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IT'S SHOW TIME Three days of jam-packed family fun

CAPTURING CREATIVE

FLAVOURS FROM FRANCE

The first NT Creative Industries Strategy

Experience the deliciousness of La French

JULY

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July 8–August 31 2019

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f you’ve ever been to the Show, you’ve probably got at least one memory that stands out. Perhaps it’s the smell of fresh hot cinnamon donuts, scoring a giant plush toy after fluking a sideshow alley game or petting a baby farm animal for the first time. For me, it’s riding the Gravitron when I was about 11-years-old. I made the terrible mistake of moving my head from one side to the other whilst in full spin – I truly felt like I was going to fall off the face of the planet… But this bizarre, spun-out feeling was soon replaced with pure joy after scoring my first ever show bag. What a (sugar-filled) treat!

F R OM T H E

The Royal Darwin Show returns for its 68th year, bringing with it feelings of excitement for the little ones and kids-at-heart. 2019 also celebrates the Year of the Pig, so check out this month’s main feature to find out if pigs can fly. Heads up – July’s pretty busy, everyone. Setting things off with a bang, quite literally, is Territory Day on the 1st, with concerts and crackers to light up the night. The Dragonfly Craft Fair returns, this year to a brand new location on the foreshore lawns of MAGNT – enjoy the sea breeze as you get your local craft fix. And, if Tinder’s causing you to swipe left more than you’d care to mention, Darwin River Tavern is inviting you to their place for a chance to find love. July’s arrival means Darwin’s about to get pretty weird – in the best possible way! Darwin Fringe descends on the city for 10 days of art, theatre, comedy, cabaret, and more. The school holidays are here,

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GPO BOX 2325, Darwin NT 0801

so how to keep the young ones busy? Prevent cabin fever and check out page 7 for a bunch of fun FREE family activities across the Top End. (You’re welcome!)

If you work in the NT’s creative industries, the Northern Territory Government want to hear from you. Find out about the new five-year Creative Industry Strategy on page 6 have and your say.

Stargazers and French fans rejoice, as the Deckie presents The Moon Film Festival and French Film Festival on the big screen. Keeping with the French theme, La French are serving up the freshest traditional crêpes in the Top End, popping up at Deckchair Cinema and coming to a market near you.

CApturing Creative | 6

If you haven’t been to see Yidaki at MAGNT yet, you’d better get in quick. This immersive exhibition centres on the origins of yidaki (didjeridu) and closes on the 7th! Check out Music for the next best things to Swedish superstars ABBA, to discover the soulful sounds of South Africa and to find out exactly what an ‘oud’ is.

Darwin Fringe | 12

And apologies for any extra noise in Darwin, this month… My family are in town to celebrate my sister’s wedding, and they like to have a good time. I’m off to be a bridesmaid for the first time ever, so I’m pretty excited. Enjoy July and soak up the Dry.

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Tamara Howie Journalist

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Off The Leash Inc. acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Best spot for a Friday knock-off!

IT'S SHOW TIME Three days of jam-packed family fun

CAPTURING CREATIVE

FLAVOURS FROM FRANCE

The first NT Creative Industries Strategy

Experience the deliciousness of La French

JULY

20 19

Yo u r fre e what ’s o n gu i d e TO TH E TO P E N D

Darwin Fringe Fest Launch!

Deckchair Opening Night - snap by Peter

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Magical Dundee. #robbyfoundabettyhalf

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Cover proudly sponsored by Royal Agricultural Society of the Northern Territory

The Kicks featuring Natalie Pellegrino at Dîner en Blanc Darwin

Although all care taken to ensure information in Offin The is correct, it is subject to change. We recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates. Although alliscare is taken to ensure information OffLeash The Leash is correct, it is subject to change. We recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates.

July 2019

FEATURE

IT'S SHOW

TIME

WHEN AT COST INFO

THU 25 – SAT 27 JUL DARWIN SHOWGROUND $12-$50 PRE-PURCHASED| $15-$55 AT THE GATE | FREE U5 darwinshow.com.au

By Tamara Howie

The Royal Darwin Show has a long history steeped in tradition in the Top End, bringing the community together and inspiring generations of Territorians.

hen you think of the Royal Darwin Show, what gets you excited? Is it checking out the plucky poultry, scrumptious cakes and larger-than-life vegetables? Perhaps it’s scoring yourself some goodies in the form of a show bag or feeling that adrenaline rush whilst whizzing around on the rides in side-show alley? Although it might sound cliché, the Royal Darwin Show really does have something for everyone – even flying pigs! Well, almost flying pigs… We’ll get to that soon. Royal Agricultural Society of the NT Chief Executive Officer, Cherry Court, has been involved since the mid-90s, from showing [champion] chooks and turkeys, to making sure the Show runs without a hitch. Not to mention wildlife wrangling by the grounds crew when the occasional children’s python finds a home onsite. But it’s the positive impact on the people in the Top End that really drives the hardworking team who make magic happen every year. “It’s a community celebration – that’s how we view it. We’re a fairly diverse community up here and we’ve got people from all over the world. We see that demonstrated in the stallholders. It doesn’t matter what your background is or what country you come from, you’re part of the community here,” Court says.

“We’re also the keepers of tradition. You can come here and learn how the pioneers made tools and churned butter, or see patchwork, lace making or cake decorating, and even spear throwing – these are skills that are handed down from one generation to the next.”

There’s also the tradition of excellence. Earning a ribbon in any of the competitions is a point of pride, whether it be for the best cat or cattle. “If you get that red, white and blue Royal ribbon it means something,” Court says. Pigs will be hoggin’ all the fun and fame for this years’ theme, inspired by the Chinese Year of the Pig. Expect to see the porky influence as you trot through all areas of the show – from swine-inspired cakes, craft and, of course, one of the most popular events each year – the racing and diving pigs. MTV Racing and Diving Pigs Manager, Sharleen Vandeleur, says the talented piglets have been in training for the last month to hone their skills. “The racing pigs go through four weeks of training and the diving pigs spend six weeks training in our purpose built training facility. They’re all hand picked from a thousand little piggies. They’re highly intelligent with so much personality. It’s interesting going through the training process so you get to see their little personalities that shine through,” she says. Vandeleur says the racers have been a popular attraction for more than 10 years at the Royal Darwin Show, with new piglets busting their bacon around the track every year. “We’re a long-standing family act and it’s something everyone can get in to and enjoy. Most people think it’s just for kids but the majority of our audiences are adults,” she says. Head on down to watch the pigs fly.

AROUND TOWN WHEN SUN 7 JUL | 9AM-3PM AT MAGNT LAWNS COST FREE INFO tactilearts.org.au

TERRITORY DAY’S A CRACKER IS THERE ANYTHING MORE TERRITORIAN than celebrating ‘Cracker Day’ by tucking into some roo snags as you savour the sights of Mindil Beach? The Territory is set to explode with events and fireworks to celebrate 41 years of self-governance in the NT on Mon 1 Jul. It’s the only time and place Aussies can set off fireworks – and boy, do we let loose. There’s also free entertainment for the whole family to celebrate. Darwinites can party through the decades with Hot Dub Time Machine, Aussie music legend Tex Perkins, and local acts including Stevie Jean and Phoebe Wear for the main gig at Mindil Beach. Down the track, Katherine residents are in for a treat with Electric Fields, Birdz, Serina Pech and Cockatoo Dancers. For those farther south, The Barkly Big Deal Band, Warren H. Williams and Barkly’s Best Musos are on the bill in Tennant Creek.

But it wouldn’t be a Starbeque without a selection from the grill… Dig into grilled pork ribs with smoky bourbon barbecue sauce, threadfin salmon with teriyaki glaze, slowcooked beef brisket with a mustard crust, lamb loin chops, plus some kangaroo snag with a bush tomato relish. “We’re trying to have a barbecue that’s not just the same chops, beef and sausages,” Wark says. “We’re making it a bit more elaborate and creative, and enhancing the flavours of the environment.” If you’re heading out to celebrate, be safe, and don’t forget to pick up your cracker trash.

Territory Day Concert Darwin WHEN MON 1 JUL | 4PM | 8.15PM FIREWORKS AT MINDIL BEACH COST FREE INFO territoryday.nt.gov.au

Hello Chook

Dakini Bookbinding

Dragonfly CRAFT FAIR TACTILE ARTS’ ANNUAL DRAGONFLY CRAFT Fair returns – this year, in the brand-new, seaside location of the front lawns of Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). Tactile Arts General Manager Tessa Duke says the new location is an exciting change for the craft fair. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to have the Dragonfly Craft Fair in this incredible new space on the front lawns of MAGNT. It’s a beautiful, seaside, foreshore location, with stunning views right out front

of MAGNT’s new Saltwater Café,” she says. “The café’s had a makeover so it looks fantastic, and the quality of food and coffee being produced is really bringing it back to being a Darwin destination. On the day, Saltwater will operate from 8am to 5pm, with the café also doing a bit of an al fresco set up on the lawn, so visitors can head down for brekkie or some lunch outside – as well as in the café – between checking out the Dragonfly Craft Fair’s 70 plus stalls.”

The new space also brings about the possibility of more events within the area in the future. “It’s been really nice to be able to form a bit of a precinct between Tactile Arts, MAGNT and the Ski Club, and it’s lovely to start this venue partnership off with the Dragonfly Craft Fair. I think it’s the beginning of something pretty awesome.” So head along to the Dragonfly Craft Fair, and enjoy it with a side of fresh sea breeze.

Territory Day Concert Katherine If you’re looking for a good feed, the Territory Day Starbeque at Mindil Beach Casino Resort will be a tad fancier than your normal backyard barbie. Head chef Athol Wark shared the mouth-watering menu for the celebratory affair, and it sounds like a cracker of a gourmet buffet. “We have a great menu for the occasion and we’ll be keeping with the Territory theme and keeping it tropical,” he says. “There’s everything from prawns with a mango cocktail sauce and lemon wedges, green muscles with chilli lemongrass and coriander dressing, native spice hummus and salads with lemon myrtle dressing.”

WHEN MON 1 JUL | 5.30PM | 8PM FIREWORKS AT KATHERINE SHOWGROUNDS COST FREE INFO territoryday.nt.gov.au

WHEN FRI 19 & SAT 20 JUL AT DARWIN RIVER TAVERN COST $120 | $150 VIP INFO facebook.com/darwin bnsball

Territory Day Concert Tennant Creek WHEN MON 1 JUL | 6PM | 8PM FIREWORKS AT TENNANT CREEK SHOWGROUNDS COST FREE INFO territoryday.nt.gov.au

Starbeque WHEN MON 1 JUL | 6-9PM AT MINDIL BEACH CASINO RESORT COST $70 | $35 CHILD 4-12 FREE U3 INFO mindilbeachcasinoresort. com.au

Looking for Love? IF TINDER AIN’T WORKING for you, it might be time to revist the old-school tactic of meeting the love of your life (or the night) at the pub. You could give that a try, or you could head to the inaugural Darwin River Raver BnS Ball, where all pub-goers are there for the same reason – they’re all looking for love.

allows for this, but also gives everyone a chance to enjoy themselves, meet great people and enjoy our beautiful Dry season.

up or dress in their best bridal attire – but don’t forget it will get dirty out there, and there may be a food dye fight… What kind of attitude should punters head down with? We want everyone to have fun, enjoy the ambience, and make this the first of many Darwin River Raver BnS Balls to happen in the Top End.

We had a chat with the event’s coordinator Loz Booth who gave us the low-down on the hoedown.

Do you think there’s a good chance of finding love? A lot of singles have signed up who want to try the ‘old-school’ way of meeting someone by having a good conversation – no Tinder needed! If nothing else, we hope the event creates many friendships, that could possibly become more.

What’s a BnS Ball all about? Traditionally, BnS balls were for singles to attend to find their partner. The modern version still

What’s the dress code? Friday night is our Aussie Icons Party with prizes and giveaways. Saturday night, punters can suit

Anything else folks should know? This is an 18+ event only. Full camping facilities are available. We have a mega entertainment line up for the whole weekend!

Capturing Creative For the first time, the Northern Territory Government (NTG) is developing a five-year Creative Industries Strategy to measure the impact of the creative industries on the NT.

Why is developing the Creative Industries Strategy important? We need to gather the information! It’s important because the strategy is being co-developed with the sector, industry bodies and the NTG, and it will give us information for the first time on who the industry is – its needs, position and make up across the Territory.

Angela O’Donnell is the Executive Officer of the Creative Industries Steering Committee – a committee set up to provide sector representation and direction through its member base – and has developed a survey to capture currently unknown statistics from creative industry folk from around the NT. We had a chat with her to find out more!

It’s the first time the creative industries have been grouped together in this way in the NT, and the first time the NTG has invested in developing a strategy to help it grow. It will help to make a clearer and better case to all why creative industries are so important, and to

Deborah Wurrkidj, Artist, Maningrida

Benjamin Erin, Radio Station Manager, Mparntwe/Alice Springs and Tennant Creek

Matilda Alegria, Fashion Designer, Darwin

foster its support and development in the NT in the future.

it will bring until we have all the info in front of us, but I hope it’ll help us know ourselves, for Government at all levels and the potential partners in private industry or philanthropy to strategically target investment. I think it will help us as an industry to prioritise our needs.

organisations, and the commercial operators working to keep their businesses afloat.

Why has there not been a strategy before? It was identified as a potential growth industry through the NT economic development framework. NTG want to know more, so they can work out how to use their resources and gather partners to make it really sing! What change do you think the strategy will bring? For the first time, we’ll have the info on who the industry is, what its needs are across the NT, and all the varied bits that make up our creative industry. It’s difficult to say at this point what

What kind of creative industries workers have you been talking to? The creative industry is vaster than you might think! I’ve spoken to architects, actors, music producers, broadcasters, fashion designers, remote arts centres, librarians, graphic designers, print and publishing companies, weavers, furniture designers and filmmakers. I’ve spoken to individuals running the NT’s complex not-for-profit arts

KATHERINE SHOW

WHEN AT COST INFO

FOR TWO FAMILIES, this year’s Viking Funeral is more than sinking beers and devouring a pig on a spit… They’ll place their loved-ones’ ashes on the burning Viking ship for a final fiery farewell. Every year, thousands of people, uh, Vikings, pack the Dinah Beach Cruising Yacht Association (DBCYA) for the Mega Annual Viking Funeral. A life-sized ‘slain Viking warrior’ is sent into the afterlife on a burning boat, set alight by the flaming arrows of local archers. The annual tradition was created to pay respect to sea vessels no longer in service and all sailors who have passed.

FRI 19 & SAT 20 JUL KATHERINE SHOWGROUNDS $10-$95 | FREE U4 katherineshow.org.au

Tom Curtain

Discover NT creatives: instagram.com /creativeindustriesnt

Farewell

Since 1965, the Katherine Show has threaded together the many areas of the region including farming, culture, business and craft. About 15,000 people descend on Katherine each year for the show, with visitors pulling up stumps in town to make a weekend out of it.

WHEN AT COST INFO

Do you work in the creative industries? Have your say! Fill out the survey by 4 August online: bit.ly/creativeindustriessurvey

A Fiery

HIT THE ROAD AND HEAD 300KM southeast for the 54th annual Katherine Show. Held on the third weekend of July each year – with free equestrian and campdraft events on Tuesday to Thursday in the lead up – this weekend of family show fun officially kicks off with the Grand Parade on Friday afternoon.

There’s something for the whole family. Fun-filled activities include rodeo, exhibition stalls and competitions, and challenges including lawn mower and wheelie bin races. And, of course, the show rides, amusements and free entertainment including Circus Challenge, Dinkum Dinosaurs, Viv’s Farm Animals, Big Bang Education, Saturday night Fireworks, and much more!

So far, I’ve talked to people in Darwin, Katherine, Beswick and Barunga, and have visits planned to Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Ntaria, Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala, Maningrida and I hope to get to Tiwi and Papunya as well!

Ingrid Laudzevics’ daughter, Karlee, sadly died five years ago. Since then, she’s spread her ashes across the globe, and couldn’t think of a better way to send her off in her

birthplace, than the Viking Funeral. “Karlee was born in Darwin in ’91 – we left when she was four and went to Perth. When she was 22, she was diagnosed with a rare tumour and died eight weeks later, in January 2014. “Since that time, I’ve taken her to the Great Wall of China, she’s been buried in the south of France, she’s been let go off the Basilica in Paris, and floated down the Thames in London. “I thought ‘how am I going to do this for her back home?’” Ingrid approached the DBCYA team with her request, and they were happy to oblige. She felt it was a great opportunity to give a nod to their Latvian heritage, too.

SAT 20 JUL | 7PM DINAH BEACH CRUISING YACHT ASSOCIATION $20 | FREE MEMBERS, KIDS dbcya.com.au

“There’s research that says Latvia is where Vikings became Vikings, so what better way for her to go?” she says. “She would love it! She was a performer and studied musical theatre, and did everything in style. She was pretty special.” While Ingrid knows there will be a few tears on the night, there will also be plenty of joy as they celebrate Karlee’s life, dressed like Vikings and swilling a few pints. The public event has grown every year since it started, completely selling out in 2018 – get onto those tickets quickly or you’ll miss out. And don’t forget your costume for your chance at the title of ‘Most Likely Viking’.

L SCHOO Y HOLIDA

Fun

MON 1 JUL | CASUARINA

Toy Story 2

TUE 2 JUL | DARWIN CITY

Toy Story 3

WED 3 JUL | KARAMA

The LEGO Movie 2

MON 8 JUL | CASUARINA

An Extremely Goofy Movie TUE 9 JUL | DARWIN CITY

Wonder Park

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR, WELL, WINTER! The kids are on school holidays and you might be wondering how you’ll keep them entertained – without breaking the bank, that is. As it turns out, there’s plenty to do with the young ones on the cheap. We’ve done the groundwork to help you plan your July school holidays.

DARWIN WATERFRONT waterfront.nt.gov.au

Bounce and Play Fun Day While everyone ‘down south’ feels the chill this month, Top Enders get to delight in the Dry season warmth, splashing about in the sunshine to cool off. Treat the kids with a swag of fun activities including giant bubbles, inflatable obstacle course, a jumping castle and the mother of all slip‘n’slides. WHEN WED 3 JUL | 9AM-12PM

Sports Play Fun Day It’s no secret the little ones have an excess of energy (really, where do they get it from?) so it’s nice for them to be able to expend some of that energy in a fun way with their pals. Activities include AFL Aus Kick, flag races, tug of war, egg and spoon races, an inflatable hockey field, rugby workshops with NRL NT, come and try soccer sessions and mini games with YMCA. WHEN WED 10 JUL | 9AM-12PM

Craft and Play Fun Day Kids love getting creative in their free time and this Fun Day is all about making things. They can learn how to make playdough, create their own slime workshop, build and construct out of LEGO bricks, try their hand at sand art, and craft and grow grass heads. Fun! WHEN WED 17 JUL | 9AM-12PM

CITY OF DARWIN LIBRARIES darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries Movies Kick back in the air-con with fun flicks at 2pm every Mon to Wed during the school holidays. Screenings are free and there are no bookings required.

WED 10 JUL | KARAMA

Dumbo

MON 15 JUL | CASUARINA

Missing Link

TUE 16 JUL | DARWIN CITY

Luis and the Aliens

WED 17 JUL | KARAMA

Tech Zone Learn about the latest gadgets and gizmos in this mind-blowing daily tech sesh. From virtual reality to 3D printing, there’s something to spark the interest of those curious young minds. WHEN MON & FRI | 3-4.30PM AT DARWIN CITY WHEN TUE, WED & THU | 3-5PM AT CASUARINA

Family Groove It’s time to bust a move with the fam in this fun disco session! Children and their families are encouraged to bust a move. Everyone’s invited but bookings required, and children under eight must be accompanied by a grown up. Don’t forget that each family member attending needs to book a ticket! WHEN WED 17 JUL | 6-7PM AT CASUARINA LIBRARY

Amazing Drumming Monkeys Treat the little ones to the beats of the Amazing Drumming Monkeys, singing and dancing their way through the Monkeys’ fun-filled world. They’ll tell jokes, sings songs and dance. Bookings are required, so jump online and snap up your tickets!

WHEN AT COST INFO

FRI 5 JUL | 6-8PM YMCA SKATE RINK FREE 8972 2592

Nitmiluk Gorge Boat Tour Enjoy a cruise down Nitmiluk, the Jawoyn name for Katherine Gorge. Take in the sights and sounds of the trees, birds and water life of the first two gorges. But make sure you’ve got appropriate footwear on – there are steps and walks of about 400m each way. Strictly for school-aged children and their families, bookings essential. WHEN WED 3, 10 & 17 JUL 10AM-12PM AT NITMULUK TOURS COST FREE INFO nitmiluktours.com.au 1300 146 743

Cutta Cutta Caves Home to a variety of native wildlife, the Cutta Cutta Caves formed millions of years ago, rich in Indigenous culture and modern European history. Enjoy delving 15 metres below the surface to discover amazing limestone caves! WHEN AT COST INFO

THU 4, 11 & 18 JUL | 12-1PM CUTTA CUTTA CAVES NATURE PARK FREE nitmiluktours.com.au 1300 146 743

Cooking Class Get creative in the kitchen with these fun family cooking sessions. WHEN THU 4, 11 & 18 JUL 9.30-11.30AM AT NITMILUK TOURS VISITORS CENTRE COST FREE INFO nitmiluktours.com.au 1300 146 743

Cultural Saturdays Enjoy a fun family afternoon with swimming in the pool (2-5pm), fresh fruit, cultural activities – such as basket weaving and canvas painting with traditional colours and styles – and live music from 5-8pm.

LISTINGS

Free

Toy Story

PALMERSTON LIBRARY

palmerston.nt.gov.au/library Storytime Say goodbye to quiet libraries! 1-5 year olds and their caregivers will love singing, dancing, listening to stories and engaging with puppets in these fun, interactive sessions.

NAIDOC Week NAIDOC week recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. The 2019 theme is Voice. Treaty. Truth, inspired by the three key elements to the reforms set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. WHEN SUN 7 – SUN 14 JUL INFO naidoc.org.au

Sister7 Official Opening Join in the fun of the official opening of Sister7 – the new women’s Aboriginal art studio and gallery. Enjoy a traditional Larrakia welcome at 5pm, with music and refreshments provided. WHEN AT COST INFO

FRI 5 JUL | 5PM MITCHELL CENTRE FREE sister7.gallery

Exhibition Floor Talks: A Territory Story Spark your interest in Territory history and let the NT Library curators take you on a journey to discover the people, places and events that have shaped the Territory. WHEN EVERY WED | 11:30AM AT NORTHERN TERRITORY LIBRARY COST FREE INFO ntl.nt.gov.au

Open Gardens NT You’re invited to peruse the private gardens of proud residential gardeners, eager to share their tips and tricks on greenery with you.

WHEN SAT 13 & 20 JUL | 2-8PM AT NITMILUK TOURS VISITORS CENTRE COST FREE INFO nitmiluktours.com.au 1300 146 74

WHEN AT COST INFO

Free Cinema Days with Somerville Kick back in front of the big screen at Katherine Cinema 3 every Wednesday. But get in quick – seating is limited!

Car Boot Sale One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so offload your second-hand goods or pick up some bargains.

KATHERINE

X Men Dark Phoenix

WHEN SAT 27 JUL | 8.30-10AM AT DARWIN TRAILER BOAT CLUB INFO dtbc.com.au

YMCA Free Skate Day Get rollin’ at these free skate sessions.

Men In Black International

WHEN FRI 19 JUL | 10AM AT CASUARINA LIBRARY WHEN SAT 20 JUL | 10AM AT KARAMA LIBRARY

WHEN AT COST INFO

TUE 2 JUL SESSION 1 - 3-4PM, SESSION 2 - 4.30-5.30PM, SESSION 3 - 6.30-7.30PM YMCA SKATE RINK FREE 5+ BOOKINGS 8972 2592

YMCA Face Your Fears Disco Head in to the YMCA early for some ‘face your fears’ challenges, before boogie-ing your way through the night!

WED 3 JUL | 3PM

WED 3 JUL | 5PM

Toy Story 4

WED 10 JUL | 3PM

The Secret Life of Pets WED 10 JUL | 5PM

Spiderman Far from Home WED 17 JUL | 3PM

SAT 13, 20 & SUN 14, 21 JUL | 10AM – 4PM VARIOUS $7 | U18 FREE facebook.com/opengardensnt

Insight Mindfulness Monthly Drop-in Group Held on the first Wednesday of every month, this monthly mindfulness drop-in group assists those wanting to build upon their existing mindfulness skills. WHEN WED 3 JUL | 7-8PM AT CDU WELLNESS CENTRE COST FREE OR GOLD COIN INFO insightprofessionalservices. com.au

WHEN EVERY TUE & THU 10-10.45AM COST FREE

Nursery Time You’re never too young to enjoy reading. Treat your baby to songs, puppets, nursery rhymes and movement to enhance their early literacy development. Suitable for children up to 12 months. WHEN EVERY WED | 10-10.45AM COST FREE

DARWIN FRINGE darwinfringe.org.au En Masse Tracks Dance is seeing Darwin Fringe Festival out with a huge bang! 100 local Top Enders perform a short, seven-minute dance routine, which takes a cheeky look at our Dry season tourists. WHEN SUN 14 JUL | 6.15-6.30PM AT CIVIC PARK COST FREE

40,000 Years of Art in the Top End Darwin Free University Over two sessions, Don Christophersen explains Aboriginal pre-history, European colonial settlement and the contemporary history of Northern Australia. WHEN WED 10 & THU 11 JUL | 6-7PM AT DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS COST FREE

The Wholesome Waste Warrior Whatchamacallit Get ready for a post-apocalyptic game show, an Eco brick challenge and plenty of DIY workshops. There are prizes to be won, and delicious drinks and snacks are provided. Keen! WHEN AT COST

SAT 6 & SUN 7 JUL | 2-5PM LAKESIDE DRIVE COMMUNITY GARDEN $20 | $18 CONC | $15 KIDS/ GROUP 6+ | $72 FAM

Wild Vacancies Discover a heightened awareness of nature through a unique combination of moving meditation, observation and performance. Wild Vacancies invites you to explore the wild spaces in your city – and in yourself. Don’t forget the comfy shoes as this show includes a 15-minute walk. WHEN AT COST

TUE 9 – SAT 13 JUL, 5.30- 6.30PM | SUN 14 JUL, 5-6PM BROWN’S MART COURTYARD (AND BEYOND!) $20 | $15 CONC/GROUPS 6+

& APOLLO 11

NT WRITERS CENTRE REVIEW

WHEN SAT 20 JUL | 7.30PM

THE DISH

Deckchair JERVOIS ROAD, DARWIN WATERFRONT

COST BOOK INFO

$16 | $12 CON | $10 MEMB | $35 FAM DECKCHAIRCINEMA.COM.AU INFO@DECKCHAIRCINEMA.COM.AU | 8981 0700 | GATES 6.30PM, FILM 7.30PM

WHEN SAT 20 JUL | 9.30PM

CINEMA Malediction The Cursed Play

The Moon Film Festival

Once you’ve got your fill of history, stick around for the Australian comedy The Dish. The film, inspired by actual events, follows a group of Aussie scientists who set up a satellite dish in the middle of a sheep farm as a backup receiver for the television transmission from the Moon.

Apollo 11

GAZE UP AT THE MOON AND STARS at the Deckie, and get set to launch into an (inter)stellar night of film to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo Moon Landing. Apollo 11 and The Dish will screen back to back for an evening of lunar love. Interested in how the Moon landing rolled out? 2019 film Apollo 11 was crafted from newly discovered 65mm footage and more than 11,000 hours of

uncatalogued audio recordings – that’s 458 days worth if you listened 24/7. Apollo 11 looks at the people who experienced the iconic event firsthand – the astronauts, Mission Control and the millions who gathered on the ground to view history in the making. Fun fact – the film’s electronic music soundtrack was recorded on instruments available at the time of the Moon landing in 1969.

French Film

Festival CELEBRATING ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY, The French Film Festival in association with Alliance Française de Darwin presents this wonderful celebration of magnifique French cinema and culture. French cuisine will also be available on selected nights, with La French serving up delicious crêpes. Très bon!

En liberté! (The Trouble With You)

If you were lucky enough to see the landing live back in ’69, it was thanks to a bunch of Aussies who inspired The Dish. While the film spruced many elements up for dramatic effect, the Australian Telescope National Facility cleared up the most important element – sadly no one actually played cricket on the dish. “It never happened,” the website says.

En liberté! (The Trouble With You) This new comedy is an outrageously funny ride with a rollicking wild side, with an irresistible mix of laughs, action and romance. Set on the French Riviera, detective Yvonne is the righteous young widow of the local police chief who was killed in the line of duty. Each night, she puts their young son to sleep with tales of his daring and bravery – so, naturally, Yvonne is horrified to learn that her husband was not the embodiment of virtue as she had been led to believe. WHEN SAT 13 JUL | 7.30PM

La Chute De L’empire Américain (The Fall of the American Empire) Pierre-Paul Daoust, an intellectual with a PhD in philosophy, is forced to work as a deliveryman to afford a decent living. One day, while on the job, he’s caught up in a bank heist gone wrong. With two dead and

“True, the actors went up there for about an hour, but they were told where they could stand, what they could do, what they could throw – a tennis ball. So, it wasn’t a ‘stunt-double’ dish, it really was the Parkes dish they were standing on, but neither was what the film showed ‘highlights of a day’s play’.”

The Dish

One last fun fact – because we at Off The Leash think Moon facts are out of this world – the division line between the light and the dark side of the moon is called the terminator line. True.

millions of dollars in bags lying on the ground, he’s confronted with a dilemma – leave empty handed or take the money and run? WHEN SAT 13 JUL | 9.30PM

Dilili á Paris (Dilili in Paris) As a series of kidnappings cast a dark shadow across Paris, Dilili takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of it, with the help of local delivery boy, Orel. Orel knows every major figure from the artistic heyday of the Belle Époque – Marie Curie, Picasso, Renoir, Louis Pasteur, Gustave Eiffel and Colette, just to name a few. They all play a part in Dilili’s investigation, as do the many glorious landmarks of Paris that are still present today. This is a fundraiser event for Alliance Française de Darwin. WHEN SUN 14 JUL | 7.30PM

By Kingsley Gittins SEAN GUY’S NOVEL IS AN ENGAGING and well-written tribute to all things Shakespeare. The story takes the form of a reverse whodunit, where the actors in a cursed play are all alive but they’re convinced the curse will take one of their number before the performance is complete. The setting is fictional, but has a very strong Elizabethan England feel. Readers will recognise elements of the great bard's work reflected in the variety of characters on show. Indeed, this is the where the The Cursed Play really shines; the distinctive and interesting performers in the play bring the action to life. This interplay creates the feeling of a performance for the reader, which will have you engrossed for hours. The central mystery of the novel is a sound one, with enough red herrings and twists to keep even the most avid Sherlock Holmes fans guessing right until the very end. Readers will find themselves picking their favourite characters and rooting for their survival, as tensions rise over the course of the narrative. While primarily focused on showcasing the classic tragedies of Shakespearean theatre, there are a number of interesting supporting themes at play in the novel. The tension between old stick-in-themud male actors and the newly enfranchised female performers adds value and a contemporary relevance to the story. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who love a good murder-mystery novel. The prose and pacing allow for an engaging read and the highbrow Shakespeare is subtly incorporated. The story is well written and the characters are excellent. Best of all, Sean is a local author and can be found running The Bookshop in the CBD. If this work proves anything, it’s that supporting local authors can be a lot of fun. INFO

ntwriters.com.au

LISTINGS

teenage boys, hungry for discovery, form an unlikely friendship with a mysterious adventurer, who pushes them to take risks that will have a lasting and profound impact on their lives. WHEN AT COST

Flicnics – Gurrumul Catch free flicks at Goyder Square thanks to the kind folk at City of Palmerston. This month, enjoy a special NAIDOC week screening of Gurrumul – the award-winning documentary film about the life of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Bring your chairs, grab some popcorn and lax out under the big screen with this moving story on one of Australia’s most inspiring voices. WHEN SAT 6 JUL | 7PM AT GOYDER SQUARE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

French Movie Night

Alliance Française de Darwin present French flick, Lola Pater. After the death of his mother, Lola, Zino embarks on a journey to track down his father, Farid. But 25 years ago, Farid became Lola... All tickets include wine and cheese. WHEN AT COST INFO

SUN 7 JUL | 7.30PM DECKCHAIR CINEMA $16 | CONC $12 | $8 CHILD | FAMILY $35

Free Movie Under the Stars Round up the gang, pack a picnic rug and head to Darwin Waterfront to catch family flick Small Foot. Enjoy takeaway dinner specials available from local eateries or bring along your own homemade picnic dinner. But get in early to secure some prime picnic rug real estate! WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 20 JUL | 7PM DARWIN WATERFRONT FREE waterfront.nt.gov.au

Book Club Trivia Night Get your best literary quizzing buddies or local book club together for the third annual Book Club Trivia Night. All literary questions, all literary prizes – aka loads of new release books. Have a great evening and help the NT Writers’ Centre raise funds to run the NT Book Awards. The Awards, known as the Territory Read Awards, are the only awards that recognise published NT authors exclusively. All tickets include a free beer. A quiz night and beer to raise fund for NT writers? We’re keen.

This annual Fringe event is always a hit, with crowds often spilling out the Happy Yess doors. There’s plenty of time to put pencil to paper and start writing, or simply pencil it in your diary so you don’t miss out! WHEN SAT 6 JUL | 6-8PM AT HAPPY YESS COST $15 | $10 CONC

Telling Tantalising and Terrible Tales

July Events

Your stories. NT Writers’ Centre creatives. Come down and give them your wildest and wackiest tales. The best stories that the Fringe has to offer will be put in to a fanzine for all to enjoy! WHEN SAT 6 & SUN 7 JUL | 4-7PM AT BROWN’S MART COURTYARD COST FREE

WED 3 JUL | 6.30PM MAGNT $20 | $14 MEMB/STUD afdarwin.org

Breath

stage. But there’s a catch! The original poem can’t last longer than 60 seconds.

Territory Day Celebrations Monday 1 July | from 5pm to 8pm The skies will iginite to celebrate Territory Day. Festivities will include live music by local artists, roving children’s entertainment and a fireworks spectacular at 8pm.

Feed ’n’ Flicks

WHEN AT COST INFO

Free Movie Under The Stars Smallfoot (PG) Saturday 20 July | from 7pm Experience the magic of the moonlight cinema at the Darwin Waterfront each month from June to August this dry season.

THU 1 AUG | 6.30PM DARWIN TRAILER BOAT CLUB $20 ntwriters.com.au

DARWIN FRINGE darwinfringe.org.au

Head along to the Deckie for this 2018 film, based on Tim Winton’s award-winning and international bestselling novel, and raise some funds for the Darwin Surf Life Saving Club. Set in the mid-70s, two

Dry Season School Holiday Fun Days Wednesday 3, 10 & 17 July 9am to 12pm (midday) | Free There will be loads of fun with three free family fun days these July school holidays including a Bounce and Play fun day, Sports Play fun day and a Craft and Play fun day.

Poetry Cup The Darwin Poetry Cup is one of the longest running Fringe events and it’s pretty simple – it’s a race of cleverly constructed words. Poets, writers, wordsmiths, rappers – anyone who can string together a succinct poem can share it on

Grab a feed and watch a flick over lunch. It’s that easy! Check the Fringe website to find out what fabulous flicks you’ll be feasting to. WHEN TUE 9 - FRI 12 JUL | 12-1PM AT HAPPY YESS COST FREE

Health and Wellness Festival Saturday 13 & 14 July | 9am to 2pm Coordinated by Helping People Achieve, the festival will include a number of exhibitors, interactive workshops, motivational speakers and demonstrations of many products and services. All events are alcohol and glass free. waterfront.nt.gov.au 9

DRINK

RUBY G's to THE CBD

FOOD

RUBY G’S STARTED OUT IN EARLY 2016 as the hip new eatery at Darwin Bowling Club, their unique and diverse menu pushing the boundaries for Bowlo regulars, much to their delight. Skip forward three years, owners Mel Pritchard and Shane Oritz have one of the most successful bakeries in the Top End, their bricks

CBD, a mere 24 hours after being approached by the property’s real estate agents. “We got the phone call and just thought, why not? It’s not really something we had planned but we thought we’d give it a crack,” Mel explains. “We set up shop in nine days and I’ve hired five chefs! Our neighbour is a plasterer so we went to him with our tiny budget, and he made it happen. He built all of our tables. We’ve actually been approached by people wanting to know where we got them so he’s making tables for some of our customers.”

and mortar shopfront home to their beloved food trailer, James the Third – lovingly named after their late friend, and former trailer owner, James. As fate would have it, business has taken a “totally unexpected” turn, the pair signing on to the lease of the former Alley Cats Café & Patisserie space in Darwin’s

The menu isn’t overcomplicated, with their signature flaky baked croissants and treat-topped donuts lining the counter. New items include a bahn mi croissant and steamed duck donuts made with leftover donut batter. But one of the biggest differences between the new space and James’ place in Coconut Grove is something you won’t find on the menu. “It’s got air-con! We’ve also bought a cake fridge, so we can make creamy

cakes and custardy éclairs – I’m so excited to fill it. “We’re also getting to know our new clientele. In Coconut Grove, I love having a chat and getting to know the customers – that’s what hospitality is. Just like the theme song from Cheers says, ‘A place where everybody knows your name’. I love having a chinwag with our customers and making them feel a bit special.” So if you want to feel a bit special and treat your tastebuds to some delicious baked goodies, check out the new Ruby G’s on Mitchell St. You donut want to miss out…

Markets MINDIL MARKETS – EVERY THU & SUN | 4-9PM PARAP MARKETS – EVERY SAT | 9AM-2PM

WHEN MON – FRI, 6AM-3PM | SAT & SUN, 7AM-2PM AT 4/69 MITCHELL ST, DARWIN CITY & 2 TANG ST, COCONUT GROVE INFO facebook.com/rubygs canteenandbakery

Flavours

From France FOR YOUR AUTHENTIC FRENCH crêpe fix, there’s really only one place to go in the Top End – well, technically, three – at Mindil Beach Markets, Malak Marketplace and the new Cullen Bay Vibes, to pay the team at La French a visit. Established in 2016, where the very first crêpe was crafted at Malak Marketplace, the fleet of gorgeous traditional crêpe carts has grown over the past few years from one to three, serving up delicious sweet and savoury crêpes all over town. Owner Anthony Golzio Casa took over the biz in October last year, noting his joy of sharing his culture as influential in his decision.

“I worked with the previous owner, a friend of mine, on and off since he started in 2016. I really loved it. Being able to represent our culture by serving traditional French crêpes in the marketplace reminded me of when I used to work at the markets in France,” he says.

“When the opportunity to take over came up, I really wanted to do it. My dream is to take it nationally, to share our culture with the rest of the country through produce centres, not just markets.”

And with a menu like theirs, a national takeover is entirely possible, with sweet and savoury options causing salivation just by reading the ingredients. La Chevré consists of the finest goat’s cheese (holla to the Meredith Dairy mob!), oven-roasted chicken, shredded cheese, sliced tomato and cracked pepper, whilst the Moulin Rouge is piled with sugar-marinated strawberries, sliced bananas, Nutella and Chantilly cream. Is your mouth watering? Carts are also available for hire for private functions such as birthdays and weddings, and Golzio Casa says everyone can be catered for.

“If you have any food allergies, we can work with you to make sure everyone gets something to eat. We are very proud of our food and culture, and demonstrate this through our quality, ethic and professionalism. We really love being able to share the flavours of France with the Top End,” Golzio Casa says. If you’re on the fang for an authentic French foodie fix, visit La French. Oui, oui!

Mindil Beach Sunset Markets Every Thu & Sun | 4-9pm Malak Marketplace Every Sat | 4-9pm Cullen Bay Vibes Every Sun 5.30-9pm

INFO

lafrenchcrepes.com

CRAFTED

Judy Monkhouse

CONCOCTIONS

Community

SUN 28 JUL | 1-4PM ACCOMPLICE $120 creativeaccomplice.com.au

FLAVOUR MAESTRO AND LUCKY BAT co-owner Danny Crichton is a whizz when it comes to boiling up a witches brew of delicious drinks. This month, he’s sharing his tricks of the trade at Accomplice to get you creating your very own tonics, syrups and cordials. What’s on the menu? We’re going to make a few different things, including a homemade tonic water. It’s made from a special bark that we extract quinine from. It’s pretty cool – it’s literally the bark from a cinchona tree and you boil it up… It’s a bit of a witches brew! It’s fun because you get to smash a bunch of stuff up in the mortar and pestle and mix all these ingredients together

COOK We’ll also make a homemade cola and a tom yum cordial. Tom yum cordial? Yum! It’s an idea inspired by the southeast Asian influences in Darwin. It’s like making a tom yum soup but taking out all the savoury bits and making it into a sweet, zesty and spicy drink. Do you drink it on its own or as a good mixer? It’s delicious as a non-alcoholic drink but at Lucky Bat we mix it with a dark rum. Why is it worth the effort to make your own tonics and mixers, rather than buying off the shelf? It’s about respecting the ingre-

dients. If you spend upwards of $100 on a bottle of Green Ant Gin, then mix it with a $2 bottle of tonic water, it defeats the purpose of this beautiful drink. It’s not too hard to learn these things, and once you’ve made a syrup or a tonic it demystifies it a bit and you can start creating your own recipes. Sounds like a delicious workshop – will there be samples to take home? Yes, participants will get to take home samples of the syrups and tonics. I’m also going to make a mini-zine recipe book for the drinks, so everyone will get one of those, too!

GROWING & UNDERSTANDING LOCAL PRODUCE

Judy invited a group of tropical food fanatics to her light, breezy and minimalistic home, where we entered a warm, homely space, with handcrafted relics of her childhood home, Zimbabwe. Judy has spent many years living and teaching in Katherine and Darwin, and has been connected to the wider African Community through the Darwin-based Africa-Australia Friendship Association (AAFA) which has had a strong focus on local cooking.

Our meal was eaten the Zimbabwean way, by rolling the sadza into a small ball with one’s fingers and using it to scoop some of the spinach. Judy encouraged us to experiment with our cooking and to utilise local seasonal, tropical and organic produce. Now is the time for us to take a leaf from her authentic book of life and to experience the joy of cooking with family and friends. Kale, tomatoes and chilies can be grown in Top End gardens during the wet season or bought at from local growers at markets and suppliers such as Rapid Creek Markets, Fred’s Pass Market and Greenies Real Foods (Rapid Creek).

When preparing her version of a traditional African meal, Judy encouraged us to sample the food, as she created the perfect balances. She cooked by incorporating textures and flavours, imitating an expressionist artist as they might colour their canvas.

Zimbabwean Muriwo Ne Dowi (Spinach with peanut butter) Ingredients for 8 2-3 bunches spinach or kale 2 large onions - thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic 2 large tomatoes - diced 3+ tbsp smooth or crunchy peanut butter 3+ tbsp oil 1 fresh chilli or 1 tsp dry flakes (optional) 2 cups cooked black-eyed beans Squeeze of lemon juice (optional) Method Shred washed spinach finely including stalks. Place in a large pot. Add 2 cups water. Cook until softened (10-15 minutes). Remove from pot and drain. Heat the oil in a pot. Sauté onions. Add diced garlic and optional fresh chilli or flakes. Fry gently. Add diced tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peanut butter then black-eyed beans. Season with salt. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. A little water may be added. Serve warm with sadza, coconut cream and 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar. Enjoy!

Photos: Emma Lupin

WHEN AT COST INFO

by Kim Blazey

GULP NT PRESENTS

Sadza (Maize Meal Porridge) 5 cups maize meal 7 cups water Method Boil 6 cups water in a heavy cooking pot. Mix 1 cup maize meal with a cup of water in a bowl. Add gradually to boiling water. Stir constantly until thickened like porridge. Simmer for 15+ minutes. Add 1 cup of maize meal at a time, mixing well before adding more maize meal. Final consistency is like thick mashed potatoes. If you know a community cook in Darwin who would like to share their recipe, GULP NT can organise a gathering with their small team. $100 plus ingredients can be offered to the participating cook for hosting and sharing. Get in touch today and share your stories and food love. INFO gulpnt.com gulpcommunity@gmail. com

FESTIVALS Darwin Fringe Festival WHEN FRI 5 - SUN 14 JUL INFO darwinfringe.org.au

Fringe Opening Night Party WHEN AT COST INFO

FRI 5 JUL | 7PM WELCOME TO COUNTRY, 8PM PARTY HAPPY YESS

$10 darwinfringe.org.au

PARTY At Fringe Club AT COST INFO

HAPPY YESS $10 | ARTISTS FREE darwinfringe.org.au

Hip Hop Showcase SAT 6 JUL | 10.30PM-1AM

Fringe Club

Darwin Fringe

Daggy Dance Party WED 10 JUL | 10.30PM-1AM

L.E.D

THU 11 JUL | 10.30PM-1AM

Tropidelica with a Tasty Twist FRI 12 JUL | 10.30PM-1AM

If you want to find out what the 2019 Darwin Fringe Festival is all about, don’t miss the Opening Night Party, with banging beats to guide you through the night. And the dance floor!

Co-director Hannah Illingworth says if you want to know what Fringe is all about, opening night is the place to be.

New kids on the block, Draftday, will get the crowds warmed up, followed by local faves Epi(c)Phannys, African electronic beat makers Afritek, and urban DJ Ladi Kay to play the beats into the late/early hours.

“It’s the perfect taste of what’s to come over the following 10 days.”

“Our Opening Night Party always goes off, and we’re so excited to have such a solid line up of locals,” she says.

More than 100 shows from emerging and independent artists will be sprinkled throughout Darwin

during Fringe across a whole range of genres. But if you go to opening night and are on the fang for more Fringe Club party vibes, you can pretty much party every night of the week. Party-lovers can enjoy five more nights of very different late-night entertainment, including the best hip-hop sounds coming out of Darwin and a very daggy dance party with comedian Nicole Stevens. So get those dancing shoes and swinging hips ready, Darwin, because it’s time to party!

Booty and the Beats Epi(c)phannys

SAT 13 JUL | 10.30PM-1AM

Win a Double Pass

Draftday

Email your name and contact number to editor@offtheleash. net.au with the name of the Fringe Club you’d like to attend as the subject. Winners notified via email. Entries close midday Wed 3 Jul, so get in quick!

HOT AUGUST NIGHTS

are on their way…

THE MOST MAGICAL TIME of the year is almost upon us – Darwin Festival is so close, we can almost smell the tasty treats being cooked up in Festival Park. And there’s plenty to celebrate in 2019, with the Festival celebrating its 40th anniversary. Artistic Director Felix Preval promises locals and visitors 18 days of jam-packed party vibes in August. “40 years since our origin as the Bougainvillea Festival is a huge milestone, so we’re promising Darwin one hell of a party!”

He’s not lying – there are 114 events to choose from in 33 venues around Darwin. There will also be a huge influx of creatives, with almost 600 artists involved, almost half calling the NT home. The program is full of eclectic and electric events, with everything from cabaret, comedy, dance, visual art and loads of music.

“There will be mass celebrations of community and resilience, and award-winning comedians providing laugh-a-minute commentary. We’ll also see timely pieces of work examining the experience of First Nations peoples, and late-night parties designed to get you dancing. This year’s Darwin Festival program offers the opportunity for us to come together and discover something new and unique across 18 tropical days and nights,” Preval says. It all kicks off with the free opening night concert extravaganza featuring the legendary Yothu Yindi, local treasure Caiti Baker and emerging singer-songwriter Adrian Eagle. For a trip down memory lane, be sure to check out Parade Days – a video installation by local artist Huni Bolliger at The Lighthouse, featuring archival images from the Bougainvillea Festival days. Talk about nostalgia!

There’s plenty of regular faves on the bill, including the annual showcase of First Nations artists with the National Indigenous Music Awards, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair and the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. You can also join Australia’s iconic Circus Oz under neon lights as they celebrate everything trashy, glitzy and fabulously tragic about the 80s in their show NEON. It’s an unapologetic and downright dirty dancing cabaret, where circus meets comedy and song in an unforgivably-big-shoulder-pads night out. Grab a program and a highlighter, cancel all of your August plans, and get working on that wish list!

Win Tickets to Darwin Festival WHEN THU 8 – SUN 25 AUG INFO darwinfestival.org.au

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for your chance to win one of three double passes.

Neon

ANNIVERSARY GALA SATURDAY 24 AUGUST, 7:30 PM

DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE

Join DSO as we celebrate 30 years as the orchestra of the Northern Territory in style. With an exciting program featuring the premiere of a new Australian work, it will be a night to remember! This event is presented in association with Darwin Festival

DSO.ORG.AU/BUY-TICKETS | 8980 3333

15 Mon

7 Tech Zone

Mon

7 School Holiday Movies 7 Tech Zone

22 See Visual Arts 24

24 Portrait of a Teenage Territorian (last chance)

16 Tue

Sat

7 School Holiday Movies 7 Storytime 27 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 27 Jam Night at Nirvana

See Music 27

4 The Royal Darwin Show 7 Car Boot Sale 10 La French 21 50 Years of the Sydney Dance Company 24 Martumili Artists - Nyurnma (burnt ground) (last chance) 24 To Tell Another Story (last chance) 27 Djarmalak 27 Tropidelica

17 Wed

Tue

7 Craft and Play Fun Day 7 School Holiday Movies 7 Family Groove 7 Nitmiluk Gorge Boat Tour 7 Free Cinema Days with Somerville 7 Exhibition Floor Talks: A Territory Story 7 Nursery Time 18 Park Skating 101 – Jingili 25 Soweto Gospel Choir

See Around Town 6

27 Jam Night at Nirvana

Sun

7 Storytime 27 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals

11 Tonic, syrup and cordials workshop

10 La French 23 If I Were a Street, I Would Not Be a Cul De Sac (last chance)

18 Thu

7 Cutta Cutta Caves 7 Cooking Class 7 Storytime 10 La French 27 Mall Tunes 27 Club Culture

See Around Town 7

See Food & Drink 10

19 Fri

Wed

5 Darwin River Tavern BnS Ball 6 Katherine Show 7 Tech Zone 7 Amazing Drumming Monkeys 18 Sounds@Sunset 23 Gesture (opens) 27 Loud @ The Library 27 NT News Live on Fridays 27 Live Music at Hotel Darwin

Mon

7 Nursery Time

7 Exhibition Floor Talks: A Territory Story

7 Tech Zone

See Around Town 6

Thu

6 The Viking Funeral

Show Day Holiday

4 The Royal Darwin Show

Tue

7 Storytime 10 La French 23 The Katherine Prize (opening) 27 Mall Tunes 27 Club Culture

7 Storytime 23 Kuwarritja – now/newness (last chance) 27 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 27 Jam Night at Nirvana

Sat

Wed

5 Darwin River Tavern BnS Ball 6 Katherine Show 7 Open Gardens NT 8 The Moon Film Festival 9 Free Movie Under the Stars 18 Palmerston Youth Festival (ends) 23 Reinvigorating the MECA Collection (last chance) 24 Cheeky Dogs (opening) 25 Bjorn Again 27 Draftday

See Around Town 4

7 Exhibition Floor Talks: A Territory Story 7 Nursery Time 20 Hula Hoop Workshops

Sun

Fri

7 Open Gardens NT 10 La French 23 The Infamous 5 Have A Smashing Exhibition (last chance) 27 Gin and Jazz

4 The Royal Darwin Show 7 Tech Zone 27 Loud @ The Library 27 NT News Live on Fridays 27 Live Music at Hotel Darwin

AROUND TOWn Books & fILM Performing Arts YOUTH Visual Arts Food & Drink Music FESTIVALS

offtheleash.net.au

Although all care is taken to ensure information in Off The Leash is correct, it is subject to change. Not all events can be listed on this calendar, so we recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates.

Sat

Mon

5 Territory Day

7 School Holiday Movies 7 Tech Zone

Sun

Wed

5 Dragonfly Craft Fair 7 Waste Warrior 7 NAIDOC Week commences 9 Telling Terrible Tales 9 Breath 10 La French 21 A Steampunk Murder Mystery 21 Backyard Boogaloo 24 Yidaki (last chance) 26 Underwater listening party with From The DOTS 27 First Sunday Blues

Calendar See Around Town 5

6 7 Waste Warrior 9 Flicnics - Gurrumul 9 Poetry Cup 9 Telling Terrible Tales 12 Hip Hop Showcase 17 YTAA workshop 18 Secret Art (opening) 20 Backyard Boogaloo 21 Honey, I Shrunk the Bogan 23 Kuwarritja - now/newness (opens) 23 Desire Is No Light Thing (opening) 27 Sanctuary Sessions 27 The Go Set

See Books & Film 9

9 Feed ’n’ Flicks

7 Nursery Time 7 Wild Vacancies 7 Sports Play Fun Day 7 School Holiday Movies 7 Free Cinema Days 7 Exhibition Floor Talks: A Territory Story 7 40,000 Years of Art in the Top End 12 Daggy Dance Party 18 Colour Relief 21 Steam 21 Appalling Behaviour

2 Tue

7 School Holiday Movies 7 YMCA Free Skate Day 7 Storytime 27 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 27 Jam Night at Nirvana

Thu

See Dragonfly Craft Fair 9

7 Cooking Class 7 Storytime 7 40,000 Years of Art in the Top End 7 Wild Vacancies 9 Feed ’n’ Flicks 12 L.E.D 17 Get That Job 18 Colour Relief 20 Tropical Strength 21 Canned Comedy Darwin 21 Steam 21 The Sickle of Life 21 Appalling Behaviour 27 Club Culture

See Books & Film 9

9 French Movie Night

Thu

Fri

Wed

Sun

7 Wild Vacancies 7 Open Gardens NT 7 NAIDOC Week ends 8 French Film Festival 10 La French 12 Darwin Fringe Festival ends 21 Illuminated 21 Breast of the Fest 21 The Misadventure of Pout 22 stillnessflow workshop 23 Desire Is No Light Thing (last chance) 27 Saltwater Divas

7 School Holiday Movies 7 Tech Zone 22 Plane (opens)

Mon

7 Sister7 Official Opening 7 YMCA Face Your Fears Disco 12 Fringe Opening Night Party 21 Honey, I Shrunk the Bogan 23 If I Were a Street, I Would Not Be a Cul De Sac (opening) 24 DVA Exhibtions (opening) 24 Martumili Artists - Nyurnma (burnt ground) (opening) 25 Joseph & James Tawadros 27 NT News Live on Fridays

Sat

7 Cutta Cutta Caves 7 Cooking Class 7 Storytime 10 La French 18 Get That Job – Barista Skills 23 The Infamous 5 Have A Smashing Exhibition (opening) 26 Diesel 27 Mall Tunes 27 Club Culture

See Youth 18 18 Palmerston Youth Festival begins

7 Open Gardens NT 7 Wild Vacancies 7 Cultural Saturdays 8 French Film Festival 12 Booty and the Beats 17 YTAA workshop 18 Secret Art (last chance) 20 Tropical Strength 21 Appalling Behaviour 21 Illuminated 21 Road to Believing 21 The Misadventure of Pout 27 Mums on Tour 27 Live Music at Hotel Darwin

OUT & ABOUT? Share your happy snaps with us! #otlmag

7 School Holiday Movies 7 Bounce and Play Fun Day 7 Nitmiluk Gorge Boat Tour 7 Free Cinema Days with Somerville 7 Exhibition Floor Talks: A Territory Story 7 Insight Mindfulness Monthly Drop In Group 7 Nursery Time 18 Park Skating 101 – Leanyer 21 Expressions Dance Company –The Dinner Party

Fri

JUL

7 Tech Zone 7 Wild Vacancies 8 Feed ’n’ Flicks 12 Tropidelica 18 Up-top Takeover 20 Tropical Strength 21 Steam 21 Appalling Behaviour 21 Breast of the Fest 24 Inside Out (opening) 24 Mark Making of a Medicated Mother (opening) 27 Loud @ The Library 27 NT News Live on Fridays 27 Magpie Diaries

See Festivals 12

Tue

12 Darwin Fringe Festival begins

7 School Holiday Movies 7 Storytime 7 Wild Vacancies 9 Feed ’n’ Flicks 18 Colour Relief 27 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 27 Jam Night at Nirvana

See Around Town 7

7 En Masse

PHOTO BY SHANE EECEN

NEW LOCATION SMITH STREET MALL

Shop 6/27 The Mall Darwin, NT 0800

Limited edition aerial art on display, plus an ever-expanding range of products including women’s scarves, table runners, cushions, and acrylic photo blocks.

Built upon the diverse community that calls Darwin home, Brown’s Mart will present music and entertainment from the city’s multicultural groups every Thursday in June and July 2019!

O P E N 7 D AYS A W E E K W W W. PA U L A R N O L D . C O M . A U

YOUR STORY IS UNIQUE TO YOU

YOUR STORY YOUR HOME

PAUL HERON

SELLING - PURCHASING - LEASING

0421 060 838 NORTHERN TERRITORY WRITERS’ CENTRE

Open April to November 8941 2651 ntwriters.com.au executive@ntwriters.com.au Workshops | Monthly Events | Opportunities

YOUTH

Young Territory Author Awards HAVE YOU GOT A STORY you're bursting to get on paper? The Young Territory Author Awards have a heap of great prizes for young writers – plus bragging rights! Coming up with your own original story can be a big task, so how do you get started? Ask the experts. Two local authors will give their tricks of the trade at the City of Darwin Libraries to help get the creative juices flowing. Teens aged 11-18 can pick the brains of award-winning author, Barry Jonsberg. Jonsberg has published 20 books since he started writing in 2004, and says there are three main writing points he teaches young people. “Number one is finding stories,” he says.

“I try to help students understand stories are all around us. In my experience, kids want to get involved in something like Game of Thrones, which will take a couple of million words. They neglect the very ordinary stories that are all around us, which often make the best stories.” “The second part is writing characters. I always like the idea of letting the characters be themselves, rather than forcing them to do something.”

re-write and re-write to make it the very best it can be.” Jonsberg illustrates these points with different exercises, which will hopefully inspire the next generation of young writers. For the littler ones, author and illustrator Sandra Kendell will share her knowledge for youngsters aged 7-10 on how to craft and illustrate their best book. Sandra Kendell SAT 13 JUL | 9-10.30AM DARWIN LIBRARY FREE darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries

The final point of advice is the most important, according to Jonsberg.

WHEN AT COST INFO

“But it’s the part they don’t like very much,” he laughs.

Barry Jonsberg

“It’s the notion that once you’ve finished, you have to edit and

WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 6 JUL | 11AM-12.30PM CASUARINA LIBRARY FREE darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries

Language with a Local

WE ARE NOW IN THE THICK of the International Year of Indigenous Languages. People have been celebrating this year all over the world, in Australia, and right here in the NT. It truly is a year to recognise, celebrate, and focus on Indigenous languages. Some of the reasons that maintaining Australia’s Indigenous languages are necessary is that the continuity of languages promotes health outcomes, resilience, cognitive functions, and employment opportunities for Indigenous people. These languages, as is true of any language, hold intrinsic value. Languages matter whether there are a few thousand speakers, a hundred, or just one.

All languages are like living archives that carry within them pieces of cultural information from countless years of use and development. They have been drenched in meaning, from their grammar to vocabulary, and everything in-between. The nuances of a language hold so much information, shape the experiences of the people who speak them, and give a strong sense of identity Emily Tyaemaen Ford is a Rak Mak Mak Marranunggu woman from Kurrindju, who speaks two languages - Rak Mak Mak Marranunggu and Rak Marrithiyel. She is on the City of Darwin Youth Advisory Committee and works in Indigenous research at Northern Institue.

to communities and individuals. Languages shape the way that we define the world and how we position ourselves within it. So, dear reader, I hope that the next time you hear one of Australia’s Indigenous languages, you take a moment and think about what you’ve read here today.

Understanding

Blue

UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH is an important part of life, not just to help those in need in a time of crisis, but also to catch the early signs and know how to support your mates – and yourself – when times are tough.

Participants learn to recognise the signs that someone may be struggling with their mental health, along with how to have confident conversations, provide support, and connect that person to appropriate help or services.

Launch Darwin has teamed up with Sacha King from Two One One Training and Consultancy, for a workshop all about mental health and suicide prevention as part of their Get That Job program.

They will also get a certificate in suicide prevention – something that will certainly help in life, but also looks great on a resume.

King says good mental health underpins every aspect of life, including work, no matter the industry. “Mental health is a pillar of our well being. It’s not just if someone’s getting sick – it’s something that keeps us well, and is a really important part of our life to succeed and to achieve what we want to achieve,” she says. “Understanding and helping yourself, and others, with mental health issues is a life skill that applies to every part of your life and employment.”

“Understanding what mental illness is, is really important. We know what it is to have a flu or break an arm, but often we don’t recognise when we’re struggling with something. We’ll look at what mental health issues are, and what to do when they become a problem,” King says. There are plenty of services available for everyone. If you or your friends need a hand, reach out. YOUTH BEYOND BLUE | 1300 22 4636 KIDS HELP LINE | 1800 55 1800 LIFE LINE | 13 11 14 WHEN AT COST INFO

THU 11 JUL | 10AM-4PM CASUARINA LIBRARY FREE launchdarwin.com.au

LISTINGS

Park Skating 101 – Jingili WHEN WED 17 JUL | 9-11AM AT JINGILI SKATE PARK COST FREE

Sounds@Sunset This month’s instalment of the popular beachside music gig is all about family fun. WHEN AT COST

Get That Job – Barista Skills Join local foodie David Taylor and learn the tricks of the Barista trade. Mmm. Coffee.

Party Palmy

GET READY, PALMERSTON, because the inaugural Palmerston Youth Festival is here!

comedy skits, street art workshops and demonstrations and an AnimeA-Thon movie marathon.

To coincide with the July school holidays, the festival presents nine free events to celebrate art, culture, sport, music, gaming, cinema and performing arts. There’s also a bunch of competitions and prizes up for grabs, to encourage young people to get involved and have a good time.

And the fun doesn’t stop there… There’s so much more for festivalgoers to do, with a Suburb of Origin 3 On 3 basketball competition, Film Me In video making competition, and even a cooking competition – the Rookie Cooks youth cooking comp, hosted by celebrity foodie adventurer Hayden Quinn, gives aspiring young chefs the chance to win the ultimate foodie day out with Quinn in his hometown of Sydney.

Palmerston Mayor Athena Pascoe-Bell says it’s a festival especially for young people and their families. “The City of Palmerston is excited to be working with Northern Territory Government on the inaugural Palmerston Youth Festival,” she says. “We invite young people and their families to join us in Palmerston and enjoy a week jam-packed with events, dedicated to our youth community.”

WHEN AT COST

Geekfest Top End – previously a standalone event for die-hard anime fans – returns to mark the official opening on Sat 13 Jul. This year, attendees can enjoy two new additions – Box Wars and the 3D Chalk Twins. Other events include live theatre performances, stand-up

Rounding out the inaugural Palmerston Youth Fest on a high note is the Palmy Street Party. Enjoy an evening of all things street – including art, food, music and dance. Did we mention Baker Boy will be there? Yes, Baker Boy will be there! The 2019 Young Australian of the Year, award-winning hip hop artist and all-round legend – fondly referred to as The Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land – will headline with support from Caiti Baker and Tasman Keith.

WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 13 – SAT 20 JUL PALMERSTON FREE palmerston.nt.gov.au

who have been attending sessions with City of Palmerston and Skinnyfish Music, in an empty shop front known as Up-top.

THU 4 JUL | 8.30AM-2.30PM MISSION AUSTRALIA, DARWIN CITY FREE

FRI 19 JUL | 5PM NIGHTCLIFF FORESHORE PLAYGROUND NEAR BEACHFRONT HOTEL FREE

DARWIN FRINGE darwinfringe.org.au Colour Relief Young artists are invited to splash around a spectrum of saturated swatches and blend calming complimentary compositions, to highlight a random mixture of contrasting shades in balanced spatial harmony. For ages 8-25. Under 8s to be supervised by adult.

Secret Art New ideas and fresh voices. Darwin Fringe has partnered with LAUNCH Darwin and Radio Gnome Records to bring this exhibition of works from emerging provocateurs aged 14-25.

WHEN TUE 9 – THU 11 | 1-5PM AT THE SHAK YOUTH CENTRE COST FREE

Park Skating 101 – Leanyer WHEN WED 3 JUL | 9-11AM AT LEANYER SKATE PARK COST FREE

WHEN FRI 12 JUL | 7-8PM AT HAPPY YESS COST $10

Up-top Takeover Enjoy stories and musical tracks from the talented young people

WHEN AT COST

SAT 6 – SAT 13 JUL | OPENING SAT 6 JUL 4-6PM RADIO GNOME RECORDS FREE

6ConnorJULY Wyatt & Bella Maree

MONDAY 18 NOVEMBER

DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

BOOK NOW AT YOURCENTRE.COM.AU OR 8980 3333 DYLANMORAN.COM ABPRESENTS.COM.AU

Reinvigorating the

MECA Collection 28 March – 20 July | CDU ART GALLERY A heritage collection of Yolngu bark paintings, sculptural objects, hollow logs, and weavings, collected at Milingimbi in the 1970s. Building Orange 12 Charles Darwin University Casuarina Campus  /cduartgallery

10am - 4pm | Wed to Fri 10am - 2pm | Sat artgallery@cdu.edu.au www.cdu.edu.au/artgallery

Tom Djäwa, Men, turtles and spear, c. 1970s, natural pigments on bark, 98 x 51 cm courtesy Milingimbi Art and Culture, image Fiona Morrison

Photo Duane Preston

PERFORMING ARTS

GIVE IT A GO, WITH CORRO CORRUGATED IRON YOUTH ARTS has been on the scene for more than 30 years, helping young creative folks flex their creative muscles in areas of circus and drama. July’s turning out to be a biggie for Corro.

Speak of which, you can catch the 18<30 Theatre Ensemble in the Darwin Fringe Festival with their show, Tropical Strength – a series of vignettes that are joyful, thought-provoking, dark and uplifting.

This month, enrolments for the Term 3 Workshop Program are open, with more than 15 workshops on offer over eight weeks. School students can utilise their NT Government Sports Vouchers – or ‘Arts Vouchers’ as the Corro gang like to call them. Age requirements range from four years to 18, and Top Enders aged 18-30 can sign up to the 18<30 Theatre Ensemble.

In case they didn’t sound busy enough, Corro also offer free hula hoop workshops to anyone and everyone. Held at Windsurfer’s Corner in Nightcliff, these weekly sessions cater for first-timers right through to hula aficionados, keen to get those hips swirling. So if you’ve ever wanted to get those creative muscles flowing – or

know someone that might – give Corro a go!

Term 3 Workshops WHEN ENROLMENTS CLOSE FRI 16 AUG

Tropical Strength WHEN AT COST INFO

THU 11 – SAT 13 JUL | 5.45PM BROWN’S MART THEATRE $15 | $10 CONC darwinfringe.org.au

Hula Hoop Workshops WHEN EVERY WED | 31 JUL – 18 SEP AT WINDSURFER’S CORNER, NIGHTCLIFF FORESHORE INFO

corrugatediron.org.au

TRACKS DANCE PRESENTS

NATIONAL DANCE FORUM

Ausdance National Executive Director Kathy Baykitch says it’s an important move for the industry. “This is the first time the National Dance Forum will be held in a regional location, and reflects the strength and relevance of regional dance,” she says. “Darwin provides a unique setting as a gateway to a range of places, cultures and communities, and the perfect setting to explore and interrogate the notion of home – dance of place, disruption and belonging.’

Attracting peak industry body to the Northern Territory sends a clear signal to national colleagues about the strength and vibrancy of the arts in the NT. It shines a spotlight on what happens here and gives

the sector a voice in the national arts arena. At the 2017 NDF in Melbourne, to a room of dancers, choreographers and dance educators, Tracks Dance planted the seed for the Darwin visit. The Forum had never been co-hosted and never been to a regional city, but fast-forward two years and that is exactly what is happening. Tracks Company Director Adelaide Wood explains why co-hosting the NDF is important. “Tracks is a dance company that makes fiercely local work, which is people and site specific. We don’t tour nationally, so we’re bringing the national dance sector to us. It’s very powerful,” she said. Tracks have worked hard to make the location and culture of the Top End resonate through the National Dance Forum program, and provide a dance experience that is distinctly Top End in flavour. WHEN FRI 9 & SAT 10 AUG AT TRACKS DANCE STUDIO COST $75-$250 INFO tracksdance.com.au darwinfestival.org.au

Blanc de Blanc

Encore WHEN AT COST INFO

THU 8 – SUN 25 AUG THE VICTORIA SPIEGELTENT $69.50 | $79.50 PREM $61.50 CONC darwinfestival.org.au

IF YOU LOVED BLANC DE BLANC IN 2017, you’re going to love this delicious second helping... Darwin Festival have invited Strut & Fret Production House back for another tantalising tipple, with a new tent and a brand-new show that’ll make you only too glad to go back for seconds.

the Festival. Go into a heady spin with this glitzy and glamorous party of Gatsby-esque proportions. Audience member or party guest? You decide, as the lines are blurred between audience and performers in this breathtaking cabaret extravaganza of lavish laughs, astounding aerials and frivolous fun.

The Victoria Spiegeltent on the Esplanade is home to Blanc de Blanc Encore for the duration of

Local street food favourite Little Miss Korea returns to satisfy those tastebuds pre-show – head in

Photo: Jacquie Manning

WE OFTEN MAKE A FUSS THE FIRST TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS , knowing that once it’s happened, it paves the way for it to happen again and again. Little trail-blazing moments! This is exactly what is happening in August, as the Australian dance sector comes to Darwin for the National Dance Forum (NDF).

earlier and make a night of it, the bar nearby stocked with your fizzy favourites. Want the VIP experience? Grab a premium ticket to skip the queue. It’s almost time to pop the champers and drink in this steamy concoction of smooth jazz, captivating burlesque, exhilarating circus, belly-aching comedy and bawdy humour. Bottoms up!

LISTINGS

Photo: Pedro Greig

50 Years of Sydney Dance Company

SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY’S 50TH anniversary bursts into life with a mesmerising night of dance from choreographers Rafael Bonachela, Gabrielle Nankivell and Melanie Lane. In the world premiere of Cinco, Rafael Bonachela blends five virtuosic dancers with the award-winning lighting of Damien Cooper, and the imagination and skill of fashion designer, Bianca Spender, with celebrated Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera’s achingly magnificent String Quartet #2. Gabrielle Nankivell’s Neon Aether, also a premiere, transports

both dancer and viewer to a vivid yet ethereal world beyond the clouds. Melanie Lane’s 2017 New Breed smash hit WOOF, mashes classical, romantic and pop, driven by a dramatic musical score by acclaimed British electronic artist Clark. Don’t miss your chance to see this incredible triple bill, each choreographer having carved their own unique style, pushing at the possibilities of movement. WHEN SAT 27 JUL | 7.30PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $64 | $59 MEMB/CONC | $24 U18 INFO yourcentre.com.au

Q&A

with Fringe Performer Amelia Gilday

Illuminated AMELIA GILDAY IS AN EMERGING creative from Moontan Productions, an indie collective based in southern Sydney. We had a quick chat with her about her show, Illuminated, showing as part of Darwin Fringe. In a nutshell, describe your Fringe show: Illuminated is a 50-minute show that’s full of interactive gameplay and it happens in the dark! Audiences are lead through a series of scenes exploring critical and analytical thinking, building up to an exciting ‘escape room-like’ conclusion. What do you hope audiences will take away from it? The show examines the day-to-day and how we process information to make decisions, so we hope that audiences are able to relate to our protagonist and use the experience to reflect on their own lives. What other Fringe shows are you excited to check out?

We’re pretty keen to check out as many shows as we can. We’ve been looking at The Measure of a Man, Fringe Stories and Secret Art, to name a few. Why did you want to perform at Darwin Fringe? None of us have been to Darwin before, which is probably one of the biggest reasons we wanted to come to Darwin Fringe. We all love to travel and it’s great to experience new places and connect with new artists! Do you plan on doing any sight seeing whilst in town? Absolutely! We want to check out Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, the Mary River Wetlands, the magnetic termite mounds – we’ll pretty much squeeze in as much ‘touristing’ as we can.

WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 13 & SUN 14 JUL | 6PM MAYFAIR GALLERY $15 | $10 CONC/U12 | $12 GROUPS 6+ | $48 FAMILY darwinfringe.org.au

Expressions Dance Company – The Dinner Party An elegant dinner party hosted by an influential young man for his manipulative guests is thrown into turmoil when power meets greed, ambition and jealousy. As the evening wears on, The Dinner Party exposes society’s insatiable desire for control and status, the power play between the guests intensifying as the accusations start to fly. WHEN WED 3 JUL | 7.30PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $49 | $45 CONC | $25 U18 INFO yourcentre.com.au

Canned Comedy Darwin Support Foodbank NT! In return for a can of food, you’ll receive over two hours of quality entertainment. So if you want to help, you can... WHEN THU 11 JUL | 7-9.30PM AT THE DECK BAR COST CAN OF FOOD

COMICS'

CORNER SHOWCASING TOP END COMICS AND LOCAL STAND-UP PERFORMERS

Hotel Darwin is home to Fringe Festival Comedy this year, its beer garden transformed into a comics’ wildlife sanctuary where you can observe comedians parading in their natural habitat. Of the out-of-towners, Roland Bull is back with his alter ego Prince Pout, regaling us with stories of his move to Alice Springs. Another to catch is Marc Ryan – the friendliest, cutest bogan alive. In Honey I Shrunk the Bogan, he tells of his struggles to remain a proud bogan since losing 50kg after being blacklisted by Uber Eats. For those who like their comedy in perpetual motion, Michael Connell combines juggling, knives and jokes. Imagine Jerry Seinfeld juggling on a unicycle but with less fingers. While dreadlocked dad, Fabien Clark, is a conflicted hippy football parent who shouts scores at non-competitive Auskick matches, while his missus abuses the umpire as an alternative to marriage counselling.

INFO facebook.com/canned comedy

Between Tiny Cities

Dancers Aaron Lim (Darwin) and Erak Mith (Phnom Penh) uncover the choreographic links that unite them through the shared language of hip-hop culture. WHEN AT COST INFO

THU 18 JUL - SUN 4 AUG VARIOUS FREE artbacknt.com.au

DARWIN FRINGE darwinfringe.org.au A Steampunk Murder Mystery STEAMPUNK NT are totally cogged and steamed up to bring you the next instalment of their murder mystery series. You are the players in amongst their tangled plot to uncover the Butcher among you. WHEN SUN 7 JUL | 5-7.30PM AT THE LANDMARK @ GATEWAY COST $20 | $15 CONC

Steam A show about excess, decadence and escapism, Steam takes patriarchal notions of female objectivity and turns them on their heads. Featuring burlesque, cabaret, and circus, this show is hot hot hot

Breast of the Fest showcases the rising female stars of the Melbourne comedy scene and looks like it might unearth the next super stars of stand-up. For fans of joyful and downright weird sketch comedy, Two Little Dickheads will make you question your postcode – and your very existence – with their unrelenting jokes, songs and daggy dress sense. The Comedy Garden also plays host to some hot local talent. Garry O’Sullivan is set to deliver his razor-sharp observations, and All The Single Ladies share stories about dodgy dates, dodgy curries and dodgy dungeons. Hot Brit, Tom Sheridan, is not only great eye candy but perhaps the naughtiest comedian working in Darwin. Gavin Parker hosts 8 out of 10 Crocs 'Live' – a comedy quiz show featuring two teams grappling with light-hearted questions, lies and truths. Scott McGowan, a joke-teller drier than the Simpson Desert, unleashes his killer one-liners and ridiculous stories on the world. Danielle Andrews, who once jokingly wrote she was Darwin’s number one Cher impersonator, tries to prove to herself that maybe, just maybe, she is, in Road to Believing. So get on down to the Comedy Garden to check out some amazing comedians at work and play.

and a whole lot more. WHEN WED 10 - FRI 12 JUL | 7.30-8.30PM AT BROWN’S MART THEATRE COST $35

The Sickle of Life From Russia with love – big dreams, big hopes, big hair! Laugh and cry with Sveta, as she recalls her early days back in Russia and her search for love Down Under through story and song. WHEN THU 11 JUL | 7.30-9.30PM AT LOLA’S PERGOLA COST $22.50

Eddie and Eliza’s Backyard Boogaloo Eddie and Eliza will have you in stitches as you join them around the backyard barbie. Step back in time as they serve up some Aussie folklore at its finest. WHEN SAT 6 JUL, 5.45-6.45PM SUN 7 JUL, 5-6PM AT BROWN’S MART THEATRE COST $15 | $10 CONC

Appalling Behaviour Written on the streets of Paris, Stephen House presents an acclaimed, unforgettable journey. WHEN AT COST

WED 10 - FRI 12 JUL, 7-8PM SAT 13 JUL, 8-9PM MAYFAIR GALLERY $25 | $15 CONC

Fringe Comedy GARDEN Honey. I Shrunk the Bogan WHEN FRI 5 & SAT 6 JUL 8.30-9.30PM COST $20 | $17 CONC & GROUP 6+ | $14 FAMILY

Breast of the Fest WHEN FRI 12 JUL, 6.30-7.30PM SUN 14 JUL, 5.30-6.30PM COST $15 | $12 CONC $11 GROUP 6+

Road to Believing WHEN SAT 13 JUL | 6.30-7.30PM COST $20 | $15 CONC

The Misadventure of Pout: Prince of the Desert WHEN SAT 13 & SUN 14 JUL 7.30PM-8.30PM COST $20 | $15 CONC $18 GROUP 6+

Will Crawford is an up-andcrawling comic. He moonlights as a land rights lawyer and policy activist.

VISUAL ARTS Art U&T

ABO

stillnessflow

with artists

Jocelyn Tribe and Amelia Luscombe

JOCELYN TRIBE AND AMELIA LUSCOMBE will set up camp at UNTiTLED Gallery + Studio for a one-month collaborative studio residency, exploring the themes of therapeutic mark-making and intuitive drawing. Tribe sat down with OTL to tell us about the project and the public workshop. How did this project come about? Amelia and I have worked in local galleries together so we’ve had a lot of discussions around ‘art’, I guess from being so immersed in other people’s art we decided we needed to make our own. Sarah Pirrie was very generous and allowed us some time to experiment in her space, and that set us up to have discussions about why we like making art and what it

means to us. We realised we had a common thread, and when we saw UNTiTlED applications open we thought it would be a good idea to give it a shot. Tell us about your use of mark-making. For me, it’s about intentionally drawing without a goal in mind. It’s about the feeling that’s happening while you’re doing it. It’s very much about presence and by allowing that to happen, I find it to be a really therapeutic practice. What do you feel when working in this way? It’s more about not feeling. It’s more meditative. You can’t really name the feeling because it’s just about what is happening in that space at that time. It’s about creating space to not impose ideas of what artwork should be.

What will the workshop look like? Amelia and I are both interested in introducing this idea to other people, to take away the stigma of ideas of what art should be, and allowing people to just explore and invite curiosity into what drawing might mean for them. We hope to create a space that’s inviting and supportive for creativity. I’m really interested in community development and I feel when you can get a group together, who have common interest, often it’s very beneficial for every individual.

stillnessflow workshop WHEN SUN 14 JUL | 10AM-2PM AT UNTITLED GALLERY AND

STUDIO COST FREE | BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL INFO untitled@ darwincommunityart.org.au

A new direction for

Andrew Blake, ’60’, 2019, acrylic on paper, 33cm x 34cm

Paul Arnold

Mosaic (detail)

PAUL ARNOLD IS A MAN WHO is constantly reinventing himself. Back in the day, he spent almost a decade in the defence force, then found himself working in the mines, before picking up a camera and spending the next 16 years as a landscape photographer. Now, Arnold is less interested in selling photos of Darwin sunsets, and more interested in creating limited edition artworks and high-end products with his imagery, including scarves and homewares. “For me, an artist is someone who makes something you can never make again – you can never replicate it,” he says.

Jocelyn Tribe and Amelia Luscombe

Thranduil (detail)

“I want to be an artist who can create something new. “It’s not inspiring for me anymore to sit down at Nightcliff Jetty with 14 other photographers trying to get a shot.” Arnold has relocated his gallery to the ‘Paris end’ of Smith Street Mall, tapping in to a new market that will see his photographic works the way he wants them to be seen – as art. “It was a chance for me to re-invent, and it’s been happening over a long period of time. With digital cameras and more and more access to images, I could see that I was going to go the way of Kodak if I didn’t do something.

AT SMITH STREET MALL INFO paularnold.com.au

Explosion (detail)

“But it’s scary. It’s seriously scary having to find a whole new client base who really appreciate what you’re doing.” So far it’s working, Arnold’s aerial artwork catching the eye of a wellknown name in the international creative industry – but mum’s the word on the collaboration until it’s announced at the end of this month. “It’s mind-blowing for me,” Arnold says. “The hardest part is not being able to talk about it. I’m so excited!” Word to the wise, watch this space…

Plane

Artist and arts worker Andrew Blake has ventured in to new territory, expanding his repertoire from sculpture to drawing and painting. More than 50 works will be on show together for the first time this month at Don Whyte Picture Framing in Coconut Grove. The collection was created over the last 18 months while Andrew was working away from home.

me and finding heavy wood. That is how these drawings have evolved – they were practical, and ended up being fun and challenging. The challenges were to have the design work in weird ways, as well as some sort of discipline that was required for the straight edges,” he says. The planes allude to 3D images, and Andrew says it’s a visual tease for the viewer.

The drawings were a far easier task to take on the road, compared to his sculptures, while working in the Top End – the opposite side of the country from his home on King Island, Tasmania.

“Visually they can work in reverse, they can bend one way or another if you look for it. I’m hoping people will see that and have fun with it.”

“These drawings were done because I was away from home. (It was easier) than taking tools away with

WHEN MON 8 JUL - SAT 31 AUG AT DON WHYTE PICTURE

FRAMING, COCONUT GROVE

COST FREE INFO donwhyteframing.com

OUTSTATION

POP UP - THE INFAMOUS FIVE

TUE & SAT 10AM-2PM | WED–FRI 10AM-5PM

SAT-SUN ONLY, 10AM-5PM OR BY APPOINTMENT

2/3 Parap Place, Darwin | 8981 4822 | outstation.com.au

Kuwarritja – now/newness Located in the Honey Ant Hills in the heart of the Central Desert, 240 km north-west of Alice Springs, lies the Papunya Tjupi Art Centre. It represents many artists who are descendents from the original Papunya movement of the 1970s. This body of work represents what is happening in the studio in Papunya right now. It features work by established artists as well as rising stars, such as Carbiene McDonald. Carbiene McDonald, 'Four Dreamings', 2019, acrylic on linen, 152 x 122cm

Gallery 5, 24 Gardens Hill Crescent, Gardens Hill | 0431 609 241

Ivor Cole, 'M.M. Has Left The Building', 2019, Oil on canvas, 50 X 70 cm

THE INFAMOUS FIVE

Have A Smashing Exhibition Rob Brown, Ivor Cole, Bill Davies, Franck Gohier and Colin Holt present The Infamous 5 Have A Smashing Exhibition. Be warned... With a combined 130 years of art practice and featuring 100 paintings, this is no trip with Enid Blyton towards cucumber sandwiches and lashings of lemonade.

WHEN THU 4 – SUN 21 JUL | OPENING 6PM, THU 4 JUL

WHEN SAT 6 – TUE 30 JUL

GYRACC ABORIGINAL BUSH TRADERS

Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre Stuart Highway, Katherine East | 8972 3751 | gyracc.org.au | TUE–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM–3PM

Lyons Cottage, 74 The Esplanade, Darwin | 8942 4023 | aboriginalbushtraders.com

2018 People's Choice Winner: Dawn Beasley, 'When morning sun falls on Nitmiluk rock' (detail), 2018, Graphite, acrylic, gesso and oil on canvas

MON-FRI 9AM-4PM, SAT-SUN 9AM-3PM

THE 44TH KATHERINE PRIZE THE ANNUAL KATHERINE PRIZE encourages Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents of the Northern Territory to develop their art practice and showcase their skill to the region. Entry forms are available online and at GYRACC, and open to two categories – the Katherine Prize and the Katherine Prize Youth Award. WHEN ENTRIES CLOSE FRI 5 JUL | OPENING 6PM, THU 25 JUL

TACTILE ARTS William Maerko, 'Birds,' 2017, acrylic & posca on canvas. Photo: Fiona Morrison

Gesture Gesture is an exhibition foregrounding the work of Indigenous artists with disability in the Northern Territory. Featuring the work of artists from Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists (Central Desert), Free Space Studio (Top End) Njaruwanajirri Inc. (Tiwi) and the work of Dion Beasley (Tennant Creek).

19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay, Darwin | 8981 6616 | tactilearts.org.au TUE- SUN 10AM-4PM

If I Were a Street, I Would Not Be a Cul De Sac.

(I'd be a dirt road with endless lands on either side)

WHEN FRI 19 JUL – SAT 31 AUG KASIA TONS IS A TEXTILE artist currently based in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). She creates colourful, chaotic soft sculptures, wearables and 2D pieces with obscured personal mythologies, entwined with more universal themes of home, identity, belonging and movement.

CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY Building Orange 12, CDU Casuarina Campus | 8946 6621 | cdu.edu.au/artgallery WED–FRI 10AM-4PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

WHEN FRI 5 – SUN 28 JUL |

David Malangi, Mokuy, c. 1970s natural pigments on wood

OPENING 5.30PM, FRI 5 JUL

Kasia Tons, 'If I were a street', 2019, mixed media on tent canvas, 160 x 87cm

Reinvigorating the MECA Collection Drawing from a heritage collection of significant Yolngu bark paintings, sculptural objects, hollow logs and weavings, this exhibition brings together a stunning selection of 64 works from the Milingimbi Education and Cultural Association (MECA) Collection, created in Arnhem Land in the mid-1970s. UNTIL SAT 20 JUL

MAYFAIR GALLERY

7 Harriet Place, Darwin | 0421 983 995 | facebook.com/mayfairdwn MON - SAT 10AM - 2PM | CLOSED SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Desire Is No Light Thing This exhibition includes newly created works focusing on desire, intimacy and sexuality as modes of expression and production. This exhibition forges space for artworks that speak to longing and intimacy, alongside the lightning-fast and molasses-slow sensations that accompany differing forms of desire.

WHEN SAT 6 – SUN 14 JUL | OPENING 7PM, SAT 6 JUL Liz Stag, 'Buttstuff', 2018, foam, material, bamboo, acrylic paint, human hair, 90cm x 150cm

DARWIN VISUAL ARTS

PAUL JOHNSTONE GALLERY

TUE- FRI 11AM- 4PM | SAT 10AM-3PM

TUE–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

1/8 McMinn St, Darwin, Harbour View Plaza | dvaa.net.au

INSIDE OUT BY JING JIN This interactive installation features suspended drawings with trailing strings for the audience to engage with. The drawings speak of the often hushed and masked moments of our living experiences, inviting you to project your own feelings with the empty faces and gestures of vulnerability. Reflect on your own experiences and connect one drawing to another by strings, collectively weaving narratives. Inside Out by Jing Jin

Harriet Place, Darwin | 8941 2220 | pauljohnstonegallery.com.au

Mark Making of a Medicated Mother Alicia Scobie presents this body of work, a reflection on her personal experience with motherhood, exploring a variety of mediums over a number of years as a medicated mother. Scobie explores motherhood in the visual arts space and questions its lack of representation within a curatorial scope.

WHEN FRI 12 JUL – SAT 3 AUG | OPENING 6PM, FRI 12 JUL

Wokka Taylor, 'Untitled (19-69)', 2019, acrylic on canvas, Supplied by Martumili Artists

MAGNT

Martumili Artists - Nyurnma (burnt ground)

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 19 Conacher Street, The Gardens | 8999 8264 | magnt.net.au MON–SUN 10AM-5PM

YIDAKI This immersive exhibition tells the story of the origins of yidaki (didjeridu) and illustrates the importance of the instrument in Aboriginal life and culture. Yolngu Elder Djalu Gurruwiwi invites visitors on an experiential journey that includes exploring a stringybark forest, voyaging with the West Wind and becoming immersed in the mesmerising power of yidaki. Djalu Gurruwiwi, Yolgnu Elder and Yidaki Master, 2016; courtesy of the Museum of South Australia

UNTIL SUN 7 JUL COST $10 | $8 CONC | $3 CHILD

Between Moon & the Stars The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) enters a galactic realm with the Between the Moon and the Stars exhibition.

Martu artists paint Country in all its different seasonal stages. Important to Martu, and to Martu Country, is the practice of waru (fire burning); a practice that assists with hunting, regenerates growth, and encourages greater diversity in plant and animal life. When Martu Country burns, mosaic fire scars are left on the Country, and patches of regeneration form a kind of mosaic pattern across the land. Waru is typically burnt in small, controlled areas, leaving a defined patchwork pattern in the land, across tali (sand hills), linyji (clay pans), parulyukurru (spinifex country) and pila (sandy plains). This patterning is clearly visible in Martumili Artists works, where they paint Country from an aerial perspective.

WHEN FRI 5 – SAT 27 JUL | OPENING 5PM, FRI 5 JUL This intriguing showcase explores how the moon and its phases continue to impact on animal and human life.

THE PROJECT SPACE

UNTIL MAR 2020

1/3 Vickers St, Parap | 8941 3935 | salonartprojects.com.au TUE–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

NCCA

Northern Centre for Contemporary Art Vimy Lane, Parap | 8981 5368 | 0402 379 630 | nccart.com.au WED-FRI 10AM-4PM, SAT 9AM-2PM, OR BY APPOINTMENT

Colour Photograph, Neena Ramkumar, Photo: Mia Cundy

Dion Beasley, 'Untitled', Pencil and graphite on paper, 26 x 42 cm

TO TELL ANOTHER STORY

PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE TERRITORIAN

This exhibition depicts teenage Territorians through their own eyes. There has perhaps never been a more image-savvy generation, with mobile phones and digital cameras chronicling lives in more detail and to larger audiences than ever before. But Portrait of a Teenage Territorian seeks to go beyond selfies and Snapchat, taking a more intimate look at how they see themselves.

The Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory has teamed up with NCCA on this project, featuring local Darwin residents from refugee backgrounds. Local artists include Polly Johnstone, Anne-Marie Cull, Carly O’Neill, Zabedah Baharuddin, Christophe Hennequin, Heather Whybrow, Caron Farrell, Kelsh Cormoc and Rita Macarounas.

Cheeky Dogs: To Lake Nash and Back TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE of Dion Beasley’s and Johanna Bell’s wonderful illustrated memoir, Cheeky Dogs: To Lake Nash and Back, The Project Space will be exhibiting a selection of Beasley’s original artworks. Both Dion and Johanna will be present for the exhibition, which depicts Beasley’s fascination with cheeky dogs and his unconventional journey into the world of contemporary art. Beasley’s Cheeky Dogs artwork is loved in Australia and around the world. Go Home, Cheeky Animals won the 2017 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award. This story captures in vivid detail Beasley’s life in Tennant Creek and the people, places and dogs he loves.

WHEN FRI 5 – SAT 27 JUL

WHEN SAT 29 JUN – FRI 2 AUG

OPENING 6PM, FRI 5 JUL

OPENING AND BOOK RELEASE 11AM, SAT 20 JUL

MUSIC WHEN WED 17 JUL | 7.30PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRE COST $50-$90 INFO yourcentre.com.au

Soulful

Soweto himmy Jiyane was there when it all began back in 2002, and shares with Off The Leash the reasons why the choir had such a strong impact, no matter where in the world they perform. Why was Soweto Gospel Choir formed? We wanted to celebrate the heritage, cultures and faiths in our country, and the powerful voice and the talent South Africa has.

Why do you think it resonates with audiences worldwide? We go all over the world and get to see different people from different

cultures embrace the music, even if they don’t understand what we’re saying. The music is food for the soul. They can understand the rhythm and feel the beat – there’s so much love in the music. It’s important because it heals people; they come to our shows heartbroken and when they come out they’re refreshed and revived. Are there any particular memories that stand out? When we went on our first tour and it was in Australia, no one knew us at the time, and we performed at the Sydney Opera House and it was sold out. What can we expect in Freedom? It’s very close to our hearts, and speaks about Nelson Mandela and our political leaders. It takes people through a journey of South Africa when South Africa was oppressed, and now it’s free. It’s a powerful show with a strong message.

Mamma Mia, Bjorn Again is 30!

Joseph & James Tawadros Live in Concert LONDON-BASED OUD VIRTUOSO and triple ARIA Award winner, Joseph Tawadros AM, and his percussionist brother, James, bring to Darwin their unique style of jazz music.

WHO WANTS TO SEE the closest thing to Swedish pop legends ABBA, as described by ABBA? I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do! Dancing Queens get ready to boogie… Bjorn Again returns for one night only to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Hailed internationally as the next best thing to the original pop band, Bjorn Again returns to the Top End, bringing those ABBA-solute classics. Jive along to Waterloo, SOS and Ring Ring. The only cover band officially

endorsed by ABBA, Bjorn Again are widely regarded as the most successful tribute band of all time. ABBA member Benny Andersson is quoted on his support of the cover band on their official website. “Fans had better make the most out of Bjorn Again because that’s the closest they are going to get to seeing ABBA,” he said. The world famous ABBA show was established in Melbourne in 1988, their very first show in a modest pub on the streets of Collingwood.

Photo: Andy Phillipson

What is it about gospel music that speaks to you? Music to me means a lot because it’s the message of good news, especially about Jesus and Christianity. In South Africa, gospel is something we grew up with – every Sunday we go to church with our mothers and grandmothers and pray. It means a lot to us and we’re grateful God is still looking after us.

Photo: Lauren Crabbe

Soweto Gospel Choir share South Africa’s journey from oppression to freedom in their new show, Freedom. These talented, soulful South Africans are heading to Darwin, fresh from winning a Grammy for Best World Music for their album of the same name.

Thirty years later, they’ve performed more than 7000 shows in 100 countries worldwide, and even supported The Spice Girls in 1998 at Wembley Stadium in London. So get your flares and platforms on, apply a slick of blue eye shadow, and celebrate this impressive milestone. Thank you, Bjorn Again, Thank You for the Music.

WHEN SAT 20 JUL | 8PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRE COST $75 | $65 CONC/MEMB/ CHILD/GROUP 8+

The oud is a Middle Eastern lute – a short-neck, pear-shaped stringed instrument – and Joseph is renowned worldwide for his ability to play it. His brother James is percussionist virtuoso, playing the riq (small tambourine) and the bendir (frame drum), also with incredible skill. Joseph’s ability to bring traditional Middle Eastern music together with classical and jazz has earned him the admiration of his peers and music critics, who consider him to be a truly original contemporary

performer and an innovative composer. Joseph has collaborated with international jazz royalty, including US jazz legends John Abercrombie, Christian McBride and Jack DeJohnette. He has performed with world music practitioners including Sarangi Master Sultan Khan, Afro Moses and the Gipsy Kings. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the sounds of these incredibly talented brothers as they take to the Top End stage for one magical night of music.

WHEN FRI 5 JUL | 8PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRE COST $49 | $46 CONC/MEMB | $25 U18 INFO yourcentre.com.au

From the Depths of the Sea

IF YOU WANT A SNEAK peek into what local producer James Mangohig has been up to over the last 12 months, make sure you catch his immersive gig at the Darwin Fringe Festival. Mangohig’s Underwater Listening Party will be a showcase of the project, From the Depths of the Sea (DOTS), at its mid-way point. We had a chinwag with Mangohig about what it's all about. First of all, tell us about your love of the ocean. I grew up south of Adelaide and swam at the beach every day, and then moved to Darwin when I was five and obviously we can’t swim here. I’ve always had an amazing fascination with the ocean. And there’s this thing – it’s a bit weird to say – but I didn’t realise we as humans came from the ocean until I was in my early 20s. I grew up in a conservative Christian upbringing,

The

Faste Fiv

and I remember driving down a highway with my best friend and she told me how we [evolved from life] from the ocean and it blew my mind.

What’s the idea behind From The DOTS? I’ve always wanted to make a record that collaborates with Asian artists, or people of colour, that I’ve had relationships with over the years. I wanted to make a record that embraces my pop sensibilities and my love of Asian sounds, samples and rhythms. I feel like it’s my personality down the middle – one part loves dramatic, cinematic and emotional, and the other part loves the funk and partying. From The DOTS is both sides in one act. What can punters expect at the listening party? It’s not so much a live performance, but I want people to come and be immersed in the middle stages of the record.

DIESEL

Most listening parties happen when an album is finished, why do you want to do one while you’re still halfway through? There’s something really beautiful about sharing music before it’s finished. Often artists don’t get a chance to play material in front of crowds at this point of the record,

MUSIC NT PRESENTS

What other NT artists are you digging at the moment? NT artists are at the top of their game. Resin Moon and Broadwing have created some amazing soundscapes, Tapestry and We Burn Bridges killing the heavier sound, youthful bands Kolors and Danger Den are on the rise, and Rachel Rachel and Xavia are the ladies to look out for. Ben Evolent

Ben Evolent

How would you describe the music of Ben Evolent? Diverse. It can go from acoustic/ country/folk/singer-songwriter to swampy blues with a pinch of reggae.

You have an album coming out later this year – describe it in three words?

WHEN AT COST INFO

SUN 7 JUL | 6-7PM HAPPY YESS $10 darwinfringe.org.au

DSO PRESENTS

or nights of simple perfection and relaxed intention allow for some beautiful creativity.

DARWIN MUSICIAN JOSHUA TARCA – better know by his stage name Ben Evolent – is having quite the year. Not only is he set to become a father for a second time, he’s also recently released the debut single from his upcoming album.

and it feels different and you analyse it differently in front of an audience. I want to share what I’m working on because I’m really proud of it.

Wonders, wandering, wonderous. Wanderous is the name of the album. Where did you draw inspiration from for Wanderous? From the wandering I have done over the years and the roads that have lead me to a place of wonder. Oh, and Darwin! How does living in the Top End affect your music and songwriting? It bounds you in honesty. The NT is wet, stormy, windy, sunny, dry, dusty, humid and hot, and tests your very sentiment at times, very much like the writing process. But those days

If you could collab with any other NT artist, who would it be? I love the idea of teaming up with hip-hop artists as well as some singer-songwriters. Emerald Sun, Muxy and Dave Garnham. Actually, I’m open to any collaboration – reach out if you want to team up! Lastly, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? Don’t be selfish with your gifts. Give without the thought of receiving. Someone somewhere will take a word, a note, a phrase, and it will affect their being, hence the importance of sharing the gifts and stories.

SAVE THE DATE Shiver Single Launch WHEN SAT 3 AUG AT DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB INFO facebook.com/benevolentnt

Celebrate with the DSO

Our beloved Darwin Symphony Orchestra celebrates a milestone as part of the 2019 Darwin Festival program, having brought Top Enders the gift of music for thirty years this August. This is your official save the date! To celebrate, the DSO proudly present three contrasting compositions, including Sibelius’ rousing Finlandia. Don’t miss the premiere of a new work by celebrated Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth – commissioned by the DSO especially for the milestone – featuring guest Indigenous soloist Don Wurralkbanganya Murrungun. This work was designed to reflect the spirit of the Territory, the musicians both proud and excited to perform a piece penned specifically for the DSO.

While still in his teens, Americanborn guitarist and singer, Mark Lizotte, was snatched from his bar band in Perth, and launched into the Australian charts as the leader of Johnny Diesel and the Injectors. Now, some 30 years later, Diesel is still rocking Saturday nights around the nation. The 90s heartthrob performs in D-town this month for an intimate show off the back of his greatest hits album, released last year. What’s the first album you ever bought? The first album I ever bought was Smash Hits by Jimi Hendrix on cassette. It was a second-hand purchase and I wore it out. There wasn’t a lot of Jimi on the radio at that point, so to me, it was like making a discovery. Unfortunately it went into the abyss. If you could see any artist or band – living or dead – this weekend, who would it be? Neil Young, as I still haven’t seen a show – with Crazy Horse would be a bonus! I’d try and take my family, which wouldn’t be hard as they all “get it”. Whose posters did you have stuck to the wall as a teenager? Around the age of 12-13, I started finding guitar player magazines in music shops, which were old issues they were giving away. I would tear out pictures of Pete Townshend and other “war baby” rock royalty. I didn’t always know who they were but if they looked cool, or if I liked the guitar, I’d put them on the wall. What song would you like played at your funeral? Someday We’ll All Be Free by Donny Hathaway.

To finish, Mahler’s first symphony, The Titan, is a work of great scale and ambition, sure to capture the hearts of Festival audiences. So get onto your tickets and celebrate 30 years of our DSO!

Finish this sentence. The thing people would be surprised to know about me… Is that I love skating (speed roller) and if there was a rink with a polyurethane floor near me, I probably wouldn’t get any work done!

WHEN SAT 24 AUG | 7.30PM AT DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE COST $30-$60 INFO darwinfestival.org.au | dso.org.au

WHEN THU 4 JUL | 7.30PM AT MINDIL BEACH CASINO RESORT COST $38.50 INFO mindilbeachcasinoresort. com.au

JULY

GIG guide

Mums on Tour Starting out in MusicNT’s Desert Divas and Saltwater Divas programs, Indigenous singer-songwriters Casii Williams, Jessie K and Patsy Coleman are forging their way into the music scene on their own.

OTL's quick and essential guide to live music in the Top End. Rock on!

So load up the guitars and the kids – these mamas are bringing their delightfully moving tunes to Darwin Fringe.

To find out more, head to offtheleash.net.au

/OTL.magazine

@OTLmag

WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 13 JUL | 7-8PM HAPPY YESS $20 | FREE U12 darwinfringe.org.au

#OTLmag

Diesel

WHEN THU 4 JUL | 7.30PM AT MINDIL BEACH CASINO RESORT COST $38.50 INFO mindilbeachcasinoresort. com.au

Sanctuary Sessions Kick back at Sanctuary Lakes with live music from local artists, Connor Wyatt and Bella Maree. Bring the whole family, including your furry friends, your picnic blankets or bean bags, enjoy a feed from a local food truck and make a night of it. WHEN SAT 6 JUL | 4-7PM AT SANCTUARY LAKES, PALMERSTON COST FREE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

Draftday Double Single Launch From soaring festival sing-alongs to desperate down tempo reflections, Draftday move through a series of emotions. Don’t miss their single launch. WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 20 JUL | 9PM HAPPY YESS $10 facebook.com/draftdayaus

Djarmalak Catch Mojo Juju, Oetha and Dj Lady Lash, set in the beautiful surrounds of the remote community Beswick, for the final installment of Djarmalak; Come Together. WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 27 JUL | 6PM BESWICK $65 - $135 djilpinarts.org.au

Mall Tunes Celebrate the weekend early with live music in Smith Street Mall every Thursday from midday. WHEN AT COST INFO

EVERY THU | 12PM SMITH ST MALL FREE darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries

THU 4 JUL – LILLA WELLINGTON THU 11 JUL – CHARLIE POWLING THU 18 JUL – CRYSTAL MELODIES THU 25 JUL – PHILIP SPENCER

Loud @ The Library – Darwin WHEN EVERY FRI | 12-1PM AT DARWIN CITY LIBRARY

FRI 5 JUL – KEVIN MCCARTHY FRI 12 JUL – DAVID GARNHAM FRI 19 JUL – AARON CLEMENT

Loud @ The Library – Casuarina WHEN EVERY FRI | 12-1PM AT CASUARINA LIBRARY FRI 5 JUL – MIKE FOLEY FRI 12 JUL – TRACEY BUNN FRI 19 JUL – AMBON JOHN

Live Music at Hotel Darwin Enjoy free live music every Fri and Sat night at Hotel Darwin. WHEN AT COST INFO

EVERY FRI & SAT | 6-9PM HOTEL DARWIN FREE thehoteldarwin.com.au

Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals Darwin City Brass Band rehearses on Tuesday nights. New members and visitors are always welcome, and there’s no audition necessary. So pick up a trumpet, saxophone or trombone, and give it a go! WHEN EVERY TUE | 7-9.30PM AT 2 ABALA RD, MARRARA COST $20 ANNUAL MEMB INFO darwincitybrassband. org.au

2019 Saltwater Divas participants. Head along to see a dynamic live performance of original contemporary music from a number of emerging Indigenous female singer-songwriters, across a wide array of musical genres.

DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

darwinfringe.org.au The Go Set Melbourne based folk/punk band heading to Darwin for the Fringe. WHEN SAT 6 JUL | 7PM AT DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB COST $15 PRESALE | $20 DOOR

Underwater Listening Party with From the DOTS

Joseph & James Tawadros Live in Concert

DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB

WHEN FRI 5 JUL | 8PM COST $25-$49

17 Somerville Gardens, Parap 8981 4171 | darwinrailwayclub.org

Soweto Gospel Choir Freedom Tour

Tropidelica Your favourite tropical dance party is being hosted in fine fruity form at The Railway Club. Jump aboard for fruity good times where Femme Funkale funk up the dance floor with tropical treats and a fruitilicious platter of beats. Dress to impress in your tropical best and expect pop-up surprises... Mmm, juicy!

WHEN SAT 20 JUL | 8PM COST $75 | $65 CONC/MEMB/ CHILD/GROUP 8+

BROWN’S MART COURTYARD 12 Smith Street, Darwin City 8981 5522 | brownsmart.com.au

WHEN SAT 27 JUL | 8PM AT DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB COST $15

WHEN SUN 7 JUL | 2-7PM AT PINT CLUB, MARRARA COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO facebook.com/ firstsundayblues

Jam Night at Nirvana Who says you can’t go out on a school night? Jump on stage or sit back and enjoy the music – and a cocktail! WHEN AT COST INFO

EVERY TUE | 9PM-LATE NIRVANA RESTAURANT FREE nirvanadarwin.com.au

NT News Live on Fridays A true favourite on the Dry season calendar! See in the weekend with some cheeky knock offs and free live music from local legends every Friday afternoon. WHEN EVERY FRI | 4-7PM COST FREE

Magpie Diaries Magpie Diaries is the authentic folk musings of singer-songwriter and Dashville founder Matt ‘Magpie’ Johnston.

FRI 12 JUL – JOSIAH GREER

Saltwater Divas This showcase is the culmination of three months of work for MusicNT’s

Strum a song and belt out a ballad or kick back with a drink in the shade while others do! This relaxing monthly arvo of music is a must-see, must-do, must-hear.

WHEN SUN 7 JUL | 6-7PM AT HAPPY YESS COST $10

WHEN FRI 12 JUL | 7PM AT DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB COST $15 PRESALE | $20 DOOR

WHEN EVERY THU | 4.30-7PM COST FREE

Bjorn Again

SUN 21 JUL | 5PM $11.50 PRE-BOOK | $15 DOOR stickytickets.com.au

JAM NIGHTS AND OPEN MIC

93 Mitchell Street, Darwin 8980 3333 | yourcentre.com.au

WHEN WED 17 JUL | 7.30PM COST $50-$90

Gin and Jazz Treat your taste buds to a tipple and your ears to some tunes, with local musicians on the third Sunday of every month. WHEN COST INFO

WHEN SUN 14 JUL | 5- 6PM AT HAPPY YESS COST $10

DARWIN FRINGE

Island Cultural Group and Kultura Dance Collective.

FRI 5 JUL – ELIXIFY FRI 19 JUL – PHILLIP SPENCER FRI 26 JUL – TRACEY BUNN

Club Culture Brown’s Mart presents music and entertainment from local multicultural groups every Thursday in June and July. An example of what’s coming your way this month is Upai Purri Cultural Group, Torres Strait

REHEARSALS Tue 7.00pm to 9.30pm TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS Tue evenings and Sat mornings

NEW PLAYERS WELCOME

Brass and Percussion Varying skill levels accommodated Ron Roberts Musical Director 0418 857 744 Andrew Stone President 0422 216 818

Supported by City of Darwin

darwincitybrassband.org.au

FULL PROGRAM ON SALE NOW

GHENOA GELA

CIRCUS OZ

NEON

MEOW MEOW

NO MONO

DANE SIMPSON & MATT FORD

THE LAST GREAT HUNT

MY URRWAI

ABORIGI-LOL

NEW OWNER

BOOK AT DARWINFESTIVAL.ORG.AU 28