City Hub 21 February 2019

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Exemption to party party party particularly in the Kings Cross area, was out of control. There is no doubt that a circuit breaker was needed then, and the introduction of the lockout laws has clearly provided this, borne out by the subsequent reductions in the number of assaults in Kings Cross and across the Sydney CBD entertainment precinct.”

While lockout laws currently take the conversational cake, politicians and parade-goers have also called out the presence of sniffer dogs at the event.

BY MICHAEL HITCH The Mardi Gras parade represents diversity, equality, love… and being permitted to enter a licensed premise after 1:30am.

Yes, you did read that right!

Sydney-siders, tourists and gays everywhere can rejoice as the City of Sydney will once again lift its controversial lockout laws for the Mardi Gras parade following the success of last year’s turnout.

For one night only on 2 March, pubs and clubs along Oxford street in Darlinghurst, as well as the entire City, will be permitted to keep their doors open past 1.30am and their taps flowing past 3:00am, and protecting parade-goers from the logistics of a 300,000-person turnout.

Leader of Keep Sydney Open (KSO), Tyson Koh, described how KSO and Liberal City of Sydney Councillor, Christine Forster, worked together to enact the exemption which acts as a crowd control/protection measure for the parade.

Keeping Sydney Open is safe “This exemption exists because of Keep Sydney Open. We knew that with hundreds, maybe even a million people in the city, that being inside venues is the safest place to be,” he said.

“When that many people are in the City and are locked out of venues, especially without trains running at night… it’s a disaster.

“Last year was the 40th anniversary of Mardi Gras and an exemption was granted for the night. It was a major success so we really hope for a similar result this year.”

Mr Koh also mentioned that the success of the lockout exemption shows that the lockout laws have a negative effect on the City of Sydney.

“The centre of the city is meant to be for entertainment and business and life and activity and retail etcetera. We saw the boom last year, but business has been stagnating since because people don’t make the journey into the city anymore, which is a shame because these businesses rely on foot traffic.”

Bring a butt-plug or two Though some see sniffers as a drug-preventative measure, others have expressed concern with the NSW Government’s decision to increase their presence at events across the state, and Mardi Gras is no exception.

NSW government knocks back extended late-night trading in the week prior to the 2019 Mardi Gras parade despite last year’s one-night success The separation of lockout and Mardi Gras means there’s big smiles all around! Photo: Dykes on Bikes Sydney

“These businesses are now doing it tough and even closing down. The streets are now statistically more unsafe and they’re lifeless.”

This year’s festive theme is “Fearlessness,” but the NSW government fearfully knocked back a push from Liberal City of Sydney Councillor, Christine Forster, and Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, for inner city bars and pubs to have extended late-night trading in the week prior to the Mardi Gras parade.

Councillor Christine Forster told City Hub that the one-night exception provided a major boon for local business while allowing the public to experience Sydney’s true nightlife, and that a

week-long exception would “multiply” these benefits.

“Patronage across the board would increase, businesses would benefit, the general public would benefit, everyone would experience what Sydney nightlife used to be like and what it should be like permanently.”

With the benefits of re-instating late night trading becoming apparent, it’s no wonder that Cr Forster thinks that the lockout laws have lost their touch.

“The lockout laws have served their purpose and, in my opinion, are no longer required,” she said.

“It was clear prior to the introduction of lockout laws in 2014 that alcohol-fuelled violence,

Alex Greenwich agrees, saying that sniffer dog presence works against a harm minimisation approach to drug use and that the Mardi Gras parade is falling prey to the NSW Government’s obsession with punishing drug users.

“I oppose the use of sniffer dogs, which is contrary to the harm minimisation approach to drugs. Sniffer dogs have done little to prevent drug trafficking and crime but have mostly criminalised drug users who are otherwise lawabiding citizens and clogged up the court system.

This is an issue for all festivals in the state not just LGBTIQ events.”

So, there you have it folks, if you want to sneak in a pinch of chemical enhancement for your parade viewing… I advise that you bring a butt-plug or two.

NSW Police were contacted for comment.

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BY VANESSA LIM Labor’s pledge to build a new co-ed high school raises hope for locals in the Eastern Suburbs.

The Labor candidate for Coogee Majorie O’Neill said the community’s call out for a new co-ed high school is due to the increasing demand for public education and capacity limits.

“There is a wave of children coming through at the moment and we need to plan for their future,” she said.

O’Neill stressed that education is one of the most important things on earth and should be prioritized over a “$2.2 billion stadium splurge that has a cost-benefit ratio of less than 0!”

She said that if elected, “NSW Labor would do a full audit of all government land and work with the community to ensure that we can find a suitable site”.

Schools Facebook account Over 1,600 people follow the “CLOSE and CLOSEast Community for Local Options for Secondary Education”.

Active since 2010, “CLOSE and CLOSEast” is a Facebook group that focuses on giving parents and children a voice on public high school education, from Inner Sydney to the Eastern Suburbs.

schools such as Maroubra’s South Sydney High school will not meet the requirement.

Labour’s new high school campaign for the future generations raises hope.

Photo: NSW Labor

With the CLOSE success of a new Inner Sydney school to appear in 2020 after years of campaigning, CLOSEast has been striving since 2016 to accomplish the same feat in the Eastern Suburbs, where capacity for public schools is reaching its limit.

This large Facebook is mainly supported by the increasing young population in the Eastern Suburbs, Majorie O’Neill explained.

She said, “Waverley Public School has four streams of Kindergarten this year!”

This influx of primary public school students has parents concerned for the future of their

children and their choices.

Parents north of the Eastern Suburbs have the public secondary school option of just Rose Bay Secondary College, Randwick Girls High School and Randwick Boys High School.

The government’s proposed solution will not meet the requirement The government’s proposed solution to expand Randwick public schools and direct parents towards other secondary public

Travelling times may increase The demand for a public secondary school is also growing particularly north of the Eastern Suburbs. P&C President of South Sydney High School Justine Jennings commented on the difficulties students in the northern Eastern Suburbs faced in travelling down south.

“For parents living further north, such as in Bondi, it would be a significant distance to get to South Sydney High School, as it’s down south in Maroubra,” she said. “The only high school to the north of the Eastern Suburbs is Rose Bay High School, and they are actually over capacity as far as I know. They no longer accept any out-of-area enrolments.”

The lack of public high schools around the Eastern Suburbs was noticable to Justine Jennings as well. “I’m extremely pro-public education,” she said. “We don’t have a great deal of government high schools, since a lot of the government high schools were actually closed by the Bob Carr government about 20 odd years ago.”

No doubt the ALP is regretting those closures now. city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019

3

Adani protest: getting the facts right

BY WENDY BACON In a sign that the NSW state is increasingly encircling the lives of young people, Stop Adani organisers found themselves in court last Friday defending their right to march down King Street Newtown, a site of many previous street protests.

Stop Adani gave notice of an intention to march from Camperdown Park to Mardi Gras Fair Day in late January.

Last week, they received a letter from NSW Inspector Michael Dykes informing them that the police would not agree to the march.

When organisers declined to alter their plans, march organisers found themselves before Supreme Court Justice Davies with the NSW Civil Liberties Council ( CLC) defending them against an application by NSW police for a prohibition order stopping the march.

Convenience not a reason to refuse a march The judge said that he was not concerned about a “breach of the peace” and that convenience itself was not a reason for refusal.

But the police emphasised an anticipated 80,000 strong Fair Day crowd, and flagged the possibility that ambulances would not be able to get through the protesters in an emergency.

We were acquitted of entering enclosed land because it was not enclosed when we began our protest on that land CLC’s barrister pointed out that there were alternative routes and that there would be volunteer marshalls to cooperate with ambulances in the unlikely event that they needed to get through the crowd that would only occupy the road for a short time.

Operation Odin squad arrived at the protest.

Inspector Dykes was the senior officer-in -charge.

A line of riot squad police entered the cage.

As was later shown on the ABC, a woman was dragged along the ground by her wrist. She screamed in pain as she was pulled towards a waiting van.

Two young riot squad officers then advanced on me and put me to in a wristlock – otherwise known as a “pain compliance technique”. This was completely unnecessary because I had no intention of resisting.

My co-accused, whose arm was put in plaster during an eight hour wait in Newtown cells, was charged with resisting arrest, a charge that was withdrawn after arresting officers’ evidence conflicted with my videotaped evidence played in court.

We were acquitted of entering enclosed land because it was not enclosed when we began our protest on that land.

Stop Adani protesters in Martin Place in March this year. Photo: Kate Ausburn via Flickr

In the end, Justice Davies was persuaded by the argument that the size of Fair Day was itself a reason to refuse the plan to march down King Street, but as it turned out on Sunday, the marchers took the alternative route as far as King Street, where they continued to peacefully walk on the road without incident – indeed, the presence of mounted police, police vans and quite a few police seemed like overkill and a waste of supposedly scarce police resources.

One of the Stop Adani organisers, Clara da CostaReidel, said that the point of the protest had been to draw on the “visibility and exposure of King Street” because it was where the march would reach its biggest inner west audience. “We reject the notion that disturbance and inconvenience are grounds to prevent a march,” she said.

In a hearing at very short notice, Justice Davies had little choice but to rely on the police estimates of likely security risks. This worried City Hub’s reporter, given previous experience with the man in charge, Inspector Dykes.

In 2015, I was videoing an argument during an anti-WestConnex protest with Inspector Dykes for several minutes about whether it was lawful to arrest protesters refusing to leave a cage that had been built around them. The video was viewed many times on the Fairfax Media website.

In October 2017, I gathered with about 35 other peaceful protesters for another antiWestConnex protest in Newtown. Again a cage was erected around us. Uniformed police followed by a van of riot police from the

“Smooth” administration of justice Inspector Dykes prepared an account of the “facts” of the protest. Emails tendered in court showed that he sent his draft statement to other police, and they sent their draft statements to him, prior to the event.

He then requested some alterations which had the practical effect of boosting the prosecution case. For example. “Warnings” to me that I was being arrested were inserted but were, as I told the court, never given. Statements were completed many weeks after they were dated.

Under cross-examination, Inspector Dykes would not admit that there was a problem with any of this.

In fact, his defense was that it assisted the smooth “administration of justice”.

None of this evidence was dealt with by the Magistrate in her judgement because she decided on legal grounds that we did not enter enclosed land.

The Stop Adani organisers are concerned that the case could be used as a precedent to ban protests near major events.

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Elections 2019: The race for Balmain

By Allison Hore While the race for Balmain heats up between Labor and the Greens, the Liberal Party’s candidate is missing in action.

The electoral district of Balmain encompasses the Leichhardt Council area, which includes Balmain, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Annandale and Rozelle, as well as Glebe and part of Ultimo in the City of Sydney.

Running for Labor is public health researcher Elly Howse, and though this is her first election she’s not new to politics having joined young Labor while studying at the University of Sydney and becoming president of the university’s SRC.

the park – half for repairs and restoration and the rest for a public trust for future upkeep of the park.

“This trust will start work on maintaining the buildings and plan for the future,” Ms Howse explains.

But Mr Parker told the Inner West Courier, the community wants movement on Callan Park, but Labor “can’t be trusted” to protect it.

“This is a pledge to allow for the tearing up of the Callan Park Act which protects this precious site from commercialisation, overdevelopment and privatisation,” he said. “Last time Labor was in government, they tried to build over 1,500 apartments at the park.”

Saddened by lack of diversity Ms Howse tells City Hub it was a lack of young people in parliament, especially women, that inspired her to put her foot in the race.

“I’ve been to Parliament question time and I am saddened by the lack of diversity in age, gender Jamie Parker (Greens) and Elly Howse (ALP): candidates for the seat of Balmain. Photos: Supplied and background on the government benches. I want to be part of a Labor team that is actually response” from the community on the campaign Act which protects the site from privatisation, representative of our community.” trail. She emphasizes that Voting for Labor is the commercialisation and over-development.

Originally a Labor stronghold, Jamie Parker only way to ensure a change in government come However, Ms Howse denies that Labor’s plan is of the Greens has been representing the seat of March. to commercialise the park or to change the Callan Balmain since 2011.

“We can’t afford another term from this Park Act, and says they have received community Before that, the seat was held by Labor conservative government. Our community has the support for their plan. member Verity Firth, who served as the Minister power to elect a Labor member and help change “It is wonderful to see groups like Friends of for Education in Kristina Keneally’s Labor the government,” she says. government.

The future of Balmain’s green spaces will be one I want to be part of a Labor Parker was re-elected in 2015, and the Greens major issue on the minds of voters come election day. team that is actually representaheld the majority in 20 of 23 polling places.

The future of Callan Park in Lilyfield has been Parker, the first Green to be elected to the NSW a subject of controversy for many years, but the tive of our community State Legislative Assembly, is a well-established figure debate was sparked again last week when leader in the Balmain area. Before entering parliament, of NSW Labor, Michael Daley, expressed his Callan Park support our announcement. They Parker served as a Leichhardt Councillor and as the openness to “commercialising” the heritage-listed have campaigned on the public trust for a long convener for the NSW Greens. park should a Labor government win in the time and I look forward to working with them in a Historically Labor has found it difficult to win election.

Labor government,” she says. back seats after they have been lost to the Greens, Allowing businesses to be established in Callan In his announcement, Mr Daley promised to but Ms Howse says she has received “fantastic Park would mean changing the Callan Park spend $10 million to ensure the “positive future” of

Blanket ban on new candidates Candidate for the Liberal party is Wenjie Zhang (known as Ben Zhang), who also ran for the Balmain Ward in the 2017 Inner West council election.

In contrast to the Labor candidate’s social media savvy, Ms Zhang has minimal online presence and does not have an official profile on the NSW Liberal party’s website.

Before the 2015 election, the Liberal candidate for Balmain, Lyndon Gannon, told the Inner West Courier that his party expects members who have never held a seat to avoid public forums.

City Hub was told the same thing by the President of the Darlinghurst Business Partnership when the Liberal candidate for Sydney was unable to attend a public debate as there was “a blanket ban on new candidates participating in debates”.

These claims were denied by the Liberal party.

City Hub reached out to the party’s media team to contact Ms Zhang and some questions were passed on to her campaign team, but as of publication no response was provided.

When asked whether she had seen Ms Zhang on the campaign trail, Ms Howse responded that she hadn’t.

No pubs please, we’re NIMBYS

BY JOHN MOYLE Last week, the urban phenomenon known as NIMBYism struck across Sydney as four iconic and much-loved pubs were hit with complaints about noise.

The four pubs under the pump are the Royal Oak, the Moore Park View, the Marlborough and the Kings Cross Hotel, all well-established hotels aged of a hundred years or more standing.

In all cases, the complainants are recent arrivals in their areas.

Across NSW, loud music and patron noise complaints from clubs, pubs and beer gardens are managed by the Office of Liquor, Racing and Gaming, which states that “noise should not be heard inside any home between midnight and 7am on any night”.

Offensive Noise and Good Reputations “The noise actually needs to be offensive, by nature of the volume, type of music or the time it is played,” says John Green, NSW Director Liquor and Policing, Australian Hotels Association (AHA), said.

“The idea a person can move in next to a pub that’s been part of the local culture since the 1800s and not only complain about the noise, but actually have some success in changing long-standing practices which impact many people should be a joke, but sadly the reality is that it’s often all too true.”

The 145-year-old Royal Oak in Double Bay is an independently owned hotel that has a reputation for great food and is one of two pubs in the suburb that residents refer to as a “local”.

For years, patrons have been able to eat and drink at tables set outside on Bay Street until recently, when noise complaints were made.

“Woollahra Council has received numerous noise complaints regarding the Royal Oak, and has sought to ensure the hotel complies with its existing planning consent, under which the use of

the footpath area of Bay Street is limited to 10pm,” Spokesperson, Woollahra Council said.

Regular patron Jurgen Ryck said, “It is unbalanced in that it is two guys from the old Cosmopolitan who are complaining, while further down there are three places with outside tables and nobody complains”.

This time around the NIMBYs are on a hiding to nothing Last week, loyal Royal Oak patrons were motivated to start a petition, which has now reached several hundred signatures in support of the pub.

Complaints from nearby residents is about to cost the Moore Park View Hotel $500,000 in soundproofing after Liquor and Gaming NSW issued a warning notice.

The complainant lives in a recently built apartment complex a few doors from the hotel.

Patron behaviour including singing, yelling and general arguing, along with vehicular noise, were all issues in his formal complaint.

Licensee John Doble said that, “the onus should also be on residents to ensure that they have done everything possible at their end as well”.

Five police inspections in 2018 did not find any notable compliance issues as the pub moves forward with its soundproofing solutions.

Part of the extensive Solotel group, Newtown’s 159-year-old Marlborough Hotel has also been hit with complaints about noise emanating from its beer garden.

“The majority of the noise complaints are coming from apartments on Missenden Road and Susan Street, and this has been going on since I moved here a year ago,” Mitchell Rowe, a Marly regular said.

The Kings Cross Hotel, another Solotel establishment, has been at the heart of the oncethriving entertainment precinct for 107 years.

Kings Cross Hotel- 107 years, Omnia Apartments - 6 months. Photo: John Moyle

Six months ago a new apartment building, the Omnia, opened on the opposite corner.

The hotel recently received a noise complaint from an Omnia resident about its rooftop area, and the rumour was that it would be forced to close one of the best views in Sydney.

Nimby’s who have nothing to hide “It is true that after an inspection from City staff at 1.50am, they [the KX Hotel] have been asked to turn the music down, but the City has not ordered the hotel to close its rooftop bar,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore, City of Sydney, said.

City of Sydney councillor Craig Chung said, “The idea that someone can move next door to a longstanding institution makes me mad.”

Cr Chung also questions the right of a City of Sydney compliance officer to find the complaint without any sound measuring equipment and to throw the spotlight back onto the Omnia.

“We imposed conditions where they had to be insulated so that they don’t hear noise, so there is an ongoing investigation to see if the Omnia is compliant with its own DA,” Cr Chung said.

This time around, the NIMBYs are on a hiding to nothing as in all cases the pubs have acted responsibly and are addressing the issues.

Meanwhile, the complaints have highlighted the need to protect the rights of existing entertainment venues across the city, including the City of Sydney’s “Agent of Change,” which Labor has made an election issue. city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019

5

Residents march against Adani

BY SARAH MCLENAGHAN Inner West residents have marched through Newtown ahead of the Federal election to pressure local politicians to commit to stopping the Adani Coal Mine project.

On Sunday protestors gathered in Camperdown Memorial Rest Park before marching through King Street in a rally against climate change organised by the campaign group Stop Adani Sydney.

“We’re protesting because our MPs just won’t listen,” said rally organiser Dan Conway.

“Anthony Albanese has refused to meet us for the last two years and we’ve probably sent six formal requests and we’ve invited him to speak at this rally, we’ve invited him to speak at a rally about a year ago and just no response, absolutely no response.”

Fellow Stop Adani volunteer, Jason, also believes Mr Albanese is ignoring the real climate change issues facing Australia.

“Anthony Albanese talks quite a bit about climate change. He has held meetings with the NSW Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) to discuss Labor’s plans for climate change. But aside from emissions targets, Albanese has never addressed the creation of new coal mines such as Adani in accelerating climate change in Australia.

“This is a problem. Adani’s coal, once burnt, will create up to 4.6 billion tonnes of carbon pollution which will negate any emissions targets put in place by Labor,” he said.

Mr Conway said that even if these targets are met, the ALP’s draft national platform fails to address the issue of Australia’s coal exports.

The dirty little secret “The dirty little secret is that 70% of the coal that Australia produces is shipped overseas. So even if we shut all the coal-fired power stations tomorrow and transition to a complete carbon economy tomorrow, which is what the ALP talk

“green jobs”. He said, “Adani is a project where big capital is going to destroy our environment. We need to be climate active”.

Mr Conway stressed that the issue extends far beyond the Carmichael mine if Adani is successful.

“The Adani coal mine and campaign began about two years ago. At that point Adani was the first, the biggest and the most likely to go ahead and it still is the first. But in the meantime there are now about six other mines also slated and in various stages of approval in the Galilee coal basin.”

For this reason, Mr Conway said it is critical that the plan to build a rail line to the untapped coal deposit does not go ahead.

Inner West residents march through Newtown to protest the Adani coal mine. Photo: Stop Adani Sydney

about endlessly, it wouldn’t address the 70% climate disaster that we export to the rest of the world,” Mr Conway said.

Jonathan Moylan, a campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific, an environmental organisation that endorsed the rally, emphasised the devastating impact the Adani project will have if it proceeds “The Carmichael mine would mean draining twelve and a half gigalitres of water from the Suttor River as well as posing severe threats to the black-throated finch and the yakka snake as well as being a massive new carbon bomb that Australia can’t afford if we’re serious about tackling climate change.”

Faced with these issues, Adani are quick to point out the potential job growth that will be generated by the mine. However, Jason says Stop Adani

Sydney does not believe Adani’s “propaganda” about job creation.

“They’ve already scaled down their employment figures several times. We think that with leadership in government, a plan for increased employment in regional areas – that are not at the expense of our shared environment – are possible,” he said.

If we stop Adani we protect the Galilee because no one else will be able to get in National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) NSW State Secretary, Michael Thomson, also endorsed the Sunday rally and the need to create

The key is the rail line “The key is really the rail line. It’s like a chain of dominoes. If Adani gets the approval to build its mine, they’ll build the rail line and at that point the entire Galilee Basin becomes economically viable to mine and it will extend the life of every coal-fired power station in Southeast Asia for the next sixty years.”

“If we stop Adani we protect the Galilee because no one else will be able to get in.”

Restricting access to the Galilee Basis is critical when looking at figures which suggest that the coal mined from the site would produce enough emissions to consume 7% of the world’s remaining carbon budget.

With State and Federal elections approaching, Stop Adani Sydney says it wants to see real action on climate change across the board.

“We want policies that explicitly stop new coal mines and wind down old coal-fired power.

We want a policy that explicitly lays out money and timeframes to transition to renewables and to provide jobs in the regions with high unemployment, especially in coal regions.”

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7

Woollahra’s arrogant councillors

BY IRINA DUNN Former City of Sydney Councillor and barrister Dixie Coulton is among many people appalled by the behaviour of some Woollahra councillors towards constituents opposing the proposed skatepark on the eastern side of Rushcutters Bay Park.

The proposed skatepark is larger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool at 1,225 square metres.

Coulton is a member of Friends of Rushcutters Bay Park, a large group of individuals united by an interest in preserving the natural heritage and values of the park.

Woollahra Mayor Peter Cavanagh’s response to one constituent on 2 February was: “Thank you for all the emails clearly you have nothing else in your life but to waste it on emails that were considered before the vote. All you have done is strengthen councillors resolve to continue So well done [sic].”

“Inaccurate hysterical nonsense” And Councillor Anthony Marano wrote to his constituents in the following terms using his official email: “To try to use heritage as a weapon against children to stop this facility going ahead is a very low act and you should all take a long hard look at yourselves [sic].” (11 February) “You mention “ rights for some ‘, well that is exactly how you are treating Rushcutters Bay Park, like it is your own private back yard and nobody else is allowed to use it [sic].” (11 February) “I am afraid you … are delusional, as you just don’t wish to acknowledge the facts and you continue to push your inaccurate hysterical nonsense to the same small group of people that are in the minority [sic].” (14 February) Coulton and many others believe that Cavanagh

but we had another petition with over 2,500 signatures from local families who want us to build it in that exact spot of the park”.

For Marano to uphold the 55% of the combined respondents in these two polls and to dismiss the views of 2,000 people (ie 45% of the combined constituents) in such a childish manner suggests that he simply does not care about the latter group and just wants to have the vote go his way. Why? Perhaps he hates Greenies?

“Under the cover of a finance committee,” Coulton says, “they approved it without proper public consultation, without a development application, and without a heritage report.”

A concept plan for Rushcutters Bay Park Youth Recreation Area by Convic. Photo: NSW Government

and Marano have breached the code of conduct in writing to their constituents in such a manner.

“How can elected [councillors] talk to people like that?” she said. “Not only that, but the Mayor gets a large amount of money for being elected to the position. You cannot occupy a public office and talk to people like that.”

You cannot occupy a public office and talk to people like that “They should be sacked for this conduct,” she added. “How can you be running a major council and talk to your constituents like that. When someone writes to you like that it just confirms your opinion that he’s an ignoramus.”

It is notable that the previous council voted

overwhelmingly against the skateboard facility.

However, when the vote was taken after the election of the subsequent council, the park came under threat when the finance committee, comprising only six (or less than half) of the 15 councillors, led by Councillor Marano in the Chair, voted for the skatepark [on 15 October].

Marano wrote on 2 February, “It is quite extraordinary that a small group of people… just cannot except the fact that they have lost this fight, as their views are in the minority”. [sic]…

However, the finance committee vote of six is clearly “in the minority,” a fact that escaped Marano’s attention when it suited him.

Marano then wrote on 11 February, “Just for your information, you may have had 2,000 signatures on your petition opposing the facility,

Push to list park on Heritage Register A member of the Friends of Rushcutters Bay Park applied to the Heritage Council of NSW and was granted an interim heritage order over the land in contention.

This means that the Council “cannot destroy any tree or vegetation unless approval is granted by the Heritage Council, which will assess the significance of the park and may list it on the State heritage register,” Coulton said.

The Heritage Council has one year to make a determination.

She added that the group would push for the park to be put on the register because of the “very rich history” of the park.

Even though the interim heritage order will only temporarily prevent construction of the skatepark, Coulton stresses that people should still keep up the pressure on the Council which will do its best to go ahead with the skatepark after the 12 months is up.

People who oppose the skatepark should email noskatepark@hotmail.com, and their email will be forwarded along with hundreds of others to the Mayor and other Councillors.

Alternatively, tweet #noskatepark.

Join us for the 2019 hockey season!

established in 1931, Glebe is one of the oldest hockey clubs in sydney.

At Glebe we value Family, Equality, Commitment and Contribution and pride ourselves on delivering a positive sporting and social experience for everyone. The Club fields teams in the Sydney senior competitions for all abilities of men and women and mixed gender teams in junior competitions from U9 to U17. We also cater for younger players with our popular Minkey/Hookin2hockey program that takes place each Saturday morning at Jubilee Oval Glebe attracting kids as young as 4 years of age.

for more information visit: www.glebehockey.org.au email our Junior Director glebejuniorhockey@gmail.com or our Administration Director glebesecretary@gmail.com for seniors.

8

city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019

By Rita Bratovich Eddie Izzard believes there is a universal sense of humour and the same joke is funny in any language. He should know; on his last tour he visited 45 countries and presented his show in French, German, Spanish, and English - and every audience laughed. Izzard says it comes down to the subject matter.

“If you’re talking about human sacrifice, if you’re talking about men and women, haircuts, sexuality, posters, colours, art, design; 95% of the things in the world you can talk about - religion, philosophy - they all cross over,” he explains.

“There’s a mainstream sense of humour in every country and there’s an alternative sense of humour in every country, you just need to hook up with a more alternative sense of humour.”

Izzard definitely appeals to an alternative audience. His humour is for the thinking person and can range from obtuse and subtle to silly and direct, with lots of variations in between. As an intelligent, well-read, endlessly curious explorer of the human psyche, Izzard imbues his comedy with insightful observations and cultural references. His shows can be as edifying as they are entertaining.

Wunderbar is the name of his latest show which will tour extensively in the United States, include several European countries, play in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and has just kicked off its Australia/New Zealand leg. The show title speaks to the awe and fascination Izzard continuously has with the world with a slightly wry exclamation that everything is “wonderful.” It came into being in a floating theatre on the Seine in Paris when Izzard started improvising bits in French. Improvisation is an important element, not only in Izzard’s performance but also the development of his material, though he admits that finding a point at which to stop finessing can be a challenge.

“It’s a tricky balance…I’m always trying to distil the comedy to get a better, more perfect version of the piece. I used to actually improvise and

Izzard Of Oz Eddie Izzard Photo: Supplied

improvise and improvise, so you’d get the piece working and then you’d keep improvising and you’d stop it working,” he says.

Deciding when a piece is working is very much up to Izzard himself and he rarely seeks advice or critique other than from people close to him.

“I don’t read critic reviews I’m afraid, and I don’t read audience feedback. My brother tells me things and other people tell me things,” he says.

“Sometimes I will keep a joke in because I like it, even if no one else is liking it. But I don’t care, that’s just a gift to myself.”

Izzard himself is constantly in flux, forever doing shows and appearances, committing to a year-long tour itinerary for Wunderbar, and still

FEATURE

“This planet is my home,” he says. “I love being in Britain, I love being in America, I love being in Australia. Forty-five countries I’ve played, I was happy to be in all of them. If you’re brave and curious then you enjoy seeing new places and meeting new people.”

Izzard came out in 1985 as a transvestite. He has since updated his terminology and now refers to himself as transgender having discovered that the word is used as an umbrella for 12 subgroups of which cross-dressers is one. His outward appearance alternates between traditionally masculine and classically feminine, though he considers his sexuality fluid.

“I’m more in girl mode than boy mode these days,” he says, but for pragmatic reasons, would prefer to hold on to his male identity. “In film roles […] I wanna play those boy roles because that’s what I’m gonna get at this stage in my life.

So I’m buggered if I’m going to spend 30, 40 years trying to get to this place and then cut all the roles out for myself!”

He describes it as having two cakes and eating them.

“I kind of like using Ms Eddie Izzard now, I think that says it all.”

For the last nine years, Izzard has spoken about entering politics and has dipped his toe once or twice, as well as being a fervent mouthpiece and managing to regularly appear in a film or three campaigner. As with everything he does, he - including the indie Aussie film The Flip Side, intends to commit fully once he has completed released last year. Where does he get his energy? his scheduled projects.

He eats well, has given up alcohol and he runs - a “I will go into politics and I will fight as hard as I lot! In 2016 he completed an incredible 27 can in politics.” marathons in 27 days raising money for Sport Izzard believes you can’t be effective from the Relief in South Africa. sidelines or even through activism. “If you’re “If you train every day you can actually go longer trying to make something political happen, I do and further,” says Izzard, ascribing the stamina he believe you have to be in politics. After 2020 I has on stage to his running routine. will be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

If he doesn’t get physically exhausted, you would imagine a lengthy touring schedule would Feb 21-23. State Theatre, exhaust him emotionally or mentally, but Izzard 49 Market St, Sydney. $89.90-$99.90+b.f. says he never gets homesick or tired of Tickets & Info: www.statetheatre.com.au travelling.

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9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW: The Moors Alex Francis, Thomas Campbell.

Photo: Clare Hawley

Maria to the Von Trapp household). The governess, Emilie (Brielle Flynn) has been lured by salacious letters she mistakenly believes were written by Branwell. Steamy dalliances, murderous plots, and much diary writing ensue.

Meanwhile, Mastiff has kindled an unlikely, ill-fated romance with a moorhen (Alex Francis).

The set is minimal but very effective. A voluminous dark satin curtain hangs as a backdrop and a chandelier glows above centre stage. There are two antique chairs and that’s pretty much it for set design, other than a revolve that is used brilliantly for choreographed humour.

With little in the way of furniture and special effects, the success of the play relies heavily on nuanced performance and delivery of lines.

“We did a lot of work on making it very quick and getting the timing right,” says Bartz. Her It’s one of the highlight events of Mardi Gras character, Agatha, is austere and un-reactive, and Central at the Seymour Centre, and deservedly so. she admits it was a challenge remaining dead-pan Jen Silverman’s hilarious gothic farce, a cryptic in her scenes with Daly’s Huldey. homage to the Bronte sisters, is witty, camp, “Enya is very, very funny,” says Bartz. slightly titillating, and loads of fun.

Daly utterly steals the show with a maniacal In a manor house on the moors somewhere in dance sequence towards the end in which she England, live two sisters, Agatha (Romy Bartz) and references Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights.

Huldey (Enya Daly), their dog, Mastiff (Thomas “I watched the video and learnt all the steps,” Campbell), and a split personality maid who is admits Daly.

Marjory in the parlour and Mallory in the scullery This is a festival “must see”! It’s wily, it’s windy, (Diana Popovska). There is also an unseen, and you’ll want more. (RB) unheard brother, Branwell, imprisoned in the Until Mar 1.Seymour Centre, Cnr Cleveland St attic. One day, a governess arrives bearing a and City Rd, Chippendale. $33-$55+b.f. ukulele case and bubbling with enthusiasm (a la Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com

Tango Poema

Photo: MarieDominique Verdier

World-renowned tango dancers Diana Cruz and Nick Jones are also musicians, dance instructors, choreographers and producers.

Jones is the director and bandoneón player and Cruz is the singer of the Orquesta Típica Natural Tango in Denver, CO (USA).

They have arrived in Sydney in the middle of their Australian tour where they will work with the Mendoza Quintet in Brisbane before their Sydney performance.

Cruz says, “The fact that tango has such a rich and complex structure, with a complete

dance-grammar very much engraved in the structure of tango music, makes it possible for unique and artful improvisations, creating poetry in the language of movements and melodies, resulting in ephemeral yet memorable tango poems.”

Cruz is very aware that tango evolves and that what is called “traditional tango” is very relative to different time periods.

Cruz tells me that “tango is a passional, emotional, sensual dance,” and says that “the tango embrace is an honest and revealing expression of our ways to relate with the other.” She asks me not to forget that tango is “a social dance, as well as a performing one.”

“It can be sexy,” she says, “but it can also be intellectual, witty and playful.”

Cruz is a pilates instructor, a devoted yogi and a Girokinesis fan. At her daily training, she varies these body conditioning techniques for maintaining flexibility and strength. For cardio, she chooses low-impact options like swimming and trampoline.

Audience members will be invited to the floor to dance after the performance is over!

(ID) Mar 2.The Giant Dwarf, 199 Cleveland Street, Redfern. $33-$38+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.giantdwarf.com.au

a&e

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city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019

10 STAGE 12 SCENE 15 Sounds 15 SCREEN

The Sapphires From the stage to the screen, and back to the stage HIT Productions presents a national-tour of well-loved Australian play The Sapphires.

Set in 1968 during the Vietnam war The Sapphires, which is loosely based on the life of writer Tony Briggs’ mother, tells the story of four Yorta Yorta women from regional Australia who sing soul music. It follows them through their struggles with personal changes and massive social upheaval.

Briggs, who wrote the original play, will be directing this version of the show for the first time. Producer Christine Harris says that working with him on this show has been a great journey.

“His passion for his play has translated beautifully on stage in this exciting production,” she says.

The story has already won multiple awards as a play, film and soundtrack album. But Briggs promises that this version of the story will be the most intimate telling yet.

“I hope the audience will feel a fresh sense of connection to a story that has already successfully infiltrated the psyche of the Australian theatre and movie-going public and get a sense of joy and understanding of who Aboriginal people are,” he explains.

The Casula Powerhouse is just one of many stops the show will make on its national tour, with the cast and crew making use of a pop-up

stage to take the show to remote aboriginal communities.

“A lack of venue in their local town can obstruct opportunities for many to experience any kind of theatrical experience,” says Briggs.

“It has long been my dream to share this yarn with as many of the Aboriginal communities as possible.” (AH) Feb 23. Casula Powerhouse Arts Center, 1 Powerhouse Road, Casula $35-$40+b.f..

Tickets & Info: www.casulapowerhouse.com

Comedy Kiki

Darlinghurst Theatre Company Creative Producer, Amy Harris, has curated the company’s first Queer Comedy Festival, titled Comedy Kiki, for Mardi Gras!

According to the Urban Dictionary, a kiki is: “A party including good music and good friends, held for the express purpose of calming nerves, reducing anxiety and stress and generally fighting ennui. May involve locked doors, tea and salacious gossip.”

All three acts are new shows by exciting Australian queer comedians Jordan Raskopoulos, Fat Musicals by Maeve Marsden and Libby Wood, and Rhys Nicholson. Each artist will be playing for one night only.

Arts Editor: Jamie Apps For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @AltMediaSydney

Granny Bingo will be served with a delicious high tea in the restaurant for audience members to enjoy before the main stage comedy act commences upstairs in the theatre.

It will be hosted by Australia’s favourite nannas and Melbourne Comedy Fest winners, Edith Vale and Maureen McGillicuddy (Kyle Minall and Thomas Jasper), who come fresh from their sellout performances in Melbourne.

Edith and Maureen say they are thrilled to share the joy of bingo with Sydney for Mardi Gras!

“Come for the balls, stay for the laughs.” (ID) Feb 27-Mar 1. Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst. $37+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.darlinghursttheatre.com

Contributors: Emily Shen, Irina Dunn, Jade Morellini, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Olga Azar, Rita Bratovich, Sarah Pritchard, Shon Ho, Riley Hooper, Erika Echternach, Joseph Rana, John Moyle, Madison Behringer, Allison Hore, Renee Dallow, Renee Dallow, Alannah Maher.

Jen Der Unpacks Factory Theatre 105 Victoria Rd Marrickville Friday 1 st March, 8pm

Tickets & Info: www.factorytheatre.com.au

The MLC School girl is fearless and brave.

She pushes boundaries and challenges perceptions of what a woman can and should do. She discovers her wings and learns to fly.

Now taking applications for Pre-K, Kindergarten, Year 3 and Year 7 2020.

Register for the next tour, Thursday 21 March 2019, or for more information visit mlcsyd.nsw.edu.au

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CRICOS: 02328D

Dare to be more 11

How To Rule The World

Lui’s talent is undeniable, and she has won a swathe of awards, including the Nick Enright Prize for playwriting in the 2018 New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards for Black Is The New White.

In this latest production, a political satire (a timely production indeed with upcoming State and Federal elections), Lui aims to tackle “the Australian myths of Michelle Lim multiculturalism and a ‘fair go’”.

Davidson, Nakkiah When an Aboriginal (Vic, played by Nakkiah Lui, Anthony Taufa.

Lui), an Asian (Zaza played by Michelle Lim Photo: Rene Vaile Davidson) and an Islander (Chris played by Anthony Taufa) walk into a bar, this becomes the catalyst for what is billed as “stinging satire.” Fuelled by alcohol, the three hatch a plan to take over Parliament House, and then the world.

Director Paige Rattray says the play enables us “to examine our current power structures through humour,” adding that this leads to “an incredibly deep examination into who is allowed to function and succeed in that system.”

Lui says this was the play she had to write.

“So often in Australia, political satire is the realm of White men: Whiteness gets to be invisible. The rest of us non-Whites are just If this play is written in the same humorous politics. I wanted to satirise politics and vein as Black Comedy, the sketch comedy powerful, rich white men.” (ID) program that screened on ABC television, they’ll Until Mar 30. Sydney Opera House, be rolling in the aisles with laughter.

Bennelong Point, Sydney. $60-$99+b.f.

This is not Lui’s first play. She already has half a Tickets & Info: dozen under her belt. www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Trevor Ashley’s Mardi Gala

Photo: Rob Hamilton

This weekend the Mardi Gala returns to the Sydney Opera House’s biggest room with a show which is bigger, better and bolder than ever before.

Hosted by Trevor Ashley this incredible variety show will see Ashley joined by a plethora of colourful performers throughout the evening. Some of the stars the audience can expect to see during this one time only performance are; Rhonda Burchmore OAM (Mamma Mia!), Tim

Campbell (Wicked), Tom Ballard and finally two Oxford Street legends in Shauna Jensen and Minnie Cooper.

Part orchestral concert, part talk-show the Mardi Gala is guaranteed to bring laughter, music, glitter, surprises and just an all-round fabulous time to the Sydney Opera House.

Feb 24. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $39-$135+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

THE NAKED CITY

THE DEATH OF LANGUAGE

With Coffin Ed The Macquarie Dictionary loves to add new words to its ever-expanding volume including their much-publicised word of the year, which incidentally was “Me Too” in 2018. Despite the annual inclusion of many new words, there is a good argument to suggest that our everyday vocabulary is 12

city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019

rapidly decreasing, giving way to a monosyllabic, text abbreviated, contrived and dictated lexicon of Instagram chatter.

With spell check, Grammarly and robots now churning out news items for daily newspapers and the web, there is no longer a need for millennials to embrace language, especially when a large part of daily conversation takes

place on a smartphone. Not only are we losing thousands of words from popular use every year we have adopted a kind of modern everyday speech that is sanitised, devoid of colour and sadly lacking in humour (LOL!).

We repeat like parrots the boo words and hip phrases of the influencers and twitter hounds, at the same time forsaking an incredible collection

of words and phrases bequeathed to us by generations before. For such a relatively small population, Australia has over the decades, produced a wonderful anthology of both rural and urban lingo – most of it no longer in popular usage and soon to be forgotten forever.

What if for one day of the year all Australians were asked to arm themselves with an old school lexicon (hey you could download the app) and converse only in the language of a bygone era. The app would immediately translate a 2019 word or phrase into something in the 50s or 60s.

Instead of producing some smart card to pay for your morning coffee you would ask “Can I put it on the slate?” Before starting work, the polite office worker “would be off to visit Aunty” or if the work was outdoors look for the nearest “Thunderbox.” If you were stuck with a lazy coworker you would say “They wouldn’t work in an iron lung.” If you couldn’t remember somebody in another department you might refer to them as “Mrs Kerfoops” or “Mr Shufflebottom.”

If you had a hard day at work you might claim to have been “busier than a one-legged man in a bum kicking competition” as you make your way to the nearest “waterhole” to get “half mollo.” A bit of “chitter-chatter” with your buddies and you are off to “home is where the hat is.”

If the kids are playing up when you finally arrive home you might tell them “stop doing the dance of the wounded wombat” and threaten them “with a taste of your slipper.” If that doesn’t work you could give them all a “good shellacking.” The ankle biters might tell you to “not blow a gasket” and you retreat to your bedroom to take in a cup of tea, a Bex and good lie down.

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Arthur Boyd: Landscape Of The Soul

We Can

Nebuchadnezzar with blue flowers and white dog.

Photo: John Moyle

Curator Barry Pearce has called the Bundanon Trust’s show of Arthur Boyd paintings at Darlinghurst’s National Art School Landscapes Of The Soul.

A more apt title could not be imagined as Boyd’s long and productive history of landscapes and figurative works revealing his innermost psychological conflicts are laid bare for a new examination of this great Australian painter.

Coming from a family fecund with talent, it is the inclusion of his mother’s 1928 painting Figures In A Stormy Landscape that points the way for the young Boyd, who was handling oils competently at the age of 12.

The show covers two gallery levels with the downstairs dedicated to family works and Boyd’s development as an artist into the early 40s.

By the 1960s he has made his mark on the

Australian art-scape with the disturbing and beautiful Nebuchadnezzar series, but it would be in the late 70s after purchasing Bundanon on the Shoalhaven that Boyd’s marriage of landscape and artistic force would evolve.

Upstairs the mainly Bundanon paintings absolutely explode with the power and majesty of an artist hitting his prime as he explores the relationship of the viewer to the landscape and reveals something deeply personal with his two striking nudes of his wife Yvonne.

Few touring shows this year will be so skilfully curated or sympathetically mounted, and along with its expertly assembled hardcover catalogue will be one that resonates for years to come. (JMo) Until Mar 9. National Art School, Crn Forbes and Burton St, Darlinghurst. FREE. Info: www.nas.edu.au

With Sydney gripped by Mardi Gras fever and its focus on the LGBTIQ community, it’s also a great opportunity to shine a light on LGBTIQ health concerns.

One particular area of concern is HIV prevention. Late last year ACON launched the We Test campaign which urged all gay and bisexual men across NSW to continue testing regularly for HIV and STIs. Now this year the campaign enters into its second stage, We Can, which is focused on promoting cultures of care within the LGBTI community (i.e. community

looking after community) as well as encouraging frequent HIV testing (at least 4 times a year).

ACON believes that with a concerted community effort “ending the transmission of HIV is possible if we test often, treat early and stay safe.”

So while you’re out enjoying all of the wonderful Mardi Gras festivities also take the time to speak to friends and family about healthy lifestyle habits so that we as a community can eliminate HIV. For more information on We Test, visit the Ending HIV website: www.endinghiv.org.au

Sydney Movement Studio Open Weekend

Oxtravaganza

Are you bored with the same old training and fitness regime? If so then perhaps you should give functional movement and pilates a try, and what better way to do just that than with a riskfree open weekend at The Sydney Movement Studio.

The Sydney Movement Studio offers unique and alternative training methods which combine pilates and efficient natural movements and are designed to help participants reclaim and improve their natural human movements.

Whether your intention is to lose weight, build muscle, recover from injury or just to improve 14

city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019

overall health and fitness they have the ideal solution for you.

This weekends open days will allow anybody to head in and try free movement/pilates sessions in small groups of three, so you will get a lot of focused experience in a short period of time. The studio will also have a range of their nutrition and fitness products available to try or buy.

Feb 23-24. Sydney Movement Studio, Suite 301, 360 Oxford St, Bondi Junction. FREE. Info: www.sydneymovementstudio.com.au

For the third year running Darlinghurst is set to celebrate Mardi Gras in the way only it can this weekend with Oxtravaganza.

Oxtravaganza is a community-wide collaboration which will see the suburb come to glorious rainbow tinted life as Oxford Street plays host to a range of celebrations and events including art, bands, burlesque and (naked) barbers throughout the day and night.

Not only is Oxtravaganza a fabulously festive way to celebrate Mardi Gras but it also helps raise awareness and fund for a great cause as it has partnered with the charity Twenty10.

Twenty10 works with individuals, families and communities across Sydney and New South Wales from throughout the LGBTIQA+ and sexuality spectrum. Twenty10 provides a broad range of specialised services for young people 12-25 including housing, mental health, counselling and social support. For adults,

Twenty10 provides social support and for people of all ages, they offer telephone support and webchat as the NSW provider for the national QLife project. The organisation also offers inclusivity training and consulting for organisations and service providers across most sectors.

If you’re planning to head out and partake in the Oxtravaganza festivities City Hub highly recommends seeing at least one of the two special performances from Oxtravaganza Ambassador Sheldon Riley, who captures the country’s attention with his performances on The Voice last year. Afterwards we then suggest simply walking around the suburb, and in particular getting off the main drag because some of the greatest highlights could be hidden down some of the back alleys, laneways and behind secret doorways.

Feb 23. Various venues & prices.

Tickets & Info: www.oxtravaganza.com

By Jamie Apps Much like many others of her generation Eves Karydas moved to London for a change of scenery and to “find herself.” Little did she know that in doing so she would go on to discover a new style of writing for her music, and subsequently create her breakout album summerskin.

City Hub spoke with Karydas before she embarked on her national tour of summerskin to

hear the story behind the record and her feelings about the incredibly positive response the record has garnered.

When asked how she felt about the positive response Karydas said, “I spent a really long time working on this album in London, it was just mine for such a long time so to see people connecting with these songs so much it’s really amazing and more than I could have asked for.”

For Karydas moving to London was never about music, it just so happened to be a lucky coincidence that this record came out of that experience.

“I moved to London thinking I would go over there and find myself, which sounds corny but is always something I dreamt about doing. I moved over there and put all of my eggs in one basket and just so happened to fall into a really good space.”

Whilst living in London Karydas not only wrote summerskin but says she also grew as a person and artist.

“I moved to London wanting to find something about myself that was missing and what I learned is that I’m actually a really positive person who wants

to spread messages of positivity,” she explained.“I also learned how that positivity is then reflected in my music because up until moving to London I was writing music which I thought was more intellectually lent or challenging but then suddenly I found myself in this situation where all I wanted to write about was this positive experience that I was going through.”

Listening to summerskin it’s clear that this record acted as a pseudo-journal documenting Karydas’ experiences and emotions whilst living abroad. For this reason, she says this record simply “couldn’t have been written anywhere else in the world.”

Now that she is back home in Australia Karydas is finding it “surreal” to be playing these songs whilst being “semi-detached” from the lifestyle they portray but is also looking forward to that challenge.

“This will be the first time I’ve toured with an album out, so being able to play these songs to people who know all of my songs and are there just for that is so exciting.”

Feb 21. Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst. $23.26+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.oxfordartfactory.com

Lil Halima - for the dark days The second EP from rising Norwegian pop star Lil Halima is an incredibly honest, vulnerable and mesmerising glimpse into her life, particularly during the polar darkness of her hometown in Northern Norway.

Whilst for the dark days is described as a pop record it doesn’t follow the typical norms of the genre. Rather this EP is a much more nuanced, subtle and emotive record than many other pop releases.

Halima’s hypnotically beautiful vocals are combined with subtle bass lines, piano and string arrangements, and intricate synth elements to create a truly special record. (JA) WWWWW

Phoenix Collective Quartet Concert #1 - Love, Life & Death Sydney’s newest premier string quartet, the Phoenix Collective, are set to perform the first concert of their 2019 concert series this weekend.

The Love, Life & Death program will showcase works by composers such as Shostakovich, Mozart and Beethoven. Each song has been carefully chosen to represent the various stages

of our lives and will take the audience on this journey with the musicians.

Performing these masterpieces of music are some of Australia’s finest musicians who have been recruited from the ranks of national and international orchestras such as Opera Australia Orchestra, Canberra Symphony, Sydney

Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Kammer Philharmonie Köln, Boston Symphony, Academy Of St Martin In The Fields, to name a few.

Certainly not to be missed!

Mar 3. Christ Church, 10 Walker St, Lavender Bay. $15-$86+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.phoenixcollective.com.au

Happy Death Day 2U

Stan & Ollie

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were an enormously successful comedy duo who were at their peak during the late 1920s through to the 1940s, so distinctive and popular they effectively became a brand.

Sadly, it was not a concept they fully understood and they found themselves strapped for cash and needing to tour at the waning end of their career.

That’s where Jon S Baird’s biopic picks up their story.

Steve Coogan (Laurel) and John C Reilly (Hardy) each do brilliant portrayals, fullyembodying the roles. They have great on-screen rapport and can still raise laughs recreating old, original routines. The film is a lovely, nostalgic homage, with fine support performances from Rufus Jones as their promoter and especially Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda as the passive-aggressive wives who actually have some of the best comic moments together.

The film’s only flaw is that it doesn’t provide enough backstory to allow audiences to really grasp the level of fame and invest emotionally in the two leads. Still heartwarming, though. (RB) WWW

Following almost exactly where its predecessor, Happy Death Day, left off this sequel ratchets up the absurdity whilst also giving a reason for the time loop which sees Theresa ‘Tree’ Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) living the day of her death over and over again as she attempts to break the loop.

Happy Death Day 2U slightly loses touch with its teen slasher core and instead becomes a sci-fi infused, metacomedy which simply pushes the references and humour further than before. When the film attempts to inject some soul and sincerity it is at its weakest, but these are short so the film can get back to the absurd humour it is best at.

There are a lot of sub-plots

weaving throughout this film but when it focuses on the cheesy teen slasher elements Happy Death Day 2U is an

incredibly joyous experience which avoids the dreaded bad sequel curse. (JA) WWW1/2

Alita: Battle Angel Set in the distant future of 2563 Alita: Battle Angel is based off a 1990s Japanese manga comic by Yukito Kishiro. The film follows the story of Alita (Rosa Salazar), a cyborg who is saved from the scrap yard by cybernetics engineer/doctor Dyson Ido (Christopher Waltz). Alita, however, suffers severe amnesia meaning she has little to no recollection her previous life and thus Ido becomes her surrogate father and guiding force as she slowly discovers who she really is.

The film is a visual masterpiece as it blends practical effects and sets with unparalleled CGI and motion capture performances. Salazar, in particular, is outstanding as she imbues Alita with a warm endearing nature, even with heavily CGI enhanced eyes and limbs.

Alita: Battle Angel moves along at a rapid clip throughout its 122-minute runtime. The fastmoving plot allows for the film to reference a lot of the original source material. This certainly keeps

the viewer interested as it moves between each elaborate and visually stunning action sequence.

Unfortunately, the rapid pacing of the film comes at the expense of deep character development, although this doesn’t significantly hurt the film.

Don’t wait to watch this one on DVD or ondemand! Alita: Battle Angel is certainly worth viewing in the cinema with 3D simply for the visual spectacle. (JA) WWW1/2 city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019

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city hub 21 FEBRUARY 2019