I have this travelpass in Sydney which basically lets me travel anywhere I want within a week. I use and abuse it by travelling in multifarious ways to and from work. One place I pass by occasionally when I take a particular bus and get off at a particular stop is called Crow’s Nest, a suburb well known for having some decent grub.
Within that place was Macro Wholefoods Market which basically only sold organic produce. I thought I’d traipse around for a bit and ended up buying some stuff. First, the good.
The Ecor Group hails from Italy and they make a variety of biscuits and pastas and stuff. What caught my eye is their brilliant packaging, which is good simple graphic design, clean modern and tasty looking. Check out their website and you’ll see more of what I mean.
Then there was this slab of fudgy brownie from Phillipa’s, which is local, well Melbournian but you get the point. Its ingredients included Callebaut, which allowed for the moniker Belgian Chocolate Brownie, because Cadbury just doesn’t make up for the 12 bucks I forked over. It was pricey but pretty good. Crumbly, moist and choco-loco. Despite the fact its packed in plastic and off a shelf. Tyler Brule thinks her bread is hot if that means anything to anyone.
Now the bad.
I’m still not convinced my organic orange allowed to blemish naturally by the use of less/no insecticides is actually a good thing. For one, the acceptance of crop pests does zilch, flavorwise at least. At worst, you get larvae nesting in the skin. Dude, wash your fruitz and maybe half the poisonous insecticides is gone. But mainly, I’m not that willing to part with more money for what may not be better. This is grotesque generalization of course. I’m sure there are brilliant organic producers who make the best stuff around but I’m also sure there’s producers out there who make stuff just as good or better and don’t brand themselves under some trendy catchall term that healthnuts go bonkers for. Pro organics will claim the stuff tastes better and its healthier and the animals that were slaughtered lived a good life. And it may do but it also uses more land, yields less and costs more. Also, stop kidding yourselves over the plight of chickens in overcrowded farm videos on youtube. Fact is, humans eat meat. Stop being hypocritical and accept it. If you chose veganism/vegetarianism after watching dem chicken videos, I ask if you wondered about the plight of those plants you’re mowing down and the animals it once supported. Balance is key. Stupid fads do sweet f-all. I’m totally ok with farms that rear black-hooved pigs that only eat acorns freerange that become lovely slabs of ham because they taste good. I really don’t need them to label themselves as a form of marketing.
Also, in case you missed the bit about the price. Here it is again. I can’t afford organic produce and I’m whinging about it. So there. I must mention though, that I found some produce at Macro to be only marginally more expensive than big supermarket chains. Yet, all the good stuff, was always really really pricey, like Duchy Originals for instance. Then again, I suppose you have to pay more for quality. You just have to scrounge around more for good deals.
Q: Why isn’t Didier Drogba, performing as well for Chelsea this season as he has previously?
A: That’s because he’s been busy down under, popping up in Melbourne to win the Australian Open whilst wearing a Tutu. He defeated former footballer Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer (who has since converted his curls into a ponytail) 6-0 6-3.
Chelsea fans will be lining up in droves to kop that new kit.
Not the flashy ex Newcastle winger but the Australian chain of bakeries just to clarify. Laurent has got quite a few stores in Melbourne and just 2 in Sydney, one in Bondi and the other in Manly, where I found refuge on a torrid, windy, rainy day that would have killed any and all optimism. The bakery’s lovely little pastries though, did go some way to alleviating the drudgery.
They do classic French pastries and they do it damn well. That’s why you fork out 6-7 dollars for a lovely little Charlotte or 3-4 dollars for a perfectly fried beignet. I managed to sample a few pastries together with some friends and was generally impressed with the offerings. The one thing i distinctly remember though, is the chocolate macaroon, which can be had for a dollar eighty. It just fell apart delightfully in the mouth and smacked a chocolatey goodness that had me swooning.
Their sugar glazed brioche.
An old Beyond Tomorrow vid but you get the idea… Its about the compressed air car engine and the 2 inventors that came up with it. MDI is a company headed by Guy Negre, a Frenchman who came up with an idea to make a car run on compressed air back in ‘97. Engineair is a Melbourne based company run by Angelo Di Pietro that also has a similar idea, only his engine can be held up by a baby.
Both engines run on compressed air, promising decent performance when commercially available. The other pluses include zero emissions and cheap, easy refueling. At first glance, I have to say I was skeptical and still am somewhat but I hope its legit.
Ok, so of course compressed air doesn’t come without the use of electricity or burning of fossil fuels but the thing is, not all of it needs to come from that. It could come from solar/wind/hydro/nuclear stations as well. Pollution would get concentrated where the power stations would be and roads would probably get a whole load cleaner.
Another thing is safety. With compressed air tanks under the car, the engineers’ solution is to use carbon fibre tanks, which splinter under duress but do not create shrapnel. I still wonder if there’s gonna be a big bang if that happens anyway and you get forced through your windscreen by compressed air.
Then there’s performance. Will it ever be possible to have a compressed air car run like an Bugatti? Perhaps only time will tell. Tata Motors of India is apparently already in contract with MDI to try to actually produce the Air Car soon-ish.
This I got off the back of a reader’s digest. Michael Kai is a Melbourne based photographer who used to hail from Germany. One of his photo series involves manipulating photographs to force them into a 2D, isometric sort of world. A touch Escher-esque but wholly modern in its approach.
The pub was the place which introduced me to this Melbournian trio. Apparently, Cut Copy are quite big in oz right now as well with the release of their latest album, In Ghost Colours. The track above is the single Lights & Music.
Filed under: Australia, Culture, Environment, Melbourne, Music, Politics, Thoughts, Travel
I think it was something like 46000 (confirmed on BDO webby) I heard mentioned on the local radio on my ride to the airport as I left Melbourne. Big Day Out was my main event and it was not to disappoint.
I smelt more spliffs and joints @ Flemington race course than I did regular cigarettes which was a good thing. The beer (Toohey’s extra dry) was pretty awful. I somehow remember almost enjoying them in bottle form when I was in Sydney but the cans sold @ BDO were fucking awful. Piss could pass off better as beer. The food was ok I suppose. I didn’t expect nor wanted restaurant fare. This stall that sold Dutch pancakes (essentially mini pancakes) was not too bad even if the dough was slightly undercooked. The toilets were ok though. Better than expected although I went once only and I went early. The crowd getting home was quite mad really. Imagine 46000 people squeezing onto the trains and a cut off time of 11.15. Carl Cox’s set finished at 11 by the by. Still, it wasn’t anything remotely close to Shanghai’s trains on a daily basis. Something about Australians being polite and stuff I suppose. Plenty of kids did climb fences and fall in pursuit of getting on the first train but nothing offensive really. The worst thing though might’ve been the venue itself. Flemington race course is fucking dusty. In the middle, right where they have amusement rides, its like a fucking desert, chomped off Las Vegas and dropped onto Melbourne. My Skulls were khaki from the knee down.
Water sprinkling tower helped to keep temperatures in check.
Still, nothing would detract from the show that was to unfold. And what a show! We went a little late, at round 2. Some acts started at 10 or 11. The only thing I can say I would have missed was Kate Nash’s set, although I got some consolation for that.
5 mins in and I’d gotten all the essentials. Drink tickets, drinking age wristband and show program with map and timetable. Efficiency is the key.
First act we checked out turned out to be none other than the UK’s finest, Dizzee Rascal. Rascal rocked the place I thought, spitfire rhymin and grimin. It was pretty awesome, even if the “act” was a little scripted in feel, like when DJ Semtex said the crowd don’t want no more and then Rascal says yes they still got time for one more song and the crowd cheers.
The UK’s finest, Mr. Rascal.
Next up, were Gyroscope, who were quite ok. We left when my mate wanted to hit the loo. At that point my ears pricked up when I heard a crowd laughing. Then I checked my program and realized Billy Bragg was playing none too far away. In between songs, the man laid out his mantras on world peace and how Howard sucked and hopefully Australia will do better under Rudd, how Aussies should support Rudd and remember Howard was awful etc. He was quite a bit preachy and I think this set the tone for the entire festival really. Still, he did his political folk/punk thing which was quite good. The highlight was when Bragg introduced Kate Nash on stage and they sang a duet of sorts. Woowee, she’s so cute, especially when she did the most adorable “muak” kiss. Oh and her voice was awesome as well.
The lovely Kate Nash and Mr. Bragg.
Next, we headed for Pnau. Along the way, we chanced on a pretty good soulstress singing on top of a van with a DJ and 4 gyrating, half naked girls. Also, there was some sort of mad band that played at the Lilyworld stage that had guys in puffy, neu-rave suits with oversized glasses, top hats and assorted miscellany. I think they played some kind of kitschy dance music but I can’t remember. Think Henrik Vibskov’s most unwearable pieces come to life only without the style.
Pnau was fabulous. Very danceable. They also had a lot of colorful mascots on stage to add to the fun factor. Throughout the show, they also did a “get the crowd to go low and then rise up as the music got red hot” thing. Rockin’. Some dude did try to storm the stage but was denied by 4 or 5 security personnel who flung him onto the floor inches from me. The poor guy clutched onto his wayfarers, clearly showing where his priorities lay. The only bad thing was, after that, this very cute chick next to me left before anything really fun happened. Damn. Must go to Pnau shows more.
One half of Pnau & Friends.
At 530 , we realized suddenly that Arcade Fire was taking the stage like half a click away, so we left the funny mascots, ran across the dust covered desert and managed to get to a half decent view of the place. They’d only just started which was fine but they were at the main stage area, which was freaking crowded. Sort of poignant when they started to play “No Cars Go”. At which point, I realized that we had to pretty much stick around here or be completely fucked when Bjork was on show, or Rage for that matter. Fire were fantastic though and comparetively, quite minimal in their political mentions.
Some Canadian goodness called Arcade Fire.
After Arcade Fire, I popped over to the merch and bought an Arcade Fire tee. I actually wanted one with their Neon Bible artwork but stumped for the one with my size, with the organ pipes instead. There was also a monochrome version of the Battles tee I was wearing and a nuns Rage tee I wanted that didn’t have my size. We had a quick dinner, which included the Dutch pancakes earlier and then tried our best to squeeze back to the main stage area and get a place for Bjork. It was fucking hard to find anywhere. The area closest to the stage had been closed off by the time Arcade Fire were playing so basically, we were on the outside of that, which was still packed. All this means I was sacrificing LCD Soundsystem, who I like immensely, and also Battles, who I’d seen before at least. Sad but true. The ethical dilemma of music festivals I suppose.
Token Silverchair pic. They played after Arcade Fire and apparently, some of the crowd didn’t like them too much.
Bjork had me worried though. I had no idea if she would take the stage even, although no one said anything about so I assumed it was gonna happen. And happen she did. A marching band came out and soon after, the Princess of Pixies bust out “Earth Intruders”. When she finished, she said the most awesomest, cutest, thank you ever on the face of earth. She was also incredibly beautiful and cute. And beautiful. Next up were some tracks off Homogenic, which basically left me completely mesmerized. You could tell her voice was on edge, particularly when she croaked a bit on “Cover Me”. Still she was fucking mesmerizing. I was and continue to be blown away by her voice, its still ringing in my ears like. She was amazing and busted out her political bend when she dedicated “Declare Independence” to the indigenous peoples of Australia. The mostly white crowd cheered, somewhat oblivious to the irony or perhaps in support of her intentions. I had my doubts and laughed nervously, quietly. The music was what triumphed in the end I guess. And how spectacular it was. The video walls proffered a better view from my location, stuck behind some old, sideways shaking twit with a hat.
The goddess herself.
The wizards behind the sound. The guy in the video manipulated the sound as he dragged bits and pieces from the side in a show of interactive art and music. Awesome.
Finally, the main event for much of the crowd arrived, at round 9. Rage Against The Machine, reformed and revived. Ok, so LCD Soundsystem and later Carl Cox (seriously, why the fuck did LCD have to play then?) were to perform around the same time as well but almost everyone was at Rage. We tried our best to snake our way from the top end of the Bjork stage to the bottom end of the Rage one next to it, one big bloody circle. Along the way, some loofy bird was taking her kit off on the roof of one of the nearby structures. Then some dude climbed a tree in hopes of a better view, only to be pelted with empty drink bottles. Ultimately the place was seriously crowded and the trees were as well. Everywhere, people just chanting “rage! rage! rage!” or “we want rage!”.
Homo Rageus.
Apparently that’s RATM, although it could possibly be Alvin & The Chipmunks from this range.
They were true to form. Anarchic, political. Zach de la Rocha bust out his rhymes in typically venomous fashion and the kids were going nuts. I couldn’t quite see the mosh from where I was but from what has been said, it was insane. I was close-ish to the stage and video wall for arcade fire. Slightly less than that for Bjork and lost at sea for Rage. I think the extent and gravity of the situation was made known to me as I felt these vibrations under the soles of my feet. It was like a mini earthquake and I was a little itty bitty part of it. When de la Rocha did his manifesto preaching bit, I couldn’t actually quite hear what the fuck he said exactly but hey, the crowd certainly dug it. The climax was probably “Killing In The Name Of”, which had like everyone going bonkers.
Zapatista Zach de la Rocha.
Guitar God Tom Morello.
All in all, I’d say I had an awesome time and it was definitely a Big day out for me. I wish I had a better videocam. Much of the vids I shot came out complete crap. I could barely make out any members of Arcade Fire nevermind RATM. I was just too damn far away. The sound is ok but there’s nothing to see, which is kinda sad! Anyway, I’ll always have my memories like Bjork’s uber cute thank yous or that moment when Morello bust out some finger tricks on his guitar or Zach shouting, Bragg dissing Bush and Howard in a revised version of Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards and Kate Nash blowing me a kiss (I can dream can’t I?).
About a year or so back, I was a hardcore WoWhead. I basically wasted my time dungeon crawling and looking for l33t gear so I could smack more monsters. Along my travels in this virtual realm, I chanced upon many spectacular sights. A lot of stuff that had nothing to do with the game. A lot of stuff I glean off this highly nerdy crowd that lived in front of computers. Sort of like me really. Computers and cooking hoods. Yes that’s the life.
Anyway, in WoW, there are guilds that call themselves the Knights of Ni on every single server. Doesn’t matter if its RP or non RP, there’s always a guild called the Knights of Ni. Then I learned about Monty Python and stuff but never really got into it.
Then in Melbourne, after shopping around and just wanting to do something, I decided to watch a musical based on Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Monty Python’s Spamalot. We bought the cheapest seats we found, much to our delight when we got a free upgrade before the show commenced. We paid 45 bucks because the next tier was 80 bucks muahahaha.
Spamalot is a lot like the film off which it is based, according to my knowledgeable friend who stumped out another 45 bucks for a Black Knight plush toy. Removable limbs included. It does take some liberties and spends a lot of time riffing on pop culture stuff but it is pretty much true to the original. The version I watched is the Australian version, so it also riffs on Aussie things, like Neighbours and stuff.
I have to say that I’m sore I missed this sort of bullcrap in my childhood. This shit is too funny. Hilarious really. Its bloody English, very random, highly nonsensical yet throughly logical. I enjoyed it immensely and recommend everyone to catch it if you get a chance to.
Melbourne was awesome. I suppose if you’re going with the perspective that you’re on holiday, then its always gonna be fun. So yea Melbourne was awesome.
I stayed at a backpackers which was alright. The only thing I really cared about was its location, right in the middle of town and within easy reach of transport and shops.
My first impressions of the city were architectural. The style is an interesting one that contrasts a distinct modernity with the older, more colonial style. Southern Cross station was quite enjoyable in this respect. Its massive and the roof resembles a dinosaur’s spine. Federation Square was pretty cool as well. A lot of the buildings certainly looked artishly modern. Sculptures were all over the place and very prominent. I remember these huge red and yellow square tubes that leaned over the highway as I left the city toward the airport. Sorry, didn’t take any pics, saving space and battery for BDO.
The mood of the city was different as well, in part due to the architecture. I was puzzled whenever I saw people driving, stuck in the middle of the street, just before they turned. I thought “Were all Melbournians such poor drivers?”. Then I realized it was their special, quaint system of turning because the middle of the roads have to allow for the trams so people have to sort of wait on the edge before turning. (Seeing it makes a lot more sense) The walkways were wide and the one thing I loved about the city was how easy a walking city it is. In contrast, Sydney is a fucking nightmare of hills. The vibe was distinctly laid back, no doubt abetted by the fact that it was Australia Day. The trams and horse carriages also lent an interesting feel to the city and everyone seemed like they were having fun.
I didn’t get to check out all the city had to offer, definitely didn’t eat at any top places but that’s all for the better, so I get to go down again hehe.
I enjoyed Espy @ St. Kilda immensely. My friend calls this “The place where any Melbourne act worth its salt goes to cut its teeth”. When I went down, I got to check out a band called Little Red, which plays with a very 50s backing melodies feel regardless of which of their 3 lead singers is on the mike. They call it Doo-Wop punk on their myspace. Very nice.
Cookie was awesome as well. Something like 15 types of absinthe and a bajillion beers just to start with. The competent bartender can also craft something special just for you. I could also just mention the fact they have Leffe and Erdinger on tap.
Shopping in general, I never got the feeling that there was just one store that was the best or anything like that. Instead, there’s just many small, cool shops and you just had to know where to go or maybe I was just clueless because I procrastinated over writing down addresses and printing a map.
Fitzroy – Nice vibe to the place. One long street, Brunswick, with some nice stores. Dropped into Fat which was the only fat I went to. Also had a kick ass Honey Pecan tart at Babka. My friend had a very impressive Tarte Tatin and I also had some very intense smoky Russian tea. The Shins played in the background as waitresses with kooky haircuts strut around. Mmm.
Flinders – Nice and tight. Chiodo was massive! Bobby’s Cuts was a nice space even if their selection of stuff was quite poor. Pity they didn’t have those YMC shoes in my size. Nice Hem & Haw stuffs there.
Alphaville – I liked this place. Their own stuff was cool.
Someday was quite lovely too, with Pam, Neigborhood stuff. I liked one of the Porter bags but didn’t feel like spending quite that much.
All in all, I loved the city and hope I’ll be back sooner rather than later. Cheers Melbourne!
I am so stoked. Yesterday was the first of the Big Days Out in the Gold Coast, basically Australia’s answer to Glastonbury. In my opinion at least anyway. This year’s Big Day O ut has got Bjork, Arcade Fire, Battles, Unkle, LCD Soundsystem and the reformation of Rage Against The Machine and me. I will be going! On Australia Day no less, 28th January 2008. Omg look at da numbas zomg da vincee codez!
Anyway, in 1 week, I will meet up with a friend in Melbourne to rock the fuck out. Also, I get to do some shopping in Melbourne, for which there will be a special report. But mostly, I get to rock the fuck out.
Why Melbourne? Well, basically, the same friend bought 2 tickets for Melbourne after the Sydney sales evaporated into thin air. He then conned me into buying the spare, so I then dutifully made travel and hotel arrangements because I would not pass this up, sucker that I am. Also, I get a holiday within a holiday and extend my reach to more of Australia. And haven’t you looked at the lineup yet? That alone is justification itself!
