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Fantastic Food and Drink and Naturally Good Shows

ICC Exhibition Centre

Sydney, AU

June 4-5

Premium. Gourmet. Handcrafted. Delicious. Unique. Extraordinary. Fantastic – a few adjectives and superlatives that came your way did you choose to familiarize with the The Fantastic Food and Drink Show, which is a new trade event for the booming specialty food business. Innovative food and beverage producers were to showcase their newest creations along with food artisans, purveyors, importers and entrepreneurs to bring craft and passion to the foods you sell. Co-located with the Naturally Good Expo at the new venue – the International Convention Centre in Sydney –the show blended fresh ideas, the latest trends and new distribution channels with two days of focused buying, selling and education.

More and more Australian farmers are creating their own premium and local brands, and they want to supply direct to retailers and chefs. Taste the Farm, a component of the FFD& NG shows, was a unique opportunity for you to meet these farmers and source premium meat, dairy and other farm-fresh produce. The dedicated area was packed full of up-and-coming artisan producers brimming with passion and entrepreneurial flair.

The Fantastic Taste Awards honored the best in specialty food and drink products. The Awards recognised the innovators and game-changers in their respective categories, and provided exposure to thousands of food buyers from supermarkets, specialty retailers, foodservice, distributors, and the press.

Olives of the World was The Olive Experience – an opportunity to learn while sampling a wide variety of olive oils and table olives. It showcased what Australia and the far-flung corners of the world have to offer and guided through what one needs to know about olive oil – from production, through regions, varieties, and types to the final use at your family dinner table.

Merely a few meters away, The Specialty Chocolate Showcase gathered the local and international chocolate producers in one place for the visitors to sample gourmet and handmade chocolates, tru?es and confectionery products.

A smellier adventure offered itself with The Specialty Cheese Providers area of the show that connected you directly with specialty cheesemakers and suppliers of local and international specialty cheese.

In terms of craft beers, artisan handcrafted spirits and specialty wine new varieties such as gluten-free beer or organic wine were proffered at the Craft Beverage Alley, which connected you with craft brewers, distillers and merchants.

The Naturally Good Expo, the biggest trade show in the Southern Hemisphere for Everything Healthy, was held simultaneously and seamlessly fused with the Fantastic Food and Drink Show to showcase everything from packaged foods, ingredients and beverages to natural beauty and living, vitamins and supplements – and for your humble narrator products and suppliers I never knew existed.

As questioning the use of harsh ingredients in conventional cosmetics and beauty products is on the rise, this expo offered ample opportunity to see what the established brands and start-ups have on offer in natural and organic beauty products – from organic skincare and non-toxic cosmetics to shampoos, soaps, lotions and other natural toiletries via supplements, herbal remedies and essential oils to eco household and sustainable living products, Naturally Good Expo had it covered when it came to products that are natural, organic, cruelty-free, and that will improve the health of your hide while contributing to a safer environment.

Some standout exhibitors that we came across were:

Gelatin Australia is the result of two Aussie brothers.  

Their Peptipro Super Greens combines Peptipro Collagen with a daily dose of Organic Australian produced greens, young leaves and cold pressed, not juiced to retain full nutrient spectrum and greens that are known to be alkalizing, nutrient dense and loaded with vitamins and minerals. John Joseph rejoice!

Let’s have a look at coffee and roasters that love what they do and are bit more than just finding and roasting beans, but bringing people great coffee experiences and see coffee as a part of culture.

Since 2002 DC has been committed to roasting specialty coffee. Based in Melbourne, they have incorporated a decidingly artistic edge when it comes to packaging their products and the narratives that underlie them.

A future feature on them shall shed lights on their range.

Let’s go healthy, shall we?

MetaBuz product developer John Charlick touts his product as a tasty tumeric herbal chai tea, made from quality herbs and manufactured in Western Australia. Cinnamon, turmeric, fennel, black pepper, kelp, stevia and vanilla are combined for a mélange that is much tastier than the sum of the individual ingredients – or turmeric by itself - would suggest.

The MetaBuz Ingredients Include: Kelp – Kelps are large brown seaweed grown in underwater forests. Kelp is used extensively in traditional Japanese cuisine. Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) is made from the underground stem of a member of the ginger family. It has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot, peppery flavour and a mustard smell. Cinnamon – The unique flavour of cinnamon derives from an aromatic essential oil being 0.5-1% of its weight. Cinnamon is used in sweet and savory foods. It imparts a delicate aromatic smell to MetaBuz .Fennel – Fennel seed is an aromatic, anise flavoured spice. It also imparts a delicate aromatic smell to MetaBuz. Black Pepper – Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is the powder from the peppercorn. It is used as a spice and seasoning. Only a trace is added to MetaBuz. Vanilla – Vanilla adds a unique complex flavour to MetaBuz. It is native to Mexico and derives from the bean or seed of the vanilla flower. Stevia – Stevia comes from the leaf of the sunflower family native to America. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia tastes great without the calories of sugar.

More into skincare?

An interesting new brand we came about is Native Man:

An all-natural, organic and accessible skin-and-shave care line formulated expressly for the physiology of men.

Melbourne-based pharmacists created native Man Anderson and Andrew, two clinical-cosmetic alchemists who sought men’s skin care that not only delivered smooth, clarified and freshly shaven skin but also leaves ample room in the wallet. Their products are organic and natural without any needless substances.

Wash and Shave is a lightly foaming formula meant to cleanse skin while acting as a shave gel. Peppermint oil delivers a cooling burst while drawing out breakout-causing gunk and oil out of pores. Vitamin C-rich Kakadu Plum boosts detoxification of skin, while Green Tea and Ginger extracts suffuse skin with antioxidant and age-defying benefits.

This clear gel transforms into a lightweight low-foaming texture once you apply it and its scent is reminiscent of mandarin and sandalwood.

Native Man’s Moisturizer and after-shave uses Kakadu Plum to strike against free radicals and Lemon Myrtle to help tighten pores.

What is nice about Native Man’s products is that they are lightweight and satisfying to touch while quickly being absorbed.

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Photos by KAVV

Hot Brown Honey

Opera House

Sydney, AU

June 9, 2017

Sass, empowerment and politics rooted in hip hop culture are the pillars that form the foundation of Hot Brown Honey – a platform the posse of unapologetically fierce women use to fight the power, weaponize comedy and question stereotypes, remix the system and celebrate our similarities and differences with a platter of dance, poetry, comedy, circus, striptease and song.

Hot Brown Honey creates a busy hive of circus and hip-hop, burlesque components and beat-boxing, dance and neo-soul cabaret -  all performed by a cast of "black, brown and mixed" beauties, and delivered with a political sting.

The mantra is to “make noise” and despite serious messages, a light heartedness and sense of humour when it comes to questioning white privileges is the red thread of the show.

Hosted by queen bee MC Busty Beatz, who gives the evening cohesion, the groovy show is heavy on feminism and civil rights shaped by all shades of lady.

Poignant circus numbers follow striptease, beat boxing and groovy dance parts all with a deeper message celebrating diversity, playing with discrimination in a bid to confront big political issues of the day – racism, sexism, cultural colonialisation, home- and xenophobia - while entertaining in spectacularly decadent ways.

Hot Brown Honey frames social commentary in vibrant and glamorous show while being repulsive and confronting at the same time and allowing room for identification.

A wild and vivid show that makes you groove along while it disrupts and unapologetically tackles uncomfortable truths with feminine disobedience and empowerment.

Metallica

Sports Authority Field at Mile High - Denver, Colorado 

June 7, 2017

The storm was supposed to roll through early - before opening acts Volbeat and Avenged Sevenfold took the stage. It did. But as is often the case in Colorado, Mother Nature always has a few tricks up her sleeve. This was to be a triumphant return for the band. It had been almost a decade since Hetfield, Ulrich, Trujillo and Hammett graced a stage in this town and the 60,000+ in attendance were primed and ready for action.

One thing that can always be counted on at a Metallica show - when those lights drop, and the strains of Ecstasy of Gold start coming through the PA, the surge of energy is palpable. They didn't write it, but the song is now as synonymous with Metallica as it is with Morricone. The band wasted no time in tearing through a double shot from their new album - title track Hardwired and Atlas, Rise! This defies what Metallica has often done in opening a show with a classic tune like say, Creeping Death but their new album Hardwired...to Self-Destruct is a beast of and album and they know it. 

The band then followed up with two from Ride The Lightning, For Whom The Bell Tolls and the aforementioned Creeping Death. This must have woke the heavens because as soon as The Unforgiven began, so did the rain. Sprinkles at first, but increasing as the song played on. Then came the Lightning. As soon as Unforgiven was done, the band cleared the stage and the announcement came up - everybody clear the outside area and get to shelter as soon as possible. This means tens of thousands of wet, annoyed people were now crammed into the concession area like the angriest sauna you've ever seen. None of this was the band's fault, of course - nor were they being overly cautious. The spring/summer storms here are no joke, and by the time everyone actually got undercover, it was pouring rain and the forks of Lightning coming down were quite spectacular. It was looking very close to the show being cancelled, but as tends to be the case in Colorado, the storm moved on rather quickly and within an hour, everyone was back out, drenched and ready to resume the festivities.

Hitting the stage once again with Now That We're Dead, complete with a Taiko drum battle between all the members, the rest of the show went off without any major hitches, aside from a couple of missed cues and timing issues. While the long wait between Metallica albums has become frustrating for fans, it's remarkable to see that in almost a decade, the band hasn't lost any of their power on stage. Hetfield still stalks the stage while Kirk runs around like a hyperactive kid - hammering through newer classics like One and old classics like Motorbreath. There's not a lot of stadium-worthy rock bands left in this world, but Metallica is worthy and then some. Sure there was some grumbling about the price of tickets of this tour, but see this show, and you'll know where the money went. State of the art sound, keeping the echoes to a minimum and screens as high as the stadium walls. They've come a long, long way from The Stone in San Francisco, but between the high standards of production and the good ol' snake pit, you can tell they still love what they do and it shows. Now if we can just get them back to town before my AARP membership kicks in. 

Hidden Sydney

"The Nevada" at The World Bar

Sydney, AU

25 May - 18 June 2017

Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney.

The Cross, as it is known by localites, was once the epicentre of organised crime figures and  a booming red-light district..

Despite the recent gentrification and lock out laws that put a damper on the once boundary free zone, King Cross has remained a state of mind.

Hidden Sydney is an immersive, exhilarating cabaret celebrating the hey days of Kings Cross and bringing the lost stories of a bygone era to the surface, featuring an all-star ensemble cast.

Set over four floors of “The Nevada”, the former Sydney brothel that became known for a range of well publicised features.
Once it starts, the lines between life and art instantly start to blur and you instantly become a protagonist in the stories and lives of crime and other colourful figures of yesteryear.

Within the first moments of the experience, it becomes apparent how much attention to detail, research and effort has gone into its execution to make it a dynamic production that unfolds as you meander through the building while staying coherent and true to its narrative.

Spilling any details would spoil the fun of the experience and the broad mosaic that each component contributes to making it a nuanceful whole, ranging from dialogue via physical theatre to dance. Suffice to say that the action begins once you leave the confines of the pop-up bar and stories become alive with you being placed right in the middle of the action of a gritty past with interaction galore.

Hidden Sydney is an innovative, colourful and humorous experience and the talent in this production is outstanding and if you like surprise and are open to a very different theatrical experience, this will be right up your ally and highly recommended to anyone looking for something a bit special during Sydney’s Vivid Festival.

Body Count

Luna Park

Sydney, AU

June 3, 2017

Body Count is quintessentially a heavy metal band with a rap mentality with their material focusing on various social and political issues, along with the credo of gang life.

Fronted by Ice-T who co-founded the group with musical mastermind Ernie C, the band has caused much controversy throughout their career – often so much that their notoriety eclipsed their musical emissions.

A shame really, as their signature dark yet groovy blend, accentuated by equal giving’s of thrash and speed metal parts and peppered with dollop of punk attitude, made for an offering that showed sincere appreciation for each of the musical styles, which in band form can be condensed to the triumvirate Suicidal Tendencies, Black Sabbath and Slayer, while creating their own distinctive style and staying true to their vision.

In a live environment, Body Count is an extension of their recordings with Ice-T MCing, holding court and lecturing, while his worthy constituents deliver sonic ammunition to fuel the machine, satisfying the niche appetites for vintage metal and hardcore.

In 2017 not much has changed for Body Count – erupting into an homage to Slayer (“Raining blood” / “Postmortem”) fairly early on in their set, they kept it heavy and raw with a punk rock approach and their frontman indulging in exaggerations and absurdity to convey underlying messages of the songs and his views on worldly affairs in a bid to infuse the preachy parts with humor.

Big parts of the audience were decked out head to toe in Body Count merchandise and felt very comfortable in the palm of Ice-T’s hand as he commanded the willing masses and reveled in exerting his showman skills, making sure that everyone had a good time.

The band meandered through their career as they covered a wide range of songs off their catalogue, making a nice spread across their entire discography and cementing their status as they bridged the gap between what initially inspired them to start going and the importance of making their stand in the world we find ourselves in these days.

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Photos by T