City Hub 5 December 2019

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A Family Tradition

The McClymonts and Tamworth: A 20-year love affair

Page 11

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SANTA & ELVES

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SATURDAY 14TH DEC 2019 SUNDAY 15TH DEC 2019

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Fun facts about gay marriage two years on (See p. 9)

HubNEWS

Photo: Franz Szony

Sea change for recycling plastic

HubARTS Few artists embody the term ‘iconic’ as exquisitely as Dita Von Teese.

(See p. 14)

Waste Warriors: recyclers Will of Defy Design with Flo, Anna Jane and Josh of Seaside Scavenge. Photo: Alec Smart Published weekly and freely available Sydney-wide.

Copies are also distributed to serviced apartments, hotels, convenience stores and newsagents throughout the city.

Distribution enquiries call 9212 5677.

Published by Altmedia Pty Ltd. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of content, we take no responsibility for inadvertent errors or omissions.

ABN 52 600 903 348 Group Editor & Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons News Editor: Alec Smart Contributors: Alec Smart, Ashna Bharkhada, John Moyle, James Harrison, Andrew Woodhouse Cartoonist: Sam Mcnair Arts Editor: Jamie Apps Contributors: Erika Echternach, Irina Dunn, Madison Behringer, Mark Morellini, Olga Azar, Renee Lou Dallow, Rita Bratovich, Olga Sedneva Advertising Manager: Georgina Pengelly Cover Photo: Supplied. The McClymonts (L-R: Millie, Brooke & Sam McClymont) Designer: Nadia Kalinitcheva Advertising: sales@altmedia.net.au Mail: PO Box 843 Broadway 2007 Email: news@altmedia.net.au, arts@altmedia.net.au Ph: 9212 5677 Fax: 9212 5633 Website: cityhubsydney.com.au If you have a story, or any comments you’d like to share with us: news@altmedia.net.au altmediagroup

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BY ALEC SMART cavengers took to the inner west bays of Sydney Harbour on November 23 to help clean up our shoreline. Seaside Scavenge, a non-profit organisation that has been clearing Australian waterways of garbage since 2015, hosted the first Harbourside Challenge in Jubilee Park in Glebe, partnering with Defy Design plastic recyclers.

A team of volunteers, mainly residents from the surrounding community, picked up loose trash from the banks of Rozelle Bay, Blackwattle Bay and Johnstons Creek, which they exchanged for tokens. For every 10 pieces of litter collected, participants were awarded a token to trade in for assorted second-hand books and clothing at a pop-up market in Jubilee Park.

The Sydney-based Seaside Scavenge has also hosted inland clean-ups, including Jindabyne in the snow country, where disposable items, such as food and drink containers, wash down from ski resorts in the Snowy Mountains. This waste collects in the Snowy River, which flows 350km from the NSW snowfields through Victoria before pouring into the ocean at Bass Strait.

‘developing’ countries. There is a lot of public awareness of marine debris, but much of it travels via inland rivers to the sea. By recycling that waste we offer a solution-based approach to the problem.

It’s not just about picking up litter. We need to recycle and reuse it – but don’t buy recyclable plastic if it’s not made of recycled products.”

Waste Warriors

Defy Design’s Emily Rossi explained to City Hub: “Whilst Seaside Scavenge collect trash, we take what doesn’t go to kerbside recycling facilities like Return & Earn cashback. This includes coffee cup lids, plastic cutlery, large milk containers and bottle tops.

S

Seaside Scavenge Director Anna Jane told City Hub: “The idea to retrieve and recycle waste from our waterways started as an incentive-based approach, so Australians can see it’s a problem here, not just in

Don’t buy recyclable plastic

if it’s not made of recycled products The trash, including coffee cups, crisp packets, drink containers, plastic cutlery and beer bottles, was sorted in Jubilee Park by volunteers working for the Australian Marine Debris Database.

This data is being collated to identify the biggest polluters and risks to Australia’s marine environment.

The plastic was separated and members of Defy Design, an Inner West Councilfunded pilot project, recycled it on the spot, utilising a portable micro-factory to create brightly coloured bowls and coasters.

Recycle by numbers

“We look for the triangular symbol on the base of most plastic objects, where the numbers 1 to 7 tell you what type of plastic it is. We recycle numbers 2, 4, 5 and 6, because they are easy to melt down.

Number 1, PET [polyethylene terephthalate] is made into the most common food and drink containers, and Return and Earn take them. Number 3, PVC [polyvinyl chloride] is not recyclable, and number 7 is a big group of plastics, including nylon, which melt at different temperatures and don’t bond together.

“We’re working with designers to develop our product range to include dog leash handles and pot plants, but for the moment we make bowls, coasters and rings. These objects are not microwavefriendly nor are they accredited foodsafe, but they make excellent desk tidies or dog drinking bowls and should be used for decorative or storage purposes only, not eating.”

For more information on Seaside Scavenge, visit: www.seasidescavenge.org For more information on Defy Design, visit: www.defydesign.org

Upcoming scavenges include Cronulla Beach, Sunday 8 December Dunningham Park, Cronulla, from 09.00-13.00 Bronte Beach, Sunday 19 January Bronte Park, from 09.00-13.00 Bondi Beach, Sunday 16 February Bondi Park, from 09.00-13.00 city hub 5 DECEMBER 2019

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Sent tips and local absurdities to hubbubsydney@gmail.com.

ANGUS TAYLOR, NOT-SOINVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Hubbub has been thinking about the Angus Taylor Travelgate fiasco, chuckling to ourselves all the while. In this amusing tale, a federal minister presented with no little fanfare documents that purported to show that the Sydney City Council had spent millions in travel.

And not just a couple of million.

The total was more than $15 million. That’s a lot of travel.

We started running a few numbers.

Let’s say a trip cost $5000. Had the council taken as many as a hundred such trips?

Let’s see, that would be … Hmmm - only $500,000.

Ok, let’s say the trips were $10,000 each, and there were not 100, not 200, but fully 1000 of them. p.6

HubNEWS

Don’t dial and drive!

By ASHNA BHARKHADA obile-phone detection cameras were activated across the state this weekend in a new initiative

by NSW authorities to catch drivers using their phones while behind the wheel.

A six-month trial earlier this year in Sydney, along the Anzac Parade and M4 Motorway, scanned 8.3 million vehicles.

The result? Thousands were caught using their phones illegally, adding up to more than in $34 million in potential fines.

Said Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance: “We’re allowing people to use cradles, we’re allowing people through their Bluetooth to make a telephone call and receive a telephone call but for goodness sake, do not text and drive, do not hold the phone up to your ear, or put the phone on your lap with the speakerphone on.”

Drivers can lose five demerit points on top of a hefty fine.

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Algorithm detection

NSW is the first place in the world to implement an artificial intelligence system to capture images of illegal phone handling. An algorithm examines photos of front seats of vehicles and determines which images need

NSW is pioneering artificial intelligence to film drivers handling mobile phones. Photo Wikimedia

reviewing. Those images are reviewed by humans, who verify the offenses before fines are issued. For the first three months of the operation authorities will only send out warnings.

Forty-five cameras have been installed to detect illegal phone use while driving Forty-five cameras have been installed across the state in unidentified locations, including 2 in rural areas.

The cameras operate night and day

on a 24-hour surveillance schedule in all weather conditions - including rain and fog.

Unlike speed cameras, drivers won’t have the benefit of being notified of a camera ahead. In an interview with Radio 2GB, Constance said that using a mobile phone while driving is just as distracting and dangerous as drunk driving.

“We’re trying to create a culture where you can be busted anywhere, anytime, like with RBT [random breath testing],” he said.

Waverley Council Update

Wednesday 11 December 2019

4–8pm

Bondi Park, Bondi Beach

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HubNEWS

[sound of calculator clicking] Uh-oh, that’s only $10 million.

It looks like the council would have taken 1500 trips, or about three per week for each of the ten councillors, in each case running up bills in the five figures.

Spoiler alert: It turned out the documents were forged.

As it happened, the actual total was about $20,000 for the year, or two thousand per councilor.

As any fan of crime fiction will tell you, motive is an important factor. p.8

Opinion

Elizabeth Bay is about to get stung

By ANDREW WOODHOUSE zzz bzzz.” Hear that?

That, dear readers, is the hum of a “bee hotel” coming to a park near you in Lawrence Hargrave Reserve, Elizabeth Bay, if Sydney’s Lord Mayor and Queen Bee Clover Moore has her way.

A bee hotel mimics natural bushland settings where scattered, pithy stems and holes in timber logs are used as bee nests or homes.

Much to the chagrin of locals, Sydney Council’s new master plan for the historic Lawrence Hargrave Reserve, opposite the Kings Cross Police station, proposes a bee hotel and other alterations right next door to apartments and open play areas.

“B

Sacre bee-leu!

In Paris’ Jardin de Luxembourg sits a bee home. Allergies, risks of anaphylactic shock and bites have conspired to create resentment and calls for a halt to any more such “hotels”.

SaLeS PeRSon wanted City Hub iS GRowinG!

Mr Doug Purdie, founder of the Urban Beehive, says, “It’s against the beekeeping guidelines to have beehives close to … public spaces”.

Risks bee-damned, Clover Moore’s plans were unveiled at last week’s so-called “consultation” meeting, really a fait accompli instruction assembly at the local Rex Centre.

Beyond bee-lief: It’s all topdown arrogance, ignorance and negligence Plans will be rushed through and approved after Christmas. There will be no development application, Environmental Assessment or Heritage Impact Statement and no publicly accountable tender process. Council refuses to say, or simply doesn’t know, how much it will cost, but it does seem cleverly convenient that it may be completed just in time for a look-at-me ribbon-cutting event before next year’s Sydney Council elections on Saturday 12 September.

Sydney Council plan to instal a ‘bee hotel’ in an Elizabeth Bay park. Photo: Ferran Pestaña/ WikimediaCommons

The naked apiary

Council’s plan incorporates more intrusive elements such as three more community garden beds. To access the community garden users are required to pay a fee.

It’s all top-down arrogance, ignorance and negligence, some say.

Council is in a rush, for whatever reason, to get this project completed ASAP, so public exhibition of the design is on its website only until next Tuesday, 3 December 2019.

The scheme is located in the “Park and Playground Upgrades” section of the council’s website; then follow the links.

Or you can simply email cmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au at any time

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Why would a federal minister attack a city council, even the biggest city council? OK, our Lord Mayor is not popular among certain right-wing figures. And we’ll all noticed that Lord Mayor Moore is also a woman, which leaves her open to attacks with a misogynistic undercurrent. Also, the ginned-up pathological hatred of green policies on the right is in the mix as well.

HubNEWS

The Cross hung out to dry

But some observant twitterers have pointed out that there’s potentially other issues involved. Angus Taylor is married to Louise Clegg. And Louise Clegg, some think, harbours ambitions to be .... … Lord Mayor of Sydney.

The plot thickens. It’s getting so thick we might talk about a plot clot. But perhaps the only clot is Angus Taylor himself who could have avoided all this by a simple Google search and is instead left talking very fast at great length about anything but his buffoonery. .

ANDREW BOLT, UNHISTORIAN Rick Morton, in the Saturday Paper, took off after Andrew Bolt last weekend. Bolt’s been on a jeremiad against Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu; Morton looked into what he’d been saying.

Hubbub had tuned into Bolt’s show a week or so ago and had happened upon him nattering on and on about the book, with oddly specific information at hand about some obscure historical facts, like about how exactly our indigenous peoples lived hundreds of years ago. Part of the thesis of Pascoe’s book, which is based on detailed excavation of historical records, is that some of the more elaborate achievements of aboriginal civilization, including something like farming and in fairly large villages, had been lost to history.

Morton did some fact-checking in the same historical archives and found that Pascoe’s work checked out.

Our only quibble with Morton’s piece is his talk about a “culture war” going on. A war is when two sides are fighting. To us, this feel more like a kid in the back shooting spitwads through a straw, while adults try to have an intelligent conversation.

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On 14th January Sydney’s lockout laws will be repealed, but not in Kings Cross. Photo: Supplied

by JOHN MOYLE n Tuesday 14th January 2020 Sydney will wake to what it has wanted for five years when the lockout laws will be repealed. The changes will come into effect for the CBD and Oxford Street, but not Kings Cross, which the NSW Government Response to Night Time Economy report says will be subject to “a review of these conditions (that) should be completed within 12 months, taking into account diversity of venues and saturation of high impact venues”.

“As a member of the Inquiry into Sydney’s Night-Time Economy I certainly believe the committee hear enough evidence to support removing blanket lockout laws in Kings Cross, while potentially maintaining restrictions for some venues,” Cate Faehrmann, Greens Member of the Legislative Council said.

“Kings Cross is almost unrecognisable now to what it was five years ago.”

Sydney’s lockouts were introduced by the O’Farrell government in 2014 in response to two king-hit deaths in Kings Cross, both caused by aggressors from outside the area.

O

New changes

The changes will include the removal of 1.30am last entry for all licensed venues in the CBD and Oxford Street, the extension of last drinks by 30 minutes for venues with a good record, allowing drinks to be served in glass after midnight and the extension of bottle shop hours across the state until midnight Monday to Saturday and to 11pm on Sundays.

Sydney’s lord mayor Clover Moore, who has been an opponent of the lockouts, welcomed the changes and said “I look forward to working with the NSW Government and the wider community to

fix the damage caused by the lockouts and put in place policies that will allow a review of the laws in Kings Cross upon review in 12 months.”

Aaron Edwards owns the 99 capacity small bar Bitter Phew on Oxford Street and says the repeal will mean a lot for him and his staff, not only in extended hours but in lowering the stress levels of his staff.

“For us there is the potential for an extra hour of trade and there is a lot less stress for the staff and myself to make sure everything in compliant at 1.30 in the morning,” Edwards said. “We might make up to an extra $1000 for that extra hour and that is a whole staff member’s salary for the year.”

Kings Cross is almost unrecognisable now to what it was five years ago For Edwards that extra staff member will also mean that he will be able to reduce his hours from his present 80 a week.

Presently the Bitter Phew draws around 50 per cent of its clientele from locals, with 20 per cent from the CBD and the rest Edwards describes as “destination” customers.

“I can see Oxford Street becoming more community-based and lifestyle again, and there is a lot of money sitting on the sidelines to see what is going to happen,” Edwards said.

Kings Cross reactions

In Kings Cross the reactions were more subdued but still welcomed.

The New Hampton is a 500 capacity bar/bistro built on the site of the old Hampton Court Hotel. The new premises were in the early throes of fit-out when the lockouts were introduced in 2014.

“You would have never have done it if

you had of known,” Kieran Coleman, coowner, New Hampton Hotel said. “It had a very quick impact, like a shotgun to the head.”

Being classified as a larger venue the hotel will still be required to operate identity scanners.

“We have to maintain these seven nights a week at a cost of $2000 a week to operate,” Coleman said.

The ID scanners are only implemented in Kings Cross and carry hefty fines for venues that do not use a licensed operator or mismanage their use.

Brandon Martignago owns Dulcie’s, a welcomed 66-capacity small bar addition to Darlinghurst Road on the site of a former strip club.

“We are a small bar and are essentially outside of the restrictions brought in by the lockouts,” Martignago said. “We have done five years of the lockouts already and we are starting to adapt, and it’s definitely good that we have changed from being a strip club/night club area, but I would like the lockouts to be lifted to encourage more diverse businesses that can present a different and fresh version of Kings Cross.”

The reactivation of the Metro Theatre to revitalise the area is one idea that is gathering momentum in the Cross. The 1000-seater live theatre, built in 1939, has been sitting idle since being sold by film director George Miller in April 2019 after being on the market for almost a year.

“The reactivation of the Metro Theatre as a live venue would bring a thousand people into the area for a performance and they would be people going to a meal beforehand or afterwards, and this would certainly revitalise the Cross, but we haven’t seen any proposal at this stage for that to happen,” City Councillor Professor Kerryn Phelps said.

HubNEWS

Gay marriage’s second birthday D

By JAMES HARRISON ecember 7 marks the second anniversary of Australia’s Same Sex Marriage Bill. The 2017 bill followed a two-month long plebiscite, which received an extraordinary 61.6% yes vote.

What’s changed?

In 2018 there were over 6,500 same-sex couples wed, according to data recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This made up 5.5% of the 119,188 marriages in 2018 nationally and, unsurprisingly, represented a 5.5% rise in marriages compared to 2017.

Women represented 57.8% of the samesex couples walking down the aisle, compared to 42.2% men.

Another interesting fact: Same-sex marriages contributed to an increase in the median marriage age. Those getting married were older than their heterosexual counterparts. This presumably reflects the fact that some same-sex partners had been together for decades and were getting married in their 60’s or 70’s. Male samesex marriages had a median age of 44.9, while women were at 39.3. In

relationships are not only legitimate, they are just as valuable and special as other marriages.

“I think people have accepted the reform and moved on. Life has moved on; the world has kept turning and nothing has changed fundamentally in Australia apart from the fact that those 13,000 people have been able to get married.”

Public Controversies

December 7th marks the second anniversary of legalisation of same-sex marriage. Photo: Alec Smart

comparison, the heterosexual medians were 32.1 for men and 30.2 for women.

Public acceptance

The plebiscite sparked public debate over issues of religious freedom, the role of gender in marriage and freedom of speech. Christine Forster, sister of former Prime Minister Tony Abbot, believes the bill broadened LGBT+ acceptance. The Prime Minister, a staunch ‘vote no’ campaigner, nonetheless attended the wedding of

Forster to her partner Virginia Edwards in February 2018.

Same-sex marriages are just as valuable and special as other marriages “I’ve noticed people being openly demonstrative in public, which is a big change, I think,” Forster told City Hub. “You see it all around Sydney. Australia as a society has accepted that these

The campaign wasn’t pretty, however.

Skywriting appeared across the Sydney sky on Sept. 17, 2017, reading “vote no.” The stunt was organised through a GoFundMe page linked to Kat Klayton, a Canberra woman who at the time ran the Facebook page Safe Schools, Australian Law and Our Kids.

A few months later, two murals were vandalised in Newtown and Erskineville.

Scott Marsh, late friend of George Michael, painted both, one depicting George Pell with his hand down the ‘budgie smuggler’ swimming pants of Abbot and another depicting Michael as a saint beneath a rainbow smoking a marijuana joint. The vandalising received support from fundamentalist group Christian Lives Matter.

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Coffin Ed’s NAKED CITY

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SUBURBAN ROULETTE

ydney, since its very beginning, has always been an everchanging landscape. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the way certain suburbs fall in and out of favour. Back in the early 80s one of the daily papers conducted a survey of all metropolitan suburbs according to their desirability as a place to live and their social status.

Largely industrial Zetland was then rated the least desirable although today it would be right up there with the list of groovy new precincts.

Perhaps one of the most noticeable changes in recent years has come in the Newtown area. In the 70s and early 80s, it was starting to lose its traditional, multi-ethnic working-class population to gradual gentrification but still retained a slightly sinister edge.

King Street was more a place to avoid on a weekend night if you valued your own personal safety. There were a few nightclubs such as the infamous Talking Tables restaurant and a plethora of blood house hotels but nothing like the cosmopolitan buzz of today.

At the same time, a few suburbs away and Kings Cross was thriving with numerous music venues, strip clubs, night clubs and coffee shops. Lockout laws, changing tastes and the fickle movement of the party people and all that has turned around during the past decade. As one comedian joked “Why was Jesus seen downing shots in Newtown late on a Saturday night? Because he was sick of hanging

THAT SNEAKY RABBIT

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city hub 5 DECEMBER 2019

around the Cross.” An offensive quip for many but one that did not disguise the truth.

Now comes news that the lockout laws are to be lifted in the Sydney CBD and the revitalisation of Sydney’s nightlife is finally underway. On top of that is “The Right To Play Live Music” bill, sponsored by the State Labor Party, which if passed will remove many of the restrictions placed on licenced venues in accommodating live music.

The deckchairs are once again being rearranged and we could soon see yet another mass migration of the latenight drinking and binging brigade.

The Cross, of course, has not been

so lucky in this reinvention of Sydney nightlife and live music, as the lockout laws will still apply there. That’s either a blessing for the many local residents who shudder at the thought of another wave of boozing hoons invading their hood or a crying shame for those who remember the halcyon days of KC in the 70s and 80s.

The common factor in all this is alcohol and what is now publicly enshrined as a god-given right to consume copious amounts until you are all but comatose – unlimited shots after midnight folks! Perhaps the curiously worded “Right To Play Live Music” bill might add a new dimension

By Sam Mcnair

#thatsneakyrabbit

to the way Sydney operates as a nightlife culture and just where the hotspots are.

There’s a big attraction in having a large number of licensed venues all within walking distance in a specific area like King Street Newtown or sections of the Sydney CBD. Crowds attract crowds, it gives punters plenty of choice and it creates an atmospheric entertainment quarter. It also throws up a series of problems, like a whole bunch of inebriated people congregating in the one area, sometimes crawling from one venue to the other, after being evicted from the last for being too drunk.

Perhaps the answer is greater geographic diversification and the question is what Sydney suburb will be anointed as the next ‘party central’, following in the footsteps of the Sydney CBD, Newtown and Kings Cross. Maybe we need to rethink right outside the square and get the boozy, late-night culture as far away from affected residents as possible.

Would it be too crazy to nominate Cockatoo Island as the new night club precinct? Noise should not be a problem and ferries could easily transport punters to and from a kind of funky and very fashionable version of Alcatraz. There would be no lockout laws but the last ferry would run at 3.00am. Those wanting to binge through the night would have to pass a sobriety test in the morning before being allowed off the island, with free coffee and donuts on hand to speed up the process. Well, you might ridicule the idea but ask yourself would you have bought a house in Zetland back in 1980? Anything is possible in this city!

A Family Tradition Something for everyone at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2020

By Jamie Apps his January the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival (TCMF) will once again see music fans of all ages and ilks head westward for 10 incredible days of music. Throughout the course of the festival visitors from around the globe flock to the regional city, causing its population to double.

However, it’s not just music fans that descend upon Tamworth. During the course of the 10 days, musicians from all stages of their careers arrive in Tamworth to perform, catch up with friends and most importantly to set the tone for the remainder of their year.

This year’s Toyota Country Music Festival Ambassadors The McClymonts have been attending TCMF for over two decades.

“We were going to the festival long before we even sang,” recalled Sam McClymont, “Growing up in Grafton it’s not too far away and our parents loved country music. So we used to hop into the car, head over to the festival and walk down the streets watching the buskers or going to the free shows in the park.”

These early childhood experiences set the trio of sisters on a path that would inevitably see them doing everything possible at TCMF. Rising from busking on the streets to entering the Capital Country Music Association Talent Quest to pub/club gigs and finally performing at the biggest venue in town, the Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre. Who knows, without the TCMF perhaps The McClymonts wouldn’t be where they are today.

“We were those kids who had autograph books and would line up after the artists got off stage to get our book signed.

We loved listening to our cassette tapes heading to or from the festival and it really became a major part of our lives, so it’s pretty surreal to now come full circle.”

On the other end of the scale is rising youngster Billie Rose, who is just now getting opportunities to perform on the bigger platform of the TCMF Fanzone stage.

“To go from busking to now getting opportunities to play at places like

T

Fanzone is amazing. These shows are where you realise that the grinding as an artist is moving your career forward,” explained Rose.

When both McClymont and Rose speak about the festival it is obvious that it holds a very special place in their hearts. Something which is exemplified by the fact that The McClymonts will even be performing in 2020 given that Brooke McClymont will be nine months pregnant.

“We’ve had to move our show over to the first week because Brooke will be heavily pregnant, explained Sam before adding, “But of course we’re making her come to do the first week at least because it’s Tamworth after all and you can’t miss it!”

According to McClymont, the festival is so special because it has such a rich history and tradition.

“Tamworth has worked really hard at keeping that festival spirit alive, it hasn’t waned at all. The festival is still packed every year because they keep it all about the artists, especially the up and coming performers and buskers. But they also have the shows for the entertainers who have been

around for a long time. So there is a really nice mixture for everyone to go and see. If you want to just watch free shows you can. If you want to pay to see specific people you can.”

The broadness of the festival is another key aspect of its uniqueness explained Rose. “You don’t have to just be a country fan. The umbrella of country music now is so broad, you have folk, alternative, traditional and modern so it caters to everyone. If someone loves a good time and music they’re definitely going to find that in Tamworth.”

In terms of highlights throughout the festival, City Hub recommends checking out both The McClymonts and Billie Rose. The ladies though recommend that attendees do not miss the Toyota Star Maker concert as that is where you will undoubtedly see “the next big thing.”

Given that the festival takes place in Western New South Wales in the peak of Summer there are some special insider tricks to ensure you enjoy the festival to its fullest.

Sam McClymont says, “Sometimes it’s 40 degrees, so be prepared for the heat. If you go in with that headspace of knowing that it’s going to be hot you’ll be ok. Just make sure you have a hat, sunnies and water or a beer. As long as you keep hydrated any way you like you’ll be right.”

Bille Rose suggested, “renting a place, so that you have your own homely base rather than a motel. Also, go for the whole ten days and to as many shows as you can!”

In general though Sam McClymont summed it up perfectly, “You just have to go and experience TCMF once and then you’ll be back again.”

Tamworth Country Music Festival Jan 17-26. Tamworth, NSW. More Info: www.tcmf.com.au The McClymonts Jan 17. Tamworth Town Hall, Fitzroy St, Tamworth. $29.90-$54.90+b.f Tickets & Info: www.trecc.com.au Billie Rose Jan 24. The Welder’s Dog 37 Dowe St, Tamworth.

Jan 25. Fanzone Stage. FREE. More Info: www.tcmf.com.au

Billie Rose.

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“There’s singing, dancing, comedy, drama, thrills, spills, glitter and feathers.”

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unning from December 11 to 14 the NIDA Festival Of Emerging Artists will feature seven unique productions from students in their final year. Students from NIDA’s Master of Fine Arts (Directing) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (Design for Performance), as well as students from all disciplines at NIDA, will each present their work across three locations on each night of the Festival. Works include live adaptations, premiere works and adaptations or contemporary staging of works from Brecht and Goethe.

Dec 11-14. National Institute of Dramatic Art, 215 Anzac Parade, Kensington. $12-$15+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.nida.edu.au

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oe Dombrowski has a very unique perspective on the world, thanks to being both a full-time school teacher and stand-up comedian. Thanks to this unique view on life his new show Indoor Recess is bound to be engaging, inspiring and passionate.

Indoor Recess poses the question to the audience, ‘What’s crazier than spending six hours a day EVERY DAY with a room full of eight-year old’s?

The answer... not much.’

Dombrowski’s goal with Indoor Recess and his comedy, in general, is to encourage his fellow educators to never lose the spark that brought them to teaching in the first place to ensure their students are viewing school as a place they want to be versus have to be.

Catch Dombroski as he makes his Sydney debut at the Factory Theatre this Sunday, tickets available at www.factorytheatre.com.au

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hroughout the world of art inspiration and creativity emerges from a wide array of spaces. On Dec 12 an uplifting, energetic and inspiring program of original dance works choreographed by young people incarcerated in Youth Justice Centres comes to the Sydney Opera House.

In this incredible performance, five professional dancers embody the voice of these young people, the heartfelt stories of their past and their hope for the future.

Early in 2019, Beyond The Walls visited two NSW youth justice centres – Frank Baxter and Reiby Youth Justice Centre, twice a week for six weeks. They worked with the young p.14

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Dita Von Teese - Glamonatrix Photo: Sequoia Emmanuelle

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ew artists embody the term ‘iconic’ as exquisitely as Dita Von Teese. The modern legend of pin-up and burlesque has re-glorified a bygone era of elegance and redefined feminism. Her elaborate, highly polished shows sell out theatres across the globe and she is revered by celebrities, haute couture designers, and fans that span the full spectrum of diversity. Von Teese is bringing her new show, Glamonatrix to Australia in what will be her third visit to our shores.

“I’m especially excited because I just bought this really high-tech backdroplike curtain motor that does these really neat things. So, it’s fabric that will make shapes… it’s not an LED wall, but it’s still something new,” says Von Teese.

She mentions the LED wall because,

while she has used holograms and light mapping in past shows, she’s not a huge fan of high-tech and special effects, preferring a more pure form of burlesque.

On stage with Von Teese will be renowned performers, Dirty Martini and Australian star Zelia Rose. Highlights include a Swarovski crystal-coated cake (in which Von Teese is ensconced); giant sparkling lipstick; and a freshly re-mixed version of the famous martini glass routine.

“How do I translate this into ultra womanly sex erotic power that makes other people feel like they can be part of it too?” asks Von Teese. Come and find out. (RB) Dec 6-7. State Theatre, 49 Market St, Sydney. $90-$200+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.statetheatre.com.au

REVIEW

Little Miss Sunshine

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wo words aptly describe the Sydney premiere production of Little Miss Sunshine which is based on the 2006 smash hit film by the same name – absolutely delightful!!

The story follows the journey of an extremely dysfunctional yet strangely inspirational family as they embark on a long road trip from New Mexico to California. The purpose of this journey?

Olive, the unattractive yet very hopeful teenage daughter, wants to fulfil her dream of entering a beauty pageant.

Colourful sets and costumes are a feast for the eyes, but the bright yellow van which is seemingly fully operation in the minds of the audience commands stage presence and can unquestionably be categorised as one of the principal characters in the show.

There’s a good mix of comedy and intense drama, but the dance sequence in the finale, as in the film, will leave

audiences rolling down the aisles in fits of laughter!

Audiences from all walks of life should enjoy this musical comedy. Anybody who has ever tried their best and followed their dream, failed but not given up will relate – even the young rebellious teenagers who have “kicked ass”! (MMo) Until Dec 14. New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown, $20-$35. Tickets & Info: www.newtheatre.org.au

Jo Koy - Just Kidding

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merican comedian Jo Koy has broken records for most ticket sales at several venues, has won the prestigious Stand Up Comedian of the Year award at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in 2018 and has his own Netflix special, Comin’ In Hot. Koy has appeared on over 140 episodes of Chelsea Lately and has featured on several talk shows over the years. This December Koy will bring his newest show Just Kidding to Australia as part of his 2019 world tour, hitting Sydney this Saturday night as he takes over the First State Super Theatre.

Despite performing in front of several thousand people at a time, Koy has a relaxed and improvised approach to his sets, saying: “I literally just go up on-stage and work it out. When I find something funny during the day I just go up and talk about it, and the joke just writes itself.”

Koy is looking forward to the tour, and when asked if he prefers stand-up to screen he replied, “…as much as I love doing it all, stand-up will always be my true love.”

Although Koy has now released his 2019 Netflix special he explained that he always uses fresh material for new shows like Just Kidding, saying: “They [audiences] can expect all-new material on this tour. Once my special drops I retire the material so it will be completely different from what fans have seen on my Comin’ In Hot special.” (MB) Dec 7. First State Super Theatre, 14 Darling Drive, Sydney. $79.90+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.abpresents.com.au

SaleS PerSon wanted City Hub iS GrowinG!

Are you an aggressive ad sales person with a network of contacts in Sydney who is poised to help City Hub move to the next level?

Come join us! We’re the city’s longest-running independent news and arts voice, covering Balmain to Bondi for 24 years.

ready to Create Some Hubbub?

Send resume and cover letter to Publisher lawrence Gibbons lawrence@altmedia.net.au

HIV Work Ready Program Supporting people living with HIV to engage in training and mentoring to prepare for paid or voluntary work roles To find out how you can get involved contact Positive Life NSW Phone 02 9206 2177 Freecall 1800 245 677 Email workready@positivelife.org.au

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people aged 11 to 19, encouraging them to share their experiences and stories in the form of dance and directing the dancers. Together they found a collective voice for their individual experiences.

Grab your tickets to witness these incredible works of art at www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Hans - Like A German B

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he ever popular Sculpture By The Sea expands out to Sydney’s South West this weekend, from Dec 7, with the beginning of the inaugural Liverpool Sculpture Walk.

Avoid the mass crowds along the traditional Sculpture By The Sea path and instead take a stroll around Liverpool. The Liverpool Sculpture Walk trail will see art fans venturing from the Casula Powerhouse along the Georges River as they take in a selection of eight sculptures.

Join Riff Raff this Saturday night at The Metro Theatre when we head out to enjoy the incredible band The Vanns.

Closing out their biggest tour ever The Vanns will be looking to blow the roof off the building on Saturday, so it’s not to be missed. Grab tickets at www.metrotheatre.com.au

erlin boy-wonder Hans is many things. He’s an accordionist, a dancer, a comedian and an international sex-symbol. After making it all the way to the finals of America’s Got Talent, Hans’ cabaret career soared. His show is packed with glitter and dance and will no doubt feature Hans in a tight sparkly costume playing his accordion.

Despite this being Hans’ debut tour in Australia he has visited the country many times over the years. When asked what he’s most looking forward to doing while over here this time around he responded: “You know what, honey? Berlin is my home, but there is something about Australia that feels so familiar to me every time I visit… I think it’s the people. After all, I can relate to

them. They’re really just like me at the end of the day... Just not as glamorous!”

Hans guarantees that Like A German is his biggest and best show yet, saying: “There’s singing, dancing, comedy, drama, thrills, spills, glitter and feathers.

And there’s even a live band: The Ungrateful Bastards.”

Hans isn’t one to exaggerate and reassured us that audiences would experience the best night of their lives at his show saying, “in short... it’s the greatest night of your life! That is no exaggeration.”

Dec 4-6. Darlinghurst Theatre, Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton Street, Darlinghurst. $44-$49+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.darlinghursttheatre.com

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Homestate EP

Of Deities And Demons

By Madison Behringer his December the Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA) will host the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) for the very first time at the Annandale Creative Arts Centre. Of Deities And Demons is a cross-cultural musical celebration of Australian and Sri Lankan music featuring

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Baliphonics and led by AAO’s Artistic Director Peter Knight.

Featuring Sri Lankan LowCountry traditional drumming, dance and improvisation, Of Deities And Demons is an exciting celebration of tradition and culture.

AAO’s Artistic Director Peter Knight explained how he came to meet Baliphonics’ Sumudi

Suraweera, saying: “I visited Sri Lanka last year to learn about their Low-Country ritual drumming because I always thought it was an incredibly interesting musical form. On that trip, I met Sum [Sumudi Suraweera] who is the leader of Baliphonics. I spent some time with him and we played some music together and we had

a really good instant rapport and started talking about the possibility of collaboration.”

Peter and Sum share a connection through their music, with Peter saying, “improvisation is a really common practice in non-Western musical culture.

We use improvisation as a link, as a language and an approach to music that we can share between our two cultures.”

“When I say that we’ll see what happens, it sounds flippant but in a way, we don’t completely know what’s going to happen until we’re all together. We take that spontaneity really seriously.”

Of Deities And Demons will feature traditional Sri Lankan music and dance that isn’t often performed in Australia. Peter finished by saying: “It’s going to be raucous, it’s going to be high energy and it’s going to have moments of real delicacy as well. That Low-Country ritual drumming is so amazing, it’s really worth hearing. I think audiences will have a really enjoyable experience.”

Dec 7. Annandale Creative Arts Centre, 81 Johnston Street, Annandale. $25-$35+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sima.org.au

The latest self-titled EP from Perth pop-punks Homestate is filled with classic pop-punk hooks, melancholic lyricism and angst.

Throughout the EP the group does an awesome job of layering upbeat joyful music with deep emo, emotive lyricism. The record’s major theme is heartbreak and the realisation that sometimes an individual can be “better off without you!”

Every track on this record is a prime example of how special the pop-punk genre can be. Three singles in particular though are worth sampling if you’re still sceptical. Those singles being; Sunny Day, Breathe, and Sick Sad World. (JA) WWWW

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Chris Cuffaro - Greatest Hits: Michael Hutchence A

and will be remembered as one of the greatest singers ever. I am beyond proud of this shoot and truly believe it was one of my best. He could be a mischievous subject but he was a truly kind and warm person,” reflected Cuffaro.

To make this exhibition even more special, Cuffaro will be on hand throughout the season to speak with attendees about the shoot, the pictures and the enigmatic Hutchence.

Until Jan 11. Blender Gallery, 16 Elizabeth St, Paddington. FREE. Info: www.blendergallery.com

Photo: Chris Cuffaro

cclaimed photographer Chris Cuffaro returns to Australian soil with an exhibition of images from his iconic shoot with the late Michael Hutchence.

Cuffaro met with Hutchence in LA on Oct 1, 1993, and spent the day photographing him for a shoot commissioned

by Detour magazine.

The shoot was a creative freestyle with the two connecting and walking away with some of the most iconic photos of Hutchence ever seen.

“Michael was one of a kind

Come and celebrate 35 years of Australian jazz at SIMA’s Super Birthday Fundraiser tonight!

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ith welcome drinks, a delicious two course meal, door prizes, raffles, a silent auction and incredible entertainment from legendary Australian jazz masters Wanderlust and rising star Zela Margossian what more could you ask for.

Tickets are between $75-$95 and are available at www.sima.org.au

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mas gifts and arts and crafts by the score will be available at the Finders Keepers market this weekend in Barangaroo.

The markets began in 2008; they bring together artisans in fashion, jewelry, housewares, pet supplies, art and just about anything else you can think of.

There will be more than 200 stalls open and operating, at the Cutaway at Barangaroo preserve, just off Hickson Road. They are open noon to 9 Friday, 10am to 7pm Saturday, and 10am to 5pm Sunday. www.thefinderskeepers.com/ sydney-markets

Persian Film Festival 2019

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he 8th Persian Film Festival comes to Sydney and its popularity is on the increase, evident from the addition of two venues which will reach a wider audience.

“Our program has grown three times and due to its success Palace Cinemas have become our venue partner, having their backing has allowed us to expand ” enthused festival director, Amin Palangi.

The program this year consists of 15 feature films, six documentary films and 13 shorts from Iran and Afghanistan and the opening night

promises to be a memorable gala event. Award-winning Iranian actress Mahnaz Afshar who stars in the opening night war drama Suddenly A Tree will be in attendance. “On arrival, guests will receive drinks and Persian ice cream and following the film there will be Persian food and drinks at the afterparty.”

The festival this year is dedicated to women, for their resilience and creative expression. “This is reflected by the selection of films both in features and shorts of which 50% are by female directors

and many of the protagonists in the stories are also females. This year there are three guests and coincidentally they’re all women.”

Amin emphasised that Australians should attend this film festival. “It’s an opportunity to be immersed in an area of the world that we don’t hear much about and to have a space for meeting people, dialogue engagement, enjoying our food, drinks and other festivities.” (MMo) Dec 4-8. Palace Cinemas. $21$105+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.persianfilmfestival.com

Suzan Iravanian from Leakage

CITY HUB HOT PICKS The Swallows Of Kabul – Adapted from the literary classic by the same name, this spellbinding and highly rated animation film screened at Cannes.

Leakage – Story of a woman who starts leaking oil which has a strong sense of national allegory and an interesting take on what is happening in Iran through this character.

The Orphanage – The Russians are taking over Kabul and the film follows a group of orphans and explores their dreams and desires as this change is happening.

Where’s My Roy Cohn espite the distance and politics, Russian culture tingles curious minds of Sydney art lovers.

Roy Cohn might have been a smallframed man but he managed to block out the sun wherever he went. At age 23, he was the brash, obscenely confident chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the infamous Communist witch hunt of the 1950s.

Though that all ended in scandal and disgrace, Cohn went on to have a lucrative, successful, corrupt and toxic career practising his version of the law for mafia kingpins, unscrupulous

CEOs, politicians, and the likes of Donald Trump. The revelations in this documentary are astounding and appalling, but they offer insight into how the world came to be where it is.

Director, Matt Tyrnauer, has compiled archival footage, personal images and documents, and interviews with people who knew Cohn all too well. It makes for a documentary that will leave you gapemouthed at the sheer audacity of this slick, narcissistic, performance lawyer who managed to get away with murder literally. (RB) WWW1/2

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