City Hub 1 September 2016

from Bondi to Balmain...

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SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, LATINO ACTION

Page 9

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city hub 1 SEPTEMBER 2016

Waverley Council Privacy Leak Strengthens Pavilion Campaign

BY JORDAN FERMANIS Last week Waverley Council residents who had taken part in the submissions to save the Bondi Pavilion were notified via email that personal information including names and email addresses had been leaked.

The alleged breach in privacy has been seized upon by residents as further evidence of the council’s inadequate consultation with the community.

In a statement obtained by City Hub, a Waverley Council spokesperson said that the council apologies and is working to remedy the error.

“Last week, Council staff sent an email update about the Bondi Pavilion project and inadvertently included the email address details in the cc field. We sincerely apologise for this error. Everyone affected by this received an email from Council explaining and apologising for this error.

Council holds important responsibilities under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act to protect personal information.

We are taking every step to ensure this error does not happen again,” the spokesperson said.

Kilty O’Brien of the Save our Pavilion campaign told City Hub that residents are outraged that their personal information was not handled more carefully.

“People have taken it quite seriously around here. They have taken complaints to council and the Office of Local Government.”

“People are engaging on a confidential basis.

There’s now hundreds of emails, names of people who have given them on a confidential basis that are available to all,” Ms O’Brien said.

Ms O’Brien said that the council had sent a “we’re sorry” email a couple of days later but had heard little else.

“We will be asking how much of rate-payers

Bondi Pavilion. Image supplied

money will be wasted on this consultation process when you have such amateurish mistakes.”

“We think it is an example of the mismanagement surrounding the whole process. And just the lack of thought and care around the $38 million Waverley Council has done to privatise the Bondi Pavilion,” Ms O’Brien said.

Speaking to City Hub, Greens Waverley Councillor Dominic Wy Kanak said that he had made a formal request to the General Manager to strengthen privacy processes to ensure another disclosure does not occur.

“My response to the community concerns about the privacy breach are with the General

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Manager. And ask him whether or not there had been a formal breach of the legislation that surrounds how councils and government organisations take care of people’s private and personal information. But I haven’t got a response back from the General Manager on those issues yet.”

“I’ve asked him [the General Manager] to ensure that such an incident does not reoccur and that our internal information handling policies strictly conform with the state and federal legislations regarding privacy.”

“I’m not happy that such a process occurred and I’m asking the General Manager to strengthen our information handling policies to make sure that we conform with the state

and federal legislation,” Mr Wy Kanak said.

Issues around the mismanagement of the privacy breach have spilled over into community concerns over preserving the existing theatre in the Bondi Pavilion and not repurposing the space for commercial interests.

Di Smith, a Bondi local, actor and producer, told City Hub that the community is not in support of the current proposal and that Mayor Sally Betts is rushing the development through council.

“The whole plan needs to be looked at again. The community has gone to great lengths to submit 720 submissions to the Mayor at the time that plan was put forward.

She keeps using her casting vote to push this thing through when the community doesn’t want it to happen.”

“The NSW government and the council have $7 million to upgrade the building. The plan in place looks like it is going to cost $38 million.

So our argument is they should be leaving the theatre where it is, it is a much more costeffective method,” Ms Smith said.

In response to these concerns Waverley Council has said that the new theatre will be a “huge improvement” to the current building.

“The proposed theatre on the ground floor will be a huge improvement in the cultural capacity of the new building, and places culture front and centre at Bondi. It would be a state of the art theatre with new technology to support drama, film, music and other performances; and supported by a control room, green room, dressing room, workshop space, box office and bar.

Council is currently holding further consultation and engagement period until 23 September and we encourage everyone to have their say,” the spokesperson said.

SRC to mount legal challenge against the University of Sydney

BY LUCAS BAIRD The University of Sydney Student Representative Council (SRC) has prepared a legal challenge against the University’s decisions surrounding the Sydney College of the Arts (SCA).

The challenge, which will be issued early next week, concerns sections 18, 21, 60, and 267 of Australian Consumer Law. These sections of the ACL include distribution of unconscionable conduct.

The SRC’s legal team claim that by moving the SCA from Callan Park to the Camperdown Campus, cutting courses and jobs, the University will be in breach of all four sections.

SRC legal counsel, Thomas McLoughlin said that approximately 150 students have complained to the SRC. With many concerns indicating that SCA students will not get what they signed up for and that the SCA is making a $4.3 million surplus and is therefore financially viable.

Mr McLoughlin said that the SRC had a “sound basis” for a case.

“The backflip on the previous decision was because they found out it was unlawful, this is a similar situation,” he told City Hub. “There is a very serious consumer law case there.”

Mr McLoughlin claimed that information in the 2015 UAC Course description for the Bachelor of Visual Arts was now wrong and thus violated section 18.

Section 18 covers the consumer’s right not to be fed misleading information, regardless of whether this information is knowingly distributed or not.

The description promises screen art and jewellry courses, and “extensive studio facilities, workshops and digital laboratories”. The future of these courses remains uncertain.

Other sections of dispute cover unconscionable conduct (section 21), the failure to deliver the promised education (section 60), and a possible reimbursement for students (section 267).

However, a University of Sydney spokesperson told City Hub that the university did not violate any parts of the law and that it fulfilled their legal obligations.

While the spokesperson said they would not comment further on

The University of Sydney met student concerns with “pandering” responses, according to the SRC’s legal counsel, Thomas McLoughlin. Source: Jason Tong

the legal issues, they did take issue with the assumption by the SRC and students that the SCA is making a $4.3 million surplus per year.

They said the $4.3 million figure was calculated before costs associated with running the SCA were deducted and claimed that when done the SCA is significantly in debt.

Though, the impending legal situation has not stopped Unions NSW in throwing their support behind the students in the last week.

The Union joined Greens MPs, Jamie Parker and Mehreen Faruqi, Federal Labor Frontbencher, Anthony Albanese, and Friends of Callan Park in support of the Let SCA Stay movement.

Union Secretary, Mark Morey said they would continue to support the students through this issue.

“Unions NSW will continue to support the students, teachers and the National Tertiary Education Union and its members through coordinating relevant community actions and promoting the campaign through our channels.”

“University management’s decision to cut funding and teaching positions ignores the self-sustainability of the SCA and is just a cut chasing profit and neglecting education,” he said. city hub 1 SEPTEMBER 2016

3

Light rail, big fail Light Rail Construction on Anzac Parade.

Source: supplied.

BY CHARLOTTE GRIEVE Transport for NSW announced last week that Wimbo Park on Bourke Street, Surry Hills will be “future proofed” to allow for an additional light rail stop to service Devonshire Street and the surrounding community.

This decision came as a response to a community campaign calling to increase accessibility for the residents of Surry Hills.

“The light rail track slices Surry Hills in half,” said local resident, Biddy Oquist.

“Under the current plan, it won’t provide a genuine transport option for a large proportion of residents including the frail elderly, people with mobility issues, families and others,” he said.

The Sydney Light Rail project has triggered a number of community campaigns in response to the felling of trees, the desecration of aboriginal artefacts and disruptions to local businesses.

In mid August, on Anzac Parade in Kensington, Premier Mike Baird helped lay the first tracks of the $2.1 billion project. Two weeks later, several long serving businesses are closing their doors.

John Bellamy from the Sydney Light Rail Action Group believes

the closure of these businesses to be a direct result of the construction site that dominates Anzac Parade.

“As soon as they took away all the parking and made this a clear way, the effect on business was instantaneous,” he said.

Among the recent business closures are Baby Things, Happy Wheels and Angelos Portugalia.

“It’s killing the area,” Mr Bellamy told City Hub. Whilst the additional stop is considered “a win” for those who live near Wimbo Park in Surry Hills, Mr Bellamy regards it as “another delay” that isn’t going to stop the destruction of local business nor the lopping of heritage trees.

City of Sydney Councilor and Lord Mayoral candidate, Angela Vithoulkas, is also the owner of Vivo Café, located on George Street in the CBD. Her business is among the many others that have suffered set backs as a result of the Light Rail project.

“We’ve had trouble getting supplies delivered, we’ve had trouble getting our rubbish collected. We’ve certainly lost a lot of our foot traffic considering the barriers that are on the road where people can’t see the business anymore,” she said.

Clr Vithoulkas is calling for businesses to be “properly compensated” for the losses they have incurred. If elected as the Mayor, she has promised to take a “collaborative approach” between local and state government to ensure proper mitigation measures are put in place for small business owners.

“We are the backbone of this City, huge contributors to GDP and a great source of local employment,” Clr Vithoulkas told City Hub. “But when it comes down to the Light rail impact, Town Hall has absolutely turned its back on small businesses.”

Aside from financial compensation, Clr Vithoulkas also believes that temporary cosmetic measures should be applied to the construction site.

“It could be turned into vertical gardens, there could be digital signage that could show what business are there and advertise that, updates on transport,” she said.

With years left until the project’s cessation, Clr Vithoulkas predicts the impact is going to “get worse.”

“So far it’s only been the CBD, the impacts are going to affect more and more people,” she said.

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Opinion

New councillors under spotlight over possible conflicts of interest

By Andrew Woodhouse, President, Potts Point & Kings Cross Heritage Conservation Society The public trust is a nebulous concept. But it has practical ramifications.

With pre-poll voting for the City of Sydney elections on September 10 now underway, voters are in their cardboard corrals with sharpened HB pencils poised, deciding how the city has been run and, more importantly, how it should be run.

Running for council is dangerous for candidates. Their personal and professional lives and views are under the microscope and compared to their parties’ policies to expose inconsistencies. Psephologists, originally the pebble counters in ancient Greece elections, will scrutineer ballot papers for validity very carefully in this tight election race. Every single vote is crucial.

But every elected councillor and the Lord Mayor, has ethical and legal duties to constituents.

Their ethical duty is to vote and remain impartial, free from financial influence and not pre-decide decisions. Their legal duty is a clear injunction under section 232(2) of the Local Government Act: ”The role of a councillor is, as an elected person, to represent the interests of the residents and ratepayers, provide leadership and guidance to the community and facilitate communication between the community and the council.”

Interestingly, responsibilities to the new businesses voters seems to be overlooked, unless they are actual ratepayers and not just shop owners, for example.

The team for Clover Moore’s party includes distinguished architect, Mr Philip Thalis, founding principal of Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects. His firm was part of a design collaborative which won the $6 billion international design competition for Barangaroo, since pushed aside by Paul Keating. Clover also opposes the current scheme.

Mr Thalis was awarded a $15,000 grant in 2011 by Clover’s council for his co-authored book, “Public Sydney: Drawing the City”, published 2013, with a second print run due out this year, according to his firm’s website.

A brief on-line search of council’s website reveals dozens of references

to his company and DAs and other matters since Clover Moore became Lord Mayor.

The latest was DA 2015/1896 worth $1,048,373 to renovate his own office building at 68 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills, approved by Clover’s council on 11th April 2016.

Hill Thalis is currently involved in a City of Sydney project in

IMAX last showing IMAX foregrounded by Darling Harbour precinct.

Image supplied

By Jordan Fermanis The construction of a new development in Darling Harbour known as ‘The Ribbon’ will mean the iconic IMAX cinema which opened in 1996 will close its doors for three years.

The IMAX Darling Harbour boasts as having ‘the largest screen in the world’ but with the new twenty-storey development including a commercial precinct, the screen size will be reduced.

The Ribbon project is being redeveloped by the Melbourne based construction firm Grocon with the backing of Chinese investment company Zhengtang for $700 million.

This latest project is part of a wider trend of redevelopment in the Darling Harbour precinct.

A few months ago City Hub 6

city hub 1 SEPTEMBER 2016

reported on Mirvac’s redevelopment of the Harbourside Shopping Centre to make way for a 35 storey office block.

As well as the Mirvac redevelopment; Darling Square and the International Convention Centre are also part of the Cockle Bay ‘upgrade’.

Elizabeth Elenius of the Pyrmont Action Group is despondent, lamenting the ‘overdevelopment’ of an area once set aside as the “people’s place.”

“Darling Harbour is ruined, it’s no longer the people’s place. It’s just another development.”

“Darling Harbour is now so awful.

More high rise along Cockle Bay, that little bit of water has become the black lagoon, it’ll never get any sun, it will never sparkle and shine because it is walled in on all sides,”

Ms Elenius said.

Ms Elenius told City Hub that development in Darling Harbour moves along unchecked, with little regard for community concerns.

Darling Harbour as an entity is owned by the NSW government, which renders local government powerless to respond to the community.

“Local government has no power over Darling Harbour at all. It’s a separate little enclave.”

“The Darling Habour redevelopment came as a bolt from the blue and we didn’t know about it until it was a fait accompli.”

The IMAX will close from September 25 and will not reopen until 2019.

Chinatown called Thomas Street Cloud Gate. The firm has also been awarded an on-going planning design role as part of an elite councilappointed “Design Consultancy Panel for Public Domain Projects” with their costs schedule pre-approved.

Who benefits? Mr Thalis benefits, that’s who, with ripple effects flowing onto others.

So what? Isn’t he entitled to profit from his hard work and expertise in a free market economy?

Yes, I say, but not if it creates conflicts of interests or bruises that fragile petal, the public trust.

So if Mr Thalis is deciding another Clover-inspired milk crate artwork, or mega-DA urban design plan involving competitors’ to his own firm, how can we know he’ll decide the matter impartially if he is already intimately connected with it, or if he will be paid (twice) to comment on it as a panelist as well, or if it might become part of a Clover councilsubsidised book?

This all seems too cute.

Will he stand aside from voting? If so, how can he represent constituents by abstaining? This is not the job he’s paid for. In any normal business such absences or inability to perform work leads to replacement. Lower standards or expectations don’t apply to our council.

His vote then becomes a vote made when you’re not voting, a Clayton’s vote. And it will make the word “vote” a four-letter word for residents, whose right to live in their chosen environment is constantly under attack.

Mr Thalis might as well stay home watching the 12th season of the TV series, The Block. Yawn.

Such a councillor position becomes unsustainable and unworkable.

People want the three Cs of good town planning applied: consistency, clarity and certainty.

Mr Thalis may well add another three: confusion, chaos and commotion.

It’s not too late for Mr Thalis to withdraw his candidature or resign from the design panel and withdraw all his firm’s current and future projects from council before 10th September by way of a legal undertaking.

It is in his interest and, importantly, in the public interest.

Residential vote trumps all

BY KRISTEN TSIAMIS Jonathan Yee is a business owner and an ALP candidate for the upcoming City of Sydney elections on September 10.

The ALP proposed to rescind the compulsory business vote, which Mr Yee said it is “only the City of Sydney that allows this vote. Not Parramatta or Chatswood or any of the other hubs…I don’t personally think it’s fair, and it should be across the board. Since businesses did not have a compulsory vote in the past, it should not be allowed now,” he said.

As the General Manager of the family-owned Emperor’s Garden Chinese Restaurant in Haymarket, Mr Yee said, “…although businesses do operate within the City of Sydney, it should be the residents that vote.”

Mr Yee says that infrastructure is key to the further development of Haymarket as it grows, and the council proposal to increase the maximum height restrictions would be disastrous for Haymarket.

The council’s proposal to raise the city height limits would see the limits raised as much as 75 meters, from a current 235 metres.

To move the masses of people that commute in and out of the city daily, Mr Yee said that council needed to have a “more stringent application process for changes to building high-rises.”

This would ensure that high-rise

Jonathan Yee, ALP candidate for the City of Sydney. Source: Supplied

buildings were only built where they are needed. Mr Yee says the way forward for the City is looking into “road management, pedestrian walkways and reassessing traffic management”.

Making Thomas Street a predominately pedestrian thoroughfare has also caused problems for residents who drive, as well as causing problems for local businesses that receive truck deliveries.

Mr Yee also said that before moving forward with any proposal to increase increase height limits, he would firstly consult the community and local business owners, and do a survey of community engagement and traffic movement within Haymarket.

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WestConnex Not On Council’s Agenda

By Michael Forno On Tuesday August 23, the unelected Inner West Council met for the third time since its appointment by the Baird government.

The published meeting agenda ran to over 600 pages, yet failed to include WestConnex or urban growth as agenda items.

The exclusion of these issues was met with ire, most strongly from Rochelle Porteous, former Leichhardt Mayor.

“It’s important our message is loud and clear, that this is unacceptable. We don’t want an Inner West Council, we want our councils back because they were all strong advocates.

They were all effective in the research and campaigning work they were doing against WestConnex,” she said.

“We want the community to have a voice and it doesn’t at the moment. What little voice it had in this forcibly amalgamated council has been completely shut down now.

So it’s important that we get WestConnex and urban growth put up as standing items on the agenda.”

Prior to the meeting aggrieved residents and the No WestConnex community group gathered outside the old Ashfield Council Chambers.

Addressing the crowd, Pauline Jenson of Balmain questioned the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Inner West Council meetings.

“Back in April we had the sham meeting of submissions at the Ashfield League Club and as we know ninety five per cent of people who spoke were against WestConnex. So what happened?” she said.

“They didn’t listen, and the same thing is happening here tonight. We register, we go up and talk for a few minutes, but that’s all it is, it’s just a sham process. Tick a box, we are listening to the community, and nothing comes from it.”

Protestors at Inner West Council Meeting. Source: Michael Forno

The chant of ‘Stop WestConnex’ was repeated as residents filed into the chambers where the discontent continued.

Richard Pearson, the temporary Administrator of the Inner West Council, opened the meeting with a late addition to the meeting agenda.

“There is a late administrator’s agenda item being circulated in relation to WestConnex but there are a whole host of other items on the agenda as well,” he said.

Speaking on the minutes of the previous meeting Ms Porteous took the floor.

“I don’t acknowledge the legitimacy of the Administrator who has been appointed by the Baird Government,” she said.

“This Administrator has made comments in the past about the fact that he finds WestConnex rather tiresome to have in council meetings because it’s so time consuming.”

“We apologise for the fact that it is time consuming but it happens to be consuming us. It’s consuming us because it is the most relevant, most important and most devastating issue for us.”

“This is not something that can be arbitrarily kicked off the agenda. So I would ask that the Administrator assure that WestConnex be a standing item on every council agenda and that urban growth is also a standing item on every agenda. To not do this is to acknowledge that you are simply playing the agenda of the state government, and you are wantonly ignoring the community.”

Mr Pearson was reluctant to concede that these standing items appear on every future agenda.

“We do need to work out whether WestConnex is a standing item on the agenda moving forward.

Rochelle, it’s not off the agenda, it’s been on the agenda for the last three meetings, and it’s on the agenda tonight,” he said.

John Lozano of Haberfield made an impassioned appeal to the Mr Pearson, that he act on the issue of WestConnex or resign as Administrator.

“Barely six weeks ago I stood here and cautiously welcomed your comments. ‘This council opposes WestConnex in the strongest possible terms’. I thought we had a champion in our midst,” he said.

“Since then I have asked, what have you done? Today I ask that same question, but it’s rhetorical. Your replies have been skimpish at best and you don’t even record comments in your minutes.”

“If you intend to do nothing then I ask that you please step aside and let someone who can do something to fill your spot. If you continue to do nothing and refuse to step aside then I’d like to remind you of the number 13, an unlucky number for some. But 13 is the number of months that you and your magnificent seven have left before you are removed from our sights.”

Mr Peason was adamant that the council was taking appropriate measures to reflecting community sentiment on WestConnex.

“I have obtained legal advise, there is further advise to come, unfortunately our SC has been detained by local council merger matters, but that will hopefully be something that can be reported to future council meetings.”

“I do appreciate your contributions and I’m not going to change my recommendation but I will give consideration to the request that it be a standing item.”

Like previous council meetings pre-registration was mandatory and a private strong security firm was present, however no police were involved.

Other items on the agenda included the redevelopment of Summer Hill’s Flour Mill, Ashfield Aquatic Centre, and Balmain’s Fenwick Building.

From Vivid to TEDX to Town Hall Jess Scully, Independent candidate for the Council of the City of Sydney, Source: Supplied

BY KRISTEN TSIAMIS Jess Scully is best known for her role as director at Sydney’s Vivid Festival and is curator for the famed TEDX Sydney. Ms Scully is also one of the candidates throwing her hat in the ring for the upcoming Sydney City elections, and is fourth on the ticket as a member of Clover Moore’s Independent Team.

Given that Ms Scully has been engaged with Sydney’s creative and start-up communities for the past 15 years, she has unique “insights of this new economic force to the community”. Ms Scully wants to see a transformation to the “ideas boom” and apply this thinking and attitude more broadly to the City, engaging more wholly with the creative industries and using social and creative thinking to “deal with the challenges of living in a city.”

Despite her background in the creative arts, Ms Scully said that further funding and investment into the creative industries is not something that she would push for, as the “…City already provides lots of support, mostly in the form of space.” Ms Scully says that keeping space that can be used by the public and keeping these spaces open for the creative sector.

Grants and allocation of funding is not the most important issue when looking at the creative industries, but rather “finding and keeping affordable space in the city where artists can practice and take risks” she said.

The current Moore council has approved a 3900 square metre technology hub that will provide space for tech-start-ups and businesses. There is another tall residential building on the corner of Pitt and Bathurst Streets that are billed to have several levels of cultural and creative space available to businesses and artists.

Ms Scully said that when the council approve the changes or use of a building, including changes to building design or site use, a requirement for “commercial, cultural and innovation outcomes is built in.”

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Despite the fact that there is currently an office vacancy rate in Sydney’s CBD of more than 10 per cent, Ms Scully says that space for creative industries is a struggle.

“We struggle with space, it’s difficult to find suitable office space. Start-up innovations in Sydney work because of access to affordable space that can be subsidised, and then those businesses have the benefit of space and the other minds, news, opportunities that are there.”

Ms Scully said that when it comes to the allocation of funding for major events like Vivid or TedXSydney, she approaches it from the perspective of the audience. “…I think about audience, the reader, and what information they need. Time is more valuable than money.

I ask myself what benefit will they [the audience] get out of this, will they feel they’ve learned something or met someone…That’s the most valuable and important thing.”

There is also an issue of scale when allocating funding or grants, and Ms Scully says speaking to a very broad audience is key.

“It’s about adding value that you can’t get anywhere else or isn’t being served. For example, we support big events like the Sunrise, big event for 1000 people for entrepreneurship and start ups. On the other end of the spectrum, I was approached by two designers who wanted an event called Make Nice which was a three day conference for women-only in the creative industries. It was supported because there was a need for it, but it

was filling a really crucial role.”

The balance between an artist applying for grants and negotiating the bureaucratic system that is applying for funding and grants is a delicate one, and Ms Scully doesn’t think the City needs to fund or engage with individual artists to make an impact. Rather, supporting the “organisation that engage with artists and provides them with opportunities” is a better use of funding.

“Look at Alaska projects, it’s one of the most successful projects that they city has supported and funded, and it’s essentially an art gallery using a city-owned car park. They support a whole bunch of artists and curators, and put on shows that wouldn’t get a showing anywhere else. I think we can do the most good with organisations that are deeply embedded, and that was “one organisation that is supporting hundreds of artists over its life” she said.

“It’s all about making sure we keep a mix of businesses for today and tomorrow embedded in the city, to “futureproof” the CBD. It’s not impossible,” she said.

Team Clover. Source: Supplied

FEATURE

THE 11th SYDNEY LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

By Mark Morellini The 11th Sydney Latin American Film Festival (SLAFF) is not only a celebration of Latino films, but more importantly it’s a cultural event which will entice festival enthusiasts with the unique foods, artists and music from these Latino countries.

Over the course of five days a program of 11 bold and diverse high quality films and six shorts from countries including Cuba, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina will be screened which should engage and challenge audiences.

“This festival initially only attracted first generation Latino audiences, but over the past 11 years the demographics have changed immensely.Younger people from different backgrounds who want to learn the languages and travel to these countries attend the festival,” explained festival programmer Gisselle Gallego.

This event has always been about community engagement and the traditional fiestas are an integral part of the festival. The opening night comedy sensation Jules and Dolores will be followed by a celebration of Soul, Funk and Samba 1970’s Brazilian style with Kriola Collective, a unique 10-piece band.

Legendary harpist Victor Valdes from Mexico, who has performed with Los Lobos and Jimmy Barnes and given concerts in 25 countries around the world (including over 20 performances in the Sydney Opera House), will be performing prior to the closing night film, Jeremy.

Film audiences have different tastes and the diverse selection of films should ensure there is something for everyone.

This year’s films largely have a focus on social issues. Filmmakers have moved away from the stereotyped characters and storylines and audiences should be mesmerised by the storytelling of the many first-time filmmakers.

“We all embrace one film and I’ve adopted Patient, a documentary from Colombia with universal themes which people from all over the world should relate to. This is the story about a mother’s battle to ensure that her daughter (who’s battling cancer) receives health care,” explained Gallego. “This documentary highlights the lack of empathy experienced and more importantly is an indictment of the bureaucracy of the Colombian health care system. This is a wakeup call – health care should be a right – not a commodity.”

This festival is a not-for-profit and ticket sales are injected into grassroots community projects. ”SLAFF has raised over $116,000 since 2006 in support of 26 development projects in Latin America and Australia. The monies raised from ticket sales have helped conquer poverty, unemployment and the acquiring of new trades so that the people can successfully support themselves,” enthused Gallego.

This year festival attendees have the chance of winning the Audience Award Prize – a return economy flight for two to Buenos Aires flying Air New Zealand, simply by completing the Audience Award form handed out after each session and ranking the film.

New at the festival is the inaugural Feature Film Jury Award. Films competing for this prestigious award are Jules and Dolores, Walking Distance, The Dreamer, Between Sea & Land and Road To La Paz. Blue Lucine is one of the three jury members privileged with the responsibility of selecting the best feature film. She is a writer, director and has a Graduate Diploma in Documentary among other accolades and is currently working on her first feature documentary.

“I’m very excited, but also feel the weight of responsibility. Being a filmmaker myself I know how challenging it is to even make a film, let alone a feature to be accepted into a festival, so you start by admiring all the films for that accomplishment,” explained Lucine.

She is very passionate in what constitutes an award-winning film. “A film has to move me. Plain and simple. I need to leave the cinema having changed in some way. Films have such power to impact their audiences – we are transported to another world. When a film can make you question yourself, your beliefs and your existence that’s what makes an award-winner. It’s the work that goes into it and the creativity and willingness to explore and take risks that gives the film a chance of winning.”

Jules and Dolores (Brazil) – High comedy is

C

in this box office hit which KS seesunleashed a gambler steal the legendary Jules

PI

Rimet Soccer World Cup Trophy to pay off his massive gambling debt and also to placate his vivacious girlfriend Dolores. With the marines and army searching for the trophy, will finding a buyer prove much harder than he first expected?

P

TO

Jules & Dolores

The Companion

Your Parents Will Come Back

Jeremy

Lucine doesn’t believe that films with higher budgets and established casts necessarily have a higher chance of winning the prestigious award.

“A great story can be told by anyone if they have enough passion, and often it is easier to believe actors that are not well known, so no, I don’t feel that higher profile casting would have an impact on me. Similarly, films can move you no matter how much they cost to make, so the budget alone would not be an indicator of a more successful film. I’ve seen incredible films made on small budgets,” concluded Lucine.

The Companion (Cuba) – To control the spread of the AIDS virus the Cuban authorities created a special sanatorium in 1986 which was under military guard. A suspended boxer who works in this medical facility as a companion to an infected patient dreams of becoming an Olympian. This drama about friendship and broken dreams stars popular Cuban singer Yoyuel Romero.

Elephant The Horse (Chile) – Before he dies, Lalo and Roberto’s grandfather sends them on a mission to save ‘Elephant’, his beloved horse from the slaughterhouse. When the

horse is stolen, they embark on an adventure which sees them joining the circus. A charming family film headed by a charismatic young cast boasts comic book style animated sequences.

Your Parents Will Come Back (Uruguay) – In 1983, 154 children of Uruguayan political exiles were relocated to other countries. This moving documentary explores the profound effect the abandonment had on these children. Through interviews, family photographs and actual footage they recount their stories.

Poignant and insightful.

Sept 8–12. Dendy Opera Quays, 9/2 East Circular Quay. $19-$52 (3 film pass). Bookings & info: sydneylatinofilmfestival.org city hub 1 SEPTEMBER 2016

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city hub 1 SEPTEMBER 2016

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Melita Rowston’s Shit Tourism Presents:

The Giant Worm Show Photo: Maryna Rothe

Remember Ossie Ostrich from Hey Hey It’s Saturday? In her Sydney Fringe Festival performance Melita Rowston will be joined on stage by Benito Di Fonzo, who will be performing foul-mouthed manifestations of TV puppets Ossie Ostrich (Hey Hey It’s Saturday) and Claude the Crow (Shirl’s Neighbourhood).

“They comment as I tell this crazy story, a true story of going to this tiny country town, one and a half hours from Melbourne, Korumburra, to track down the world’s largest worm puppet that was

built in the 70’s, as a way to bring tourists to the town,” show creator and star Melita Rowston explained.

It’s a strange hybrid, a type of TED talk, where images and storytelling kind of talk to each other about really bizarre, strange and unusual things.

“I’ve taken the idea of a TED talk but made it a bit more like a comic monologue with giant worms and a giant pink worm puppet. It’s a storytelling comedic adventure, there’s lots of jokes, weird attractions, photos of things, there’s a strong visual element, it’s a little bit documentary,” explained Rowston.

“Korumburra used to have a Giant Worm Festival but it ended in the 80’s… This inspired me to go there and try and track down the giant worm puppet, Karmai, used in the festival. I met the guy who made it and all the quirky locals, I talked to a lot of the kids who were primary school kids at the time, now in their 40’s and late 30’s, who remembered the festival as something that changed their lives because it brought art and creativity to a small dairy town.” (MS) Sep 6–10, 8pm. Old 505 Theatre, 5 Eliza St, Newtown. $16-$24.Tickets & info: melitarowston.com or sydneyfringe.com

Gloria

Photo: Brett Boardman

In keeping with its mission of showcasing fresh work, Griffin Theatre is premiering Benedict Andrews’ new play, Gloria. Andrews, who seems to have a penchant for tempestuous drama, has created a complex, absorbing story, with immense themes and emotions.

“It’s epic,” is how actor Huw Hugginson (The Bill) describes it. “It deals with some pretty big things about where we sit in the world…and the fear that we all have in an increasingly dangerous world.”

Hugginson plays Gloria’s sometimes-husband.

Gloria is an actress. She lives in a high level apartment with her husband and daughter. The world outside is besieged with war and violence but Gloria and the people around her seem

oblivious, uninterested.

“It’s about where we are with the human condition… and how we put distance between ourselves from things that perhaps we should be more engaged with,” said Hugginson.

The play moves through five different modes, with alterations in characters, setting and atmosphere.

Production is key in assisting the audience through. “It’s going to be quite a technical show as far as lighting and sound and projections are concerned.”

Marta Dusseldorp plays the demanding part of Gloria. Asked about how she handles the weighty role, Hugginson replies: “…She’s a fantastic actress and it needs a fantastic actress…the character in the play is such a huge character, such a powerful and distraught character in many ways that it needs somebody with a huge and accurate range.”

He enjoys trialling new productions and can’t wait to hear the feedback on Gloria. (RB) Until Oct 8, evenings & matinees.

SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross. $35-$40.

Tickets & info: www.griffintheatre.com.au or (02) 9361 3817

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Tragédie

If you need to watch a production different from the rest, Tragédie is your best bet.

Created by a prominent figure in dance, Olivier Dubois, Tragédie explores the notion of humanity.

This is a minimalist dance piece focusing more on movement than costume or music.

Both men and women are involved moving to a constant bass drum.

Dubois explains the production allows yourself to feel your own perception of the world, however each person’s understanding will be different.

“Do not expect anything but emotions and sensations from art!” said Dubois. “Those might make you think, talk or comment. Don’t expect anything, don’t go for something you want to see but let Tragédie drive you somewhere you’ve never been!”

Dubois has no idea how this piece is unique from other performances or why a piece becomes a masterpiece. All he asks is for audiences to be patient and let this human flow turn you upside down.

This Australian premiere is the first time

Dubois will be at Carriageworks, and if you’re a fan of dance at all this has to be on your to do list. Dubois has been the appointed director of France’s Ballet du Nord since January 2014.

Dubois has choreographed a number of successful performances such as Pour tout l’or du monde for the series Sujets à vif of the Festival d’Avignon and Faune(s).

This show involves nudity and is recommended for mature audiences. (AMal) Sep 2–3, 8pm. Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh. $35.Tickets & info: www.carriageworks.com.au

Atlantis Zelda tells stories to make herself feel good. She claims to be the heir to the lost city of Atlantis. She knows her stories aren’t true. Tom and Sarah also tell stories, but the line separating truth and fiction is smudged.

Paul Gilchrist’s new play, Atlantis, explores how people use storytelling to get through the trials and tedium of life.

Through dialogue and stage directions he involves the audience in the complex relationships and misguided perceptions of the characters.

Kit Bennett, making her debut as a director, describes the use of traverse space to give different sections of the audience varied perspectives on a scene. It simulates how “point of view” can affect a person’s perceptions.

“We can all go through the same experience…but we all have a slightly different story from that experience,” she explained.

There are minimal props and set furniture because the actors are constantly crossing the stage and addressing the audience or each other from different angles. The performance relies mostly on dialogue and relationships, which, Bennett says, Gilchrist is very adept at writing.

“It’s a comedy but with dramatic undertones… it’s meant to entertain but ultimately it’s quite a serious story,” said Bennett.

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

The play is being performed at the Kings Cross Theatre. Bennett is impressed with the considerably new venue: “They’ve created a really, really fabulous space.”

At 80 seats it’s an intimate environment, but is perfect for the type of theatre Subtlenuance (made up of Paul Gilchrist and fellow writer Daniela Giorgi) likes to create.

And Bennett says it’s exactly right for this play.

(RB) Sep 6–10, 8pm. Kings Cross Theatre/KXT, Lvl 2, Kings Cross Hotel, 244-248 William St, Kings Cross (NB: strictly 18+ venue). $15-$24.

Tickets & info: www.sydneyfringe.com

Contributors: Carmen Cita, Craig Coventry, Greg Webster, Alicia Sim, Peter Urquhart, James Harkness, Leann Richards, Lisa Seltzer, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Sarah Pritchard, Athina Mallis, Leigh Livingstone, Joseph Rana, Shon Ho, Jacqui Rothwell, Emily Shen, Andrew Hodgson, Irina Dunn, Caitlin Burns, Zeiya Speede, Rita Bratovich, Chantal Walsh, Raffaele Piccolo, Barbara Karpinski, Taylah Felice, Georgia Fullerton.

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Free State of Jones extended his hold over South Central Mississippi naming it the Free State of Jones.

The momentum in this film is initially well paced, appropriately setting the theme of the senselessness of war through harrowing and highly graphic scenes of violence and bloodshed. The corrupt nature of the local confederate government is also established, giving credence to Knight’s grievances.

However, what starts out as insightful This epic historical war drama explores the and engaging gradually sours into little known story of Newton Knight, a poor an insipid history lesson owing to the film’s Mississippi farmer who served as a medic in the excessive running time and the cramped nature American Civil War in 1862. of events in the second half.

Knight refused to fight for a cause which he Matthew McConaughey delivers an admirable did not believe in. He deserted and along performance as the righteous Knight, with fugitive slaves and fellow farmers formed but prolonged monologues also detract, an armed rebellion against the confederacy compounding the tedium. (MMo) in Jones County, Mississippi. He gradually WW1/2

Blood Father

Mel Gibson’s latest starring role in Blood Father is the first sign of a comeback from the former Hollywood megastar. After a few turbulent years, Mel is once again gracing the big screen with the easy charm and quick wit that made fans fall in love with him in the Lethal Weapon franchise.

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The fast-paced action, packed full of Mexican drug lords, motorcycle chases and thrilling shoot-outs, is thankfully anchored to reality by a believable plot line.

The film owes a lot to its stellar behind-the-scenes line-up, with César-winning French director JeanFrançois Richet at the helm, and with Straight Outta Compton’s Andrea Berloff and The Town’s Peter Craig on the script.

The only area it falls down is in Erin Moriarty’s vanilla portrayal of a good-girl-gone-bad on the run from the Mexican Mafia. Despite being likeable, her character is riddled with outdated stereotypes and, ultimately, nothing we haven’t seen a million times before. (CB) WWW

The eagerly anticipated 60th anniversary production of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady launches at the Sydney Opera House with a stellar cast.

With several years of meticulous research behind it, this recreation of the original 1956 production is further authenticated under the direction of Julie Andrews, the original Eliza Doolittle.

Cast as the leading lady in this production, Australia’s international musical theatre darling Anna O’Byrne (Love Never Dies, The Phantom of the Opera) is absolutely thrilled.

“I’m still sort of thinking ‘pinch me!’ this is all very surreal,” she told the City Hub. With Andrews being present from the very first auditions for the “mammoth role”, O’Byrne said the star was meticulous and has had a lot of wisdom to share – “I’ve just been playing sponge,” she said.

O’Byrne is under no illusions about the challenge this role poses: “I think the stamina of the role is going to be really challenging… The source material is the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, so it’s just the most amazing play [with] a lot of dialogue,

Anna O’Byrne.

Photo by Brian Geach

Shadow Dancers.

Photo: Emmanuel Donny

Internationally acclaimed dance troupe, Pilobolus, took nine months to create their latest production, Shadowland. The first theatrical event of its kind to ever tour the world, their upcoming national tour will treat audiences to a mix of improvisational dance and even circus routines.

The evening long performance will also include multiple moving screens of different sizes and shapes, the projected images will compliment

Shadowland

the front of screen choreography.

Pilobolus dancer, Jake Warren, said: “Shadowland started on the principle of collaboration and getting rid of all of the confines of modern dance. I think it’s really maintained that sort of spirit, it’s all about having fun.”

Warren said the rehearsal schedule was highly intensive: “We rehearsed every single day, for at least a couple of hours. It took me about two weeks of rehearsal to get into the show completely, the show itself requires a whole lot of pretty strange muscular commitment, things that normal dancers don’t really do, that we have to do to achieve the proper shape. They could definitely take their toll if you’re not careful.”

Pilobulus was founded in 1971 by a group of students at Dartmouth University. Renowned for breaking barriers of creative disciplines, they have since performed 120 pieces to more than 65 countries, including features at the 79th Academy Awards, Ellen and Oprah. (GF) Sep 2–4, evenings & matinees.

State Theatre, 49 Market St, Sydney. $79.90-$110.90.

Tickets & info: www.statetheatre.com.au

and then there’s this just glorious score with five amazing, huge songs for Eliza, some of them are almost operatic arias, they’re very challenging…”

With operatic training and other iconic roles to her credit, O’Byrne is well prepared.

“It’s going to be beautiful. Julie [Andrews] said that when people saw [My Fair Lady] initially they just lost their minds... but from what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s going to have the same effect on people.” (AM) Until Nov 4, varied performance times.

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. From $89.90.Tickets & info: www.myfairladymusical.com.au

David Brent: Life on the Road It’s 12 years on and Britain’s most loved farcical television character David Brent (from The Office) finally returns in this hilarious mockumentary which should have audiences laughing out loud.

British comedic genius Ricky Gervais, who is credited as producer, director and writer, also stars in this eagerly awaited comedy which sees socially inept Brent assemble a band and embark on a self-funded road trip chasing his dream of becoming a recording rock-and-roll star.

Brent has his embarrassing ‘journey to stardom’ filmed as a documentary, which hysterically details the trials and tribulations in attempting to achieve his dream. The hired band detest his pretentious and arrogant persona and the few spectators who attend are perturbed and disengaged by the disparaging lyrics of his songs.

Nothing is sacred in Brent’s hilarious but cringeworthy songs which exploit sex, dying children, the handicapped and ethnic minorities,

but they shouldn’t offend owing to Brent’s naivety and cheeky delivery.

This film delves much deeper into Brent’s character – is he a cool and talented singer/ songwriter or is he just an egotistical attention seeker on an impossible quest defamed by his excruciating behaviour on and off stage?

Audience’s emotions may be momentarily challenged in the final moments of the film when reality sets in for Brent, and also as a universal message is appropriately conveyed.

(MMo)

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Nerve

When you look at crazes like “planking” and the hysteria of Pokemon Go, it’s not hard to accept the premise behind Nerve, the new internet based thriller from directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost.

“Nerve” is a social game app in which participants are either Watchers or Players.

Players are given challenges by Watchers – anything from eating dog food to dangling from a crane – for which the incentive is instant cash and accumulation of fans (Watchers). Winners progress to the finals through a process of elimination (bail or fail).

It has the potential to be an adrenalin-pumping, psychological suspense with insightful social commentary. Instead it feels more like a sentimental teen flick trying hard to be edgy.

Given the plot, it is surprisingly slow moving.

The “dares” given to Players are not very imaginative. The dialogue and relationships push credibility more than the action does.

The soundtrack is a diverse mix of pop tunes and the New York City backdrop and computer graphic imitations make it visually interesting – although it is shamelessly peppered with product placement.

Overall Nerve is a fail. (RB)

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THE NAKED CITY

NUEVO MONDO LINGO – MATE! With Coffin Ed, Miss Death and Jay Katz Traditionally speaking,Australians always have congratulated themselves on the number of good old slang words and expressions that pepper our vocabulary. So when the Oxford Dictionary announces that it will be adding a couple of hundred well worn ‘Aussie’ venacularisms to their Australian Dictionary online, it’s a real cause for celebration.

Words such as ‘saltie’ (a salt water crododile), ‘mugaccino’ (a large cappuccino), ‘sanger’ (a sausage) and ‘shornie’ (a newly shorn sheep) have joined colourful phrases like “dry as dry as a dead dingo’s donger” in what will eventually be a collection of some 2,000 words, definitions and phrases supposedly unique to Australian English. Whilst we view these dinky di expressions as very much a part of our cultural heritage, compared to other countries our lexicon of jargon is not all that expansive. Check out the Urban Dictionary on line and you’ll soon see that the ‘Yanks’ have a myriad of vibrant and at times highly questionable slang words, numbering well into the hundreds of thousands.

Part of the problem here in matching our American cousins (from whom a lot of current slang is appropriated anyway), is our failure to embrace the rich treasure house of multicultural slang that millions of immigrants have brought to this country.

Most of it remains closeted in languages such as Greek, Italian, Vietnamese and Arabic, all which are rich in their own lively slang terms and quirky phrases. There’s been little crossover into the broader Auspeak, unlike America where for example Italian, Latino and Afro-American slang are major contributors to the broader tongue.

There’s also the problem that much of our colourful language is being lost to a generation that embraces the monosyllabic world of texting, twitter and social media in general – not to mention those wretched ‘click on me’ online news feeds. With this in mind we dutifully suggest a selection of creative new and

rekindled Australianisms to counter the onslaught of the nouveau illiteracy.

PAINTING THE PAVEMENT WITH A PRO HART: A variation of the original “Painting The Pavement With A Picasso” which described the type of mess you make when you regurgitate a kebab or two on Darlinghurst Road in the early

Curated by Talia Linz and Alexie Glass-Kantor, installation view, Artspace, Sydney.

Photo: Jessica Maurer

hours of the morning. Who could forget those great action paintings perpetrated by the late Pro Hart, many of which resembled a glorious technicolour chunder.

LIKE LEAVING THE PORCH LIGHT ON FOR HAROLD HOLT: The legendary Rugby League coach Jack Gibson is credited with this immortal description of all things futile and overly optimistic.

AN ICE BLOCK: A block of public housing apartments which houses a number of drug dealers selling predominantly ‘ice’.

THE WIBBLY WOBBLIES: Either a new dance craze or something Mathias Corman attributed to Bill Shorten.

CHUCKING A CLOVER: When somebody decides to spend an outrageous amount of money on a grossly ostentatious party or celebration.

BACK OF THE BOURKE STREET BICYCLE PATH: A phrase to describe an area so remote, desolate and devoid of humans that it could almost be on Mars.

POKIES: No longer a gambling reference, but now a term for those thousands of mindless office workers who chase Pokermons during their lunch hour.

MORTON BAY BUG: More likely to be something planted

by ASIO than a lobster from Queensland.

GONE TO GILLIGANS: An obvious reference to that grassy patch in Taylor Square where many an afternoon has been spent sleeping it off after one too many visits to the Courthouse bottleshop. These days it could describe an extended nap or period of somewhat blissful disorientation.

And finally, forget about that bloody “Dead Dingo’s Donger” – the new catchphrase is: AS DRY AS A DISHLICKERS DOGGIE DISH: When Greyhound Racing in NSW finishes next year there’ll be no more Pal or even possum in the racing dog’s food bowl.

The Public Body .01

Artspace Gallery’s new major exhibition is the first installation of three distinct yet interrelated exhibitions exploring various facets of the notion of the public body.

“The Public Body .01 deals very much with the contemporary moment and is particularly focussed around the naked and/or sexualised body,” co-curator Talia Linz told the City Hub. “The artists and the work…have been selected particularly because they question the kind of bodies that are privileged in mainstream representation…to expose biases that have been normalised,” said Linz.

The current exhibition features a breadth of work from Australian and international, established and emerging artists and includes a variety of forms from video installations to ceramics and sculpture, to photography and mixed media tapestries.

One of the central pieces is a 59-minute video work by artists A.K. Burns and A.L. Steiner about reimagining what sex can be and representing non-normative bodies.

“They tap into a lineage of experimental queer film, and it’s a work about inclusiveness and generosity and expansive view about what sex is,” said Linz. “…It’s a work that hasn’t been seen before in Sydney so we’re really proud to be presenting it.”

A floor work of photographs with a slippery surface prompts audiences to slow down and be deliberate in their walking pace.An example of how Linz and co-curator Alexie Glass-Cantor also sought to “change the way that people think about bodies and feel in their body in the space” in the curation of The Public Body .01. (AM) Until Oct 23 (Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm). Artspace, 43-51 Cowper Wharf Road, Wolloomooloo. Free. Info: www.artspace.org.au

Dean Bowen – Currawong It may seem unusual for a professional artist to look for inspiration among the primitive works of the untrained artist, but Dean Bowen admits to being very influenced by outsider art.

His latest exhibition, Currawong, is a collection of around 40 works, mostly oil paintings, and they all display a simplicity and cartoon-like quality that could almost be deemed “naive”.

“They’re very quirky and they’re very graphic… Humour is very important to me. Humour and optimism,” said Bowen.

As a case in point, Bowen describes one of the few sculptures in the exhibition. It’s a bronze echidna with a very long snout, and he has called it “Pinochinose”.

Thematically, Bowen’s paintings have a strong sense of the Australian landscape and predominantly feature native animals.

The current exhibition includes many paintings of native birds (Bowen randomly chose the title Currawong.) Although they seem humorous and simple, Bowen says there is meaning and depth in his paintings: “I am drawn to the natural world and there’s also commentary in my work about sustaining the environment and our responsibility to the environment and the welfare of animals as well.”

The works are composed of bold shapes and colours with unrealistic depictions of animals, yet they have a certain sensitivity.

“They have personality and emotion and there’s an overlap with human emotion…”

Bowen explained. (RB) Aug 17–Sep 3. Arthouse Gallery, 66 McLachlan Ave, Rushcutters Bay. FREE. Info: www.arthousegallery.com.au or (02) 9332 1019

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By Jamie Apps A large number of readers may recognise Emma Pask’s name from her stint on television’s The Voice in 2013, but there is much more to this prodigious talent than being just another manufactured reality television star.

Emma has been performing for over 20 years now and recalls how naive she was in the beginning. “I never knew it was even possible to do this for a living so I’m so appreciative to be doing what I love,” she said.

Throughout her career Pask has had some incredible milestone moments such as performing in London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra, in China with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and one show which particularly stands out in her memory was “singing the national anthem to Princess Di when she came out to Sydney in the late 90’s”.

Despite these big moments in her career Emma explained how important playing in more boutique jazz clubs is to her. “It doesn’t need to be the big momentous occasions, sometimes it can be really small jazz clubs where all the small details align dynamically and musically that everything works out fantastically, which leaves you on the biggest high after a gig.”

It is this exact sensation that Emma and pianist

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Fast, raw and hardcore. Incentives’ EP Dusk will rip through the listeners’ insides in a matter of seconds.

This is not a genre for everyone but fans of this one will find what they are looking for in the all too short 20 minutes of this heart clenching, ear bleeding, double kicking band.

There is only a brief break from the madness when the yearning singer adds to the overall feeling of intensity and stunned silence from the invaded central nervous system of the listener.

The best response is a mad thrashing, the sound crashing into the ears, bypassing the brain and heart and rushing out of the limbs equally as fast, throwing them all over the room.

Without warning the EP ends as strongly as it begins, leaving its listeners in a shockingly still wake. (SP) WW1/2

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Close on the heels of her critically successful debut album, Pull Up Your Britches, comes a second helping of southern gothic/blues/ Americana/undefined from Australian songwriter Leanne Tennant.

Red Wine, Late Nights provides the languor and mystique suggested by the title. The sparse instrumentation and spatial production gives the album overall a loose, ethereal feel. Tennant’s voice is rightly given plenty of space, uncluttered by effects. It is rich and dreamy yet also ominous.

Her lyrics are rustic and folklorish, honest and sinister.

‘The Pages Are Still White’ is a melancholy duet with Luke Daniel Bird whose raspy dry voice adds contrast to Tennant’s mellow sound.

This is a reflective album with a textured landscape that needs to be listened to with a glass of red wine, late at night. (RB) WWW1/2

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Kevin Hunt hope to capture tonight with their performance at the Camelot Lounge in Marrickville.

“With all the camels in there it’s such an eclectically quirky venue. We love that it’s a club that’s not particularly on your route to anywhere, you’re not going to be walking past and stumble in, you have to specifically be going there to check out the music,” explained Pask.

“As an artist that’s such a great thing because you can tell that the people have made the effort to come see you play live and for the venue to be so full most nights of the week is a testament to it being such a great venue.”

The duo head into this show with very little planned, “we have a general idea of what we’re going to play but our repertoire also allows us to take requests and do quirky little arrangements on the spot.”

Sep 1. Camelot Lounge, 19 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. $27.90.

Tickets & info: www.camelotlounge.com

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Sarah Mary Chadwick: With an unflinching approach to songwriting Sarah Mary Chadwick introduces complex, often difficult subject matter such as memory, grief and personal analysis in a way that few songwriters are capable of.

Sat, Sep 3, Newtown Social Club Twelve Foot Ninja: After this show the band will immediately jet off to the USA, where they will be travelling and playing festivals alongside bands such as Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones, Alice In Chains and Slayer. So don’t miss your chance to catch them locally.

Sat, Sep 3, Bald Faced Stag West Thebarton Brothel Party: After being named in multiple One’s To Watch lists,West Thebarton Brothel Party have not disappointed.

The last six months have seen the Adelaide 7-piece release their single ‘Red Or White’ to critical praise and significant national and community radio play.

Sun, Sep 4, King Street Crawl Sato & The Romantics: Japanese/American violin star Shunske Sato will lead the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra into some rarely visited territory – historically informed Romantic music by giants of the genre Mendelssohn, Grieg and the rarely heard violin concerto by Pagianini, all performed on gut strings.

Wed, Sep 7, City Recital Hall

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Palace Of The King: This band brings their signature blistering and energetic rock-n-roll sound to Sydney tonight as they celebrate the recent release of their album Valles Marineris.

Thu, Sep 1, Frankie’s Pizza Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds: Summoning the Mexican muse of The Great Spider Goddess of Teoticuhan, who sprouts hallucinogenic morning glories and protects the underworld, or in Kid’s eyes, the world of underground music.

Thu, Sep 1, Oxford Art Factory As A Rival: Fast becoming one of the most hard-hitting, hardworking, explosive live bands on the Australian punk rock scene, this band continue to deliver upon their unrelenting live shows, clearing the bar they continue to raise with ease.

Fri, Sep 2, Valve Gabriella Cohen: A recent arrival to the Melbourne music scene after relocating from Brisbane at the end of 2015, Cohen has quickly established herself as a brooding storm dressed in silk, gaining welldeserved attention with her vivacious live shows that mesmerise audiences into surrender.

Fri, Sep 2, Brighton Up Bar

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