Side Street, Sydney

Pong & Beer, Grown-Up Style: Doctor Pong

2010-03-12T11:26:00.004+11:00

The profusion of pop-up and wine bars that have hit Sydney in the last 12 months is, frankly, brilliant (not to be overly-superlative). One of those newcomers is Doctor Pong in Darlinghurst, a place that combines booze, ping-pong and tapas, and deserves a sweet little pat on the behind because of it.It’s a casual affair at Doctor Pong – there’s nothing pretentious or fussy about it so it never

The Shoes Fit: Pip Vassett

2010-03-10T19:29:00.005+11:00

Leading the fashion pages of Yen Magazine is a job suited only for those who are destined for greatness. Like Dave Bonney and Imogene Barron before her, Pip Vassett is the newest recruit to fit the criteria of innovation and precision that such a position entails, and she’s been fitting the shoes before her with ease – and has added her very own mark of distinction to them. Her staunch eye for

Local Stage Prowress: Circle Pit

2010-03-10T12:36:00.005+11:00

As a whirlwind of hype continues to sweep up anything with long hair, skin-tight denim and fashion accessibility, Circle Pit boast no stifling pretensions or studied ideals. Instead they have carved a troublesome and often glorious niche in their own corner of the music scene, serving as a reminder that times certainly are changing for the better.Since first entering our collective musical

Education is Power: Gemma Sisia

2010-03-09T11:41:00.005+11:00

If heaven actually exists, then starting up a school in Africa is a surefire way to get there. There’s something about Gemma Sisia, though, that tells us that she did it with more than just the afterlife in mind. The kind of woman whose mere presence is a benefit to the greater good of humanity, Gemma is somewhat of a celebrity in the altruistic world. Her School of St Jude in Tanzania has

Passion, 100%: Timba Smits

2010-03-08T08:26:00.007+11:00

When a magazine makes you want to sleep with it under your pillow and whisper it sweet nothings, you know something’s wrong – or, perhaps, terribly right. There are few which fit this criteria of published infatuation, which is probably a good thing, so as to not make you appear like a total freak. But when Wooden Toy is unleashed, beauty-lovers far and wide know it’s time to just give up. It’s

Mardi Gras

2010-03-07T10:48:00.007+11:00

photos: Trevene-Patrick Keuneman of ">Death in Berlin

The Anzac Bridge

2010-03-06T13:07:00.004+11:00

photos: Lisa Zhu

Jazz & Sushi, No Crap: Jazushi

2010-03-05T08:28:00.007+11:00

Sometimes, all you want to do is sip on some wine, listen to some jazz and eat some uncooked fish. Although all those things sound totally pretentious, you want to do it in an unpretentious way, because YOU’RE not pretentious, you just like pretentious things. Don’t worry. WE GET IT. And apparently so does Jazushi, the charming little Surry Hills restaurant which specialises in live jazz, sushi

Swimwear for the Perfect Girl: We Are Handsome

2010-03-03T21:29:00.008+11:00

For the designers behind We Are Handsome, swimwear is more of a lycra canvas for the body than a water-happy costume for summer. Featuring bold prints and iconic names such as The Hollywood and The Africa, We Are Handsome (WAH) is a collaborative project between Indhra Chagoury of Oscar & Elvis Swimwear and Jeremy Somers of People Like Us. Born late last year, WAH has so far received phenomenal

Talent, Passion & Motivation: The Drones

2010-03-03T13:32:00.003+11:00

Melbourne rockers The Drones, have been delivering a near peerless aural experience ever since they entered the limelight as winners of the inaugural Australian Music Prize for their 2005 record, Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By. Lately, members Gareth Liddiard, Fiona Kitschin, Michael Noga and newest recruit Dan Luscombe have been basking in the success of

The Hairy Fish Dish

2010-03-02T12:08:00.003+11:00

(Now the story of restaurateur Patrick BergeronAnd the quest for the perfect dishFor his restaurant.)And when one day he asked my adviceI sat back to smile a smile wiseThen I said ‘easily done and I’ll tell you if you insistThe perfect cuisine is the Hairy Fish Dish.’To this Patrick exclaimed‘A hairy fish? why there’s no such thing, of which I’ve never heardReally it sounds like something from a

The Nonchalant Creative: Aldous Massie

2010-03-01T11:30:00.005+11:00

You can usually find Aldous Massie on an Oxford Street stoop during a weeknight with a longneck in one hand and a skateboard under the other. He is also one of Sydney’s most talented young artists, even though his modest persona would have him cringe at such a title. He’s had his work shown at venerated spaces like China Heights and Palmer Projects, and he was just part of a group exhibition at

Prep School Twist

2010-02-28T11:33:00.004+11:00

photo: Margaret Sevenjhazi

Hiles Lane

2010-02-27T10:25:00.001+11:00

photo: Lisa Zhu

Gallery, Light-Hearted: NG Gallery

2010-02-26T16:12:00.004+11:00

As owner of NG Gallery, Nicky Ginsberg is passionate – about exciting art, about championing local artists both here and beyond, about running a gallery that is serious but approachable, and about the art and emerging food precinct, Chippendale, in Sydney’s city fringe.Nicky recalls that, “the past 15 years I’ve been working in the art world and prior to that I was in the food world”, the result

Porcelain Boy

2010-02-25T12:07:00.004+11:00

Masculinity has not always been a word that merely implies physical strength, endurance and brawn. At various stages through time, it has been equated with sophistication, intelligence, poise and even dare I say, elegance (shock horror). Unfortunately in recent times, the term has become increasingly one-dimensional. For the last few hundred years we have rejected the peacock-like attributes

More Than Noise: HEALTH

2010-02-24T09:47:00.004+11:00

Among the burgeoning music scene bubbling just under the surface in Los Angeles, HEALTH have found their niche in the mass market with artfully crafted noise rock, raw synth and haunting monotone vocals. Their live show can only be described as explosive, energetic, and sometimes chaotic.Centered upon the notoriety of the famous alternative noise rock scene, the quartet solidified their place as

Into Jaws, Willingly: Shark Swim Challenge

2010-02-23T10:21:00.005+11:00

Forget dolphins, whales, fish and all those other cutesy animals with their pin-up-girl looks – it’s sharks that Cath Leach has a real soft spot for. She may not be giving them a little hug any time soon, but the level of compassion she feels for them is certainly beyond that of a petting zoo. After listening to a speech by ocean researcher Sylvia Earle (who Time magazine has referred to as “

Chaos at Home: Pony Rider

2010-02-22T11:49:00.005+11:00

The words ‘boutique homewares’ usually conjures up images of trendy Paddington parents browsing expensive stores on a lazy Sunday afternoon while sipping on some derivative of a soy chai latte. Pony Rider, however, with its humble teakins and unexpectedly lavish cotton cushion covers, wholeheartedly challenges this stereotype and could turn even the most outgoing social extrovert into the

Ankle Lace Ups

2010-02-21T12:55:00.004+11:00

photo: Margaret Sevenjhazi

Palm Trees, This City's Parks

2010-02-20T12:48:00.003+11:00

photo: Lisa Zhu

Highlights and highjinks: Mardi Gras

2010-02-19T06:27:00.004+11:00

If you’re anything like us, your daily routine consists of working your butt off, catching the tear-jerking monologue at the end of a hospital drama and then heading to bed after a microwave dinner. We think it’s time you stepped out of your comfort zone.There’s a time and a place to unbutton your buttoned-down world, let your hair out and spew on the sidewalk at 3am, and it’s called the Parade

Fashion, Grounded: Jolyon Mason

2010-02-18T16:36:00.007+11:00

Stylists tend to get a bad wrap, and the more successful they get, the more difficult they are rumoured to be to deal with. Hence, we were more than a little apprehensive to meet the man who’s making Sydney seem so fashion forward. Jolyon Mason is responsible for stunning editorial in magazines including Russh, Oyster, i-D, Vogue Australia, and GQ. He’s styled campaigns for Levis and MYER, and

Dirty Sweaty Hot: Cameras

2010-02-17T16:41:00.004+11:00

With two lead vocalists and songwriters, Sydney band Cameras’ sound can lift you into a whorl of air and breathy mystery and then drag you back to earth (in a good way) into stomping guitar chords. The ethereal Eleanor Dunlop and the earthy, rooted-in-dirty-rock Fraser Harvey make up the vocals, while Ben Kingshott take charge of the bass. Eleanor is obviously intrigued by dreamy and delicious

Noise and Feelings: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

2010-02-17T12:06:00.007+11:00

Evoking the delirious melodrama of teenage emotions, New York indie-pop darlings The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart write songs reminiscent of the dreamy guitar fuzz bands of the late eighties and nineties. While these influences are as evident as they are diverse, the quartet appeal far beyond the sub-cultural confines of their predecessors in their ability to epitomise everything that’s great