Hey boy, hey girl — we've got some news. Pioneering electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers is heading Down Under — for its first Aussie tour in six years. Off the back of dropping its ninth studio album No Geography just last month, the pair has announced it'll be taking a new live show (also called No Geography) around the world this year. Stops include the UK, US and Mexico — and, luckily, also Australia. If you've been lucky enough to catch The Chemical Brothers live before, you'll know its shows aren't your average stand-behind-the-decks-and-play performances. They feature strobe lights, lasers and mind-bending images projected onto huge screens. It's sort of like a trip, without the LSD. If you haven't seen one before, take a peek at one of the psychedelic shows below. As well as new hits off the new No Geography album, including 'Free Yourself' and 'MAH', we're hoping the duo will add some throwbacks to its live performances — the late-90s and early-2000s hits 'Hey Boy, Hey Girl' and 'Galvanize' would be particularly welcome. As an added bonus, the duo will be touring the country with a big-name local: The Avalanches. The Melbourne-born electro group will be playing a live DJ set at all The Chemical Brothers' shows. If you don't know them, you'll definitely know their song 'Since I Left You'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tri7gjlmfdk
When the weather is this chilly, you have to search a little harder to find things to look forward to. But the injection of cash into your bank account that (hopefully) happens after June 30 is certainly a cause for celebration. And, if you want to treat yourself a little early, Bar M is bringing an extra special Italian feast to Rushcutters Bay. The restaurant has teamed up with Ruinart — the world's oldest established Champagne house — to bring Sydneysiders a lavish five-course degustation, paired with matching Champagne. Owner and head chef Paola Toppi will whip up a decadent menu, starting with freshly shucked oysters with caviar and horseradish kingfish tartare — both served with a glass of R de Ruinart Brut. This will be followed by house-made ink ravioli stuffed with blue swimmer crab and king prawn paired with Ruinart Rosé. The main course is a citrus-poached toothfish with a herb medley, served with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc. Finish off with a raspberry and ricotta shortbread for dessert and an extra special glass of Dom Ruinart — made entirely of Chardonnay grand cru. Ruinart ambassador Dean O'Reilly will also be in the house to talk guests through each signature drop. The dinner will take over the Bar M warehouse space on Thursday, June 27 from 7pm and cost $275 per person. To make a booking, head this way.
There's never a bad time to dress up — and not just don your sleekest threads, but put on a costume. Perhaps you really want to spread some festive cheer mid-year. Maybe you need something spooky for Halloween. Or, you could just need something wizard-related for one of Sydney's regular Harry Potter-themed events. Snog the Frog knows all about throwing on a different outfit for a special occasion. And for one day, it's hosting a huge sale at its Surry Hills store to help Sydneysiders do just that. Head by the shop's carpark between 10m–5pm on Sunday, July 2 to add a few costumes, vintage dresses, tutus, wigs, shoes, hats, animal outfits and more to your own rack. It's a cash-only affair, so arrive prepared. Bringing your own bags is recommended as well. The range will spread across all styles and decades, and it'll all come cheap — with everything costing between $5–10.
If a fresh bread roll, an expertly grilled patty and a slice of melted cheese is your idea of a perfect meal, then you probably have May 28 permanently marked in your diary. Each and every year, that's when the world's most dedicated burger lovers celebrate their favourite food. We're not saying that burgs will taste better on that date — or that it's really a legitimate day of celebration — but if you just can't get enough of the them, it's definitely worth your attention. Especially if there are free burgers involved. Which, this year, there are. Burger Project will be slinging free cheeseburgers at all six of its Sydney stores from 11am–12pm on Tuesday, May 28. There will only be 50 up for grabs at each joint, so you'll have to make sure you're one of the first through the doors at World Square, Gateway Circular Quay, Bondi junction, Broadway, MLC Centre or Grosvenor Place. For those new to Burger Project's take on an old fave, Neil Perry's eatery whips up a hand-pressed slab of Cape Grim beef, layers it with pickles, onion, mustard and cheese, then squirts on some secret sauce. Next, it's all placed between a soft milk bun. And it tastes even better when it's free. Given that this free-for-all is a first in, best dressed affair, we recommend scheduling an early lunch break that day.
After being purchased by its OG bar team last month, The Lord Gladstone's relaunch is in full swing. Today, the stalwart Chippendale pub is unveiling an all-new lineup of southern American-inspired eats. And to celebrate, the entire menu will be on offer for $10. Yep, every single dish will cost you just a tenner. You'll be able to choose from loaded fries (with pulled beef, cheese and barbecue sauce), Sriracha maple wings with pickles and baked mac and cheese, all for just $10 each. Also on the affordable lineup are giant chicken parmas and schnitzels, plus a 350-gram sirloin steak, all served with chips, salad and your choice of sauce — including bone marrow gravy, port and peppercorn and mushroom. Rounding out the new grub is a five-strong menu of burgers, including a buttermilk fried chicken number, a beef burger with onion rings and a vegan option with a 'beef' patty, vegan cheese, aioli and pickles on a plant-based bun. The special $10 menu will only be available for lunch (midday–3pm) and dinner (6–9pm) today, so don't wait on it. Once today is over, though, you'll still find all of the aforementioned eats at the pub, just for slightly more. You can read more about the Lord Gladstone's overhaul over here.
Australia's favourite fuddy duddy film critic is back in town. Returning to the Orpheum for the second year in a row, the Great Britain Retro Film Festival will feature a selection of classic British films, each of which has been specifically chosen by the great David Stratton. So yeah, don't expect to see any handheld camerawork in these. Running from May 12 to June 1, this year's festival features 15 iconic films with not a single dud in sight. Highlights include David Lean's A Passage to India and Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, as well two films by acclaimed directing duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger: A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. Tick a few unseen titles of your watch list, or catch them for the umpteenth time. Even if you were normally on Team Margaret, you'll find plenty on the program to enjoy.
Heading into its 19th year, Sydney Design is one of the longest running festivals of its kind on the planet. This year, the event's designers, thinkers, writers and speakers are embracing the theme Fashioning Solutions. As usual, there'll be events across numerous categories, including architecture, interiors, products, fashion, jewellery, digital and graphic. Find out all about how One Central Park came into existence at a free talk happening at Carriageworks. Spend an evening hanging out at The Powerhouse with two of Sydney's most important design duos: Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson, who ran legendary '70s frock boutique Flamingo Park, and Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales of Romance Was Born. If you're considering making your own mark as a designer, book a seat at 'Design Knowledge: An Insider's Guide', at which some of Australia's leading designers will discuss the decisions and events that influenced their careers. Or get some hands-on experience at 'Silver City Dreams', a jewellery-making workshop to be hosted by Melinda Young. Find out what else is on at the Sydney Design website.
When Harry Met Sally set the ground rules for this one: men and women can't be friends, because the sex thing always gets in the way. So what happens when you just allow the sex thing to happen? Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in the second film this year to approach the topic can men and women just have fun, no commitment sex with their friends. The answer is, well, yes. They quite possibly could. But this is Hollywood and so if there's no over the top declaration of love at the end of the movie then you will come out feeling short changed. I hope that wasn't a spoiler, but really. If you've seen more than one rom-com in your life, you know how it goes- which is a little bit like this: Dylan (Justin Timberlake) is head-hunted for a lucrative position in New York by Jamie (Mila Kunis). Both have just come out of relationships and decide that they're over dating but they miss sex. As they become friends they also become lovers and, despite their best intentions, things get complicated. The thing with this movie is that for half of it, they're trying to mock that Hollywood idea. The other half, they just get sucked into it themselves. That's not to say there's no laughs. Mila Kunis is droll and flexes her comic muscles well and Justin Timberlake, who's name we're going to have learn to write next to 'starring in' without flinching, is also cast well, but it does feel like he's a little unsure of himself in a leading role. Directed by Will Gluck, who also brought us Easy A, there's enough laughs here to make it worth a look. Just don't expect Hollywood to breaking the rom-com mould any time soon. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FoKigdXnJzU
News of a boutique Australian festival returning is rare as hen's teeth these days. The Central Coast's truly underrated, sustainable and naturally stunning festival Mountain Sounds is set to return for another year. Heading back to the pretty, pretty spot of Mount Penang Parklands in Kariong, Mountain Sounds has locked in Saturday, February 21 for its 2015 instalment. With the lineup set for announcement on Thursday, October 23, interest in the boutique, sustainable festival has sparked once again — last year's festival saw Midnight Juggernauts, Ball Park Music, Emma Louise, Sticky Fingers, Jinja Safari, LDRU, and Cosmo's Midnight among others (including a farewell to Snakadaktal). Local strummers should get their demos ready too, as a state-wide competition is set to be launched in the coming weeks to give one live band and one electronic act the chance to play alonsgide Australia's hyped up artists. Giving a high five to the environment once more, the locally-founded Mountain Sounds is again set to take great care in minimising the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the festival. There'll also be silent discos and campsite parties curated by the team, who all grew up on the Central Coast. With tickets on sale Thursday, October 23 (lineup day) and sitting around 80 beans, this is an end-of-summer festival worth the measly dosh for. Mountain Sounds Festival is on Saturday, February 21 at Mount Penang Parklands, Kariong, NSW. Tickets on sale on Thursday, October 23, from $79 +BF and available over here. Image: Voena.
That staple of summer, Maltesers Moonlight Cinema, is back for its 18th season of open-air cinema. And they've put together another cracking program to tickle the cinematic tastebuds of old and young alike — from advance screenings of the hottest blockbusters to cult classics, blood-rushing action flicks to heart warming rom-coms. The Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park will be the Sydney venue for the series. After the daytime bustle of joggers, personal trainers and cyclists, hire a beanbag or simply sprawl out on the grass under the stars with a loved one. Don't forget to indulge in some delicious snacks and perhaps a few beverages to complete your cinematic experience. It's the perfect way to unwind after a hard day and usher in those balmy summer nights. There's also the option of 'Gold Grass' tickets, which gets you a bean-bed in the front rows and designated waitstaff. New releases include the much anticipated return of Ron Burgundy in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as well as sneak previews of big Boxing Day releases The Railway Man and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Sometimes it's the classics that can be most fun, however. Embrace your inner dag and negotiate how much a set of jousting sticks should cost with the much-loved and highly quote-able Aussie comedy The Castle. Or roll out the picnic rug and share a meal fit for Jehovah over Monty Python's 1979 gut-buster, The Life of Brian. If there's one thing Moonlight Cinema has proven itself more than capable of, it's cherry-picking the most enjoyable moments in cinema and creating a relaxed and sociable atmosphere to boot. Maltesers Moonlight Cinema runs from December 12, 2013, to March 23, 2014, and Concrete Playground has five double passes to give away (valid for a screening of your choice). To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address at win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au.
Come those long, balmy afternoons of summer time, it gets easier and more tempting to ignore the beer and opt for a clean and crisp cider instead. So to celebrate, the Hotel Steyne in Manly will turn itself over to the Australian Cider Festival on October 19-20. Let the boozy apple juice flow. The cider industry is gaining some serious traction in Australia, and the festival "will give the general public a chance to sample a wide range of quality ciders in one place", says Cider Australia president James Kendell. Familiar faces include old favourites like Magners and Monteith's, plus up-and-comers like Australia's first certified organic cidery (noun, not adjective), Willie Smiths. Alongside the dozens of stalls featuring local and international cider makers, festivalgoers can feast on menus tailor-made to accompany cider. Also thrown in are street performers and other family-friendly activities to keep everyone excited and involved. Tickets are 35 bucks a pop, and include ten tasting tokens, a tasting glass and a tasty gourmet roll. How do ya like them apples? Thanks to Batlow Cider, we have two double passes to the Australian Cider Festival to give away. For your chance to win, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), and email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Michael Fassbender's papier mache head scurried around Newtown today. Well, a damn good copy. Dendy Cinemas pulled a top notch marketing ploy by dressing up a denim-clad punter in the head of Frank — from the soon-to-open film of the same name. Stopping for a drink at the Newtown Hotel, Frank was a little late to yesterday's Coldplay party. Discovered via tweeting 'razzis using the film's official hashtag #FindFrank, the mysterious Frank was seen scurrying around King Street ahead of the film's post-Sydney Film Fest opening night this Thursday. FRANK is out and about on King St! #FindFrank pic.twitter.com/ttuIKUWE6Q — Dendy Sydney (@DendySydney) June 18, 2014 SPOTTED: Frank is fashionably late to the @coldplay King St party! #findfrank @MadmanFilms pic.twitter.com/5x0M4AI4xH — Joseph Gubler (@JosephGubler) June 18, 2014 FRANK's just stopped in for a quick drink at @NewtownHotel #FindFrank pic.twitter.com/Vt82VwPEMm — Dendy Sydney (@DendySydney) June 18, 2014 Check out Sarah Ward's review of Frank over here.
The brainchild of cosmic Melbourne trio Midnight Juggernauts, Siberia Records plays host to a swag of electronically-grounded, eclectic artists worth giving a significant damn about. For their highly-anticipated Vivid label party Siberian Nights they're bringing Mancurian electronic wizard Andy Stott and his formidable bass/vox fusion to The Studio on May 23, alongside Sydney threesome Black Vanilla, Forces, Cassius Select (Guerre), DCM and Four Door. Plus, the Middy Juggs will be jamming as well, bringing their fully immersive experience AERIALS to psych everyone out. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8RCyVFdkbgk
One of the beautiful things about living in the inner city is that you really don't need a car. Fundamental amenities are within a foot's pace and any other goodies - friends, parties and shows - tend to be within the grasp of public transport. So why are there so many damn cars choking our town? Reclaiming the Lanes is an effort to stop the clock and remind everyone that the world was a wonderful place before the Model T. Communities condense when their reach falls into walking distance, and this is exactly what will happen to Newtown on Saturday 13th. Expect mobile music factories, roving minstrels, dancing neighbours, lots of smiles and NO CARS. To get involved, gather at the Hub from 2pm and reconnect with the secret laneways of the inner west. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2WtS05WhqP4
A trip to one of Sydney's beaches can be akin to a pilgrimage. For many those sandy strips are symbolic of all things Australian - whatever that really means - and almost everyone reading this can share a memory of getting the golden grain chafe in their special place. But it is not just here that the beach holds sway over people. All over the world can be found the majesty of waves pounding against the shore, rendering rock into sandy butter. TaikOz have tapped both this tidal heartbeat and local beach romance in their new project, Shifting Sand, which has its world premiere here in March. World-class taiko drummers, TaikOz have blended a particular Australian sensibility with the ancient Japanese tradition, a mix that has granted them many successes over the past twelve years. Combining exceptional physical prowess with energetic sounds, Shifting Sand will also be the first time that TaikOz presents entirely original music outside of collaborations. Image by Keith Saunders https://youtube.com/watch?v=9hu3ehgLxQM
The Big Apple has been dominating America's music output lately with a slew of amazing bands making music that is both challenging and progressive. But it seems on the West Coast, the city of big cars, out of work actors and Mexican food has gotten off the Devil's dandruff for a bit and started delivering the world a bunch of really good bands like Local Natives, Silversun Pickups, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Warpaint and many more. Health are one of these bands and they stand out thanks to their noisy, abrasive, minimalist punk, often built on the foundations of disco beats. They sound a bit unhappy, the vocals a monotone drawl obscured by screaming synths and guitars. They have developed a serious buzz in the US and UK on the back of a handful of 7 inches and cassette singles and last years self titled debut. They are visiting us 'down under', as Americans say, to play the Perth Festival and are swinging our way shortly after. Expect a really frenetic and noisy show. Pack your earplugs. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_ETG3OAWv2k
An atheist and a (insert deity-worshipping faithful here) walk into the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. They each take their seat, peer into their bag of convention goodies, and then look at the program of speakers for the days ahead. At this point the atheist leans in to her partner and says, "If God actually existed, he'd be speaking at Semi-Permanent". Now in its eighth year, Australia's premier design conference promises yet another festival of creative ideas for Sydneysiders. Reflecting the diverse application of design, the 2010 line-up of speakers is impressive in its breadth. There are the graphic artists, such as Melbourne's Tin&Ed, typography queen Jessica Hische and slick Jasper Goodall. Next are the photographers, including photo-journalist Ashley Gilberston and the healthy glow of Jill Greenberg. And, as the brand evolves in 2010, Semi-Permanent will also introduce cultural commentators such as t-shirt aficionados T World and zeitgeist gazer Craig Schuftan. Intelligent designer or not, you'll certainly be rewarded in this life if you jump in and grab early bird tickets for Semi-Permanent 2010. We're partnering with Semi-Permanent and will be giving away 5 passes to the conference. To win, email hello@concreteplayground.com.au and tell us why you want to go in one sentence. Image by Jasper Goodall.
Embrace your inner hula girl for The Tiki Two, a duo comprising old Sydney lads Con Tiki and Mr Mai Tai, (the delicious duo whose remix of Ella Fitzgerald's and Duke Ellington's 'Caravan' sold out in two weeks) who will be at OAF on Australia Day spinning more musical genres then you could throw a coconut cocktail at. Their incredible collection of 60s go-go, vintage rock and surf-a-billy will blow up your grass reeds and set your lei on fire. Joining them on the decks will be Sydney's very own Graz whose TARDIS awaits to take you back and forth through all time with his rockin tunes. Hulas and limbo competitions await, as do prizes for the best dressed.
Jacques Audiard serves up another searing character study of crime with his taut portrait of A Prophet. Following up the beautifully realised The Beat My Heart Skipped, Audiard journeys into the bowels of the French prison system with an illiterate young Arab, Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim). Condemned to a six-year stint for an unnamed crime, Malik falls in with Corsican gangster César Luciani (Niels Arestrup) and pushed to increasingly violent ends in order to survive. Audiard's ferocious and fearless filmmaking is being recognised with several award nominations (including a Grand Prix win at Cannes) as well as ubiquitous and prestigious comparisons with The Godfather. A Prophet is 150 minutes of claustrophobic and clawing reality that tears strips off any semblance of 'rehabilitation.' As a companion to Jean-François Richet's epic biography of Jacques Mesrine, Audiard adds a further layer of brutality to the nature of gangsters and the harrowing existence of incarceration. Email your details to hello@concreteplayground.com.au with A Prophet Giveaway in the subject line for your chance to win one of 20 double passes to a preview screening on Feb 8, 6.30pm at Dendy Newtown. https://youtube.com/watch?v=l69ARbQt-Ko
In order to feel incredibly grateful to our early ancestors you only need to think about their persistent curiosity and hazardous experimentation with food. How many lives, throughout the history of the human family, must have been lost to determine which mushrooms are poisonous and which varieties are safe? Imagine the process of sorting out which berries cause the belly to swell and explode and which ones satisfy the desire for sweet nourishment. This trial and error process lies at the heart of collaborative projects, where the measurements of others must be shared with a range of other measurements also taking place. For information we must allow for formation. Open Fields is an "inaugural academic camp" inviting researchers, academics, artists, practitioners and idea-enthusiasts to partake in a cross-pollination event occurring at both the University of Technology and Serial Space, Sydney. The ambition here is to present a range of proposals, prognostications, ideas and works in a multi-disciplinary feast. Catch the full program of performances, presentations, installations, exhibitions, screenings, Wednesday's opening night festivities and Friday night's live zine printing and assembly. To win one of two conference passes to Open Fields click 'Suggest to friends' on our Facebook page, tell some of your peeps about Concrete Playground, then confirm your entry on the wall.
This show has such a curious mix of reggae greats and amusing pop artists. You have on one hand Sly & Robbie, who are absolute legends of the genre who in the 80's imbued the sounds of reggae into some seminal pop albums, producing for Grace Jones, Peter Tosh and even Serge Gainsbourg. Then you have Shaggy who has penned the awful yet amusing pop gems Mr Boombastic and It Wasn't Me (I bet you've got that one stuck in your head now). You have to wonder about the target market. The biggest draw card could be the fact that Lauryn Hill is appearing with Sly & Robbie. Hill has somewhat fallen by the wayside since her days in The Fugees (Wyclef Jean is also appearing solo) and her amazing solo debut The Miseducation Of, so it will be interesting to see her return to our shores. The show is split over two nights, so if you like your skank and you've got some cash to cover the astronomical cover charge choose your night, or go to both if you want to fork out $242. https://youtube.com/watch?v=dE6Qcc6VDo8
Echo & The Bunnymen, Jane's Addiction, My Bloody Valentine, Duran Duran, Rage Against The Machine, The Pixies Happy Mondays... The last few years have seen more reformations than you can poke a stick at, promoters dusting off the old rockers like crazy. The results have been mixed, but Faith No More should yield better results than most, as they are still young enough to put on an amazing show without looking like parodies of their younger selves (did anyone see Devo at Splendour a few years back? Flower pots on old guys equals creepy and stupid not quirky and inventive). FNM had a 11 year hiatus and apparently "decided to sit down together and talk about it" (check out the press release on their website, it sounds like they had a therapy session ala Metallica). Well talk they did, and they decided to do what they do best -tour like mad men all over the globe and shred like monsters. So if you can't handle all the rest of the metal at Soundwave, rock down to The Hordern.
Apparently Jesse Willesee is going somewhere. Before he does though, there’ll be one last show: YOU PUT A SHIRT ON A HANGOVER AND CALL IT A DAY. And, despite being a self-professed ‘failed poet’, the artist will be launching his debut book of poetry. It is an art show and book launch with performance, interactive installation and poetry. All on a Tuesday night. What’s more, it’s happening at The Coachman, that amazing dusty den of decadent Russian kitsch, where anything might happen - I once saw the most amazing bogan bride standing by the door, in a too-white polyester meringue, boobs overflowing, fag pressed between her lips. Art, Poetry, Vodka, Borsch ... I’m sorry are you still looking for reasons to attend? Come, crush a cup of wine.
Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winning novella is a personal, epic poem about a father and son clinging to their humanity in a post-apocalyptic world. Suitably, a lyrical director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) has brought the story to the screen, capturing the stultifying bleakness and depravity in which the last tendrils of hope still remain. Reuniting with The Proposition scribe Nick Cave, and star Guy Pearce, Hillcoat brings his own, confident eye to the tale; casting Australian newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee (Romulus, My Father) alongside Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings) as the leads Man and Boy. This is a sparse, disturbing and evocatively precise film. Screenwriter Joe Penhall, cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe and production designer Chris Kennedy have done a remarkable job recreating McCarthy's harrowing dystopia (just what caused the world's demise is provocatively left untold), while Mortensen and Smit-McPhee generate beautiful chemistry in what is a captivating love story between father and son as well as a brutal right of passage. The overuse of Cave's muscular music sullies the experience somewhat, however Hillcoat succeeds in creating his unflinching apocalypse, while quietly shepherding his film towards a faint, fading mirage of hope. We have 5 double passes to give away, just email your details to hello@concreteplayground.com.au with THE ROAD TICKET GIVEAWAY in the subject line for your chance to win. https://youtube.com/watch?v=i4aNZGniOG4
The twentieth century was a time for joyous speculation, when many minds envisaged future utopias of married technology and cultures. Back then, our future was filled with flying cars, friendly aliens, food pills and zero gravity sexbots. And everyone wore silver foil, because it was awesome. Sadly, successive decades of very bad behaviour have corrupted our future visions, and now all we can hope for is that our poisoned bodies develop a kind of tumour that allows us to breath underwater. Sydney artist Kenzie Larsen is fighting that grim vision with a return to all things bright, shiny and low budget. Channelling the sci-fi films of old, Larsen has created a sculptural and print playground for those wanting to explore the grand frontiers of forgotten space. Photo by James Brown
George Clooney has been making a habit of anthropomorphising himself this summer. First he played a fox in Wes Anderson's spell-binding Fantastic Mr Fox and now, in Up In The Air, he plays an entirely different kind of predator. “We are not swans,” his character Ryan Bingham says to a room full of business associates, “We’re sharks. The slower we move, the faster we die.” And when Clooney says it, with his gleaming white teeth and dead eyes, you believe him. The role is a perfect fit. Clooney, who’s always been chilled out, has never looked this cold-blooded or at ease before. Perhaps Oceans 11 comes close, but unlike that film, Up In The Air is about something. Ryan Bingham is a “career-transition counsellor”. His job is to fire people from large corporations and he spends almost all his time jetting across America to different failing companies. He lives in a sterile limbo of faux geniality, pillow mints, mini bars and no emotional connections. When someone asks him where he’s from he says “I’m from here” gesturing to his business class seat. The movie is directed by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman, who made Ghostbusters (yay!) but also Junior (boo!). Unlike his dad, Reitman Jr isn’t afraid to put a bitter coating on a sweet pill. The movie is as hip and glib as you would expect from the man who made Juno, with awesome comedic cameos from Zach Galifianakis, and J.K. Simmons. But it also features heartbreakingly raw scenes featuring non-actors who were actually made redundant. There aren’t that many mainstream directors who have the courage to allow you to indulge in slick Hollywood escapism but are also prepared to pull the rug out from under you when you least expect it. The two supporting actresses Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are also excellent, as is Jason Bateman as Clooney's smug boss. Up in The Air is an hilarious and ultimately chilling film about modern alienation. Like a Rom Com version of American Psycho. We have three double passes to give away, thanks to Paramount Pictures. Email your details to hello@concreteplayground.com.au with UP IN AIR GIVEAWAY in the subject line for your chance to win.
Right up there with "yeah, baby!" from Austin Powers, or Jerry (I haven't even seen the damn movie but I know this line) Maguire's "show me the money", Taxi Driver's "you talkin' to me?" is a movie quote I need NEVER hear again, except if it's Robert DeNiro in a state of manic panic in front of his bathroom mirror. In which case — because nobody puts baby in a corner — I'll be first in line for a ticket. Following the glam bloodbaths of the Dario Argento festival, the Chauvel Cinema is hosting a month of Scorcese Fridays. Despite the fact The King of Comedy isn't screening (boo), the line-up is worthy of you putting every session down in your diary right now. In pen, even. What I'm saying is, it's time to get organezized. O-R-G-A-N-E-Z-I-Z-E-D... Friday 26th March 8:30pm Mean Streets (1973) Power, love, loyalty and a smoking gun in Little Italy. Friday 2nd April 8:30pm Taxi Driver (1976) Yes I'm talking to you, you should know what this '76 Palme d'Or winner is about already. Friday 9th April 8:30pm Good Fellas (1990) This ain't your mum's Sopranos. Well, actually it is. This has more bada bing than Bada Bing. Friday 16th April Raging Bull (1980) Best boxing film ever made, end of story. If that's not enough, it inspired one of the best scenes in Waiting For Guffman.
Enough with the lawns and gardens – outdoor cinema could do with some dirtying up. Taking over Parker St in Chinatown for one night only, Gallery 4a's Cinema Alley is presenting a double-bill with An Estranged Paradise (1999), a feature-length film by one of China's leading contemporary artists, Yang Fudong, and The Cowboy's Flute, an early 1960's animation by Te Wei of the Shanghai Animation Studio. Known predominately for his photographic irony and short art films, Fudong's An Estranged Paradise was his first feature-length film, taking him seven years to complete. The film is centered on Zhuzi, a young man complaining of a general malaise eventually deduced to be only intense boredom. Estrangement and aimlessness play out in this psychological drama on the uneventfulness of happiness with all the poetry and power for which Fudong is renowned. The Cowboy's Flute is a key water and ink-wash short animation from the Shanghai Animation Studio. Unmistakably Chinese, the story unfolds without dialogue, emphasising the animation's art, and the soundscape. This year's Cinema Alley is a celebration of the collision of contemporary and traditional concerns in Chinese art. Tickets are free but limited so pre-book early. As part of the program Gallery 4a is also running an animation project where audience members can submit short animations with selected works to be screened the following year (contact the gallery for details). https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z60qEocUYAg
It's anyone's guess what went down in Dizzee's dome to make him start doing rave tunes and drinking champagne in the tropics with scantily clad women. Maybe too much sun for the London boy made him go troppo. It's a big change from the teenager who shot into our peripheries with the grimey, naive yet tough as nails sounds produced at his East London high school on his debut Boy In Da Corner, which featured the huge tunes I Luv U and Fix Up Look Sharp. I'm not so convinced on his new direction - collaborating with UK electro producer Calvin Harris and dropping tunes about holidays on white sand islands and cash cash cash - but I suppose it's just a prodigiously talented twenty something flaunting his success. He is one of the drawcards at The Big Day Out and will stop by the Enmore Theatre while he's here. Let's just hope he delves into some of his back catalogue to balance out the new new neon party anthems.
Let’s take a minute to talk about love. As one of the most powerful yet overused four-letter words in the English language, next to “fuck†and “cakeâ€, love at times feels dangerously close to overexposure.Like many before her, Charlyne Yi wanted to uncover the truth behind the word. In Paper Heart, she travels across America with camera crew in tow, speaking with couples, singles, children and the elderly in an attempt to understand love. Along the way, she befriends actor Michael Cera and a romance blossoms.What saves the film from triteness is that Paper Heart is actually following a script. In a clever twist on what we’ve come to expect from indie documentaries, Yi and Cera play themselves in a film about their fictional romance, while Nicholas Jasenovec, the film’s actual director, is played by actor Jake M. Johnson.Occasionally Yi and Cera’s awkwardness grates, and the ending is a little haphazard, but the film doesn’t pretend to draw any grand conclusions or teach any profound lessons about love. Paper Heart’s message seems to be that figuring everything out, in love and in this film, can kill the magic. Instead, just enjoy the ride.https://youtube.com/watch?v=xkdrdSCBZmk
There is no 5 in Ben Folds. Just a man, described by Spin as "incapable of mediocrity," a piano and a slew of unique, slightly left-of-centre pop rock tunes. Ben's been a busy boy since last he graced our shores in 2006, selling out a record four shows with the Sydney Symphony orchestra. He released 3 albums this year alone. Stems and seeds landed in stores in February, followed by Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella! And the latest, Way to Normal, which has earned many a rhapsodic review. "Nary a weak link to be found" says PopMatters "more than anything, Way to Normal is simply Folds' way of showing us that, at 42, he's still doing this piano-power-pop thing better than anyone else around." Placing himself in an in-the-round scenario for two shows only at Sydney's Opera House, Ben will perform tracks from the new album and his extensive archives.
Contained within a museum–like cage and existing on a diet of images, videos and sound files is Artefact H10515, the digital offspring of Australian artist Craig Walsh and his trusty helpers Steven Thomasson and Lawrence English.Soon to be inhabiting the Powerhouse Museum, this gastronomic chameleon digests digital matter dispatched from a website that has access to a number of public and private collections, including that of the Powerhouse Museum. The result is a breathing heaving mass that morphs, moves and changes colour in response to its last meal of art à la carte.Audiences can watch this transformation happen before them or step into the driver’s seat and upload their own content to the website. The title of the work harks back to the original object registration system of the Powerhouse Museum where items of unknown origin or purpose were given an ‘H’ prefix followed by the next available number. If our metabolism was as immediate and transparent as this, the old adage ‘you are what you eat’ would be far more frightening. Three cheers for blissful ignorance. Cheezel anyone?
Why is it that so many new German plays are being performed in Australia? Obviously, it's because we share a border with Deutschland and speak a dialect of its language - oh wait, that's Austria. Tut mir leid.So, having eliminated the easy answer, that still leaves the jolly, lederhosed elephant squatting in the corner of the theatre. Are there any parallels to be drawn between Australian and German culture, or do we even need to find similarities in order to enjoy another country's creative fruits? Perhaps the answer can be found in the large numbers of German travellers who grace our beaches every year, or in the firm-chinned declaration by many an Australian that they "want to live in Berlin while it's still cool". Somehow, though I hang my head in shame to admit it, maybe ours is a love affair consummated in the throes of stein passion during Munich's Oktoberfest.All stereotypes aside, if you are keen to uncover the solution to this mystery, book a ticket for the August 27th performance of Under Ice and you'll be able to attend the German Forum organised by the Griffin Theatre.
How do you shoot the most shot beach in the country without it looking like a postcard you might send to your granny? Hitch a ride in a helicopter and view it as the Gods do. That's exactly what renowned surf photographer and owner of Aquabumps Gallery, Eugene Tan, did when he took to the skies in an attempt to capture the iconic Bondi beach from a rarely indulged angle. The result is a stunning series of vivid aerial shots that showcase our oceanic landscape in all its epic splendor. In the spirit of inclusion, Tan notified all 29,000 ocean-lovers on his database of his intentions for the shoot before he took flight. "Some people brought lurid towels and umbrellas, or placed themselves in ridiculous poses, so they would be able to identify themselves later" said Tan. It's this merging of dwarfed beach goers and their paraphernalia with the sweeping expanse of sand and sea that makes these images so visually compelling, taking surf photography quite literally to a whole new level.
Semi-useful fact: 'babooshka' is a widely but incorrectly used term for Russian Dolls. 'Babooshka' means 'grandma' in Russian and 'Kate Bush in a body suit' in English, and nothing else. The correct term for the hollow dolls of varying sizes that nest inside one another is 'matryoshka'. Not unlike a matryoshka itself, this year's Russian Resurrection Film Festival comprises multiple layers of films in varying shapes and sizes, all put together in a compact little package. Highlights include the premiere of the blindingly colourful retro musical Hipsters, and the retrospective program which dips into Russia's rich history of cinema and pulls out treasures like the elaborate 1936 Circus (one of Stalin's favourite films) and the eccentric 1960's comedy Peculiarities of the National Hunt. The opening night will feature special guest Nikolai Lebedev who directed Soundtrack of Passion (which is billed as Russia's 'very first erotic-thriller'), and following the screening there will be a cocktail reception at the Coachman. Unless you are Kate Bush or a babooshka or a matryoshka or some other kind of superhuman/Russian, we wish to remind anyone planning on joining in of Garrison Keillor's forewarning words: "Vodka is tasteless going down, but it is memorable coming up." 


Image: Circus, 1936. Dir. Grigorii Aleksandrov
Hazelhurst Regional Gallery is making the most of its garden with an exhibition of billboards titled Collide-O-Rama by Australian artist, Maria Kozic. Kozic has worked across many mediums of art since beginning her practice in the late 1970s, and these billboards are not her first expression in this form. In 1990, she created Maria Kozic is Bitch, a billboard artwork in which a lingerie-clad Miss Kong (only pretty, and human) glares threateningly at passersby, crushing Ken dolls in her giant hands.Kozic shot the images for Collide-O-Rama in her adopted home town, the Big Apple, and while they are somewhat indistinguishable, being cropped and close-up, the images retain a classic NYC grittiness. Kozic’s four photographs are scattered through the gallery’s Aussie bush garden and car park, and part of their meaning is derived from this placing: they are discovered by stepping with trepidation through ferns and hedges, a moment at once artistically contrasting and straight out of an episode CSI. Collide-O-Rama is curated by artist Daniel Mudie Cunningham, and forms part of the ongoing garden billboard project at the Hazelhurst Regional Gallery.
A friend of mine believes that you should always lose yourself in an unknown city; when you wander around you take in so many details, see all of those hidden locations that would otherwise be lost behind your tourist guidebook. It's a lovely idea, but when that sun starts to set and the temperature drops into the bone-chilling territory, I'm a sucker for knowing the quickest route possible back to my warm bed.Further We Search, the debut film by Melbourne director/writer/producer Darius Devas, follows Age (Xavier Samuel), a young man who doesn't necessarily have the option of his own bed, but manages to link up with a cast of curious, flawed souls in his quixotic explorations of an underground Melbourne.Shot on a budget of only $8000, this is an extremely independent feature - so much so that there's only one screening of it in Sydney. If you find yourself needing a dose of fresh, homegrown cinema, this is certainly a great way to get your midweek fix.https://youtube.com/watch?v=_dqKXufyE3A
Axes do not fall silently and men die neither quickly nor quietly; their life splutters out of them in a mixture of breath and blood. It may well be that butchering a man is ‘easier than cutting sheep’ but it is, whatever your sensibility, far more gruesome.The story of notorious convict Alexander Pearce has been told many times before. Marcus Clarke’s 1874 novel For the Term of His Natural Life was made into a silent movie (1927) and a mini-series (1983). Paul Collins’ Hell’s Gates (2002) is a comprehensive history of Pearce’s journey. Never mind also the folk-stories whispering through Tasmania since Pearce’s capture in 1824. But Van Dieman’s Land, the first feature film of director Jonathan auf der Heide, tells it like no other. Apart from being an incredible exercise in filmmaking, from the precise scriptwriting and cinematography to the pared-back performances, Van Dieman’s Land is breathtakingly brutal. Eight men escape from Van Dieman’s Land, a penal settlement for re-offending convicts, where ‘Abandon all hope ye who enter here’, is plastered over the gates. One man, Pearce (Oscar Redding), survives the journey through an unforgiving Tasmanian landscape. Auf der Heide contends that this is a story too often exaggerated, that it is rather one about survival â€" kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. But whatever humanity these men had, even the process whereby it was beaten out of them, lies beyond the boundaries of this film. So why tell this particular part of this particular story? There is nothing to empathise with; little to illuminate what causes a person to do what it is these men do. Yet this, I think, is the poetry of the film. Auf der Heide believes that a man, no matter how low he has fallen, is still human â€" perhaps violence is in fact the very essence of humanity? Van Dieman’s Land takes no liberties with emotion or spectacle, it appears more honest than confronting and if you are made of sterner stuff than I, it might just be one of the best films you’ll see this year.https://youtube.com/watch?v=o546hUrs8FQ
Self-proclaimed ‘acid ninjas of the inner-west’, Sticky Fingers, are launching their EP. (Remember the cover The Rolling Stones did for their album of the same name? The zipper? Awesome. Well these guys have nothing to with that except that they’re pretty awesome as well). You might call their music a kind of blues-inspired psychedelic reggae, but then you might not. Just when you think you’ve got them pegged, they surprise you. And they do it so nonchalantly you’ll forget you were ever trying to peg them at all. Just relax. There’s an easy difference between songs and with lyrics like ‘the cheese might be cut but the moon is whole’, their sense of humour only makes them smoother. Sticky Fingers are fun, not in a giggly, lollipop way, more in an it’s almost morning, no-one’s leaving and the VB’s still cold kind of way. These guys are better than any pithy metaphor I can come up with. Share them around. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Al5983G0Kmw
When the Pixies last came to Australia for V Festival, they thought the festival and the audience wasn't the best fit for their sound. So, to make it up to us, they're coming back! The tour is also celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their classic album Doolittle. The band will be performing all the album tracks (including hits 'Debaser' and 'Wave of Mutilation') as well as B-sides and more unreleased material. Tickets for the third show — Tuesday 16 March — are still available. https://youtube.com/watch?v=JLuNemggM9I
I’m currently listening to Merryweather Post Pavilion, the latest album by Brooklynites (now globally based) Animal Collective. There are so many bands ripping off this sound at the moment, but I guess that just reinforces the age old saying that from little things, big things grow.Animal Collective are here in December for the Meredith Music Festival, but if you missed out on tickets to that don’t worry because they’ve just announced solo sideshows! Say it with me now: “WOOOOO HOOOOO!!†Watch the video to My Girls and be thankful you’ve got four walls and some stable foundations, keep it real and shout out after listening to Brother Sport.https://youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE
If there’s a band I know well and have seen many times, it is ‘the juice’. I watched them 14 times last year when my band The Paper Scissors (plug!) toured with them so we've shared many a sweaty van, band rooms and bottle of booze. Seeing them this many times I have bared witness to the fact that they are a pillar of entertainment and musicality, every show putting on an amazing performance; they literally put their lives on the line (I have been concerned for Jake Stone’s safety watching him treat lighting rigs like monkey bars). You would have heard them a lot recently as their single Broken Leg has been like an ugly stadium-rock strongman in the way of every radio and video wave recently. Their album title track Head Of The Hawk takes the sound, size and vibe of Broken Leg and applies less irony, more drunk-guy choral vocals and Jerry Craib’s tasteful synthesizer work and jams it all into the radio friendly length of two minutes fourty four. The Juice have been up down and around Aus of late, playing Splendour and many many festivals and club shows, so they should be polished on their new songs and skipping routine when they hit Sydney to launch Head Of The Hawk. It would be an idea to get there early as the great young Sydney siders The Jezabels are opening.Seeing as this show is on Halloween, Bluejuice would like everyone attending to dress in the spirit of the holiday. Email photos of your costume after the event to be featured on their online gallery.https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fqnagz41NTU
For those unsatisfied with skiing double black diamond runs, or daring off-piste, then heli-skiing must surely be the final frontier. This October, the award-winning producers at Teton Gravity Research (TGR) are bringing their newest skiing/snowboarding film extravaganza Re: Session to tour around Australia. Having gathered together the best of the best to tackle some of the world’s toughest terrain in Poland, Italy and the USA, TGR has captured their fearless antics on both 16mm and in glorious HD with the cutting edge RED camera. The trailer (below) is a mere hint of the sheer insanity of these extreme athletes. So, while spring may have sprung in Sydney, head on over to The Seymour Centre October 16 and 17 to experience a very different kind of winter wonderland.TO WIN ONE OF FIVE DOUBLE PASSES EMAIL YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS TO HELLO@CONCRETEPLAYGROUND.COM.AU WITH 'RE: SESSION' IN THE SUBJECT LINEhttps://youtube.com/watch?v=KWuPcbrKwzs
“So many things I did.â€This whispered utterance from Valentino â€" as his moves through the racks of 45 years of couture â€" said with such simplicity and almost incredulity, perfectly encapsulates his brilliant career. And yet the Emperor was not without his entourage, as Matt Tyrnauer’s fascinating documentary so telling reveals. Indeed the film is almost evenly divided between the fashion and the business of Valentino â€" run (aside from the financiers) by his, “friend, lover, employee,†of some 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. The pair are often captured bickering more like an old (un)married couple, than the creative and business brains behind a billion dollar fashion franchise. While the documentary is certainly celebration of Valentino’s illustrious career, it is also in part a reverent eulogy. The spectre of loss â€" in this case Valentino’s retirement from the dizzyingly detailed world of haute couture â€" hangs over the film. Every interview, every star studded conversation becomes a discussion of, “will he or won’t he?†And as the story builds to the climax of his 45-year retrospective, and the truly astonishing party at the ancient Temple of Venus, it all becomes poignantly apparent that once again the sun is setting on a Roman Empire.https://youtube.com/watch?v=Na05gIgZWfQ
The heartbeat is the blueprint for the oldest musical instrument - the drum - and since its discovery percussion has returned the favour; new beats and rhythms contort our bodies into dancing blurs, and even now in the jaded generations there's still a strong cord linking us back to our most primitive, tribal foot-thumpers.Fritz Hauser, the Swiss drummer par excellence, will reboot our souls with his solo piece Stillifes before reconnecting with his long-time collaborators, Sydney ensemble Synergy Percussion to present new work inspired by The Annunciation. Taking place in the blessed belly of the Old Newington Chapel, Hauser and Synergy's alchemical marriage weaves a plethora of sensual elements, from poetic artworks and seraphic lights through to gut-rubbing bass rhythms and extraterrestrial electronica.Definitely take this special opportunity to achieve enlightenment for one weekend.https://youtube.com/watch?v=iBiEw-5VdDQ
Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, has long rewarded her chosen children with gifts of green and brown. Of course, there are the lucky five in every generation who are granted rings of elemental power (...heart? What?) and Captain Planet as their pal, but for the rest of us there are the ultimately more wondrous essentials of... "BASIL!", "THYME!", "ROSEMARY!", "MINT!" and "SAGE!".With these powers combined you have: amazing pesto, great roasts, delicious salad dressings and a garbled Simon & Garfunkel ballad.As sustainability becomes the biggest issue facing our generation, join the green community down at CarriageWorks for the free launch of their Kitchen Garden project. Everyone is welcome to learn how to become their own herbaceous Planeteer and those who are quick enough can also check out the documentary The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.For those extra keen about their green, there will be an ongoing workshop project with strictly limited numbers - to get involved you MUST attend this opening info session.https://youtube.com/watch?v=-VHt5QchfdQ
Sounding like a crook’s name from Cluedo, or an 18th century lady killer, events space The Red Rattler certainly evokes an old-school charm. And so it should. Its ethos is outdated by some standards. Not for profit? Community based? Green? All of these things, in Sydney? Yes, they say – and what’s more, it’s here for good, which is something that a lot of other independent venues can’t promise. They’ve got a full calendar to prove it, with an end to fungiphobia, a tree-planting revolution, a provocative zoo and a sustainable craft market, all housed in a quaint, age-worn factory in Marrickville. And to clear up the name mystery, it’s actually a reference to the clinkety-clanking old dames of the railway, with some revolutionary red thrown on top. That’s probably more on the right track ...
As a child, there is one animated series I was obsessed with above all others: The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Visions of ships sailing into storms, ancient Incan medallions and brightly woven ponchos have haunted my dreams to this day. Lost Valentinos were apparently fans of the series too. Their debut album, Cities of Gold, is filled with references to conquistadors, voyages of discovery, ancient technologies and undiscovered treasures. Dave Ma’s stunning video for the album’s first single, Serio, depicts the band gradually transforming into shamanistic creatures, dancing and drumming their way through a primordial forest. They’ve even minted a coin, a pure slice of Incan gold, which awards the possessor a chance at a trip to Peru when they register through their website, designed by the band’s own Patrick Santamaria. The album’s release is auspiciously scheduled for 09/09/09, but you can peer into Lost Valentinos’ elaborate world on August 1st before they embark on their Conquistadisco tour.https://youtube.com/watch?v=pYWno5wCG3s
Spain is full of exquisite buildings and women, dramatic landscapes, and strange characters who give you obscure clues and instructions in matchboxes, right? Jim Jarmush's new film is an exploration of perception, memory, reality and consciousness which marks something of a departure from his earlier work. The film lacks the refined potency of his brilliant Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai or his earlier New-York-new-wave classics (Down By Law, Stranger Than Paradise, Permanent Vacation), but it's a matter of giving in to the film's odd rhythm, which is enhanced by a striking aesthetic and vivid soundscape. Jarmush's casting is as exceptional as ever with the brilliant Isaach De Bankolé as the enigmatic outsider alongside fleeting appearances from the filmmaker's other favourites including Tilda Swinton, Youki Kudoh (who he last worked with 20 years ago on Mystery Train), Gael GarcÃa Bernal and Bill Murray. But the real star of the show is the cinematography by one of Australia's finest exports, Chris Doyle. His compositions and subtle camera work are what really transport us to the strangely focused but dreamlike state of this intriguing film. https://youtube.com/watch?v=7AUFMGAck6A
Another exciting gig to complete the August line-up at the Metro is Aussie band Faker who are touring with the JD Set throughout August. While Concrete Playground are always very excited to see successful Aussie bands, and Faker’s high rotation on Triple J is always a good sign of Australian success at least, we’re also secretly worried that they won’t be able to top their set that this writer saw at the Falls Festival in 2006. ‘Hurricane’ is one of the best songs. Ever. But hey, we can’t live in the past. Check out Faker at the Metro Friday August 7, 8pm.There are limited guaranteed entry, no door charge tickets available for this gig.http://www.metrotheatre.com.au/tickets/mtickets.php?gigid=1534
