From the director of Dumb & Dumber, There's Something About Mary and Shallow Hal comes a race-relations drama with five Academy Award nominations to its name. Only a handful of years ago, that would've seemed like one of the most unlikely sentences in the film industry. But Green Book is a Peter Farrelly movie through and through, even if no one gets their tongue stuck to a frosty pole, uses an unconventional type of hair gel or dons a fat suit. It might take its real-life tale seriously, however the same simplicity — and the same penchant for upbeat, easy sentiment — that has characterised the director's filmography remains. Taking to the road across America's Deep South circa 1962, Green Book follows a journey within a journey. As revered classical musician Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his hired chauffeur Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) venture from town to town on a piano recital tour, this odd couple ventures towards an unexpected friendship. Painfully aware of the discrimination of the time, the reserved, refined Shirley understands the need for a chaperone, but is hardly accustomed to some of his driver's behaviour. For the mouthy, uncouth Lip, a New York bouncer who's happy to treat African-Americans the same way he'd treat an unruly bar patron, working for a black man likewise takes some getting used to. Co-writing the screenplay with Brian Currie (also one of the film's producers) and Nick Vallelonga (son of Tony 'Lip' Vallelonga), Farrelly throws up plot developments like his characters throw fried chicken scraps out of the car window. That's one of Green Book's big scenes, and it's tossed in breezily but lands with a thud. The same is true of much of the movie. Simultaneously light and overt, and shot and styled in the same way, this is a picture that ticks all of the obvious boxes, charts all of the predictable developments and services all of the expected messages. It has a heart, as do most of Farrelly's films, yet it always seems like it's expending most of its energy on stressing its feel-good importance. While scenes that show Tony learning to overcome his own prejudice, saving Shirley from violent attacks and teaching him that stereotypical aspects of black culture may have a basis in truth, they also feel carefully calculated to further the picture's overall vibe. A film that makes Lip the protagonist and Shirley the supporting player, Green Book is also a film that's willing to shape the details to suit its smooth angle on reality. That's far from uncommon in the "based on a true story" game, but even if controversy hadn't sprung up about the handling of specific aspects of Shirley's life (with his family contesting some elements), the movie would've still felt massaged for mass consumption. Indeed, Farrelly has a mould that he's trying to fit, earning and thoroughly deserving the label of this year's Driving Miss Daisy. It's also this year's The Blind Side, aka a picture where a person of colour's narrative is framed through their relationship with a helpful white friend, or saviour. Green Book's questionable approach would've always been apparent, but it perhaps cuts deeper because of the film's biggest success: its performances. Oscar-nominated for their respective roles, Mortensen and Ali truly make the best of the material at their disposal. More than that, they exceed it — as you'd expect from both. In Mortensen's case, there's a welcome looseness to his take on Lip that never feels like he's forcefully pushing buttons or hitting marks, even though the script always is. With likely two-time Best Supporting Actor winner Ali, there's soulful elegance, resounding dignity and quiet vulnerability to his portrayal of Shirley, giving the man what he deserves even if the film around him doesn't. Although a great movie could be made starring the pair, this isn't it. Instead, they lift a polite hug of a picture, one that boils down good intentions to the easiest, most conventional elements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18JX_RS-Xo
As if the first announcement wasn't kickass enough, OutsideIn have announced the second part of their festival lineup. Locked in to be held over three levels at Manning Bar in the University of Sydney, the boutique music festival cooked up by Sydney touring and management agency Astral People and record label Yes Please returns for its third instalment on Saturday, November 29. Forecast to sell out like its 2012 and 2013 events, OutsideIn will spread its super solid lineup over three stages. Joining an already solid lineup featuring '90s US hip-hop legends The Pharcyde, Sydney's beloved electronic trio Seekae, Germany's Pantha Du Prince, America's Giraffage and Melbourne duo Client Liaison is legendary Chicago house DJ/producer Roy Davis Jr and US R&B/housemaster Brenmar, alongside Melbourne’s Noise In My Head, Adelaide’s Late Nite Tuff Guy, and Sydney's own Collarbones, Chris Barker and Basenji. With a host of both local and international artists yet to be announced, OutsideIn is back for another year of beats-you-may-have-missed and downright shindigging. OUTSIDEIN 2014 SECOND LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT: Roy Davis Jr (US) Basenji Brenmar (US) Late Nite Tuff Guy Collarbones Noise in My Head Chris Barker FULL 2014 LINEUP: The Pharcyde (US) Seekae Pantha Du Prince (GER) Giraffage (US) Roy Davis Jr (US) Client Liaison Basenji Brenmar (US) HNNY (SWE) DJ SPINN (US) Tornado Wallace Collarbones Late Nite Tuff Guy Wookie (UK) Rome Fortune (US) Fishing Jubilee (US) Guerre Black Vanilla Retiree Sui Zhen Noise In My Head Preacha Andy Webb Moriarty Ariane Chris Barker OutsideIn is happening at Manning Bar, University of Sydney on November 29. General admission is $80 +bf. All tickets are available through Oztix. Photo credit: Voena.co
Providing fodder for all your half-drawn theories about parallel universes and/or that feeling you have that there are other yous out there (products of that time you could have sent that text and didn't, or the time you accidentally dropped that plate and smashed it, but probably could have caught it if you'd wanted to), a new production presented by Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Constellations, tells a story about the infinite possibilities of one relationship across infinite universes. The play, by young British playwright Nick Payne, opened in London in 2012 and will premiere on Broadway next January, starring your teenage heartthrob Jake Gyllenhaal. In the Sydney production, Sam O'Sullivan is Roland the beekeeper and Emma Palmer is Marianne the physicist — a convergence of occupations almost too whimsical to handle. Starting from the moment the couple meet at a barbecue and detailing particular moments in their ensuing relationship, with outcomes dependent on anything from their previous relationships to the way they phrased that last thing they said, this is one for those who like their boy-meets-girl with a side of multiverse theory. Constellations is on from August 13 to September 17 at the Eternity Playhouse. Thanks to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company, we have two double passes to give away to the preview performance on Sunday, August 10, at 5pm. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
The sun is peeking out from behind the clouds, the birds are thinking about swooping, and now we really know winter will soon be out of here because summer's Sydney Festival 2015 has made its first lineup announcement. It's a show called Tabac Rouge by acclaimed circus mastermind James Thierrée, and in true festival style, it's a medium masher. The dance, theatre and acrobatics fusion is described as a "feast of visual poetry" by Sydney Festival director Lieven Bertels, who saw it in London earlier this year. "The show explores a world somewhere between the silent cinema classic Modern Times and a Jeroen Bosch painting — sometimes dazzling and funny, sometimes alienating and grotesque, but always hypnotic," he says. An adventurous recent work with a thumbs up from Europe (less so the UK), Tabac Rouge revolves around a disillusioned dystopian king trying to make sense of the world. Frenchman Thierrée plays the lead role, surrounded by a cast of agile performers, a junk shop aesthetic, an imposing scaffold set and plenty of smoke, mirrors and dramatic lighting effects. It sounds weird and enigmatic, but hopefully not quite so weird and enigmatic as this year's mostly impenetrable signature event, 'underwater opera' Dido and Aeneas. https://youtube.com/watch?v=VH2MmpE9THc The grandson of Charlie Chaplin and great-grandson of Eugene O'Neill, Thierrée was raised in his parents' circus troupe, Le Cirque Imaginaire. Needless to say, his understanding and flexibility with the circus arts is right up there. He's a Sydney Festival veteran too, having brought us Junebug Symphony (2003), Bright Abyss (2006) and Au Revoir Parapluie (2008). You won't be able to miss Tabac Rouge; it plays at the Sydney Theatre for the whole duration of the festival. Tickets for the Australian exclusive start at $85/$72 concession, and premium tickets ($119/$109) are on sale now through the Sydney Festival website. Look out for full festival lineup announcement on October 23.
You mightn't usually be the kind of person who yells at the TV when you're watching something. In fact, you may have never exclaimed aloud during a streaming binge. But all bets are off when Curb Your Enthusiasm is on — because Larry David, playing a heightened and fictionalised version of himself, constantly behaves in a manner that'll make you shout an exasperated but still amused "Larry!?!?!?!" more than once. Across ten seasons since 2000, the series has followed the Seinfeld co-creator's life after that huge hit, including both his personal and professional ups and downs. Over that time, he's gotten the Seinfeld gang back together for a reunion, fallen asleep during Hamilton and starred in a Broadway production of The Producers — all within the show, that is. Larry isn't particularly fond of following social conventions, which is the source of much of Curb Your Enthusiasm's awkward comedy. There's no one better at it, actually, and much of the dialogue is improvised, too.
You can practically skip stones into the Hawkesbury River from this magnificently restored 19th century church. The grand sandstone structure has been divided into five private bedrooms (four with ensuites, one with an in-room clawfoot tub), a kitchen, dining area and living room complete with movie projector screen. The deck and plunge pool are welcome features for the warmer months, while a soaring steel steeple protects the rooftop lounge area from the elements for optimal sunset sessions by the fire pit. If you can drag yourself away from this ultimate chill-out pad, visit your hosts for dinner at the Settlers Arms Inn (which they also run) just five minutes up the road. And if you want to extend your stay in the area, hit the Womerah Range trail for a challenging two-day hike that takes you to the remote Heartbreak Hill campground in the Parr State Conservation Area. Images: Destination NSW
Sydney Design descends on this city annually to wrap it in a web of style, sweet-talking much of its otherwise design-agnostic population into appreciating the form, fit and function of the useful stuff in their lives. This year, it's focused around the theme of lace, including a central Powerhouse exhibition and events with thread-centric themes, like a bicycle culture tour that makes a crochet workshop pit stop. The Powerhouse will host the annual Young Blood: Designers Market and design awards, and visitors there are invited to add to Shane Waltener's giant lace sculpture, Knitted and Looped. Hamish Ta-mé will put together a huge paste-up on the side of a Surry Hills warehouse, weaving and reweaving the same portraits night after night each evening for Reworking the Paste-Up, while up the hill in Kippax Street, you can check out choice rooftop, design-themed movies at the Design Film Screening. In Chippendale, Allen Jack+Cottier have installed a cafe in their headquarters, wrapping it with an exhibition on the neighbourhood's slow march from brewing icon to caffeine addict. Meanwhile, COFA is running the COFA Design Festival as a Sydney Design mini-festival-within-a-festival. COFA's contribution includes the annual campus-wide, one-day forum Live Futures 2020, a series of design and sustainability-themed talks and two new exhibitions by COFA staff and students. COFA isn't the only artistic institution to huddle under the festival umbrella either, with innumerable shows featuring Bauhaus, the typewriter, sand, hand-made bikes and Italian seating.
Lee Mingwei invites you to join him in an act of destruction. On April 23, he'll be recreating Pablo Picasso's famous Guernica (1937) at Carriageworks as part of the 20th Biennale of Sydney. Painted in oils, it's considered one of history's most powerful anti-war artworks and was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, a Basque village, during the Spanish Civil War. Instead of oils, Mingwei will be using sand to replicate Picasso's lines exactly. Once his work is done, you'll be given permission to walk all over it. And then, Mingwei and his collaborators will pick up brooms and start sweeping the sand into new shapes and forms. As you watch the original artwork being destroyed — and a new one being created in front of your eyes — you'll find yourself contemplating the relationship between destruction and creation, between precise lines and organic forms, and between past and future. "I used Picasso's Guernica as the departure point for a different view of the damage done when human beings are victimised," Mingwei said in his artist's statement. "Instead of simply being critical...I wanted to use the concept of impermanence as a lens for focusing on such violent events in terms of the ongoing phenomena of destruction and creation." Image: Lee Mingwei, 'Guernica in Sand', 2006 and 2015.
After a fantastic year of programming that included works as diverse as the debut production of wonderful new Australian comedy Hubris & Humiliation and Edward Albee's provocative Tony Award-winner The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia, the Sydney Theatre Company's 2023 season is wrapping up with another undisputed theatrical classic. Anton Chekhov's 1886 slice-of-life banger The Seagull will play at the Roslyn Packer Theatre throughout November and December, bringing to life the funny and fraught production about romance, death, the purpose of art, and existential dissatisfaction. From a Russian playwright you simply cannot have it any other way! Set at a lakeside rural estate in the Russian countryside where the drama plays out, the original text has been adapted by Andrew Upton (former co-artistic director of the STC with his wife Cate Blanchett) and his interpretation is directed by Imara Savage who might just be one of the most impressively versatile directors of stage working in the country right now. The Seagull also welcomes Australian acting great Sigrid Thornton back to the STC stage in the role of glamorous ageing diva Irina Arkadina, alongside a terrific cast including Toby Schmitz in the pivotal role of Boris Trigorin, Sean O'Shea and Megan Wilding (both of whom previously featured in STC's The Importance of Being Earnest), and Arka Das and Mabel Li in their Sydney Theatre Company debuts. If you're looking for one last theatrical experience to round out your year, Sydney Theatre Company's The Seagull might be difficult to top.
Here's one more reason to love Darlinghurst's haven of hip hop, cheese and wine Big Poppa's: it's putting together a big night of carbs and vino in the form of a five-course pasta degustation. That's almost half a dozen different handmade pasta dishes to enjoy while you sip wine from northern Italy and bop your head to hip hop beats. You'll enjoy blue swimmer crab fusilli paired with chilli and thai basil, poached quail tortellini, and beef cheek ragu served with a fresh pappardelle pasta, all created by Big Poppa's Executive Chef Liam Driscoll. And there'll be a couple of veggie dishes in the mix, too, including the triangoli stuffed with butternut pumpkin and tortiglioni with roasted ox-heart tomatoes, star anise and stracciatella. The degustation is $75 for five courses and you can add on matched wines for $50 (total $125). If you choose the latter, each dish will be paired with a glass of vino from Marion and Corte Lavel — two labels run by the same family from the Veneto region in the north of Italy. You'll start with a floral pinot bianco and work your way through to a velvety and spicy 2013 red. [caption id="attachment_758610" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Big Poppa's pasta degustation will take place from 6.30–9.30pm.
Easily spooked by things that go bump in the night? Can't bring yourself to sing "I ain't afraid of no ghosts" whenever you're belting out the Ghostbusters' theme? Not so fond of the concept of mortality? If so, you might want to stay away from Melbourne's next pop-up. Coming to Hawthorn's Glenferrie Road for four days only, A Ghost Store has one thing on its hangers: an outfit that will last an eternity. From July 27 to 30, customers will enter the shop, complete a questionnaire about their garment requirements and get kitted out in a minimalist, one-size-fits-all piece of cloth made to last for centuries (and supposedly suitable for inter-dimensional apparitions operating on parallel planes). If that hasn't given the game away, then the fact that the item of clothing in question comes in three colours (white, ivory and bone) might — yep, this store is offering up good ol' fashioned sheets so that you can get your ghost on in the afterlife. The store's moniker also gives away just why this pop-up is coming a-haunting right now — it's actually an inventive marketing idea to promote the David Lowery-directed, Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara-starring A Ghost Story, which hits Australian cinemas this week. In the film, which the trio shot in secret before it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, Affleck spends most of his screen time decked out in ghostly attire. To say more would be to say too much — but no, this isn't a comedy. Visitors to A Ghost Store can expect an interactive experience, though it comes with words of warning: "the transition from active participant to passive observer can be a difficult one", its website cautions. If you're keen on more details, Indiewire spent some time in the US version. Or, if you'd like getting fitted out for what comes next to remain a mystery — appropriately — just show up and try your luck. A Ghost Story releases in Australian cinemas on July 27. Melburnians can find A Ghost Store at Shop 12, 673 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn from 5pm to 10pm on July 27 and 28, and 12pm to 10pm on July 29 and 30.
Everyone should play tourist in their own town. For fans of horror movies in the Harbour City, everyone should see Sydney's historic spots in a whole new light while a frightening flick rolls and Haus of Horror throws a party. That's the immersive cinema outfit's setup, and it has both the winter solstice and the Old Darlinghurst Gaol in its sights next — plus getting eerie with the American remake of The Ring. In the past, for over a year, Haus of Horror has popped up everywhere from Parramatta Gaol and Camperdown Cemetery to Cockatoo Island, showing The Exorcist, the OG Scream, Beetlejuice, A Nightmare on Elm Street and more. Now, before you truly get into the winter spirit, you'll see The Ring inside a cellblock with a full moon in the sky outside. You have two sessions to choose from, both on Saturday, June 22 (technically a day after 2024's winter solstice, but this kind of event was always going to be more fun on a Saturday instead of a Friday). So, either head through the doors at 5pm for a 7pm screening, or mosey through at 7.15pm for a 9.15pm showing. Either way, a date with Samara is only a portion of the party. Prior to the movie flickering through the projector, you'll be given time to explore the site — a place that dates back to the 1820s, housed prisoners from 1841–1914, then became a technical college and later the National Art School. The old gaol has turned the former women's prisoner wing into a theatre, which is where you'll be watching. If you need to peel your eyes away from the screen, look out for remnants of the space's previous use etched onto the walls. Haus of Horror is also setting up scare zones, a photo booth, and markets selling handmade and vintage wares. A fortune teller will get clairvoyant with attendees, a DJ will be spinning tunes, good vendors will have bites to eat on offer and a bloody-themed cocktail will be available at the bar.
The black parade is coming back to Australia — eventually. After their last attempt to head to our shores in 2020 was thwarted due to the pandemic, the reunited My Chemical Romance announced earlier in 2021 that they'd tour the country's east coast in 2022. However, those gigs have now been pushed back to 2023 — but extra shows have also been added. Hopefully the third time will prove the charm for Gerard Way and co, and for music lovers eager to grab their eyeliner, don every black piece of clothing in their wardrobe, relive their angsty emo teenage years and let out three cheers. The new tour will mark more than a decade since MCR last came to our shores for the 2012 Big Day Out — and comes after the US group went their separate ways in 2013, then reformed in 2019. Fans will be pleased to know that MCR are headlining their own shows on this tour, too, rather than leading a festival bill as they were slated to do in 2020. And, they'll now be playing two gigs at each of their stops in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney — with their rescheduled 2023 tour doubling down on stints at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Rod Laver Arena and Qudos Bank Arena. While waiting an extra year to see MCR isn't quite the end-of-2021 development anyone wanted, being able to snap up tickets to new shows if you missed out in the first round is clearly much better news. Back in late 2019, when MCR announced that they were literally getting the band back together, they sold out their first reunion gig in Los Angeles quick smart — and tickets to their Australian gigs have already proven mighty popular. The group has been trying to take its new show on the road ever since they reformed, but, thanks to the pandemic, that has obviously proven much trickier than anticipated. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Monday, March 13 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane — NEW SHOW Tuesday, March 14 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane — SOLD OUT Thursday, March 16 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — NEW SHOW Friday, March 17 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — SOLD OUT Sunday, March 19 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney — SOLD OUT Monday, March 20 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney — NEW SHOW My Chemical Romance will tour Australia's east coast in March 2023. For further information — and for pre-sale tickets for the just-announced new shows from 3pm on Tuesday, December 14, and general tickets from 12pm on Wednesday, December 15 — head to the tour website. Top image: My Chemical Romance performing by NBSTwo via Flickr.
Easter is right around the corner which means it's time to get ready for everyone's favourite rabbit to hop into town — and we're not talking about Peter, Roger or Bugs. If you're looking for a way to celebrate the long weekend without leaving the city, be sure to head to the Sydney Family Show this April. The annual event will be running from Saturday, April 9 till Monday, April 25 at the Entertainment Quarter, and there's plenty to see and do. Check out the action-packed motorcycle and bike show, turn yourself upside down on carnival rides, cuddle some adorable furry friends in the animal nursery and, of course, take home a showbag or two on your way out. New to the Show this year is a ferris wheel, so make sure you hop on to score a bird's-eye view of the festivities below. Tickets are $20 per person for adults and $10 for kids aged 3–15, or you can grab a family pass for $50 for four people. If you still have Parent and Discover NSW vouchers burning a proverbial hole in your pocket, you can use these for at-gate purchases. The Sydney Family Show will be happening at the Entertainment Quarter from Saturday, April 9 till Monday, April 25. For more information and to grab tickets, visit the website.
Art enthusiasts, collectors and creators, we have news for you. The Other Art Fair is returning to Sydney this May on its 2023 world tour. From Thursday, May 11 to Sunday, May 14, you'll find the fair in The Cutaway, Barangaroo. This supersized concrete void of a venue boasts immense ceiling height, acoustics and ample natural light — perfect for an event with this much colour and popularity. If you aren't already in the know, The Other Art Fair is a roaming international art show that allows you to view, discuss and even purchase art directly from an emerging artist, rather than deal with the red tape and hurdles of buying through a gallery. It's an extensive roster of 120 talents, each selected by a committee of experts, so you'll be purchasing quality work and supporting the local creative scene. And there's more than just their work to expect — there'll be immersive installations, performances, live DJs, and a fully stocked bar. Convinced yet? It should be a great night or day out for art-and experience-lovers alike, and you could walk away with a brand-new piece to hang up at home. Tickets are on sale now with a variety of options, including a 50% discount if you book before Wednesday, April 12. For more information on the event and artists or to book tickets, visit the website.
If someone had told me years ago that the Old Clare Hotel would become the most sophisticated venue in Sydney, I would have laughed in their face. Today, however, I'm just hoping they let me inside. The first restaurant to open in the Old Clare complex is Automata, which marks the debut solo opening for ex-Momofuku Seiobo sous chef Clayton Wells. We're given a dining room that looks like a luxury spaceship, filled with sleek polished metals and machinery-styled fittings. I can't wait to see where this meal takes me. The decision-making process is fairly straightforward: there's one option, a five-course, frequently changing degustation ($88), which is pretty reasonably priced as far as degos go. If you can afford to, splash out and get the matching drinks ($55), which will have you sipping umami-based sakes and spirits alongside thoughtfully chosen boutique wines. The meal kicks off with a starter of storm clams swimming in a fishy seawater made from rosemary dashi and ground nori; it's a much more delicious mouthful than you'll find at the beach. It's followed with a clean and cleansing serve of blanched asparagus rolled in sesame leaf and topped with umeboshi plum stock, poured at the table. Dish number two takes a bolder step forward. A meltingly tender hapuka fish is served with creamy roe emulsion and little pops of sea succulents, draped in a melty sheet of dashi-dipped seaweed. The dish combines silky textures with umami punch to create an absolute knockout of a dish. It's about this time that the bread and butter arrive. I wouldn't bother mentioning it except it's pretty much the best butter in the entire world. This ambrosia of the gods is made by whipping butter with chicken jus (chicken jus), anchovies and sunflower seeds until it's as light and fluffy as Chantilly cream with just a hint of nutty crunch. Well done, Wells. Mid-way through the meal, they bring out a big steamed cabbage leaf. Thanks for that. Wait, there's more underneath! Phew. Talk about an Instagrammer's worst nightmare. Concealed beneath a head of braised purple witlof is a slow-roasted quail and creamy smear of burnt eggplant puree. The final savoury dish is a slab of Rangers Valley skirt steak served with morel, shiitake and wood ear mushrooms in a brown butter and tamari sauce. Skirt is the unlikely hero of the day; it's expertly flamed to create a rich, winey caramelisation on the crust while staying moist, pink and tender within. The meal concludes with a scoop of not-so-sweet pumpkin seed sorbet, served alongside freeze-dried mandarins and meringue with a hint of Angostura bitters. The flavours are quite savoury, but it makes perfect sense within the context of the meal. As we leave, we're given two green chartreuse petit fours. I warn you now: consume at your own risk. Chewing on one unleashed a burst of freshness not akin to chugging a bottle of Listerine; it completely wiped my body clean like a herbal nuclear explosion. With no trace of the meal left at all, I started to question whether the dinner even took place. The Old Clare Hotel, the most stylish restaurant in town? Couldn't be.
For much of the six years that a new Hayao Miyazaki movie has been on the way, little was known except that the legendary Japanese animator was breaking his retirement after 2013's The Wind Rises. But there was a tentative title: How Do You Live?. While that isn't the name that the film's English-language release sports, both the moniker — which remains in Japan — and the nebulousness otherwise help sum up the gorgeous and staggering The Boy and the Heron. They also apply to the Studio Ghibli's co-founder's filmography overall. When a director and screenwriter escapes into imaginative realms as much as Miyazaki does, thrusting young characters still defining who they are away from everything they know into strange and surreal worlds, they ask how people exist, weather the chaos and trauma that's whisked their way, and bounce between whatever normality they're lucky to cling to and life's relentless uncertainties and heartbreaks. Miyazaki has long pondered how to navigate the fact that so little while we breathe proves a constant, and gets The Boy and the Heron spirited away by the same train of thought while climbing a tower of deeply resonant feelings. How Do You Live? is also a 1937 book by Genzaburo Yoshino, which Miyazaki was given by his mother as a child, and also earns a mention in his 12th feature. The Boy and the Heron isn't an adaptation; rather, it's a musing on that query that's the product of a great artist looking back at his life and achievements, plus his losses. The official blurb uses the term "semi-autobiographical fantasy", an elegant way to describe a movie that feels so authentic, and so tied to its creator, even though he can't have charted his current protagonist's exact path. Parts of the story are drawn from his youth, but it wouldn't likely surprise any Studio Ghibli fan if Miyazaki had magically had his Chihiro, Mei and Satsuki, or Howl moment, somehow living an adventure from Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro or Howl's Moving Castle. What definitely won't astonish anyone is that grappling with conjuring up these rich worlds and processing reality is far from simple, even for someone of Miyazaki's indisputable creative genius. Brilliance fills The Boy and the Heron visually, with its lush and entrancing hand-drawn animation both earthy and dreamlike, and its colour palette an emotional mood ring. Being trapped between two states, domains, zones and orbits recurs here in as many ways as Miyazaki can layer in. This is a film with a raging wartime fire that haunts with its flames, plus a traditional countryside home rendered with such detail that viewers can be forgiven for thinking they could step right into it — and of a tunnel where floating bubbles called warawara wait to be born, pelicans lament the circle of life and masses of people-eating oversized parakeets demand to enforce order. It's also a movie where the titular bird looks as a grey heron should, then flips its beak back like a hoodie to show something less standard loitering. Said fish-eating wader and the eponymous boy frequently make a pair, but the former is also the latter's white rabbit: following the feathered figure does indeed make everything curiouser and curiouser. Voiced by The Days' Soma Santoki in the Japanese original and No Hard Feelings' Luca Padovan in the English-language dub that's needless for adults but helpful for young children, Mahito Maki starts The Boy and the Heron in Tokyo in 1943 during World War II. And so it is that 2023 delivers two Japanese icons, Studio Ghibli and Godzilla, each harking back eight decades to spin stories steeped in loss and pain that never stops whispering in hearts and minds. As heralded by air-raid sirens, bombings leave 11-year-old Mahito without his mother. For viewers, the tragedy sees Miyazaki nodding to his own mourning for Isao Takahata, his Ghibli co-founder, who died in 2018. Grave of the Fireflies, the studio's greatest film — amid fierce competition and many fellow masterpieces — is not only set during the same conflict but is mirrored by The Boy and the Heron's early moments. How do you live? By knowing what to grasp to, Takahata's old friend posits. The Boy and the Heron plays like a mix of reverie and memory, as it is, albeit with the second beaming through in emotional truths more than narrative facts. Miyazaki evacuated Tokyo in the war as a boy, however, as Mahito does when his father Shoichi (The Swarm's Takuya Kimura and Amsterdam's Christian Bale) has a new bride in his wife's younger sister Natsuko (Avalanche's Yoshino Kimura and The Creator's Gemma Chan). The change doesn't usher in a reprieve from the quiet and lonely kid's longing for his mum. Instead, it brings the talking heron (Don't Call It Mystery: The Movie's Masaki Suda and The Batman's Robert Pattinson) and everywhere that the creature leads. In a feature with more thoughtful touches than a seemingly endless flock of parrots has feathers, that Mahito's mother and aunt's family estate springs from a great uncle said to have gone mad from reading too many books is quite the inclusion. Stories defined that relative's world, then, which Miyazaki makes literal. After beginning patiently, Miyazaki also makes following Mahito a tumble down the rabbit hole for his audience. Always inventive as a storyteller and a visionary, the Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and Ponyo helmer and scribe's return to cinema keeps besting its spectacle while giving Studio Ghibli some of its most breathtaking images (as set to a score by Joe Hisaishi, who's been doing the honours for the director for four decades, of course). There's no such thing as merely a pretty, dazzling or radiant picture for the great animation house, though. As meticulously controlled as its work is during its creation, with animators sketching in every single thing that's seen, Ghibli is unparalleled in understanding the expressive nature of its chosen medium. In conveying how war, growing up, death, love, fear, isolation, sadness, yearning, belonging, standing out, connecting and just life is a whirlwind of confusion, Miyazaki not only lets his imagination take flight, but his flair. The Boy and the Heron can be as trippy as his company's output gets — and as emotionally raw. Since 1984's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, no one has made movies like Miyazaki, other than Takahata. As The Boy and the Heron sails through light and darkness, hope and horror, serendipity and choice, and alienation and acceptance, it also bobs and weaves through many of its filmmaker's trademarks, gleaning that the elements that can unite people and features alike can manifest in as many different ways as an ocean has waves. The pull to retreat then return is the same, whether for a director saying that he's retiring several times (including in 1997 and 2001, after Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, respectively) or a lost child desperate to flee his hurt and bewilderment. An extraordinary return, and a personal one, The Boy and the Heron isn't expected to be Miyazaki's latest movie now that he's back behind the camera, but it's also the awe-inspiring piece of alchemy that it is because of that history.
Do you live in a dog-friendly house? Do you have some spare time on your hands? Do you fantasise about taking a pup to the pub with you? The good folk at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT need you. They're expecting more than 40 puppies to be born between Christmas and New Year and they're in desperate need of carers to raise them. In other words, they're giving away puppies. If you put up your hand, you'll get a puppy for about a year — from its eight-week birthday until it turns 14 months. During that time, you'll be responsible for introducing the sights, sounds and smells it'll meet when it starts working as a guide dog (and giving it heaps of cuddles). Of course, it's not all just fun, games — it's a lot of commitment and hard work. You'll have to be responsible enough to take care of regular grooming, house training and exercise, and be available to attend local training days, along with vet checks and Puppy Pre-School. A car and a fenced-in property are mandatory, too. In return, the organisation provides a strong support network, food, vet care and prevention of fleas and ticks. "We are looking for people who are home most of the time, who are interested in putting effort into training and socialising the dog. What you will get in return is a fantastic experience," said Karen Hayter, puppy development manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. Every day, 28 people in Australia get diagnosed with vision impairment, nine of whom can expect to go blind. Guide dogs are provided free to those in need, but each costs around $50,000 to raise over two years. If you can't afford to sponsor a pup or donate to the charity, but you've got a bit of flexibility and time on your hands, this could be your calling. Keen? Apply here. And send pics, please.
If you're Melbourne's NGV International and you've spent the summer filling your walls and halls with fashion by Coco Chanel, how do you follow up come winter? By dedicating your next blockbuster exhibition to Pablo Picasso and the artists, poets and intellectuals he crossed paths with. The iconic Spanish painter, sculptor and printmaker's pieces will sit alongside works by everyone from Salvador Dalí and Henri Matisse to Marie Laurencin and Gertrude Stein at The Picasso Century, which'll take over the St Kilda Road gallery from Friday, June 10. A world-premiere showcase developed exclusively for the NGV by the Centre Pompidou and the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and displaying until Sunday, October 9, The Picasso Century won't skimp on its namesake. From Picasso alone, more than 70 works will be on display. But it'll also surround his pieces with over 100 others from more than 50 of his contemporaries, with the latter sourced from French national collections and the NGV Collection. That means that art lovers will be able to gaze at 170-plus works of art, and chart Picasso's career via his paintings, sculptures, drawings and ceramics in the process — and also see how it developed through his engagement with his peers. And, when it comes to other talents showcased, the hefty list also covers Guillaume Apollinaire, Georges Braque, Alberto Giacometti, Françoise Gilot, Valentine Hugo, Dora Maar, André Masson and Dorothea Tanning. By placing the artist's pieces in context with the works of others around him, The Picasso Century examines the connections that helped make him who he was, and explores how his creations rippled throughout the world. Accordingly, art by Natalia Goncharova, Julio González, Wifredo Lam, Suzanne Valadon and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva will also feature, all talents who've rarely been exhibited in Australia. And, other artists included span André Breton, Georges Bataille, Aimé Césaire and Alberto Giacometti, as well as Kay Sage, Max Ernst and Giorgio de Chirico — plus Francis Bacon and Willem de Kooning as well. Didier Ottinger, a scholar of 20th century painting and Deputy Director of the Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, has curated the exhibition, which obviously steps through Picasso's distinct artistic periods: his blue period, cubism and surrealism, for instance. In total, The Picasso Century will explore 15 thematic sections that chart the course of Picasso's seven-decade-plus career. If you're fond of his surrealist period, however, it'll be particularly packed with works from then. [caption id="attachment_857196" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of 'The Picasso Century', on display 10 June 10–October 9, 2022 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Jeremy Kees.[/caption] Top Images: Installation view of 'The Picasso Century', on display 10 June 10–October 9, 2022 at NGV International, Melbourne. Image 1, photo: Peter Bennetts. Image 2-4, photo: Sean Fennessy.
The Source Bulk Foods is a busy little slice of Glebe's best shopping strip. The corner store offers a healthy, organic and waste free approach to stocking your home full of ingredients for delicious snacks and fragrant meals. Since 2012, the family owned business has sprung up multiple successful stores from its home in Byron Bay all the way to Glebe Point Road. The focus is simple: healthy, organic food free from plastic packaging. Take a few jars down and fill up on what you need, minimising waste and embracing a healthier lifestyle.
When we take that first sip of our barista-brewed coffee on a workday morning, we often say to ourselves, and our friends, "I can't imagine living without coffee." Well, what about living without a roof over your head or a guaranteed meal? Unfortunately, this is what many homeless people around Australia face each day, but on Friday, August 8, you can help out simply by purchasing a coffee as part of CafeSmart. CafeSmart is an annual event from StreetSmart that raises money and awareness for the homeless and is back for its fourth year running, aiming to build on the $83,950 raised last year. From every coffee purchased at a participating cafe, $1 will be donated towards local projects, so if your cafe is not participating, head to one that is, just for one day. You can also donate at the counter, so if you prefer a hot chocolate, then you can still help out. It's one day when the little things can definitely make a big difference.
Sydney is known for being a haven for unique thinkers. From music to food to philanthropy, the nation's largest city is filled with creatives who see the world — and how to navigate it — a little differently. 15 of these people, retailers with blossoming local businesses, recently participated in the City of Sydney's Retail Innovation Program. The program helped them grow their innovative concepts and, overall, nurture the city's locally owned shops, restaurants, cafes, charities and more. Out of this crew of local entrepreneurs, we spoke to four of them about changing the game and approaching business a little differently. These businesses have all managed to nail the core objective of fulfilling a purpose — and they've done so by figuring out what their defining feature is that sets them ahead of the pack and combats a problem in a unique way. Read on to learn how being part of the City of Sydney program aided them on their quest to challenge the status quo. KOA RECOVERY: PERSONALISED, HOLISTIC CARE FOR EVERYONE "We view recovery through the lens of personal experience which translates to a personalised approach which is not driven by commission." After experiencing a back injury a few years ago, founder Shaun Button struggled with his recovery, physically and mentally. After heading to the US and experiencing recovery centres there that specialised in helping people with chronic pain and trauma, Button realised that Australia didn't have anything like it. So, he took matters into his own hands and started his own centre. Combining years of research with Shaun's personal experience, Koa Recovery was created. The wellness centre is a breath of fresh air not only for those who want to treat their pain holistically but also those looking to maximise their athletic abilities. "We exist to enable every body without limits," says Button. Treatments use the latest scientific research and are personalised to each individual via therapies like cryotherapy, float therapy, electrical muscle stimulation and compression therapy. The centre is more than a physio or chiro, taking a full body and mind approach to recovery and performance. [caption id="attachment_734178" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] CULTURE SCOUTS: TOURS OF THE REAL SYDNEY "Seeing a gap in the market for neighbourhood tourism [is what inspired me]. There is so much to see beyond the tourist centre around our harbour." Culture Scouts offers guided tours that hit the real and raw Sydney that's often left by the wayside in favour of the classic tourist traps. Started by Emilya Colliver, Culture Scouts began as a way to show tourists, residents and local companies alike the more authentic side of Sydney neighbourhoods that often goes unnoticed — from local art to heritage sites all with some bizarre historical anecdotes. Colliver, who says her company functions by "appreciating creativity in new ways", has made her business successful by trying different things to see what actually works. "Being innovative means consistently being curious with the world and not being afraid to try and try again." MODSIE: AUTHENTIC, VERIFIED SECOND-HAND LUXURY "Enabling our members to give a second life to the products they don't use anymore is our contribution to a more sustainable fashion consumption in Australia." Ever bought a second-hand designer item, only to get it and realise it's, err… not quite real? Modsie has you covered. The second-hand fashion marketplace makes it easy to find authentic designer pieces by employing one-of-a-kind quality control. Joséphine de Parisot, who started the business after moving over from Paris, has her Masters in Intellectual Property Law and has worked with luxury brands to identify knockoffs — so she knows her stuff about counterfeit goods. "I wanted to pursue my passion for buying and selling pre-owned fashion products, but realised that there was no specialised, secured marketplace in Australia," she says. Thus, Modsie was born. On top of providing a safe shopping environment for luxury goods, Modsie is also pushing to create a more sustainable mindset within the fashion industry. "We really want brands to adapt and see the huge opportunity in the second-hand market for their own products, instead of [seeing] the second-hand economy [as] a parallel market," explains de Parisot. In the future, Modsie is looking to partner with brands to encourage their customers to sell items they no longer use via the platform. [caption id="attachment_734183" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] THE FREEDOM HUB: DEDICATED TO STOPPING SLAVERY AND SUPPORTING VICTIMS "We are creating an opportunity for every Australian to do something about ending modern slavery in Australia and overseas." A non-profit focusing on eradicating human trafficking and slavery, The Freedom Hub runs two cafes (in Waterloo and on the Gold Coast) and a store in order to raise money for and educate survivors. It also provides training to help businesses be more ethical and comply with the Modern Slavery Act. Founder Sally Irwin created the organisation after working in Berlin supporting trafficked women and realising that thousands of trafficking survivors needed assistance in Australia, too. The cafe offers loads of ethically sourced classic breakfast dishes, teas and coffee and the shop sells a wholly ethical, slavery-free retail range — "our supply chain is audited for slavery," explains Irwin. 100 percent of profits go directly to helping survivors in Australia — in particular, running an education program for them. So, your morning coffee isn't just giving you a boost — it's serving a much greater purpose. Irwin says a truly innovative thing about The Freedom Hub is that they "put people before profit", and the Survivor School is the epitome of that attitude. Not only an education program which helps survivors learn life, personal and workforce skills, it also works to support them and provide a community they can depend on as they rebuild their lives. Learn more about the City of Sydney Retail Innovation Program here. Top Image: Culture Scouts by Trent van der Jagt.
I want to describe this band's music as "jangly". Probably in part because their name is almost onomatopoeic, but also because they make excellent use of clashing drums and oversized tamborines. Django Django are pegged as a "psychedelic quartet" but that suggests the only thing setting them apart from other psychedelic quartets is that they're not from Brooklyn. For one thing Django Django have far more inventive instruments. Besides drums and tamborine they have a guitarist, a synth operator and what sounds like a rather impressive collection of indigenous wind instruments, which they blend together to make a modern sound that takes all the addictive rhythm of African sounds and none of the cringey cultural appropriation. Anyway, way more fun than trying to describe them is seeing them live. In January Django Django will be putting on one special headline show at The Metro to accompany their Falls and Southbound appearances, and seeing as last year they sold out two Oxford Art Factorys you had better get in quick. Update: Django Django will be supported at their Sydney show by ex-Red Riders duo Palms and collaborative electro supergroup Twinsy. If you still don't have your tickets yet, remedy that here and now. https://youtube.com/watch?v=DDjpOrlfh0Y
Launceston's Cataract Gorge is no stranger to dazzling displays, especially when Mona Foma rolls around. But when the Museum of Old and New Art's (MONA) key summer event returns in January 2022, the natural landmark will host something particularly spectacular: a 2.4-tonne sculpted block of ice that'll hang over the gorge. If you're after jaw-dropping displays that make a statement, THAW by Legs On the Wall is it. When it's dangling between Friday, January 21–Sunday, January 23, it'll task one daring performer with standing atop that big chunk of ice for eight hours a day, all as the frozen block of water melts. The installation comes to Tasmania after hitting up Sydney Festival first, and it's certain to be a stunning sight in both locations. That's not all that Mona Foma has in store for its next fest, with MONA announcing a jam-packed program that'll run in Launceston across those aforementioned dates, and then arrive in Hobart from Friday, January 28–Sunday, January 30 — after the event confirmed back in November that it was definitely going ahead in 2022. On the bill across the whole lineup: lasers, monster trucks, Midnight Oil, sonic sculptures, the return of the festival's beloved morning meditations and more. While Launceston gets ice, Hobart will see lasers blast over the city thanks to Beacon by Robin Fox. Other highlights from the entire two-weekend program include Midnight Oil's shows in both cities, and cement mixers turned into monster trucks that'll rove around the two locales. Also, Kartanya Maynard will collaborate with Vernon Ah Kee on site-specific text and sound installations in each spot, pondering assimilation, displacement and Tasmanian Aboriginal protests. Plus, the Mofo Sessions will host nightly concerts in Launceston's Royal Park and on the Mona Lawns, with Gwenno, Mo'Ju, The Chills, Danny Healy Quartet, DENNI and Jason Whatley Quartet all on the bill. And, if you've ever wanted to see two dancers on a brutalist pile of concrete for more than four hours, that'll be part of Fertile Ground. In Launceston, musicians Karlin Love and Jon Addison will play tunes inspired by Cataract Gorge's ecosystems in the gorge itself; the Midland Highway will host Trawlwoolway artist, writer and curator Julie Gough's The Missing, which muses on the area's colonial history and treatment of Indigenous Australians; video work Pacific Sun by German artist Thomas Demand will take over the National Theatre; and Quandamooka artist Megan Cope will create sonic sculptures out of discarded mining relics, geological samples and piano strings that'll be used in live performances. And, in Hobart, you can also check out AQI2020, which sees New Zealand performance and installation artist Alicia Frankovich turn a transparent sulfur-hazed box into a live show. It'll house performers, mimic the look and atmosphere from Australia's 2019–20 bushfire season and, unsurprisingly, comment on climate change. Or, attendees can also see 70s-era organs rescued from the tip and given a last whirl in DJ TR!P and Scot Cotterell's Organ Donor; check out a huge, loss-inspired, computer-generated work by Albanian artist Anri Sala at Princes Wharf 1; and witness a series of pieces that pay tribute to and farewell Australia's video shops. [caption id="attachment_835603" align="alignnone" width="1920"] THAW. Photo credit: Shane Rozario. Image courtesy of the artists and Mona Foma.[/caption] Top image: Atrium, Alicia Frankovich. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.
We have grown too accustomed to seeing empty quiet streets post lockdown. So, we think it's time to rediscover our vibrant local communities and to show our support in person and not just through a screen. The good news is, Strathfield Council is working to breathe some life back into the streets of Homebush with an epic festival that'll get you off the couch and onto the street. Street Festival 2140 is kicking off on Friday, March 11 and will run every Friday and Saturday for five weeks. This means for ten days and nights the streets of Homebush will be jam-packed with fun events and great vibes. Street Festival 2140 will be happening on Henley Road in Homebush West for the first two weeks (March 11-19) before moving to Rochester Street in Homebush Village for the next three. Expect fun-filled street parties featuring live music from the local artists such as Brothers of Oz, The Beatnix, Cassidy Rae and more. There'll also be workshops in henna tattooing, face painting and origami, plus roving performers, amusement rides, market stalls and drone light shows. It is guaranteed fun for all ages with events to impress a date, enjoy with friends, or with the little ones. Street Festival 2140 is proudly funded by the NSW Government's The Festival of Place. For more information, visit the website.
If you can find a better date than hearing talks and seeing live music over cheeky vinos in an art gallery, we'd love to hear about it. This spring and summer, the Art Gallery of New South Wales’s Art After Hours program is extending the The Greats love to live music. Each Wednesday night, AGNSW will be brimming with after-hours shenanigans for free in the Gallery’s entrance court, in conjunction with the epic exhibition from the National Galleries of Scotland. Each week will see a different lineup of art-inspired happenings in the Gallery, from comedy to talks and music. Want to get a serious art education? Comedian Hannah Gadsby will be getting serious about art history. Apparently Gadsby has a secret identity as a 'serious art nerd'. Every week, she'll be putting on her serious art scarf and delving into the great eras of Western art history, tackling a different theme each week with her serious art brain. According to the Gallery, "Please note, this is not stand-up comedy. IT WILL BE VERY SERIOUS. It will be very silly. SERIOUSLY." If you're a snuggle-into-a-dark-cinema type of person, check out the European Cinema Classics series — bi-weekly showings of iconic motion pictures from all across the continent. Held on select Wednesday and Sundays between now and the first week of February, the program features ten films in total, spanning more than five decades in European film history. Highlights include Roman Polanski’s violent adaption of Macbeth, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s biblical drama The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Werner Herzog’s medieval epic Aguirre: the Wrath of God and Ingmar Bergman’s undisputed masterpiece The Seventh Seal. If you're an earlybird who can't wait to bust out of the office and head to the Gallery, each Wednesday at 5.30pm will see exhibition talks — the 'masterpiece series' will see one expert a week discuss, in detail, one work in The Greats exhibition they're particularly fond of; rom Dr Michael Hill from the National Art School discussing Georges Seurat’s La Luzerne, Saint-Denis to artist Michelle Hiscock picking apart Camille Corot’s Ville-d’Avray: entrance to the wood. Art After Hours runs till 10pm every Wednesday night, except December 16, 23 and 30 — the Gallery closes at 5pm then. While you're there, why not check out the The Greats? Here's six artworks not to miss from the exhibition to start. By Shannon Connellan and Tom Clift.
If the insanely beautiful Field of Light installation had you ready to blow two months' wages on flights to Alice Springs, the latest addition of light-focused cultural events in the outback might just nudge you over the line. For the first time, Parrtyeme - a Festival in Light will illuminate Alice Springs for ten nights this September. Announced by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Adam Giles this week, Parrtyeme — which comes from the Arrernte word parrtma meaning 'light up' or 'lighting up' — will be the first Indigenous festival of its kind. Featuring both contemporary and traditional indigenous artworks, the festival will also be Australia's biggest light installation, covering 2.5 kilometres of the MacDonnell Ranges. Among the works, you can expect to see a series of large illuminated 1950s-style circle skirts based on the watercolour artwork of Lenie Namatjira, who's the granddaughter of artist Albert Namatjira. Vivid eat your heart out. The festival will run for ten nights later this year in the Alice Springs Desert Park (about a ten minute drive from the centre of Alice Springs), from September 23 till October 2. It's a collaboration between the NT Government, AGB Events (who are known for their work on Vivid) and local Aboriginal artists. And if all goes well, they hope that the Parrtyeme will become an annual event. Parrtyeme will take place from September 23 until October 2, 2016. To register your attendance, visit parrtyemeaustralia.com.au.
Hungerford Hill's architecturally stunning cellar door and two-hatted restaurant make it one of the most recognisable wineries in New South Wales, let alone the Hunter Valley. Established back in 1967, the boutique vineyard overlooks the Brokenback Ranges. Head to the barrel-shaped tasting room and the accompanying underground cellar to sample a range of the region's best drops, including Hungerford's preservative-free or single-vineyard series. Or sit in either the sculpture courtyard or indoor terrace and indulge in a six-course mini degustation ($50) with paired wines. The estate's fine dining restaurant, Muse Restaurant, is housed next door, within its own stunning building. Run by Troy Rhoades-Brown, Muse serves contemporary Australian fare, with a seasonally changing menu. Dine a la carte or opt for a tasting menu with wines to match. Plus, don't forget to pop into the Hungerford Espresso Bar for a caffeine hit before you roll out.
Any Brisbanite or Gold Coaster who takes relaxation seriously will be familiar with Soak Bathhouse. These lush day spas offer an escape from the white-knuckle hustle of daily life, banishing stress with a suite of facilities including magnesium baths, invigorating plunge pools, soothing saunas, and a laundry list of treatments and massages designed to enliven and revive the skin and senses. Now, the brand is expanding its footprint beyond Queensland, with not one but two new state-of-the-art day spas in central Sydney. If the renders are anything to go by, these temples of zen will set a new gold standard for pampering in the Harbour City when the Bondi Junction outpost opens in December, followed by the Alexandria site in April, 2025. [caption id="attachment_977174" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Soak Bathhouse Bondi Junction[/caption] In Bondi Junction, guests will be able to indulge in a dip in two large mineral baths and three thermal spas, followed by a good sweat in the sauna and steam rooms, and a bracing leap into the chilled plunge pool. Then it's off to the private treatment rooms for a deep tissue massage, an LED facial, an exfoliating scrub or one of the other numerous therapies on offer. When the Bondi location on Ebley Street was announced in September, it was set to become Soak's biggest bathhouse to date. However, that laurel has been swiftly snatched by the Alexandria outpost, which will be spread over a sprawling 700-square-metre development. [caption id="attachment_977175" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Soak Bathhouse Alexandria[/caption] Much like its Bondi Junction sister, the Alexandria Soak Bathhouse will feature marble-clad magnesium pools heated to a pleasant 34 degrees Celsius, hot spas with bubble jets, plunge pools, a dry cedar wood sauna and a steam room. Once you're done using the communal bathing areas, you can slip into a solitary moment of bliss with one of the private therapies, such as infrared sauna sessions, LED facial treatments and expertly delivered massages. Lush planting throughout both spas — a signature of the Queensland venues — also helps conjure a sense of serenity and calm. Self-care doesn't get much better than this. For more details visit the Soak Bathhouse website.
On Friday, June 25, four Local Government Areas in Sydney went into lockdown in response to Sydney's latest cluster of locally acquired COVID-19 cases. From 6pm today, Saturday, June 26, all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will also be under stay-at-home orders — with the entire area, including the four LGAs already in lockdown, required to stay at home for the next fortnight. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the new stay-at-home orders in her second press conference today, noting that "if we're going to do this, we need to do it properly. There's no point doing a three-day lockdown and then having the virus continue to bubble away in the community." That means that the lockdown will be in effect until at least 11.59pm on Friday, July 9. Accordingly, everyone in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will be under the same conditions that've been in place in the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick LGAs for the past day — and were in effect when the state went into lockdown back in March 2020. So, you'll only be able to leave the house for four specific essential reasons: to work and study if you can't do it from home; for essential shopping; for exercise outdoors in groups of ten or fewer; and for compassionate reasons, which includes medical treatment, getting a COVID-19 test and getting vaccinated. Otherwise, everyone must stay at home. That said, there are no restrictions on when you can go shopping or go out for exercise, and there's no curfew. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1408641709429301251 Retail stores can remain open, but people are only permitted to go out for essential buying — not to browse or loiter. Hospitality businesses can open for takeaway and deliveries only. Regarding weddings, they can proceed tomorrow, Sunday, June 27. After that, they can't take place. Funerals will still be able to go ahead, though, with a maximum of 100 attendees and density caps of one person per four-square-metres indoors. New restrictions will also come into effect at 6pm today, Saturday, June 26, in all other parts of NSW. If you're anywhere in the state beyond Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong, you will only be able to have five people over to your house (including children), and you'll need to wear a mask in all indoor non-residential settings and at outdoor events. Also in the regions, dancing is banned, vertical drinking is off the cards, dance and gym classes are limited to 20 people per class, and seated, ticketed events outside can only operate to 50-percent seated capacity. And, the one person per four-square-metre rule is back in all indoor and outdoor settings. Unsurprisingly, if you've been in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong since Monday, June 21 and you're now elsewhere in the state, you'll still need to follow the stay-at-home orders. So, regardless of where you are right now in the state, if you've spent any time this week in an area that is either currently in or about to go into lockdown for the next fortnight, you will need to go into lockdown as well. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1408592352818601987 Announcing the expanded stay-at-home orders, Premier Berejiklian said that "there's two things going against us on this one — that is the fact that it is very difficult to geographically shut down various suburbs without people who are working and living having infected or transmitted the virus elsewhere; and, secondly, the best advice I've had from health experts today is that the transmissibility is at least double previous variants that we've seen." She continued: "so those factors have led to the health advice that we've been given and that's why we must act." Regarding the duration of the lockdown, the Premier noted that "the best health advice today is that it should be for two weeks, but if there is any massive improvement ahead of that time, of course, we'll evaluate that." She explained that shortening the stay-at-home period was unlikely, however. "We could assess after seven days, but I want to be very upfront with the public: this will be for all intents and purposes a two-week lockdown." Today's new restrictions come after 29 new cases were reported in the 24 hours until 8pm yesterday, Friday, June 25, making a total of 82 locally acquired cases since Wednesday, June 16. As always, Sydneysiders are also asked to continue to frequently check NSW Health's long list of locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited. If you've been to anywhere listed on the specific dates and times, you'll need to get tested immediately and follow NSW Health's self-isolation instructions. In terms of symptoms, you should be looking out for coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste — and getting tested at a clinic if you have any. All of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will be under stay-at-home orders from 6pm on Saturday, July 26 until 11.59pm on Friday, July 9. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
When the Hopetoun Hotel closed its doors back in 2009 — due to reported excessive fines and council requests — the people of Sydney had no idea that it would be the start of a dark period for live music venues. Since then, the Surry Hills hotel has been sitting boarded up on the corner of Bourke and Fitzroy Streets. But exciting reports and social media whispers suggest that the Hoey has been sold — and to a proprietor who will support live music, no less. Yesterday The Brag reported that Adrian Bull of Blind Records had purchased the site. This appears to be confirmed by his comments on a Facebook post discussing the sale. The Hopetoun Hotel closed in 2009 amid live music fan protests and an unsuccessful online campaign. Up until then, the venue was a vital part of the local music scene, and had helped launch the careers of several musicians, including Sarah Blasko. Looks like she'll live! And, better yet, the Hopetoun is located outside of the lockout zone. We're looking to confirm these reports with the new owner and will update this story when we do. Via The Brag. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
With all of the natural beauty of Barrington Tops National Park surrounding you, it can be hard to get a sense of the region as a whole. So, if you're in the area, it's definitely worth your while to check out one, if not several, of the many scenic lookouts that offer an all-encompassing view of this stunning landscape. Devils Hole lookout sits at an altitude of 1400 metres and offers breathtaking views of the dense forestry and undulating mountains beyond. There is a picnic area and a walk, both that are accessible via an easily-traversed wheelchair track. Nearby, there's also the epically titled Thunderbolts lookout, and a bit further, Careys Peak. Image: Peter Beard
One of Sydney's best pubs, The Dolphin Hotel is known for its boundary-pushing wine list and top-notch Italian eats. Situated in a sunlit space unlike any other pub, the venue's kitchen has already built a reputation for its tasty plates of pasta, prosciutto and burrata. And now it's taking its pizza offerings to a whole new level. The Surry Hills stalwart has just welcomed Delfino, an in-house pizzeria dedicated to woodfired rounds. This fresh offering is centred around a newly arrived, handcrafted Neapolitan Mesiano Wood Oven and Head Pizzaiola Sasa Smiljanic, who was previously leading the kitchen over at Newtown favourite Bella Brutta. Working with Executive Chef Danny Corbett, Smiljanic has created a menu that balances the traditional and the playful, featuring eight different varieties of pizza all atop the pub's specialty Napoletana pizza dough. This meticulously crafted pizza base utilises three different types of flour imported from Italy, and is pre-fermented using a biga base, which means it requires less yeast and is lighter overall. "The [old] pizza oven has gone to the gods! After eight years and thousands of delicious pizzas, it needed a replacement," said The Point Group restaurateur Brett Robinson. "We've always had a great reputation for our pizza, and so we sought out the best in the business, and that's how we found Sasa." Former Dolphin classics make a return on the new menu — like the double pepperoni and the Mari e Monti, an Italian take on surf and turf featuring king prawns, pancetta, fermented chilli and XO sauce. And there's a range of new Smiljanic creations including a New York-style sausage and capsicum pizza; the eggplant ragu, ricotta, calamata olives and mozzarella-topped Caponata; and a truffle, mushroom and porcini variety titled Funghi e Tartufo. The new pizza menu is available alongside the core range of eats at the pub, and is waiting and ready to be paired with one of the many impressive vinos on offer at the bar. Delfino Pizzeria is now open inside The Dolphin Hotel at 412 Crown Street, Surry Hills. The pub is open 12pm–12am Monday–Saturday and 12pm–10pm Sunday.
After expanding south to Melbourne late last year, Camperdown's Acre Eatery is heading north and opening a sprawling openair restaurant on the lower north shore. Like its siblings, Acre Artarmon will be designed to educate and inspire its visitors, while putting them back in touch with the terroir of their food. That said, it won't just be a restaurant, either. It'll also be a bakery, cafe, bar and functions space, surrounding by sprawling indoor and outdoor gardens. So, expect to eat the likes of strawberry danishes, potato-topped pizzas and mojitos made with produce that has been grown just metres away from where you're sitting. And it will be metres, too, with a function space located inside a large greenhouse and picnic-style eating areas. [caption id="attachment_754662" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Acre Eatery Melbourne[/caption] Elsewhere in Acre Artarmon, a chicken coop will provide both eggs for the kitchen and fertiliser for the gardens and a sustainable composting system will help the plants thrive. And stay tuned for a program of masterclasses, markets, twilight gardening and other hands-on green-thumb experiences. If you want to know just exactly what to expect from the Artarmon opening, look to Camperdown and Melbourne. The former is a farm-to-table restaurant with a 350-seater dining room and a sunny terrace, while the latter is a 2000-square-metre urban farm on a shopping centre rooftop. With an opening slated for September, Acre Artarmon is set to be suitably verdant when it opens its doors to the public, too. Acre Artarmon is slated to open in September 2020 at 1 Frederick Street, Artarmon. Top image: Acre Eatery Camperdown by Trent van der Jagt
In recognition of the historical significance of the six-week-long, statewide strike that originated at Eveleigh Railway Workshops 100 years ago, 1917: The Great Strike at Carriageworks invited five artists to interpret the event and its legacy from a modern perspective. Combining specially commissioned works with archival footage and photography, original union banners, badges and certificates alongside tours and artist-led workshops, the exhibition grants a unique insight into both the site's industrial heritage and an important moment in Australian history that quickly become overshadowed by WWI. Shannan Whitney, CEO of presenting show partner and long-term Carriageworks supporter BresicWhitney, says the show program honours a landmark community event and provides a valuable window into the life of Sydney workers a century ago. "The presentation of historical artefacts, alongside new works, reminds us of the gravity of this moment in time and the impact it had on generations to come." We spoke with three of the artists involved to discover how they chose to interpret The Great Strike for a contemporary context. [caption id="attachment_631757" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 1917: The Great Strike: Women's Demonstration in Front of Parliament House, Sarah Contos, 2017.[/caption] SARAH CONTOS — WOMEN'S DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT HOUSE Artist Sarah Contos has created a large-scale textile work inspired by the role women played in the strike, both through public protest and as sole supporters of their families on the homefront. Initially stumped as to how she'd connect with the subject matter, Contos was struck by a photograph during her research. It depicted a sea of hatted women marching to Parliament House. This inspired a quilt, expressing solidarity with the daughters, wives and mothers involved. Using a monochromatic colour palette (reflecting the photographs of the time), utilitarian materials of canvas and cotton, the quilt also features ladies' gloves and screenprints of the medallions given to strikers fashioned into a charm bracelet. There's a subversive playfulness to the work and a spirit of celebration conjured up by a glitter border. Contos comments that although textiles are no longer considered a uniquely 'female' realm, there was a harmony between medium and theme. "The craftsmanship involved at the railway yard between the workers and their materials to create and object of beauty and function lends a nice parallel to quiltmaking. A quilt also acts as a metaphor for the care demonstrated by the women to families affected by the strike." [caption id="attachment_631851" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Franck Gohier, Snakes and Ladders, 2017, screen print and wood-type letterpress on board[/caption] FRANCK GOHIER — SNAKES AND LADDERS Darwin-based artist Franck Gohier has created an inventive graphic tribute to the strike in the form of a giant Snakes and Ladders board. Inspired by the scale and imagery of the original union banners, Gohier spent months researching before commencing the laborious process of setting up the antique wood type on his proofing press. He painstakingly hand-inked all the numbers, spent weeks sourcing historical imagery before transferring them onto screen and finally printing. "Even the paper stock was hand-cut on a cast iron guillotine from the 1940s," he says. The end result: 80 giant screen-printed cards for the 'board', with train tracks in place of the traditional ladders. Instead of the usual snake, Gohier chose the ancient symbol of the ouroboros (a serpent eating its own tail), which invokes the number eight — a nod to the eight-hour-day, won in Australia in 1856 by striking stonemasons during the gold rushes. While Gohier describes himself as an artist "intolerant of intolerance" whose work actively explores sociopolitical issues, nevertheless this show, he says, "was a big departure, in terms of the physical size of the commission in order to accommodate both the vast scale and breadth of the exhibiting space and the topic of the Great Strike." [caption id="attachment_631756" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 1917: The Great Strike: Handshake with the Past, Raquel Ormella, 2017.[/caption] RAQUEL ORMELLA — A HANDSHAKE WITH THE PAST "My work is a reaction to the world I live in," says artist Raquel Ormella, whose contribution engages with co-curator and City of Sydney historian Laila Ellmoos' efforts to retrieve the names of strikers, recognising them as individuals rather than the anonymous mass suggested by the media of the time. After some initial deliberation over form, Ormella created colourful, ebullient banners recalling those defiantly held up during the strike's street marches. Handmade from repurposed work clothes (overalls, business shirts) each bears the name of an individual striker from the local area, along with classic union motifs such as clasped hands, symbolising solidarity. Inexpensive reclaimed materials were deliberately chosen to reflect how "many people in Sydney in 1917 were really struggling economically and living in poor conditions. This is still the situation." On Saturday, August 5, Ormella carried her banners into the neighbourhood during a community performance. With the participation of residents, they were installed in local homes, buildings and parks for the duration of the exhibition. Ormella hopes their installation will connect today's locals to their suburb's history. "I want my work to make the past community of workers present to those living in the area now." Visit 1917: The Great Strike at Carriageworks now until August 27. Top image: 1917 The Great Strike, installation view, image by Zan Wimberley 2017.
We've certainly had some fun with Mexican spirits this month and the revelry is set to continue in March at Tio's Cervecería. The whole month is dedicated to mezcal, the smoky agave spirit that — despite popular assumption — is more akin to whisky than tequila. Tio's will be serving a mezcal-themed menu all month, but on Sunday, March 31, is when the real festivities will take place. The Surry Hills drinking den to host its fourth tasting event of over 50 notable mezcals all handpicked by the talented team. The tasting session is free so we recommend heading there early to secure a spot at the bar. Doors open at 3pm. As well as trying tasty sips from the likes of Don Amado, Mezcal Vago and Los Danzantes, you'll also have the chance to chat to some of Australia's top mezcal experts — and find out what the difference really is between tequila and mezcal. The merriment continues from 5.30pm when chef Rosa Ciefuegos (whose Marrickville Market stall and new Dulwich Hill store create quite the queue) will be in the kitchen dishing out authentic Mexican tacos and tamales. And an affordable cocktail menu will be on-hand, too, to keep the agave-fuelled fun going well into the evening. Images: Letícia Almeida.
We're sure you've heard of a haunted house, but what about a haunted suburb? Dust off your witch's hat, grab a pumpkin and prepare to be immersed in the Halloween spirit because Funlab is taking this spooky season to a new extreme. Until November 3, the competitive socialising venues will be partnering with Fireball Whisky to take over the Alexandria precinct, transforming Hijinx Hotel, Holey Moley, and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq into the premiere spot for chills and thrills this Halloween. Most known for bowling alleys, mini golf courses, and arcades, Funlab is putting a frightening spin on its classic concepts."Taking inspiration from Beetlejuice, Tim Burton and of course, Wes Anderson in our Hijinx Hotel, we've created spooky fun that we hope Sydney residents can enjoy" says Funlab CEO Michael Schreiber. "And rather than making it one night, we're celebrating the whole month." At no additional charge, anyone who purchases activities this October will be able to participate in the immersive experience, including Halloween-themed challenge rooms, mini-golf courses, laser tag and much more. To top it all off, Fireball will be turning Holey Moley's Caddyshack Bar into the Dragon's Lair, complete with new cinnamon-fuelled signature cocktails to keep visitors in the Halloween spirit. Along with Hijinx Hotel's signature challenge rooms, guests will be able to roll in ball pits with spiders, skulls and eyeballs, spell spooky words in the scrambled room, and hear screams that will make their hairs stand on end throughout the challenges. Holey Moley's course will be crawling with creatures, crime scenes, eerie doll houses, and beloved Halloween pop-culture references. Venture into the laser tag arena turned abandoned graveyard at Archie Brother's Cirque Electriq and battle your way through friends and monsters. Stick around afterwards for an in-venue spooky scavenger hunt with themed arcade games and attractions. Top your experience off with a visit to the virtual world, dodging zombies with Zero Latency's VR Undead Arena Zombie Experiences for a discounted $30 per person all month. For those who attend after dark (6–10pm), steel yourself for the Witching Hour, where an array of monsters roam the venues, searching for unsuspecting revellers. After an evening of scares, stop by Fireball's Dragon's Lair, designed by Australian artist Callum Preston. New on the menu will be a variety of drinks that taste like heaven - and burn like hell, including the Dirt-y Martini with Fireball, Marie Brizard Coffee Liqueur, First press Coffee with Biscoff "dirt" garnish and sour worms, and the Eye of Fire - Fireball, raspberry syrup, lemon and soda with a "blood" drip rim and blueberry eyeball. But don't be fooled by the sweet treats - the bar's interactive space may seem like a respite from the excitement of Alexandria's spooky venues, but it will scare you when you least expect it. Funlab's month of tricks and treats will culminate on Halloween night with live DJ sets, tarot card readers, VFX makeup artists, and costume pop ups to help you get into the spirit. "We strive to continue taking our venues to the next level", says Schreiber. "Halloween is the perfect time for us to bring our venues to life in a new, fun way."
Supposedly nothing in life is free, but even in a city where a sandwich will rarely get you change from a tenner it’s possible to stumble upon great things you don’t have to hand over cash for. And if it’s sonic freebies you’re after then read on, because we’ve done the stumbling for you. Here is Concrete Playground's guide to the best places in Sydney to hear great music for zero moolah. FREDA'S Chippendale’s coolest 100-year-old warehouse has had a slick facelift, meaning it not only looks awesome but sounds great too. Their Strange Fruit Sunday session sees a lineup of resident DJs including Silky Doyle, Smart Casual and Smokey LaBeef spinning their favourite records from 6(ish). Plus, there’s always a tasty $10 cocktail that goes down just as smoothly. THE ABERCROMBIE Go for the deep fried Gaytime, stay for the juicy tunes. The Abercrombie’s own Strange Fruit showcase kicks off on Saturday nights from 9pm, aiming to showcase the country’s top DJs and to keep you dancing until the sun rises — which should burn off about half the calories in a Double Cheeseburger and Rave Juice. BUCKLER'S CANTEEN This swashbuckling Bondi canteen might be decked out like a pirates’ tavern, but the soundtrack borrows from as many places as the menu. Musical good times and acoustic delights come courtesy of residents and special guests from 8pm on Thursday, and on Sundays you can fill up on $5 bangers and mash while checking out live bands. GOODGOD The Danceteria has a smoke machine, but the front bar is free, delicious and lets you dance until 5am. If you tire of standing up there are usually seats spare for you enjoy a rest and a hotdog on a Saturday night, which is almost unheard of in places not nearly this cool, and a Havana-style DJ booth surrounded by Flintstones-style eating booths means this place looks as mad as it sounds. UPSTAIRS BERESFORD Decadent décor and fancy technology are the hallmarks of this newish live music venue, inspired by some of New York’s finest. Unfortunately the response from big international acts wasn’t quite as strong as Justin Hemmes hoped, but it now thrives as a hotbed for local talent — minus the sticky countertops and shifty patrons that come with many other no-cover venues. THE SANDRINGHAM HOTEL At the other end of the spectrum is King Street mainstay The Sando. The only thing glittery you’ll find here comes out of a pokie machine, but its scruffiness is precisely what makes this place so appealing. Their Sunday Session is a few decibels louder than those without hearing aids might care for on the day of rest, but if you like your alt country loud then kicking back here with a Sando Ale or five might just be the perfect way to end the weekend. BEACH ROAD HOTEL The Beachy is as good for seeing free live music as it is for causing people to go to work on Monday morning with sandy hair and excruciating hangovers. Bands to have graced the upstairs lounge in recent weeks include The Laurels, Wolf & Cub, Deep Sea Arcade and other acts that would normally charge at least the price of two beers, making it way easy to justify buying those beers. SCHWARTZ BREWERY HOTEL Beer is also the keyword at the old Macquarie Hotel, fondly dubbed The Mac, which has been pumping out quality craft beer along with free live tunes for over six years. Its name now sounds more fancy — and upstairs folk/acoustic venue The Raval has sadly closed its doors — but in the front room you can still listen to wailing harmonicas, murky swamp rock and New Orleans brass for free while tucking into a pasta from the adjoining Alice’s Thai. GALLERY BAR With the demise of The Raval sprung up the weekly night of nu-folk/alt-country/melodramatic pop. Wednesday's Folk Club has now moved on from art deco charmer Hotel Hollywood to Gallery Bar at Oxford Art Factory, and though the fit-out is slightly more modern the community vibe and the entrance fee both remain unchanged. THE GREEN ROOM LOUNGE In theory The Green Room should be a great bar on any night of the week. It’s got reupholstered furniture (here orange and brown ‘70s sofas), plastic pot plants and retro cocktails to match. Unfortunately the stretch of road beyond Enmore Theatre doesn’t see much foot traffic, but this also means that on the otherwise-manic drinking nights between Thursday and Saturday you can stop by for not only a seat but some excellent gypsy-jazz and sleazy ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll.
It's been a big few months for new hotels around Australia, including just-opened spots and places that'll launch in the coming months and years. Sydney now boasts the first Down Under outpost for Ace Hotels, and will soon score Porter House Hotel, too — plus the local debut of The Waldorf Astoria in 2025. Melbourne has welcomed the design-driven AC Hotels, Newcastle is nabbing its own QT with a rooftop bar and a suite in a clock tower, and the Gold Coast is nabbing The Langham. There's also a new hotel in the works for the Barossa in the middle of a vineyard, and the Yarra Valley is getting one as part of a big gig venue. Don't go thinking that Brisbane is missing out, though — because that's where the new voco Brisbane City Centre comes in. The chain has just taken up residence on North Quay right next to Brisbane Quarter, which means that it's in a prime riverside position. And, to take advantage of that location, it features a views aplenty, as well as a rooftop pool. Brisbane's first voco hotel — and the second for Queensland, after voco Gold Coast — it also comes with 194 rooms, as well as hangout space Kraft & Co. There, you can drink coffee by day and kick back in a lounge bar by night. You'll find the latter on the ground floor, slinging everything from eggs for breakfast and brunch through to cocktails till late. Wherever you're spending your time at this new staycation spot, you'll be surrounded by a sleek fitout by Sydney-based interior design studio JPDC, which takes its cues from the hotel's riverside locale. Dark blue tones are a big feature, alongside neutral colours — and maximising natural light. Among the site's features, voco Brisbane City Centre also boasts an all-hours gym, plus 11 meeting and function spaces. And, as part of a sustainability push that also includes aerated shower heads and refillable Antipodes products, guests can zip around the city for free on handcrafted bamboo bikes from Wyld Bikes. Find voco Brisbane City Centre at 85–87 North Quay, Brisbane. For more information or to make a booking, head to the voco website.
The Central Coast has just gained a massive new hospitality precinct thanks to Australian entrepreneur extraordinaire John Singleton. He's done much to develop the high-end hospitality scene on the Central Coast, with his ventures include the award-winning Pretty Beach House and Bells at Killcare Boutique Hotel. But the latest spot to receive the Singleton treatment is Gosford's 14-storey Bonython Tower, a luxury waterfront mixed-use building at Point Frederick. Singleton has transformed the building into a six-in-one venue, The Bon Pavilion — and it opens today, Friday, April 12. Longtime hospitality partners Brian and Karina Barry (Pokolbin Hunter Valley Resort) are in on the action, having also joined Singleton on Bells at Killcare, Pretty Beach House and the Bluetongue Brewery. In the kitchen is celebrity executive chef Sean Connolly, who is best known locally as the man behind The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room, but also operates highly lauded venues in Byron Bay, Auckland, Adelaide and Dubai. Connolly is all about ethically sourced produce and simple food done well, which will of course be on display across Bon Pavilion's many offerings. And we mean many. The enormous pavilion is split between six 'zones', each with a distinct offering. First up there's Bonfire, the venue's main dining room, which is open for lunch and dinner. Think freshly shucked oysters, seasonal fish and premium cuts of steak, plus an extensive wine list with a strong focus on Hunter Valley drops. For even more wine, head to the Bon Vin cellar door, which offers up premium wines from around the globe — including Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain and South America — with bottles ranging from $38 to a whopping $750. Then there's Bon Bar, open from midday until midnight, and slinging Australian and international craft beer on tap, a wide range of spirits and seasonal cocktails, plus late-night bar snacks. The public bar will be a more casual affair, open each day as well. For more casual fare, Bon Bon Espresso offers breakfast and lunch, along with a selection signature cocktails and house wines — a clear theme across the board. There's also separate private dining and function rooms for booking. Speaking of a many hats, Connolly is also the space's creative director and is also responsible for the fit-out, alongside design practice Alexander & Co. The impressive interior features a palette of burnt orange and sea greens, and diners will be joined by a huge mural by Lisa King of Biripi Nation woman Elsie Stuart. Worth a trip up the coast this weekend — especially as it's only an hour and a half away, both in the car or on the train. The Bon Pavilion is now open at 159 Mann Street, Gosford. The espresso bar will open from 6.30am daily, and the other venues will open from midday. Images: Jacs Powell Photography.
Prancing through fields laced with the charm of provincial France? Casual Saturdaying during Sydney Festival time. So Frenchy So Chic in the Park, one of the annual highlights of one of the most anticipated festival seasons on the Sydney calendar, is waltzing back to St John's College on Saturday, January 17. An entire afternoon of French-inspired niceties — think gourmet picnic hampers, tortes and terrines, offensively good wine, quaint puppet shows, furious outdoor chess, casual bongo drum lessons — So Frenchy hinges around a solid lineup of some of France's best: Emile Simon, The Dø, La Femme and Francois and Atlas Mountains will crank out live sets on the lawn this year. Formidable. Don your best floral-headband-and-sundress-combo and gear up for un merveilleux après-midi. Tres bloody chic. So Frenchy So Chic is on Saturday, January 17 at St John's College, University of Sydney. Thanks to So Frenchy So Chic, we have a super special shiny double pass to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Tonight, tonight, there's only Steven Spielberg's lavish and dynamic version of West Side Story tonight — not to detract from or forget the 1961 movie of the same name. Six decades ago, an all-singing, all-dancing, New York City-set, gang war-focused spin on Romeo and Juliet leapt from stage to screen, becoming one of cinema's all-time classic musicals; however, remaking that hit is a task that Spielberg dazzlingly proves up to. It's his first sashay into the genre, despite making his initial amateur feature just three years after the original West Side Story debuted. It's also his first film since 2018's obnoxiously awful Ready Player One, which doubled as a how-to guide to crafting one of the worst, flimsiest and most bloated pieces of soulless pop-culture worship possible. But with this swooning, socially aware story of star-crossed lovers, Spielberg pirouettes back from his atrocious last flick by embracing something he clearly adores, and being unafraid to give it rhythmic swirls and thematic twirls. Shakespeare's own tale of tempestuous romance still looms large over West Side Story, as it always has — in fair NYC and its rubble-strewn titular neighbourhood where it lays its 1950s-era scene. The Jets and the Sharks aren't quite two households both alike in dignity, though. Led by the swaggering and dogged Riff (Mike Faist, a Tony-nominee for the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen), the Jets are young, scrappy, angry and full of resentment for anyone they fear is encroaching on their terrain (anyone who isn't white especially). Meanwhile, with boxer Bernardo (David Alvarez, a Tony-winner for Billy Elliot) at the helm, the Sharks have tried to establish new lives outside of their native Puerto Rico through study, jobs and their own businesses. Both gangs refuse to coexist peacefully in the only part of New York where either feels at home — even with the threat of gentrification looming large in every torn-down building, signs for shiny new amenities such as Lincoln Centre popping up around the place and, when either local cops Officer Krupke (Brian d'Arcy James, Hawkeye) or Lieutenant Schrank (Corey Stoll, The Many Saints of Newark) interrupt their feuding, after they're overtly warned as well. But it's a night at a dance, and the love-at-first-sight connection that blooms between Riff's best friend Tony (Ansel Elgort, The Goldfinch) and Bernardo's younger sister María (feature debutant Rachel Zegler), that sparks a showdown. This rumble will decide westside supremacy once and for all, the two sides agree. The OG West Side Story was many things: gifted with a glorious cast, including Rita Moreno in her Academy Award-winning role as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita, plus future Twin Peaks co-stars Russ Tamblyn and Richard Beymer as Riff and Tony; unashamedly showy, like it had just snapped its fingers and flung itself off the stage; and punchy with its editing, embracing the move from the boards to the frame. It still often resembled a filmed musical rather than a film more than it should've, however. Spielberg's reimagining, which boasts a script by his Munich and Lincoln scribe Tony Kushner, tweaks plenty while also always remaining West Side Story — and, via his regular cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (The Post) and a whirl of leaping and plunging camerawork, it looks as exuberant as the vibrant choreography that the New York City Ballet's Justin Peck splashes across the screen, nodding to Jerome Robbins' work for the original movie lovingly but never slavishly. From the famous first whistle that's always opened the tale, West Side Story feels like it's dancing through the narrative instead of merely telling it. The savvy realisation that gang struts and brawls suit balletic movements — a notion from when the idea first hit the stage — pairs marvellously with the peppier visuals, too. Spielberg's fluid and kinetic stylistic approach springs from the same source as many of his other touches, with the director aiming not just to finally make a musical, bring the playfulness of his action scenes to the genre, or to give a work he loves his own stamp, but to ground the story in notions that are pressingly relevant today. Viewers here see more of the west side, get a bigger sense of the place, tap into its energy, and glean a more grounded view of the poverty, racism, factionalism and violence that's always sat at West Side Story's core. Switching some of the film's Leonard Bernstein-composed, Stephen Sondheim-penned songs between characters and locations makes this a more thoughtful and textured movie as well. See: the on-the-street version of earworm 'America' led by Hamilton veteran Ariana DeBose as the new Anita, and transforming 'Somewhere' into a community-focused ballad sung by the returning Moreno as a new figure. Both are magnificent. Still, as delightful as almost everything about Spielberg's film is — its inspired changes and passionate tribute to the first feature alike — it has an Ansel Elgort problem. He's a bland island in a sea of spectacle, and the lack of chemistry between him and the radiant Zegler would be a killer if examining the place, time and struggles that give rise to Tony and María's love didn't take precedence over the romance itself. Make it a 1950s NYC R+J, but about why its tragedy unfolds: that's another of Spielberg and Kushner's clever choices. And, while it takes a lifetime of unfortunate moves to strand the Jets and Sharks in their bloody turf war, thankfully one bad casting decision can't taint everything that glimmers about their latest big-screen outing. Indeed, enough praise can't be slung Faist, Zegler, Alvarez or DeBose's way, in what deserves to be a movie star-making effort for all four. Faist's turn as Riff is sinewy, smooth and vulnerable all at once — the film is electric every time he's on-screen — and Zegler's woozy and hopeful performance as a woman in the throes of first love is equally revelatory. Bringing EGOT-recipient and all-round entertainment icon Moreno back is touching, as well as exactly the right kind of nostalgic; looking both backwards and forwards is another of this sublime achievement of a feature's many successes, after all.
Oakberry Açai is giving 100 customers free açai bowls on Thursday, September 15 to celebrate the opening of its brand-new Martin Place outpost. The international açai chain is opening its new store at 5 Martin Place, just down from the new dining precinct that has arrived in the bustling city square. If you want to nab a free bowl, you'll have to be among the first 100 customers to arrive at the new store on opening day, but if you miss out on a freebie, you're not fresh out of luck. As part of the promotion, Oakberry is also offering its classic açai bowl for just $10 across its first two days of operation — Thursday, September 15 and Friday, September 16. Originally out of Brazil, Oakberry opened its first Sydney store in Bondi in 2018. The Martin place outpost will be the Oakberry's 17th outlet, with existing spots across Coogee, Manly and Queensland. For information on the promotion as the big day approaches, follow Oakberry on Instagram.
The Rocks is serving up all your Christmastime needs in its cobblestone streets this holiday season — from bespoke gifts and decorations to joyful holiday feeds. The historic neighbourhood's annual Christmas Markets will run every Friday through Sunday from December 3–19. Not only that, but The Rocks will be decked out to the nines, transforming the precinct into a Christmas wonderland. There'll be ambient lighting at the First Fleet Park stairway as you head into The Rocks, alongside Christmas trees, lamp post decorations and fairy lights along George Street. Plus, a variety of live music will also take over The Rocks, with a mixture of Christmas covers and feel-good tunes. The Rocks' usual shops will be done up in your standard red-and-green, silver-and-gold hues, too. There'll also be plenty of festive treats from street food vendors, so you can refuel on some tasty snacks, then keep working through your gift list. Once you've got all your shopping done, you can head to Broomfields pop-up pie shop, which is opening alongside the market and running all the way until February. Open on Playfair Street, the pie shop is serving up buttery pies with mash, gravy and cold beers Thursday–Sunday. It even has a turkey, pork and sage Christmas Pie. The Christmas Markets will be open from 4–9pm Fridays, 10am–9pm Saturday and 10am–5pm on Sundays. Images: Anna Kucera
By the time Sunday rolls around, you're lucky if you have the energy and willpower to think, let alone cook. So do neither. Instead, grab a friend or three and head for LL Wine and Dine in Potts Point, where, from 11am, you can sink into all-you-can-eat yum cha for 30 bucks a head, accompanied by live music, $25 cocktail jugs, $10 Bloody Marys and good coffee. The menu is big on dumplings of all kinds, from straight-ahead prawn, to more exotic scallop and pork, to animal-friendly vegetable. Also look out for spring rolls, rice paper rolls, barbecue pork buns and pork spare ribs. That's right, you won't be going hungry around here — no matter how worn out or ragged you might be from the night before. You'd be smart to make a booking: this is one of Sydney's more popular Sunday feasts.
Hyderabad House reflects the region's Arabic take on Indian food — a result of having been ruled by the Turkish for 1000 years. This western Sydney institution is lauded by those in the know for its biryani. And, to prove its expertise, it has seven different flavour options all available in single serves, family serves (for between 4–5 people) and jumbo serves (for 10–12 people). Take your pick of meat — prawn, fish, egg, goat are available, but we recommend the chicken 65 (battered, spice-laden fried chicken) — and it'll be mixed through and fried off with the surprisingly complex and aromatic rice. You'll find rich curries, Chinese-style noodle dishes, kebabs and over a dozen bread options on the menu to round out your feast. And the best part? Plates rarely creep above $15 each. When it comes to spiciness, there are three levels available for each dish. As it's all made to order, you can simply choose the level you'd like. When we speak to owner Rehan Ali, we ask how he likes his spice level: "Being Indian, I can't even eat level three. If you're ordering for the first time, go with medium. Once you have it spicy, you can't turn it down". So, proceed with caution. Images: Cassandra Hannagn
What happens when you take the Australian teen series of the 90s and update it to the 2020s, all while riding a huge wave of nostalgia for all things stemming from three decades back? Even thanks to just the first part of that equation, every fan of beloved 1994–99 hit Heartbreak High could've told you that the end result would be a smash. And, streaming on Netflix since September, that's exactly how the ace new Heartbreak High revival has turned out — so much so that there's going to be a second season. No one has been saying "rack off" to the Sydney-set show's latest run, or its new batch of Hartley High teens, or their fresh dose of teen chaos. Not Aussie audiences, with the series sitting in Netflix's top ten TV shows in the country for the five weeks since its release. Not global viewers either, with Heartbreak High 2.0 also reaching the top ten in more than 43 countries, including in the US and across Europe, Africa and Asia — and spending three weeks in the global top ten, too. The streaming platform also advises that its subscribers clocked up 42.6 million hours watching Heartbreak High in three weeks. That's not bad for the latest high school-focused revival, doing what Beverly Hills, 90210 did, plus Saved by the Bell and Gossip Girl as well, but with a firmly Aussie spin. Unsurprisingly, Netflix has greenlit Heartbreak High for a second season, although exactly when it'll drop hasn't been revealed. Still, if you're keen to spend more time with Amerie (Ayesha Madon, The Moth Effect), Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman), Darren (screen first-timer James Majoos), Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Jeremy the Dud), Dusty (Josh Heuston, Thor: Love and Thunder), Ca$h (Will McDonald, Home and Away), Malakai (Thomas, Troppo), Spider (Bryn Chapman Parish, Mr Inbetween), Ant (debutant Brodie Townsend), Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran, Mustangs FC) and Missy (fellow newcomer Sherry-Lee Watson), start getting excited now. Season one started with Amerie becoming a pariah at Hartley after a big revelation — an "incest map" plotting out who's hooked up with who throughout the school — and also struggling with a sudden rift in her friendship with bestie Harper. Attempting to repair her reputation, she calls on help from her new pals Quinni and Darren, all while working through her crush on Dusty and developing feelings for Malakai. And that's just the start of Heartbreak High's 2022-set story so far. It was back in 2020 that Netflix initially announced that it was bringing the series back — and yes, it sure is a 2020s-era take on the Aussie classic. Adolescent chaos is still the main focus, including everything from friendship fights, yelling about vaginas from the top of a building and throwing dildos at walls through to consent, crime, drugs and police brutality. The original Heartbreak High was a massive deal, and was filled with now-familiar faces, including Alex Dimitriades, a pre-Home and Away Ada Nicodemou, and Avengers: Endgame and Mystery Road's Callan Mulvey as Drazic. It painted a multicultural picture of Australia that was unlike anything else on TV at the time. And, for its six-year run across two Aussie networks, the Sydney-shot show was must-see television — not bad for a series that started as a spinoff to the Claudia Karvan and Alex Dimitriades-starring 1993 movie The Heartbreak Kid, too. Check out the trailer for the new Heartbreak High below: Heartbreak High season two doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The show's first season is available to stream now via Netflix. Read our full review.
Air out that mouldy tent, start rounding up the GoPros, Falls Festival have announced their 2014 lineup. With Byron now extended to a four-day program, Falls Festival is returning to its three sites (Lorne, Marion Bay and North Byron Parklands) for its annual New Year's Eve hootenanny. So who's on the bill? Returning with a Mercury Prize and a million debut album copies sold under their belt, Leeds foursome Alt-J are sure to be one of the packed sets this year. Scandinavian super besties Röyksopp and Robyn are locked in for an epic two hour set of combined releases. There'll be ass everywhere with the presence of the unmissable Big Freedia. The sublimely talented SBTRKT is set to play a huge live set (one of Laneway Festival's best sets to memory), while the formidable Jamie XX will keep the basslines well up in grill. Fresh from Glastonbury, George Ezra is set to be one of the festival highlights, with the debut set from the legendary Todd Terje, house monarchs Tensnake, Sydney trio Movement and San Francisco's Tycho sure to send everyone on a synthy, beats-fuelled odyssey. Altanta's favourite 'flower punk' band The Black Lips are in. Confirmed after a leak in Cleo, UK's Glass Animals are confirmed to get sultry. Festival favourites Cold War Kids return with their latest album's material (and a few oldies), while Australia's own ARIA-winners The Temper Trap return to the live circuit with material from their upcoming third record. Rap fans have some gleeful squealing to get to, with Brooklyn's Pro Era whiz Joey Bada$$, Killer Mike and El-P's Fool's Gold super-collab Run the Jewels, Melbourne's own Remi locked in. 'Stolen Dance' fans will have plenty to jig about with the first Australian tour of Milky Chance, Sydney's Bluejuice are playing their last round, London's Wolf Alice are sure to generate some buzz, and Canberran trio SAFIA are also buzzworthy inclusions. There's a few Splendour returns: Britpop-loving Sydney dudes DMAs, newbie hip hop firecracker Tkay Maidza, Sydney dance legends The Presets, electronic whiz kid The Kite String Tangle, returning rock heavyweights Spiderbait, singalong starters Sticky Fingers and Riptider Vance Joy. Falls will also see a kickass 'Boogie Nights' program featuring none other than the ever-kickass hip hop legends Salt n Pepa, Melbourne's best-dressed duo Client Liaison, Sydney partystarter Alison Wonderland and Canada's Badbadnotgood. THE FALLS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL 2014 LINEUP (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER): ALT-J BIG FREEDIA THE BLACK LIPS BLUEJUICE COLD WAR KIDS DMAs GLASS ANIMALS GEORGE EZRA JAGWAR MA JAMIE XX JOEY BADA$$ JOHN BUTLER TRIO KIM CHURCHILL THE KITE STRING TANGLE MILKY CHANCE MOVEMENT THE PRESETS REMI RÖYKSOPP & ROBYN RUN THE JEWELS SAFIA SBTRKT (LIVE) >SPIDERBAIT STICKY FINGERS THE TEMPER TRAP TENSNAKE TKAY MAIDZA TODD TERJE (LIVE) TYCHO VANCE JOY WOLF ALICE + MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED. BOOGIE NIGHTS LINEUP (DEC 28 LORNE, DEC 29 MARION BAY, DEC 31 BYRON): ALISON WONDERLAND BADBADNOTGOOD CLIENT LIAISON SALT N PEPA + MORE. EVENTS: Dec 28, 2014 to Jan 1, 2015 in Lorne, VIC (est. 1993) 18+ event Dec 29, 2014 to Jan 1, 2015 in Marion Bay, TAS (est. 2003) All ages Dec 30, 2014 to Jan 3, 2015 in Byron Bay, NSW (est. 2013) 18+ event The ticket ballot is now open via the festival’s website and will be closing on Monday August 25. Enter the ballot here. Most of the event tickets are allocated to sales through the ballot process, starting at 9am on Thursday August 28; however, for those who miss out, there will also be a small allocation of tickets set aside for general public sales starting at 9am on Wednesday September 03. Image: Paul Smith
