Screw self-lacing Nikes, everyone knows the real legacy of Back to the Future II was the hoverboard. Since the film's 1989 release, the race has been on to create one by 2015, and with the fateful date just one year away, everyone's obviously getting a little antsy. Cue cruelly convincing star-studded hoverboard announcement. The video, which surfaced just a matter of hours ago, is a "real-life" demonstration of a hoverboard from a supposed tech company called HUVr Tech. Featuring the likes of Moby, Tony Hawk and none other than Christopher Lloyd himself, the product gets a glowing endorsement from all including a 'heartwarming' moment when Doc almost cries. Now, the more important question: why would they mess with us like this? Nerds across the world have joined forces to fact check the video's claims, and as much as we all want it to be true, it just isn't. It's been discovered that the 'main technician' is actually an actor called Nelson Cheng, and in a huge faux pas, the costume designer Lauren Biedenharn listed the job on her resume as a commercial for Funny or Die. Add to this the fact that HuvrTech.com was only listed as a domain in November last year, and it has some fairly dubious legalese — “the inclusion of any products or services on this website at a particular time does not imply or warrant that these products or services will be available at any time” — and the outcome looks pretty bleak. Best case scenario: it's the start of a viral marketing campaign for Back to the Future IV. Worst case: it's an ingenious publicity stunt engineered by Moby in an effort to stay relevant. Either way, they have a lot to answer for. Now firmly into his middle age, Tony Hawk spends his days pulling sick ollies on fictional devices and breaking the hearts of everyone who once played Pro Skater on PS1. The modern Marty McFly? Moby being 'hip' and 'young' and 'with it'.
Last year, you ate copious amounts of burgers, and to balance it out, bunches and bunches of kale. Your beer got craftier than ever before. You wanted to know more about where your food came from, so you chatted to farmers and ate locally-sourced produce. Instead of extensive menus overloaded with choice, you opted for simpler, cleaner and more expertly-prepared dishes. You kept food trucks doing the rounds. You learnt more about Korean cuisine. And you decided that food tastes better when you share it. So, what's in store for 2015? We're expecting sustainability and seasonality taken to extremes, with hearty broths and micro-seasonal menus; the decline of kale; the rise of roots; veggie-fuelled desserts; cheaper lobster; more restaurant swaps; and epic, multi-sensory dining experiences, thanks to the wonders of neurogastronomy. Here are eight trends to look out for. VEGETABLES IN DESSERTS If only your mama had thought of this when she was struggling to get those Brussels sprouts down your recalcitrant, pint-sized throat. Pretending that vegetables aren't vegetables at all, but actually dessert, is one surefire way to crank up your five-a-day tally. In countries like Vietnam, where beans, lotus root and the like frequently feature in sweet treats, this isn't a new thing. But we're only just getting on the healthy yet tasty dessert bandwagon. Parsnip's been the main contender in Australia so far, thanks to Three Blue Ducks' chocolate with smoked parsnip and Four in Hand's parsnip ice cream with matching chips. RESTAURANT AND BAR SWAPS It seems that chefs and restaurateurs the world over are growing increasingly restless. Rather than keeping their gastronomical discoveries to their local clientele, they're keen to share them across regions and even hemispheres via swaps. Thousands of Melbournians got lucky (or greedy) when Heston Blumenthal announced he'd be bringing his Fat Duck to town, while Denmark's Noma has just opened its doors in Tokyo for a two-month stint. The trend is picking up at bar level too, with the Rook and Black Pearl doing an exchange in May last year. BROTH The more finite the Earth's resources are starting to look, the less we want to waste. In ancient times, when frugality was a necessity rather than an eco-conscious choice, the humble broth was master. Concocted out of animal bones and veggie scraps, it turned mere leftovers into a comfort food feast. Today, broth is the logical extension of our continual move towards sustainable food production. What's more, only Thai restaurants can compete when it comes to names. A restaurant in Melbourne has already jumped on the inevitable: Brothl, while in New York, there’s Brodo. Bring on the broth in 2015. AFFORDABLE LOBSTER After years of exclusivity, the lobster is at last stepping off its high horse and coming down to the street. Heading up the new egalitarian approach in Sydney is Burger Liquor Lobster, which has popped up for summer in both Paddo and Manly, waving $15 lobster rolls and lobster popcorn in front of our seafood-craving faces. The crustacean is getting affordable in London, too, where new trendy hangout Burger and Lobster is selling 2000 lobsters per day across six shopfronts. HATTED CHEFS OPENING CASUAL DINERS This trend, which comes direct from Paris, represents the latest in the growth of premium dining in a casual atmosphere. Hatted chefs are expanding beyond their illustrious premises into bistros, where they're making high-end gastronomy accessible to a mid-range crowd. In late 2013, the team behind the Bentley and the Monopole opened an eatery in Potts Point’s once-bohemian Yellow House. Then, last year, chef Mark Best of Marque brought his cooking to (more of) the people with the opening of Pei Modern in both Sydney and Melbourne. MICROSEASONAL MENUS 'Seasonal produce' and 'paddock-to-plate philosophy’ are the well-established catch-cries of many an Australian eatery. It looks like they’ll be taken even further in 2015 with a trend towards microseasonal menus. These promise fresher and more interesting cuisine than ever before, with dishes changing not with each shift of the earth's axis, but with every passing day. The alterations are ever-so-slight and subtle, and entirely dependent on available ingredients. Sydney’s Q Dining is getting in early. UGLY ROOT VEGGIES Kale's been more ubiquitous than cuts to the arts over the past year or so. But we’re not sure how much longer it's going to fare, given the rise and rise of ugly root vegetables. We're not talking about the good old potato, but its numerous more exotic-sounding and tasting (if not especially good-looking) cousins. As mentioned, parsnips have been sneaking their way into dessert menus, but then there's the likes of celery root and kohlrabi. Sydney's Yellow is already onto it, with a dish made up of beef tartare, kohlrabi, smoked curd and rye featuring on their tasting menu. The good news is that you, too can get started — pick up your own ugly veggies at Harris Farm for half-price. NEUROGASTRONOMY Did you know that on average, a pink strawberry dessert tastes ten percent less sweet on a black plate than it does on a white one? Or that, if you drink a single malt whisky while surrounded by real grass and birdsong, it tastes more herbaceous? Try it, on the other hand, around red lighting and curved furniture and it'll seem sweeter. Starting to get what 'neurogastronomy' means? We now have scientific proof that all of our senses — rather than our tastebuds alone — influence how we perceive flavour. A professor at Oxford University by the name of Charles Spence is obsessed with studying this phenomenon. Spence and a bunch of fellow experts have been developing an intense multisensory dining experience, which combines textures, colours, aromas and temperatures, having previously worked with the likes of Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal. Image credits: Speed Bump Kitchen, jane boles via photopin cc
If a Finnish railway line can immerse passengers in a Murder on the Orient Express-style escape room, then a British hotel can take inspiration from the iconic novelist behind the famous mystery tale. More than that, it can do so while keeping with the transport theme — with Bertram's Hotel in Devon turning a double decker bus into an Agatha Christie-inspired home away from home. There's no puzzle to solve, other than wondering why someone didn't think of the idea earlier. Instead, visitors can relax in a place that's been decked out to feel like a 50s Christie book. Floral decor, a retro record player, a cocktail station, two sleeping spaces and shelves filled with novels all feature. Of course, the latter includes the author's work, with posters celebrating her efforts and titles found elsewhere throughout the cosy abode. Self-contained with a kitchen and bathroom, and sleeping five guests in total, Bertram's Hotel is located in a scenic field near the village of Harltand. And although its setting means that stumbling upon a real-life mystery is rather unlikely, you will spy plenty of animals, namely five grazing alpacas, plus everything from pygmy goats and donkeys to chickens and ducks. There's also two fishing lakes in close proximity. As for the concept, the unique spot takes its name and design from one of Christie's books: 1965's At Bertram's Hotel. The novel features the author's other well-known sleuth — Miss Marple — taking a holiday at the titular establishment and coming across a case, of course. While the hotel in the book isn't in a two-level red bus, the text features one on its cover. Images: Sykes Holiday Cottages.
It seems like only yesterday that we were freaking out over their Indiegogo campaign. Now, Australia's first cat cafe has officially stolen the hearts of the nation, raised sufficient funds, and set up a home on Queen Street, Melbourne ahead of their launch early next month. If a week or two is simply too long to wait, here's a teaser of what's to come. Meet Sherlock, Lotti, Lynx, Lopez, Waldo, and Braveheart — aka your new furry best friends. All adopted from the Geelong Animal Welfare Society, these beautiful bundles of pure happiness are the first cats to call the cafe home. Having only been in the city a mere day or two, Cat Cafe Melbourne have posted a little information about each on Facebook ahead of their upcoming launch. Pictured above is the youngest — and in our opinion, best named — kitten Braveheart. Not only is he the cutest little thing we've ever seen, he's also a bit of a battler. At just five months old, he's already suffered a bad infection that led to his right eye being removed. As the cat cafe owners rightfully point out, at least now "he gives a great wink!" From youngest to eldest, this is Lynx. A sedate seven-year-old, he's the type to snuggle up and relax with after a big ol' lunch. "He won't put up with the young ones," the Cat Cafe claim. "If you pick him up beware! He gives a big hug and smooches your face. You may require help to remove him." Then there's Lotti. Though she looks a whole lot like Braveheart, she's a little older and apparently gets a bit jealous of the attention afforded to others. "She is very demanding for affection ... and has an amazing purr that will melt your heart," the owners say. Of course the best thing about this place is that there's just too many cats to keep track of. Lopez, Waldo and Sherlock are the rest of the bunch that are currently slinking around the unopened space, but you won't know too much about them 'til you meet. Cat Cafe Melbourne doesn't have an official opening date yet, though the owners have stated it will be sometime in early July. The cats will also be separated from the official cafe space due to food safety regulations — no one wants a hairball in their latte, after all. If you want to jump in and have a play after your coffee, it'll cost you $10 for the first hour, then $5 for every additional 30 minutes. Stay tuned for an update on their opening, it's bound to be the purrfect cure to your winter blues. All photos via Cat Cafe Melbourne.
If Mr. Miyagi, Layne Beachley and Flume were to catch up for a chow-down, they'd be sure to do it at Daniel San. A brand new restaurant set to open on the Manly beachfront, Daniel San is where Japanese cuisine gets the rock 'n' roll treatment. In one night, you can sip sake in a 'Neon District', knock back a 'slushy beer', rock out on air guitar, play a round or two of pinball and get down to Steve Aoki tunes, while grazing on an array of Japanese delights. The concept is the brainchild of hospitality guru Fraser Short and business partner Arthur Laundy. The duo also own the Watsons Bay Hotel, so they know a thing or two about matching killer views with adventurous social and culinary experiences. "We wanted to capture the fun and slightly quirky elements of Japanese culture infused with a rock 'n' roll vibe, whilst creating an offering that really capitalises on this amazing space's beachside location," says Short. Daniel San's first and only rule is: there are no rules. In other words, whether you want to pop in for a quick, post-swim snack or hang out all afternoon, drinking and dining till you're full up, no one's going to stop you. "I think this is exactly what Manly needs right now," Short continues. "Daniel San fits perfectly with the Northern Beaches' lifestyle — relaxed, healthy and fun. A casual, fun chow-down style eatery where people can hang out, straight from the beach." The man in charge of the menu is Benjamin Orpwood, who, in his previous incarnation, oversaw many a Japanese feast at Surry Hills' Toko. At Daniel San, the main act is the Robata grill. Styled a la beach shack, it delivers Japanese goodness in succulent and roasted form. Think wagyu beef, king salmon teriyaki, Shiso rolled pork belly, chicken skin with ponzu and quail eggs and prawn with yuzu koshu. Snack-wise, there are crunchy tuna and salmon tar-tacos, steamed buns with soft shell crab and kimchi mayo, 'rock 'n' roll' sushi with tuna belly, truffle and yuzu, and of course, sashimi. "I wanted to create a really casual menu that anyone can easily navigate," Orpwood explains. "There’s a focus on fresh, clean food that’s unique and fun... The first head chef I ever had at a Japanese restaurant told me that the best way to get people to fall in love with Japanese food is to be authentic but not traditional and I think that’s what I've done." Daniel San can be found underneath the Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific. The eatery's 350-strong capacity means that seating options are plentiful, whether you want to go exclusive private dining room or indoor/outdoor rooftop Dojo. Doors open on October 4.
Following a Golden Globe haul earlier this year, Donald Glover's series Atlanta has landed an Australian premiere. Heading to the newly minted SBS Viceland channel on Tuesday, February 28 at 9.30pm, the award-winning series will be shown in double episodes weekly. Even better, the entire series will be available on SBS On Demand from the same date. Created, co-written, and produced by Glover, also known as artist Childish Gambino, Atlanta follows the life of Princeton dropout Earn Marks (Glover) and his cousin Alfred 'Paper Boi' Miles (Brian Tyree Henry). The series sees Earn supporting his two-year-old daughter and managing his rapper cousin trying his luck at breaking into the music industry. The series took out two Golden Globes in January, with Glover landing Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and Atlanta taking out Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. Atlanta is one series we think you should catch up on after the Golden Globes. Read the whole list here.
High-rise hotels and the Gold Coast go hand in hand; however, slumbering at great heights isn't the only way to stay at the tourist-friendly spot. The area is also home to plenty of motels, which come with their own low-key (and lower to the ground) charms — and, thanks to a new startup, they're getting an art-fuelled makeover. Meet Golden Ticket Motel, which wants to turn the Goldie's heritage motel rooms into highly Instagrammable experiences; think: Sugar Republic and the Museum of Ice Cream, but you can kip there. Beginning as a three-month pilot, it enlists artists to deck out motels, turning them into the kind of space that you'll want to snap copious amounts of pictures of. 'Art you can sleep in' is the official spiel, and it fits. The first venue doing the honours is Surf Street Motel in Mermaid Beach, with one room given a revamp by Gold Coast artist Dion Parker. Big, colourful, flower-filled designs feature heavily, as set against black walls. The makeover covers the brightly hued quilt and curtains, statement walls complete with a velvet centrepiece that's designed to look like flowing hair, and florals throughout the bathroom. No, you haven't stayed in a motel quite like this before. If that sounds like your kind of place for an evening, bookings are open for visits from May, starting from $235 per night. As well as soaking in the eye-catching interior design, you'll also be just a five-minute walk from Nobby Beach — because no GC stay is ever really complete without some surf, sun and sand, obviously. The pilot run is supported by a City of Gold Coast creative tourism grant — and if it goes well, the aim is roll out the concept to other Goldie motels. So, you might soon have more places to spend a night in. "The vision for Golden Ticket Motel is to create a unique overnight tourism product for the Gold Coast in collaboration with local artists during a time when there are limited exhibition opportunities for working artists in the area," said Golden Ticket Motel founder Lucy Fisher. "The Gold Coast is blessed with historic motels that should be celebrated, and I wanted to create a product that encourages motel visitation without any outlay from operators and introduce a new audience to this style of accommodation." "Ultimately, the aim is to build Golden Ticket Motel into a thriving creative tourism business based on the Gold Coast that works with artists and accommodation providers to create playful and unique overnight art experiences." Golden Ticket Motel's first pop-up at Surf Street Motel, Mermaid Beach, is available to book for the next three months. For more information, head to the Golden Ticket Motel website.
Remember when your mum told you that it's what's on the inside that counts? At the Australian Interior Design Awards, that's definitely the case. Returning for 2021, the country's premier interior design gongs reward excellence in hospitality, installation, residential, workplace, retail and public design, as well as residential decoration — and it has just revealed its lengthy (and obviously eye-catching) 2021 shortlist. A word of warning for those who like their interiors swish, plush, luxurious and stylish all round: you're going to want to live in or visit all of the places vying for this year's awards. Thankfully, with plenty of bars and restaurants in the running, the latter is definitely possible. In Sydney, in the hospitality field, the likes of Harbord Hotel, Ciccia Bella, Sydney Tower and Atomic Beer Project are among the spots vying for glory. Well, for a shiny prize and plenty of recognition to go with their shiny interiors, to be exact. Melbourne's Farmer's Daughters, Poodle Bar and Bistro, First Love Coffee, Hero at ACMI, Byrdi, Citizen Snack Bar and Next Hotel also rank among the places in the running, while Brisbane's Industry Beans and Ping Pong Thai Restaurant also made the cut. In South Australia, Never Never Distillery and Hotel Indigo join the places in contention. [caption id="attachment_803565" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] First Love, Rebecca Newman[/caption] The list goes on — both for bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels, with 33 places in contention in total, and throughout the awards' other categories. A whopping 190 places have made it through to this stage across all fields, which means that there is no shortage of strikingly deigned new, revamped and refurbished places demanding your attention around around the country. After the event went virtual in 2020 — handing out its gongs via a virtual broadcast — this year's winners will be announced in-person at a dinner the Hyatt Regency Sydney on Friday, September 3. For the full Australian Interior Design Awards 2021 shortlist, head to the AIDA website. Top image: Sydney Tower, Robert Walsh.
Great news, movie buffs: when the Melbourne International Film Festival rolls around each year, it doesn't just let Melburnians who can dedicate their spare hours to the full fest experience join in the fun. MIFF Play, the event's digital offshoot, broadens the event's audience nationally — and, to the delight of cinephiles who can't hop between the Victoria capital's cinemas across August, the digital leg is returning for another spin in 2023. For the fourth year running, that's fabulous news both for Melburnians who still have normal life to attend to, and for film buffs interstate — a move sparked by the fact that in 2020, when MIFF first made the leap to streaming the fest in a big way, it enjoyed its biggest audience ever. In 2023, MIFF Play will be available from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27, and with a diverse array of titles. Price-wise, you can either pay as you watch or grab a MIFF Play flexipass. Either way, your couch awaits. The lineup includes the animated Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, which adapts Haruki Murakami's short stories; Keeping Hope, a documentary about Sweet As' Mark Coles Smith confronting an event from his past with a view to helping other young First Nations men in the Kimberley; Autobiography, about a housekeeper with a sinister boss; All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, which received the Berlinale's Teddy Award; and 20,000 Species of Bees, another prize-recipient in Germany, this time for lead performance. Or, the highlights also span Frederick Wiseman's A Couple, one of the master documentarian's rare dramatic features, focusing on the Tolstoys; Riddle of Fire, which has been garnering The Goonies and Stand by Me comparisons; witchcraft and revenge in 19th-century Chile in Sorcery; and Béla Tarr's 2000 drama Werckmeister Harmonies, a slow-cinema great, will has just scored a new 4K restoration. Your usual streaming queue can wait for these ten days, obviously.
It kicked off more than four decades ago with one of the best horror movies ever made; however, the Halloween franchise has been through quite a few ups and downs over the years. Clocking up ten follow-ups and 11 movies in total so far, the slasher series has delivered excellent and terrible sequels, veered into remake territory, both killed off and brought back its heroine, and completely erased parts of its own past several times. But, like its mask-wearing villain Michael Myers, it always finds a way to go on. Since 2018's Halloween, that's been especially great news — with the Jamie Lee Curtis-starring, Jason Blum-produced 11th flick in the franchise proving a smart, thrilling horror delight, and ranking second only to the movie that started it all. Indeed, the film was such a success that two more sequels are set to come from the same team (aka Blum, writer/director David Gordon Green and co-scribe Danny McBride): Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. Originally, Halloween Kills was due to hit screens this year, in October — when else? — but, as announced earlier this year by franchise creator John Carpenter, it moved back its release to October 2021. Although fans won't be able to make a return trip to Haddonfield until then, and have another encounter with Curtis' spirited Laurie Strode and her lifelong nemesis, too, a new teaser for the film has just dropped to help fill the gap. It's a brief clip — following a first, also short teaser that was released back in July — but it's suitably eerie. In voiceover, Strode tells us that "next Halloween, when the sun sets and someone is alone, he kills". The sneak peek then shows Myers picking up his mask and doing what he's done in oh-so-many movies so far. Cue the iconic, Carpenter-composed theme music, obviously. Check out the latest Halloween Kills teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgWlruoQoLI Halloween Kills will release in Australian cinemas on October 15, 2021.
Over the past few weeks Sydney has been awash with colour, as citizens turned out in massive numbers to show their support for marriage equality. And with the controversial postal survey currently underway, the LGBTIQ+ community and its allies have shown no sign of slowing down. Because equality and love should be shared by everyone, we've found some of the biggest, brightest, and gayest events you can attend in support of this very good cause. We love our beautiful Sydney with its diverse community of people, and these shindigs showcase just how much Sydney loves equality. So post your vote, have a beer and join in the heaps gay party. There are plenty of fun ways to fly your flag for marriage equality between now and when the survey closes. [caption id="attachment_636115" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Letícia Almeida.[/caption] FESTIVAL FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY We know that most of you want to have your say in the postal vote on marriage equality, but we also know that you're probably going to put it off until the last minute. So do the organisers of the Festival for Marriage Equality, which is why they're encouraging as many people as possible to put in their vote en masse. After the success of the Yes Rally, Sydney's activist collective Reclaim the Streets has organised a massive collective Yes voting event, with thousands expected to rock up at Prince Alfred Park on Saturday, September 23, to put in their vote together. Once you've posted your vote at Strawberry Hills Post Office just across the road, you'll be able to get amongst nine stages until sunset, featuring Deeper Than House, Swerve Saturdays, SYD DEF JAM, INPUT, Roots Odyssey, Rabbit Prawn Kollective, The Church of Screaming Electro and Umami. Meet at 1pm at Prince Alfred Park, Chalmers Street, Surry Hills for a 2pm vote at Strawberry Hills Post Office across the road. [caption id="attachment_636099" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Letícia Almeida.[/caption] RALLY FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY Following on from the success of the September 10 rally which saw huge public support for marriage equality, Sydney is set to do it all again on October 21. Support group Community Action Against Homophobia are organising the event to urge Australians to campaign for a Yes postal vote. With the majority of Australians (a whopping two-thirds) supporting marriage equality, the previous rally was expectedly stacked — with a massive 30-40,000 people showing their support for all LGBTIQ+ Australians. October 21 will be the last rally to urge the country to vote affirmative before the ballot closes on November 7, so it will be an extremely important event to get the Yes vote over the line. Send off your vote and get marching. Wear rainbow. Be loud. Let's make history. The rally will kick off in Belmore Park at 1pm on Saturday October 21. THE RAINBOW WALK Sydney has a lot to offer in terms of Sunday morning activities, but one of the most iconic is the Bondi to Bronte walk. A weekend stroll along our beautiful coastline has a lifting-the-soul kind of vibe at the best of times, but on October 8, the Bondi to Bronte walk will have a higher purpose: love, change and marriage equality. With the support of the Surf Lifesaving Clubs of Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte, The Rainbow Walk has been organised to celebrate diversity, support love, encourage a Yes vote for marriage equality. Wear your brightest clothes and enjoy the live music as you soak up the beauty that is Sydney in all it's forms. Starting at the south side of Bondi Beach at 9:00am, the walk will have staggered start times until midday. HEAPS GAY SPRING FLING CALLING POSTAL PARTY The team behind website HEAPS GAY, an all-inclusive space championing the LGBTIQ+ community, are hosting a Spring Fling Party to celebrate voting YAS to marriage equality. Heaps Gay parties are known for their flamboyancy and fun, and the Spring Fling will be absolutely no exception. In fact, it might just surpass all parties that have gone before. There will be DJs, food and a postal box, so byo form, a fabulous outfit and be ready to dance your way to equality. The State Library of New South Wales has already earmarked the event and decided to turn it into an exhibition in 50 years time, so get involved in history and head down to The Lady Hampshire on September 29. The party will ring in the long weekend on 29 September with doors opening at 7pm and the party kicking on until 3am at The Lady Hampshire, 91 Parramatta Road, Camperdown. MIDDIES FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY + A WAYWARD WEDDING This is not a drill! For the next two two weeks the crew at Wayward Brewing Co. will be giving away free beer in support of marriage equality. To claim a free middy, all you need to do is grab one of their "I'm Voting Yes" stickers at the Wayward Cellar Bar, snap yourself wearing it, and post with the tag #WAYWARD4EQUALITY. Show it to the bar staff and they'll be happy to place a free cold one in your hand. On top of that, the Wayward Brewing Co. team are offering their space up for a wedding for a same-sex couple. Their gleaming brewery floor is set to host the ceremony and the cellar bar will transform into an intimate reception venue. What's more, they'll also throw in a $2000 bar tab. To enter the draw and score yourself a very wayward wedding, hop over to their Facebook page and follow the guidelines. The winners will be revealed on November 15 when the outcome of the postal vote is announced. Between September 18 and October 1 you can get your free middy at Wayward Brewery Co. at 1 Gehrig Lane, Camperdown. To enter the draw and win a wedding head over to their website. Feature image via Letícia Almeida
You've filled your house with their minimalist designs and homewares, and dreamed of living in their flat-pack homes and tiny pre-fab huts. MUJI fans, your love affair with the Japanese home goods giant isn't over yet. Next on the retailer's agenda is their own range of hotels, with sites slated for Shenzhen in China and Tokyo in Japan. Construction on a retail and hotel complex in Tokyo's Ginza began in June, working towards a 2019 completion for the 13-floor building. It'll be comprised of three levels below ground, and ten — including a two-floor penthouse — above. Seven storeys will feature shops, including MUJI's global flagship store, while five will boast their first Japanese hotel. Concept and interior design managed by MUJI-owning company Ryohin Keikaku. The Tokyo digs will join a previously announced location in Shenzhen, which is reported to include 79 rooms spanning five different types of accommodation. A store and cafe are also planned for the Chinese hotel, as are recycled wooden interiors and spaces filled with plenty of MUJI furniture. Yes, your travel bucket list just notched up two more entries. Via Dezeen. Images: Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd
Nothing says summer like mosquitoes, cocktails and a really good music gig — which is why we're giving you the chance to enjoy the first one of the season alongside a couple of Kraken Black Spiced Rum cocktails. Minus the mosquitos. ICYMI, Kraken Black Spiced Rum is hosting an underground music gig at The Great Club on Marrickville's Livingston Road on Thursday, December 1. Under the spotlight is a lineup of stand-out emerging Aussie hardcore, hip-hop, rap, punk, and trance artists — think SPEED, DJ F*KH*D, Mulalo, Histamine and Ptwiggs. Although, there's good and bad news — one, tickets are sold out, but two, we have what could be the last exclusive double pass available. Read on for the juicy deets (and to find out how you and a pal can be heralding the warmer months at the subterranean gig). Along with a double pass to the Kraken Black Mojito Subterranean Summer gig, the lucky winners can expect to drink and dine like underground summer music gig royalty — sampling the new Kraken Black Mojitos on arrival, a couple of crisp cold Kraken Storm Cocktails to follow up, and some generous food vouchers to pair with that Kraken Black Spiced Rum goodness. Get your entry in stat, dear reader. [competition]877001[/competition]
Suckers for good selvage will dig this one. Denim fans and jeans enthusiasts should squeeze into their skinnes and get to The Grounds of Alexandria on Saturday, July 12 for a one-off exhibition of jeans owned by famous peeps. Check out Anthony Kiedis' painted pants, the baggy straight-legs of Adam Sandler and the unfathomably tight pants of the now presumably pantsless James Franco. Strutting into The Grounds as part of Jeans for Genes Day (Friday, August 1), the exhibition will also include the denim favourites of Eric Bana, Gene Simmons, Maroon 5 and the previously paraded pants of those wonderfully abominable Kardashians. Keeping on the yearly tradition of donating a dollar and donning your denim, the Jeans for Genes Denim Exhibition is raising some sweet moolah for Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) — dedicated to finding out why one in 20 children worldwide is born with a birth defect or genetic disease. Kiedis' jeans mark the cornerstone of the exhibition, donated by the Red Hot Chilli Pepper himself and glorified by Australian artist Kathrin Longhurst. “What an absolute treat to be given Anthony Kiedis jeans to paint this year. My artwork is really a collaborative effort — part of it is not mine. The man himself creates the portrait on the right leg of the jeans," says Longhurst. "Anthony is a great philanthropist himself, giving charity concerts and donating time and money to many good causes." Jeans for Genes will auction off celebrity jeans at a big ol' gala event later this year, where the denim delights are expected to fetch up to $25,000. Not bad for a pair of jeans. The Jeans for Genes Denim Exhibition runs 9am - 3pm on Saturday, July 12 at The Grounds of Alexandria, 2 Huntley St, Alexandria.
Manuwangku: Under the Nuclear Cloud is a political exhibition. Photographed by Jagath Dheerasekara to draw attention to (and oppose) a likely nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory in an area known as 'Manuwangku' to its traditional owners. The ingredients are here for a breathtaking landscape photographs — sweeping vistas of red sunlight, green spinifex and figures on the move. But this is not a picturesque exhibition. Instead, it follows a theme developed by the contemporary Sydney Festival — ordinary lives of ordinary people, made extraordinary when brought to Sydney audiences. These theoretically dramatic elements are photographed with a documentary eye by Dheerasekara, who lets them frame a window into the everyday. A quiet pink house sits with its dusty 4WD at rest, a woman paints in dots across an art table (not unlike Pine St's own classrooms), a man half awake, rises to the edge of his bed and seems to wink at us over his boots. In one photo a child looks up from the table where his mum reads the paper, while in another a cigarette, a television and a perky lapdog take a quiet moment. If not for their location and their indigenous subjects, the photos could easily be mistaken for fifties kitch, filled as they are with shopping trips, old cars and a catalogue of the domestic. But in documenting this every day life, Dheerasekara mixes a sense of threat into quiet moments. The spectre of a nuclear future is explicit only in one image, but it hangs over the rest, imbuing ordinary moments with a sense of impending loss. And this is what gives this exhibition pull. Whether lured here by the politics of nuclear waste, or attracted to a well-framed glimpse into distant, ordinary things, there is enough to satisfy either visitor. The Pine Street showing of Manuwangku: Under the Nuclear Cloud is now finished, but the exhibition is being restaged at Customs House May 4 to July 8, 2012 as part of the Head On Photo Festival. More details on the show are available here. Photo by Jagath Dheerasekara. Note: Pine Street Gallery is not wheelchair accessible.
There's just about a Gelato Messina on every corner now, right? Wrong. There's not one in Newtown. And while King Street ice cream lovers haven't exactly been starved for choice, what with the 'best gelato in the world' at Cow & the Moon, 100 percent vegan scoops at Gelato Blue and chewy Turkish ice cream at Hakiki nearby, it was probably only a matter of time before the ice cream lords opened up there. And now they've called it — Messina will be opening a Newtown store in August. Messina will be taking over the Gelatomassi store at 262 King Street. According to a statement on Messina's website, Gelatomassi "have been looking to move on...for some time now" and have sold the store to concentrate on their other businesses. They'll be passing the store onto Messina after a massive 14 years of operation. The Newtown store will be Messina's ninth in Sydney and 13th Australia-wide. "We've always liked Newtown as a potential destination, but the truth is it felt a bit crowded with gelato operators, so the time was never quite right," said Messina's Nick Palumbo on their website. "With the boys now moving on, it felt like a nice transition for everyone. We move into a site with a bit of history and take over from someone that's been a true local in the Newtown food scene for years." Gelato Messina Newtown is set to open by the end of August.
Not content with becoming a fixture on Australia's roads, and possibly taking to the skies as early as next year, Uber is now hitting the water at one of the country's greatest natural features. If you've always wanted to cruise the Great Barrier Reef by submarine, now you can now book one via the Uber app. No, this isn't a joke — but it's definitely a marketing stunt. Aptly named scUber, the new service — which will be available between Monday, May 27 and Tuesday, June 18 — is a collaboration between Uber and Queensland's state tourism body. Of course, diving down deep via scUber is incredibly pricey at $3000 for two people. But if you're particularly flush with cash and have always dreamed of seeing the reef this way, now you can. According to research by Tourism and Events Queensland, plenty of people have this exact experience on their bucket list. Your big stack of bills gets you a trip to the southern Great Barrier Reef's Heron Island from May 27, or to north Queensland's Agincourt Reef off the coast of Port Douglas from June 9. You'll be picked up from your location by Uber, naturally — although you'll need to be in Gladstone, Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas. Then you'll be taken by helicopter to either scUber destination, where you'll jump inside the submarine and dive under the water for an hour. Afterwards, you'll head back to your original pickup spot. The submarine actually holds three people — someone who knows what they're doing will be going down with you. They'll take you deep, down to 30 metres, where 180-degree views await. Obviously, there are a few other drawcards: you don't have to learn how to dive or get a license, and you won't get wet. Uber will also be partnering with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef as part of scUber, donating $100,000 to the protection and conservation organisation, as well as the equivalent value of every scUber ride purchased. And, in conjunction with Tourism and Events Queensland, it's giving away a scUber package complete with flights and five nights accommodation — which is open to eager folks not only from Australia, but from New Zealand, the USA, Canada, the UK and France too. You'll need to enter by 1.59pm, Australian time, on Monday, June 1. scUber will be available from Monday, May 27 to Tuesday, June 18 in Gladstone, Cairns, Palm Cove and Port Douglas. For more information, visit scUberqueensland.com. Images: Tourism and Events Queensland.
If you've been defiantly nursing a waterlogged iPhone 4 until that ever distant contract renewal day, Apple have some new toys for you. On Tuesday in San Francisco, Apple announced the arrival of two new iPhones: the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus — alongside the new fandangled Apple Watch. You'll be able to preorder both models for an undoubtedly exorbitant fee on September 12 (Canada's looking at prices ranging from $649 to $949, so Australian phones will be pretty pricey), with the Apple team assembling the troops to start shipping on September 19. So what's the go this time around? Here's what to expect from the new features of the iPhone 6 and iPhone Plus: Watch cat videos at a higher res Watching Maru get stuck in cardboard boxes has never looked so fly on an Apple device. While the iPhone 5s has a screen resolution of 1136 x 640 pixels, the iPhone 6 has a screen resolution of 1334 x 750. But the formidable iPhone 6 Plus will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, so Maru's escapades will practically live in your hand. Avoid the dreaded square butt pocket Both new iPhones are thinner than ever, so jean pocket outlines have seriously declined. Following the iPhone 5s, which sat at 7.6 mm thick, the iPhone 6 will be 6.9 mm thick and the iPhone 6 Plus will be 7.1 mm. Raise that Phablety screen size with pride Now Phablets are cool, right 'Droidlovers? The iPhone 6 will boast a 4.7 inch screen, while the Plus gets into tabletty territory with a 5.5 incher. Android users are all: Enjoy a battery that lasts longer than Guardians of the Galaxy Possibly the best feature. Best. Feature. The iPhone 6 will sport a battery with up to 14 hours of 3G phone calling. That supercharged iPhone 6 Plus will crank it up to 24 hours of 3G calling. Leave your chargers at home! (Don't). Don't even Photoshop those travel snaps The new iPhone cameras have a resolution of eight megapixels and focus at twice the speed of the iPhone 5S, so you'll be taking Ansel Adams-worthy photos without blinking an eye. The new iPhones can also capture video in 1080p high definition quality. Top. Notch. Bondi Beach's free wifi might actually work The new iPhones' wifi connections will be three times faster, whether Bondi can keep up with that is another slow, slow kettle of fish. Cut, copy and paste without binning your phone There'll be actual buttons for cut, copy, paste on the keyboard. Slam dunk. Pay for beers with your phone The biggie for Apple, the whole pay-with-your-phone thing has been tested here and there but never present in an iPhone outside of cardless cash. With the new Apple Pay fingerprint-run feature, you'll be able to go jogging without jingling. Playing Candy Crush on your phone will look epic Sporting a sweet, sweet 64-bit chip A8 processor (just go with it), the new iPhones will be able to make handheld games look like they're supposed to. Just not Bioshock for mobile, don't even. Go landscape to portrait without looking like a noob Apparently they've fixed it. We'll see about that. Your phone's so big the power button's on the side THE POWER BUTTON. IS ON. THE SIDE. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus can be preordered from September 12 (or you could just save $700). For more Mactastic news, check out the features of the Apple Watch over here. Via Elite Daily.
In the ultimate blend of gastronomy and performance art, dynamic duo Sam Bompas and Harry Parr are about to host the most intimate of Valentine's Day parties. The jelly-lovin' brains behind wobbling, edible houses of parliament and the lava-powered barbecue, Bompas and Parr are about to host a whisky tasting — an anatomical whisky tasting, in which guests are invited to taste 25, 30 and 50-year-old whiskies from the bodies of people born the same year the good stuff was casked up. Poured onto the natural contours of 25, 30 and 50-year-old performers, the whiskies will naturally react to the body heat and surface saltiness of each human, bringing out different flavours within each spirit. So you'll taste a 25-year-old single malt from a 25-year-old body — a predicted contrast to a 50-year-old scotch from a 50-year-old body. After you've slurped the smoky goodness from their body, the performer will then spin tales of their life story — they've been alive as long as that whisky has, so you'll add a bit of context to the matured mouthful you just downed. And any bored hesitation you have to hearing their life story, remember, you just drank whisky from the small of their back. They earned it. You'll have to book an airfare to enjoy Bompas & Parr's sensory experiment; the tastings are being held in collaboration with culture journal The Gourmand on February 14 at Shoreditch's Ace Hotel in London. Via Londonist.
Don't feel like you're managing to see enough stuff at the Sydney Festival? The mammoth event takes over most of the month of January, but siesta too long and you'll miss it. Here's one rather ambitious way to optimise your schedule — set out at dawn and don't go home till the Festival Garden evicts you. Some of the best bits of the festival are only on during the day, and one of those at the very moment day breaks. 5.45am Dawn isn't just for Anzac Day and the elderly. Crowds gather to hear Russian horn player Arkady Shilkloper greet it regularly throughout the Sydney Festival on his giant alphorn, serenading the sun as it peeks over the horizon. Dawn Calling moves locations each day, but you can't beat seeing it on a beach, such as Manly. 8am Head to Mosman to experience Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s extraordinary electronic work Chronometer, which has recently been rediscovered and remastered for the digital age. Best of all, you can listen to it from the comfort of a beanbag while overlooking the city from Georges Heights Lookout. 10am A short stroll away is Megan Heyward's site-specific artwork Notes for Walking, which takes you on a GPS and augmented reality tour of Middle Head Reserve. Your smartphone is your compass for this fun experience that'll have you exploring underground mazes and traversing the headland in search of short video notes. 1pm Head across the bridge to the Sydney Theatre for a Secret River matinee session, where you'll often find better seats than at night. It's only a matter of time before this play becomes a national icon. Andrew Bovell's adaptation for the stage matches Kate Grenville's novel with full force, and Neil Armfield's direction delivers a powerful blow to the gut. It's the arresting story of William Thornhill, an English convict sent to Australia, and an example of the clumsy and ultimately brutal 'settling' of Aboriginal land. 5pm Festivities in the Famous Spiegeltent kick off early and with a bang. Head to Hyde Park North to hear some sweet, sweet sounds from the likes of indie/classical virtuosos yMusic or the intimately confessional Perfume Genius. 7pm Hungry yet? Stop in at one of the festival’s restaurant partners for a Fast Festival Feast. Restaurants such as Ananas and Sake in the Rocks are getting into the festival spirit by offering two select courses for $55, while others like Sweethearts Rooftop BBQ and the Newtown Hotel offer a signature main for $30. 9pm Refuelled, kick on to Paradiso at Town Hall. The 10-night pop-up takes its name from the iconic Amsterdam rock venue, and it sits in the 125ish-year-old Town Hall. But aside from one detour in a Hot Dub Time Machine, the vibes are geared towards Sydney circa now. Bands play from 8pm, and an expertly curated selection of DJs host post-headliner dance parties until 2am. If it's a school night, the free-entry Paradiso Bar on the terrace is a prime spot for an after-work/pre-show drink. 11pm Wrap things up with a nightcap and a dance at the Honda Festival Garden to fully soak up the sweet summer night. (Alternatively, night owls, this your starting point. When the sky starts turning cobalt, it's time to kick on to Dawn Calling.)
While you might not eat them too often over the rest of the year, Australian summer is the best time to break out classic local dishes like barramundi and pavlova. Yet if you're looking for a patriotic treat of a different kind, perhaps what Marrickville's Brooklyn Boy Bagels is serving up will scratch that itch. Available until January 31, three limited-edition, Aussie-inspired creations are up for grabs. Chocoholics will almost certainly find their Tim Tam cream cheese ($11) irresistible, with crushed-up biscuits mixed through a sweet spread to form a crunchy cheesecake filling. Lather it on a cinnamon raisin bagel or simply attack it with a spoon – we won't judge. Next on the agenda is pavlova cream cheese ($11), where a rich spread has been topped with crumbled meringue and seasonal fruit compote. One bite and you'll be reminiscing about the cake your nanna whips up for special occasions. If you're in more of a savoury mood, the VBLAT ($20) is your best option. Stacked atop an extra-crusty tiger bagel, black forest bacon, butter lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes and avocado are finished with the perfect amount of Vegemite. Head to Brooklyn Boy Bagels to give these bonza creations a taste.
Sixteen films in, the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of stopping, with eight more already in the works. Add their growing list of television series, the comics they're all based on, plenty of merchandise and an Australian gallery exhibition, and Marvel mania is difficult to escape. In fact, soon you'll be able to sleep in a hotel dedicated to the company's caped crusaders. Disney has announced that Disneyland Paris will become the home of the world's first Marvel hotel, reimagining an existing site into a superhero-themed wonderland. The park's Disney's Hotel New York will become known as Disney's Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel — and yes, we do think that a Parisian place with New York in its name has the potential to be confusing, but that's not likely to stop Avengers fans. Details are currently thin on the ground; however the hotel will feature nods to everyone from Iron Man to Spider-Man — and we're hoping some of the brand's female superheroes too. And, in what's shaping up to be a great time to be a pop culture fan, the news comes hot on the heels of another huge Disney hotel, with a Stars Wars-theme site slated to debut as part of Walt Disney World's new 360 vacation concept in Orlando. Image: Disney/Marvel via Disney Parks Blog.
Between the third and fourth seasons of True Detective, five years passed. Thankfully, you likely won't have to wait as long for your next dose of the hit HBO series. After the latest batch of episodes, aka True Detective: Night Country, proved such a success since arriving in January 2024 — including becoming the most-watched season of the show ever — the US network has already renewed the series mere days after the recent six-episode run ended. Presumably, it'll be another case of new season, new cops, new case, as the series has been delivering since 2014. And whether or not you believe that time is a flat circle — and everything we've ever done or will do, we're gonna do over and over and over and over again, too — watching yet another round of instalments in this sleuthing thriller will become a reality again. While the main characters have changed in each of the show's seasons so far, season five will have something in common with season four: the return of Tigers Are Not Afraid filmmaker Issa López. She wrote and directed every one of Night Country's episodes, and now has a new multi-year deal with HBO. "Issa Lopez is that one-of-a-kind, rare talent that speaks directly to HBO's creative spirit. She helmed True Detective: Night Country from start to finish, never once faltering from her own commendable vision, and inspiring us with her resilience both on the page and behind the camera," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, announcing the news. "From conception to release, Night Country has been the most beautiful collaboration and adventure of my entire creative life. HBO trusted my vision all the way, and the idea of bringing to life a new incarnation of True Detective with Casey, Francesca and the whole team is a dream come true. I can't wait to go again," added Lopez. True Detective: Night Country followed Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster, Nyad) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis, Catch the Fair One) as they delved into an icy mystery in the town of Ennis in Alaska. When eight men on an arctic research station disappeared without a trace, the franchise's latest duo were charged with discovering what's going on, including wading through plenty of eeriness — even though they'd worked together before and don't get along. The show's fourth season also featured Finn Bennett (Hope Gap), Fiona Shaw (Andor), Christopher Eccleston (Dodger), Isabella Star LaBlanc (Long Slow Exhale) and John Hawkes (Too Old to Die Young) in front of the camera. Each season of True Detective tells its own tale, starting with the Matthew McConaughey (The Gentlemen)- and Woody Harrelson (White House Plumbers)-led first season in 2014 — and then followed by Taylor Kitsch (Painkiller), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Rachel McAdams (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret) starring in season two. Mahershala Ali (Leave the World Behind) and Stephen Dorff (The Righteous Gemstones) took over in season three. There's no word yet on who might do the honours in season five. Check out the full trailer for True Detective: Night Country below: Season five of True Detective doesn't yet have a release date, but we'll update you when more details are announced. True Detective: Night Country streams via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review.
If you go to sleep thinking of cuddling baby animals in the hope you'll wake up next to one, your dreams might be about to come true. Sydney's Taronga Zoo have released their plans to build a new 58-room "eco-resort" right in the middle of the zoo. Evidently building off the success of the zoo's Roar and Snore — a pretty amazing overnight stay at the zoo, which involves camping in tents and seeing the animals after dark and early in the morning — this new initiative, the Taronga Wildlife Retreat, will create a new immersive overnight experience for visitors to the zoo. They'll stay in "luxury pods" within the proposed Australian Habitat section of the zoo, which will supposedly be surrounded by native fauna and animals. There will be koalas, wallabies and platypus. I repeat: koalas, wallabies, platypus. The plans for the retreat, which have just been lodged with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, look set to cost upwards of $44 million. And while the aim is to support conservation by educating and inspiring visitors (many of whom will be international), critics are questioning whether that money wouldn't be better spent on improving conditions for the animals at the zoo. An environmental impact statement still has to be put together, so we'll see how this plays out. Via The Sydney Morning Herald
Taylor Swift's latest Down Under era might be over for now, after the pop superstar brought her Eras show to Australia at the end of February, but the still-touring performance will live on via Disney+. The Mouse House's streaming platform will be home to a new version of the Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour concert film from Friday, March 15, complete with extra songs — and this iteration of the flick, aka Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version), just scored a trailer. Swifties have known that the blockbuster movie was hitting Disney+ since February, and that it will feature five extra tunes, including 'cardigan' and four acoustic tracks since then as well. Now, the streaming service has unveiled a sneak peek at what it's calling "the concert film in its entirety for the first time", which teases 'Maroon' among the quartet of additional acoustic tunes. You might be dubbing the new version of the flick reason enough to don your friendship bracelets in your lounge room. If your wildest dreams have been about getting in on Taylor Swift's Eras tour since it was first announced, then this is gorgeous and enchanted news — and if you missed out on tickets to the live shows, consider it the next best thing. Look what the world made Swift do: turn her current massive tour into a movie that's also proven a smash, taking in over $260 million at the worldwide box office. The film offers a money-can't-buy view of the 'Shake It Off', 'We Are Never Getting Back Together' and 'Bad Blood' musician's gig, working through her entire career so far by playing tracks from each of her studio albums in a three-hour, ten-act spectacular. [caption id="attachment_922251" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trafalgar Releasing[/caption] The IRL Eras Tour kicked off in March 2023 in the US, then headed to Mexico and Brazil. Japan and Australia — both around the Super Bowl — as well as Singapore, France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Canada and a return to the US are all on the itinerary in 2024. "The Eras Tour has been a true phenomenon that has and continues to thrill fans around the world, and we are very excited to bring this electrifying concert to audiences wherever they are, exclusively through Disney+," said Disney CEO Bob Iger, when he announced the film's impending arrival on the service. Check out the trailer for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) below: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) will stream via Disney+ from Friday, March 15, 2024. Read our review. Images from Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version): © 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Everyone knows the protocol. You walk into the carriage, give everyone a passing acknowledgement as you look for a seat, then promptly settle in with your iPhone for the journey ahead. It doesn't matter if you don't have anyone to text. Your number one priority here is avoiding eye contact and blocking out the obnoxious, stinking presence of your fellow passengers. Now researchers in Queensland are seeking to undo all these social codes we've carefully put in place. Prepare yourself — they want us to actually talk to each other. Currently in its initial trials Train Yarn is a texting app developed by Tiago Camacho from the Queensland University of Technology. Using your phone's GPS data, the app only works on Brisbane's train network, and seeks to randomly connect you with your fellow passengers. With each user staying relatively anonymous, the app works in a similar way to Chatroulette: the infamous go-to platform for strangers' genitals on demand. Admittedly, the app developers have thought of these possible downfalls and maintain faith that the anonymity of the service will keep the messages clean (for some reason we can't totally figure out). However, it does help that the platform only supports text. At the very least we'll be saved from the dick pic the teenage boy vandalising the back of your seat was invariably going to send. Similar projects have been carried out around the world with mixed success. Last year, Virgin America implemented an online chat system for use on its domestic flights. Identified by seat number, passengers could chat to each other or send out messages to the whole plane. According to the Daily Mail it had some pretty amazing outcomes. It's hard to say if the same technology will take off on trains. After all, planes are the only mode of transport where we're cut off from our smartphones — in a way we're forced to interact with each other. Nonetheless the makers of Train Yarn stay optimistic. "Research has shown that while most people think they would rather sit in solitary than talk with a stranger, when tested, people who conversed with someone had a more positive experience than those who kept to themselves," said lead researcher Tiago Camacho. It's a nice, if not somewhat utopian vision that's definitely worth a go either way. The app is available for free download now, but beware — QUT will be watching your conversations for research purposes from July 3-16. We know it's hard, but try to fill it with something other than sexts and complaints. Via Brisbane Times.
When a restaurant sells over two million servings of a dish each year — a dish that has also inspired a museum — you know it's on to a good thing. Quanjude originated in Beijing 154 years ago and is world-renowned for its signature peking roast duck, served traditionally with pancakes, shallots, cucumber and bean sauce. Melburnians have been able to sample the crispy fire-roasted duck for a few years at the restaurant's Queen Street outpost, but now, finally, Sydneysiders can get in on the action too. The restaurant has set up shop in World Square in the space formerly occupied by China Republic. The space has had a complete overhaul with timber-clad walls and hand-painted artworks. The space can seat up to 250 patrons and also features six private dining rooms, an open kitchen and a circular bar. Traditions from the original Beijing venue including nightly Bian Lian performances and tea pouring ceremonies. In addition to the trademark peking duck, the menu includes a bevy of Northern Chinese dishes. An on-site tank supplies cooked-to-order seafood dishes including whole lobster, abalone and coral trout. The Beggar's Chicken — stuffed, wrapped in clay and slow-baked for six hours — is worth ordering in advance (and mandatory), and if you're feeling adventurous, give the spicy duck gizzard or braised pork intestine a go. Drinks-wise, you can expect an extensive wine list, bespoke cocktails and traditional Chinese spirits. Quanjude is now open in World Square, Sydney. It's open daily for lunch from 11am–3pm and dinner from 5–11pm. For more info, head to quanjudesydney.com.au.
The 11th annual Festival of German Films will screen 37 films at the Chauvel and Palace Norton Street, highlighting the breadth and diversity of contemporary German filmmaking. With a long cinematic history spanning as far back as the Weimar silent film era to Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders in the 1970s and '80s, plus films like Goodbye Lenin! and The Lives of Others in more recent years, Germany has some of the richest and most diverse films in the world. And this festival makes sure Sydney can get a taste. Among the most anticipated of the festival's films are Hotel Lux, a satire set in the 1930s dealing with Stalinist Russia and the rise of Nazism, and Combat Girls, a confronting film about a woman who's involvement with a neo-Nazi gang exposes the lives of those trapped in racial hatred. Check out CP's event preview for more information on the festival and films. To win one of ten double passes to attend the Festival of German Films, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
As well as giving popular culture some of its most beloved characters of the past few decades, the Harry Potter franchise has also conjured up a whole heap of astonishing critters. The Boy Who Lived himself studied them at Hogwarts, all thanks to textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Then, to the joy of Potter-loving muggles everywhere, that tome became an actual IRL text in 2001. Every Wizarding World fan knows that that book followed the original Harry Potter novels in making the leap from the page to the screen, resulting in a first film in 2016, then 2018 sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and also 2022's Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. But if you're more interested in the actual fantastic beasts than a movie plot spun around them — and in natural history in general — exhibition Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature has you covered. First announced in 2020, then premiering at London's Natural History Museum, this is all about critters that fly, scamper and scurry through the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts realm on the page and screen; however, it's also about real-life creatures, specimens and artefacts, too. The exhibition combines beasts from the natural world, the mythical world and the Wizarding World, and was always slated for an international tour. Next, it's Australia's turn to see it, with the showcase displaying at Melbourne Museum from Friday, May 19–Sunday, October 8. Visitors to Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature will see legendary beasts placed alongside specimens and historic objects, while also venturing through elements from cinema's last two decades. Unsurprisingly, there'll also be a hefty focus on Newt Scamander, the Wizarding World's famed magizoologist as played Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse). Whether you're a Melbourne local or now planning a visit, you'll see items from the Natural History Museum's scientific collections, custom-made Wizarding World models, props from the flicks and original artworks from Bloomsbury Publishing. You'll also wander through a celebration of real-life scientists trying to understand the planet's animal inhabitants. In London, the exhibits included a tiger, a Galápagos marine iguana and a giant oarfish (the planet's longest bony fish) alongside an Erumpent horn and the dragon skull from Professor Lupin's classroom. Patrons were also able to compare the camouflage tactics of a jaguar to those of the Demiguise. Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature will display at Melbourne Museum from Friday, May 19–Sunday, October 8. Head to the exhibition's website for further details. Images: Trustees of the Natural History Museum London.
He lived there. He spent his last moments there. In between, he recorded music, played small gigs, and based his studio and record label there, too. We're talking about Paisley Park, the house formerly known as Prince's private and creative sanctuary. Only a few hundred people have had the privilege of entering — but now, the compound that shares its name with one of his songs is open to the public. Six months after his tragic passing, the multi-talented musician's siblings have allowed the first tours of the massive mansion 30 minutes outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota; however not everything has gone according to plan. Until the local Chanhassen City Council meets in December to consider zoning issues and safety concerns, the midwest site is only open on a limited basis — currently on October 6 to 8, and 14. It is hoped that people will be able to celebrate his life, musical output and legacy at the 65,000-square-foot complex on a more regular basis after the council meeting. Fans that have stepped through the doors of the Prince-focused equivalent of Elvis Presley's Graceland so far have not only wandered through the main floor of the site (which was built in the mid '80s), or spied the recording and mixing studios where Prince recorded, produced and mixed many of the iconic tracks we all know and love. They also reportedly spotted an urn containing the late performer's ashes, plus his personal office, with his belongings untouched since he was last in the room. The rest of Paisley Park also boasts Prince's private NPG Music Club, as well as the massive soundstage and concert hall where he not only rehearsed for tours, but also held exclusive private events and concerts. Thousands of artifacts from Prince's personal archives are also display. If you've ever wanted to feast your eyes on his concert outfits, awards, musical instruments and artwork — or rare music and video recordings, concert memorabilia, automobiles and motorcycles — you'll find them here. According to Prince's sister Tyka Nelson, "opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do and was actively working on." While the lyrics of his 1985 song advised that "admission is easy, just say U believe and come 2 this place in your heart", ticketing — which is still on sale now — costs either US$38.50 for a 70-minute self-guided tour, or US$100 for a longer, more extensive VIP experience within what we're hoping are purple-coloured walls.
They helped bands like the Rolling Stones become famous, but no one can remember their names. Funny, insightful and deeply moving, 20 Feet From Stardom is a film about the backing vocalists behind some of the biggest bands in the music industry. Fortune Avenue have 3 double passes to give away. Enter now to win.
Start your engines, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under fans — come Saturday, July 30, the Australian and New Zealand version of the hit series will return to Stan in Australia and TVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand for a second season. RuPaul is back playing host, of course. Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson also return as judges, too. And, based on the just-dropped trailer, the challenges are taking the whole Down Under part extremely seriously. Well, one challenge is. Just as everyone in Australia will start paying an extra dollar for their Bunnings sausage sizzles — a price increase that NZ has been spared — Drag Race Down Under is throwing some snags on the barbie. Yes, there's a sausage sizzle photo shoot, as well as all the puns that you'd expect. Obviously, it looks glorious. Competing for the title of 'Down Under's Next Drag Superstar' this time around: three contenders from Aotearoa and seven from Australia. Aubrey Haive hails from Timaru in NZ, and will be representing the country alongside Spankie Jackzon from Palmerston North and Yuri Guaii from Auckland. In the Aussie contingent, Brisbane's Beverly Kills, Adelaide's Kween Kong and Newcastle's Molly Poppinz will be doing the honours alongside Sydney's Faúx Fúr, Hannah Conda, Minnie Cooper and Pomara Fifth. This fierce roster of queens will don eye-catching outfits, navigate plenty of dramas and vie for glory — and endeavour to follow in the footsteps of Kita Mean, who took out RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under's first season. The second season's lineup of celebrity guests hasn't been revealed, however, after 2021 saw Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue and Taika Waititi all pop up. If you're a fan, you already know the show's format, which spans fashion challenges, workroom dramas and lip sync battles aplenty. If you're a newcomer to all things Drag Race, you'll watch these new Australian and NZ competitors work through a series of contests to emerge victorious, and join the likes of Mean and US contenders Jinkx Monsoon, Sasha Velour and Sharon Needles in being crowned the series' winner. Before it made the leap Down Under last year, the US version of RuPaul's Drag Race had already been on the air for more than a decade, first premiering in 2009 — and wholeheartedly embracing its mission to unearth the next drag superstars ever since. The original US series just aired its 14th season this year, so this is a program with proven longevity. It has also spun off international iterations before, including in the UK — where it's also hosted by RuPaul — plus in Thailand, Holland, Chile and Canada. Check out the Ru Paul's Drag Race Down Under season two trailer below: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under will return for a second season in 2022 on Stan and TVNZ from Saturday, July 30.
Green Square is about to get a whole new set of threads. Today, the City of Sydney Council has announced the five finalists in its Design Green Square competition. A total of 144 Australian and international designers submitted entries envisioning a new look for the burgeoning area, which is the nation's largest urban development and one of Sydney's fastest growing spots. Each submission was required to feature a new aquatic centre and a revamped Gunyama Park, incorporating synthetic playing fields, a children's playground and an outdoor fitness circuit. "We asked for a sustainable design that mingled swimming, running, training and spectating and could also be a place for nearby residents to relax and enjoy themselves," Lord Mayor Clover Moore said. "Architects and designers lodged their entries anonymously and were judged by experts in architecture and design. This proved very successful in a similar competition last year in which two young Sydney architects won the right to design Green Square Library and Plaza... I’m pleased to see that five Sydney architects have been chosen as finalists. This speaks volumes about the creativity and talent of the design community in our city." And the finalists are... DESIGN 109 - ANDREW BURNS ARCHITECT Howzat? An old-school white picket fence — a nostalgic reference to old school cricket matches — encircles a smooth, lawn-heavy oval shape, making a break with the Green Square grid and clearly indicating that this is the spot to leave your work worries far behind. DESIGN 126 - CULLINAN IVANOV PARTNERSHIP This design lets nature take over. Existing layers of concrete and asphalt are peeled back, allowing the area's original wetlands to rejuvenate. While they're busy growing, the blended aesthetic of this design provides an ancient setting for cutting-edge facilities. DESIGN 213 - CHROFI & McGREGOR COXALL Spend a day in the wild without the inconvenience of leaving the big smoke. Appearing somewhat like a 19th century landscape painting, this design envisions a trio of pools sunk beneath a vast, open space where migratory birds fly, wetlands species thrive, the sky views are uncluttered and fences are almost unseen. DESIGN 230 - ANDREW BURGES ARCHITECTS This one brings a touch of Bondi to the inner city. A fun combination of natural and manmade elements, the aquatic centre appears as a series of urban beach and harbour pools. Boardwalks provide a novel avenue for visitor access, while protecting the fragile wetlands environment. DESIGN 234 - TYP-TOP STUDIO (ANDREW DALY AND KEVIN LIU) This design is one for the fitness enthusiasts. A group of stacked, interleaved buildings transforms your daily workout into one seamless experience — run straight from the fitness circuit into the pool. Furthermore, the pools themselves will be interlinked and (get this) rearrangeable, offering varied depths and areas to meet different needs. The winner will be announced later this year. For more City of Sydney developments check out their proposed Amsterdam-inspired bike hub, new bike lane and $25 million creative space.
You know how every time you sit down to see a new Pixar movie, you think, this can't possibly be better than the last Pixar movie? And then, it turns out it is better than the last Pixar movie? (Cars being the exception that proves the rule.) It's hard to think of many other creative producers out there who are so constantly outdoing themselves. This innovative and ever-inspired engine is probably the most influential force in animation today, having made Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Brave, and a raft of other hits that make kids squeal and adults unexpectedly laugh, cry, and find catharsis. Lee Unkrich, Academy Award-winning director of Toy Story 3 and long-time Pixar executive, will be leading a presentation on what goes on behind the scenes of the company as an idea goes from storyboard to screen. Its part of Graphic, the festival of animation, comics, music, and gaming that brings pop culture to the lofty sails of the Opera House.
Since 2012, the Tapavino restaurant group has been delivering a slice of Spain's traditional tapas experience to Sydneysiders. The menu at Born, the Barangaroo outpost, is very approachable. All the familiar tapas dishes are present, like marinated olives, croquettes, cured meats and crispy potatoes with smoked tomato mayo. On the larger end of the menu, you'll find dishes like braised beef cheeks with polenta and saffron rice with calamari. Set menus are available starting at $55 a head. Where the uninitiated may run into trouble is navigating the mammoth wine list (some 42 pages), so we suggest calling on the expertise of the staff who will help you select a Spanish drop to suit your order.
Back in the late noughties (or oh ohs, depending on your vernacular), when Leona Lewis was bleeding love everywhere and Gabriella Cilmi was persuading us of her assured lack of sweetness, Paddington Fringe Market was the go-to place for all things emerging designer and high-quality vintage. In smashing news for buyers and sellers of indie fashion, the ultimate comeback market is making a comeback of its very own. Between 9am and 4:30pm every Saturday from mid-September onwards, The Unicorn (106 Oxford Street), will transform into a retail experience that would be enough to turn Drew Barrymore into an overexcited mess. Over both the ground floor and the basement bar (better known as Easy Tiger), there'll be jewellery, sunnies, hats, dresses and only Audrey Hepburn knows what else. Every item will be either a genuine example of vintage goodness or a unique creation, envisioned and put together by an up-and-coming designer. "When my brother Nathan first set up the markets back in 2008, they were the hottest place to go to find great new designers, vintage clothing and accessories," explains The Unicorn’s general manager Luke Sullivan. "We're relaunching the markets in their original format with the aim of building them back up to the hub of fashion they were in their heyday." If you happen to be a designer or entrepreneur, there's a tiny number of stalls left for hire. Send Luke an email at luke@theunicornhotel.com to nab one — they're sure to vanish faster than you can say Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The Paddington Fringe Market returns to The Unicorn at 106 Oxford Street, Paddington in mid-September (opening date TBC). The markets will be open between 9am and 4:30pm every Saturday, free entry.
There's escaping the city for an afternoon, and then there's driving 20 minutes down a dirt road to a secluded river and hopping into a canoe. In this canoe, it's quiet, very still. The Kangaroo Valley's bushland surrounds you, ascending on either side of the waterway, creating a landscape that's punctuated only by the occasional kingfisher flapping by or a solitary trout breaking the surface with a small splash. And I haven't even mentioned the best bit: this canoe is filled with wine. And snacks. So as you're floating down the river — minimal paddling is necessary — you'll be able to pop a bottle of local sparkling and tuck into a few canapés. As you might have guessed, this isn't an ordinary off-you-go oar-bearing experience. Usually part of WildFEST, the regular three-day celebration of the food, drink and wilderness of NSW's Southern Highlands, this excursion is making a one-day return trips in January, April and October. Led by experienced paddler Travis Frenay, the Canoes, Champagne and Canapés experience will lead you along the Kangaroo River in a custom-built double canoe, through the sunken forest and past a convict-built sandstone wall. Travis has an insane amount of knowledge on the area and will be able to answer pretty much anything you throw at him. There will be two sessions on the day day (at 11.30am and 2.30pm), with the whole thing setting off from Beehive Point and taking around two to three hours. Prices are on the heftier side at $195 each, but includes all food, wine and equipment. Plus, this part of the Valley isn't highly accessible for people without their own gear, so it's a great (and bloody delightful) way to explore the area on the water. Note: if weather conditions suggest your rusty old sedan won't make it there and back, the organisers may provide transport down the dirt road. But if it's dry, you're all good. It's part of the adventure.
Fans of Donald Glover, excellent television or both, rejoice: after a four-year gap between its second and third seasons, Atlanta is a mere month away from returning to our screens. The show's creator, co-writer, sometime-director, star and all-round driving force has been more than a little busy since we last saw him play Earnest 'Earn' Marks — cancelling and rescheduling Australian tours, playing Coachella, voicing Simba in the photorealistic remake of The Lion King, dropping albums and making Guava Island with Rihanna, and that was all before the pandemic — but now the wait for new episodes of his exceptional TV series is almost at an end. Get ready to be all about that Paper Boi again — and all about Glover as Earn, obviously. If you're new to Atlanta, it follows Princeton dropout Earn after he returns home to the titular city, then starts managing his cousin Alfred's (Brian Tyree Henry, Godzilla vs Kong) rap career. The 30-something also has an on-again-off-again relationship with Van (Zazie Beetz, The Harder The Fall), with the pair sharing a daughter, which throws up complications on a regular basis After a phenomenal second season which ranked among the best things on TV back in 2018 (as the show's first season did in 2016, too), Atlanta's third season looks set to follow Earn and Alfred/Paper Boy on tour in Europe — based on its teaser trailer. And yes, that means it's still tackling the ins and outs of its characters lives, including the daily reality of being Black in America today, while examining race, money, relationships, parenthood, art, music and trying to get by on the road on the other side of the world. Lakeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah) also returns as Darius, Alfred's righthand man, with Atlanta also boasting one of the best casts on television. [caption id="attachment_843677" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matthias Clamer/FX[/caption] After season two gave us the marvel that was the Teddy Perkins episode, it's basically impossible to guess what Glover has in store for his on-screen alter ego and his pals, and for viewers, this time around — but, when Atlanta's third season starts streaming in Australia via SBS On Demand on Friday, March 25, it'll be a definite must-see. That said, the good news keeps coming with the bad theses days, with Atlanta set to follow in Stranger Things' footsteps. We're not talking any storyline similarities, which truly would be wild. Instead, it's been announced that Atlanta also only has one more season left after its upcoming batch of episodes, so it'll end with season four — which is set to also air in 2022, arriving sometime during spring Down Under. Check out the trailer for Atlanta's third season below: Atlanta season three will start streaming via SBS On Demand from Friday, March 25.
Among all of the dream jobs that everyone wishes they had, picking the globe's top stretches of sun, surf and sand sits up there with taste-testing new gins and trying out every bar and eatery in Tokyo. That particularly proves true whenever a new list of the world's best beaches is revealed — although, Australians can always pretend by heading to one of the high-ranking spots on our own shores. In FlightNetwork's just-announced lineup of the planet's best beaches, which ranks 50 idyllic locations, four Aussie spots made the cut. And, in news that will come as no surprise to anyone, the Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach came in at number two. It's the latest accolade for the picturesque Queensland favourite, after it was named TripAdvisor's best Aussie beach earlier this year. Hyams Beach in New South Wales' Jervis Bay also made the top ten, placing eighth, while Western Australia was responsible for the country's other two top spots — with Lucky Bay at 18th and Turquoise Bay at 29th. If you're wondering which coastal oasis beat them all to first place, that'd be Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos. A British Overseas Territory situated around 1,000 kilometres from Miami in the North Atlantic Ocean, it boasts warm Atlantic waters, its own barrier reef and sunny weather approximately 319 days of the year. The picks were made by more than 600 travel journalists, editors, bloggers and agencies, aka folks who work in the travel and beach trade, and therefore know their stuff. Among their other selections, Anse Lazio in Seychelles, Pink Sands Beach in the Bahamas, Navagio Beach in Greece, Baia Dos Porcos in Brazil, Playa Paraiso and Hidden Beach in Mexico, and Trunk Bay in the United States Virgin Islands all rounded out the top ten. Thinking about taking your own trip to Whitehaven Beach? Check out our Outside Guide to the Whitsundays. Via: FlightNetwork. Image: Damien Dempsey via Wikicommons.
You've filled your house with their minimalist designs and homewares, and dreamed of living in their flat-pack homes and tiny pre-fab huts. MUJI fans, your love affair with the Japanese home goods giant isn't over yet. Next on the retailer's agenda is their own range of hotels, with sites slated for Shenzhen and Beijing in China, and Tokyo in Japan. In fact, the Shenzhen location will open on January 18, featuring 79 rooms, a new two-level concept store, and a diner and library for hotel patrons. Guests can expect MUJI's usual minimalist aesthetic — think recycled wooden interiors and spaces filled with plenty of the brand's furniture — plus interior walls and courtyards repurposed from the pillars and walls of traditional Chinese houses. It'll be joined by the Beijing establishment on March 20, while construction on a retail and hotel complex in Tokyo's Ginza began in June, working towards a 2019 completion for the 13-floor building. It'll be comprised of three levels below ground, and ten — including a two-floor penthouse — above. Seven storeys will feature shops, including MUJI's global flagship store, while five will boast their first Japanese hotel. Concept and interior design managed by MUJI-owning company Ryohin Keikaku. https://www.instagram.com/p/BcwNRpDjCEJ/?taken-by=muji_global Images: Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd / Ryohin Keikaku Co.
Rachael Archibald’s current exhibition Carnate (in-pinking) on show at Paper-Thin is a tactile, textured, surreal wonderland — after all, that's kind of her thing. But the most intriguing point of difference is that Paper-Thin is a gallery that exists solely online. It's a unique new exhibition platform for digital artists who work on the threshold between material and virtual. You’ll have to install a few plugins to enter the gallery, but when you do, it’ll feel like the new-age art version of the Windows '98 3D maze screensaver. You can check out Archibald’s work from the comfort of your couch (or sneakily from work when your boss is distracted) as well as the work of fellow digital artists Alan Resnick, Hunter Jonakin, Daniel Baird and Haseeb Ahmed and Hugo Arcier. At this virtual gallery, you can stroll through the surreal white gallery space (using the forward and back arrows) and interact with the displays in a way they would never allow at the NGV. Check out Paper-Thin here.
First, there were cat cafes, the cosy spaces where sipping a coffee and getting friendly with some cute felines go hand-in-hand. Next came pooch and pint sessions, where taking your doggo for a drink is heartily encouraged. While pubs that welcome puppers aren't all that rare in general, one US watering hole is taking all of the above concepts, combining them and turning it into their own animal haven. The end result is Fidos, an Oregon establishment calling itself the world's first dog tap house. With the words "Eat. Drink. Adopt." emblazoned on its walls, Fidos is part craft beer tap room, part foster home for shelter dogs, with the ultimate goal of rehoming the canines within its confines. Located outside of Portland, it encourages patrons to come in for a beverage and a bite — and, like a cat cafe, they'll will be able to play with the puppers — then take a new four-legged buddy home with them. Opening back in January, but holding a grand launch on February 13, Fidos boasts 40 rotating taps, a room dedicated to interacting with the doggos — which are provided by Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals — and dog videos playing on the onsite TVs. Events such as art shows and dog training demonstrations are planned, in an environment that's all about having a few drinks, celebrating man's best friend, and supporting dog and animal charities. For more information, visit www.ilovefidos.com. Via PR Newswire.
Rubber duckie you're the one; you make staring out over Darling Harbour so much fun. Childhood nostalgics will be beside themselves at the visiting art installation Rubber Duck by Florentijn Hofman, which is five storeys high. We loved it when it popped up in France's Loire River earlier this year, and we'll love it closer up when it bobs into Cockle Bay to mark the opening of the Sydney Festival in the two-hour spectacle billed The Arrival, complete with acrobats, 3000 littler ducks, and the opening of the Pyrmont Bridge. Also happening on Day One is Fun Run, a theatricalised marathon focusing on one guy on a treadmill in Hyde Park (you can even be a part of it — no running required), and the Daptone Super Soul Revue, a huge outdoor dance party in the Domain that thrills every year. It's disappointing that state funding for the ever-expanding street party Festival First Night was slashed in 2012, but Sydney Festival organisers are clearly showing off their powers of making-do with the fun, free, concentrated three acts of Day One that go from 9.30am until late into the night. Read our list of the 12 best things to see at the Sydney Festival in 2013.
Have you got New Year's Eve plans yet? If you don't, it's not too late to get tickets to a waterfront party on the harbour. At Destination NYE, you'll have access to a three-level party at Cruise Bar in Circular Quay. For one night, Cruise Bar will be transformed into a huge New Year's Eve party. On level one is the Ibiza playground — with water views, a sprawling open air terrace and tunes. Paella, barbecue food, burgers and salads will be available from food carts by the water and there will be 14 DJs, live vocalists and musicians pumping the New Year's Eve vibes all night. Mr Doris, who won Best DJ at the 2016 Ibiza DJ Awards, will be supplying many of the tunes. On level two you'll feel like you're at a luxe Shanghai party. There will be hawker style noodle boxes and a tasty assortment of dumplings available for purchase, and you can book yourself into a booth for prime firework-watching opportunities. On level three there's a masquerade New York-themed rooftop party. It's a little pricier, but you'll get a free beverages (including a glass of champagne at midnight and on arrival) and food, and you'll get to spend your New Year's Eve at a glamorous masquerade party. The whole event kicks off at 6pm and will go until the early hours. Get your tickets here.
"Texting is tacky," proclaims filmmaker/artist/writer Miranda July. "Calling is awkward. Email is old." So she's come up with a brand new way to communicate in the 21st century: an app called Somebody. Here's how it works. You send your friend a message, but rather than going directly to their phone, it goes to the Somebody user in closest proximity. This individual delivers the message, in person. Hence, the app facilitates all the instantaneity of modern digital communication, as well as a dose of good, old-fashioned face-to-face contact. As the Somebody site quips, it's 'half-app/half-human'. It's also a public art project. July first came up with the concept in March 2014 and developed it with the help of designer Thea Lorentzen and a team from StinkDigital, along with support from Miu Miu. The app and an accompanying film — the eighth commission in Miu Miu's Women's Tales series — premiered on August 28. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iz13HMsvb6o "Somebody is a far-reaching public art project that incites performance and twists our love of avatars and outsourcing — every relationship becomes a three-way," states the official site. "The antithesis of the utilitarian efficiency that tech promises, here, finally, is an app that makes us nervous, giddy and alert to the people around us." Your messages don't have to be restricted to words — your messenger can also follow actions and directions (i.e. dance, hug, cry and so on) — as long as they're game. If the timing isn't right, the recipient can decline involvement. Plus, the sender can select from a variety of potential messengers by previewing photos and performance ratings. When there's a lack of users in the vicinity, the message can be floated until someone turns up. July will speak publicly about Somebody at New York City's New Museum on October 9, and the app will be progressively launched throughout the Northern Hemisphere over Spring. Right now, hotspots are in action at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and Museo Jumex, Mexico City. It's in these places that you're likely to find a high concentration of Somebody users. If you want get the trend happening here in Australia, get the ball rolling and download the app for free from the Apple store. Image: Miranda July and Miu Miu.
Few designers working today create pieces so idiosyncratic and fanciful they may as well be art. One is Romance Was Born, the Australian label started in 2005 by Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales. So it's perfectly fitting, really, that for this year's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, they're smashing out a full, multi-sensory exhibition that is more guided acid trip than runway show. Collaborating with them on Reflected Glory is artist Rebecca Baumann, a technicolour master of her own with a practice spanning kinetic sculpture, photography, performance, digital animation and installation. She also happens to have won a Visual Arts SOYA the same year Plunkett and Sales won for fashion. Together, they're translating the never-boring design of Romance Was Born into a truly unwearable work of art, opening at Carriageworks on April 8. The promo video, released this morning by Carriageworks, shows the exhibition will be a kaleidoscope that plays off the unique light and space of the industrial venue. "We're really inspired by nightclubs and lighting and the feeling of when you see something sparkling in all its glory [and] it just has this fully beautiful, uplifting feeling," says Plunkett. Don't expect mere retrospective or showcase; the exhibition represents a completely new approach for the duo. "It's not like a collection of work; it's kind of just one big work, so the whole thing just feels like one immersive experience," says Sales. Reflected Glory opens at Carriageworks on April 9 and runs until May 11.
This article is part of our series profiling the perfect Brisbane weekends of the city’s creative personalities. Oh Brisbane, you are truly the land of eternal summer. Although it’s officially winter now, temperatures are hanging in the 20s and we can still step out to enjoy the crisp, blue days in our beloved T-shirt-and-thongs outfit. But where will we go this weekend? We continue the series this week with Vlada Edirippulige, the owner and operator of comic book and zine haven Junky Comics. She's also known for her illustration work (under the name 'Junky') and as a member of the band Major Leagues. “The thing that I admire most about Brisbane is that it doesn’t have an ego yet,” she says. “Which is great! So great! I mean sure there are ‘scenes’ and maybe even ‘cliques’ but there is still so much room for us to grow here. We have one of the best modern galleries in Australia (personally I think it’s the best but, sure, whatever). We have so many wonderful, like-minded, motivated people who are doing really cool stuff.” Junky Comics opened earlier this year. Under Vlada’s guidance Junky has become a hub for creatives from many different fields to gather together and collaborate. “It’s hard when you only have the internet through which to showcase your work," she says. "I think people respond so much better to something that’s tangible. I’ve noticed that that in turn instils motivation in others to continue the cycle of making zines and comics”. Here are Vlada's five steps to the perfect Brisbane weekend. To experience them for yourself, head to the Visit Brisbane website and get booking. CATCH THE CITYCAT TO SOURCED GROCER Start your day by catching the ferry! You can catch the CityCat from Mowbray Park in East Brisbane and go down to Teneriffe and then go to Sourced Grocer and eat a delicious breakfast. The focus here is on seasonal produce so you can always get a taste of something different. VISIT THE GOMA AND THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM If you end up going to GOMA (which you should, of course), make sure that you go from the Cultural Centre end, that way you can go through the whale tunnel between the galleries. You should also see all the taxidermy animals and the turtle room (my favourite) at the museum. CHILL OUT AT HIGHGATE HILL PARK Go up to Highgate Hill Park at the top of Dornoch Terrace with some friends and some picnic supplies and just hang out. The park has some pretty amazing views overlooking the city in West End (and in summer it’s breezy). DINNER AT MADTONGSAN II Madtongsan II, located in the city on Elizabeth Street, is amazing. They serve super-cheap and delicious Korean food. I recommend the lemon soju (yes pls) and the potato noodles with seafood (hnnnnngggg). KARAOKE AT THE BRUNNO Karaoke at The Brunswick Hotel on a Saturday night is a classic. There’s a big group of people who frequent the Brunno for karaoke on a Saturday night and that sense of community is so much fun (with many renditions of '90s pop classics). Book your own Queensland weekender at the Visit Brisbane website or follow them through the Visit Brisbane Facebook page or Twitter at @VisitBrisbane and hashtag #brisbaneanyday.
The What We Do in the Shadows franchise shows no signs of dying, with the American TV comedy spinoff from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's hilarious movie still going strong. But one part of this saga did say goodbye, with fellow television sitcom Wellington Paranormal running for four seasons between 2018–2022. Been missing its comic take on Cops? It's now living on with a companion podcast. Back before Wellington Paranormal initially arrived, Waititi described it as "Mulder and Scully but in a country where nothing happens". With the brand-new podcast — which is called The Wellington Paranormal Podcast — the actors behind those fictional New Zealand police officers are chatting through the show. So, get ready to spend time with Karen O'Leary (Red, White & Brass) and Mike Minogue (My Life Is Murder), who played officers Karen O'Leary and Mike Minogue, as they dive into the making of the hit series. On TV, O'Leary and Minogue were Wellington's trusty paranormal investigators, with help from the always-eager Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu, Our Flag Means Death) and Officer Parker (Tom Sainsbury, Loop Track). That meant not only trying to keep the city safe from not only vampires and werewolves, but also from ghosts, aliens and more, in a show that was equally funny and silly — and never afraid to enlist familiar faces. As podcast hosts, O'Leary and Minogue will also be bringing in guests, including Pohatu and Sainsbury. Other actors will also feature, plus writers and directors, with exactly who else will be popping up left as a surprise. Listeners can tune into the end results from Thursday, November 23, with new episodes available weekly, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast apps. Definitely present from the get-go: O'Leary and Minogue's familiar banter. "Karen and I are excited to be bringing this podcast to our fans all around the world. They'll both be thrilled," said Minogue about The Wellington Paranormal Podcast. "We're looking forward to dissecting each episode as well as talking to both the people who created the show, and celebrity fans who, correctly, think Wellington Paranormal is the greatest thing to ever appear on screen." The Wellington Paranormal Podcast starts streaming from Thursday, November 23, with new episodes available weekly, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast apps.
LL Wine and Dine, found just of the main Kings Cross drag, has a colourful history. Once an illegal casino in the '60s and later an adult bookstore, it's now home to one of the best Yum Cha menus in Sydney. Head chef Jin Kung cooks up a contemporary pan-Asian storm of headline-making crispy pork belly in palm sugar, with kaffir lime leaf and rice vinegar syrup, as well as a salivating selection of vegetarian and gluten-free options, such as their wok-fried chilli tofu, served on rice crackers. Inspired by the hustle and bustle of a Hong Kong bar, LL is also known for its cocktails - take a jug of Big Trouble in Little China, LL Cool Sling or Melon Oriental, for example - and for its late-night opening and live music. And Concrete Playground is here to pick up the bill for you and a date (or mate). To be in for a chance to win dinner for two at LL Wine and Dine (to the value of $150), make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground and email your name and address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Far from a paparazzi, photographer Robert Rosen was considered an "astute observer" of celebrities in Australia in the 1970s–90s. He spent decades documenting parties, concerts, fashion events and nightclubs across London, Europe and Australia. Through his networks, he was able to capture intimate portraits of the rich and famous, many of which have appeared in local and international publications throughout the past 40 years. His spontaneous photographs capture the likes of David Bowie, Andy Warhol, Cate Blanchett, Bob Hawke, Paul McCartney, Boy George and Dame Edna Everage — to name a few. And from August, you'll be able to see Rosen's social photography on full display in Robert Rosen: Glitterati, premiering at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Image: Paul & Linda McCartney, Abbey Rd Studios, London, 1982. Photograph: Robert Rosen
