages to sprinkle in horror and science fiction. Manzoor also pays loving tribute to Ria's passion not only by staging dazzling stunts, but by having her protagonist idolise real-life stunt professional Eunice Huthart. The British ex-Gladiators star sports a resume that boasts GoldenEye, The Fifth Element, Titanic, 28 Days Later, Children of Men, Maleficent, Justice League and Eternals, as well as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Fast and Furious, Terminator, Pirates of the Caribbean and Tomb Raider titles, and Polite Society finds room to wink at many of them. Ensuring that the style of a film so utterly suits its story isn't easy, and nor is having every aspect of a movie's look and feel epitomise the statement it's making — then also doing both in a way that makes it plain that no other approach could've done the flick justice. That's a feat that Manzoor smashes, and repeatedly, with equally dynamic help from cinematographer Ashley Connor (Night Sky), editor Robbie Morrison (Starstruck), inspired sound effects and a thumping global soundtrack. The camerawork has as much of a spring in its step as Ria, as does Polite Society's happily hectic pace, vibrant use of colour and everything that echoes from the cinema speakers. All movies should be acts of immersion, but rare are the films that so deeply plunge their audience into their lead character's head and heart with everything it can, let alone so committedly, creatively, convincingly and compellingly. Rare are the on-screen finds like Kansara, too, who is as expressive and exuberant as the picture she's in. Polite Society doesn't idealise Ria at any moment — a film so devoted to shattering stereotypes and destroying any possibility of Muslim women being seen as a monoculture was never going to avoid her impulsiveness and hot-headedness — instead giving Kansara ample room to have a helluva lot of fun in her fleshed-out main part. She's playful, enterprising and heartfelt while operating at a mile-a-minute speed. She isn't afraid to make big leaps and stay spirited from the get-go, and to both unpack and lean into Ria's main-character syndrome. She's also a winning blend of pluck and spark in a roundhouse kick of a joyously entertaining flick that makes every single jab and strike matter.
The legends behind Hashtag Burgers have been all over the place lately — but they're not done bringing you burger goodness just yet. Following the massive hype around their Campbelltown pop-up and their masterfulBurgapalooza festival, Sydney's new-age burger heroes are teaming up with the former Mr. Crackles Head Chef Sebastien Cens to launch an In-N-Out-inspired pop-up in Sydney's CBD. Smartly dubbed Down-N-Out — not to be confused with the actual In-N-Out pop-ups that polarise Sydney every couple of months — the pop-up will run from Wednesday, June 8 until Tuesday, June 21 at the Sir John Young Hotel on Liverpool Street. As it's a homage to In-N-Out's classic combo of beef, bread and American cheese, the menu will be a simple one — but rest assured it will include a few Aussie twists (namely a vego option, which we're quite happy about). On the drinks side of things, shakes aren't the only way to go. Murray's Brewing Co. — a small brewery on the NSW north coast — is also getting involved, and offering the age-old pairing of burgers and beer with their Angry Man Pale Ale on tap. Keeping with the In-N-Out theme, 'secret menu hacks' are also promised, giving patrons the options to make their burgers animal- or protein-style if they choose. We're not quite sure what this means, but we'll happily head along to find out. The surprises don't end there either, with the pop-up being the first of many changes for the Sir John Young Hotel, in an attempt to revitalise the lock-out ridden area. American-inspired burger joints seem to be a reoccurring theme in Sydney's food scene, with the Shake Shack spin-off Jack's Newtown opening late last year. We just hope a Five Guys-inspired eatery is next on the list.
You probably recognise Lea DeLaria from her role on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black. But while she's best known for playing inmate Big Boo, the truth is she's been around a hell of a lot longer than that. The first openly gay comic to appear on American television, DeLaria has been appearing on stage and screen for more than three decades, and will on Saturday, June 9 appear at the City Recital Hall for an evening of stand-up and song. Part of this year's Vivid festival, Lea DeLaria Live In Concert will see the singer, actor and comedian – who has five jazz records to her name, by the way – perform songs from her latest album, House of David. If the name didn't give it away, it lovingly reimagines the music of the late great David Bowie, so you'll be getting two icons for the price of one.
Do you remember the days when we had to argue that video games were art, comic books were literature, and animation wasn't just for kids? Those medieval times are now thankfully one or two years behind us, and it's in part thanks to festivals like Graphic. The event, now in its third year, brings pop culture into the lofty Opera House and encourages artists of all stripes to come together and mix media. After bringing out Neil Gaiman and Robert Crumb in its first two years (well, not quite bringing out Robert Crumb; the pioneering cartoonist famously withdrew from the 2011 festival fearing pitchforks and torches after being called a 'sex pervert' in the Sunday Telegraph), Graphic is now grown up enough to present a solid program that doesn't rely on crazy-big names to stir excitement. In 2012 it's got talks, concerts, workshops, an exhibition, a competition, a quiz show, and many hybrids of these. This is the year we'll be getting better acquainted with perhaps the most influential force in animation today, Pixar Animation Studios, makers of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Brave, and a raft of other hits that make kids squeal and adults unexpectedly laugh, cry, and find catharsis. Lee Unkrich, Academy Award-winning director of Toy Story 3 and long-time Pixar creative, will be leading a presentation on what goes on behind the scenes of the company as an idea goes from storyboard to screen. Similarly styled talks will also be given by Animal Logic — Australia's own animation superstars, behind such key films as The Matrix and Happy Feet — and Peter Bagge, co-editor of Robert Crumb's WEIRDO and contributor to MAD magazine, whose session is called Hate! and Other Neat Stuff. Following in the footsteps of Gotye's now legendary animated preview for his Making Mirrors album in 2011, gigs that combine music and visuals feature prominently in the 2012 program. New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop will be previewing their new album, Blackbird, which won't be released until 2013. The night will include specially commissioned animations throughout from street artist Otis Frizzell. Meanwhile, 25-members-strong collective Elefant Traks will be creating a set of Dr Suess-inspired songs. To experience Graphic's idiosyncrasies in full, get along to the Good Game Roffle Cup quiz show, FBi's Radio with Pictures storytelling jam, and the Art of Dr Seuss exhibition in the Opera House foyer. Were you aware that as well as hopping on Pop and putting the Cat in the Hat, Theodor Seuss Geisel made over 400 political cartoons about World War II and Nazis? A better summary of the scope of graphic arts is hard to come by.
Keen to ring in the Year of the Ox with a barrel of laughs? Then make tracks to Chatswood to catch its two-show comedy fest at The Concourse. Not only will it leave you in stitches, but also shine a big ol' spotlight on diversity in Aussie comedy, with a stellar lineup of Asian Australian performers. Taking over the Concert Hall stage on Saturday, February 27, the festival is being hosted by Chinese Australian comedian and writer Jennifer Wong and will include live performances by Sydney-based band Dragonfruit (Yvonne C Lam and Colin Ho). The 6pm show features the likes of ABC TV heavyweights Nina Oyama (Utopia) and Lawrence Leung (Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure), plus Sri Lankan-born comedian Suren Jayemanne, Sydney Fringe Festival performer Harry Jun and Fillow Talk from improv duo Happy Feraren and Jeff Mesina. At the 9pm gig, expect the Lunar New Year laughs to continue with performances by comedian and actor Michael Hing (Where Are You Really From? and The Other Guy), all-round talented human Diana Nguyen, TV star and comedian Alex Lee (SBS The Feed), up-and-coming stand-up star Lizzy Hoo (SBS Voices) and Fillow Talk again. [caption id="attachment_800424" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Diana Nguyen[/caption] Pre- or post-show, you can really lean into the Lunar New Year celebrations by hitting up the Chatswood Year of the Ox Festival, which has both an epic food trail and a decadent dessert trail. Then, after you've had a full-blown feast, check out the luminous ox sculpture at Prosperity House. Lunar New Year Comedy Festival's shows run from 6–7.15pm and from 9–10.15pm on February 27. To nab tickets, head here. Top image: Fillow Talk
Off the back of two super fast-selling seasons in Parramatta, Sydney's most ambitious outdoor cinema is bringing its 150-bed (yes, bed) theatre back for the warmer weather. This time around, it will be held closer to the CBD, at Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter. Grab a buddy you're comfortable to share a blankie with (or make a bold first date move) and book a bed between October 27 and December 10. There will be new movies (American Assassin, The Foreigner), horror (It, The Shining), foreign films (Goodbye Lenin, City of God), Disney classics (Cinderella, Peter Pan), Japanese anime (Naruto, My Neighbour Totoro) and some of the best releases of 2017 (Wonder Woman, Dunkirk). Mov'In Bed has planned themed and party nights too, such as the Halloween night with a horror selection, 'Love is Love' with Brokeback Mountain and Moonlight and a Scorcese night with Goodfellas and Wolf of Wall Street. There'll also be Burger Project and Fratelli Fresh bringing food directly to your bed. If you don't want to shell out for a bed, you can bring a picnic blanket and chill out on the grass. Just remember to book your spot before you rock up.
"This is not about getting back at dad. But, if it hurts him, it doesn't bother me." So announces Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman) in the just-dropped new teaser trailer for Succession season four, although it could've been any one of the Roy family's adult children uttering such words. If there's one thing that viewers of this award-winning HBO drama know, it's that this brood is big on insults and scheming against their father, and each other — and on grudges and feuding over who'll run the family company as well. Expect this soon-to-drop fourth season to be no do different, clearly; the more things change for the Roys, which also includes patriarch and business titan Logan Roy (Brian Cox, Remember Me), plus Shiv's siblings Kendall (Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time), Connor (Alan Ruck, The Dropout) and Roman (Kieran Culkin, No Sudden Move), the more that volatile underlying dynamic stays the same. And, expect to start seeing the results this autumn Down Under. That timeframe had already been announced, but HBO has now revealed an exact release date — Monday, March 27 in Australia and New Zealand — along with another sneak peek at the upcoming episodes. This is the third glimpse at what's in store in Succession season four, following on from an initial sneak peek in a broader HBO trailer in mid-October last year, plus another in late 2022 when that autumn timing was confirmed. In the entire trio of teasers, Shiv, Kendall, Roman and Connor have banded together to form a rebel alliance against their dad. In the new trailer, they're asked to call him to try to start mending their rift. No, that isn't a simple request. All of the current the chaos stems from the season-three move to sell the Roy's company Waystar Royco to a tech visionary played by Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman), who also returns in season four. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is thrilled. When an entire series is about who'll take over the lucrative and powerful family business, removing that option for everyone is going to cause some hefty fallout. Also included in this sneak peek: Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, Operation Mincemeat) trying to stay on Logan's good side following his own actions at the end of season three, and his betrayal of his Shiv. And, also Tom inappropriately comparing the Roys' battle to world politics — talking to cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Zola), naturally. It was back in 2021 when HBO announced that Succession would return for a fourth run, after its Emmy-winning third season proved that exceptional — and popular. Viewers are clearly in for more power struggles and more savaging of the one percent, aka more of what Succession has always done best. Indeed, if you're a fan of twisty TV shows about wealth, privilege, influence, the vast chasm between the rich and everyday folks, and the societal problems that fester due to such rampant inequality, there have been plenty of ace examples of late, including The White Lotus and Squid Game. No series slings insults as savagely as this tremendous series, however. No show channels feuding and backstabbing into such an insightful and gripping satire, either. Check out the latest teaser for Succession season four below: Succession season four will start streaming from Monday, March 27 Down Under, including via Foxtel, Binge and Foxtel On Demand in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Check out our review of season three. Images: Claudette Barius/Macall B Polay, HBO.
Lower Fi comes from the team behind Lo-Fi (as well as The Tate and Self Est.) but aims to get even lower. We’re talking winning at limbo standards of lower, here. They’ve created a four-week (November-December) temporary space for four new exhibitions. The third of these is 4 Letter Word, a group exhibition of Sofles, Scott Marsh, Guido van Helten, and Fintan Magee's work which (as with all of the Lower Fi shows) will be on for just one night. Think edgy urban art with busty women, graffiti-style inks, political references, and details that just might change the way you look at street art and street-art-inspired works. The show runs from 6-9pm, but you can keep carousing at the afterparty drinks at bigger brother Lo-Fi. Though maybe leave the spray can at home. Image by Fintan Magee.
For one magnificent spring day, Surry Hills will turn itself over to its beloved annual festival this Saturday, September 24. You can expect the usual explosion of creativity and music, with pop-up spaces, laneway experiments and hidden pop-up bars complementing all-day live music and markets in Shannon Reserve and Ward Park. And it's all free, free, free. Heading the music lineup are Brisbane band Hey Geronimo, who'll be playing in Ward Park at 5pm. Over at Shannon Reserve after that, producers Lanks and Wishes will take the stage, followed by Sydney outfit Castlecomer. When you're not kicking back to the music, you can get active on guided tours of Surry Hills' creative spaces and architecture, along which you'll meet all kinds of local artists and creatives. Plus, there'll be heaps of other things happening to keep you entertained, including roving art performances, projections and plenty of food stalls.
Group catch-ups: fun while they're happening, but a nightmare to organise. Conflicting availability. Wildly varying budgets. Throw a few different dietary requirements into the mix and you might find yourself thinking it'll be easier to stay home. Don't give up just yet. We've teamed up with Inner West Council to select eight local spots that'll make planning the next birthday bash, celebratory dinner or casual catch-up a breeze. These cosy restaurants have plenty of options for vegetarians, vegans and those with gluten, dairy or nut intolerances. And, in fact, most of them are pretty affordable, too. But finding a time and date when every person in your group is free? We're afraid you're on your own there.
In between running one of Brisbane's favourite vintage cafe bars and teaching us where the best bits of Brisbane are, longtime Aussie music go-to The Grates are back for their first national headline tour since 2011. Brisbanites Patience Hodgson, John Patterson and Ritchie Daniell will be taking their Team Work Makes The Dream Work tour down Australia's east coast with Sydney punk garage band Straight Arrows and Brisbane punk/synth duo Pleasure Symbols. Described as "fun and thrashy pop punk at its best" by triple j, these three have a reputation for giving an incredible live show that'll have you on your feet. The Grates have been seriously productive over the last few months; after releasing their fourth celebrated studio album, Dream Team last year, they went on to absolutely crush it at Splendour In The Grass. The Grates' long-awaited return to the stage is sure to be one of those dance-till-you-drop affairs — here's hoping for a furious '19-20-20' throwback singalong to obliterate our vocal chords once and for all. Want to win tickets to see The Grates? Head over here.
Whenever a new true-crime tale arrives, audiences fall into three camps: those who are well aware of all of the case's ups and downs, folks who remember the headlines but are vague on the details, and others that come to the whole saga and its specifics brand new. With The Staircase, it's highly likely that more viewers will fall into the first two categories. The eight-part HBO miniseries isn't just based on an IRL crime, after all, but also on a French documentary series of the same name. For those learning about the story afresh, it all started in 2001, when novelist Michael Peterson reported the death of his wife Kathleen. He said that she had fallen down the stairs at their North Carolina home — yes, hence the name — but the authorities weren't convinced. Given that occurred more than two decades ago, how it all turned out is now a matter of history. So, you'll either know it and be intrigued to see how it plays out on-screen with Colin Firth (Supernova, 1917) and Australian star Toni Collette (Nightmare Alley, Dream Horse) as the central couple, or you'll want to discover the intricacies for yourself while watching. Plunging famous faces into a twisty miniseries is firmly HBO's approach of late, with The Staircase following everything from Big Little Lies and The Undoing to Mare of Easttown. Joining the high-profile duo when the US network's latest hits Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand from Thursday, May 5: an all-star cast that also features Juliette Binoche (How to Be a Good Wife), Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name), Parker Posey (Lost in Space) and Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones), as well Rosemarie DeWitt (Little Fires Everywhere), Dane Dehaan (Lisey's Story), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Moxie), and Aussie actors Olivia DeJonge (Better Watch Out) and Odessa Young (Shirley). There are clearly plenty of moving parts to this narrative, which comes to TV courtesy of writer/director Antonio Campos (The Devil All the Time, The Sinner). As the just-dropped full trailer shows, there's plenty of drama as well. That's true both before and after the Peterson family find themselves immersed in a heartwrenching tragedy. Indeed, the sneak peek starts with happy times — with saying cheers to happy folks sat around the dinner table, in fact — but that isn't how it ends. Given that it's hitting screens 18 years after the original The Staircase, this dramatised version even mentions the film crew eager to start recording the details after Kathleen's death. So, when it starts airing in May — dropping three episodes at once to kick things off, then going weekly — the show will cover a well-known true-crime case as well as the just-as-well-known TV show that's already been made about it. Check out the trailer for The Staircase below: The Staircase will start streaming via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand from Thursday, May 5.
Notwithstanding his relative busyness as a performer—most recently as a guitarist in the live and recorded performances of Jack Ladder and The Dreamlanders—some in Sydney are yet to behold Kirin J. Callinan's particular elan as a soloist. Those so uninitiated should know that Callinan's theatrical repertoire is as much a part of his stage show as his provocative sonic exploring: sometimes he pussyfoots and creeps around the stage, while at other times he violently gyrates on his knees, hammering-out percussive blasts and ghostly descants from his guitar and effect pedals. Almost invariably, Callinan performs shirtless, or in his epicene, pseudo-Victorian garb, while his vocal transmissions intermittently surprise with a range of strikingly expressive and fugitive sounds—with barks and grunts, whoops and growls. Amid the ritualism, however, the softer side of Callinan's baritone offers some insight into the musical pantheon on which he draws. Occasionally, in a familiar note and a broad syllable, Callinan defers to the whole of the 80s Aus-rock scene, and specifically to the likes of Robert Forster (this is literally the case with his cover of the Go-Betweens' 'Apology Accepted', which appears on his 2010 release, She). Less often, Callinan's presiding croon can, perhaps surprisingly, come out like a yodel-prone version of, say, Scott Walker or Frank Sinatra, albeit that Callinan's is an always unhinged and maniacal replication of 'The Voice'. In affirming their pledge to "throw at least one big bash per month until the year ends", VICE has called upon the enigmatic Callinan to give himself over to their cause for March. So on the first night of the month, at FBi Social, Callinan will perform, with support from purveyors of primitive garage rock and self-described 'shit-poppers', The Gooch Palms, as well as lively post-punkers, Ghastly Spats. And as if such a formidable and unusually well-rounded line up were not enough, entry on the night is totally free. https://youtube.com/watch?v=PEh5gL2mWes
Strung out like a bowstring between Oxford and Ocean Street, the main drag of Woollahra has a gentle vibe. Last year, though, it experimented with opening its quiet arms to more antic visits for the inaugural Woollahra Festival. This new festival mixed performance, food and some very literary talks to show off how much activity, and celebrity, you can squeeze happily into just a few suburban blocks. This year, it has returned with a familiar mix and some new ingredients, making a weekend in Woollahra a slicker proposition than the usual lure of lazy weekend breakfasting. This year the mantle of roaming entertainment passes to the waterheads and touchable menageries from Erth. A want for words will be filled by war artists Wendy Sharpe and Lewis Miller, meeting the briefly Venitian Hany Armanious, discussions about privacy and a bevy of high profile public speakers. Some talks weave in and out of lunchtime, and interspersed between the dining words will be demos and classes from leading Sydney chefs. The Suara Indonesian Dance Group's limber choreography forms part of the musical action on Saturday, and Sunday the music continues on stage while Queen Street is closed and converted into a Village Green. *Many talks are free, but all need to be booked in advance. Concrete Playground has teamed up with the Woollahra Festival to give away two double passes to its Brave New Chefs sessions. To be in the running, check out our Facebook page the Friday before the festival.
Sydney's most stunning concert venue Phoenix Central Park is back this month with its fifth season of free gigs. The Chippendale venue is dedicated to giving its audience an entirely unique experience. Whether you're catching a locally-loved act or a dark and mysterious jazz ensemble, performances are always elevated by the venue's stunning design, intimate setting and immersive light displays. And, best of all, everything it hosts is totally free. Season V features some of the biggest names the venue has ever hosted, including London eight-piece Superorganism whose breakout hit 'Something for Your M.I.N.D' has over 60 million streams on Spotify. Others on the lineup include fast-rising local acts like A.Girl and Agung Mango. In terms of other contemporary artists, you'll find the spooky sounds of Marcus Whale, electronic producer Corin and Kenyan-born Adelaide-based singer-songwriter Elsy Wameyo. Also on the lineup: a performance revolving around vibrations and feeling music through your skin composed by Damien Ricketson, experimental ambient sounds from Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Tim Shiel, the Ensemble Offspring performing the music of trailblazing avant-garde composer Iannis Xenakis and folk composer Andrew Tuttle performing his new banjo-heavy album Fleeting Adventure. [caption id="attachment_860341" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elsy Wameyo, Alain Pottier[/caption] The only catch is that there are a very limited amount of tickets, so audience members can only attend by winning tickets via Phoenix Central Park's ballots. So hot tip: the best way to approach each season of shows is to apply for anything and everything that you'd love to attend, and then see what tickets you can hopefully nab. If you want to head along, you can browse the full program and place your name on the ballot at the Phoenix Central Park website. Phoenix Central Park is located at 49 O'Connor Street, Chippendale. Season V will be taking over the venue from Wednesday, July 27–Thursday, September 22. Ballots for the free gigs are now open. [caption id="attachment_837012" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] Top image: Jordan Munns
What's better than one indulgent pop-up serving lobster, truffles and champagne in Sydney? Two, obviously. As well as hitting up the Entertainment Quarter for Taste in the City, Lobster & Co is also coming to town for Runaway Gardens at First Fleet Park in The Rocks during Sydney Fringe Festival from Tuesday, August 16–Sunday, September 25, too. Clearly, there's a specific kind of thinking behind this food event: sometimes, your tastebuds just crave something special. They hanker for the kind of dish you're not going to eat every day, aka a treat yo'self type of culinary experience. If that sounds like your idea of an indulgent meal, Lobster & Co will be doing what it does best, with the pop-up van serving lobster rolls with truffle fries and flutes of Pommery champagne. You'll pay $50 for the food combo, which features a whole confit lobster tail served warm on a caramelised brioche bun with buttermilk fennel slaw, plus a side of parmesan truffle fries. A chilled glass of the champers will cost you $20 extra. Also on offer: a second roll, a Thai fusion number, which includes cabbage, green papaya and sriracha mayo — and lobster, obviously — on a brioche bun. Images: Karon Photography.
There are many activities you can do in a two-hour time slot. You could watch all six episodes of the ABC's satirical beauty blog Sarah's Channel, cook 60 packets of 2 Minute Noodles or listen to Pink Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' 4.6 times. But we think the tastiest way to pass 120 minutes is to spend it eating endless plates of tacos. And that's exactly what you can on Friday, October 4, when Sydney's four El Camino Cantina outposts — in Manly, Miranda, The Rocks and the just-opened venue in the Entertainment Quarter — celebrate 'World Taco Day' with two hours of unlimited tacos for just $25 a pop. Rock up at any venue and you'll be able to dig into bottomless tacos topped with cajun chicken and pickled cabbage; minced beef, cheese and lettuce (it's meant to taste a little like a cheeseburger); or mushrooms and chipotle coleslaw. If you want to spend a bit more on your feast, you can also splurge on a $10 lobster or wagyu taco. To redeem the bottomless offer, you will need to purchase a drink of sorts. You can choose from one of the restaurant's five frozen margaritas, a glass of sangria, a Dos Equis or, really, anything else on the extensive drinks menus. Two hours of bottomless tacos are available at El Camino Cantina Manly, Miranda and The Rocks. To book your spot, head to the El Camino Cantina website. Updated: October 4, 2019.
Love the finer things in life? Sydney's Good Food & Wine Show (GFWS) is the place to be for budding gastronomes from Friday, June 20–Sunday, June 22. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025, the GFWS team has gone above and beyond for its latest edition, bringing together over 300 gourmet exhibitors, celebrity chefs, masterclasses and interactive experiences bound to get your mouthwatering. Delving into the program, one name is sure to surprise. Supermodel and entrepreneur Tyra Banks will be in the house showcasing her couture-meets-cones ice cream brand, SmiZE & DREAM, ahead of its flagship store launch in Darling Harbour. Meanwhile, a fascinating 45-minute masterclass presented by Kristen Tibballs, aka the Chocolate Queen, invites participants to learn how cocoa beans' origins influence flavour profiles. Also on the program, Valérie Henbest from the Smelly Cheese Co takes guests on a global tour of cheese, as you're invited to pair top-notch Australian wines with cheese, chocolate and flavours of the world. Then, over in the Sonos Bar, you'll take part in expert-led cocktail and champagne tastings set to a crystal-clear ambient soundtrack delivered by the brand's smart speakers. Tea-lovers won't want to miss The Art of Luxury Tea with Dilmah. Here, the legendary brand welcomes guests to sample unlikely tea pairings, like chocolate and cheese, alongside tea cocktails with an inventive twist. Finally, no visit to the GFWS is complete without a trip to the Cheese Corner and the Good Food Village, where over 300 exhibitors offer gourmet goods, from artisan treats to premium kitchenware.
Nestled in the heart of Paddington, Five Ways is home to many an artisan vendor. So what better way to spend your Saturday than feasting on the best baked goods, sweets and art of the neighbourhood at The Royal Paddington Artisan Market? Grab a complimentary coffee to sip as you peruse the goods. Locals like artisan sourdough bakers Sonoma, doughnut wizards Woah Nelly, and cupcakesmith Elisa Pie among others will be setting up shop at the markets and selling their delicious, delicious wares. The Lust List will be doing free illustrations and Flow Athletic will also be leading free yoga sessions, the perfect Sunday session for de-stressing. It's not really a market without some music to accompany your roaming. Citizens of the World and Alice Quiddington will be providing the soundtrack to your lazy Saturday afternoon. And if the shopping makes you a little too hungry and you're insatiable even after The Royal's breakfast canapés (did we hear mini scones and bacon and egg sliders?), head up to the second floor for a special market menu, sparkling wine and that stunning view of the suburb and beyond. Image: Royal Hotel.
While New South Wales started easing out of lockdown a few months back, life definitely hasn't returned to pre-COVID-19 normality. Slowly, however, more and more restrictions are continuing to relax — including, as just announced today, Tuesday, October 13, current caps on outdoor venues and events. As revealed by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, from Friday, October 16, restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs will be able to adopt the one-person-per-two-square-metre rule outside, but only if the business has an electronic QR code to track patrons. Indoor areas and venues will remain at the present level, which is one person per four square metres. In terms of events, outdoor music performances will be able to have up to 500 people in attendance, all seated, in a boost for live gigs. These concerts will still need to adhere to the one-person-per-four-square-metre rule — and each event will need to have an organiser, and a COVID-safe plan in place. That 500-person limit includes both the audience and the performers. [caption id="attachment_762529" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] Commenting on the changes, NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard advised that the plan is to "bring back life to New South Wales" — and that more restrictions will be eased in the future. He noted, though, that any additional steps "must be done in a COVID-safe way". The news comes just a couple of weeks after NSW also changed patron caps at indoor arts venues, such as theatres, cinemas and concert venues, up to 50-percent capacity to a maximum of 1000 tickets. And, prior to that, the state announced that its major stadiums could also host 50-percent capacity crowds, but only for major outdoor events, a move that came into effect on October 2 to coincide with the NRL finals season. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. 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: Trent van der Jagt.
At beachside hotspot Coogee Pavilion, the final piece of the puzzle is about to click into place — and in a big way, too. Five years in the making, the middle level of this historic building is set to finally be unveiled in January, joining the multi-faceted ground-floor offering and much-loved Coogee Pavilion Rooftop. The hotly-anticipated Coogee Pavilion Middle Floor will actually play host to three distinct venues — cocktail bar Will's, restaurant Mimi's, and a wine and tapas bar by the name of Una Más — combining to mark one of Merivale's most ambitious projects yet. While each venue has its own personality and design DNA, the whole level is an homage to the idyllic coastal location and is guided by the same Australian-accented take on modern Mediterranean cuisine. Executive Chef Jordan Toft (Bert's, Bar Topa) is taking the reins for this lot of newcomers, just as he's helmed the rest of the building's food offerings over the years. Boasting sweeping ocean views through its large arched windows, Mimi's pairs drops off a 500-strong wine list with fresh seafood, top-quality meats and market-fresh vegetables grilled on the kitchen's josper. Don't expect any foams, gels or smokes here — Mimi's is all about letting the produce shine. "What you order from the menu is exactly what you see on the plate," said Toft in a statement. "No smoke, no mirrors, no pomp. Just great produce, an amazing setting and the slowing of time". [caption id="attachment_753879" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dimitri Tricolas[/caption] Wine and tapas bar Una Más is the lively, playful sibling, where you'll happily spend a session straight off the beach. Fresh and fun, it's designed to be a modern locals' haunt, offering an approachable menu spiked with both Spanish and Australian influences. Toft says to expect "chilled chablis or vermouth, with an oyster just shucked, seafood off the plancha and anchovies on fresh bread". Meanwhile, cocktail bar Will's will embrace a European charm, promising good time vibes and a drinks list inspired by the Italian coast. Mimi's, Will's and Una Más are set to open on Coogee Pavilion's middle floor in January 2020. In the meantime, you can visit Coogee Pavilion and Coogee Pavilion rooftop at 169 Dolphin Street, Coogee.
It's a great time to be a horror film fan. Get Out won an Oscar earlier this year, scary franchises — such as Insidious, The Purge and Unfriended — keep piling up the sequels and movies like Truth or Dare and Upgrade hit the big screen almost every month. And, of course, this October has seen iconic slasher franchise Halloween return with its 11th instalment — and it's a welcome return to form. That's because the film's producer, Jason Blum, is experienced in this kind of stuff — in fact, he's the person to thank for the current big-screen scary movie revival. Since he worked on 2007's surprise found-footage hit Paranormal Activity, Blum's name has been attached to many of the genre's big hits, including everything that we've just mentioned. The Joel Edgerton-directed thriller The Gift is also on his resume, and not-so obvious efforts like TV series The Jinx, Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman and Whiplash (which, Blum jokes is the "Sundance version of a horror movie"). During a recent trip to Australia to promote Halloween's release, we chatted to the prolific producer about different types of horror, helping to bring the genre back to prominence and restoring the Halloween series to its former glory — and what he'd like to revive next as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL_I2vNwkXQ BRINGING BACK HALLOWEEN 40 YEARS AFTER THE ORIGINAL "The first movie was one of the great horror movies of all time, and there've been nine sequels — some better than others, none too great. We make movies in a very specific way at Blumhouse, and I wanted to see if our system would work on this intellectual property that's been around for so long, and produced one spectacular movie and nine less spectacular movies. I wanted to see if we could make something great, so that was kind of a challenge that I was excited about. And in terms of now, I think because the first movie was so good, there's just been a desire from fans to try to see another Halloween that is as good as that one. I don't think ours is better than the first movie — I think no one's going to beat John [Carpenter, the writer and director of 1978's Halloween]. But I think ours is definitely second, and that's obviously very satisfying to me." AND BRINGING BACK JOHN CARPENTER AND JAMIE LEE CURTIS "I didn't want to do the movie unless John would agree to executive produce it. That was the only requirement for me — that I wasn't going to go forward unless John agreed to do the movie. I really don't believe that you can make successful sequels to movies without the person who made the success in the first place involved. And I went to John, and we had a meeting, and I got him to say yes — he initially said no, for quite a while, but I'm very convincing and persuasive so I twisted his arm and got him to agree. When he came on board, we hired David [Gordon Green, Halloween 2018's director and co-writer] and Danny [McBride, Halloween 2018's co-writer]. And they came up with the idea for what the movie is, which is this continuation of the story from 40 years ago. Then David met with Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jamie also was kind of reticent to join us. But I think it was the combination of John being back, and of her really responding to David's take on the movie, and that her godson in Jake Gyllenhaal — and Jake had just done Stronger, which David had directed, and Jake gave it very very high marks. It was all those things that got Jamie involved in the movie." FINDING THE RIGHT APPROACH TO MAKING THE 11TH FILM IN THE FRANCHISE "The storytelling is a continuation to the first movie, but there's a lot of nods in the movie to the other nine movies. I think the trick with making a sequel is making it feel original and entertaining to fans who've never seen a Halloween movie before, but also having it share enough DNA with the first movie so there's a reason to call it Halloween, and so that fans who've seen all other ten movies are also satisfied. The way that we approached that was to get John and Jamie involved — Jamie not just as an actress, but as an executive producer. So getting them involved as creative sources in the mix — and then add the new generation, which is David and Danny, who are very super talented guys in their own right but have never done a Halloween movie before. I really thought that by mixing those four creative forces together, you really get the best of both worlds. And I really think that they achieved it, so I'm very proud of that." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHEl7Pji0f8 WHERE BLUM FINDS HIS SCARES "I like to define the work that Blumhouse Productions does through the lens of what scares us. Clearly, mostly that's horror movies, but that isn't all that scares us. There's nothing scarier, certainly to me, than the Klu Klux Klan, and that's what BlacKkKlansman is about. Sharp Objects is not horror, but it's a clearly super dark-themed subject matter about a psychotic, overbearing mother. And even Whiplash — to me, these movies squarely fit under the umbrella of what scares us. That's what I look for — first and foremost, things that are great, but I like them to fit under the moniker of what's scary to us, and what's scary to me." HIS PART IN RESTORING HORROR TO GREATER MAINSTREAM PROMINENCE "I think our approach to the way that we make these movies has resulted in horror being more in vogue. I think there are directors who would have never done horror movies, who are now looking at horror as a way to reach young people through movies in a movie theatre — and to get what they want to say out to younger audience. But I think the thing that did the most for it was kind of the Academy's recognition of Get Out. That changed people's idea of what horror can be currently. Horror goes in and out of fashion, and has since the beginning of cinema, but I think right now it's getting more and more in fashion — and if I think there's one biggest reason, I would say it is because of Get Out." "I think we kind of have a unique way that we approach filmmaking, and I think it pays off. I think that cynical people approach horror movies by reverse engineering — they think about what should the scares be, and then figure out the story after that. We do it the opposite way. I really impress upon the executives at the company and the filmmakers we work with to be storytellers first and scary movie makers second, and I think as a result of that the movies are much more scary." SO, DOES HE HAVE PLANS TO RESURRECT OTHER HORROR ICONS? "I'd love to resurrect Friday the 13th. I have a pretty specific idea about it, but I haven't tried yet. I'm waiting for Halloween to come out, but after Halloween comes out I'm going to talk to the rights holders of Friday the 13th and see if I can talk them into it." Halloween is in cinemas now. Read our full review here. Top image: Alex J. Berliner, ABImages.
