Inner West Independent 13 February 2014

Getting down to small business

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Tackling the problem

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YOUR FREE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER

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january 13, 2014

Mayor will contest Balmain preselection

changing ROOMS Artist Clarrice Collien and Roomies co-director Anne Kwasner

Sydney’s most comprehensive What’s On guide

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By Michael Koziol There will be very few raised eyebrows in Leichhardt after Darcy Byrne confirmed on Tuesday that he would seek Labor preselection for the state seat of Balmain.

Cr Byrne, who has been mayor since September 2012, was long thought to be planning a move to state parliament.

If successful in the community preselection, he will take on former Leichhardt mayor Jamie Parker, who won Balmain from Verity Firth in 2011 and became the first Greens MP to enter the NSW lower house.

While the preselection rules have not been confirmed, it is expected that ALP members and community members will be given a 50/50 weighting. The community preselection process is being trialled by NSW Labor in the electorates of Balmain, Newtown, Strathfield, Campbelltown and Londonderry.

Cr Byrne previously served as the national convenor for Labor Renewal, a campaign in support of the Bracks, Carr and Faulkner reforms designed to make the party more democratic and open.

“In this campaign Labor’s candidate will be chosen in the back streets of Balmain instead of the back rooms of Sussex Street,” he said of the community preselection.

Cr Byrne named 30-minute free parking and childcare among the crowning achievements of his mayoral tenure.

“As Mayor I’ve delivered funding for new childcare centres, built new sporting fields and playgrounds but this is not being matched by action at the state level,” he said. “I am seeking the support of our community to force the state government to start delivering for them.”

Cr Byrne has a steely reputation within Labor’s Left faction as a no-nonsense operator and a crusader against entrenched power systems in the party. While he is a supporter of community preselections, one may not eventuate in Balmain unless he has a challenger. The Inner West Independent understands Verity Firth

may also contest the preselection, but was unable to reach her for comment.

Sitting MP Jamie Parker declined to nominate which candidate he would prefer to run against, but said Labor was still on the nose.

“I understand why so many people couldn’t vote for Labor at the last election and unfortunately those reasons haven’t changed,” he said.

“Even in opposition, NSW Labor has supported Packer’s casino, supported the Liberals’ attacks on live music and culture, and failed to stand up for public transport.”

Speaking to the Inner West Independent, Cr Byrne said he expected to face a preselection battle and welcomed the challenge.

“I think it’s an exciting opportunity to give local people a reason to believe again and to give ordinary people a real say,” he said.

“Obviously I have no control over who else nominates [but] I am running because I’m the best candidate to win the seat back for Labor.”

Cr Byrne would not rule out recontesting the mayoralty in September and said he stands by comments made at the previous mayoral election, which indicated Labor had agreed to a power-sharing deal with the Greens to hand over the positions of mayor and deputy mayor this year.

“I don’t think this [preselection decision] has any bearing upon back room agreements at Leichhardt Council,” Cr Byrne said.

He argued the Balmain community was being taken for granted by politicians in Macquarie Street.

“Our current representatives in the parliament are not forcing the government to deliver,” Cr Byrne said.

“I’ll do the same thing as I’ve done at council which is build coalitions and alliances...my intention is to continue to crash through bureaucracy and deliver what the local people need.” >> Labor’s rift over Newtown, p8

making the upgrade and about 95 per cent of terminals are now chip.”

According to an article on APARC’s website, “councils that operate non-EMV compliant meters will be liable for any losses incurred in the event that an EMV chip card is used at a non-EMV-capable terminal, and the resulting transaction is determined to be counterfeit fraud. In addition, if a consumer receives an infringement for an overstay or nonpayment, legally they do not have to pay it.”

In a draft letter to the Australian Competitor and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne said there was no other viable choice for maintaining credit card-compatible parking meters.

“The only alternate option is to close the credit card reader slot to allow ‘coin only’ use which is a backward step from a revenue and user perspective,” the letter stated.

“The card schemes are using this power to

Photo: Michael Koziol

BY JOHN GOODING Motorists could benefit from free parking if Leichhardt Council fails to upgrade its parking metres to comply with the latest credit card technology.

The council claims it is being pressured by credit card companies Visa and MasterCard into upgrading 139 parking meters across the council area at a cost of more than $450,000.

Leichhardt parking meters, of which the majority were installed

by Australian Parking and Revenue Control (APARC), currently use the magnetic strip on credit cards instead of the chip. Visa and MasterCard, along with European card provider Europay, are attempting to standardise the use of the chip.

“Visa is moving from magstripe to EMV chip technology as part of a broader security plan announced in 2009,” said Judy Shaw, Head of Corporate Relations for Visa in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

“All businesses across Australia have been

Fines waived if a machine won’t accept your credit card

pass on costs to Councils and others, and the ACCC may also deem this behaviour to be ‘unconscionable conduct’.”

Under Australian Consumer Laws businesses cannot engage in unconscionable conduct, and may face fines or have contracts voided if they do so. The practice does not have an exact legal definition but according to the ACCC it can involve “the use of undue influence, pressure or unfair tactics by the stronger party”.

Leichhardt Council awarded the contract to APARC to install the parking meters in 2010.

The neighbouring City of Sydney Council, which has more than a thousand parking meters, will not be fighting the changes.

According to a committee report from December of last year, the deadline for all City of Sydney parking meters to be EMVcompliant is April of this year. The same report also details the upgrading of some 250 machines.

MasterCard did not respond to requests for comment.

BY MICHAEL KOZIOL A creative space in Marrickville for artists with mental illness will close down and seek a new home following a decision by the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre (NNC) to cease its formal relationship with the program.

Roomies Artspace is currently set up under the auspices of the NNC, which runs a range of programs for residents in boarding houses, explains director Anne Kwasner.

“Some of the people participating in [those programs] were quite serious about their art and needed more opportunities,” she said.

With co-director Natalie McCarthy, she set about finding a studio specifically for producing visual art that was affordable and accessible for boarding house residents. That space was Hut 43, at the Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville.

Operating under the auspices of the NNC, the space was rented with the help of the community and Terry Cutcliffe of the Addision Road Art Centre. Roomies Artspace survived on individual grant funding, most recently from state government body Arts NSW. “It’s a grant that enabled us to open our doors to different artists in the area with disabilities [and] to provide workshops,” Ms Kwasner said.

It also allowed Roomies to put on exhibitions at the nearby Westside Gallery and the Damien Minton Gallery in Redfern. About 25 artists have come through their doors since the space opened up in 2006, and it has won two awards for services in mental health.

The name was suggested by boarding house residents, who call themselves “roomies”.

Ms Kwasner is understanding about the decision to stop funding and is optimistic about the future.

Photo: Chris Peken

Council picks a fight on credit Time’s up for Roomies Artspace

Clarrice Collien & Anne Kwasner

“The Newtown Neighbourhood Centre haven’t found funding for it on an ongoing basis and their focus really is homelessness,” she said.

“It’s a hard decision but we also feel it’s right for us because our model doesn’t fit directly into the community centre. Financially, we have to find a space and we have to try to find some seed funding so we can grow.”

Carol Hamilton, community linking project manager at the NNC, said it was incredibly difficult to keep generating income for the program.

“The neighbourhood centre really needs to be looking at where its priorities are,” she said.

Ms Hamilton said the space itself was becoming harder to access for the boarding house residents to access as they get older.

Residents will still get to practise their crafts as part of the NNC’s own program at the Tom Foster Community Centre in Newtown, from which the Roomies Artspace originated. It is hoped that Roomies will be able to organise and fund exhibitions as an independent entity.

Spotlight on small business survival Published fortnightly and distributed to residents in Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Balmain, Annandale and Rozelle.

Distribution enquiries call 9212 5677. Published by the Alternative Media Group of Australia. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of content, The Independent takes no responsibility for inadvertent errors or omissions.

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By MICHAEL KOZIOL Efforts to reboot the ailing small business sector will intensify this month with a number of initiatives to assist innovation and growth.

A “Better Business Community Hub” will be established today, Thursday, at Leichhardt Town Hall, where business operators can interact face-to-face with expert advisors. The initiative is a partnership between Leichhardt Council and the Clearly Business Enterprise Centre (BEC). If there is sufficient interest, the hub will become a fortnightly event.

Next Wednesday, February 19, will see the launch of an inner west chapter of Business Networking International, “the largest referral based business networking organisation on the planet”. In 2013, the Australian chapter claims to have passed on 98,130 referrals, generating $256.6 million worth of business for members.

The Small Biz Bus, another NSW government initiative, will roll into Balmain on February 26. The travelling bus proffers another opportunity for business owners to seek out personalised advice, and will be parked outside Woolworths on Darling Street from 9am to 3pm.

David Baumgarten, chief executive of the Sydney Metro BEC, said today’s event will allow business owners to sit down with a real person for advice.

“It’s about helping people identify their goals [and] where they want to take their business and to hold them accountable to achieve those outcomes,” he said.

“One of the issues is that small businesses basically don’t know what they need until they actually come up against a brick wall.”

Mr Baumgarten said his organisation was conscious of the particular problems faced by high street shops in the inner west.

“We’re working in a society where people will travel to get to a destination business,” he said.

“People go all over the inner west to get to a particular client.”

Earlier in the week, a power breakfast for women in business was hosted at the Exchange Hotel, Balmain. SHE Business describes itself as the fastest-growing

network of female business leaders in Australia and aims to educate, mentor and inspire women on their path to business success.

Monica Brewer, inner west director of SHE Business, made it clear the group’s purpose is not networking. Rather, participants at the monthly meetings work on aspects of their business, producing marketing plans, budgets, and strategic documents.

“The networks happen because people get to know each other at a deeper level, but they don’t come to network,” Ms Brewer said.

The initial breakfast meeting on Tuesday attracted 22 women and was addressed by SHE Business CEO Suzy Jacobs. The group’s members will meet on the second Tuesday of every month and are held “accountable” to each other

Mardi O’Donnell, Monica Brewer and Rebecca Saunders in Balmain

on achieving their goals.

Ms Brewer acknowledged rent as a major issue facing inner west small businesses, but told owners it was vital they know their numbers “very, very well”.

“Most people tap into their numbers once a year. Perhaps they could afford the higher rent if they knew where else they were spending their money,” she said.

The Balmain group contains women from a wide range of industries, including a marketer, wholesale jeweler, dietician, and an image consultant. She Business consciously ensures a mixed background in all of their groups.

“It keeps a robust conversation around the room; you get value from sitting next to an accountant a graphic designer – they all think differently,” Ms Brewer said.

It is an important time for small business owners to learn to share, said Fiona Golinelli, executive officer of the Leichhardt Annandale Business Chamber.

“The small business community needs to collaborate more,” she told the Inner West Independent.

“If you’ve got a great service, if you’ve got a great deliverable… then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Sharing ideas shouldn’t be something that they’re afraid to do.”

The chamber will conduct its own networking event on February 18 at Aerocom Technology in Petersham from 6pm.

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Scoring a try for South Marrickville A rainbow of love

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to work with kids like these.”

The program targets children through to young adults from the South Marrickville area, like 8-year-old Arthur Walford and his 10-year-old sister Deborah.

“I like that we play touch football,” Arthur said, before running back to join the game.

Tanika Perry South Cares’ Indigenous Community Support Officer, said the program provides a healthy start to the day and has a

beneficial social inclusion element.

“We come here at six thirty and the kids get involved in different activities. At the end of it PCYC put on a breakfast for the kids and then they get a lift to school,” Ms Perry said.

“A few of the kids here don’t go to school much. We’re making sure that we, as the Rabbitohs, push the message that school is important.”

Ms Perry said the Marrickville Souths Breakfast Club is part

Photo: Chris Peken

BY PAUL GREGOIRE South Sydney Rabbitohs firstgrader Tulsa Saumanao is a fitness trainer for the Marrickville Souths Breakfast Club, a program that is helping disadvantaged youth in South Marrickville.

A joint venture by Marrickville Council, Rabbitohs NRL ‘South Cares’ program and other partners, the program consists of three under-20s Rabbitohs players training kids at the local PCYC. Mr Saumanao is an 18-year-old from New Zealand, who trains with the Rabbitohs first grade team and attends TAFE. He is a natural teacher and exhibits a great rapport with the kids.

“I thought it was going to be hard. I thought they wouldn’t listen to me but it’s better than I thought,” Mr Saumanao said.

“When I was a kid I was really shy but now sport has helped me to be more out there. I know what it’s like to be a shy kid.”

The program allows Mr Saumanao to help disadvantaged students, which is an opportunity for him to take a step in the direction of his goal to become a social worker.

“I wanted to get involved because I wanted to give back to the community and I told people I want to be a social worker,” Mr Saumanao said.

“They choose people but I sort of put my hand up to do it. I want

Rabbitohs Tulsa Saumanao passing the ball to Deborah Walford

of Dream, Believe, Achieve an initiative by South Cares, which seeks to help local disadvantaged youth with health, truancy and unemployment issues.

“I always say, we’re the vehicle to help them along their journey.

Then it’s up to them.”

Marrickville Mayor Jo Haylen along with Rabbitohs player Rhys Wesser launched the ten-week program that began February 4.

Ms Haylen said the South Marrickville community would benefit from the program and praised Central Sydney GP Network for the funding they provided.

“We know lots of the kids in South Marrickville do it pretty tough and this means we’re tackling problems like bad school attendance and unhealthy lifestyle habits,” she said.

“Particularly we should thank the Central Sydney GP Network.

They’re a bunch of local GPs and they’ve given us over $13,000 to pay for the food.”

Evonne Loukas Marrickville High School learning and support teacher, said the program is important because it targets aspects of students’ lives that schools can’t regulate.

“In terms of success at school it has to incorporate a lot of factors out of schools’ controls in terms of sleeping well, exercise and having good food,” Ms Loukas said.

BY GEORGIA FULLERTON In the lead up to this year’s Mardi Gras, Leichhardt council will host ‘Feel The Love Leichhardt’, on February 12.

The reception, now in its second year, will feature guest speakers at Council’s administration building.

Chair of Leichhardt LGBTIQ, Teresa Savage, said: “Leichhardt has a proud LGBTQI history, with many members of the lesbian community settling there from the 1970s onward.

Feel the Love will explore local issues for children from LGBTQI families and discuss the particular needs of the older community.”

“Our aim is to make Leichhardt a happy, safe and positive place for LGBTQI people to live, work and visit, and to provide advice to Leichhardt Council and the local community on LGBTQI issues.

The LGBTQI Action Group was formed after last year’s Feel The Love event.

Ms. Savage said: “We are very pleased that Leichhardt Council is so supportive of the local LGBTQI community, and

hope to continue our work in partnership for many years to come.”

The event is also an effort to expand the Mardi Gras Festival to the Inner West community.

Guest Speaker Curtis Dickson will be speaking from a youth perspective on the night: “The speakers at the reception are each representing different aspects of the LGBTIQ community in Leichhardt, I’m going to speak about the importance of affordable housing in Leichhardt for students and young workers.

“There’s a real attraction for LGBTIQ people to live in a suburb like this: it’s relatively safe and yet close to many of the services that LGBTIQ people need like health services, community groups and support networks - as well as our places of work or study. But it’s getting harder for young people to be able to afford housing in the Inner West.”

Mr Dickson said: “I hope my speech will inspire people to think about creative ways to address the issue of affordable housing in Leichhardt and the surrounding suburbs.”

Ten years on, seeking justice for TJ Jamie Jackson Reed wins costs

BY TRIANA O’KEEFE wheel of his bike. The boy was was a police action and without thrown from his vehicle and became impaled on the spiked fence.

The reactions at the time of his death spoke volumes about the failure of black-white relations.

Forty police were injured in subsequent street riots by dozens of young Aboriginals who were urged on by what they could see as a battle of race.

The state coroner, John Abernethy, delayed his verdict on the Hickey death, acknowledging that “rushed justice is no justice”.

However, Elizabeth Fullerton, SC, believed that police did not contribute directly or indirectly to TJ’s death.

TJ’s mother, Gail Hickey, says she wants “no more excuses, no more denials”.

“There was a pursuit, there

Photo: Peter Robson / National Indigenous Times

For ten long years the family of Indigenous Australian TJ Hickey have been campaigning for the justice and proper legal punishment of those responsible for his untimely death. They have stood their ground and, now with heavy hearts, prepare for the tenth anniversary rally and march.

On February 14, 2004, 17-yearold TJ Hickey died of wounds after he became impaled on a spiked fence in Redfern.

Redfern police were on active patrol that morning in search of a bag-snatcher. TJ was recognised by a Redfern officer as the young man had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

TJ sped off in an attempt to evade the officer but was confronted by another patrol vehicle which rammed the back

Parents Gail Hickey, second from left, and Ian West, right, in 2011

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that police action, TJ would be near 27 years old today,” she said.

The Hickey family, along with their supporters, including the Indigenous Social Justice Association (ISJA), are once again presenting their One Demand.

“We want the plaque, donated by the UTS students, to finally affix to the fence line,” Ms Hickey said.

Ray Jackson, president of the ISJA, called for an apology.

“Along with this small concession we are asking that the NSW parliament must apologise to Gail and the family for TJ’s unlawful killing and the harassment that the family have been subjected to after the tragedy,” he said.

On Friday, February 14, a rally will congregate at the fence line on which TJ was impaled ten years ago, near Phillip and George Streets in Redfern. It will commence at 10.30am and the group will then march to Parliament House on Macquarie Street.

“This time we will not just be marching for justice for TJ, but we don’t want useless promises of reviews, more papers and so on,” Mr Jackson said.

“We are demanding concrete actions that ensure us that the campaign is progressing in a satisfactory manner for the Hickey family.”

BY JUSTIN PEN Police have dropped all charges against Jamie Jackson Reed, regarding allegations that the 18-year-old used offensive language, resisted arrest, and assaulted two officers during last year’s Mardi Gras festival.

The withdrawal of charges, and allegations of police brutality and violence, coincides with proposed increases to police powers.

Magistrate Michael Barko dismissed the police case on February 6 and awarded Reed costs amounting to $39,000. Similar charges laid against gay activist Bryn Hutchinson for allegedly assaulting police during last year’s Mardi Gras were dismissed last November.

Video footage of the event depicts Constable Leon Meoxis slamming Reed, already handcuffed, on to the pavement.

NSW independent member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, welcomed the court’s decision.

“It is clear that the LGBTI community will never again accept abuse and discrimination,” he said. ” “More work needs to be done, and the outcome of this case proves the need for an independent police complaints body.”

Greenwich’s comments echo calls made last year by Greens MLC David Shoebridge.

“The UK and Northern Ireland have reformed their system and established a single independent oversight body,” Shoebridge said, shortly after reports of police violence at last year’s parade.

“If the NSW public is to retain confidence in the oversight of police, this is the model that NSW must adopt.”

Magistrate Barko asserted that Reed had been “brutalised” by the constable. Earlier last year, Meoxis faced Police Integrity Commission investigation over a separate incident during which the constable allegedly used excessive force during an arrest.

Awarded costs of $39,000: Jamie Jackson Reed

It is uncertain, though not unlikely, that Reed will sue for damages resulting from injuries sustained last year.

In another recent case the NSW Police Force was ordered to pay $243,591 in damages to student Rachel Gardner. Gardner’s knee was fractured by acting Sergeant Craig Sands following an altercation between a transit officer and two tourist friends.

Despite these controversial reports of police violence, recent laws to combat alcohol-fuelled violence in the CBD are set to increase police powers.

Among the raft of amendments, fines for public order offences fines, have increased from $200 to $500. Further, fines for failing to comply with “move on” orders from police are set to rise from $200 to $1,100.

Additonal provisions, proposed for March, would attach a mandatory minimum sentence of two years imprisonment for assault on a police officer.

BY MICHAEL KOZIOL Labor’s upper house leader Luke Foley has poured scorn over suggestions he is running former staffers for preselection in the seat of Newtown to help shore up his numbers in parliament.

Environmentalist Felicity Wade and town planner Sean Macken have entered what is fast becoming a crowded field for the newlycreated electorate of Newtown, which along with Summer Hill will replace the abolished seat of Marrickville. Both Mr Macken and Ms Wade have previously worked for Mr Foley.

Sitting MLC Penny Sharpe will also contest the Labor preselection and is considered to be the frontrunning candidate. But she will face a tough contest in what ABC analyst Antony Green has declared a notional Greens seat with a margin of more than four per cent.

“I have the highest regard for each of them; Penny, Sean and Felicity,” Mr Foley said.

“They have all made a decision to run of their own accord. And I know that none of them would want the kiss of death that would accompany an endorsement from me.”

Mr Foley covets the job of Labor leader, but is facing growing resistance from within his own faction. One NSW Left source, who is a delegate to state conference, this week delivered an

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extraordinary tirade against the upper house leader.

“A few eyebrows have been raised that two of his staffers are running for this inner-city seat,” he said.

“He has the support of the executive of the Left but he no longer has the support of the membership of the Left, and he no longer has the support of the unions.”

The bigger game is preselection for the party’s Legislative Council ticket ahead of the 2015 state election. Preselection is typically

controlled by the executive but it can be pushed to a vote at state conference. Labor’s low polling numbers mean there is increased pressure for candidates to be further up the faction’s pecking order, in order to secure their election. The Left source said he believed Mr Foley was attempting to negotiate a deal with deputy opposition whip Linda Voltz to secure the number one and two spots on the Left’s ticket.

“If it gets put to vote, you’d struggle to imagine circumstances where Luke and Linda could carry

‘They wouldn’t the kiss of death’: Labor upper house leader Luke Foley

the room - Luke because he’s a rat and Linda because she’s a waste of space,” the source said. He went on to suggest there were plans being hatched to revolt against the MLC, who is the shadow minister for both environment and infrastructure.

“There is a contingent of left-wingers who are in constant dialogue over what to do about Luke Foley.”

Mr Foley denied he was negotiating a deal with Ms Voltz and said “the system doesn’t work that way”.

“I confirm that I intend to contest Labor’s upper house preselection whenever it is called.”

Another senior member of the Left said there was no agenda surrounding the Newtown preselection, only a demonstration of Labor’s wide pool of talent.

“It’s great if we have a range of competent candidates, which we have,” the source said.

“I think that everyone who’s nominated so far has nominated because they believe that they give Labor its best chance.”

Policy debates continue to rage about passionate issues within the Left, but are not focused on any particular member, the source said.

“Whenever there’s a preselection there’s a whole range of rumours and scenarios that go on around it.

I don’t think there’s another agenda going on.

news in brief Page turner Sydney’s first “anarchist book fair” will take place at the Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville on March 22.

In addition to bookselling (ironically), attendees will be treated to talks, workshops and a selection of vegan and vegetarian foods.

Speakers include academic and investigative journalist Wendy Bacon, who will talk about the anarchist-feminist tradition, and Michael Schmidt, who co-authored Black Flame, a seminal, global analysis of the rise of anarchism, with Professor Lucien van der Walt.

Spokesperson Nic Neven expects at least a hundred people to attend, a crowd that will “reflect the fact that more and more people are beginning to search for an alternative to the chaotic political system that is capitalism”.

Memorial restored Freshly-carved marble busts now adorn the Glebe War Memorial in Foley Park as part of the City of Sydney’s effort to restore its monuments ahead of the centenary of World War I. A new angel watching over the 174 Glebe residents who perished has also been carved.

“We need to make sure memorials that honour those who served look their best,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“It’s a small thing compared to the sacrifice of those who served, but it’s incredibly important that we show our respect.”

Local historian Max Solling said the job had been outstanding.

“With a 90-year-old monument there’s a lot of work to do, but they are restoring it to the way it was,” he said.

Photo: City of Sydney

Preselection fight exposes Labor rift

Max Solling talks about the Glebe soldiers who lost their lives

A high stakes Greens preselection campaign is underway for the newlycreated electorate of Newtown, with former Marrickville mayor Fiona Byrne battling serial candidate Jenny Leong in the notionally Greens seat.

Nominations opened on Tuesday, and so high is the pressure surrounding the vote that candidates will not speak to media. Greens members elected to have NSW MLC Mehreen Faruqi appointed as spokesperson for the preselection.

But Ms Faruqi declined to answer specific questions about the campaign because the preselection process had already commenced. In an email, she stated: “The new state seat of Newtown is one of the most environmentally aware and socially progressive areas in NSW.” “The community here have demonstrated their passion for

marriage equality, environmental protection, workers rights, stopping coal seam gas mining, integrated public transport and public education,” Ms Faruqi said.

“The Greens have consistently demonstrated their commitment to these issues including investing in TAFE and opposing the $12 billion Westconnex toll road and diverting these funds to efficient and affordable public transport. We look forward to standing with the community and continue to do so in the future.”

Ms Byrne was mayor of Marrickville for 12 months in 2010 and 2011, and narrowly lost the 2011 state election for the seat of Marrickville to Labor’s Carmel Tebbutt. There was speculation at the time that Ms Byrne’s advocacy of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against

Candidate Jenny Leong and Former Marrickville Mayor Fiona Byrne

Israel had cost her some support.

Ms Leong unsuccessfully ran for the federal seat of Sydney in 2004 and 2007. She was also a candidate for the 2004 City of Sydney council election, and unsuccessfully sought preselection again in 2008.

More recently, she was campaign co-ordinator for Cate Faehrmann’s failed senate bid in 2013. Ms Faehrmann is seen as on the more conservative side of the party’s spectrum, and Ms Leong’s closeness to her could be a weakness in the Newtown area’s more radical branches.

The newly-created electorate takes in parts of four existing Greens constituencies; Inner Sydney, South Sydney, Petersham/Newtown and Marrickville. A well-placed source within the party told the Independent there was “tension in the mix” because of the strong likelihood that the winner will enter state parliament.

Ms Faehrmann is a member of Petersham/Newtown but the branch failed to endorse her when she unsuccessfully ran for the position of convenor of the NSW Greens.

“She does not have that much support in that area,” the source said.

And the decision by Labor MLC Penny Sharpe to throw her hat in the ring for Newtown was a “kick up the bum” for the Greens, he said.

Ms Sharpe is a popular figure in the community and has been at the forefront of the marriage equality movement within the ALP.

BY PAUL GREGOIRE Local residents and cyclists are applauding Marrickville Council’s decision to construct the missing link in the Camperdown to Cooks River cycleway.

At the last council meeting a rescission motion made by several councillors to halt the construction of the Carrington Rd separated cycleway was overturned.

Greens councillor David Leary said the vote against the rescission motion restored council’s original decision to construct the Carrington Rd cycleway made in December.

“The argument was the businesses in the area were concerned about the loss of parking but I didn’t receive a single email from the businesses” Mr Leary said.

“But I received over a hundred emails from residents and cyclists in the area saying they really wanted it to be built.”

John Caley President of Bike Marrickville, said the Carrington Road cycleway provides a safe and crucial link between Camperdown and Cooks River that also provides linkage to

Photo: Marrickville Council

Greens silent over Newtown battle Wheels turn again on cycleway

BY MICHAEL KOZIOL

Bike riders, including mayor Jo Haylen, on the cycleway

Marrickville Station.

“For most of it there’s actually a proper kerb separating the cycleway from the road,” he said.

“It gives people who aren’t confident road cyclists… access to Cooks River cycleway and beyond.”

Greens councillor Sylvie Ellsmore said the decision was a win for local bike activist groups and welcomed the support of Labor councillors.

“Labor councillors said we originally opposed this project but we’ve learnt overtime that bikes are the way of the future,” Ms Ellsmore said.

“We were lobbied by at least six bicycle groups that specifically operate in our area. They’ve been pushing for this for five years.”

Independent councillor Victor Macri said he moved the rescission motion, along with two other councillors, because eighteen parking spots used by local businesses will be lost.

“The situation was there to be taken where we paint some lines on the road which would give cyclists a presence and connect the route,” Mr Macri said.

But Mr Caley said evidence proves that lines on the road between parked cars and traffic are not the safer option.

“Someone opens a door and then the cyclist hits the door and they bounce out into the traffic,” he told the Inner West Independent.

“It’s normally the next vehicle that comes along that kills them.”

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Councillors all aflutter online Struggling

BY JOHN GOODING The next day, Moore was back at the keyboard, calling for the installation of a permanent artwork at Taylor Square to mark the 40th anniversary of Mardi Gras.

Claiming and disputing credit for ideas is an official sport at the City of Sydney, and Forster struck back.

“With typically dishonest spin, misinformation and self-publicity @CloverMoore now claims the Taylor Sq rainbow symbol is her idea,” she tweeted.

Moore’s volley was as swift as it was compounded.

“I encourage [Forster] to support this great idea rather than politicise it. Here are the facts (1/4),” she replied, foreshadowing the multi-part onslaught, in which the Lord Mayor claimed that Forster voted against the rainbow crossing.

And on it went, before Forster returned fire.

“Yet more misinformation from @CloverMoore, who signed an agreement with the state govt that the rainbow crossing was a 30-day trial,” she wrote.

Of course, they can’t both be wrong! Actually, they can be. Cr Forster did vote against the famed crossing, citing the fact that it was temporary and too costly. But she supported the initiative in-principle when it was first announced and says she later lobbied the state government to have it made permanent.

Meanwhile, the media team of Christian Democrat leader Fred Nile was trying to broker a peace deal over the Mardi Gras artwork.

“Please don’t fight over who is to blame #teamnile,” they tweeted.

A war of words: Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Liberal councillor Christine Forster

to perform on Valentine’s

BY JOHN GOODING As Valentine’s Day looms, nervous men across Australia will have their performance in the bedroom plaguing their minds.

Désirée Spierings, sex therapist and director of Sexual Health Australia, says she will receive an increased number of enquiries about erectile dysfunction in the leadup to and the aftermath of Valentine’s Day. “Additionally we see that after Christmas, New Year’s, or any holidays that there are slightly more requests for counselling,” she told City News.

“Valentine’s Day for a couple is often a time when they review their relationship status, what has been good or amazing, and what could possibly be better.

Working on their sex life and improving things can be part of their New Year’s resolution or a Valentine’s Day promise.”

These worried men aren’t just restricted to Australia, either. In the US the week preceding Valentine’s Day in 2010 had the highest demand for Viagra that year, with 26 per cent more pills distributed in that time than during the lowest-demand week, according to NBC news.

In the UK, Valentine’s Day has been branded as “National Impotence Day” in an attempt to raise awareness of the condition. According to Google, searches for “erectile dysfunction” around the globe peaked during January and February of the last few years, and are forecast to peak again at the same time next year.

Spierings recommends that men who think they may be suffering from erectile dysfunction get themselves checked out, because the penis is “basically a barometer of a man’s health”.

Cartoon: Peter Berner

The unending skirmish between City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Liberal councillor Christine Forster has rekindled on the battlefield of Twitter.

It was prompted by an article in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, in which Forster suggested that the pavement of welltrafficked Sydney streets could be replaced with a soft-fall material similar to that found in playgrounds, further cementing the characterisation of Sydney’s revelers as a bunch of irresponsible children.

Moore took umbrage with this particular proposal, tweeting that the soft-fall material was “not a solution” to the violence. For the time being Forster held her tongue.

Roomies Artspace looking for an Encore

By ELISE CULLEN Tucked away in the corner of Addison Road’s Art Community Centre is a cosy and colourful art studio, Roomies Artspace. The studio is a not-for-profit supported space that provides individuals with intellectual disability and mental health issues the opportunity to develop their artistic expression.

Originally, the initiative began as fortnightly art workshops at the Tom Foster Community Centre. This was under the aegis of Newtown Neighbourhood Centre’s Boarding House Project in 1999. However, it soon became apparent that a more permanent space was needed for the regular artists to explore their practice further. So, in 2005, with the generous support of the community, Roomies Artspace was established. A small studio in which artists could attend regular workshops, store their art and utilise the space.

Hands-on co-directors Anne Kwasner and Natalie McCarthy, who have worked together for over a decade, saw potential in some of the more dedicated artists and decided to cultivate a side project, Encore. The program offered professional art workshops for artists with a disability living in Sydney’s Inner-West with the aim of presenting selected artworks in a commercial gallery space.

Due to the lack of funding, McCarthy contacted the NSW Government and received a grant to fund the program through the NSW Arts and Disability Partnership. Encore workshops were then conducted over five months in 2013, where both existing Roomies and newcomers from local boarding houses participated. Here they learned and developed skills such as solar etching, textile work, painting, portraiture and 3D paper work. The

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grant that Roomies Artspace received allows not-for-profit programs, like Encore, to combine arts and disability with the aim to expand and reach new audiences.

“We found that people were really engaging on different levels,” Kwasner says. “Some people will take it and run with it - that’s how we met George.”

George Liosatos, who lives locally in a Rozelle boarding house, is one of the Encore artists whose work will be featured in the Encore exhibition.

“We realised very quickly that George was talented and had very individual interpretations of what we were focusing on in the workshops.

We had to remind George to eat his lunch as he was so focused on his work he did not want to make the time to stop,” Kwasner explains.

Liosatos, originally from Panama in Central America, was a graphic artist in a previous life.

He injects a lot of colour into his paintings and draws a lot of his inspiration from back home, “Things come out of my head and I try to express it in art. It’s a mix between Mexican and American,” says Liosatos.

Clarrice Collien, a long-standing member of the Roomies Artspace community attended the Encore workshops alongside Liosatos and will also be exhibiting her artwork at the Encore exhibition. Collien was one of the original Roomies and has been a part of the program since 1999. Over the years Collien has developed her artwork and incorporated her favourite things into various mediums such as painting, drawings and ceramics. However, it is her unique and colourful tapestries that have been her most popular pieces. In November 2012, Collien held her first solo show entitled A Walk In The Park at the Damien Minton

Gallery in Redfern, which is the same gallery that the Encore exhibition will be held over February and March.

Both Kwasner and McCarthy have selected Liosatas’, Collien’s and the other 18 artists’ best artworks to feature in the Encore exhibition and they are both looking forward to unveiling the final curated exhibition on February 19th.

However, as the Roomies Artspace community celebrates their hard work and talented artists over the next few weeks, a hard road lies ahead. The Roomies Artspace has lost its home at Addison Road as the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre reportedly pulled its support funding because of the different direction the program has recently taken.

“In some ways it is good for us as because we can run the place the way we want to, which is purely as a studio, and the limitations of the original funding wouldn’t really allow us to do that,” Kwasner says.

Although the Roomies Artspace’s future looks bright, much funding is still needed for the program to continue and future workshops and potential exhibitions have been placed on hold for the moment. Kwasner and McCarthy are in the process of sourcing funding and finding a home to conduct future workshops and store all of the artists’ pieces.

Kwasner is hopeful that the generosity of the community will remain strong.

“I hope we find a home and some funding, or a philanthropist – that’s what we’re looking for at the moment,” she says.

The MCA’s previous Senior Curator, Glenn Barkley, will open Encore. (EC) Feb 19-Mar 1, Damien Minton Gallery, 583 Elizabeth St, Redfern, free, damienmintongallery.com.au

George Liosatos

EAT & DRINK

Two Sticks After an amazing eating experience at Lost Heaven in Shanghai, I arrived home hoping Yunnanese food would be Sydney’s next big thing. Enter Two Sticks: a small, fast-paced eatery housed under a bright yellow ribcage, bustling with diners and black-clad staff sporting caps and scout-style yellow neckties.

Lying close to Myanmar and Thailand, China’s Yunnan region is famous for its use of mushrooms, flowers, $ - mains less than $15

$$ - mains between $15-$22

ROCKS & CBD

Star Bar Some people have pubs in their blood; fourth generation hotelier Kim Maloney is a prime example, operating Sydney’s St. James, Maloney’s, Sanctuary and Shark hotels, plus The Clock Hotel in Queensland. Unsurprisingly his newly renovated Star Bar is a slick operation. The $2 million facelift references to the building’s previous inhabitants: Planet Hollywood, and 1930s predecessor Plaza Cinema.

His kitchen coup is Danny Russo who supplements good steaks – a 400g Rib Eye ($33) - modern Italianate dishes. Expect heaving Antipasto Platters ($17) to Verdura Pizza ($16), to a Russolini Parma Burger ($17) boasting crumbed

By Jackie McMillan salads, cold noodles, individual hotpots and Xuanwei ham. Dai Style Enoki Salad ($3.80) is spicy (as most dishes are) but very representative of the cuisine.

The best way to eat here is to order cold appetisers alongside one of their hotpots, like Yunnan Signature Rice Noodle Soup ($11.80). The smooth pork and chicken stock accentuated by quail eggs, noodles cut from bean curd sheets, bean sprouts and slivered beef and chicken interspersed with silky rice noodles, put your mouth back together between slices of Hot and Numbing Beef ($4.80) - cold garlic poached beef slices drenched in spicy chilli dressing - and Deep Fried Spicy Beef Jerky ($4.80). Coconut Juice ($4) is your friend, though I’d kill for a TsingTao beer, especially with the Yunnan Signature Fries ($3.80) that take ordinary crinkle-cut fries somewhere extraordinary by stir-frying them in chilli and a sauce featuring fermented black beans.

694 George Street, Sydney facebook.com/Twosticksaustralia Chinese $ $$$ - mains between $22-$30

Angus patty, melted mozzarella and Napoli sauce that eats well with Birra Moretti ($7.50) and Italian Slaw ($6).

600 George Street, Sydney (02) 9267 7827 starbar.com.au Pub Bistro, Modern Italian, Pizza $$ Phoenix Diner After fire struck The Lansdowne Hotel closing it for six months, students, indie bands, backpackers and budget eaters alike will appreciate that from those ashes, the Phoenix Diner has risen.

This American diner-style eatery sees most visitors wrap their lips ‘round a burger: the Buttermilk Chicken Burger ($14) loaded with bacon, Pecorino cheese, avocado, coleslaw and chipotle mayo, gives good indication as to why. Clever toppings - like Sticky Fingers

$$$$ - mains over $30

($16) piling 12-hour pulled pork, pear, walnuts, watercress and blue cheese on a crisp base - make their short list of ‘Brooklyn Pizzas’ appealing. Fat Jalapeño Poppers ($6) stuffed with bacon and cream cheese have kick, so accompany them Kosciuszko Pale Ale ($5.80/ schooner).

The Lansdowne Hotel, 2-6 City Road, Chippendale (02) 8218 2333 thelansdownehotel.com.au Pub Bistro $ Café Nice Nice has historically had more in common with Italy than France, arguably the raison d’être behind Fratelli Fresh going “Fratelli French” as bartender Sebastian Vicente describes it. Smart diners stay barside enjoying a commanding view of Sydney Harbour - albeit with

Sedap Malaysian Kopitiam

By Alex Harmon Part café, part street-side hawker, this new addition to Westfield Eastgardens has loads of street cred.

It comes with the new dining precinct, which took over Banks Avenue last year. The al fresco dining and paved paths feel like you’re in an artificial land: “Like a little railway action - eating the bargain two-course Menu du Bar ($29.50) with a glass of Fratelli wine. Bring someone and start by sharing their classic table-tossed Salade Niçoise entrée with freshly seared tuna. Move on to mains – filling Fettuccine with Walnut Pistou, Mushrooms, Ricotta and Goat’s Cheese, or the delicious Fish of the Day (Hapuka) on exemplary gratin.

Sharing the Lemon Doughnut with Passionfruit Caramel is a definite smile-maker.

2 Phillip Street, Circular Quay (02) 8248 9600 fratellifresh.com.au Bar,Wine, French $$ GREATER SYDNEY Minskys Hotel This newly renovated hotel - subtly masculine without being alienating to women – has kept the 1am

Vegas,” comments my dining partner. Indeed, if Vegas had a multicultural Sydney-themed hotel it would probably include the new tenants – Bondi Pizza, Ribs & Burgers, Lang Suan Thai, Kingston & Co. and San Churro. We arrive at Sedap on a busy Thursday evening and relax into an Ice Coffee ($4) laced with heavenly condensed milk served in a jar. (I’m unsure if it’s ironic?) Crispy Pork Rolls ($4/each) are wrapped in bean curd and come with a delicious garlic chilli sauce, while Szechuan Ribs ($15.80) are sticky finger licking good. Of course we have to try everyone’s favourite Malaysian dish: Char Kuey Teow ($12), which stacks up well – pork sausage an interesting addition to the bevy of toppings. Beef Rendang ($14.40) is spot on; in fact I couldn’t fault a thing until the endearing waiter insisted we try the traditional dessert Ice Cendol ($6). ‘Green worm’ and mung bean noodles on shaved ice are probably just for true Malay enthusiasts – but they’re fun anyway.

Westfield Eastgardens, Banks Avenue, Eastgardens (02) 9344 7095 sedap.com.au Malaysian $

kitchen. Publican Anthony Brady says: “We want people to like this place.” He’s clearly proud of the new menu by Robert Oey, who doesn’t forget it’s a pub, but notches up the standards. He delivers a well-rendered Caramelised Pork Belly ($25) with Asian ‘slaw; Crisp School Prawns ($10) that won’t damage your mouth; and great Chicken Liver Pate ($11) with house-made chutney. There’s also a smart, underpriced cocktail list with a Salted Coconut Espresso Martini ($14), plus an Enomatic wine pouring system – great when you need a big glass of Pichot Vouvray Sec ($13/150ml glass, $21/225ml glass).

287 Military Road, Cremorne 9909 8888 minskyshotel.com.au Pub Bistro, Cocktails,Wine $$-$$$ Ribs & Burgers Confession time: I find butchers,

butchers’ aprons, Berkel meat slicers and knives rather exciting. In case the wall of meat grinders didn’t give it away, this light-hearted space is meant to summon butchers’ shops of old. Their open-style kitchen dishes up a mean signature Wagyu Burger ($18) piled high with onion rings, salad, dill pickles and pink and BBQ sauces. With a James Squire The Chancer Golden Ale ($7) and some of their ‘famous’ Chips ($4/ small), it’s all you really need for a fast casual bite. Messy but compelling Pork Ribs ($29) are marinated then slow cooked for eight hours, coming with chips and coleslaw (the serve is slightly small).

Shop 3, 19-25 Grosvenor Street, Neutral Bay (02) 9904 5774 ribsandburgers.com.au Modern Australian, Burgers $$-$$$

EAT & DRINK

Queenie’s Pulling into The Forresters on Friday night, the place was rammed. Luckily my intention was traipsing up the stairs to Queenie’s, their Jamaican-inspired domain. Cute-as-a-button waitresses wearing eclectic combinations of braids, hair wraps and tropical shorts were quick to make us feel at home. One explained the menu thusly: “Basically anything with the word ‘jerk’ in it is good.” Ergo BBQ Jerk Corn ($8) coming DARLO, KINGS X & SURRY HILLS Harajuku Gyoza Leave surly service behind and travel to happy J-pop world. Shiny red bar stools offer the best vantage points to eyeball their streamlined operation. Anyone can be a winner for a minimal Sake ($7.50) spend – so cheer when other people get sake, too. Food’s in a best supporting role – which isn’t to say their namesake Duck Gyoza ($8/5 piece) aren’t tasty – but izakayas are about drinking.

Unctuous and fatty Pork Belly Kakuni ($13) goes well with White Sesame Salad ($6), lightly battered ‘Tenpura’ Eggplant ($6) and Koshihikari Rice Beer ($12). Explosive Salted Caramel Gyoza ($9/3 pieces) should put to rest any rumours that Japanese don’t

Yes, it’s in a club. Now we have that out of the way, this deceptively exciting restaurant affords you chance to sit in a gorgeous glass box overlooking Coogee Beach. With a mile-wide smile and seductively rolling R’s, Manager Vinni Dias is an excellent guide (and enthusiast) for the traditional end of this Brazilian-influenced Australian menu. He starts me off with excellent house-made Pão de $$ - mains between $15-$22

EASTERN SUBURBS Mr. Moustache “Are you going to search me,” a giggling diner asks. Wearing rubber gloves, we’re about to dive into Tortita Ahogada ($12) - the cantina’s messiest dish - a delicious pork sandwich you “drown” with spicy salsa. On one side there’s an opulent bar, and on the other, a colourful kitchen reflecting Mexican street food culture. So drink Mezcal-based cocktails like El Original del Diablo ($18) with homemade ginger beer against share plates: Seasonal Ceviche ($10); Tostaditas Pato

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right up! Arriving liberally coated in coconut, my dining companion dubbed it “the Jamaican lamington”; however a squeeze of lime took it from sweet to savoury, with three exotic tableside chilli sauces completing the journey from mild to wild. One Coconut Daiquiri ($16) in, we decided to do drinks with food, rather than dinner per say, embarking upon a series of snacks from tasty Plantain Fritters ($9) with curry mayo to Prawn, Mango and Ginger Bammies ($7). They’re flat cassava flour pancakes, which advance Sydney’s taco-craze in a (faintly) new direction. Sunset Sangria ($20/jug) with vanilla, ginger beer and spiced rum proves remarkably better for the cultural meddling. It carries us through a generously battered basket of Coconut Soft Shell Crab ($16) with Hotstepper sauce. Sean Paul Ceviche ($17) with scallops, avocado and black bean puree on wacky pappadums help put out any remaining fire in your hole.

Level 1, The Forresters, 336 Riley Street, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 queenies.com.au Jamaican, Cocktails, Pub Bistro $$-$$$

make good desserts.

9-15 Bayswater Road, Potts Point (02) 9356 3834 harajukugyoza.com Japanese $ Devon Café Continuing the exodus from fine dining to approachable eateries, two of Guillaume Brahimi’s chefs have landed in this little café on Devonshire Street. While there are the usual hipster affectations - a hanging herb garden, and everything from Refresher Juice ($7) to Iced Coffee ($6.50) served in jam jars – the coffee’s great and the food’s even better! The confidently short seasonal menu offers up beautifully presented breakfasts like Citrus Cured Salmon ($18.50) with apple, celery, fennel and split dill cream; and creative lunches like Green With Envy ($23) - nettle semolina

Elmo’s Restaurant

$ - mains less than $15

By Jackie McMillan

gnocchi presented as a spring garden with pumpkin puree, zucchini, yellow squash and peas. Even the muffins are amazing…

76 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills (02) 9211 8777 devoncafe.com.au Café $$ Franco Franco Get stuck into a chewy Neapolitan style pizza from the dome shaped oven, while watching the pizzaiolo work. Con Patate ($21) bearing perfectly cooked potato, red onion and Italian sausage, won me. Speaking of Italian meat, the shiny red Berkel meat slicer (and the lad operating it) provide much to salivate over too, like boards bearing Prosciutto San Daniele ($16/50g). He’s also a dab hand at pasta making, so order a gleaming copper Scanpan bearing joyously simple Bucatini Cacio E

Queijo ($8) cheese bread and setting-appropriate Sydney Rock Oysters ($18/6), which remarkably hold their own against pimenta biquinho (flavoursome ‘kiss peppers’ that aren’t spicy), lime, Spanish onion, coriander and palmito. The latter ingredient is a total revelation in Baked Palm Heart, Tomato, Chutney, Pimento & Gorgonzola ($16) too. Escondidinho de Cogumelos ($15) is a traditional Brazilian “surprise” dish. While the surprise can vary, this version delivers four types of mushrooms sautéed in garlic and butter, buried under cassava and cheese. It’s a delicious surprise, but their biggest hit is Moqueca ($34) a red, coconut-enriched fish and prawn stew, featuring four perfectly cooked fishes – barramundi, blue eye cod, swordfish and salmon – on the day I dined. In case you’re still not convinced, recall what being in a club means in terms of drink pricing – affordable bottles of wine and watching night fall on water over eightbuck Mojitos – priceless.

Coogee Legion Ex-Service Club, 200 Arden Street, Coogee (02) 9665 8230 coogeelegionclub.com.au/elmos-restaurant/ Brazilian/Modern Australian $$-$$$ $$$ - mains between $22-$30

($12/3) - mini tacos with spicy duck - and Huitlacoche ($12/3) - black corn truffle, roasted corn and fresco cheese. Their star dessert is Plantos Machos ($11) – plantain, coffee liquor and burnt goat’s milk.

75-79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach 9300 8892 mr-moustache.com.au Mexican, Cocktails $-$$ The Royal Paddington “He was smoking, I was eating and racking…” Okay, overheard Eastern Suburbs conversations up on the “hidden” rooftop terrace have a certain ruling class blasé about them but you should hike up all those stairs and check it out

$$$$ - mains over $30

anyway, breaking your journey with a drink in the eye-catching red and black Elephant Bar. Afterwards head to the white, salon-style bistro, for Grant Burge ‘Holy Trinity’ ($15/ glass) and a grazing meal. There’s Natural Oysters ($30/12) and sharing plates available in multiples of 1($10), 3 ($25) and 5 ($40). Duck Pancakes ($10) and Sizzling Garlic Prawns ($10) were my favourites, but the Grilled Haloumi ($10) isn’t bad either.

237 Glenmore Road, Paddington (02) 9331 2604 royalhotel.com.au Pub Bistro $$-$$$

House Triple Ace Bar manage to eschew having their own bistro by sitting directly under Sydney crab institution - Harry’s Chilli Singapore Crab – and leasing out their former beer garden to House.

It’s the Issan cousin to the popular Spice I Am restaurants in Balmain, Darlinghurst, and just up the road in Surry Hills. Expecting a totally unrenovated Pepe ($20) against easy-drinking 2010 Antica Enotria Falanghina ($48/ bottle) from the regionally arranged Italian list. Ricotta Polpette ($8/4 pieces) prove a perfect start to my Italian family-style feast!

628 Crown Street, Surry Hills (02) 9318 0500 francofranco.com.au Italian, Pizza $$

INNER WEST Nithik’s Kitchen Hankering for good Indian? This Rozelle gem by Chef Vikram Arumugam (ex-Aki’s) has an innovative and flavoursome menu.

Southern Indian Samuthiram ($18.90) is a definite favourite, layering school prawns, crab and rice pancakes with a creamy coconut sauce and a side of Bengalese shrimp,

pub, I smiled to see some Astroturf, blonde wood and Edison light bulbs have crept in. Plonk yourself at the bar; order an inexpensive bottle of Tim Knappstein Riesling ($23); drink a glass while you wait for friends, then cap the bottle and wander outside for a ripper Thai meal with an outdoor pub atmosphere. This regional Thai cuisine employs fermented anchovy, fresh chilli and sourness from tamarind; but recently a few of the gentler Spice I Am favourites have emerged, from Yellow Curry Chicken ($19) to Gaeng Keaw Wan Nua Toun ($19), a green beef curry with apple eggplants and extraordinary depth of flavour. They go down nicely with a Peroni ($8.10) from the pub’s bottled beer selection. Meaty favourites like Mood Daed Deaw ($8.50) - sun-dried marinated pork strips - make good drinking food against Nam Khao Tod ($19), a spicy, crisped rice salad. Don’t leave without sharing their infamous B.T.S. ($16) dessert...

Triple Ace Bar, 198 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills (02) 9211 6888 spiceiam.com/house-surry-hills Thai, Pub Bistro $$

chilli and tomato paste. Tree of Taste ($12.90) gives an oral and artistic demonstration of Vikram’s flavour palate. Great coconut chutney and homemade ghee notches Masala Dosa ($13) above most I’ve tried.

Vikram’s curries are all great: from Meen Manga Charu ($25) of barramundi, coconut and green mango, to labour-intensive lycheestuffed cottage cheese balls Lagaan Ke Kofti ($18) liberally dunked in cashew gravy and scattered with dried fruit.

679 Darling Street, Rozelle (02) 8084 8921 Indian $$-$$$ The Oxford Tavern Hopefully the super cute fivebuck Cheeseburger ($5) here – sandwiching beef, mustard, crunchy pickles, ketchup and gooey

cheese between soft brioche buns – will be the death knell for Stanmore McDonalds. Michael Delany’s remodelling of Petersham’s infamous pole dancing and jelly wrestling venue is now the most family-friendly of the Drink’n’Dine venues… if you think up an ageappropriate explanation of The Jelly Wrestle ($20) dessert that comes with gloves not cutlery. Kid-free, I availed myself of a Swinging Tit ($9) with Kraken Spiced Rum and pink jellied foam sprayed onto your arm.

Buffalo Cauliflower Balls ($14) with blue cheese and hot sauces will stick to your ribs during a dive bar drinking session.

1 New Canterbury Road, Petersham (02) 8019 9351 theoxfordtavern.com.au American, Pub Bistro, Cocktails $$

FOOD NEWS The Millers Point end of the city can be a bit of a good food desert, especially at breakfast time, but this week if you emerged from the pedestrian tunnel under the Bradfield Highway, you might have caught a whiff of barbequed house-smoked bacon! Chef Leigh McDivitt from One Six Eight Restaurant and Bar is giving up his Tuesday to Friday mornings from 7am-10am to cook you a bacon and egg roll.You can choose from a hen or the more exciting duck egg version, and it’s not an ordinary roll either. Leigh has made his own Glenfiddich and apple steamed buns, which he heats up on his outdoor hotplate, and then smothers in house-made, smoky barbeque sauce.

Throw in a locally roasted (Balmain) Bertoni coffee and you have a stick-to-your-ribs affair that will see you through nicely until lunchtime. www.onesixeightrestaurant.com.au

BAR FLY

LOVE ON TOP

You can feel the love all right. With the balmy night sky above, palm trees, fresh flowers and cacti of all sorts on the garden-setting tables, Astroturf underfoot, and the broadest, genuine welcoming smiles behind the bar, Love on Top brings back to Kings Cross love, passion and magic.

The flavours of Asia – sambal, five spice, lychee, coriander, lime – dance through the cocktail list to match the inspired food of Chef Kenny Kong (formerly China Doll): Shanghai Strip ($19); Beijing Mary ($18); HK Sour ($18); Tianjin Iced Tea ($18).Yet this cocktail-focused lass was also otherwise impressed with the offerings of wine by the glass and bottle, mostly sourced from small Australian family vineyards: Tinja Pinot Gris 2013 ($12/glass); Bath Rose 2011 ($9/glass); Tim Smith Grenache 2012 ($10/glass) and Bay of Stones Shiraz 2012 ($8/glass).

33 Bayswater Road, Potts Point (02) 8021 9112 loveontop.com.au

By Rebecca Varidel

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE DEAD ONES

How can you pack up someone’s life into cardboard boxes? How should you deal with the death of a loved one?

Margie Fischer explores this, and more, in her autobiographical show, The Dead Ones.

This moving theatre piece is of Fischer as she clears her family home after everyone in her family passes away.

It features the histories of those who left her behind.

“I knew I had to clear the house, and it was so overwhelming and

emotional. The only way I could honour what was in the house, and the people in there, was to write everything,” she says.

Exploring the history of her family in Nazioccupied Austria and their subsequent journey to Australia, and eventual demise, Fischer deftly uses personal objects, old photographs and evocative music to simply express the cycle of life and death.

“It’s extremely simple, basically I talk and read with images. It’s the oldest form

VGL GAY BOYS

of theatre there is,” she says.

Fischer uses her experience to tell a story that many people can relate to, but one that is rarely told.

“What do you do with your mother’s underwear? What do you do with the furniture your father made in his factory? What do you do?”

Fischer’s deeply personal storytelling is an exploration of memory, death and the importance of family. (SO) Feb 18-22, Seymour Centre, City Rd & Cleveland St, Chippendale, $20-25, (02) 9351 7940, seymourcentre.com

THE EMBROIDERY GIRL

A tragic story set in the final years of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, The Embroidery Girl is a modern performance of traditional Chinese dance that is beautiful.

The three-year-old production will tour Sydney later this month, following the success of 16th century major Chinese Opera production Peony Pavilion, which was showcased at the 2013 Sydney Festival.

Tommy Jiang, chairman of OSTAR International Media Group, promoter of the production, says that interest in Chinese culture is growing enormously every year due to the accessibility of the stories being told.

“Even though these traditional Chinese love stories were first told centuries apart, their themes and characters are timeless,” he says.

The production uses a mix of the

DAY FOR NIGHT In the lead up to the 2014 Mardi Gras celebrations, Carriageworks and Performance Space are putting on a festive three-day showcase entitled Day For Night. The showcase will feature free performances from a variety of Australian queer artists and will culminate on the third night in a dance party led by electronic musicians Stereogamous.

The lineup includes artists such as Justin Shoulder (The River Eats), burlesque star Lillian Star, Dean Walsh, Sydney Dance’s Martin del Amo, Alex Clapham and Penelope Benton.

Clapham says that the project will be unlike what people are used to seeing in a usual performance.

“A lot of the performances in the event cross boundaries to what we would expect from a gallery, a theatre, a club, and

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traditional and the modern to express the story of a Chinese woman who is torn between her true love and an arranged marriage.

Marcus Reubenstein of Red Door, whose aim is to “open the door to China”, says the new show has been written and produced with modern audiences in mind so it can be performed on the world stage.

“It is a traditional Chinese story with traditional costumes, but in terms of dance, movement and choreography, it is more of a traditional ballet than a traditional Chinese one,” he says.

“Any fan of ballet or modern dance would really be able to get something out of it.”

(SO) Feb 18-19, Sydney State Theatre, 49 Market St, Sydney, $30-70, ticketmaster.com.au

Jeffery Self and Cole Escola didn’t like each other very much when they first met. “It’s because we were both vying for attention,” says Escola, “but then we realised we got more attention together.”

They say they still don’t really like each other, but together they’ve become a viral sensation with their YouTube series VGL Gay Boys aka Very Good Looking Gay Boys (obviously) and starred in their own cable TV show. So, it seems they’re stuck together, which is good because the VGL duo are coming to Sydney to perform their first ever Australian show Desperate Houseboys as part of Mardi Gras. Or perhaps it’s because Self is searching for “honest to God real love”

down under. Who knows?

What audiences can expect from their show is absurdly dry and dark humour, outrageous antics, as well as plenty of desperation. Or as Escola more succinctly puts it, “bratty, rude, dark, queer comedy”.

If you don’t like that, well too bad. Self and Escola have dealt with many trolls in their internet stardom and have this to say to haters, “Get smarter,” they advise. “They don’t go for the right things.

They’ll say we’re ugly, which is just not true.” (MT) Feb 18-28, Seymour Centre, Cleveland St & City Rd, Chippendale, $35, mardigras.org.au/events/ desperate-houseboys

a party. Combining all those things I think the audience will take away a mix of feelings; some pleasure and visual delight, yet also feeling challenged, confronted and probably even confused. But overall people will get a sense of the depth of talent and beauty in our city and its occupants,” she says.

Clapham will be building an installation, which she will occupy over a space of three days.

“The idea of our performance work derives from the tableu vivant, which means living picture; a popular form of entertainment before radio, film and television.

“On a broader level, there are visual references to camp aesthetics, queer celebratory, and political expression in art, the club and on the street, which fits ideally in this collaboration between Performance Space and Mardi Gras,” she says. (JN) Feb 13-15, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, free$35, performancespace.com.au

a&e

14 STAGE 16 SCENE 17 SOUNDS 18 SCREEN

Arts Editor: Leigh Livingstone Music Editor: Chelsea Deeley

For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au

Contributors: Alexandra English, Alexis Talbot-Smith, Angela Stretch, Anita Senaratna, Cheryl Northey, Craig Coventry, Elise Cullen, Greg Webster, Hannah Chapman, Jamie Apps, Jemma Nott, Leann Richards, Lena Zak, Lisa Ginnane, Luke Daykin, Lyndsay Kenwright, Marilyn Hetreles, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Melody Teh, Michael Muir, Michelle Porter, Nerida Lindsay, Nick Hadland, Olga Azar, Paul Gregoire, Rhys Gard, Ruth Fogarty, Sam Crassweller, Sharon Ye, Shauna O’Carroll, Tom Wilson,Vanessa Powell

THE KITE STRING TANGLE

Photo: Anna Chase

REVIEW WE’RE BASTARDS

Set in present day Anniston, Alabama, Oleg Pupovac’s We’re Bastards is a stripped-bare, dark and Southern gothic tale of a family trying to play the near-impossible hand life has dealt them.

The dialogue-driven performance combined with the intimate atmosphere of the Old 505 Theatre makes for a deeply personal theatrical experience, where the audience are sucked right into the story.

Joe (Pupovac) and Darling Mae (Tara Clark) capture the essence of siblings charting their lives through an intergenerational cycle of tragedy

THEATRE &

PERFORMANCE SWEET CHARITY is a musical centred on the character of Charity Hope Valentine, who is an eternal optimist and dancer. Charity, played by musical theatre star Verity Hunt-Ballard, makes her money dancing with man after man to pay the rent, hoping one will whisk her off her feet. Themes include the pursuit of security via romance

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that they can’t seem to escape.

Their lives are filled with drunken outbursts, hangovers, neglect and abuse, that all come to a head when Darling Mae wakes to find her baby has vanished.

The underlying concern of the play is a vicious cycle of domestic breakdown that feeds into itself, and while the script could be considered dramatic in itself, it’s the performances (and almostconvincing Southern accents) that pull it along. (AE) Until Feb 23, The Old 505 Theatre, 342 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, $18-28, venue505.com/theatre

– an interesting notion and somewhat old-fashioned.

On Broadway, Sweet Charity was a huge success and has built its own identity in musical theatre. The show is very sexy and physical, capturing Charity’s experience of life and how she tries to desperately transform it. (LK) Until Mar 9, Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point, $49, hayestheatre.com.au TRAVELLING NORTH An ageing couple flee Melbourne’s

Watching one of his own farces from side of stage, playwright Michael Frayn is said to have thought it funnier from behind than in front. Inspired by this he wrote Noises Off, about an incompetent cast of failed actors who each try to overcome their flaws in order to stage a British sex farce called Nothing On. Director Jonathan Biggins and STC tackle Frayn’s comedic masterpiece in February and Sydney audiences are sure to be gasping for air as this raucous storm unfolds from behind the scenes and with hilarious consequences.

Josh McConville plays Garry, the fairly well-known, stuttering male lead, whose romantic attachment to fellow actress Dotty (Genevieve Lemon) may

cold for the warmer far North Queensland and a change of lifestyle, but Frank is soon beset by heart-problems and Frances has to deal with possessive, needy daughters.

Written in 1979, it’s sometimes assumed to be about writer David Williamson’s move to Sydney; in fact it’s about the experiences of his mother-inlaw, a gentle and perceptive woman who’d remarried to an older man – an opinionated,

just be his undoing. McConville’s a genuine lover of a good farce and Frayn’s British humour, “It’s my favourite play, I love comedy, I love Michael Frayn... the characters are flawed but they put forward a brave face,” he says.

Although the characters are essentially lousy actors McConville remarks, “You can’t think of these guys as bad, you’ve got to try to create two characters that are multi-layered.”

He also adds, “Juxtaposing the two characters, switching from one to the other; that is very funny, it’s where the comedy lies.”

(ATS) Feb 17-Apr 5, Sydney Theatre Company, The Wharf, Pier 4 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $50109, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au

NOISES OFF

Photo: Ingvar Kenne

Support for the shows has been outstanding with the first batch of shows announced selling out. Another show was announced for Sydney, Brisbane and a further three for Melbourne.

“I’m really looking forward to this tour, it’s twelve consecutive dates, which is going to be intense but very exciting.

I’m also debuting a new lighting show synced to the music for these shows, which has been in production for the last month and looks like something out of a Nikola Tesla movie,” says Harley with excitement clearly in his voice. (JA) Feb 12 & 14, Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, $20, moshtix.com.au

Photo: Brett Boardman

Hot off the number nineteen spot in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2014 The Kite String Tangle (aka Danny Harley) is set to embark on a national tour.

With his distinctive sound personally described as “down-tempo, ambient songs with an electronic feel”, Harley has been taking the music world by storm. His song Given The Chance hit 440,000 and 870,00 plays on Youtube and Soundcloud respectively as well as making the Hottest 100, which Harley says was “a definite life goal ticked off”.

The response to both the track and ticket sales for the tour has been “really bizarre, surreal and humbling,” says Harley.

JUMP FOR JORDAN

Griffin Theatre’s new play Jump for Jordan goes some of the way to explain what it is like to be part of the mosaic of cultures that make up Australia. It centres on Sophie (played by Alice Ansara), an independent Arab-Australian woman who must lie about her life, career and Aussie boyfriend for fear of shaming her traditional Jordanian family.

Director Iain Sinclair was attracted to the relatability of the script (written by Donna Arebla). Much of the cast are of Arab descent and he says, “There are lots of immigrant stories bubbling up, it’s quite extraordinary how much is reflected in the script.”

Sinclair adds, “Anything new that’s brought up will appear two days later.”

intelligent, ex-Communist.

The concept of the ‘grey nomad’ is now an established one but “. . .living in paradise isn’t quite enough without having a social context of friends, families and meaningful activities to fill in the time,” says Williamson. (MM) Until Mar 22, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $50-85, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au EMPIRE There may be quirky costume routines,

It is not so much a work in progress but rather a live reflection on the experiences of second-generation women. Women who not only cope with the typical work-lifefamily-balance, but whom also negotiate clashing cultures.

“I can’t think of the last time I saw Arabic women on stage just being themselves,” says Sinclair.

The director is excited as it is the premiere of Jump for Jordan, “The risks are higher but the payoffs are greater and there’s nothing more rewarding then bringing new work to the stage.” (ATS) Feb 14-Mar 29, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $49, 9361 3817, griffintheatre.com.au

balancing acts and an MC, but is Speigelworld’s returning show just another trip to the circus?

“No way,” says Memet Bilgin aka 3D Graffiti Guy. “We’re part of a new wave of circus groups. It’s unique and intimate, with far more interaction between the audience and the performers.”

With a rising and rotating stage that often places the performers mere inches away,

audiences can watch routines that move from roller-skating to balancing upon a spinning top in a tent made of 3000 individual pieces.

This adult-only fusion of vaudeville, burlesque, cabaret and circus promises to be a night out with a difference.

(RG) Until Mar 2, Showring, Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, $59-149, empireaustralia.com

THE NAKED CITY

LOOK BACK IN AACTA!

By Coffin Ed, Miss Death & Jay Katz There’s a good argument that Australians shouldn’t do award ceremonies, especially when it comes to handing out gongs for film and television.The Logies have always been a questionable, controversial and at times just plain embarrassing night of accolades for the various TV networks.The recently revamped AACTA’s still give all the appearance of a poor man’s Oscars or second-rate BAFTAs. Maybe it’s because we just don’t take our own awards ceremonies very seriously and view them as a kind of devalued currency when it comes to The Oscars. Certainly they lack the drama, the gushing acknowledgement speeches and the sheer showbiz panache of the Hollywood prizes.

When it comes to production values and contrived musical numbers they still look like a bad night at the Logies circa 1975.

This year’s AACTAs were of course totally dominated by Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby, which took out a staggering thirteen awards including the highly prized Best Film. The Guardian reported that “The ‘Australian Oscars’ rewarded money and international celebrity, leaving TV the only place for true local talent to shine” and went on to add “It is a somewhat embarrassing reflection of what’s important to our industry to see the significance of money and celebrity placed on the ceremony’s highest pedestal.”

Regardless of what you thought of Lurhmann’s $125 million epic, and

it’s fair to say internationally critics were lukewarm in their response, it’s surely a sad indictment of the current state of the Australian film industry when one single film (and very much a Hollywood-style film made in Australia) steals all the thunder.

From the 1960s onwards the local film industry has delivered both great promise and enormous disappointment and along the way some truly memorable films however in recent years it seems we have entered the great hiatus. The success of our actors is almost entirely gauged on their ability to crack it in the American market.

Despite a plethora of burgeoning young talent lauded at film festivals like Tropfest where are the low-budget indie movies that once defined the local industry?

For $125 million you could probably make between fifty and one hundred low-budget films and whilst it’s unlikely to happen, the talent that might emerge could be astounding - similar to the flood of auteur directors and filmmakers we saw in the US in the 60s and 70s, many of them graduates of Roger Corman’s school of low-budget productions.

The way the industry has chopped and changed over the past decade or so, with the big productions gifted with massive Government subsidies and small indie films shunted to the bottom of the barrel, it’s anybody’s guess where we are heading. Maybe the red carpet needs to be rolled up for a couple of years, and despite some outstanding contributions from the local TV industry, the AACTAs put on hold until we truly have something to sing and dance about.

TALKING THROUGH YOUR ARTS PROJECT 29

The art of conversation is the focal point of John Kaldor’s whole art enterprise.

Welcome in Project 29, ladies, gentlemen and gentle-children. Presenting two weeks of outsider-art in Sydney!

This is so contemporary is not so contemporary. The work first appeared at the Venice Biennale in 2005. Kaldor describes this to be his favourite work by the 2013 Turner recipient Tino Sehgal.

The British-born Berlin-based artist sees his work as being constructed situations, using people in staged settings as visual and vocal choreographies. Sehgal’s compositions are an act. The movements recorded only in the memory frames of an audience. No media documentation is permitted.

It’s not just that we can’t see or imagine any important sensations brought about by distance, space, people-mass and so on.

We can use the word ‘art’ and understand each other when we talk about art, but this is not because all works of art have some defining essential magic ingredient that makes art what it is.

In the experience of art, the viewer imaginatively re-expresses the emotion that lies within. A talking act is one of the hardest to show-off. An old staging trick for those lacking ability to sing or dance was to take a monologist or a team offstage for applause. Sometimes a talking comedy act would use a box seat, and

finish in a ringing voice, or bring on a child or children, and sometimes to perform a rousing dance.

For the media preview of the work, children projected the twisting bodies to which they belonged, vocalising the title of the work and the artist’s name. The presentation at AGNSW employs three adult bodyguards spouting about similar routines against a study of an audience response.

Project 28, Measuring the Universe by Slovakian artist Roman Ondak was installed at Parramatta Town Hall as part of Sydney Festival to mixed reactions. The work is a record of those attending having

their name and date, marked on the white walls of the exhibitive space. The outcome was a pictorial representation of a community’s collective activity. The work was first installed in New York in 2007.

Almost a decade after its foundation Sehgal’s work’s surprise finish is a discouraging thing to build toward, because often—oh, so often! —The audience surprises the act by not being surprised at all. The finish of the act was, in the phrase de jour, the darnedest thing you ever saw. (AS) This Is So Contemporary, until Feb 23, AGNSW, Art Gallery Rd, Sydney, free, kaldorartprojects.org.au

Tino Sehgal

FADE TO GREY - ROBYN BEECHE In the 1980s Australian artist Robyn Beeche captured the excitement, colour and androgyny of the London scene. Fade to Grey, an exhibition of some of her most celebrated photographs, is a trip down the garish and gender-bending rainbow of the decade.

Beeche’s images are tales of outrageous flamboyance, decadence and carefree wealth. Taken before Photoshop, the pictures are inventive, free-spirited visions. They are artefacts of an era of excess and truly capture a period where make up and costume were used to camouflage, confuse, yet reveal a common humanity.

These are illustrations of people. They zoom on facial and somatic features of various shapes and have a painterly quality which fascinates.

Beeche’s work is an iconic part of the ‘80s and was instrumental in the development of ideas about fashion and art. This display is a small taste of a time where David Bowie and Vivienne Westwood reigned supreme. (LR) Until Mar 2, Black Eye Gallery, 138 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst, free, blackeyegallery.com.au

Fade to Grey - Robyn Beeche

THE VERY NEAR FUTURE - ALEX DAVIES Alex Davies’ The Very Near Future begins with the simple opening of a door. Within is an interactive space that plays with time and the imagination.

The installation is designed as a film studio. The recreated security office has a sign-in book which immediately immerses the visitor in the experience. Thunder claps sound overhead, a movie is captured on small monitors and a stage set and giant clock scramble the senses and twist temporal cognisance.

The Very Near Future is an innovative and fun multimedia

presentation. It comments on the role of cinema in the construction of reality and involves the viewer in its illusionary world.

Its mischievous tone blurs the line between spectator and participant and its projections challenge onlookers to cast their own shadows that merge with the exhibition’s ethos.

In this show, Davies has created a challenging piece which delights and surprises with its originality. (LR) Until Feb 16, Artspace, 43-51 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo, free, artspace.org.au

The Very Near Future, 2013, by Alex Davies

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BRENDAN GALLAGHER WINE ISLAND This album celebrates the career of an Australian blues man who found himself, as many do, playing his acoustic.

Wine Island is split into two discs, one for brooding blues music that is sinister in its desire to seduce.The other is for Gallagher’s acoustic music which is less moving.There is some nice guitar work here and some Australian imagery in the lyrics which is to be encouraged.Yet, while having some nice sounds and doing most of the right things, this album doesn’t have what it takes to really move the soul.

Mostly the album feels a little flat and drawn out. (LC)

THE ANGELS TALK THE TALK Talk The Talk is the latest album from veteran Australian rockers The Angels.

Featuring Dave Gleeson of The Screaming Jets on vocals, it is a return to the Brewster brothers’ riff-driven classic style.The twelve tracks were put together relatively quickly after the release of their album Take It To The Streets heralded a return from 15 years of absence, but it is a carefully considered project. From the rocking title track to the final No Rhyme Nor Reason,Talk The Talk is a collaborative effort full of slick arrangements and the tight drum and guitar that The Angels are famous for.There can be no denying,The Angels are officially back. (LL)

It was over a decade ago that a young school student by the name of Remi Kolawole was introduced to a professional hurdler for the Victorian Institute of Sport.

N’fa Jones was there on a visit to Kolawole’s school.

Rather than get excited by Jones’ successful sports career or his frontman duties with Aussie hip hop group 1200 Techniques, Kolawole was concerned with only one thing.

“They asked [the assembly] if anybody knew who this guy was, so I threw my hand up in the air and I was like, ‘That’s the Tim Tam genie!’” A reference to Jones’ role as the wish-granting genie in a Tim Tam commercial.

“Everybody lost their minds. I still remember N’fa’s face to this day; it was like he was saying ‘All right.You got me, you little grommet’,” says Kolawole.

Fast-track to the present day and after an ironic reunion in the studio through producers Sensible J & Dutch, Jones has become both a mentor and a sparring partner to the 2013 Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year.

“Our relationship now is very similar to the first time that we met,” he explains. “We just take the piss out of each other, even if one of us is pissed off or frustrated we’ll just come in and do a low blow just because it’s funny.

LIVE WIRE World’s End Press: After scoring album of the week on Triple J, John, Rhys, Sashi and Tom are well on their way to breaking through the underground barrier.

Their 2013 self-titled debut provided a wealth of attention, as well as some darn catchy tunes to groove to.This tour will have them gearing up for a jaunt with fresh French kids Phoenix in March, so don’t miss the chance to indulge in a headliner set.

Thu, Feb 13th, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst.

Austra: It’s been almost three years since the Toronto quartet have graced

“But then at the same time he’s probably one of my favourite rappers and musicians in this country,” he adds.

Finding his way into hip hop thanks to a college bet, Kolawole is something of a natural talent. His combination of singing, rapping, realistic lyrics as well as his signature party vibes - as found in the hit Sangria from his debut record Regular People Shit - are all great foundations for his next anticipated DIY effort Raw X Infinity.

“This whole new album, including the single Livin’, is basically like a social commentary, except it’s not meant to be negative. It’s just like a real version of everything, not sugar-coated,” he explains.

“At the end of the day we can get whoever we need on the phone and they will work harder,” he adds, regarding his choice to DIY the release.

“You can’t really call the head of a major label and be like ‘Hey man what are you doing tonight?’ because he will just be like ‘Man, I don’t give a fuck about you, Bruno Mars has just played the Super bowl and he’s making us millions of dollars!’”(CD) Feb 14, Goodgod Small Club, 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney, $15+bf (18+ only), moshtix.com.au

Sydney Live Music Guide

our shores for the hipster version of Big Day Out – St Jerome’s Laneway Festival. Since then, they have released an abundance of singles as well as last year’s sophomore offering, Olympia, an electronic feast of tracks including Home and Painful Like. It’s an album that has spawned a multitude of positive reviews, with many describing their music composition as carefully considered and effective.Their show will be a celebration of this recent release, so prepare to be engulfed by the sheer beauty of their sound.

Fri, Feb 14th,The Standard, Darlinghurst.

The Hipstones: Legendary doesn’t even come close to describing this slick soul seven-piece, who will be travelling from their home in Brooklyn, New York, for this special Sydney show.

Accompanied by their Aussie band, their signature combination of jazz, soul and funk makes for an exciting and utterly swinging show.

There’s rumours that they have been working on some original soul grooves slated for release in March this year, so who in their right mind could pass up an opportunity to hear it pre-release?

Sat, Feb 15th,Venue505, Surry Hills.

Rainee Lyleson: Lyleson will be getting her mellow on with a show titled Take Me As I Am: An Evening with Joni Mitchell. She is an actress, musician and model amongst many talents and will be joined by pianist Daren Sirbough, bass player James Heazlewood Dale and sticks man Alex Slater in a show that will capture the true essence of Mitchell.

With a combination of stories and famous songs such as Both Sides Now and Big Yellow Taxi, this is one for all ages.

Sun, Feb 16th, Foundry616, Ultimo The Black Sea Blues Band: Twelve years of partnership and the music

REMI

is still very much in the hearts of Val Nart and John Maddox. Their penchant for jazz, blues, electric fusion and more is a sound to behold, as they fill this venue with a musical souvenir from most parts of the audible world. Joining this fantastic duo tonight will be Judy Bailey’s Jazz Connection, a 17-piece band of young Australian jazz lovers, who will showcase the raw talent found in some of our countries brightest stars.

Tue, Feb 18th, Foundry616, Ultimo.

Love Me: Sydney’s favourite basement will play host to some of the most talented and fascinating artists from

all over the globe in one night of music and madness.

Presenting the leading act for the night: the multiaward winning songstress Toni Childs. An insatiable live act, Childs will be presenting classic tunes such as Many Rivers to Cross as well as some long-awaited new material. Joining her will be opera sensation Tarita Botsmanis, musical theatre stalwart Damian Ross, burlesque beauty Lilikoi Kaos, dance duo The Twoks, actress Queenie Van De Zandt and musical director and composer Lance Horne.

(CD) Wed, Feb 19th,The Basement, Circular Quay.

MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL 2014 In 2014 the Mardi Gras Film Festival celebrates its twenty-first birthday with a brand new partnership with the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board.

The festival will once again take place as a part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations, running from February 13 to February 23 with all movies screening at Event Cinemas George Street.

The festival will showcase a variety of LGBTIQ films from both Australia and around the world, including multiple Australian premieres, and critically acclaimed titles.

From documentaries about transgender porn stars, biopics of lesbian poets, coming-of-age dramas and indie-teen comedies, it is clear that the festival will include something for everyone.

Touted as the ‘best film of the festival’ Valentine Road also played at the Sundance Film Festival.

Also sure to be a hit is Born Naked, a lesbian documentary about two young women travelling and meeting other young lesbians,.

The full Mardi Gras Film Festival program is out now. (LD)

Feb 13-23, Event Cinemas, 505-525 George St, Sydney, $16-19, queerscreen.org.au

LYGON STREET: SI PARLA ITALIANO

Lygon Street: Si Parla Italiano (We Speak Italian) is a documentary which carefully examines the history and cultural influences of Italian immigrants who operated successful businesses in Lygon Street, Melbourne during the 1950s.

Lygon Street known as “Little Italy” had humble beginnings as a place where the Italian community would meet, but quickly transformed into a bustling entertainment district.

A group of pioneering merchants drinking wine humorously reminisce about their early experiences, the racism, cultural differences and the alleged Mafia activities.

Narrated by Anthony La Paglia this documentary is enriching and informative as the introduction of street festivals, delicatessens, espresso coffee machines, cheeses and pastas into the Australian culture are explored.

Old photos, newspaper clippings and original footage effectively illustrate what is widely known as the birthplace of multiculturalism in Australia. (MM) WWW½

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Based on a true story, Matthew McConaughey stars as a damaged rodeo cowboy (Ron Woodroof) in 1985, who has contracted HIV and has thirty days to live. In his downright refusal to die, and against the establishment, he researches alternative medicine and opens a clinic in Mexico with the help of unlikely ally and transvestite Rayon (Jared Leto).

A brutally honest potrayal of the severity of the disease and its reception by the public in the 1980s, along with Ron’s personal journey and growth.

Amazing performances by both of these actors, a sad but inspiring tale reminding audiences to face their greatest challenges head on.

Not to be missed. (LK) WWWW½

ROBOCOP

or metal? Ethical threads inevitably give way to lots of special effects action and a body count – though very little actual blood. Acting is not so much ‘wooden’ as ‘metallic’.

This is a very different Robocop to the late eighties original less cult noir and with more emotional intelligence. Samuel L. Jackson’s right-wing talk show host keeps his tongue firmly in cheek but doesn’t quite save the film. (GW) WWW

GRUDGE MATCH Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp’s (Sylvestor Stallone) sudden retirement after his epic light-heavyweight victory over Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen (Robert De Niro) leaves the tally even and McDonnen in a world of frustration.

Thirty years on and in need of money, Sharp reluctantly agrees to a decider.

Many will be licking their lips at the prospect of Rocky vs. Raging Bull, however, this is a cute albeit plodding comedy. (CC) WWW

memoirs of Jordan Belfort, who made millions selling fraudulent, inflated stocks; it follows Belfort’s rise and fall as he ‘conquers’ Wall Street.

Viewers are rushed through this whirlwind tale as Belfort and his band of brothers spend their money on prostitutes, drugs, fast cars and more drugs.

This is an unbelievably funny film, particularly scenes with DiCaprio and Jonah Hill. Australia’s own Margot Robbie proves that you can completely move on from a Neighbours career. (ATS) WWWW

It’s 2028 and robot drones enforce the peace everywhere – except in America.

Robotmaker, Omnicorp, needs to sway public opinion in order to muscle in on the profits – but how?

Enter Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman), the clean Detroit cop just taken out by a car bomb. We have the technology to rebuild him but is he man

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR The life of Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) changes when she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux), a young woman with blue hair. Adèle aspires to be a teacher, Emma is an artist and they embark on a passionate love-affair.

It’s hard to understand the logic behind the inclusion of some scenes and even harder to understand why those LAST VEGAS Paddy (Robert De Niro), Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline), reunite to throw a bachelor party for Billy (Michael Douglas), who has chosen to marry a woman half his age.

Last Vegas tends to be somewhat predictable, however, with a stellar cast of Hollywood favourites and a few good laughs, fans are sure to find it a witty film. (SC) WWW½ LABOR DAY Set over five days, the story revolves around a woman (Kate Winslet), her son, and a runaway

convict (Josh Brolin).

This is not a snappy screenplay, but the brooding tones of the photography, believable characters and pacing of the film draw the audience in, immersing them in the drama of this family’s life. (LC) WWWW MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM This film chronicles the life of Nelson Mandela from childhood to becoming the first democratically elected president of South Africa.

Beautifully photographed with a powerful performance from British actor Idris Elba (Mandela),

it is an inspiring and heartfelt story of one man’s battle and sacrifice to make South Africa a better country. (MM) WWWW THE PAST Bèrènice Bejo plays Marie, whose estranged husband returns to Paris to finalise their divorce. He finds himself trying to resolve the mystery of the alienation between Marie and her daughter Lucie, which holds a secret from the past.

The film is full of lies, deception, secrets and misunderstandings. Watch the final scene carefully. (MMu) WWW

scenes go on for so long. If director Abdellatif Kechiche ever makes a comedy he would do well to remember ‘brevity is the soul of wit’.

Blue is the Warmest Color is a worthwhile, moving film that is gathering acclaim and awards worldwide, however, it could have been told in half the time.

(MMu) WW½ 12 YEARS A SLAVE Steve McQueen’s powerful account of Solomon Northup, based on the book by Northup, follows his disgraceful forced induction into the Louisiana slave trade.

It is both humanising and unabashedly confronting.

It’s a movie that thrusts raw degradation, violence and racism upon viewers from the very first shot. By the end it leaves a state of pure distress over the plight of Northup, played by the spectacular Chiwetel Ejiofors.It’s one of the worst stories brought to film, yet this is one of the most outstanding movies of recent years. (CD) WWWWW

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Based on the

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FREEWILLASTROLOGY

by Rob Brezsny

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In her TED talk, science writer Mary Roach made it clear that human beings don’t need genital stimulation to experience orgasms. She spoke of a woman who routinely reaches ecstatic climax by having her eyebrows caressed, and another woman who reaches the big O simply by brushing her teeth. Then there’s the woman who can simply think herself into coming, no physical touch necessary. I can’t guarantee that a similar aptitude will suddenly turn on in you, Aries, but the coming days could bring you as close as you have ever been. Right now you’re a connoisseur of deep pleasure -- a blessed bliss master.

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “The fact that someone else loves you doesn’t rescue you from the project of loving yourself,” writes blogger Sahaj Kohli. Nothing else rescues you from that quest, either, I would add. Sooner or later, whether it’s now or 20 years in the future, you will have to master this fine art. It’s not enough to merely feel affection for yourself; not enough to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

You’ve got to make extensive investigations to discover what it means to love yourself; you have to develop rigorous plans for how to accomplish it; and you must fire up a deep

commitment as you actually carry out those plans. By the way, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to work on mastering this fine art.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Drunk with my madness, I shouted at him furiously, ‘Make life beautiful! Make life beautiful!’” So says a character in a prose poem by Charles Baudelaire. And now, even though I am neither drunk nor furious nor consumed with madness, I am whispering the same command to you. I hope you will respond by embarking on a heroic effort to make life beautiful everywhere you go. The astrological omens suggest that if you do, you will be inundated with practical blessings that are as valuable as money. This will also be an excellent way to drum up the kind of love you crave.

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here’s what I wish for you during the Valentine season: to be happily in love with an intimate partner who loves you back. If that’s not feasible, here’s what I hope: that you are learning provocative lessons about yourself through your growth-inducing relationship with a close ally. And if you’re not blessed with either of those experiences, here’s a third alternative: that you cherish your fathomless longing for its own sake, feeling wonder and reverence for its wild power even if it’s unfulfilled.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Making eye contact is essential for building potent links with people you care about. It bypasses rational thought, stimulating chemical reactions in your bodies that enhance empathy and intimacy.

In practicing the art of love, it’s one of the most potent moves you can make. This Valentine season would be an excellent time for you Leos to explore the frontiers of what’s possible through prolonged eye contact. Start here: Cultivate a sincere desire to know what’s simmering inside the souls of your dearest allies. With that as your driving force, your gaze won’t be clouded by shyness or self-consciousness.

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “I prefer an ecstatic orgasm to a lot of angst,” says Filipino artist David Medalla. I hope you consider making that your battle cry during this Valentine season. It would be in rapt harmony with the current cosmic omens. There really is no need for you to get sidelined by anxiety or distracted by stress when the natural remedy is so easily available. In every way you can imagine, Virgo, fight off sourness and dourness by engaging in acts of joy and pleasure.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In her poem “Implications of One Plus One,” Marge Piercy marvels at the way she and her long-term partner keep finding

new nuances in their lovemaking. “Ten years of fitting our bodies together / and still they sing wild songs in new keys,” she writes. What’s their secret? It’s “timing, chemistry, magic and will and luck.” What I wish for you this Valentine season, Libra, is that you will have access to all five of those ingredients as you reinvigorate your relationship to love. More importantly -- based on the current cosmic omens -- I *predict* you will have access to them.

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Jesuit priest Pedro Arrupe touted the practical value of being totally in love. “What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything,” he said. “It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.” Are you in love, Scorpio? With either a person, a beloved animal, a certain patch of land, your creative work, or life itself? If not, there’s no excuse! Astrologically speaking, it’s an excellent time for you to be stupendously in love with someone or something -- anything! If you are already in this state, trust your intuition to make it even smarter and finer.

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Borrowing the words of Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks), I’ve prepared

a love note for you to use as your own. Give it to a person whose destiny needs to be woven more closely together with yours: “You are the sky my spirit circles in, the love inside love, the resurrection-place.”

Would you like even more inspirational words to deliver to your chosen one? I hope so. Be greedy for lyrical bonding. Lust for springy intimacy. Feed your churning yearning. Try saying this, lifted from the book The Last Unicorn: “We are two sides of the same magic.” And be sure to say this, paraphrased from Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh: “I love you in a way that will always make you feel free.”

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “People think a soul mate is your perfect fit,” says author Elizabeth Gilbert. “But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back . . . They tear down your walls and smack you awake. . . shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you . . . transform your life.” Does that sound like the kind of person you want in your life, Capricorn? Or do you prefer someone who likes what you like, appreciates you just as you are, and makes your life more secure and comfortable?

This Valentine season is a good time to make or renew your commitment to one choice or the other. Whatever you decide,

you’re likely to experience it on a richer, deeper level during the next 12 months.

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Do you feel oppressed

by Valentine’s Day? Maybe you’re single and reject the cultural bias that says being in an intimate relationship is the healthy norm. Or maybe you’re part of a couple but are allergic to the cartoonish caricatures of romance that bombard you during the Valentine marketing assault. If you’d rather consecrate love and intimacy in your own unique way, untainted by the stereotypes flying around, I invite you to rebel. Make this the year you overthrow the old ways and start a new tradition: Valentine’s Day 2.0. Mock sappy, sentimental expressions of romance even as you carry out futuristic experiments in radically slaphappy love.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I have come to be fascinated with the messiness of desire,” writes novelist Ashley Warlick, “with the ways people fit themselves together, take themselves apart for each other, for want of each other, for want of some parts of each other.”

Your assignment, Pisces, is to celebrate the messiness of desire; to not just grudgingly accept it as an inconvenience you’ve got to tolerate, but rather to marvel at it, be amused by it, and appreciate it for all the lessons it provides. Your motto this Valentine season could be, “I bless the messy largesse of my longing.”