Arts and Entertainment Archive

Willow Beats may not defy genres but they certainly use them as decoys. With references to alchemy, the primal elements and soundscapes rich with ocean and forest sounds, you’d be forgiven for calling them New Age, until the breaks, heavy vocal modulation …

Toby Schmitz has a killer script in his hands with Mark O’Rowe’s no holds barred knockout of a play, Howie the Rookie. Returning to his Sydney stomping ground, the Old Fitzroy Hotel, Schmitz directs a blistering 80-minute tale of revenge, redemption and a …

Queensland musician Ben Craven describes himself as a cinematic progressive-rock singer-songwriter-performer-producer. But internationally he is regarded as a true Prog Lord. His last album – Great and Terrible Potions – was entirely created, performed and recorded by Craven. Great and Terrible Potions …

Powerful and passionate, The Motherf**ker with the Hat is back in Sydney for its second season entertaining audiences with its high-octane, obscenity-loaded exploration on love, fidelity and a mysterious hat. Written by American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Adam Cook, this black …

Only in a few rare cases do teen angst-ridden high school bands make it out with any success (sorry the ‘Liquid Coma’ of my past). The Cactus Channel is one such rarity. Starting out when they were 16, this ten-piece “cinematic soul” …

A few side streets from Liverpool city centre, among the old converted warehouses and cobblestone alleyways, is the Kazimier, a 500-capacity club and music venue. The entrance is nondescript and easily mistaken for the back door of a restaurant kitchen. But this …

For actors and playwrights alike, there is nowhere to hide on the intimate stage of the SBW Stables Theatre. The audience, thrust so close to the action, cannot be fooled by flashy sets or clever lighting cues. Instead, theatregoers demand honest storytelling …

Precious antiquities and treasures that traverse 3000 years of Chinese history are on display for the first time at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sydney’s CBD. This once in a lifetime opportunity to see rare antiques, many never exhibited before, ends on …

  Love cannot be labelled. People should be free to fall in love with the person they choose, regardless of sexual orientation, race or religion. Unfortunately, society has pre-set standards of what “normal” should be. This has become a crucial issue in …

What do an Irish nun, a church musician and a sexually frustrated relationship counsellor have in common? Many things possibly, but among them the fact they are all characters created by performer Robert Hoffman in his acclaimed show, Desperately Young at Heart. …