Work begins to transform the Concert Hall for a new era

“When it was designed and built nobody thought that rock bands or circuses or talks would be held in the Concert Hall,” Fiona Winning says. “It just wasn’t done at that time. Rock’n’roll was just not something that would be held in an opera house.” Yet within a year of its opening in 1973, the Concert Hall stage was hosting two iconic Australian rock bands: Sydney sons Sherbet had already had a number of Top 10 hits while Melbourne’s Skyhooks, appearing in their first Sydney gig, had just released their first album Livin’ in the 70s, which would go on to sell more than 300,000 copies. The latter took to the stage in outlandish costumes and make-up and opened with You Just Like Me Cause I’m Good in Bed – one of six songs on their album that had been banned from radio. This boundary-pushing performance foreshadowed some of the groundbreaking acts that would grace the Concert Hall stage decades later.
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Sydney Opera House •

Work begins to transform the Concert Hall for a new era

“When it was designed and built nobody thought that rock bands or circuses or talks would be held in the Concert Hall,” Fiona Winning says. “It just wasn’t done at that time. Rock’n’roll was just not something that would be held in an opera house.” Yet within a year of its opening in 1973, the Concert Hall stage was hosting two iconic Australian rock bands: Sydney sons Sherbet had already had a number of Top 10 hits while Melbourne’s Skyhooks, appearing in their first Sydney gig, had just released their first album Livin’ in the 70s, which would go on to sell more than 300,000 copies. The latter took to the stage in outlandish costumes and make-up and opened with You Just Like Me Cause I’m Good in Bed – one of six songs on their album that had been banned from radio. This boundary-pushing performance foreshadowed some of the groundbreaking acts that would grace the Concert Hall stage decades later.
The Guardian •

Greedy Smith: the cheerful embodiment of Mental as Anything's upbeat hits

Late 70s Sydney was alive with music. Utterly unrecognisable from the locked-out landscape of today, venues large and small were scattered throughout the inner city and central business district, up through the northern beaches and out to the beer barns of the suburbs. And, in the wake of punk’s DIY ethos, there were plenty of bands ready to fill the stages. It was into this scene that Mental as Anything, featuring Andrew “Greedy” Smith, who on Monday died of a heart attack, was formed.
Lowy Institute •

The Burning Sun scandal that torched South Korea’s elites

A scandal that began with allegations that some of South Korea’s biggest male K-pop stars had drugged and raped women (The K-Pop sex and drugs scandal sweeping South Korea) and shared video of the acts has reignited perceived injustices in two older cases, highlighting abuses of power among the country’s elite. The Burning Sun scandal, named for the club in Gangnam associated with Seungri, of boy group Big Bang, comes a year after women began rallying in the streets in a wave of protests agains
KultScene •

K-pop Unmuted: The Dance Episode

On Episode 42 of Kultscene’s K-pop Unmuted, Gabriel Wilder joins Joe Palmer and Stephen Knight to discuss Kpop dance. We talk about the importance of dance in Kpop, memorable dance moments, top performance groups, great individual dancers, and much more. Our Unmuted Picks for the episode are Jo Jung Min’s Ready Q, Weki Meki’s Picky Picky, and Lim Kim’s Sal-Ki. You can listen to this episode, and previous ones, of KultScene’s K-Pop Unmuted on Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitch.
The Guardian •

Ocean pools are making a comeback – and not just for their seductive beauty

New South Wales' ocean pools are a must-see for tourists and source of contention for locals, who spar over their favourites. Yet 50 years have passed since the last one was built – councils have been preferring chlorinated pool complexes instead. But now it appears there may be a shift back. The towns of Ballina and Port Macquarie on New South Wales’ north coast are looking at constructing tidal pools, as is Hallett Cove in South Australia. The Sydney architect and artist Nicole Larkin has spent the past six years getting to know every inch of NSW’s tidal pools – from rock bed to saltwater surface – for an interactive online database she created called the Wild Edge. She is thrilled by the resurgence of interest.
The University of Sydney •

Theatre, movies and the photographer who loves them

There are times when it can be hard to squeeze into the schedule of Lisa Tomasetti (MDP ’12). When SAM contacted her, she was working on two television series in Sydney (she can’t disclose their titles) and preparing a series of eight large-scale images for the 2019 Head On Photo Festival, which displays photographic works in public spaces and galleries across the city. “My life is not normally this crazy,” she says. “But all these TV series and films suddenly just came up. Sometimes it’s really busy and sometimes it’s not. It’s a great problem to have.”
The Sydney Morning Herald •

George Clinton review: Fitting send off for grandmaster of funk

A performance by George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic is an experience like no other. The grandmaster of funk is able to take the party-like atmosphere of a festival and transfer it to any club or theatre, saving the punter the hassle of travelling out of town and using portaloos. This concert – his last in Sydney, as the 77-year-old veteran is set to retire from performing – was no different.