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
Sustain you. Sustain me. Sustain it for always. That’s the way it should be. Sustainability may be the buzzword du jour, but my, what an excellent thing to be buzzing about. Sustain Me: Contemporary Design is a group exhibition of Australian and international designers who are engaging with ideas of sustainability in their work. This involves designing objects from would-be landfill and the use of earth-friendly materials such as clay and natural fibres over less renewable alternatives. Karmic brownie points aside, these objects are also very easy on the eye and will have you wondering if you might be able to sneak one out the back door. Sustainability is a necessity nowadays. How wonderful to see it cha-cha with style and function.Sustain Me: Contemporary Design opens at Ivan Dougherty Gallery on Thursday 30 July at 6pm and is part of Sydney Design 09: 13th International Design Festival, running until 22 August.
Actors who announce, with much ado, that they have decided to work on such-and-such a film for free tend to get on my nerves: as if film stars who deign to play at make-believe pro bono deserve special veneration. And then along comes an actor like Anthony LaPaglia, in a film like Balibo.Director Robert Connolly’s unabashedly political third film is that rare feat of Australian cinema, one that manages to hold a mirror to some dark stain on our country’s past without setting audiences on the defensive. It plays out, in chilling detail, the fates of the now-infamous ‘Balibo Five’, the young western journalists who were murdered for covering Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 1975. But it also tells the story of a sixth Balibo journalist, who tried to investigate the men’s disappearances and was brutally killed for his troubles; as well as the story of our own country’s complicity.Both confronting and deeply human, the film’s potency lies in its conviction, in its integrity, and in its urgency. There are, of course, violent scenes, and there are times when it is tempting to turn away. But if nothing else, Balibo is a tribute of those who would not turn away.https://youtube.com/watch?v=EApB2ndekZg
You’ve heard of sit-ins. But what exactly is a knit-in? It too requires a bottom, a healthy handful of creative thinking … oh, and some 4mm knitting needles. Tied into the not-for-profit initiative Wrap with Love, and running in various venues for the whole of July, the knit-ins hope to generate enough knitted squares, and then wraps, to thaw the tootsies of those suffering from extreme cold the world over. So far, 184 000 wraps have been sent to over 75 countries. And yes, it’ll warm their hearts and yours a little too. Plus, if any waylaid naked hippies turn up, you’ll even have a modesty patch on hand.
Now, I know what you're thinking: mind readers are full of shit. British mind-reader Phillip Escoffey does not want you to believe that he's a psychic, in fact he's a cynic. Obsessed with the human mind and its eagerness to be swayed, Escoffey has developed a beguiling act that questions the foundations of mental manipulation while astounding audiences with the acuity of his revelations. What makes Escoffey so appealing is that he tells his audience how the trick is performed...and then still gets away with it. Couple this with a dash of James Bond debonair, and Six Impossible Things Before Dinner begins to sound more like a mass seduction than a night of light entertainment. http://www.thegreyman.com/
I can’t believe the Severed Heads are playing Sydney Festival’s Becks Bar. It’s mental. How did that even happen? I'm sure that somewhere deep within the bowels of the Sydney Festival H.Q. there’s an acid casualty candy-raver giggling hysterically into their Hello Kitty backpack. Most people would remember Sydney based Severed Heads from their seriously terrifying single Dead Eyes Opened. It featured on Triple J’s Hottest 100 back in 1994. It was their only commercial “hitâ€, but they’d already been using lo-fi analog computers and loops to make uncompromising and extraordinary electronica since 1979. They broke up in 2008 and now they’ve reformed, John Farnam style, just for this one gig. Supporting them are another awesome 80’s band, The Reels, who’s song Quasimodo's Dream was voted by APRA as one of the Ten Greatest Australian Songs of All Time. Just like Dead Eyes Opened, that song also gives me the willies. Prepare yourself for a spooky night. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mj6_IGjTUA0
The Rev is in town! When I was a sad and creepy 16 year old the only way I could deal with a particularly harsh break-up was to lock myself in my bedroom and listen to Simply Beautiful and How Can You Mend A Broken Heart on repeat. As cheesy as he may be, Al Green's smooth soul has helped many of us through the hard times. The man’s a phenomenon. Now he’s hitting Australia for the first time ever! He’s also playing all his old hits, which is a nice change to some has-beens who come over here and expect us to politely sit through their sub-par new work. (I’m looking at you Elvis Costello.) Tickets are a little pricey but I’m determined to see him. I expect to either sell a kidney or else you'll find me with my ear pressed to the back door of the State Theatre, clutching a tear-stained year 10 formal photo to my chest.https://youtube.com/watch?v=QUrghxZpVSw
Confucius thought that everything had it but not everyone could see it; for Kant it was located in our faculty of judgment; for Monet it was to be found in nature; Keats thought it was truth; and plastic surgeons earn money from it. What else could it be but that alternating and persistent obsession known as beauty. Kitagawa Utamaro (c1753-1806) was not inactive on the subject either; a master of Ukiyo-e (woodblock prints, or 'pictures of the floating world'), this mysterious artist illustrated scenes from history, theatre, nature, domestic life, hobbies, and sexual pleasure. To coincide with the exhibition Hymn to Beauty: the art of Utamaro at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a symposium has been organised with international and local speakers examining Utamaro and his world. This world was late eighteenth–century Edo (now current day Tokyo), and Ukiyo-e was at the centre of an active and flourishing consumer market — perhaps similar to the intensity and engagement in which Manga (or 'whimsical pictures') is today. Renowned for his depictions of women, space, and subject matter, as well as his influence on Western artists (especially the impressionist gang), Utamaro's contribution to beauty is sure to be an intriguing and revealing reminder of how this subject both remains and changes through history. Food and fluid is also supplied! Or, if the symposium isn't attractive, Hymn to Beauty: the art of Utamaro runs from 13 February to 2 May 2010.
Dance and photography often make for a troubled marriage: one lives for motion and temporality while the other is bent on freezing movement and time. In an attempt to reconcile the differences between the two, Hamish Ta-mé's new series of images of urban dancers captures simultaneous stillness and movement, fleetingness and permanence, weightlessness and powerful athleticism, elevation and coming down. Harnessing a technique that is somewhere between photography and video, he built a special lighting rig that allowed him to shoot bursts of 40 still frames in 4 seconds. The images have been composited into large format prints and video works, which will be on show at Depot Gallery from Tuesday night under a collective title that refers to post-orgasm melancholy.
Oh friends, there is a storm brewing down in Sydney and its thunder-clapping clouds paint the sky in shades of blue. That’s dark blue, like the southern gothic tones growled by Johnny Wishbone, lead singer of Sydney act The Snowdroppers.Born on a stage reeking of burlesque bodices, this rag-tag band blends raw blues with a smirking theatricality. Their live shows have sold out both here and in Melbourne, and now they’re about to explode with the launch of their first album, Too Late to Pray.Dress up like your favourite razor gangbanger, then stomp and dance as the boys spit tunes of whiskey, blood and grave dust across the stage.Baby No More (Live at The Vanguard) from Tenderloins on Vimeo.
While the title might invoke images of men in pin-stripe suits tapping toes slowly to the beat of a double bass in a dingy smoke-filled bar, A Night at the Jazz Rooms has a bit more to offer. This incarnation of the series of jazz nights will be hosted by Sydney’s coolest jazz club, The Basement, and the talent on offer will explode with more funk, soul, and ‘Afro-Latin Brasil Boogie’ than you could possibly know what to do with. This is a regular event that Russ Dewbury has brought over from London, so get a taste this time and see if it's one to add to your diary.
Entering Drew Bickford's Mongrel, a collection of intricately executed illustrations, is like, as one observer put it, "arriving at the gates of hell". Yet it is a sweet hell. A hell from whose gates you may not wish to be turned away.Humanity's obsession with the mongrel and monster is evident in all cultures, although it manifests in various ways. Bickford contends that this is "a world that embraces monstrosity only as a spectacle to outrage and appall", and so he brings delicacy and beauty to the contorted creatures that underlie the spectacle of this exhibition. The illustrations are oddly sensual even while the subjects are ghastly and horrific. Mongrel's illustrations embrace the deformed and the grotesque, while the exhibition embraces the detailed order of display in a gallery space. This marrying of deformity and order casts the mongrels in a gentle light. Where monsters so often signify chaos, Bickford renders them eerily calming. Mongrel is most certainly worth casting your eyes over.Image: Drew Bickford: Who am I here?, 2009, ink on paper
When he "killed" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year, New York based funnyman Jamie Kilstein was called the "Richard Dawkins of standup." Make no mistake, he would probably take this as a compliment. Jamie's brand of comedy is sharp, sarcastic and stimulating in the vein of Bill Hicks, Allen Ginsberg and Henry Rollins. And like Dawkins, he is merciless in his takes on religion, politics, and â€" his favourite target â€" God.Whether it's because you like your laughs served with a side of smarts, or just because you want to see one of the newest talents on the international comedy circuit, make sure you get down to the Comedy Store to catch his Sydney shows.TO WIN ONE OF FIVE DOUBLE PASSES EMAIL YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS TO HELLO@CONCRETEPLAYGROUND.COM.AU WITH 'JAMIE KILSTEIN' IN THE SUBJECT LINEhttps://youtube.com/watch?v=2aozWGWdC6o
More inclined to pet a black cat that crosses their path than break out in heebie-jeebies, artist duo We Buy Your Kids have long been fascinated with the darker side of the astral plane and its ad hoc ethos. Having built up a comprehensive body of illustrative work that has been prominently displayed in Sydney's streets and record collections for the past four years, Biddy Maroney and Sonny Day have carved a niche of fantastical imagery. Their work has graced countless tour posters — recently for Deerhunter, Dappled Cities, often appearing in limited handscreened editions at concerts, much to the delight of fans and bands. WBYK have also made album art for the likes of Youth Group, Paul Dempsey and The Holy Soul, and created incredibly detailed clips for local darlings Washington and Belles Will Ring. In short, there's probably a piece of their work in your house right now.But what of those recurring themes held closest to their (black) hearts — bad luck, nogoodniks and occultish vibes? They spill out across the walls of Monster Children gallery in Trials: Posters-Screenprints-Negativity. Incorporating pulp and DIY printing aesthetics, WBYK have channelled their fascinations into a new series of screenprinted works. Step under a ladder before you view the exhibition just to get the full sensation.
The 2009 Italian Film Festival is already well under way at the Palace Cinemas in Sydney. Alongside the great line-up of new releases (including Michael Winterbottom’s much anticipated Genova) the festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary by screening a collection of past favourites. However the pièce de résistance of this anniversary year has got to be the closing night film, La dolce vita. Federico Fellini’s Palme d’Or winning masterpiece is returning to the silver screen ahead of its own 50th birthday next year. Experience Marcello Mastroianni’s seven-day romp around Roma as it was meant to be seen. Not to mention that fountain scene: Anita Ekberg’s seductive dip in la Fontana di Trevi is surely one of cinema’s most iconic moments. Sunday 11th October: sign up for a taste of the sweet life. https://youtube.com/watch?v=PHL2jTCjQLY https://youtube.com/watch?v=dzFe-iz8jM8
Sydney indie rockers Red Riders have been churning out hits and whipping the kids into frenzys for years now. They have been keeping themselves busy of late, touring with Little Birdy and also putting out their second album Drown In Colour. The two singles so far have seen a bit of a change in their sound, with Alex Grigg taking the writing reigns and indulging in more of a jangly Go-Betweens influenced style after the loss of co vocalist and songwriter Adrian Deutsch (who has swapped the scruffy jeans for smart suits and is putting out a solo album October 9th). The Vines guitarist Brad Heald (who I'm convinced doesn't remove his Greek fisherman hat ever) joined the band on guitar to take a break from Craig Nicholls' screaming in his ear, and to help make RR second hook laden LP. Latest single Ordinary, which Grigg calls on their website "pastoral post-punk", is a slice of effortless pop with Grigg's lazily delivered vocal atop a marching beat and tasteful guitar lines. They are stopping by to feel the sea breeze on their pallid indie-rocking faces at The Beach Road with help from Lions At Your Door.https://youtube.com/watch?v=XtBY7_3gj6o
During a visit to his ancestral home in Ireland, David Clarkson was awestruck by a land that he'd often visited in his dreams. He began to think of a world with many overlaid, where the ghosts of our ancestors are with us now and we dwell in their dreams in the past. As above, so below; endless reflections of a united, eternal life.Thus was born the third installment in Stalker's triptych of shows about The End. MirrorMirror, developed by Clarkson and choreographer Dean Walsh, is an aerial poem written in flesh that ponders the question: "Is there ever an end, or does our mortality forever cavort across all space and time?"Join the crowds who flocked to MirrorMirror's sold out premiere in the Netherlands and experience The End at what may be its final, soul-tingling conclusion.Photo by Pierre Borasci https://youtube.com/watch?v=1vLUUGe4kvs
The pint sized NYC rapper Nas has existed at the fore of the East Coast rap scene since his debut Illmattic in 1994. Whilst he has never exploded like your Kanyes or Jay-Zs, he has turned out consistently great albums. 2006's Hip Hop is Dead, his first album with Jay-Z's label Def Jam was seen as Nas' best work since his early albums, with a debut at number 1 and great reviews. The album saw the always outspoken and opinionated Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (he sticks with just the first syllable for his MC name) yearning for hip hop's glory days, with a cynical view on its trajectory. He lamented for simpler times on the title track "Went from turntables to MP3s/From Beat Street to commercials for Mickey D's''. Last year he released an album with the intended title Nigger, but because of the controversy surrounding the use of the racial epithet â€" with many American social commentators voicing their disapproval (including Jesse Jackson) â€" the album was finally released untitled and went on to do well on the charts and just lost the Best Hip Hop Album Grammy to Lil' Wayne.One of the West Coast's finest rappers Chali 2Na, best known for his deep baritone work as a member of Jurassic 5, is main support for the show, with jams that are much more party than controversy.Also on the super-bill is a battle set from Dj Qbert and MC Supernatural. Supernatural is an astounding freestyle MC, who attempted to set a new world record by freestyling for over 9 hours, but just fell short of a UK rapper's 10 hours.https://youtube.com/watch?v=84uWGVAcKR4
I saw the film that Wolf & Cub are named after once, Lone Wolf and Cub. It was one of those random gems that you sometimes stumble across on SBS. It tells the story of a single father Samurai who trains his infant son to take vengeance on their sworn enemies. It is pretty bad ass. The Adeladians are more known for their two drum kit live show than their sword skills or parenting. But they do it very well - live shows turning into freak outs with drum sticks brandished on their drums like they've been training in their rehearsal room dojo for yonks. Their second album Science and Sorcery, released earlier this year, imbued an electronic element into their rhythm-based psychedelic sound, aided and influenced by Chris Colonna from Bumblebeez on production duties. Hearts is their latest single from the album â€" a downbeat groove that hints at Primal Scream and then doubles back into an organ driven mess of beats and melodies. Wolf & Cub are touting this at OAF next week, with help from The Vasco Era (those Melburnians that put out dirty poppy blues, with a bit of 90's grunge in the mix). Brisbane 2 piece DZ start the party early with their thrash-dance-punk.https://youtube.com/watch?v=UsaOr8J6WDo
Everyone keeps asking me what I am doing for New Years Eve... Last year I was in Egypt with my parents, before that it was at the hotel bar with a few cocktails and some complimentaty nuts. This year, I plan to celebrate with a little more enthusiasm. Always good option for NYE, the three day music and arts driven Peats Ridge Festival has scheduled theatre, cabaret and comedy programs, as well as a children's festival, dozens of free workshops, and a masquerade ball for the night of the 31st! Peats Ridge is also the only Australian festival that runs entirely on renewable energy.This year's line up includes recent ARIA winner Sarah Blasko along with Dappled Cities, Jack Ladder, Telepathe (US), Passenger (UK) and so many more.
Brian Clough: The greatest manager the England team never had. Being a football fan is by no means a prerequisite to enjoy Peter Morgan’s brilliant biopic The Damned United. Adapting David Pearce’s novel in what looks to be a fairly generous, even romanticised take on the life and career of Brian Clough, Morgan has reteamed with his Frost/Nixon and The Queen star Michel Sheen. Together the pair absolutely relish in the arrogance, the belligerence and the remarkable ambition of their subject. Cutting backwards and forwards between 1968 and 1974, The Damned United traverses Clough’s heady rise at Derby County as well as his spectacular fall from grace at Leeds United. It also tracks Clough’s competitive obsession with beloved Leed’s manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney) alongside the fruitful and fractious partnership Clough shared with his assistant manager Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall). Morgan seems to flirt with romantic comedy conventions, setting up a quasi-love triangle amidst the politics, money and muddy terrain of premier league football. The result is a provocative, darkly funny and particularly damning character study of hubris couched in idealism. Sheen’s performance is worth the price of admission alone, however Spall, Meaney and even a grouchy Jim Broadbent also impress, as does the production design, wonderfully framed shots and incisive dialogue. For all his superciliousness, Clough expounds the model of a football team as a family, an analogy that is clearly evident in the ongoing success of Morgan and Sheen’s filmmaking partnership. https://youtube.com/watch?v=LYzsswqPk6s https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xp_0ITy8nrk https://youtube.com/watch?v=dYBj_qAJtRA
Though he both arrived and exited his life in Victoria, it was Paris in which this much beloved Australian artist flourished. Between 1885 and 1933, Bunny lived in France, for the most part with his wife Jeanne Morel who appears regularly in his lovely paintings. Of course, the word 'lovely' often carries connotations of subtle inoffensiveness but that definition doesn't align with the work on display in the AGNSW's new exhibiton, Rupert Bunny: artist in Paris. His work is lovely, jawdroppingly so.Capturing the Belle Epoque in pastel and jewel tones, Rupert Bunny's work focusses largely on women (particularly Jeanne) in their languid, pre-war leisure pursuits, and later evolved into more textural landscapes of the French and Australian countryside. Often considered a second generation Impressionist, Bunny's renderings of women with their relaxed smiles and full lips make it almost impossible to keep a safe distance, you'll want to kiss or befriend them.With a tendency to pull from his childhood love of Greek mythology, his work has a dreamy haze attached to it which will envelope this exhibition of more than 100 works. Watch you don't get lost.
Can a photograph somehow visually capture the essence of an auditory experience? With a lens that has perforated rock concerts, festivals and intimate gigs around the world, photographer Cara Stricker takes us on an inside journey, capturing the global music scene with raw immediacy. In Dancing on my bed, Stricker explores a visual landscape of sound, effortlessly infusing rhythm, melody and movement into a series of images that urge you to "dance with your eyes closed and lose yourself in the shadows." Dancing on my bed will run for six weeks at the Absolute stairwell gallery, and will also showcase two new mural walls from artists Numskull and Roach. Opening night will feature music by Strickmachine, Nicky Night Time and Holiday Sidewinder. Not reason enough to brave Sydneys mentally unstable weather? Free Absolute cocktails for all on arrival.
Just imagine it: Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge and The White Stripes’ Jack White are on a soundstage, their electric guitars within reach. It will get loud, there’s no doubt about it.Academy Award winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim brought producer Thomas Tull’s brainchild to life in this extraordinarily energising love letter to the electric guitar. Guggenheim traces the creative backstories of these three incredible artists and the three distinct generations in which they came of age. This takes the director and his subjects on journeys of self re-discovery, as each return to significant locations from their musical upbringing and ponder the love, tenacity and serendipity that buoyed their voyages into the heady seas of rock ‘n roll. Yet the documentary also unites these very different artists in a common past swimming against the tides of the musical status quo. This lead to the Edge and his ear for effects, Page’s self taught mastery embracing the beginnings of punk and White’s tenacious, almost antagonistic adherence to discovering the laid bare aesthetic of the blues. Respecting the past while carving out your place in the present became a calling card of each musician. It Might Get Loud is not a self-indulgent fan-boy romp, nor is it a warts and all fetishisation of the rock‘n'roll lifestyle. Instead what Guggenheim presents is a revealing investigation into the creative spirit. Through intriguing intertitles, brilliant archive footage and excellent pacing that climaxes in the group jam session, the film ponders what it is to create, and what it means to pursue artistry. Consequently you don’t necessarily need to be a rock aficionado to really enjoy this documentary. Much like his Oscar winning film An Inconvenient Truth, Guggenheim manages to bring wide appeal to a seemingly boutique topic. The result is an insightful, captivating tribute to creativity as experienced by three virtuoso musicians and one wonderfully talented documentarian. https://youtube.com/watch?v=5sBLir8H2zM
Jona Bechtolt must not sleep. He could just be one of the most prolific humans on the planet. Over the last 6 years he has released countless records under the nom de plume YACHT, and recently signed to the DFA label, home to LCD Soundsystem (also its label owners), Hot Chip, The Juan Maclean and a handful of other electronic music visionaries. He has managed to squeeze releases between starting one of the more popular U.S blogs Urban Honking, making music as a member of The Blow, being commisioned to do art projects, and generally being one of those people that you hate because they are over-achievers. His releases plow through genres but take root in an pop/electronic sound with dabblings into Krautrock, punk and more straight up rock â€" often sharing beds with early 80's American New Wave bands like Tom Tom Club or Devo. On YACHT's latest album See Mystery Lights Claire Evans was added as a permanent member, with her dead pan vocals further invigorating Bechtolt's jams. The duo will recruit you into their "belief system and business" on December 15th at Oxford Art Factory with a live show that promises to bring some serious dance floor action and general good times.https://youtube.com/watch?v=_NF2JfHng20
Michael Moore’s latest rant-cum-documentary has Washington squarely in its sights. Surely it was only a matter of time before the agent-provocateur filmmaker produced his missive on America’s sub-prime catastrophe and the compounding global financial crisis. Moore, however, is not content to merely rail against the divide between rich and poor and the injustices levelling the American working class, instead he wants to strike a mortal blow to the capitalist system. As ever, Moore grounds his story in the working class; juxtaposing those American battlers worst hit by the crisis with the big banks coming cup-in-hand to Washington to receive the 700+ billion dollar bail out. It’s a powerful, incensing comparison, one compounded by shocking stories of real-estate 'vultures’, ‘dead peasant’ corporate insurance policies, juvenile ‘delinquents’ feathering the nests of privately run detention centres and the abysmal pay of airline pilots (earning less than a manager at Taco Bell).Shock and disgust are no doubt Moore’s motives here. His methods aren’t always sensitive, but his stunts are certainly sensational. Citizens’ arrests, crime-scene tape and an armoured car all feature to humourous and pointed effect. His religious overtures, however, are rather problematic. As in every battle, it’s best to have God on your side, but Moore’s continuous religious appeals come across as his most manipulative stunt yet.More successful is the inclusion of the striking workers at Republic Windows and Doors. “Republic cares nothing for us,†says one tearful employee; a truth as seemingly evident of the US Government as it is their bankrupted company. Indeed, the Congressional conspiracy theories, back room deals and the history of Roosevelt’s unfulfilled second Bill of Rights are similarly eye opening. So while Moore’s tactics are a bit hit and miss, and may ultimately prove too shrill to be convincing, his treatise does make one point abundantly clear:Capitalism is not the Messiah; he’s a very naughty boy.https://youtube.com/watch?v=-YuxAYnX_jY https://youtube.com/watch?v=af9EHtQMMc4
There are some great bands coming out of Brisbane at the moment. Not sure what it is, perhaps the fact that they have a healthy but small live scene with a few good venues in Fortitude Valley (hello Sydney City Council, can you help us out and match this?), and that fact that the locals attend shows and are very supportive of their local bands. A few of these acts have done well for themselves, such as The Grates, I Heart Hiroshima and Yves Klein Blue, to name a few. John Steel Singers are one of the next wave of Brisvegas rock'n'rollers, amongst the likes of The Rocketsmiths, The Cairos and Last Dinosaurs. JSS have put out a string of singles and EPs, with one such single Rainbow Kraut â€" released by Levi's short lived record label Levity â€" being heavily spun on JJJ and all over national radio. The band are a breath of fresh air in the somewhat 'meat and potatoes' rock environment in Australia, the six-piece add horns and raucous jam sessions to their music, which always has a fun element. They are just about to release their debut album, produced by fellow Brisbanian and Go-Betweens legend Robert Forster. By the way, Brisbane City Council just renamed a bridge The Go-Betweens Bridge (again, looking at you Clover, how about an INXS bridge?).Masochist is the first single and this show will be its first outing in Sydney. The wonderful and whimsical Brisbane band Little Scout support.https://youtube.com/watch?v=MpeqfsfH2b4
With delicious food, great drinks and the chance to sit back and soak in some gorgeous scenery, what's not to love about brunch? It's certainly one of our favourite summer activities — and we know that it's one of yours, too. That's why we partnered with Henkell to host our very own luxe brunch and invited a bunch of you to join in on the bubbles and fun. To bring this special occasion to life, we chose one of our favourite hidden gems in Sydney, inner-city bar Since I Left You, and turned its courtyard into a brunching paradise, filled with fairy lights, balloons and greenery. Our guests were treated to a welcome cocktail — Henkell Trocken, vodka, lime juice and orange bitters — before moving on to free-flowing Henkell sparkling wine. Shared Affair supplied all of the food, which included cheese and antipasto, finger sandwiches, savoury waffles, salmon blinis and mini quiches. And let's not forget the sweet treats — a doughnut wall and brunch towers overflowing with choc-raspberry brownies and strawberry and watermelon cakes. DJ Sarah Corry kept the vibe going throughout the morning shindig, and everyone received their very own bottle of Henkell to take home, personalised with a handwritten message from our on-site calligrapher. It was certainly a brunch to remember, so take a look through the best bits in this gallery. And if you need some inspiration for other summery events that pair perfectly with a glass of sparkling, head this way. Images: L&A Social.
Christmas might be over and the arrival of 2019 might feel like yesterday's news now, but that doesn't mean that boring old adult life awaits. If you're still in kidult mode (or still want to be), this time of year is perfect for indulging your inner child. Just head to the movies. With the school holidays in full swing for the summer, the big screen is the place to find a whole heap of family-friendly flicks that are tailor-made for kidults and actual kiddos alike. Animated delights, nostalgic throwbacks, comedies based on true tales — they're all here. Specifically, they're all on the IMB Bank Sunset Cinema program which has taken over North Sydney Oval till Saturday, March 30. Think bean bags, beers and bubbles for adult viewers and a lineup of movies for audiences both young and young at heart. There's your next night out all planned — and to make things even easier, here are five all-ages flicks to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCWHr6AUxwI INSTANT FAMILY With more than a dash of the Daddy's Home and Bad Neighbours films as inspiration — not to mention two of their stars — Instant Family features Rose Byrne and Mark Wahlberg as a thirty-something couple who decide to become foster parents. They bring three siblings into their home and navigate quite a steep learning curve — hijinks, of course, ensue. But the movie's real basis comes from real life, and from the story of filmmaker Sean Anders. The writer behind Hot Tub Time Machine and We're the Millers, as well as the director of Horrible Bosses 2, he drew upon his own experiences becoming a carer for children in need. Showing: Saturday, February 16 and Thursday, March 14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMe7hUb3TpI MARY POPPINS RETURNS 2018 was a great year for Emily Blunt. She tried not to scream in terror — all while her pregnant character gave birth — in A Quiet Place, and then picked up an umbrella and floated in a completely different direction in Mary Poppins Returns. In both, she's fantastic. In Poppins in particular, she's a treat in the most delightful way. Stepping into Julie Andrews' shoes is no easy feat, but the English actor nails the job, and so does this five-decades-later sequel to everyone's favourite childhood film. Heading back to Cherry Tree Lane to revisit the now-adult Banks siblings (Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer), as well as the next generation, the charming affair has future classic written all over it. Showing: Friday, February 15, Saturday, February 23 and Friday, March 22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=a5BhAw-2peo STORM BOY Mr Percival flies again in the latest homegrown film to hit cinema screens. If you went to an Aussie primary school in the past four decades, you'll know what that means. Initially, a short children's novel by Colin Thiele, Storm Boy became a beloved local film back in 1976 — and now it's back in new 2019 packaging. The core tale remains the same, focusing on a pre-teen boy (an astonishingly naturalistic Finn Little) who lives with his reclusive fisherman dad (Jai Courtney) on the South Australian coast and takes in three pelican chicks when their lives are threatened by hunters. The original David Gulpilil-starring flick has remained a classic for a reason, and this version follows in its footsteps. Afterwards, if you'd like a pelican for a best friend, that's understandable. Showing: Friday, February 22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay2fTiEi-RY RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET It's been more than eight decades since Walt Disney Animation Studios made its first full-length movie, saying "hi-ho, hi-ho" to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. All these years later, it's still delivering hits — including Tangled, Frozen, Moana and Wreck-It Ralph in the last nine years alone. Now the latter gets a sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, which jumps from bringing to life retro arcade games to visualising what the online world might look like. Once again, the titular character (voiced by John C. Reilly) is our guide through this bright and lively adventure — though, his small offsider Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) steals the show this time around. Showing: Friday, February 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_tYYwQbzvs HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD Since first premiering back in 2010, the How to Train Your Dragon films have been hugely successful — but now they're coming to an end. The third and final movie sees the plucky Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) now chief of his village and happily overseeing a town where vikings and dragons live in harmony. With the entire series acting as a coming-of-age story, Hiccup's next chapter involves making tough decisions to do what's best for both humans and their fire-breathing companions. The voice cast also includes Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill and Kit Harington, and if you're after a dose of animated spectacle, the film delivers in both soaring flight scenes and a colourful finale. Showing: Friday, March 1 and Friday, March 15. Sunset Cinema will take over North Sydney Oval from Thursday, January 17 to Saturday, March 30. Check out the full film program and book tickets here.
Just because your bank account is looking a little empty, doesn't mean you've got to resort to sad, uninspiring lunchtime fare. At least, not this week, with food app Ritual dishing up tasty meals for just $1 a pop. Having launched in Sydney late last year, the mobile order and pay app is offering a very sweet deal to tempt CBD workers, from now until March 29. It's dropping the price of over 200 of its menu items to just $1 a pop. In this budget-friendly lineup you'll find feeds from some of your favourite CBD vendors, which normally clock in at around $15. We're talking the sesame salmon bowl from Nama Poke, Dutch Smuggler's famed mi goreng toastie, Thai Riffic Noodle Bar's signature pad thai, barbecue chicken banh mi from Bun Me and even a schnitzel plate from Schnitz's MLC Centre store. There's coffee too, from well-known spots like Black Sugar, Regiment and Boss — and bubble teas from Chatime. [caption id="attachment_630917" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Regiment by Kimberley Low.[/caption] Download the app and you'll be able to tap into five of these $1 deals over the two weeks the offer is running. Which means a few mornings of extra shut-eye, thanks to not having to whip up lunch yourself. You'll also get to road test some of Ritual's nifty features, including a 'skip the line' function that allows you to order ahead and avoid queues, and 'skip the trip', where you can group together multiple orders from the one office to save everyone from making the same trek. Ritual is offering five $1 meals or drinks per user through its app until Friday, March 29.
A trip to the local two-dollar shop takes all my restraint. Blinded by colour, kitsch and bargains, I strip my overflowing basket back to what I really need: a wacky shower curtain, a bumper pack of Allen keys and a novelty piggy bank make the cut. I'll start saving tomorrow. Inspired by the technicolour lure of such shopping experiences, Bargain Garden, the latest theatre work at Performance Space, explores our consumerist society, our shopping-mad culture and lifestyle. The work brings together performance troupe Theatre Kantanka (Missing the Bus to David Jones) together with contemporary music collective Ensemble Offspring. The result is a fusion of performance, live sculpture and music, with plenty of trinkets for good measure. The premiere of this new work forms part of Exchange, a collection of works exploring the way we shop, share and trade at CarriageWorks this month. Get down there and join in the frenzy. Image by Heidrun Löhr.
At the Syndicate Gallery at Danks, photographers Digby Duncan and David Smyth use the power of darkness to tell stories, their very different techniques bringing their subjects to life. Digby Duncan’s series of photographs, which were taken during her time as artist-in-residence at the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing, chronicle life in a small Chinese village on the outskirts of the city. The area has been marked for demolition to make way for modern development, meaning the community’s residents will soon have to move out. Her images capture moments in the area's lively nightlife, giving us a feel for the people and the spirit of the place For his world, David Smyth has chosen the abandoned tram sheds in Glebe, where the decommissioned trams are also patiently awaiting their own destruction. As their home falls down around them, these much loved and much visited vehicles have been adorned with graffiti over the years, transforming their character. Under his careful eye these relics of a bygone era are brought to life, creating vibrant, yet almost sinister scenes, evoking a ghostly theme park.
As the great warrior-poet Margaret Thatcher once said, "being powerful is like being a lady; if you have to say you are, you aren't," and so it goes with Cathy Hunt’s production of Judith: A Parting from the Body. This revisionist take on the biblical story of Judith — courtesy of British playwright Howard Barker — toys with the idea that seduction can play on the vulnerabilities of both parties. Where the Hebrew tale has the Jewish widow calculatingly ingratiate herself with the general of an invading army before ultimately beheading him, Barker's version inserts layers of romantic nuance. It’s no new tack to repaint Judith as a seductress; you could argue the role is implicit in the original story. (Judith murders the general Holofernes in his sleep.) But Barker extrapolates further: What if Judith falls for the man she plans to postcoitally behead? What if the Holofernes sees what is coming but is drawn to Judith regardless? And what is the emotional cost of investing in someone only to destroy them? These are all ripe scenarios, but Barker addresses them here with painfully turgid dialogue, which Hunt's direction and the small cast do little favour with a 'louder equals more dramatic!' reading. Which is a shame, as Judith's is an inherently visceral story, having piqued noted wild man Caravaggio’s interest, among others. But this production stretches too far for emotional heft, undercutting the story's existing impact by reaching too hard for more. All three characters — Holofernes (Benedict Samuel), Judith (Luisa Hastings Edge) and her servant and partner-in-crime (Anna Houston) — wax philosophical (and melodramatic) about sex in the shadow of death. But the three dance around the leads’ will-they-or-won’t-they courtship with all the emotional nuance of virginal teenagers ("I’m a killer, I know not looooove," etc), laying a poor foundation for the emotional notes the play eventually has to hit. To be fair, this doesn't completely sap the production's appeal. In a roundabout way, the characters' initial ineffectualness makes Holofernes' death all the more jarring. When the play leads where it inevitably has to, the sudden absence of one of the previously verbose characters tells. Likewise, the dynamics that follow between a shattered Judith and her more pragmatic servant are genuinely interesting. Judith's movement through shock and loss to something more cold-hearted is powerful stuff (though, again, overplayed). But these moments don't have the heft that a lighter touch would have afforded. When the preceding hour's performance hasn't rung true, it's difficult to muster the necessary shock when Judith cries over a bloody sack containing her would-be paramour's head.
SoundSchool is one of those concepts that seems simple enough but which actually has an incredibly complex and profound effect on the lives of the young people it has touched. In short, Oli Mistry, Jay Hemsworth and Jarrod Paul formed SoundSchool after Oli travelled to India and saw the interest and joy that his guitar, and music in general, sparked in the underprivileged kids he encountered in the streets. SoundSchool, formed in April 2010, aims to raise money to provide children around the world with the otherwise unlikely opportunity to learn and play music, thus bringing the uplifting gift of creative expression into their often challenging existence. Photographer Julian May was so inspired by the SoundSchool mission he jumped onboard as the official photographer to document the musical magic-making as it happened. In his first solo exhibition Julian presents his images spanning the first fundraising event for SoundSchool at the Beach Rd Hotel (rock-star pics all around) through to his beautiful images of the kids under the care of Salaam Baalak Trust in Delhi, India, getting the SoundSchool experience. The final piece in this jigsaw of the community-minded collaboration is the Camera Club — the setting for the Julian's visual representation of the SoundSchool journey so far. Located upstairs at the Beach Rd Hotel, this sweet gallery space (complete with bar and pizzeria) celebrates and promotes creativity and community by exhibiting photographic works around a particular theme each quarter. So at every level of its conception and execution, SoundSchool by Julian May is an exhibition about real people intervening in the lives of those less fortunate by offering creative opportunities to uplift and add richness and depth where they are truly needed. Much respect. Lend your support to the SoundSchool mission and get acquainted with the work of Julian May and the Camera Club concept from this Thursday. The exhibition is open every day and Thursday nights will feature a revolving schedule of music, food and additional photography activations.
While there are many that are bemoaning the loss of print media, there are those who are looking in the other direction, down that interesting little alleyway, where they can find a vast array of engaging, exciting and original magazines. Strangelove will add to that mix. A high grade, high class and most importantly, free print publication, Strangelove will look at books, music and film in a playful and fresh way. With its launch, Strangelove will be the first in a long line of creative collaborations with the Oxford Arts Factory — and what a spectacular launch they have planned. The night promises to combine "music, art, film, performance, design, literature, spoken word, written word, sound, sight, smell, touch, taste and type in a melange of introverted thought in an extroverted fashion," and who can really say no to that? If the venue itself and its history of excellent parties, as well as the exciting reason for this particular bash isn't quite enough to tip you over the edge, the line-up on the night includes: Ghoul, exclusive book reading by Dave Graney, Evil J + Saint Cecilia, Sands Through the Hourglass, the Jingle Jangle DJs, screenings of Seventh Seal and the Jack Shit + Robbie Buck Rare 78s Shellac Set. So adopt some Peter Sellers attitude and get your Strangelove on this Tuesday.
Here’s a secret: I really don’t like Little Red. Their constant allusion to the 1950s, their tight, infectious melodies, their clean, boyish charm — I find it irritating. Of course, the last time Little Red came on the radio, I turned that radio up and, confession of confessions, I tapped on the steering wheel. So what’s the lesson here? Little Red’s music is straightforward, accessible and ridiculously popular, but that’s only partly their fault, so chill out. Put down your boxed set of The Wire, stop lurking on the forums of Australia’s premier indie music site and ROCK IT (ironically, in your living room, if need be) because Little Red is touring in June and it’s going to be fun, fun, fun. For those who’ve not followed Little Red, because, like me, they spend too much time dancing with their intellect, the band has been overseas a lot lately. They have played everywhere from New York City to Papua New Guinea, with a whole bunch of summer festivals in between. Now they are returned, and I’m going to suggest you celebrate by going to see their show.
Entering the Australian Centre for Photography brings you face-to-face with a wall of photographs: Lee Grant’s Belco Pride exhibit set in Belconnen, a suburb on the outskirts of Canberra where Grant grew up. The direct, square-cut prints hold an echo of polaroid snaps taken on a Sunday afternoon, with a darker undertone. A mixture of revealing portraits and urban scenes, the exhibit is an honest, sometimes affectionate essay about place, landscape, pride and suburban Australia. The main show is Melbourne photographer Conor O’Brien’s first major survey exhibition. O’Brien’s aesthetic is intentionally muted and voyeuristic — the experience is like walking through the pages of a stranger’s family album. Meaning is obscured, stories are hidden. What I find most notable are the many photographs of women whose faces are obscured or have their backs are to the camera. In the only photo where a face can be seen, the subject has her eyes shuttered closed. These photos are strangely haunting; is the artist depicting his privilege? Can only he know the secrets of these women hidden from the camera? Why aren’t these women turned outwards? Why are they not a part of the conversation between the photographer and us, the voyeuristic viewer? Around the corner is Rebecca Dagnall’s wonderfully immersive There is unrest in the forest, there is trouble in the trees. Evoking an elemental Australian gothic, Dagnall’s huge photographs are thickly atmospheric creations of trees in a local park set amongst pooling darkness. By mirroring the images, or creating mirroring within the images, Dagnall produces a mystical set of creatures within the forest. Eyes stare. Spiders manifest. There are tigers, bats, horned goats. My companion declares, with a delicious twinkle in his eye, that he fully intends to return with a mate later in the week when they’ve both had a “puff of the trumpet”. Image: Rebecca Dagnall, There is unrest in the forest, there is trouble in the trees, 2011
One wall of the MOP gallery is given over to Alex Wisser’s collection of large-scale photographs, titled Blank Canvas. Both moving and hypnotic, the photographs depict the interiors of homes that have been lived in for more than 30 years, taken on the day of their sale by auction. Corners, doorways, frames, hallways, mirrors — all transform into eyes and mouths, opening and swallowing the viewer into these alternative lives. The viewer cannot help but be seduced into imagining the stories behind these rooms and homes. The photographs, beautifully framed and puckered with light, meditate on the ephemeral nature of the spaces we all choose to exist within and the affection that can be contained in simple objects. The photographs concertina past, present and future. The houses are spaces full of ghosts and longing. In the Brown Council’s Group Work, three names are written in chalk on three chalk boards. The viewer is invited into the memories of the artists who, each morning before the gallery opens, recall momentous events and influential people in their lives in relation to love, sex and death. These names or phrases are then written onto the blackboards and then written over, and over, and over. Dara Gill’s In Action, Inaction really grew on me over the time I spent in the gallery. It draws you in, as if you’re an actor just cast in a Jean Cocteau film. You are drawn into a world with shades of grey, piles of rubble, flashing signs and lists of conditions. The work is made up of three interactive areas that the viewer is invited into. The first holds two screens, which flash ‘NOW’ to indicate the four births that occur every second and the two deaths that occur every second. The main wall hosts an interactive survey on the notions of modern, urban anxiety, where you are asked to move a piece of rubble into a pile marked ‘YES’ or ‘NO’. The third wall is filled with identical, blank, Kafka-esque ‘To Do’ lists. I find it hard to disengage from the work and the ideas Gill creates. It’s simultaneously meditative and disturbing. As I leave a girl walks in and sits in the middle of the concrete floor, ‘NOW’ pulsing silently above her head. Image: Alex Wisser, Blank Canvas, 2011
The conditions and motivations under which we build buildings has a long and serpentine history. As we all know we have built, and build, for a choir of reasons; shelter and survival, history, pleasure, tourism and entertainment, the desire to reach an ideal (utopia), money, development, a growing population, lifestyle, symbolism...it's a list that seems unbounded by the highest of walls. Given that we've all been in buildings before, it's not being silly to say that we all possess an intimate and brilliant knowledge of architecture. This year's Sydney Architecture Festival takes a broad and varied look at architecture and our relationship to it, offering a collection of talks, tours, exhibitions and workshops for those wanting to explore and think about the built environment. Occurring over 10 days, some highlights include an exhibition of previously unseen Max Dupain photographs, an exhibition at the Goethe-Institut of the German Modernist Bruno Taut, Sydney architecture walks and tours, and the Expanded Architecture exhibition on show at Carriage Works. A little civilization of events will be held in venues throughout the city including Customs House, Tusculum, the Museum of Sydney, the State Library, Object Gallery, Government House Sydney and the Powerhouse Museum.
If you have not heard the name Pina Bausch yet, you will certainly know this dance visionary quite intimately by the end of the 2011 Spring Dance at the Sydney Opera House. Not only is Wim Wenders releasing a film dedicated to her (in 3D) this month, but Spring Dance is also hosting a trilogy of celebratory sessions in her honour. As well as showcasing the exquisite Belgian company Les Ballets C de la B's Out of Context - for Pina. Bausch's practice of dance theatre is a good touchstone for the majority of the works curated for this season. Returning to Australia for the first time in ten years, British company DV8 combine transcripts from interviews and documentary footage with their explosive dance style to create Can We Talk About This?, an exploration into the many faces of censorship. On a more intimate level is Ros Warby's Monumental, in which she single-footedly unpacks the ballet icons of the swan and the soldier. The theatrical is also very much in plain sight in Fevered Sleep's The Forest, which takes young audiences into the wooden in-between world that lies far beyond urban borders. Finally, playing for Australia is Chunky Move's I Like This, and their dance about a dance demonstrates the manner in which all of these more theatrical performances may have been choreographed. While there are many different styles and practices represented in this Spring Dance, it is clear that this season is a showcase of dance that has moved far from the constraints of tradition, but without losing any of the precision or skill required by the form. https://youtube.com/watch?v=05N_N5coYFI Image by Chris Van der Burght
Angela Lane’s work is Armageddon writ small. Her paintings capture a sense of impending doom and vast emptiness, even the ones that are less than 10cms across. By using the imagery of miniaturist landscapes from 15th and 16th century Netherlands, when the Dutch saw man’s failing relationship with God in the hardships of the Eighty Years War, Lane has transformed the antiquated concerns of medieval Europe into something startlingly modern. As the natural world seems to become less and less able to support the lives that we’ve built, the foreboding in Lane’s work seems not only spiritual but desperately practical. Where Dutch artists contrasted peaceful images of the infant Christ with ravaged battlefields and the toil of everyday life, it seemed as if to illustrate just what we were missing. Lane is even less forgiving, seeing our sins as against the landscape itself. The figures in her haunted world scrabble around naked, doom written in every brushstroke. The places they inhabit are not metaphors for loss, they are what has been lost. Waiting for the Fall shows us an uncertain future in lovely, disquieting glimpses. Image: Angela Lane
Water is life. No dispute. 71% of the Earth is covered by it. 85% of our bodies are composed of it. But as the ocean continues to rise and droughts pose greater and greater threats, our relationship with this semi-transparent liquid will undoubtedly change. Two photojournalists who are fascinated by the human relationship with water, and the labour, recreation and movements that happen in and around it, are Lisa Maree Williams and Tracey Nearmy. Flow situates these two award winning photographers together, exhibiting vibrant, colourful and honest photographs of a life lived by the sea. While the photographs are by no means overbearing or preachy, they make a subtle argument to our eyes as to why water is so appealing and so fundamentally precious.
Pouring performance, film and music into one licensed venue for a tiny three day festival seems like a recipe for either disaster or roaring success. Last year's inaugural Home Brew Festival, a bluesy riot of original theatre and boutique beer, was the latter. Given the pedigree, we have reason to be optimistic about its upcoming sequel. From this Thursday to Saturday, the Old Fitzroy Hotel and Theatre will hold the aptly named Home Brew Festival #2. The line-up boasts music from Cash Savage and the Last Drinks and Sleeve Merry, as well as performances from Tin Shed, Mel Matheson, Mime is Money, Time Spencer and award-winning playwright Caleb Lewis.
Nestled in the seemingly peaceful, suburban atmosphere of Woolloomooloo is a installation work that evokes the tensions of history underlying this newly gentrified suburb, while pointing towards the possibility of an apocalyptic future. The installation is a site, frozen in time; a kind of archeological dig evidencing the last stand of humanity against the collapse of the world we now know. Located in a vacant lot roughly behind Artspace, reaching the installation takes a bit of detective work. The site is strangely eerie, barely marked as 'art', with its components open to the elements. It might perhaps be the last moment at the 'End of Time' and the only pitiful evidence of human existence. The title of this work draws on New World Order conspiracy theories and is a specific reference to a speech made by George W. Bush in 1990. While some reference points are more extreme, such as the survivalist movement, the main thrust of Michael Goldberg's work speaks to common environmental concerns, particularly global warming, and economic concerns, capitalist greed and the abuse of resources - concerns which have additional resonance in this place which has known such a troubled past. Image: Toward A New World Order, site installation view, 56-58 Nicholson Street, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, 2011
Guaranteed to darken the brightest of days (albeit in one of those achingly artistic, ‘wow, that was so clever, wasn’t it?’ type of ways), comes Martha Marcy May Marlene by Sean Durkin, a 29 year-old American who executed this directorial debut so courageously that it scored him Sundance’s Best Director award last year. Be warned: using the term dark is totally sugar-coating the shadows this film casts, which linger long (like days, in all seriousness) after the credits have rolled. Centered around a young woman who is returning to life after escaping a cult, the story offers a warts-and-all look into the fragility of the human psyche. Martha, played by girl-of-the-moment Elizabeth Olsen (a worthy tag given this alarmingly convincing first-time performance), struggles to adjust to the world her sister and British husband live in. She sees barely any sense in clothing and seeks comfort in their love-making, snuggling up beside the couple mid-going at it. But that’s really all we see of the world Martha is attempting to reconnect with. Everything else Durkin offers up is straight out of Martha’s mind: an utterly confused, helplessly empty universe. Her warped state of being is so brilliantly brought to life that viewers won’t know whether or not what they’re watching is real. And that’s the most terrifying part. Sure, the cult looks pretty freaky. We switch from the ‘real’ world to Martha’s memories of her cult buddies throughout the entire film. Those cult kids are full of slow head-tilts, vacant stares and unnecessary smirks, and they get up to plenty of weird mischief. But it’s Martha’s inability to separate her nightmares from reality that really put her in danger. And when our protagonist isn’t sure about anything, who on earth are we to rely on? Durkin’s masterful use of suspense deserves a nod from the Academy, for real. John Hawkes, who plays the cult’s leader, deserves props of the similar variety for his scary-as-shit blend of charming and terrorising. But most of all, the pairing of Olsen and Durkin just seems to click. Could we have here yet another muse-director relationships of cult appeal? Perhaps. But please, don’t use that word with me ever again.
A few years ago Miles O’Neil came across a box of old Super 8 home movies at a Melbourne garage sale. In his first solo show, opening at the Old Fitz, this found footage acts as the backdrop to a selection of songs, impersonations and stories taken from Miles’ life. Nostalgia, according to Mad Men’s Don Draper, is Greek for “the pain from an old wound” and this show captures that bittersweet feeling perfectly. Miles recounts and reenacts conversations he’s had with cabbies, couriers and mechanics about love, cars and the essentials of happiness (cheese is important, apparently) It’s an excellent show but a hard one to describe. It would be tempting to call it a “gentle comedy”, because the whir of the super 8 projector dictates it’s own steady pace and the comedy is inclusive and warm as opposed to cruel. But “gentle comedy” has come to mean code for boring or bad. It is also technically musical comedy, a term which is even more fraught with bad connotations. I would say that it is funny, beautifully written, heartfelt and masterful. When so many other comedians are drenched in irony it takes a certain type of tight rope walker to make a show this sincere and genuine without tipping over into being twee or embarrassingly earnest. It’s a comedy with a lot more depth than we’ve come to expect.
There is a rather abstruse but very distinct cultural 'thing' whereby at the opening of an art show one is, despite the drinking and chatting aspect, being some kind of extra-civilised above and beyond the being-at-a-bar-with-your-friends modality. But now Diana Smith (you may know her from Brown Council) has gone and ruined that a bit by creating a functioning Dart Game as an exhibition. She does, however, redeem herself by having the handpainted board reference hard-edge abstraction, so you the art thing comes somewhat back into effect. Tega Brain goes real-world-referential in her exhibition, too, by bringing domesticity (laundry) and environmental awareness (water conservation) into play in Coin-Operated Wetland. Ever wanted to do your laundry in an art gallery but been too shy about relational aesthetics to ask? Here's your chance! The third exhibition on show is Karla Dickens' Home is where the rabbits live. In her signature collage-based paintings and installation and video works made in collaboration with Nils Crompton, Dickens depicts the presence of rabbits and Rabbitohs in the Redfern of her childhood in a reflection on community and belonging and the ways in which spirituality can be approached.
Sydney Dance Company artistic director Rafael Bonachela has established himself as a leader in contemporary dance choreography, and this performance is a representation of that. The storyline of The Land of Yes and the Land of No captures how our chaotic world is so crowded with signs, directions and instructions on such a large scale that overwhelmed people miss all of them as they go about their lives. The beauty of the performance is that it clearly highlights that at different times everybody goes through the same feeling of isolation within a busy, crowded world, and though we may sometimes feel alienated, people will always come to our assistance. The particular collection of dancers from the SDC form a very attractive cohort indeed. Their attire may not be pointe shoes and tutus, but it's a perfect fit for the production regardless: bare feet and simple white outfits. Although all unique in styling, they were obviously linked to each other through a repeated use of fabric and pleating. This choice in wardrobe worked well for the performance, as it again highlighted the link between humans despite their differences. The large number of fluorescent light bulbs arranged on stage would not look out of place in a Daft Punk or Justice concert but add an interesting, youthful element to an otherwise plain stage. Throughout the show there's a level of anticipation to see how the light changes relate to the scene ahead, as they occur prior to dancers entering. The performance opens with a blackout, and then from the light bulbs, a single doorframe emerges. The first dancer on stage is a lone female whose solo to a quiet classical piece represents a struggle with living in this century. Shortly after, a male companion with the task of 'saving her' joins her on stage. There are clearly two different levels of choreography that Bonachela has created for the piece, as after the slow beginning, a larger number of lights are turned on, the music becomes more dominating and a larger cohort enters the stage. Throughout the show, these two levels continually alternate, but the sections where either all or the majority of dancers were on stage were my favourites; the choreography very cleverly highlights how everybody goes about their life doing the same activities without generally noticing each other. The Land of Yes and the Land of No is worth seeing, as it addresses some very current and universal themes about the way society is conducting itself and the detriment it is doing to humans. It's a lecture on humanity, in dance form.
