Confluence Gala

You may (or may not) have heard of Confluence, the Festival of India in Australia. It’s a three month long cultural festival which is being supported by a number of organisations, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). That’s why I was invited to the Festival Gala, held last night at the Sydney Opera House. And […]

Notes from the Underground

“I have tickets for Notes From The Undergound and my sister is sick and can’t make it. Would you like to join me?” read the mid-afternoon text from a friend. Having no plans for Saturday night, I immediately said yes. And then I looked it up. Ah yes, I’d read the novella by Dostoyevsky maybe […]

The Moth in Sydney

When asked to choose a team name in keeping with the theme “borders”, I chose “Coolangatta Gold”. Admittedly, it’s a rather obscure reference to a 1980s film which starred Colin Friels, Robin Kevin, Grant Kenny and others about ironman events. As such, I thought it was a great way to encompass the interests of my friend […]

Rugby League – The Musical

As I sat and sipped my beer (in plastic, no doubt a sign of the end of Western civilisation) waiting for the theatre doors to open, I wondered if I knew enough about rugby league to enjoy “Rugby League – The Musical”, tonight at the Sydney Comedy Festival. Though I know a bit about the […]

Penny Arcade

I was a little surprised to see Bob and Blanche in the audience last night at “Giant Dwarf”. Though, I’ve seen them at heaps of theatre events around Sydney, it’s often been at the “top end of town”, whereas “Giant Dwarf” is a little more down-market, and it’s a little more “alternative”. Last night’s show […]

Amanda Vanstone @ Giant Dwarf

She wasn’t as “candid” as I’d hoped she would be, given the machinations in the Liberal Party over the last few weeks, but she was still interesting. Amanda Vanstone was the latest “political guest” at Giant Dwarf, having followed in the footsteps of Tony Windsor and Julia Gillard. I missed Gillard, due to my overseas […]

Mothers and Sons

My initial attraction to “Mothers and Sons” was Tim Draxl. I’ve followed his career since the 90s, and fondly remember interviewing him as a nineteen or twenty year old singer “on the way up”. Since then, I’ve seen him perform a number of times, and I’ve seen him in a number of movies. It was […]

James O'Brien

Born: Lismore; Lived: Brisbane, Bourke, Renmark, Wagga, Perth, Sydney; Work: Radio; Love: Travel, Genealogy, Sweden.