Blog — Page 227 of 278

GABS Festival

The Dome

Sydney, AU

May 28, 2017

The inaugural GABS fest, which was listed as one of the top 20 beer festivals in the world by the American magazine The Beer Connoisseur in 2015,  caters to both - converted craft beer fans and the uninitiated by showcasing the Australian and New Zealand craft breweries and cider producers featuring hundreds of beers and ciders – including, and that is the major appeal of the gathering, specifically one-time exclusive batches made specifically for the eent along with gourmet food pop up, masterclasses and entertainment running the gamut from music to activations. 

Being a cashless event, tickets are scanned and punters are given an entry wristband, which doubles as a key to GABS, and which can be loaded with any GABS Currency that has been purchased with the ticket, along with a Coopers Festival Glass and the Official GABS Guide handed out at the entry.

What follows is an exposure to a myriad of beers/ciders on offer and sampling a wide variety becomes the name of the game at GABS.

While individual 85ml tasters can be purchased, Tasting Paddles of 5 x 85ml tasters serve as away to sample a range of different beers and ciders, particularly at the Kegtainer Bars where the specially brewed Festival Beers & Ciders are sold.

If you find something you want a little more of, you can have your Festival Glass filled with a 285ml serve of beer or cider.

To compliment the liquid offerings, GABS hosted a market of boutiquey food stalls: Burgers by Josh; Mama Linh’s gourmet Vietnamese Street food; Chrissy's Cuts with her hand twisted sausages made in small batches from free range prime cuts and no gluten or preservatives; The Mac Daddy’s Mac’N’Cheese; Clementine's diet of bacon, brisket and burgers; Dumpling Den and pretty much any other variety of food that generally goes well with beer or cider.

Attractions were present in the form of the Yenda Ferris wheel of beer, the local taphouse craft college, gastronomic journeys of food, beer and cider pairings, pub games galore and the opportunity to purchase a festival beer variety pack with a selection of the best festival beers after the event.

GABS 2017 was another enjoyable and gregarious extravaganza with a healthy demographic of young couples, hipsters, families with children and what is commonly associated with beer fests, i.e. middle-aged men, with the vast majority of patrons well behaved, enjoying brews and good times.

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Photos by KAVV

Village People

State Theatre

Sydney, AU

May 25, 2017

Countless times, the Village People depicting stereotypes of the masculine kind and framed in catchy pop tunes with mass appeal have been referenced, imitated or parodied in TV series, movies, video games and music.

Having been warmed up by the pitch perfect and only ABBA endorsed group Björn Again, an homage to one of the most accomplished pop groups of all time, the sold out crowd warmly welcomed the Village People, whose 2017 tour marks their fortieth anniversary. With two original members still on board, i.e. Native American Felipe Rose and the Soldier Alex Briley, who originally started portraying an athlete, the disco act from Greenwich Village, New York came out to relive old memories and relive they did.

While they came out with great fanfare and delivered all of their hits in an engaging and energetic manner – especially given that some members celebrated their seventieth birthday this year, the show left a bit desired in the production department with the Cop Ray Simpson delivering admittedly a great vocal performance while the rest of the gang are miming to playback and synchronized dancing.

It would do a world of good for the Village People’s show to take a page from the Swedes Björn Again’s charming book to add character by performing and invest into more interactive stage elements with live musicians as if you strip the show of the hits, it was a bit heavy on the repetitive side.

The audience, part of which was dressed up for the occasion, still loved it, reveling in the life affirming energy of the disco tunes and spelling out the alphabet with their appendages.

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Photos by KAVV

Time Out Pub Awards 2017

Bank’s Hotel

Sydney, AU

May 24, 2017

Founded at the end of the swinging sixties in Londontown, Time Out eventually became the global player it is known for today by giving recommendations about what to see, eat and visit in more than one hundred cities worldwide with a transition from printed to a fully digital medium.

The time had come again to raise a glass to the best in the pub business of Sydneytown with the annual Time Out Pub Awards.

Held at Newtown’s iconic late-night hotel at the tipping point of King Street, Bank’s hotel, Yenda beers, bottles of Hills Cider Company’s fruity emissions and other vessels filled with James Estate Wines were raised to toast to the city’s best local haunts, best “counter” meals and more as the 2017 Pub of the Year was crowned.

Hosted by Ben Jenkins, known from Story Club and The Checkout on the ABC, the shindig was serenaded by tunes courtesy of FBI DJ Johanna Roberts. Pub grub in form of Bank’s canapés, i.e. mini burgers, BBQ chicken skewers, white fish crevice and corn fritters proffered all while those pubs and publicans that provide the thirsty masses with much needed mid-week ales and a second lounge room were celebrated.

While the Time Out Pub Awards Awards have been gradually getting bigger affairs, they are nonetheless enjoyable and well organised with hundreds of industry people mingling with punters for an evening of shenanigans sustained by drinks and light fare, culimating in a snappy awards ceremony.

The nominees have been chosen by Time Out’s independent critics who have reviewed pubs across Sydney, with nominations in seven categories:

Pub of the Year winner for 2017 was Paddington’s Unicorn Hotel – chosen for embracing both the deeply Australian elements of the local pub while showing love for Australia’s new era winemakers.

The Erko scored the award for Best Pub Food for not only nailing the staples but adding a bit of extra panache to the plate with their house-smoked meats.

It was the first time the Publican of the Year award went to a female publican, i.e. Amanda Verrati from the Public House Petersham, while the Pub Revival Award went to East Village Hotel with its rooftop bar in Darlinghurst.

Best Entertainment Award went to the Imperial Hotel, known to an international audience for having served as the setting for a drag performances in 1994 classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

The Family-Friendly Award was given to the Newport and the Carrington Hotel in Surry Hills won the Dog-Friendly Award.

Best Beer List Award went to the CBD craft beer clubhouse Beer DeLuxe.

People’s Choice: Pub went to Harts Pub and People’s Choice: Regional Pub went to Lord Anson out in Orange.

Finally, Time Out’s Legend Award found a home Surry Hills’ old faithful the Cricketers Arms Hotel.

The evening was testament to Sydney’s thriving pub scene and the awards allowed for everyone to celebrate the venues that have become

second homes to most, where folks go to indulge in what are some of Australia’s favourite past times - watching footy, seeing bands, meeting friends, and eating one’s body weight in chips and aioli. 

Guests also took home photos from fotobox and a brand new copy of the 2017 Time Out Sydney Bar Guide, hot off the presses.

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Photos by KAVV

Devin Townsend Project

Enmore Theater

Sydney, AU

May 22, 2017

If you are familiar with Devin Townsend’s incarnation as the frontman of the musically more aggressive Strapping Young Lad with their mélange of death, thrash and black metal, Devin Townsend Project marks a turning point and a step or two away from screaming to a more blended nuanced, atmospheric and introspective effort.

Devin Townsend has been a staple within the realms of heavy music and is a consummate performer and affable showman, who has been broadening horizons and pioneering progressive metal over decades. Having proven himself as a gifted composer over and over again, Devin Townsend has mastered the art of playing with musical tension and tonight’s incarnation was testament to his abilities at orchestrating a show full of variety that seamlessly transitioned from heavier, tense and quiet to lighter moments and back, which was soaked up by the adoring and willing crowd.

Yes, there are bombastic elements galore and it feels a bit indulgent at times, but that is part of the DNA of progressive music.

The set consisted of a well-matched mix covering the highlights of DTP’s catalogue and was carried by Devin’s charisma and banter, which informed the rapport with the audience and added an additional layer of entertainment.

The musician in the ranks of DTP delivered a tight performance, flawlessly laying down the tapestry of dense hard rock and ambient elements, all fundamentally rooted in metal, that served as the foundation for Townsend’s versatile vocal delivery ranges from screaming / growling via singing to falsetto excursions into what can be perceived as borderline operatic territory as well as his mastery of the six strings, which runs the gamut from tapping, sweep-picked arpeggios, poly- and powerchords to fingerpicking.

A feast for the eyes of the musicians in attendance.

Devin Townsend seemed like a chap who is genuinely happy and at ease with what he is doing, which radiated and resulted in an engaging performance that had the audience either joining in for choruses or moving during the heavier sections.

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Photos by KAVV

Living Colour

Metro Theatre

Sydney, AU

May 13, 2017

Living Colour is the embodiment of creatively fusioning, funk, jazz, hip hop, country, exploratative, and alternative rock with lyrics ranging from the personal to the political, in some of the latter cases attacking Eurocentrism and racism in America.

Having risen to fame at the end of the 1980ies culminating in winning two Grammy Awards, they managed with their musical prowess to hone a unique, experimental and eclectic blend with hooky mass appeal while maintaining their integrity, critical respect and being heralded a musician’s band. No mean feat.

Witnessing Living Colour unfold on stage is a sight to behold: From the second the driving rhythm section comprised of Doug Wimbish and Will Calhoun hit their intro, an instant vibe is transmitted that is only amplified by Vernon Reid on guitar with his crunching riffs / solo combination and with Corey Glover an extroverted singer, whose striking, versatile use of his organ and broad range serves as another instrument.

For a lack of better terms, Living Colour grooves and rocks with effortless ease and has the sold out crowd instantly in the palm of their hand.

The two-hour performance is testament to Living Colour having swayed and influenced generations of similarly innovative bands. No matter what style is served up with individual songs, each member proves their talent adapting to the needs of each individual song.

An impressive band that has lost none of its relevance and lived up to its legend.

While they delivered a nod to James Brown, it was obvious that they are godfathers of their own lane in their own right – a lane that has become a source of inspiration for bands of a myriad of genres.

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Photos by KAVV