What:
Secret Squirrel AW10, The White Album
Where:
Find stockists here, or buy online here
How much:
From $189
From the era that brought you the Vietnam war, 60 Minutes and your mum's story about the time she smoked a joint, also came The Beatles' White Album. (Note: The Beatles were a much-loved pop band from the 1960s). After the psychedelic palette of the summer of love, The White Album was dubbed so from the cover's comparably wintery aesthetic.
Secret Squirrel have taken the smooth lines of said wintery aesthetic and folded them into their Autumn/Winter 2010 range. The Sydney duo looked to the Scouse four's sartorial stylings and have trotted out demure pleats, dapper coats and muted florals. 'Helter Skelter' not only inspired Charles Manson, but also the plunging criss-crossed back of a handsome dress. Even the Americana touches of George Harrison's double denim is given the nod with classic chambray shirts.
It really goes without saying, but drape yourself in this finery and you'll be bigger than Jesus in no time.
What:
Getting lost
Where:
In the Dandenongs
When:
It could happen at any time
So here is the situation:
You've gotten quite drunk at a wedding reception in Olinda, the bar has been closed, it's past midnight, you've been told that the place your staying is a short walk away, there are no taxis to be seen.
And so you and three other drunks embark on a short walk down some dirt tracks. Here are some steps not to take.
DON'T believe the drunk guy who says he knows the way especially when he looks at a fork in the road and says 'eeny meeny minee moe'. DON'T rely on your phones GPS to guide you. It wont be able to find you. DON'T walk down a really steep hill that looks like a path but turns out to be just a creek with lots of holes that you cant see in the dark. DON'T pee near the 'path' or your friends will fall over in it. Actually that was pretty funny. DON'T start to scream when you hear things that sound like wolves. DON'T eat all your stolen chocolate rations in the first 10 minutes of being lost.
Basically don't go wandering around the Dandenongs at night. It's fucking scary and I thought I was gonna die. I tried to work out how warm I could stay if I raped my friend Mike but even that wouldn't have been enough to keep the mist out of my bones.
Luckily, I lived to tell this tale. Or did I?
Nah, I did.
What:
The Cave - A Late Night Art Party
Where:
Lvl 1, 79 Bourke St, Melbourne
When:
Begins Sat May 1, 10pm. Continues May 2, 7 and 8.
How much:
FREE to Jazz Festival email subscribers. Sign up now or at the door.
Description:
Melbourne Jazz Festival's series of late-night parties begins on Saturday! Brought to you by the minds behind Sweet Jelly Roll. May 1 is themed ‘Sirens and Songbirds' (with Clairy Baby Browne and The Bangin Rackettes) May 2 is 'Space Is The Place', May 7 is 'Kunst Kunst Action!' and May 8 is 'Shangri La La'. Amaze. The parties celebrate Melbourne's greatest and most forgotten artists and mimic Europe's art action parties. Enter the cave for some ‘art action' and emerge in the early hours a new being. Like a caterpillar to a butterfly, the art transformation complete. - MS
What:
Fully Booked opening
Where:
Arts Project Australia, 24 High St, Northcote
When:
Opening Sat May 1, 3-5pm
How much:
Free!
Description:
Arts Project Australia! Why is it a secret? It's not! Well, after this launch it won't be anyway. Fully Booked is a group show drawn from four different very nutsy private collections. Works by Jon Campbell, Shaun Gladwell, Blair Trethowan, Lou Hubbard, Ronnie Van Hout, Louise Weaver, Justine Varga and many more. Plus skateboard works by Arts Project Australia studio artists. Get a postcard while you're there. APA has the best postcard stand in Northcote. - PM
What:
The Keith Haring mural - yesterday, today, tomorrow
Where:
Community Justice Centre, 241 Wellington St, Collingwood. (Mural visible at 35 Johnston St, Collingwood)
When:
TONIGHT! Thurs Apr 29, 6-8pm
How much:
Free!
Let's get one thing straight. Keith Haring was into tagging. Why? Because tagging is the heart and soul of graffiti. Don't start with me, take it up with him on 1800 RIP 1990. The problem is, now that Haring is a super famous dead pop artist, there is a general concern that people will tag the mural he painted on the side of Collingwood Technical College in 1984. I, personally, worry about this. The kids in my office don't know who Andy Warhol is, let alone New York's "Radiant Baby".
Maybe if we restored the painting - one of the only remaining large-scale public Haring murals in the world - it would seem less assailable. But not everyone feels this way. Would it be lame if a regular person, god forbid a heterosexual one, carefully traced Keith's red and green lines with new paint?
Tonight there's going to be a discussion about all this, including input from the Haring Foundation, at the Community Justice Centre just around the corner from the mural. Speakers include Ted Gott (NGV), Hannah Mathews (ACCA), Lachlan MacDowell (dude, University of Melbourne), conservation specialist Andrew Thorn and a guy from the council. I will be the hypocrite searching people out the front for Sharpies.
What:
Florence Broadhurst pop-up sale
Where:
Shop 12, 69 Merchant St, Victoria Harbour, Docklands
When:
Thurs April 29 to Sun May 2, 9am-6pm daily.
How much:
Cheap!
Description:
The colourful, vibrant and eccentric designs of Florence Broadhurst mirrored her personality, as seen in the brilliant Gillian Armstrong-directed doco from a few years back. The doco was so good, it succeeded in shifting the focus of the public to her brilliant work from where it had laid for her grisly death in 1973. With her designs very much back in vogue, this sale of FB signature products such as wallpaper, cushions, rugs and handbags is definitely worth a look, particularly if you are of the tiny percentage of us that is allowed to stick things on their walls. - MO
What:
'Get Lost, Find Something' by Darren Henderson
Where:
Gorker Gallery, 395 Gore St, Fitzroy
When:
Opening Thurs Apr 29, 6.30-8.30pm
Exhibition runs until May 16
How much:
Free!
Description:
Darren Henderson has a thing about owls, which is not that uncommon, I mean who doesn't? The way they twist their heads around, the spooky vibes, what's not to like? Thing is, Darren's gone and made like 300 paintings of them and hung them as a giant map of the world. That's not normal. Stylised angular depictions of the beloved birds of prey, applied to nice woody wood panels, staring out at you. Should be a hoot. - MO
What:
Liam Finn
Where:
The Workers Club, 51 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
When:
Tues May 4, doors 8pm
How much:
$15
Description:
Well and truly emerged from the shadow of his famous dad, Liam Finn is a gifted songwriter and performer, with echoes of the Beatles, '60s psychedelia and, yes, Crowded House and Split Enz running through his work. He's been working on a new album for the past 4 months, so here's hoping this one-off sideshow from supporting Wilco will showcase some of the fresh stuff. - MO
What:
Vintage clothes sale!
Where:
1000 £ Bend, 361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
When:
Wed May 5, 6-8pm
How much:
Free entry! Bargains! Sangria available.
Description:
This vintage clothes sale might have it right. It only goes for two hours and it's on a Wednesday night. If all goes to plan, shoppers will cut straight to the panic mentality that grips them around midday when they haven't decided what to buy at Camberwell Market. Also, it's a Wednesday, the day when people are statistically most depressed about their pathetic lives in a way only '70s boots can fix. All profits to "Our Home Charity"; a refuge for homeless children in Kerala, India. - Us
What:
Overground
Where:
Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston St, Melbourne
When:
Sun May 1, 2-8pm
How much:
Tickets $30 from here
Description:
We're not sure what happens in Town Hall normally, but this will surely go down as one of the more unusual days in its' history. Assembled as a festival within the Jazz Festival, Overground is a pretty heavy line-up of creative jazz, rock and improvising artists in the world, performing on multiple stages throughout the day. It's hard to know where to start, I mean you've got Oren Ambarchi and Marco Fusinato on one hand, then Paul Grabowsky and Mick Turner on the other. Then there's a vocal ensemble featuring Sophie Brous, Alex Vivian and Christopher L.G. Hill amongst others, and Golden Fur with True Radical Miracle. Then there's the myriad of names I am too dumb to recognise. It's going to be amazing!- MO
