So, you've launched your big business idea. You've settled into your new digs, sales are going well and you might even have a team to help you run the show. But, how do you know when you're ready to take things to the next level? Expanding a business can feel like entering unknown terrain. The looming fear of what lies ahead can cause many of us to second-guess ourselves and stick to what we know instead. But with risk comes reward, and pushing the boundaries is how every great business grows and thrives. To give you a helping hand, we've spoken to four Sydney entrepreneurs that have expanded their businesses with City of Sydney's Retail Innovation Program. Read on for their advice to you on doing the same and get prepared to take that next leap. [caption id="attachment_735021" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] SAINT JOHN ESPRESSO: REFLECTING ON THE PAST TO INSPIRE THE FUTURE For anyone who feels restless and is craving a change from their nine to five, Kate Fellowes' story will resonate. Backed by six years of experience working for a large hospitality group, she decided to put her industry knowledge to use and take over the local cafe that was for sale. Fast forward three years and Saint John Espresso is continuing to expand. Coffee and breakfast orders can now be placed online before you arrive, and it also sells a range of full-size cakes — including chocolate and beetroot, polenta and passionfruit and baked ricotta cheesecake — for events. It's also hoping to add a new production arm to the business to boost revenue over the next 12 months and beyond. With the benefit of hindsight, Fellowes' believes the best business advice she has received is often the hardest to hear. It's not just about having a unique idea. "You need to make sure there is a market for your product or service — whether that's sitting outside your proposed site and counting foot traffic, doing research online about the number of people interested in what your offer is, or talking to others in the industry about what it's really like, research is vital," she explains. Fellowes' also champions networking as a key part of growth "Find other small businesses to catch up with and attend start-up events...You will find like-minded people who can be a resource for you." [caption id="attachment_735038" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt [/caption] KOSKELA: FOCUSING ON PROFITABILITY TO ENABLE SCALE Back in 2000, Rosebery was far from the gentrified hub of food, design and culture that exists today. But co-founders and partners Russel Koskela and Sasha Titchkosky were ready to take a chance, opening the doors of Sydney's premier design hub, Koskela in a 2000-square-metre, 100-year-old warehouse. The space boasts Australia's largest range of locally made and ethically produced homewares, furniture, lighting and art. Over the past two decades, Koskela has continued to evolve with the retail market, including expanding beyond the original workplace focussed product range. "Innovation is part of who we are. As a small, privately owned Australian company in a really competitive industry, it has to be," tells Titchkosky. To other businesses, Titchkosky suggests using every digital tool you can to learn more about your customer and keep track of trends. She also recommends shifting your main priority from revenue to profitability, which will allow more opportunities to use funds for other projects. For Titchkosky, that includes committing one percent of Koskela product sales to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. [caption id="attachment_694681" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luise Brimble[/caption] RARA RAMEN: LISTENING AND RESPONDING TO WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT Perfecting any cuisine is a fine art. But for Katie Shortland and Scott Gault, co-owners of Redfern's Japanese noodle bar RaRa, the challenge proved even tougher. On a quest to bring authentic, good quality ramen to Sydneysiders, the pair travelled to Japan to train with seasoned ramen chefs. Language barriers aside, the duo learned to craft traditional broths and recipes from scratch. Since opening in 2018, RaRa has become a beloved haunt for inner-city ramen-lovers. "As locals who have lived in Redfern and Alexandria for more than seven years, we wanted to create a space that would appeal to locals, have a great, fresh appealing menu, offering local beers and natural wines in a great atmosphere at a reasonable price," Shortland and Gault explain. Due to popular demand, the team is currently on the hunt for an off-site kitchen to help them grow their offering. Plus, they're not afraid to ask for feedback from those who know their product best: their customers. "Thanks to great customer feedback, we have expanded our vegan and vegetarian menu. We now offer a wider range of natural wines and local beers and have started to sell merch following feedback and demand from customers." [caption id="attachment_734178" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] CULTURE SCOUTS: EXPANDING YOUR OFFERING INTO NEW MARKETS When it comes to exploring a new city, we all like to get off the beaten track. Since launching in 2016, Culture Scouts has been delivering just that, offering a series of curated walking tours exploring Sydney's thriving cultural neighbourhoods. Over the past three years, founder Emilia Colliver has continued to expand and grow her left-of-field tour experiences. Today, you'll find Culture Scouts running tours across a range of Sydney suburbs from Redfern to Newtown, with the addition of Bondi experiences launching later this year. Plus, its team also facilitates tours to Tasmania's annual Dark Mofo food and arts festival. But it's not slowing down anytime soon. In 2019, Cultural Scouts expanded its offering to partner with big corporate companies including CBA, Lendlease, Tourism Australia and the City of Sydney. For Colliver, her secret to business success has been investing in building a strong team and creating a unique experience for locals and travellers alike. "People tell me that eventually, technology will take over, but I disagree. People still want that face-to-face engagement that Culture Scouts offers, as they get outdoors and discover their cities differently." Learn more about the City of Sydney Retail Innovation Program here.
Sydneysiders, it's time to look up — and pair your stargazing with astronomy talks, tunes, performances, and drinks and bites to eat from leading New South Wales producers. That's all on the agenda at Sydney Observatory's new late-night series, which'll turn looking at the heavens into a party. Kicking off on Saturday, October 8, the program's debut session doubles as the launch of Dr Nick Lomb's Australasian Sky Guide for 2023, too. It's the go-to resource about the southern night sky, complete with details of starry happenings to look forward to, viewing tips, and monthly sky maps. In this latest version, there's also an article on Wiradjuri constellations by Wiradjuri woman and PhD astrophysics candidate Kirsten Banks — and she'll be there on the night as part of the lineup of speakers, who'll chat between telescope views of Saturn, Jupiter and the moon. [caption id="attachment_866239" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Donkin[/caption] From there, Sydney Observatory's late-night lineup will return monthly — except in December, when the city is too busy looking at Christmas lights rather than the shining heavens. The November date, on Tuesday, November 8, is timed for a total lunar eclipse, while the Sunday, January 22 event will celebrate Lunar New Year, the Wednesday, February 22 session links in with World Pride, and the Saturday, March 25 fun will coincide with Earth Hour. Dates have been set until mid-2023, in fact, including a rare daytime event on Thursday, April 20 for the partial solar eclipse, backing it up a few weeks later on Saturday, May 6 for the full moon, and returning on Friday, June 22 for 2023's winter solstice. While entry is free, bookings are still essential. You'll be paying for whatever you eat and drink, of course, and also hanging out a historic Sydney's historic spot that dates back to 1859. [caption id="attachment_866238" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Haese[/caption]
Family-run for three generations, Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf is one of those longtime, NSW Central Coast institutions, famed statewide for its top-notch fresh seafood offering and its idyllic patch of waterfront real estate. And this year, the Woy Woy legend's launched the latest iteration of its wharfside restaurant, swapping the former digs for a new dining space — the work of locals LAW Building Design, Parkwood Homes and Verve Building & Consulting. You won't find a much better spot than this for chowing down on the day's freshest catch and sharing a jug of something light and fresh. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows boast views across the water and a custom-made fish trap, crafted by Maningrida artists Bonny Burarn.gara and Freda Ali Wyartja, presides over the dining room. With this menu, the Cregan-Clayton family are continuing that long tradition of feeding their fans' seafood obsessions in style. The seasonal lineup might find you kicking off with local oysters and a sashimi plate of the day's best, tucking into some Singapore-style chilli crab, or settling for a family feast, sharing hot and cold seafood platters, barbecued scampi and spicy tomato mussels. There are endless crabs, mountains of prawns and a daily-changing carpaccio, though there'll always be room for the classic, no-fuss fish and chips. To match, you'll find an award-winning booze offering that holds its own against all that seafood — wines from across Australia and Europe, a sprawling selection of beers and a crop of classic cocktails, including share-friendly jugs of negroni and Pimms. Find Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf just over an hour's drive from Sydney, at The Boulevarde, Woy Woy. Images: Nikki To
Every Friday night, you'll find Bibo Wine Bar's Head Sommelier Louella Mathews drinking wine with her regulars. COVID-19 hasn't gotten in the way of this tradition, either, with Mathews now recreating the experience for fans of the Double Bay bar via Zoom — with the help of some Bibo-like virtual backgrounds, of course. To help keep staff employed while the wine bar is closed to dine-in customers, Mathews and the Bibo team have launched Bibo at Home. Like many Sydney restaurants and bars, Bibo is currently offering takeaway and delivery meals — including an eight-course chef's menu for a very reasonable $50 — as well as wine and cocktails to go. But, Mathews has taken the at-home wine bar experience a step further and is now offering personalised wine boxes paired with one-on-one Zoom consultations. Called Sommelier's Choice, the personalised wine boxes with bonus human interaction were launched by Mathews in response to her "withdrawal from connecting with customers on the restaurant floor". Once you've connected with Mathews via Bibo, she'll set up a Zoom meeting (or phone call, or interview — "whatever they feel comfortable with") and "we'll have a chat about the weather, the current pandemic crisis and then, of course, to what wine they would enjoy". "The process is very natural and as if you were ordering wine in a restaurant", says Mathews. "I don't have one set of criteria, but a few basic questions include what they generally like to drink and how adventurous they would like to be." Once you've had a chat, Mathews will put together a box of six wines with tasting notes and food pairing suggestions, which you can either pick up from the wine bar or have delivered if you live within five kilometres from Double Bay. All of this will set you back $200 — about $33 a bottle. Much cheaper than you'd be paying if you were to drink six bottles at the wine bar itself. And you get access to one of Australia's brightest wine minds, too. Mathews, before working at Bibo, managed the wine list and 4000-bottle cellar at Sydney's Rockpool Bar & Grill, and is currently studying for the Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced (that's just one level under Master Sommelier, which is the focus of Netflix's Somm). What you'll get in your box, depends on your tastes, of course, but Mathews says it'll be like "taking a trip around the world, but without the fuss of border patrol". In the current COVID-19 crisis, travelling via your tastebuds doesn't sound like a terrible idea. It's been a month since bars, restaurants and cafes were forced to close their doors to dine-in customers as part of the government's non-essential indoor venue closure, and, while it looks like some restrictions could be relaxed in another month, one expert says hospitality venues are unlikely to be open again until September. Jobkeeper allows businesses to pay eligible employees a fortnightly wage, but does not cover some casual employees and those on a temporary worker visa. This has led to businesses looking for new ways to stay connected with customers and make money, such as delivery booze services, virtual happy hours and cooking classes. For customers looking for other ways to help their locals, Mathews suggests, as well as the obvious buying a meal or wine, to leave them a five-star review on the likes of Google, Facebook and Tripadvisor and to 'share, like and comment' on their posts on social media. "Small business can't afford — especially now — PR or marketing companies," she says. "So little things really do help and only take a second of your time." When it's all over though, get ready for a massive party at Bibo "to celebrate that we survived this mess". To order food, wine or cocktails from Bibo Wine Bar, head to the website. To find out more about the Sommelier's Choice box and set up a Zoom meeting, email louella@bibowinebar.com.au.
Bottomless brunch is a well-worn Sydney tradition and King Street Wharf's new Moroccan restaurant Mecca Bah is throwing its hat in the ring with a hefty Middle Eastern spread and free-flowing cocktails every weekend. Located right by the water in Darling Harbour, the venue opened in 2021 with an array of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern eats for lunch and dinner. Now, you can book a food and drink-filled two-hour feast at the inner-city eatery. Available 11.30am–3pm Friday–Saturday, the brunch begins with a trio of dips (hummus, labneh and baba ghanoush) before moving on to lamb sigara borek, tangy chicken wings, crispy cauliflower with Moroccan spices and pine nuts and falafel. As for the drinks, you'll be able to take your choice of the restaurant's signature Turkish delight martini, gin or Aperol spritzes, a vodka berry cocktail, mimosas, house wine and beer across the two hours of bottomless drinks. The brunch is available for groups of six or more and will set you back $105pp.
It's almost obvious when you think about it. The vibrator did not first appear in history to bring women sexual pleasure; it appeared to make them manageable. It took some private revelations and a mass revolution before the device was reclaimed for its rightful purpose. In the Next Room, or the vibrator play is set in the late 19th century, when the advent of electricity led physicians to upgrade the previously manual technique of 'pelvic massage' they used to treat female 'hysteria', an umbrella illness whose symptoms could include faintness, nervousness, irritability, insomnia and/or "a tendency to cause trouble". The eventuating 'hysterical paroxysm' (ahem) would cure all lady ills. In this environment, the wide-eyed, restless and maternally troubled Catherine Givings (Jacqueline McKenzie) begins to listen at the door of her husband Dr Givings' (David Roberts) office. She finds the sounds coming from it most compelling. Drawn to meet the patients within — the soon rejuvenated Mrs Daldry (Helen Thomson); the rare male hysteric, an artist who's lost the use of his paintbrush, Mr Irving (Josh McConville) — she makes discoveries about her body, her relationship and the nature of intimacy. It's a period of history that holds a rich seam of material — a perfect junction of women's oppression, scientific subjectivity and the general quirks of Victoriana — and In the Next Room mines it using the weight of dramatic irony carried in by the clued-in postmodern audience. As you'd expect, watching a person have an orgasm on stage when they don't know what's happening to them is funny. Stuffy doctors showing off their inadvertently sexy inventions are funny. Double entendres are funny. A theatrical audience has never laughed this hard. The pleasant surprise, though, is that uncannily perceptive and heavily awarded young American playwright Sarah Ruhl has bestowed beautiful, random, entirely non-sex-related humour, too, and a warm, open meditation on the role of sex in society and in our inner lives. Only poor wet nurse Elizabeth (Sara Zwangobani) is given short shrift, culminating in an odd and overwrought clash with Mrs Givings. With its charming heroine, its lush and zeitgeist-containing costumes ('buttoned up' could have been coined just for referring to the Victorians) and its ornate, painterly set (Tracy Grant Lord) where walls blend into curtains, lights pointedly flicker and zap and you're enveloped in a living room fit for Jane Austen herself, In the Next Room is an incredibly fun and accessible work, and still a bit illuminating for its 21st-century onlookers.
Coogee Bay Hotel will open its garden to Sydney's craft beer-loving masses again when its fourth annual Craft Beer and Cider Festival returns on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13. The weekend-long festival celebrates the best drops from around the country, showcasing Australia's best breweries and cider makers. Festival-goers can expect over 60 beers from brewers across Australia, including Byron Bay's Stone & Wood, Adelaide's Pirate Life and, all the way from Hawaii, Kona Brewing Co. Not to mention a huge showing of local talent including Akasha, Batch, Lord Nelson, Young Henrys, Endeavour and 4 Pines, plus ciders by Hillbilly Cider and more to be announced. Pop-up food stalls will be offering smoked meats and other treats throughout the weekend, plus there'll be live jazz to help fuel your beer tastings. While entry is also free, discounted tokens and festival kits can be pre-purchased online, or you can nab 'em at the door. If the thought of all this booze is already making your head spin, why not book a staycation while you're at it? Coogee Bay Hotel has plenty of boutique and heritage rooms so you don't have to go far to find a pillow after the festivities wind down. Plus you'll be beachside when you wake up so you can remedy any sore head the next day with a plunge in the ocean. Head over here to pre-purchase your festival tokens.
In January, Australia scored a brand-new local airline, with low-cost carrier Bonza finally hitting the skies after first being announced in 2021 but only securing regulatory approval this year. The fresh face in the Aussie aviation scene isn't just about cheap tickets, but also opening up routes to more of the country's regional destinations, flying 27 routes to 17 locations. And, it'll fly to some of those spots from Melbourne from the end of March. Bonza boasts two bases: the Sunshine Coast, where it's been soaring out of since January; and Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport, which joins the list in autumn. Planes departing from the Victorian HQ will fly 12 routes to 11 destinations, with a trip between the airline's two main sites the first to take off from Melbourne on Thursday, March 30. Yes, if you're heading out of the Victorian capital — or to it, depending on where you're departing from — your 2023 getaways just got cheaper. One-way fares start at $49, which will get you from Melbourne to Mildura, with flights now on sale. Among the other options, flights to Tamworth cost $59, or you can get to Port Macquarie from $69. The fare from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast comes in at $79, as does a trip to Toowoomba. And, there's a heap of destinations available for $89: Bundaberg, Gladstone, Mackay and Rockhampton. Different legs will enjoy their maiden voyages from Melbourne on different dates throughout March, April and May. At present, flights are on sale right through to the end of October. To book, you'll need to download the airline's app. For travellers who have already done so, the carrier advises that you will need to delete it and then reinstall the latest version to get access to reserve flights. App-only reservations are one of Bonza's points of difference, unless you're booking via a registered local travel agent. Another: an all-Australian in-flight menu, spanning both food and craft beer. Passengers will get soaring in planes given names as Aussie as the carrier's itself: Bazza, Shazza, Sheila and Malc, with the latter based in Melbourne. The quartet are taking passengers to places they mightn't otherwise been able to fly to, too, with Bonza noting that 93 percent of its routes aren't currently served by any other airline — and 96 percent of them don't presently have a low-cost carrier. The airline has launched with the backing of US private investment firm 777 Partners, which also has a hand in Canada's Flair Airlines and the Southeast Asian-based Value Alliance. Bonza's fares don't include baggage and seat selection, which you need to pay extra for — and it is cheapest to do so when you make your booking, rather than afterwards. Bonza will start flying from Melbourne on Thursday, March 30, with flights on sale now. For more information, and to buy fares, head to the airline's website, or download its app for Android and iOS. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
If you've ever taken a shortcut through the back streets of Chippendale, you may have been struck by the sheer number of galleries and creative businesses which abound in this unassuming little corner of Sydney. Wedged between Central Station, Redfern and Broadway, with a post-industrial landscape of redeveloped factories and warehouses, laneways and neat little workers' cottages, the suburb has been flourishing of late. With its less salubrious past now thankfully left behind, it has become a thriving hub of creativity, innovation and sustainability, and the area, which is steeped in history, is experiencing something of a resurgence. On the evening of Saturday, September 22, this little vibrant quarter will be shining bright when the inaugural BEAMS Arts Festival takes place. Hosted by Chippendale Creative Precinct, over 250 locally based creative types will be filling Balfour Street and surrounds with art, media and light installations, performance and music. Take a jaunt through the streets and see what inspiring delights you stumble upon. Then stop for a beverage and share your experiences with new friends at the communal dining table, the fare being provided by local eateries. Who knows, you might even get to rub shoulders with a few of the area's more famous inhabitants, such as the gardening god himself, Costa Georgiadis. Georgiadis is also a champion of the Chippendale plan, a project to encourage sustainability and community spirit. Or you could bump into the makers of The Gruen Transfer, whose production company, Zapruder's Other Films, is based here. The programme also boasts some unusual musical delights. For instance, two of the bands featured, Thorough Bass and Auberne, bring a unique modern twist to baroque music and instruments. In addition to the exhibits and performances, there will also be workshops and talks for those looking for something more hands on. Amongst the activities on offer, kids can help create a mural imagining Chippendale's future or learn how to take care of plants with Georgiadis. For adults, there will be artist talks at many of the local galleries. The BEAMS Arts Festival is a great chance to celebrate, experience and become part of this diverse and burgeoning community. Image: Colour Splash Study (2009) by Steph Quirk.
This article is sponsored by our partners Thredbo. The first-ever Efterski Festival is shaping up to be Australia's most comprehensive snow-inspired event. Whether you're a pro who can’t keep off the white stuff, an amateur who isn't afraid to get your fancy dress on, or a filmmaker with a secret inkling that you could be the David Attenborough of extreme sports photography, you'll find a way to get involved. Running over five days from September 10, Efterski centres around the Toyota One Hit Wonder Big Air, the only gold ranked AFP (Association of Freeskiing Professionals) event in the Southern Hemisphere. The world’s most skilled (and least frightened) freeskiiers spend four days showing the judges (and us — the whole thing happens in the sky, so it's visible for free) exactly what they can do with 100 feet of time in the air. Australia's biggest freeskiing cash prize is their inspiration. The winners are announced at the Saturday night afterparty, held in Thredbo Village and sponsored by Rekorderlig. Efterski's second major event is the Atomic Alpine Knockout, a dual giant slalom. To be held on Friday, September 13, it's a new addition to the alpine competition calendar, boasting a $10,000 prize pool. Gun skiiers and snowboarders are still welcome to enter and, if sufficient snowboarding pairs show interest, a snowboarding division may well be on the cards. Saturday, September 14, will be witness to the most universally friendly event of the week — the Rhythm Skim Showdown. Anyone can enter ("skier, snowboarder or snoller-blader"), as long as they're committed to turning up in fancy dress and risk getting wet in a 'pond skim'. Prizes go the Best Outfit and the Best Wipe-Out, with DJs providing some inspiration. Finally, if you prefer to record the action, as opposed to becoming a participant, the Efterski's Contour Rookie Film Comp would love to see your work. They're looking for three-minute action sports short films that are viewable by a PG13+ audience, including at least one shot set in Thredbo and feature at least one point-of-view shot. Of course, if all of that is sounding like too much action, you can always spend the weekend in the village, immersed in the 'Big Beats' dimension of the Efterski programme.
The Maybe Group and PUBLIC Hospitality have officially gone their separate ways after just over a year in partnership. Vince Lombardo and Stefano Catino have opted to bring their beloved hospitality spaces back under the umbrella of leading food- and beverage-focused brand The Maybe Group, the latest development in what's been a massive period for the two hospo outfits. Across the last 12 months or so, global accolades have been showered on the likes of El Primo Sanchez and Maybe Sammy, Sammy Junior closed suddenly, and now The Maybe Group and PUBLIC Hospitality will separate. The new move is being undertaken by mutual agreement with PUBLIC's Jon Adgemis. "Stef and I believe we can best serve our venues by bringing them back under The Maybe Group's wing, and Jon has supported us in this decision," said Lombardo. This means that The Maybe Group's two initial venues, alongside one of PUBLIC Hospitality's most-acclaimed bars, will transition to the former's ownership effective immediately. As of Friday, July 12, Paddington's El Primo Sanchez, The Rocks' Maybe Sammy and Randwick's Maybe Frank will be operated solely by The Maybe Group, and Catino has advised that these venues will continue to operate as normal. [caption id="attachment_941736" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] "Although Maybe Sammy and Maybe Frank have been under the PUBLIC umbrella for the last year or so, we have continued to operate them as our own so there will be no change to the guest experience in those venues or El Primo Sanchez as a result of this transition," said Catino. As for future endeavours, The Maybe Sammy group has also noted that new collaborations with PUBLIC Hospitality will be considered on a venue-by-venue basis. [caption id="attachment_704013" align="alignnone" width="1920"] DS OFICINA[/caption] Further information regarding the venues will be released shortly at The Maybe Group and PUBLIC Hospitality websites. Top image: Steven Woodburn.
Want to bunker down in Bunker Bay with easy access to the ocean, spa treatments, infinity pools – and, of course, nearby wine regions? The Pullman Bunker Bay Resort is ticking quite a lot of those boxes and others, as it serves as a mighty luxurious base for exploration of the Margaret River Wine Region. A bit of a drive from Perth, Bunker Bay is worth the petrol for the clear waters alone, and the rest of Margaret River's attributes additionally. From here, you can head out on a group tour of the region's more than 150 cellar doors — famous wineries in the area include Xanadu, Cape Mentelle, Voyager and Leeuwin Estate — or get your own car or bike and follow an itinerary of your invention. Several of the estates also boast restaurants, so you're guaranteed to be both well fed and watered. On the other side of Margaret River's rolling hills, you've got that inviting ocean and a brilliant coastal walking track that will take you past Cape Leeuwin and its Instagram-ready lighthouse. The Mediterranean climate means there's never a bad time to holiday here, but come between June and November if you've always wanted to try a spot of whale-watching. Humpback, southern right, minke and even blue whales have been known to migrate past this coastline each year. Back in the comfort of the Pullman Bunker Bay Resort, studio or bungalow-style villas house guests here, and all villas have lake or garden views and a boardwalk to the beach, so it's an easy stroll towards fulfilling your holiday hit-list. Vie Spa occupies the side of your vacation that is "lying down and utterly relaxing", with their beachfront location and couples suites a very valid option for honeymooners. Kinks in your back all worked out? You can head to the Bunker Bay Resort's restaurant – Other Side of the Moon is its name, and utilising fresh and sustainable local produce in share plates is its tasty game. Eat well but don't forget to explore the wines too – you're in the Margaret River region after all.
UPDATE, August 12, 2020: Toy Story 4 is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. With Toy Story 4, Pixar returns to the franchise that brought it to fame. Nine years after their last cinematic adventure, the animation studio takes beloved cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) back out of the toy box, alongside his nemesis-turned-friend Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and their other fun-sized pals. On paper, it's a familiar, frequently used and hardly surprising move. While the Disney-owned company was once famous for championing new stories, its slate has been filled with follow-ups of late — this is a time when sequels, spin-offs, remakes and revivals monopolise our viewing, and when successful sagas seem like they could stretch on forever, after all. But in the process of giving the world its fourth Toy Story movie, Pixar does something that few others are even willing to contemplate: it offers up a farewell. Since it burst onto screens in 1995, the Toy Story series hasn't been afraid of goodbyes. It hasn't been frightened by the fact that everything evolves and comes to an end, either. The saga's first film contemplated the idea that Woody's time at the top of the pile might be over, with his owner Andy seemingly choosing a new favourite in Buzz. How Woody coped with his potential ousting drove the entire narrative, while similar themes of displacement, loss and moving on also featured in both 1999's Toy Story 2 and 2010's Toy Story 3. Wrapping up the franchise, Toy Story 4 continues the trend — contemplating what it means to realise that a part of your life is finishing, to embrace an unknown future, and to do so on your own terms. With Woody and company now the property of kindergarten-aged tyke Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), much has changed in the Toy Story realm. All-too-often, the cowboy is stripped of his sheriff's badge and left in the cupboard during playtime — and his status slips further when, after sneaking into her backpack on her first day of pre-school orientation, Woody unwittingly helps Bonnie make another friend out of a plastic spork. Forky (Tony Hale), as she names the new critter, is now the number one plaything. Alas, to Woody's dismay, the Frankenstein's monster-esque piece of cutlery would rather be trash. When Forky attempts to escape to freedom during a family road trip, Woody puts Bonnie's best interests at heart and jumps out of the RV after him, embarking on an adventure to bring the spork back. Every child has screamed with sadness and anger when they've misplaced their favourite toy, and anyone who says they didn't when they were a kid is lying. Today, plenty of adults do the same thing — it's just called social media. Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley shows how Bonnie reacts when she realises that Forky is missing, however with a smart story credited to seven other writers (including initial Toy Story director John Lasseter, Wall-E's Andrew Stanton and Parks and Recreation actor Rashida Jones), the film also delves further into loss, change and their impact. Via Woody's own journey, it examines what this process genuinely feels like when you're facing these experiences head-on and with purpose, rather than simply throwing a tantrum. You could say that the movie grapples with its own place in the pop culture domain, too, and you'd be correct. Given that its original viewers have literally grown from toddlers to adults over the franchise's run, encouraging them to break out of their entertainment comfort zones is a particularly savvy touch. Reflective, sweet, sensitive and virtually guaranteed to wring a response out of even the most cynical of viewers, Toy Story 4 is a classic Pixar piece as a result — the type of film that lets humans work through the complicated feelings they usually bury deep, all by watching animated toys express sentiments we rarely have the courage to utter, and tussle with topics we'd much rather ignore. It's a layered piece of storytelling also, with subplots involving Bo Peep's (Annie Potts) blossoming independence and 50s-era newcomer Gabby Gabby's (Christina Hendricks) quest to be loved each delicately and astutely handled. Both narrative threads tie into the movie's overarching message as well: that continuing on as usual, just because that's easy and safe, is rarely the best option. You can't take the 'toy' out of Toy Story, of course, not that Pixar would want to. At its best, this saga is as imaginative, amusing and fun as it is thoughtful, with bright, bouncy animation to match — and, returning to the heights of the first film, the franchise is at its best again here. With anarchic stuffed toys voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, plus the one-and-only Keanu Reeves lending his slow-spoken swagger to charismatic daredevil figurine Duke Caboom, the series doesn't lack in spark or laughs. Visually, it doesn't forget to pair its story with vivid images, plenty of detail and a plethora of top cinematic nods either. And while melancholy may reign supreme, it's earned. That's the reality of sifting through nostalgia, remembering what's come and gone, and knowing that the future will always be different. More Toy Story fare may eventually hit screens, because money, however this fourth toy box tale well and truly provides a perfect ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9JS8-gnWQ
If you've got a thing for libraries (and physical books), prepare to be very impressed by the state-of-the-art Marrickville Library and adjoining Pavilion. The community hub has made its home on the site of the former Marrickville Hospital, an area now going by the name Patyegarang Place. The library houses a huge 85,000 books — 20,000 more than its predecessor. It's also three times the size. Aside from being a bookworm's oasis, the three-storey centre boasts a suite of high-tech extras and modern community facilities. There's a cafe by Marrickville's own Double Roasters with indoor and outdoor seating, a collection of meeting spaces and private study rooms, and more than 1200 square metres of lush gardens. Inside, you'll find 26 computers and a dedicated technology teaching area, as well as a series of specially commissioned public artworks. The new-look build is the work of acclaimed architectural firm BVN and cleverly incorporates modern elements onto the heritage remains of the existing hospital building. It's sporting a sustainable design, with features like environmentally friendly warming and cooling, rainwater tanks, natural light and ventilation systems, and plenty of recycled brick and timber throughout. All these eco-friendly touches have added up to an impressive 25 percent reduction in energy use compared to the old Marrickville Library.
Following a two-year hiatus including a devastating last-minute cancellation in 2021, Vivid Sydney is finally back with all of its music, lights, talks and parties from Friday, May 27. To celebrate the return of the festival, beloved Sydney dumpling chain Din Tai Fung is bringing the vibrant colours of Vivid and incorporating them into their eats, with a set of rainbow dumplings (or 'rainbao'). Visitors to Din Tai Fung can enjoy a set of five colourful dumplings, with each colour signifying a different filling. The five flavours set to be wrapped in red, orange, yellow, purple and green casings include sichuan mala, black truffle, crab meat with pork, chicken and vegetable. Each Din Tai Fung dumpling is made with precisely 4.8-5.2 grams of pastry, before they're filled and wrapped with exactly 18 folds. You can nab these vibrant dumplings at the Pitt Street, Martin Place or World Square locations before heading out to explore Vivid, but they'll also be available at all of Din Tai Fung's Sydney stores, as well as via home delivery.
The Museum of Contemporary Art remains the place to be on the last Friday of the month when MCA ARTBAR takes over the gallery with an adults-only party of art, music, design and performance. Each month is curated by a different artist, making the series an ever-changing yet constant facet in Sydney's after-dark culture scene. For the final ARTBAR of the year, taking place this Friday, November 30, the museum has enlisted Hoda Afshar as curator. The Melbourne-based artist, who primarily works with photography and moving image, is one of the artists featured in this year's Primavera — the MCA's annual exhibition celebrating young Australian talent. The collection of work investigates identity through a social, political and cultural lens — and the Friday night event will delve even further into this theme. Elyas Alavi will kick things off at 7pm with his performance art piece I Wish Grapes Would Ripen, which explores his lived experience as a Hazara refugee. And then, you're free to roam around the museum. Video works from Walter Bakowski on spirituality and Payam Mofidi on political power structures will be interspersed with immersive live performances; Léuli Eshraghi will lead a healing ceremony while Alexandra Talamo explores Latin-American migrant experiences through choreography. You'll also have an opportunity to speak to journalist Behrouz Boochani, who has been detained on Manus Island since 2013, via WhatsApp in real time. And, if all of this art has got your creative juices flowing, there'll be collaborative bookmaking with Isabella Capezio and a portrait drawing workshop with Abdul Abdullah. When you need a breather, head to the terrace for a classic negroni and music from DJ Wael-X, and cheers the end of the work week. Images: Leslie Liu, Sam Whiteside, Jacqui Manning.
Maybe it's a budget thing. Perhaps you can't get time off work. Your diary just mightn't be able to spare a whole three days in Byron Bay, plus travelling there and back. Can't make it to Splendour in the Grass in 2023? There are plenty of reasons why that might be the case, but the festival's official sideshows are here to help cure your FOMO. This year, everyone from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Lewis Capaldi to Little Simz and Tove Lo are hitting stages around Australia outside of their Splendour sets — and Loyle Carner, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Noah Cyrus as well. Keen to see your favourite act do their own show? They might be on this list, albeit with the usual Sydney- and Melbourne-heavy focus. As is almost always the case with sideshows to Byron-based fests, Brisbane doesn't get a look in. If you're located in the Sunshine State and you're keen, Splendour or a trip to the New South Wales and Victorian capitals is in your future. Sam Fender's only sideshow is in Perth, however, and Lewis Capaldi's already on-sale sideshows only have tickets remaining for his Perth stopover. For folks in Adelaide, Loyle Carner is coming to South Australia, and Capaldi as well, but his solo gig is already sold out. That said, Secret Sounds, the crew behind Splendour, is also bringing its winter festival Spin Off back to the City of Churches, complete with SiTG acts Hilltop Hoods, Pnau, Tove Lo, BENEE, iann dior and Noah Cyrus. Yeah Yeah Yeah's sideshows come after the band was meant to make the trip to Australia for 2022's Splendour, complete with their own concerts, but had to drop out. Lizzo's Australian arena tour isn't on this list given that it was announced before Splendour, but that's another way to see the fest's talent without a trip to Byron. SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2023 OFFICIAL SIDESHOWS: YEAH YEAH YEAHS With Automatic Thursday, July 20 — MCA, Melbourne Monday, July 24 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney SAM FENDER Thursday, July 20 — HBF Stadium, Perth LITTLE SIMZ Wednesday, July 19 — MCA, Melbourne Friday, July 21 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney TOVE LO With Blusher Wednesday, July 19 — Forum, Melbourne Tuesday, July 25 — Roundhouse, Sydney LOYLE CARNER Saturday, July 22 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney Tuesday, July 25 — Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide Thursday, July 27 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne IANN DIOR Wednesday, July 19 — 170 Russell, Melbourne Saturday, July 22 — Metro Theatre, Sydney RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE Thursday, July 20 — Metro Theatre, Sydney Friday, July 21 — 170 Russell, Melbourne NOAH CYRUS With PJ Harding Sunday, July 9 — Metro Theatre, Sydney Sunday, July 16 — 170 Russell, Melbourne SUDAN ARCHIVES Saturday, July 22 — Liberty Hall, Sydney Tuesday, July 25 — 170 Russell, Melbourne DEL WATER GAO Friday, July 21 — Howler, Melbourne Saturday, July 22 — Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney LEWIS CAPALDI (on sale now) With Noah Cyrus Friday, July 7–Saturday, July 8 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney — SOLD OUT Tuesday, July 11 — RAC Arena, Perth Thursday, July 13 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide — SOLD OUT Friday, July 14–Saturday, July 15 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — SOLD OUT Splendour in the Grass will take over North Byron Bay Parklands from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23, 2023. The festival's sideshows are popping up across Australia in July, with tickets on sale from 9am, Tuesday, May 9 — and presales from Monday, May 8.
With the threat of increasing noise complaints hanging over Melbourne’s live music scene, campaigners, venue owners, musicians and councils have been taking action. In early September, the implementation of Agent of Change laws put the responsibility for soundproofing firmly on the shoulders of residential developers. And now, the City of Yarra is offering financial assistance to venues, to help them with acoustic-related works. All in all, the Council has plans to serve up $25,000 worth of funding under the banner ‘Live Music Venues Grants’. Each successful venue will receive an independent grant of $2,000 or a matching grant of $5,000. Of the 500 licensed premises in the City of Yarra, about 50 host live music regularly. “Of concern to all has been the increasing tension between residents living in dense housing close to major activity centres, and licensed venues disturbing the peace with loud music and noisy patron behaviour,” states the Council’s website. “There is also a growing appreciation of the Live Music Industry and the contributions it makes to the economy and to the cultural fabric of the community.” To be eligible for grants, venues must be situated in the City of Yarra and must adopt the Best Practice Guidelines for Live Music Venues, which were created by the Live Music Roundtable in collaboration with the Victorian Government. Applications are open now. Via Music Feeds.
At Concrete Playground, we know the makings of a great trip when we see one. Our team of writers and editors is made up of hardcore travel enthusiasts — myself included. We're the ones who make detailed spreadsheets of recommendations for friends heading to a destination we've visited. Day-to-day for work we cover the best new hotels, travel-worthy experiences, and carefully craft itineraries and guides to the most fantastic places in Australia and abroad. Now, we're translating that passion and experience into a brand new travel inspiration and commerce platform called Concrete Playground Trips. From there, you can purchase trips that are exclusively curated by our editorial team, featuring experiences you genuinely can't find anywhere else, exclusive deals to places you hadn't considered, and trips that do justice to the spots that have long been on your bucket list. We do the groundwork so you don't have to. You just book and go. First up is an incredibly luxe (and fun) trip to Auckland to coincide with dance music festival Spring City, headlined by Groove Armada. You'll get exclusive VIP access and stay in New Zealand's hottest hotel with a couple of extraordinary dining and drinking experiences in the mix. Take in the full itinerary here. There's so much more to come and we're thrilled to get it out into the world and, hopefully, inspire your next great adventure. Happy trails. Discover more at Concrete Playground Trips. Image credit: Pietro de Grandi
Kit Brookman’s A Rabbit for Kim Jong-Il is a comedic damnation of both capitalism and socialism. The two ideologies are fighting over a rabbit. The huge, fluffy rabbit named Felix is Brookman himself, and he's been dressed in the softest downy pullover and long johns by designer Elizabeth Gadsby. Like Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Physicists, A Rabbit for Kim Jong-Il uses a drama between individual characters to personify and thereby satirise capitalism and socialism, rendering world politics ridiculous. Admittedly Brookman’s satire today has less kick than Dürrenmatt’s would have had during the Cold War in 1962. Kim Jong-Il has expressed a culinary interest in Felix, a prize-winning rabbit reared by the reclusive, somewhat depressive German Johann Wertheim (Steve Rodgers), living just outside Bonn. As the Dear Leader’s birthday approaches, secret agent Mr Chung (Kaeng Chan) takes it upon himself to procure Felix at any cost in order to prove his loyalty and love for his leader. Believing that Westerners only care for money, he pays a handsome sum of €100,000 for Felix and returns with his loot. Johann then decides he can’t live without his furry friend and follows Chung to North Korea. Johann’s ostensibly well-meaning friend and rabbit vet Sophie (Kate Box) offers to accompany him on the mission. Rodgers is one of Sydney’s most consistently excellent actors, and in this production he is again in great form. He seems slightly ill at ease with the script in the opening scene though, and indeed Brookman’s script improves as the level of action increases. Director Lee Lewis, together with designer Gadsby, successfully transports the action out of the tiny Griffin stage to Germany, Poland and North Korea using projections on the black walls. The play off between socialism and capitalism doesn’t leave either world view looking particularly promising. Socialism as embodied by Mr Chung and Ms Park Chun-Hei (Mémé Thorne) is portrayed as structured, vainglorious and ruthless, while capitalism as embodied by Johann and Sophie is tired, alienating and delusional. All characters bar Felix show a motivation to be loved by others born of being spurned in the past. Felix represents an innocent kindness as an alternative to the selfishness and vindictiveness of the others — the premise being that the pursuit of power doesn’t end well for the innocent. Brookman has a remarkable ability to portray genuine benevolence as a performer without it coming across as saccharine, which is integral to us caring about Felix’s fate. His line to Johann, "I don’t forgive you", is all the more condemning for its reasonableness. A Rabbit for Kim Jong-Il is an ambitious, funny production of which Dürrenmatt himself would be proud.
Brazil is a sensory extravaganza. A colourful melting pot of ethnicities, the flavours of the country’s multifarious cuisines and the sounds of its rhythmic sambas — hell, even its biodiversity and natural sights — are almost as overwhelming as its frenzied 46-day annual street party. The Brazilian Film Festival is coming to Sydney on November 14, and should be a similarly engrossing display of unity in diversity. Audiences will experience the images, sounds, scents and flavours of Brazil by laughing with the comedy of errors Cilada.com, travelling to the Amazon with a feast of images in Tamboro and preparing for the frenzy of Carnival in Rio with the inside perspectives of The Samba Within. The twelve films being screened represent the best and most awarded of the latest crop of Brazilian cinema, which has had a long tradition in Brazil and gained a new level of international acclaim in recent years. We hate to rely on Rotten Tomatoes reviews for proof, but when City of God and Bus 174 have received a combined 213 positive ratings — giving the latter an impressive score of 99% — we have to conclude that Brazilian cinema is 'certified fresh' indeed.
Sydneysiders keen to visit the Sunshine State can start making plans for February, after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today, Thursday, January 28, that her state's borders will completely reopen to New South Wales. In response to NSW's most recent COVID-19 clusters, Queensland's borders closed down to folks from the Greater Sydney area over the Christmas period; however, come Monday, February 1, current restrictions on NSW residents heading north will lift. Premier Palaszczuk first revealed the news on The Today Show, before tweeting that "people have done a terrific job looking after each other through the pandemic and now Queensland is good to go". The news comes after the NSW Government yesterday, Wednesday, January 27, advised that gathering and venue restrictions would start easing within the state from Friday, January 29 — which was sparked by reaching ten days without any cases of local COVID-19 transmission. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1354532640729174019 The timing of Premier Palaszczuk's announcement isn't surprising — earlier in January, she had noted that the border situation would be reviewed again at the end of January, and that the state wouldn't reopen to NSW until the end of this month at the earliest. The latest statement regarding Queensland's borders comes as the state has 12 active COVID-19 cases — as last updated on Wednesday, January 27. For more information about Queensland's border restrictions and requirements, head to the Queensland Government website.
Grab your goggles, don your lycra and get on your running shoes — the ultimate endurance test is back. IRONMAN Australia will once again challenge the fittest athletes from here and abroad in the toughest triathlon on offer. The race will take place in picturesque Port Macquarie, where competitors will take to the water in the Hastings River before biking along the Pacific Ocean and finally running through the heart of Port Macquarie. It all takes place on Sunday, May 5, when the historic triathlon brings the ultimate test of endurance to its brave participants, with three legs of different physicalities stretched over a whopping 226-kilometre course. You read that right, 226 kilometres. It's a single race divided into sections of swimming, cycling and running. There's plenty of room to tag along and support any participants you know as the course will be lined with spectators — and dotted with fuelling points since cheers alone won't carry participants to the finish. Needless to say, it is not for the faint of fitness, and qualifying finishers can go on to compete in the IRONMAN World Championships later in the year.
Finding a moment or statement from The Princess to sum up The Princess is easy. Unlike the powerful documentary's subject in almost all aspects of her life from meeting the future King of England onwards, viewers have the luxury of choice. Working solely with archival materials, writer/director Ed Perkins (Tell Me Who I Am) doesn't lack in chances to demonstrate how distressing it was to be Diana, Princess of Wales — and the fact that his film can even exist also underscores that point. While both The Crown and Spencer have dramatised Diana's struggles with applauded results, The Princess tells the same tale as it was incessantly chronicled in the media between 1981–1997. The portrait that emanates from this collage of news footage, tabloid snaps and TV clips borders on dystopian. It's certainly disturbing. What kind tormented world gives rise to this type of treatment just because someone is famous? The one we all live in, sadly. Perkins begins The Princess with shaky visuals from late in August 1997, in Paris, when Diana and Dodi Fayed were fleeing the paparazzi on what would be the pair's last evening. The random voice behind the camera is excited at the crowds and commotion, not knowing how fatefully the night would end. That's telling, haunting and unsettling, and so is the clip that immediately follows. The filmmaker jumps back to 1981, to a then 19-year-old Diana being accosted as she steps into the street. Reporters demand answers on whether an engagement will be announced, as though extracting private details from a teenager because she's dating Prince Charles is a right. The Princess continues in the same fashion, with editors Jinx Godfrey (Chernobyl) and Daniel Lapira (The Boat) stitching together example after example of a woman forced to be a commodity and expected to be a spectacle, all to be devoured and consumed. Listing comparable moments within The Princess' riveting frames is easy; they snowball relentlessly into an avalanche. Indeed, after the film shows Charles and Diana's betrothal news and how it's received by the press and public, the media scrutiny directed Diana's way becomes the subject of a TV conversation. "I think it's going to be much easier. I think we're going to see a change in the attitude of the press. I think that now she's publicly one of the royal family, all this telephoto lens business will stop," a talking head from four decades back asserts — and it isn't merely the benefit of hindsight that makes that claim sound deeply preposterous. Later, Perkins features a soundbite from a paparazzo, which proves equally foolish, not to mention a cop-out. "All we do is take pictures. The decision to buy the pictures is taken by the picture editors of the world, and they buy the pictures so their readers can see them. So at the end of the day, the buck stops with the readers," the photographer contends. The Princess isn't here to simplistically and squarely blame the public, but it does let the material it assembles — and the fact that there's so much of it, and that nothing here is new or astonishing even for a second because it's already been seen before — speak for itself. What a story that all unfurls, and how, including pondering the line between mass fascination and being complicit. Perkins eschews contemporary interviews and any other method of providing recent context, and also makes plain what everyone watching already knows: that escaping Diana has been impossible for more than 40 years now, during her life and after her death a quarter-century ago as well, but it was always worse by several orders of magnitude for Diana herself. The expressions that flicker across her face over the years, evolving from shy and awkward to determined and anguished, don't just speak volumes but downright scream. In the audio samples overlaid on paparazzi shots and ceaseless news coverage, that's dissected, too, and rarely with kindness for the woman herself. Being sympathetic to royalty isn't a prerequisite for feeling perturbed by The Princess. Being a fan of The Crown or believing that Kristen Stewart deserved an Oscar for Spencer — which she did — isn't either. All that's required is empathy for anyone whose existence is stripped of choice, who is made to perform a certain role no matter what, who's saddled with onerous tasks that dismantle their agency and identity, and who gets torn to pieces whether they comply or rebel. That's a key reason why Diana's plight keeps resonating and always will. It's also why 'the People's Princess' label continues to echo. The latter was coined to describe her popularity and that feverish obsession, but it cannily cuts to the core of a heartbreaking truth: Diana attained a supposed fairytale but discovered that nothing in life is a dream, a realisation that couldn't be more relatable and universal. As well-established as the details are, the minutiae still spills out as The Princess progresses: the coupling primarily to provide an heir to the throne, the unsurprising distance in Diana and Charles' marriage, the persistent presence of Camilla Parker Bowles, several layers of envy, the 'Dianagate' tapes and the nation-stopping interviews all included (electricity surges during her 1995 tell-all chat with Martin Bashir, thanks to kettles boiling across Britain, are noted). Ignoring how the media kept shaping Diana's narrative would mean shutting your eyes and blocking your ears, even if the score by The Crown's Martin Phipps didn't maximise the tension. Ignoring the parallels rippling through the royal camp today, in the way that Meghan Markle has been treated by the media, is similarly out of the question. It isn't by accident that Perkins lingers on a young Prince Harry at his mother's funeral to wrap the movie up, after all. The Princess' approach isn't new, either. It's effective, though. And, as the same style proved in recent Australian docos The Final Quarter and Strong Female Lead — films that used archival footage to explore how perceptions are manufactured by the press as well — it's nothing short of damning about media practices and the audience hunger they think they're satisfying. Those two features explored how AFL star Adam Goodes was regarded in the twilight of his career, and how the fourth estate surveyed Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard while she was in the nation's top job. They dived into the self-fuelling cycle that stems from predatory coverage and the public's responses, one feeding the other and vice versa. Sound familiar? Watching both alongside The Princess would make for grim and harrowing viewing — essential viewing, too, particularly in a world that shows so few signs of changing.
Rough and tumble Sydney label R.I.P. Society have been hand delivering you the grungiest garage rock, darkest experimental fuzz and DIY post-punk electronica for five whole years — so they've got a few birthday toasts to give. Fronting up a chock-a-block lineup to The Studio, the beloved label has invited some of Australia's best to party down, with some iconic neighbours on top. New Zealand's legendary trio The Dead C will arrive for an exclusive Sydney headlining spot, along with label buds Feedtime, Bed Wettin' Bad Boys, Woollen Kits, Native Cats, Rat Columns, Cured Pink, Holy Balm, Ghastly Spats, Housewives, Constant Mongrel, Half High and Wallaby Beat DJs. Kicking off from 5pm on May 24, this is sure to be one rambunctious afternoon-to-midnight affair at the House. To celebrate the countdown to Vivid LIVE week, R.I.P. Society founder Nic Warnock has put together a solid playlist to kickstart your week and gear you up for the gig; from Melbourne's dark and stormy Constant Mongrel to Sydney's garage electro favourites Holy Balm with some wise words from Warnock himself. Crank it to 11 and bring your birthday wishes to the party. https://youtube.com/watch?v=-v_TibqZYRU Constant Mongrel — New Shapes "Constant Mongrel are redefining the rules of cool. Once, it was a huge indie music no-no to wear your own band's t-shirt while performing. Now, it's all the rage in some progressive Melbourne fashion circles thanks to Tom Ridgewell. New Shapes, new styles and later this year there will be a new 7" EP from Constant Mongrel on R.I.P Society records." Rat Columns — Another Day "A new addition to the R.I.P Society family is Rat Columns, the project of David West who's also the man behind the chic electronic project Lace Curtain and one of the three guitarists in Total Control. While this label has generally been moving towards the darker or the weirder side of the Aussie underground, Rat Columns play earnest, unashamed guitar pop. That's the type of life balance I wanna promote. Their first Sydney show is at the Sydney Opera House, lucky ducks." https://youtube.com/watch?v=mAram_OVcb4 Feedtime — I Wanna Ride "Feedtime are a band that feels like rock 'n' roll whilst creating a sound that's pure and unique to them. Feedtime sound fuckin' tough and but there's also a real depth and sensitivity to their music. 'Avant-garde pub rock' people have described them as, but it's not macho caricature stuff or in any way kitsch or whacky. Their songs are precise yet profound articulations of real life stuff, heavy stuff and everyday stuff. Hearing Feedtime for the first time, reading about their existence in Sydney, as well as how Aberrant operated as a record label was really inspiring." https://youtube.com/watch?v=DJg1h-3HPf8 Holy Balm — Holy Balm Theme "Holy Balm have been a staple in my experience of Sydney music. Through a do-it-yourself attitude and not being afraid to experiment and evolve in an organic manner they've become a empowering, positive experience both live and recorded. A great intersection of DIY post-punk and dance music." https://youtube.com/watch?v=so67hFjgv-A The Dead C — Outside "This is one of my favourite songs ever. Kind has a similar quality to Brian Eno's 'Here Come The Warm Jets', although much more crude and deconstructive. Still, I think this song is really beautiful. The Dead C's music shows that experimental music can be as emotive and invigorating as your standard three minute pop ditty." Catch the R.I.P. Society crew blasting amps at the Sydney Opera House Studio from 5pm on May 24. More details and stubs over here.
SOPA and PIPA are two bold acronyms have been flashed consistently over media channels for the past few days, and yet many of us have little to no idea what they actually mean for us as global citizens. The Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property Act are two bills that are currently being discussed in Congress in the United States. As their names suggest, these bills attempt to prevent piracy by granting Intellectual Property owners greater powers against copyright-infringing websites. It does this by attacking a website's appearance on search engines and hyperlinking through other websites, as well as its advertising and payment methods, which largely fall within the country's jurisdiction. This is an attempt by the US government to gain some substantial control on foreign websites which have transgressed legal boundaries rapidly. Piracy and online media sharing have completely overturned traditional revenue streams within the music and film industry, and this is why such legislation is receiving so much support from major labels and companies within these arenas. However, many argue that these bills are a great threat to free speech and innovation, as the Internet has become the greatest forum for global communication and access to information. Therefore, they are seen as a direct threat to the democratic ideals which underpin our society. Indeed, how are larger websites going to ensure that none of their content is hyperlinked to another website that supposedly breaches the bills? Unsurprisingly, many of the world's largest and most influential websites have expressed concern over the SOPA and PIPA propositions. Here are some of our favourite online reactions to the world's most controversial bills. Wikipedia Blackout The world's most useful website shocked users when it underwent a blackout for 24 hours. A link on Wikipedia has highlighted the mammoth effect of this relatively short shutdown, as it became the subject of 7,200 articles on Google News. Furthermore, SOPA has accounted for 250,000 tweets every hour after the blackout began. Indeed, Wikipedia have highlighted how this United States legislation will have an enormous global effect. It is estimated that a further 7,000 to 10,000 websites also jumped in on the blackout bandwagon. Buzzfeed's "25 Angry Kids Who Can't Do Their Homework Because of the Wikipedia Blackout" Wikipedia has become a mandatory initial source of information for pretty much any topic in life, and nothing highlights this more than this great compilation from the guys over at Buzzfeed. Collecting the tweets of numerous pissed off primary schoolers and teens, this is a nice summary of how we all felt when we couldn't extract some basic facts from our favourite online encyclopedia. Highlights include a tweet from @JetSetAmbee_, which reads "I'm tryna tell y'all if they take away Wikipedia, I'm gonna fail hella classes. No bullshit." Google's Censored Logo By now we're all used to Google's themed banners, but this time it wasn't as cute as the Christmas cartoons we usually see wrapped around the logo every year. In support of the claims that these bills would effectively amount to a censorship of the World Wide Web, the logo's familiar colourful letters were hidden behind a black bar that had been slapped on top. They say a picture tells a thousand words, and this definitely made its point. David Drummond of Google explained the dangers of SOPA and PIPA in this blog post. Free Bieber This website is actually about S. 978, another bill concerning copyright, but it has gained further attention in wake of the SOPA and PIPA bills. It argues that if it is passed, someone as harmless as Justin Bieber could go to jail because he initially gained fame through uploading YouTube videos of himself singing copyrighted tracks. A banner of the website proclaims that "Justin faces 5 brutal years in prison." You can even purchase Free Bieber t-shirts and stickers, and also fake tattoos that should be applied on your face and/or neck for that true inmate feel. Behind all the laughs there is an online petition for you to stop these bills. CloudFare's Stop Censorship App This app is to be added to your own personal website, and censors every word that is longer than five letters upon initial visit from a browser. As you can probably imagine, this makes for a very frustrating experience. When you click on a censored word a pop-up box appears which tells you about the effects of SOPA and PIPA. From there, the box allows you to tweet about it or even get the contact details of your local Senator to lodge a complaint. Furthermore, this app only takes under a minute to take effect on your site. Update: SOPA shelved
The ingredients you will need The dough250g flour12g waterPinch of table salt Pork mince filling1 thumb sized portion grated ginger3 pieces green shallots100ml water300g Chinese cabbage300g pork mince2 tbsp soy sauce1 tbsp sesame oil1 tsp sugar2 tsp corn flour How to make the dough Mix water, flour and salt together to form dough then knead for 3 minutes or until firm and elastic. Spray or drizzle with vegetable oil and cover with plastic. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Ideally, the dough should be thinker in the centre and thinner around the edges. When you fold the edges together it shouldn't be too think. The Chinese usually roll the dough individually by dividing it into smaller portions. It is generally easier, however, to roll the dough out with a pasta machine or rolling pin to 2mm thick before cutting it with a round pastry cutter on a floured workbench. How to make the filling Grate the ginger and finely chop the shallots. Mix these ingredients into 100ml water and rub the shallots between your fingers to extract the juice. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Blanch the cabbage leaves for 1 minute in boiling water then strain. Dice the cabbage. Mix cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, corn flour and the ginger shallot mixture into pork mince. To finish Put 1 full teaspoon of filling in the middle of the portioned dough and wet edges with water to prevent sticking. Fold the dough working outwards in. Dust dumpling with flour to prevent sticking. To cook, simply boil for 5 minutes. Serve hot with combination of vinegar and soy sauce. This recipe is based on the traditional Jiao-zi dumpling originating in northern China, interpreted by Zachary Ng. Image: Andrea Nguyen.
One of world's biggest bubble tea chains, CoCo originated in Tamsui, Taiwan back in 1997 and now boasts over 4000 stores worldwide — across countries like Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, the UK, the US and, of course, Australia and New Zealand. Yet, despite the brand's magnitude, each shop still serves up a quality product every time. The tea is made using fresh seasonal fruit and whole tea leaves, sourced both locally and abroad. Expect flavours like pandan, taro and salty cream, plus signature white pearl varieties. You can also add pearls to any and all flavour combinations, as well as additional toppings like aloe vera, lychee jelly and 'cloud' — which is a whole heap of cream floating on top. At the moment, there are 18 Sydney locations, including nine in the CBD.
It seems pretty safe to say that us Sydneysiders are absolutely, undeniably food obsessed. And not just in an instagramming our food way. Just check out how many food festivals we have. Yup, it's a lot. Taste of Sydney is the next one on the food calendar, running from March 14-17, and if you've never been before, just picture Centennial park covered in food, alcohol, and chefs under white tents. It's kinda like the food and cocktail circus is in town. You might also want to drop by one of the 20 restaurant stands, like 4Fourteen, The Woods, or Efendy. Here are our picks of the best stuff on. Dilmah Chef's Skillery in association with Gourmet Traveller If watching chefs filleting fish or showing off their knife skills gets you hot under the collar, head to the Dilmah Chef's Skillery tent. You might want to come up with some super-tricky questions before you go, too, because there's a Q&A section. Surely chefs have a take on the meaning of life question too, right? You're also allowed to get "up close and personal" with the chefs, although we assume this means more along the lines of getting tips on how to host the ultimate dinner party and food trends than getting a free hug. But you just never know. Bertolli Taste Kitchen This is the spot to check out "Sydney’s top chefs" cook up a storm. And if you're a My Kitchen Rules fan: winners of series two, sisters Sammy & Bella Jakubia, will also be handling the pans. They'll be doing what they call reinvented Polish cuisine. If you aren't a fan, just ignore the above and go there to watch chefs do their thing. And yeah, you get to taste it. Miele Taste of Sydney VIP Lounge If the thought of not being a VIP fills you with dread (all that mingling with the 'common people') this might be the option for you. You get two free drinks thrown in, $30 worth of crowns (the currency of the event) — oh and unlimited access to the VIP area, dahlink. You can take a moment to digest and rest your weary feet that have been dragging you around all day in pursuit of things to quaff and gorge yourself. It's a tough life for some. Plumm Wine Theatre presented by Gourmet Traveller WINE Wine tastings, wine glass education ($50 and you get to take home four Plumm wine glasses with you) — oh yeah, and wine. Did we mention there will be wine? Wine experts, winemakers, and sommeliers will talk all things wine, like cellaring tips, food and wine matching, and all that kind of stuff. Even wine critic Nick Stock will be there, and for 6 crowns you can see what he has to say about the liquid stuff. Malaysia Kitchen If you're already head over heels for all things Malaysian (foodwise), then we needn't say more. Celebrity chef Poh Ling Yeow will be there for some Malay cooking tips, and there will be Malay food and Malay food cooking demonstrations. So yeah, all things Malay. Tasmanian Pavilion This is a newbie to the Taste Sydney festival, and as its name suggests, it's focused on Tasmanian produce. Kylie Kwong will be there cooking Flinders Island Wallaby, and you can enter a comp to win a trip to the Apple Isle. Some of the Tassie produce on offer is beer from Moo Brew, Franks Apple & Pear cider, mussels from Spring Bay Seafood, and gourmet pies from Tasmanian Bakeries. Rekorderlig Cider Bar This is where Rekorderlig Cider lives (we assume). Or at least, its vacation home. You'll be able to try the regular apple or pear, strawberry-lime, wild berries, apple & blackcurrant and their new passionfruit flavour at their bar set up in the Star Marquee. While you down a cider, some live tunes will be a happening to get your dance on to, or you can just chill out and relax in a lovely cider haze. Sensology presents The Art of Cocktail Making For when it's time to get your Tom Cruise on and make some cocktails. Remember to shake it, and shake it good (only if it calls for it of course). You'll be taken step by step through cocktails like the Viva la Cuba Classic Mojito and Mad Men-inspired classics such as the espresso martini by mixologists. Then you can whip them up at home later to impress everyone you know. And remember to invite us. Sail and Anchor Beer and Cider Hall with Beer & Brewer Magazine And now one for the beer and cider lovers. You can get on down to demonstrations, free tastings (of up to five Aussie and overseas labels) and brewing masterclasses. Some of the brews available to try will be Sail & Anchor (WA), Sol / Dos Equis (Mexico), Crabbie’s Ginger Beer (UK), Chang (Thailand), The Australian Brewery (NSW), and Kopparberg Cider (Sweden). Taste of Sydney is on at Centennial Park from Thursday, March 14, to Sunday, March 17, 2013. See their full program of events on their website. Tickets start from $25.
Lal Qila's dedication to Pakistani culinary excellence has attracted many of Australia's pickiest diners, including Neil Perry, Mark Nicholas, Mushtaq Ahmed and Greg Chapel. Now, the Surry Hills institution is bringing its uncompromisingly traditional flavours to inner-city mouths, with the opening of a second branch at King Street Wharf. "We don't do fusion," said Namir Mirza, Lal Qila's founder and restaurateur. "We're about bringing the real flavours of Royal Mughlai cuisine to Sydney… It's about transporting the heat, passion and culture into our food, so that people feel like they're sitting in Pakistan for the evening." You'll find the new Lal Qila at 30 Lime Street. Just as in Surry Hills, much-loved Pakistani classics dominate the menu, such as Chicken Karahi, a mild curry with coriander, cumin and a unique blend of spices, and Sultani Saag, a clay pot curry with baby spinach, ginger, garlic and spices. Match your choice with a traditional naan bread, be it chilli cheese, pashawari (stuffed with dried fruit, coconut and nuts) or a doughy rogani. Bring your own wine or beer or go for a lassi, which comes in mango, sweet and salted varieties. Finally, polish your feast off with a dessert, like Khoye De Gulab Jamun — fried milk dumplings, soaked in sugar and cardamom syrup. Lal Qila is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Find their King Street Wharf store at 30 Lime Street, and check out their website for more information.
You don't have to be a spirit connoisseur to have recognised the monumental rise of Japanese whisky over the last decade or so. Now you can taste some of the best examples around, with The Art of Japanese Whisky taking over Prefecture 48's Suntory Bar from 5.30–6.30pm on Thursday, October 23. Set amid suitably luxe surrounds, House of Suntory ambassador Natalie Ng will take guests on a one-night-only journey, offering a remarkable deep dive into the depth, heritage and artistry of Japanese whisky. Centred on curated tastings, each refined tipple is paired with an indulgent snack that elevates the experience even further. Ready for your sipping pleasure, three high-end Suntory Japanese whiskeys will be served. These include the subtle vanilla notes of Suntory's Yamazaki 12 Year Old and the fruity Hibiki Harmony. Meanwhile, this is a rare chance to sample Hakushu 18 Year Old, which typically retails for around $1500 per bottle. As for the snacks, guests can expect another tasty trio: mixed marinated olives, comté custard tart with confit tomato, and potato croquettes with white anchovy and whipped curd. Plus, this memorable encounter kicks off with a welcome cocktail headlined by Suntory's sweet-and-spicy Toki Whisky. Images: Jiwon Kim / Tom Yau.
There's something refreshing about these particular angsty youths. They show so little sign of that neologism-spinning, tech-tuned, so-sharp-you'll-cut-yourself dialect contrived for young characters and expected of young authors, they're practically real people. Their references are less Facebook, more Sendak. They don't talk like they're texting, but their lives are tied to a mobile phone in another, primal way. Abandoned immediately after moving to a new London apartment, nearly 16-year-old Eliot (Miles Szanto), 14-year-old Maggie (Airlie-Jane Dodds) and six-year-old Finn (on opening, Kai Lewins; Zac Ynfante alternates) are waiting and hoping for their mother to ring. Their equally precocious 22-year-old creator, Polly Stenham, lauded for her debut That Face, knows them well and has them care for each other while harbouring conflicting agendas that bring them to the brink of Lord of the Flies-esque terrain. Their sheer kid-ness manifests in their enjoyment of silly voices, their easy slips into make-believe and their hormone-driven hysterics. They have the uninhibited physical play of siblings, and, left to their own rule, they turn night into day, subsist on chips and cold takeaway and definitely don't unpack the boxes that surround them. But as time passes, the mystery of their missing mother and the imperative to keep their situation hidden overwhelms them. The tension claws ever-upward throughout the first half of Tusk Tusk. It's woven by softly dropped references and stunning moments of light and shade and pulled tight by a sudden, grisly incident before intermission. Stenham's scripting is assured, but it wouldn't hold without the anchoring of its leads. As well as all being believable, Szanto is charismatic as Eliot, Lewins is cute and scarily capable as Finn, and Dodds is basically a hypnotist as Maggie. Thrash-pop scene changes and beautiful morning-to-night lighting complete their world. Unfortunately, the delicate pacing of the first half burns out by the second, which collapses in screaming and histrionics and does not deliver the fleshy denouement needed to match the richness of the mystery. Stay to the end, though; these kids deserve your attention. In her short oeuvre, Stenham may have settled on a theme — upper-middle class people have trashy lives, too! — but it's one she's doing well.
Want to escape to another, more fantastic universe? Cirque Stratosphere has taken over the Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall this summer, with flying acrobats, death-defying stunts and futuristic space age vibes. It's been over 50 years since man landed on the moon, but our fascination with what lies beyond our stratosphere — zero gravity, black holes and UFOs — has not dwindled. And this circus is launching us into a different galaxy altogether. From the creators of CIRCUS 1903 and The Illusionists: Direct from Broadway, which came to Sydney in 2016 and 2018 respectively, this dazzling show features Olympic-standard acrobats and gymnasts. So, expect some jaw-dropping spectacles. From hoop dives at great heights to impressive stunts on roller skates, plus hypnotic LED ring rotations and a Wheel of Death, this circus is one that defies Earth's limitations. Throw everything Isaac Newton taught you out the window. [caption id="attachment_757070" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Jordan Munn[/caption] And, after sell out performances in December, it's back for another round, with additional shows running from Tuesday, January 14 through to Sunday, January 19. Cirque Stratosphere is showing every day between January 14–19. For performance times and tickets, head here. Images: Jordan Munn
In 2020, we all started paying extra attention to where we've been, in case venues we've visited were also attended by confirmed COVID-19 cases. And, with the Greater Sydney region currently under lockdown due to a coronavirus outbreak, frequently checking the state's list of exposure sites is once again part of Sydneysiders' routines. The NSW Government maintains a register of venues that positive COVID-19 cases have visited, and urges the state's residents to get tested and/or self-isolate if they've also visited at specific times. Now, you can also see all of the venue alerts across the state on an interactive map. Called COVID-19 Near Me, the statewide map gives locations specific hues depending on the action visitors are being urged to comply with, making it easy to see whether or not you must get tested and self-isolate or just monitor for symptoms. For example, bright red-coloured venues are close contact locations and, therefore, visitors are to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, even if they receive a negative test. A darker red indicates that folks should also get tested immediately and self-isolate, but will then need to wait for further advice. Orange is used for casual contacts, with visitors urged to get a test and self-isolate until receiving a negative result. And blue dots are used for lower-risk locations, which require visitors to monitor for symptoms and, subsequently, get tested should any appear. Unlike the NSW Government's pre-existing map for COVID-19 cases by postcode, this map is not run by the Government — it's just powered by its official data. So, NSW residents are urged to also check the official NSW Health website if they have any concerns about venues they may have visited. At the time of writing, the map was last updated in the early hours of Thursday, July 15. Everyone in NSW with even mild cold and flu symptoms is encouraged to come forward and get tested. You can check out all existing COVID-19 venue alerts at covid19nearme.com.au. For more information about COVID-19 in NSW and current restrictions, head to NSW Health. Images: COVID-19 Near Me as of Thursday, July 15.
Pyrmont will score a lavish new restaurant this July when two culinary heavy hitters of Australia's most exciting chefs join forces for the first time. Sydney's lauded chef Chase Kojima (Sokyo, Gojima) and Melbourne's acclaimed Lee Ho Fook chef Victor Liong are coming together to open Chuuka, a new Chinese-Japanese fine diner at Jones Bay Wharf. In the space that used to be home to Flying Fish (which has just moved across the road to The Star), the two chefs will combine their respective specialties and techniques (Chase in Japanese cuisine and Liong in Chinese) to create a cross-cuisine menu that goes well beyond your standard Asian fusion. "We're finding links between the two cuisines and seeing that the similarities marry quite seamlessly," says Liong. "Japanese cuisine is considered quite refined and Chinese cuisine has a reputation of being flavourful but quite heavy. So, we're trying to showcase both cuisines in a different way by bringing more flavour into Japanese and more refined elegance into Chinese food, for example." The restaurant's name plays to this cultural exchange and nods to the historic culinary influence of the late-1800s Chinese immigrants in Japan. This menu will feature an amalgamation of flavours and traditional cooking techniques, all while using fresh Aussie produce. While the menu is still being finalised, Sydneysiders can expect it to be seafood heavy. "We're looking at using a lot of large fish and shellfish like lobster and mussels, as well as local vegetables like king oyster mushrooms that you just can't get in Melbourne," says Liong. Dishes that are in the works include pickled mussels with daikon and edible flowers; thinly-sliced cuttlefish with ginger; and a crispy eggplant dish adapted from Lee Ho Fook's spiced red vinegar version. An "interactive" course with a whole duck is also on the cards. "We found some dishes pop up in both cultures — but where they originate from is almost complete different," says Liong. The two chefs will be looking to "balance the bold Szechuan flavour with the elegant look of the Japanese" with dishes like the bang bang (or bon bon) chicken, which will see strips of pounded chicken topped with spicy Szechuan sauce, chopped peanuts and spring onions. The two-level interior is set to be pretty luxurious, too. The ground floor will have a 60-seat restaurant, wine room and outdoor bar — all of which are arranged to amplify the venue's encompassing views across Darling Harbour — while a 70-seat private dining space will take up the upstairs floor. Chuuka is the first off-property restaurant for The Star Sydney, which plans to continue to expand as a luxury entertainment group beyond its Pyrmont casino and hotel. We'll update you with more details closer to the date. Chuuka will open this July at Jones Bay Wharf, 26-32 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont.
There's plenty of competition in the race for Sydney's top Thai food, but beloved restaurant group Chat Thai is a strong and spicy front-runner. The no-nonsense Randwick iteration is ideal for casual, shareable feasts. Pull up a stool out front or head inside with a few beers and start with classics like ultra-crispy fish cakes and a round of fresh spring rolls. Turn up the heat with a sweet and spicy green papaya salad with peanuts and dried shrimps, an unbeatable tom yum goong or a five-spiced roasted duck red curry. Round out the evening with a table-full of coconut ice cream, sticky rice and mango.
Sydney's much-anticipated, billion-dollar Metro North West launched in late May to much excitement. But now, on Monday, July 29, the 36-kilometre railway line has caused some peak hour commuter chaos with a "communications system issue" halting all trains between Chatswood and Tallawong. Services in both directions on the line stopped for almost one hour, with replacement buses organised. At time of publication, 11.20am, the Metro was running again at a reduced frequency with buses supplementing some services. https://twitter.com/SydneyMetro/status/1155646538766417920 Transport for NSW is advising commuters to allow for plenty of extra time, listen to announcements at the stations and check information displays. Some commuters have taken to Twitter to report wait times of up to an hour and huge lines for the replacement buses. https://twitter.com/isabelanneok/status/1155632036364767232 The Metro North West — which promises turn-up-and-go services every four minutes (in each direction) during peak times — is just one part of the government's overall Sydney Metro project, which will, along with Metro City and Metro Southwest, see a new railway linking Rouse Hill to Chatswood, travelling under the Sydney Harbour to the city, then down to Bankstown. Sydney Metro West will link the city to Parramatta. Running on all lines will be the new driverless trains. At this point; however, the final stages of the billion-dollar project — Metro Southwest and West, specifically — are not expected to be completed until 2024. For the latest updates on the Metro North West, head to the Transport for NSW's official website and Sydney Metro Twitter account.
Heading to the East Sydney Hotel is like going on a day trip to the country. Not because of its distance from the CBD, but because of its self-proclaimed title as Sydney's 'last country pub'. The Woolloomooloo venue is filled with timeless memorabilia and mismatched timber furniture, and has a classic pub menu with some decent craft brews on-tap (along with all the classics). It's the perfect atmosphere for the upcoming winter months, and for a spot of afternoon jazz. Sundays bring live jazz and a great opportunity to chill out and get away from the chaos of inner city living. Cool cats Geoff Bull and his band The Finer Cuts (veterans of the Sydney jazz scene) play from 5pm until 8pm, creating a fluid set of smooth tunes and frenetic beats.
The communal workplace fridge — filled with a lifetime supply of tupperware containers, forgotten lunches and that unidentifiable smell that hits you every time you open the door. Sound familiar? If you need a daily reminder of how guilty we all are of wasting food, that's certainly it. We can all do better, which is why Electrolux has joined forces with OzHarvest to create the All Taste No Waste dinner series. It'll be held at the Electrolux Experience Centre in Mascot from September 19–21 and will feature intimate dinners with six of the country's top chefs. Chefs from across Australia will pair up to create one-off menus that take some of the most commonly wasted foods, including chicken, ham and prawns, along with eggs, milk and cheese, and transform these ingredients into delicious dishes. The hope is to inspire guests to reduce food wastage at home and learn new ways to use up leftovers. Wednesday, September 19 will host Jacqui Challinor from Sydney's Nomad and Stewart Wesson from Adelaide's Whistle & Flute. Thursday, September 20 will pair James Viles from Bowral's Biota with Richard Ousby of Melbourne's Stokehouse restaurants. And on Friday, September 21, it'll be Massimo Mele from Tasmania's Grain of the Silos and Mitch Orr from Sydney's Acme. The Australian food waste statistics are far from acceptable — one in five bags of food shopping ends up in the bin, food waste costs the average family $195 per month, and 644,000 Australians now receive food relief each month and one-third of these are children. "As a chef, we're taught a great respect for food," says Viles. "I hope that by inspiring people to use commonly wasted ingredients in inventive ways, we can encourage guests to shop and cook smarter and prevent good food ending up as landfill." Each dinner costs $55 (including drinks) and is limited to 40 guests. All proceeds will be donated to OzHarvest which, for every dollar raised, will provide two meals for Australians in need. Nab a seat at the table by purchasing a ticket here.
At the beginning of 2012, when the world discovered that Channing Tatum was starring in a movie about male strippers — and that it was based on his own experiences working in the field — everyone was a little sceptical. Which was understandable. Magic Mike boasts a great director in Steven Soderbergh, and a cast that also includes Matthew Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Olivia Munn, Riley Keough and peak McConnaissance-era Matthew McConaughey, but, on paper, it was hardly a sure thing. Of course, once the film hit the screens, it was a hit. More than that — it was a smart and sensitive look at men chasing the American Dream by taking off their clothes. Sequel Magic Mike XXL, which released in 2015, not only repeated the feat but added more depth, and Tatum successfully turned what could've been a forgettable chapter of his pre-fame life into a successful big-screen franchise. Actually, he's turned it into a stage and screen franchise. Yes, Magic Mike was always going to go back to where it all began. In Las Vegas, London and Berlin, Magic Mike Live has been letting real-life male dancers strip up a storm for eager audiences. Not to be confused with Magic Mike the Musical — because that's something that's also happening — the "immersive" dance show is coming to Australia in 2020. When its Aussie leg was first announced last year, the show was set to debut in Melbourne in May 2020; however, then the pandemic hit. After delaying those dates, Magic Mike Live will now unleash its stuff in Sydney from Thursday, December 17. It'll then head to Melbourne from Tuesday, June 8, 2021, with Brisbane and Perth seasons set to follow at yet-to-be-revealed dates. In each city, Magic Mike Live will steam up a 600-seat spiegeltent called The Arcadia. It's the world's largest spiegeltent, because clearly this kind of show has plenty of fans. This is the first time that the performance will be held in the pop-up two-storey spot, which comes with 360-degree views of the stage, a glass lobby, custom bars, a mini food hall, and a lounge area both inside and out. And while it's blazing a trail venue-wise, on the stage, the Aussie show will combine elements of the Magic Mike Live's three other international productions. While Tatum came up with the idea for Magic Mike Live and co-directs the show, the Step Up, 21 Jump Street, Logan Lucky and Kingsman: The Golden Circle star isn't actually one of the performers. Instead, a cast of 20 — including 15 male dancers — will showcase a combination of, dance, comedy and acrobatics. Continuing her role from the films, stage show co-director and choreographer Alison Faulk is behind the sultry moves, drawing upon a career spent working with Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Missy Elliott, P!NK, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. It probably goes without saying, but if you're already thinking about buying Magic Mike Live tickets, expect to have plenty of hens parties for company. MAGIC MIKE LIVE AUSTRALIAN TOUR Sydney — Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, from Thursday, December 17, 2020 Melbourne — Birrarung Mar, from Tuesday, June 8, 2021 Brisbane — TBC Perth — TBC Magic Mike Live tours Australia from Thursday, December 17, 2020, when it kicks off its shows in Sydney. It'll then hit Melbourne from Tuesday, June 8, 2021, with Brisbane and Perth seasons set to follow at yet-to-be-revealed dates. For more information, or to buy tickets for the Sydney leg, the website. Top image: Jerry Metellus.
Sydney hosts so many summer blockbuster art exhibitions that you would expect winter would see the city swept into a bit of an aesthetic lull. Not the case. Carriageworks has just launched not one, but two large-scale installations, the MCA has brought over Chinese artist Sun Xen for a week-long residency, and you can catch two Indigenous artist-led exhibitions during NAIDOC Week. All of these will have you happily heading out in the cold.
Ever find yourself standing in the supermarket frozen in confusion as you stare at a wall of olive oil and wonder which one? What's the difference? Fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil (FEVOO) Harvest Festival 2013 can help you answer this mind-boggling dilemma as they bring together those passionate about oil to talk, explain and enlighten us on why it is so essential to life. This is Australia's first festival dedicated to extra virgin olive oil and it will be showcasing the new-season oils at the Mint. Stephanie Alexander is headlining, with all proceeds of an oil auction going to her Kitchen Garden Foundation. An all-things-olive-oil menu will be designed by Lyndey Milan as you learn about the difference in oils and just why Australian olive oils are among the best in the world. FEVOO will be held at the Mint on July 10, 2013, from 6pm. Entry gains you a glass of wine, nibbles, tastings, a masterclass and an invitation to watch the panel discussion, and tickets can be booked through Eventbrite. Go along and sip, slurp and spit some of the best olive oils in Australia. Thanks to the folks at FEVOO, we have five double passes to give away to the event. To be in the running, subscribe to our newsletter (if you haven't already) and then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Everything about the Apia International Sydney looks slick and focused and white-knuckle competitive. And parts of it are — the parts on the court. But what the ads don't tell you is that the tennis is a damn fine day out for those of us off it. What goes down on the court is a world away from that tiny table-tennis match you see on TV. As David Foster Wallace wrote in his New York Times essay 'Federer as Religious Experience', "A large part of what's lost is the sheer physicality of top tennis, a sense of the speeds at which the ball is moving and the players are reacting." From even the back rows of the stadium, but especially courtside, you can see the true speed of that scary-fast ball and appreciate the real technique, tenacity, and grace of the players as they stretch out to meet it. The modern tennis game is breakneck. But that's, as mentioned, on the court. If you're more aesthete than athlete, it's the perfect opportunity to wear white cotton and plimsolls, grab some strawberries and cream from the stand, and imagine you're part of Rene Lacoste's personal entourage at Wimbledons past. The tennis is like a picnic, with entertainment included. Silence is a must while each point is being played, so there's rarely such a thing as tennis hooligans to cramp your style. A single session ticket lets you spend either a day or a night at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, wandering between the Ken Rosewall Arena court with its star players, the outer courts with their more intimate set-ups, and the activity marquees around the grounds. Or, if you take the casual premium hospitality option, a fully stocked esky means you never have to leave your seat at all. Confirmed for the 2013 tournament are high-ranking athletes Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, "our" Sam Stosur, Li Na, Caroline Wozniacki, Fernando Verdasco, and Bernard Tomic. It's their last stop before the Australian Open in late January, so they'll really want to go out of this one on a high. Image: Victoria Azarenka at the Apia International Sydney, Thursday January 12, 2012. Photo by Murray Wilkinson (SMP Images).
On Sunday night, March 22, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that all non-essential indoor venues had to close the following day at midday. Gyms, cinemas, casinos, and places of worship were some of the venues on that list, as were pubs, club, bars, restaurants and cafes. While restaurants and cafes were allowed to continue offering takeaway and delivery food, bars without a separate off-premise liquor licence didn't have a way of continuing to make an income. To help fix this, Liquor & Gaming NSW has temporarily lifted its restrictions on takeaway and home-delivery alcohol. In a statement released on Monday, March 23, the regulatory body said that due to the "unprecedented pressures on industry" during the COVID-19 pandemic, it would take a "supportive and educative approach" to licensed venues — such as small bars, cafes and restaurants — selling alcohol for consumption at home without the appropriate licence. [caption id="attachment_758605" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Big Poppa's by Kitti Gould[/caption] "The COVID-19 pandemic has created an exceptional set of circumstances and will have significant impacts on the businesses we regulate," Liquor & Gaming NSW said in the statement. "Not all licensed premises are authorised to sell alcohol for consumption off the premise. In these circumstances, Liquor & Gaming NSW will take a common-sense and pragmatic approach to enforcing the liquor and gaming laws. In particular, it is recognised that the risk profile of certain venues has changed and measures put in place to manage these risks are, in the current environment, largely redundant." It has said it'll step in "in cases of significant risks to patrons or the community" and says venues offering takeaway and delivery should have a system in place to ensure alcohol is not sold to minors or intoxicated people. The lifted restrictions are expected to remain in place until the non-essential indoor venues are allowed to reopen, which, according to the Prime Minister, could be another six months. Top image: Arcadia by Kitti Gould
FBi Radio's boots are getting bigger, better and shinier by the day — for the first time ever, Sydney's independent radio legends launched an Australia-wide competition. Extending their Northern Lights competition nationwide (in which FBi flies two above-and-beyond newbies to Iceland Airwaves Festival in Reykjavik), the team looked for talent across the country this time. After trawling through this year's entries, FBi have announced their ten finalists. The 2014 Northern Lights competition finalists are: Shunya (VIC) Jasia (NSW) Hubert Clarke Jr (NSW) LUCIANBLOMKAMP (VIC) Kucka (WA) GL (VIC) Airling (QLD) WZRDKID (VIC) The Walking Who (NSW) White Hex (VIC) A hotly-anticipated date on the music festival calendar, Iceland Airwaves has seen everyone from Bjork to Omar Souleyman, Savages to Harpa Silfurberg playing to packed halls of Icelandic and international fans. FBi competition's now in its third year, offer two winning spots to join the Airwaves lineup — one solo producer/artist, one band. With the help of philanthropist Mitchel Martin-Weber and the federal government, this marks one of FBi's biggest-scale competitions to date, kicking another goal after the recent FBi Click launch. Winners of the first Northern Lights, Oliver Tank and Rainbow Chan, have seen super success following their Icelandic escapade (with Tank supporting Lorde on her recent national tour and Chan joining the lineup for Vivid LIVE's recent Avalanches tribute Since I Left You, no biggie). "It really changed my life that whole trip. It was so incredible," says Tank. "I got to play music overseas before I’d even done that many gigs in Australia. And there were people over there that were interested in my music and that just blew my mind. It was like a dream come true. It was such an experience." As always, the finalists feature on a special edition compilation put together by FBi Radio, yours to download free here. Northern Lights winners will be announced at the end of August, and will head over to perform at Iceland Airwaves in early November.
This October, the Sydney Opera House celebrates 50 years of being an internationally renowned Australian icon — and it's pulling out all the stops for a year-long festival to honour its past, present and future. This month, the legendary landmark will pay homage to a beloved figure of its past with The Harbour, a four-week outdoor pop-up restaurant inspired by the original seafood diner that operated in the same location from the late 80s to the early 90s. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 12–8pm, The Harbour will be plating up classic fish and chips from the Yallamundi Rooms on the Opera House's Northern Broadwalk. Head down for a leisurely lunch or date night with a difference and tuck into Executive Chef Lee Thompson's menu of sustainably sourced fresh seafood, crisp-fried fish, crunchy golden chips and other takeaway classics like potato scallops, all backdropped by one of the very best views in Sydney. Or, level up with a seafood platter, fish burger or a plate of grilled prawns. As well as the unbeatable surrounds, The Harbour will feature chequered tablecloths, picnic tables and historical projections of the original restaurant. There's also a picnic-ready takeaway menu, perfect for when you want to find your own spot in one of the nearby harbourside gardens. The Harbour is popping up at the Sydney Opera House from January 4 to February 3 (but is closed on January 26). For more information, head to the website.
It's a fairly common peeve: you're keen to get bendy on the regular, but the yoga studio has a pricey membership way beyond your budget. Luckily, the Sydney Yoga Collective (SYC) is here to make this form of fitness a whole lot more accessible to everyday folk, now hosting wallet-friendly drop-in classes all over the city. Sessions clock in at a flat rate of just $12 — or you can bulk buy five classes for $58, 10 for $110 or 20 for $200 — and are served up without the side of seriousness that might have deterred you elsewhere. Helmed by local mum and entrepreneur Casey Castro, who's swapped the hectic corporate world for a life more zen, SYC's out to strike a balance between mindfulness and fun. Classes offer a fresh take on the traditional vinyasa style of yoga, so that yogis of pretty much any skill level can get onboard. A group of five instructors host these sessions across a range of local parks, gyms and beachside spots, as well as at the Woolloomooloo PCYC and SYC's permanent home at Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, overlooking Sydney Harbour. There are usually around 30 classes run each week, even including a couple of prenatal and kids sessions. Sydney Yoga Collective hosts classes at various locations across the city. Jump over to the website for the full timetable and to book a session.
The glowing Apple emblem on the cover of your Macbook has far surpassed 'icon' status. But in a sea of identical Apple laptops, how will yours stand out? With our list of 10 quirky Macbook decals, we can guarantee that your laptop will no longer remain anonymous in the coffee shop or library. 1. Banksy-esque An ode to the king of street art. 2. The Last Supper Perhaps a little irreverent, but hilarious nonetheless. 3. Moustache Parade Disguise your Apple logo in an array of dapper 'taches. 4. Typewriter Bring it back with a vintage-vibe typewriter. And then be thankful you can write that essay on your Mac. 5. Harry Potter 'Dark Mark' Join the dark side, Potterheads, with the Macbook mark of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. 6. Apple Bottom Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur. Everyone was looking at...your Macbook. 7. Marilyn Monroe Carry a little of Marilyn's effortless sex appeal in your briefcase. 8. The Giving Tree Recall the tear-jerking children's book with this too-cute-to-handle decal. 9. Bullet Simplistic, and a little cheeky, this decal will make everyone look twice. 10. Lego Man For all the little Lego men that your mum stepped on or vacuumed up.
This funky cafe/bar is held in high regard by the locals, because despite being around for so many years, its friendly demeanour has yet to falter. Grind Espresso is a favourite for local celebrities — players from the Cronulla Sharks can often be seen milling around, enjoying an espresso and some smashed avocado (with eggs, of course, for protein). The cafe fare here is simple but delicious, with BLTs and scones frequent favourites on the menu. Drop by and sit at the dive bar-style couches, or perch around a refurbished barrel for some coffee drinking and people watching. Images: Caitlin Morahan.
Petersham's Oxford Tavern is going full sour this spring — and not just with its beers. The Rise 'N Brine festival will return for a fourth iteration, taking over the pub for a jam-packed day of pickle-themed food, booze and even entertainment from 12pm on Saturday, November 19. To start off, the bar will offer a few pickle-flavoured brews, which have been whipped for the day by local craft breweries. Garage Project is serving up the Pickle Beer sour specifically for the occasion, while Grifter Brewing's C-Boogie Cucumber Kolsch will be on tap for the day. Other booze options include a pickle-y cocktail menu, which features a slushie version of the classic pickleback — aka a shot of Jameson chased with pickle juice. The pickleback will also be given the spotlight with a delicately curated shots menu created by The Oxford Tavern's Odd Culture sibling The Duke of Enmore. Not one to shy away from a pickleback, The Duke has pulled together a range of Jameson expressions and house pickle brines that can be mixed and matched to create your dream pickleback. The pickling doesn't stop there, either. The pub has also created a special menu of pickle-inspired eats to tuck into courtesy of Head Chef John Hockey. Pickle-brined chicken wings, loaded pickle fries, hot fried pickle sticks and a chocolate brownie topped with pickle cream will all grace the one-off Rise N' Brine menu. There's also a whole heap of pickle-based entertainment throughout the day. The main event is the pickle-eating competition, plus there'll be live bands and DJs including Papa Pilko and The Bin Rats.
