Filter news by category Features Fashion Music Art Film Culture Caprice Diaries Photography Issues Latest News

You know when you hear a song on the radio and it pretty much blows your mind and you are all like "Oh my god, what is this song, who is this band?!" but then the DJ never says. It's super frustrating hey? That was pretty much my introduction to NZ's Bachelorette AKA Annabel Alpers.
I heard her single I want to be Your Girlfriend when I was back home once and with such relationship-in-bloom lines as "I want to be your girlfriend/ I want to hear about your childhood" I was pretty much hooked and searched for ages to find out who it was by. My search was rewarded by the fact that Alpers is amazing. In making her 2006 debut album the multi-instrumentalist locked herself and a bunch of vintage instruments away in an old hut in the Canterbury plains and, on her own, wrote, recorded and mastered the wondorously fuzzy, whimsy and distinct Isolation Loops. Anyway, I'm giving you the back story because, hot off her tour with Baltimore duo, Beach House, Bachelorette is playing one show only at the Curtin Bandroom in Melbourne on October 24. Support is by The Sun blindness and Teeth & Tongue and if you happen to attend this super special show (which YOU SHOULD!) you should know that I'm jealous.

Are you partial to a long shower? Guilty of leaving the tap on when you brush your teeth? Known to put four pairs of underwear and a t-shirt on a full wash cycle? Are you, my friend, a water pig? If you answered yes to any of the above then perhaps take heed of the fact that October 19-25 is National Water Week. That doesn't mean "use as much water as you like" week but rather, "our waterways cannot sustain the ever-growing population and we need to reign the splishy-splash in" week. In accordance, here are some water-saving tips I have deftly compiled:

- Take shorter showers (duh); set that stop watch and make every-morning a mini-challenge to thy self!

- Instead of drowning your veges in water and boiling the shit out of them, try steaming them in a shallow bed of water, with the saucepan lid on. It makes them cook way quicker, saves water and keep more vitamins in your greens - win win!

- If you live in a Surry Hills/ Fitzroy rat hole then chances are your taps leak. SORT IT OUT. You will invariably have old-school faucets and the washers on these things are a cinch to replace. You can find the instructions over the internet in the time it takes to change your Facebook status.

- Get feral and save that dirty washing. Take a week to cultivate a big pile in the corner of your room then when you really do have nary a stitch to wear, wash it all in one go. Washing with a full load saves about ten litres of water.

So there you go, for further (probably more valuable) info, head here.

Melbourne's Gertrude Art Space presents an aural smorgasboard of one hundred sound works by one hundred artists from the 21st century. Brought to you as part of the a.ma.z.i.n.g Melbourne International Arts Festival, this show employs the work of noise artists like the UK's Neil Campbell; US group Nitsch no Neck Blues Band; the abtruse Sunn O))) and legendary Sonic Youth to illustrate the depth and breadth of contemporary experimental music. I'm pretty bummed that I can't go because the set-up sounds rad; 100 headphones dangling from the ceiling for you to bring to your curious ears. 21:100:100 can be veiwed/ heard  until November 11. To put you in the mood, here's some straight up drone from Sunn O))).

Sometimes I go off sydney a bit , Like "Why am I still here? Waah, it's so boring, whine" etc. These rants usually happen in winter and then summer rolls around and I invariably remember that I'm still here because there's actually some cool stuff to be had - like checking out a free wednesday night gig from Jack Ladder and Rand and Holland, or rolling lavender between your palms during a sunny afternoon at the botanic gardens, or (this month at least) stepping just out of the city bustle and into Hyde park to gorge on some fresh-made treats at the Good Food Month Night Noodle Markets. Arguably one of the most popular events on the Good food Month calendar, the noodle markets see stalls from various local restaurants smattered around the northern end of Hyde park; offering everything from slurp-friendly noodle broths to japanese okonomiyaki to himalayan kebabs and, for afters, sticky mango rice. YUM!! The offerings are also pretty wallet friendly at around the $10 mark - meaning you'll have cold beer change to spare. The Night noodle Markets are on mon-fri, 5pm-9pm until October 19.

Jenny Kee is one of the most iconic Australian designers of the century, so it would only be appropriate for Target to invite to create her own collection for a new Designers for Target range.
From doorstops to dinner sets, the collection has it all and much more within two contrasting styles; Mali Oz pays homage to the timelessness of black and white and the boldness of tribal design, while Opal Oz transports you to a land of vibrant colours and precious gems.
The Jenny Kee Homewares collection will be hitting Target store shelves nationally from October 23.

Vintage enthusiasts get excited and get out the old dress up box! This weekend Hunters Hill Town Hall will host the bi-annual The Way We Wear vintage clothing and textiles fair. Everything from ole' world parasols and crisp Irish linen to exotic millinery and shoulder pads circa 1988 will be on show, showcasing the past 200 years in fashion. There are also vintage photographs of fashionable young ladies and gentlemen, costume jewellery and fabrics galore on sale. It's on from 10am Saturday and the same again on Sunday at Hunter's Hill Town Hall, Alexandra St.

So, I'm feeling a little fragile today (long story) and between bouts locking myself in the toilet and crying I remebered a guide my little NZ friend Dijnous wrote about feeling better when you are sad. And cue:

Go home and roll around on your bed and have a weep. It's good for you!
Make sure your room is tidy while this is happening. Messy rooms= bad feng shui and you'll never stop crying.
THEN
Go have a shower, or a bath. Use some nice products you have. Smell good.
Get out. Put on confortable pyjamas.
Sit on your bed and survey your pristine bedroom.
Find a laptop. Or if you have a TV in your room this is great.
Then
Go to the kitchen. Make some food. If you have Mi Goreng TWO THUMBS UP. If you don't, make your favourite. No fruit or vege shit.
Make a hot or cold chocolate in a massive jug. Find a nice mug.
Get in your room. Find a table or a hard flat surface to put your treats on. A chocolate bar might be a good idea for after your noodles/yourchoiceofgoodfood is finished.
You must be able to lie down and eat at the same time. Sort it out.
Put the OC into the dvd player. Start from the beginning!
Watch as much as you like. It'll make you feel better because no matter how fucked your life is it's never gonna be as fucked as Ryan's.
When you get tired of the OC get under your covers.
Find your favourite Harry Potter book, if you haven't read them, shame on you.
Start from the beginning then.
It's the same concept with Harry Potter.
NO ONE i repeat NO ONES LIFE sucks as much as Harry's. He was born destined to die.
Anyway I reckon the best thing to do is read/watch til you fall asleep.

Over and out.
Afterwards if you ever feel like crying just start singing the California song really loud.

Thank you Dijnous!!

(watching my boy Morrissey dance always helps too)